WO2024147377A1 - Apparatus and method for transmitting and receiving signal in wireless communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure is for transmitting and receiving signals in a wireless communication system, and a method for operating a terminal comprises the steps of: receiving at least one synchronization signal from a base station; transmitting a random access preamble to the base station on the basis of the at least one synchronization signal; receiving a random access response from the base station; establishing a connection with the base station; and performing communication with the base station through the connection, wherein the communication is performed through at least one spatial domain filter, and the at least one spatial domain filter may be generated on the basis of transmission lines having a characteristic whereby an amount of phase shift varies depending on an applied voltage.

Description

Apparatus and method for transmitting and receiving signals in a wireless communication system

The following description is about a wireless communication system, and relates to an apparatus and method for transmitting and receiving signals in a wireless communication system.

Wireless access systems are being widely deployed to provide various types of communication services such as voice and data. In general, a wireless access system is a multiple access system that can support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (bandwidth, transmission power, etc.). Examples of multiple access systems include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, and single carrier frequency (SC-FDMA) systems. division multiple access) systems, etc.

In particular, as many communication devices require large communication capacity, enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) communication technology is being proposed compared to the existing radio access technology (RAT). In addition, a communication system that takes into account reliability and latency-sensitive services/UE (user equipment) as well as mMTC (massive machine type communications), which connects multiple devices and objects to provide a variety of services anytime and anywhere, is being proposed. . Various technological configurations are being proposed for this purpose.

The present disclosure can provide an apparatus and method for effectively transmitting and receiving signals in a wireless communication system.

The present disclosure can provide an apparatus and method for transmitting and receiving signals through switching network-based beamforming in a wireless communication system.

The present disclosure can provide an apparatus and method for generating a plurality of transmission and reception beams using a switching network-based beamformer and transmission line in a wireless communication system.

The present disclosure can provide an apparatus and method for generating a plurality of transmission and reception beams by controlling the phase shift characteristics of a transmission line disposed between a switching network-based beamformer and an array antenna in a wireless communication system.

The present disclosure can provide an apparatus and method for increasing the number of transmission and reception beams that can be generated by varying the impedance of a transmission line between a switching network-based beamformer and an array antenna in a wireless communication system.

The present disclosure can provide an apparatus and method for increasing the number of transmission and reception beams that can be generated using a transmission line including a phase variable member in a wireless communication system.

The technical objectives sought to be achieved by the present disclosure are not limited to the matters mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned are common in the technical field to which the technical configuration of the present disclosure is applied from the embodiments of the present disclosure described below. It can be considered by a knowledgeable person.

As an example of the present disclosure, a method of operating a terminal in a wireless communication system includes receiving at least one synchronization signal from a base station, transmitting a random access preamble to the base station based on the at least one synchronization signal, Receiving a random access response from a base station, establishing a connection with the base station, and performing communication over the connection, wherein the communication includes using at least one spatial domain filter based on the synchronization signal. This is performed through, and the at least one spatial domain filter may be generated based on transmission lines having a characteristic that the amount of phase shift varies depending on the applied voltage.

As an example of the present disclosure, a terminal in a wireless communication system includes a transceiver and a processor connected to the transceiver, wherein the processor receives at least one synchronization signal from a base station and performs a synchronization signal based on the at least one synchronization signal. Control to transmit a random access preamble to the base station, receive a random access response from the base station, establish a connection with the base station, and perform communication through the connection, wherein the communication is performed at least based on the synchronization signal. It is performed through one spatial domain filter, and the at least one spatial domain filter may be generated based on transmission lines having a characteristic that the amount of phase shift varies depending on the applied voltage.

As an example of the present disclosure, a method of operating a base station in a wireless communication system includes transmitting at least one synchronization signal to a terminal, receiving a random access preamble from the terminal based on the at least one synchronization signal, and the terminal transmitting a random access response, establishing a connection with the terminal, and performing communication through the connection, wherein the communication is performed through at least one spatial domain filter based on the synchronization signal. And, the at least one spatial domain filter may be generated based on transmission lines having a characteristic that the amount of phase shift varies depending on the applied voltage.

As an example of the present disclosure, a base station in a wireless communication system includes a transceiver and a processor connected to the transceiver, wherein the processor transmits at least one synchronization signal to a terminal and transmits at least one synchronization signal based on the at least one synchronization signal. Receive a random access preamble from the terminal, transmit a random access response to the terminal, establish a connection with the terminal, and control to perform communication through the connection, wherein the communication is performed at least based on the synchronization signal. It is performed through one spatial domain filter, and the at least one spatial domain filter may be generated based on transmission lines whose phase shift amount varies depending on the applied voltage.

As an example of the present disclosure, a communication device includes at least one processor, at least one computer memory connected to the at least one processor and storing instructions that direct operations as executed by the at least one processor. The operations include receiving at least one synchronization signal from a base station, transmitting a random access preamble to the base station based on the at least one synchronization signal, receiving a random access response from the base station, Establishing a connection with a base station, and performing communication through the connection, wherein the communication is performed through at least one spatial domain filter, wherein the at least one spatial domain filter has a phase shift amount depending on the applied voltage. It can be generated based on transmission lines with variable characteristics.

As an example of the present disclosure, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing at least one instruction includes the at least one instruction executable by a processor. The at least one command includes: receiving at least one synchronization signal from a base station; transmitting a random access preamble to the base station based on the at least one synchronization signal; and receiving a random access response from the base station. Control to receive, establish a connection with the base station, and perform communication through the connection, wherein the communication is performed through at least one spatial domain filter based on the synchronization signal, and wherein the at least one spatial domain The filter can be generated based on transmission lines whose phase shift amount varies depending on the applied voltage.

The above-described aspects of the present disclosure are only some of the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, and various embodiments reflecting the technical features of the present disclosure can be understood by those skilled in the art. It can be derived and understood based on the explanation.

The following effects may be achieved by embodiments based on the present disclosure.

According to the present disclosure, the complexity and implementation difficulty of a communication device that forms a plurality of beams using a switching network-based beamformer can be improved.

The effects that can be obtained from the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned may be obtained by applying the technical configuration of the present disclosure from the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure below. It can be clearly derived and understood by those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field. That is, unintended effects resulting from implementing the configuration described in the present disclosure may also be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments of the present disclosure.

The drawings attached below are intended to aid understanding of the present disclosure and may provide embodiments of the present disclosure along with a detailed description. However, the technical features of the present disclosure are not limited to specific drawings, and the features disclosed in each drawing may be combined to form a new embodiment. Reference numerals in each drawing may refer to structural elements.

1 shows an example of a communication system applicable to the present disclosure.

Figure 2 shows an example of a wireless device applicable to the present disclosure.

Figure 3 shows another example of a wireless device applicable to the present disclosure.

Figure 4 shows an example of a portable device applicable to the present disclosure.

5 shows an example of a vehicle or autonomous vehicle applicable to the present disclosure.

Figure 6 shows an example of AI (Artificial Intelligence) applicable to the present disclosure.

Figure 7 shows a method of processing a transmission signal applicable to the present disclosure.

Figure 8 shows an example of a communication structure that can be provided in a 6G (6th generation) system applicable to the present disclosure.

9 shows an electromagnetic spectrum applicable to the present disclosure.

Figure 10 shows a THz communication method applicable to the present disclosure.

FIG. 11A shows an example of a communication device including a beamformer based on a switching network.

Figure 11b is a conceptual diagram of a beamformer based on a switching network including a Butler matrix.

Figure 11c is an example implementation of the Butler matrix.

Figure 12a shows another example of a communication device including a beamformer based on a switching network.

Figure 12b is a conceptual diagram of a beamformer based on a switching network including a Rotman lens.

Figure 12c is an example implementation of a Rotman lens.

13A to 13C are diagrams illustrating beam forming of a switching network-based beamformer.

Figure 14 shows the structure of a communication device including a beamformer based on a switching network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 15 shows a cross section showing the structure of a general transmission line.

Figure 16a shows a cross-section showing the structure of a phase variable line according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 16b shows the shape of the unit structure of a phase variable line according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 17 is an exemplary diagram of the chemical potential state of a phase variable line according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 18 is a graph showing the relationship between the length of a phase variable member and the phase difference of a plurality of phase variable lines according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 19 is an example application of a phase variable line according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 20 is an example beam forming diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 21 shows an example of a procedure for performing communication in a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 22 shows an example of a procedure for performing communication by forming a beam in a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

The following embodiments combine the elements and features of the present disclosure in a predetermined form. Each component or feature may be considered optional unless explicitly stated otherwise. Each component or feature may be implemented in a form that is not combined with other components or features. Additionally, some components and/or features may be combined to configure an embodiment of the present disclosure. The order of operations described in embodiments of the present disclosure may be changed. Some features or features of one embodiment may be included in another embodiment or may be replaced with corresponding features or features of another embodiment.

In the description of the drawings, procedures or steps that may obscure the gist of the present disclosure are not described, and procedures or steps that can be understood by a person skilled in the art are not described.

Throughout the specification, when a part is said to “comprise or include” a certain element, this means that it does not exclude other elements but may further include other elements, unless specifically stated to the contrary. do. In addition, terms such as "... unit", "... unit", and "module" used in the specification refer to a unit that processes at least one function or operation, which refers to hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. It can be implemented as: Additionally, the terms “a or an,” “one,” “the,” and similar related terms may be used differently herein in the context of describing the present disclosure (particularly in the context of the claims below). It may be used in both singular and plural terms, unless indicated otherwise or clearly contradicted by context.

In this specification, embodiments of the present disclosure have been described focusing on the data transmission and reception relationship between the base station and the mobile station. Here, the base station is meant as a terminal node of the network that directly communicates with the mobile station. Certain operations described in this document as being performed by the base station may, in some cases, be performed by an upper node of the base station.

That is, in a network comprised of a plurality of network nodes including a base station, various operations performed for communication with a mobile station may be performed by the base station or other network nodes other than the base station. At this time, 'base station' refers to terms such as fixed station, Node B, eNB (eNode B), gNB (gNode B), ng-eNB, advanced base station (ABS), or access point. It can be replaced by .

Additionally, in embodiments of the present disclosure, a terminal may include a user equipment (UE), a mobile station (MS), a subscriber station (SS), a mobile subscriber station (MSS), It can be replaced with terms such as mobile terminal or advanced mobile station (AMS).

Additionally, the transmitting end refers to a fixed and/or mobile node that provides a data service or a voice service, and the receiving end refers to a fixed and/or mobile node that receives a data service or a voice service. Therefore, in the case of uplink, the mobile station can be the transmitting end and the base station can be the receiving end. Likewise, in the case of downlink, the mobile station can be the receiving end and the base station can be the transmitting end.

Embodiments of the present disclosure include wireless access systems such as the IEEE 802.xx system, 3GPP (3rd Generation Partnership Project) system, 3GPP LTE (Long Term Evolution) system, 3GPP 5G (5th generation) NR (New Radio) system, and 3GPP2 system. It may be supported by at least one standard document disclosed in one, and in particular, embodiments of the present disclosure are supported by the 3GPP TS (technical specification) 38.211, 3GPP TS 38.212, 3GPP TS 38.213, 3GPP TS 38.321 and 3GPP TS 38.331 documents. It can be.

Additionally, embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to other wireless access systems and are not limited to the above-described system. As an example, it may be applicable to systems applied after the 3GPP 5G NR system and is not limited to a specific system.

That is, obvious steps or parts that are not described among the embodiments of the present disclosure can be explained with reference to the documents. Additionally, all terms disclosed in this document can be explained by the standard document.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. The detailed description to be disclosed below along with the accompanying drawings is intended to describe exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, and is not intended to represent the only embodiments in which the technical features of the present disclosure may be practiced.

Additionally, specific terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure are provided to aid understanding of the present disclosure, and the use of such specific terms may be changed to other forms without departing from the technical spirit of the present disclosure.

The following technologies include code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), and single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA). It can be applied to various wireless access systems.

In the following, for clarity of explanation, the description is based on the 3GPP communication system (e.g., LTE, NR, etc.), but the technical idea of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. LTE is 3GPP TS 36.xxx Release 8 and later. In detail, LTE technology after 3GPP TS 36.xxx Release 10 may be referred to as LTE-A, and LTE technology after 3GPP TS 36.xxx Release 13 may be referred to as LTE-A pro. 3GPP NR may mean technology after TS 38.xxx Release 15, and “xxx” may mean technology after TS Release 17 and/or Release 18. LTE/NR/6G can be collectively referred to as a 3GPP system.

Regarding background technology, terms, abbreviations, etc. used in the present disclosure, reference may be made to matters described in standard documents published prior to the present disclosure. As an example, you can refer to the 36.xxx and 38.xxx standard documents.

Communication systems applicable to this disclosure

Although not limited thereto, the various descriptions, functions, procedures, suggestions, methods, and/or operational flowcharts of the present disclosure disclosed in this document can be applied to various fields requiring wireless communication/connection (e.g., 5G) between devices. there is.

Hereinafter, a more detailed example will be provided with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings/descriptions, identical reference numerals may illustrate identical or corresponding hardware blocks, software blocks, or functional blocks, unless otherwise noted.

1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication system applied to the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1, the communication system 100 applied to the present disclosure includes a wireless device, a base station, and a network. Here, a wireless device refers to a device that performs communication using wireless access technology (e.g., 5G NR, LTE) and may be referred to as a communication/wireless/5G device. Although not limited thereto, wireless devices include robots (100a), vehicles (100b-1, 100b-2), extended reality (XR) devices (100c), hand-held devices (100d), and home appliances (100d). appliance) (100e), IoT (Internet of Thing) device (100f), and AI (artificial intelligence) device/server (100g). For example, vehicles may include vehicles equipped with wireless communication functions, autonomous vehicles, vehicles capable of inter-vehicle communication, etc. Here, the vehicles 100b-1 and 100b-2 may include an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) (eg, a drone). The XR device 100c includes augmented reality (AR)/virtual reality (VR)/mixed reality (MR) devices, including a head-mounted device (HMD), a head-up display (HUD) installed in a vehicle, a television, It can be implemented in the form of smartphones, computers, wearable devices, home appliances, digital signage, vehicles, robots, etc. The mobile device 100d may include a smartphone, smart pad, wearable device (eg, smart watch, smart glasses), computer (eg, laptop, etc.), etc. Home appliances 100e may include a TV, refrigerator, washing machine, etc. IoT device 100f may include sensors, smart meters, etc. For example, the base station 120 and the network 130 may also be implemented as wireless devices, and a specific wireless device 120a may operate as a base station/network node for other wireless devices.

Wireless devices 100a to 100f may be connected to the network 130 through the base station 120. AI technology may be applied to the wireless devices 100a to 100f, and the wireless devices 100a to 100f may be connected to the AI server 100g through the network 130. The network 130 may be configured using a 3G network, 4G (eg, LTE) network, or 5G (eg, NR) network. Wireless devices 100a to 100f may communicate with each other through the base station 120/network 130, but communicate directly (e.g., sidelink communication) without going through the base station 120/network 130. You may. For example, vehicles 100b-1 and 100b-2 may communicate directly (eg, vehicle to vehicle (V2V)/vehicle to everything (V2X) communication). Additionally, the IoT device 100f (eg, sensor) may communicate directly with other IoT devices (eg, sensor) or other wireless devices 100a to 100f.

Wireless communication/connection (150a, 150b, 150c) may be established between wireless devices (100a to 100f)/base station (120) and base station (120)/base station (120). Here, wireless communication/connection includes various methods such as uplink/downlink communication (150a), sidelink communication (150b) (or D2D communication), and communication between base stations (150c) (e.g., relay, integrated access backhaul (IAB)). This can be achieved through wireless access technology (e.g. 5G NR). Through wireless communication/connection (150a, 150b, 150c), a wireless device and a base station/wireless device, and a base station and a base station can transmit/receive wireless signals to each other. For example, wireless communication/ connection 150a, 150b, and 150c may transmit/receive signals through various physical channels. To this end, based on the various proposals of the present disclosure, various configuration information setting processes for transmitting/receiving wireless signals, various signal processing processes (e.g., channel encoding/decoding, modulation/demodulation, resource mapping/demapping, etc.) , at least some of the resource allocation process, etc. may be performed.

Communication systems applicable to this disclosure

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless device applicable to the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 2, the first wireless device 200a and the second wireless device 200b can transmit and receive wireless signals through various wireless access technologies (eg, LTE, NR). Here, {first wireless device 200a, second wireless device 200b} refers to {wireless device 100x, base station 120} of FIG. 1 and/or {wireless device 100x, wireless device 100x) } can be responded to.

The first wireless device 200a includes one or more processors 202a and one or more memories 204a, and may additionally include one or more transceivers 206a and/or one or more antennas 208a. Processor 202a controls memory 204a and/or transceiver 206a and may be configured to implement the descriptions, functions, procedures, suggestions, methods and/or operational flowcharts disclosed herein. For example, the processor 202a may process information in the memory 204a to generate first information/signal and then transmit a wireless signal including the first information/signal through the transceiver 206a. Additionally, the processor 202a may receive a wireless signal including the second information/signal through the transceiver 206a and then store information obtained from signal processing of the second information/signal in the memory 204a. The memory 204a may be connected to the processor 202a and may store various information related to the operation of the processor 202a. For example, memory 204a may perform some or all of the processes controlled by processor 202a or instructions for performing the descriptions, functions, procedures, suggestions, methods and/or operational flowcharts disclosed herein. Software code containing them can be stored. Here, the processor 202a and the memory 204a may be part of a communication modem/circuit/chip designed to implement wireless communication technology (eg, LTE, NR). Transceiver 206a may be coupled to processor 202a and may transmit and/or receive wireless signals via one or more antennas 208a. Transceiver 206a may include a transmitter and/or receiver. The transceiver 206a may be used interchangeably with a radio frequency (RF) unit. In this disclosure, a wireless device may mean a communication modem/circuit/chip.

The second wireless device 200b includes one or more processors 202b, one or more memories 204b, and may further include one or more transceivers 206b and/or one or more antennas 208b. Processor 202b controls memory 204b and/or transceiver 206b and may be configured to implement the descriptions, functions, procedures, suggestions, methods and/or operational flowcharts disclosed herein. For example, the processor 202b may process information in the memory 204b to generate third information/signal and then transmit a wireless signal including the third information/signal through the transceiver 206b. Additionally, the processor 202b may receive a wireless signal including the fourth information/signal through the transceiver 206b and then store information obtained from signal processing of the fourth information/signal in the memory 204b. The memory 204b may be connected to the processor 202b and may store various information related to the operation of the processor 202b. For example, memory 204b may perform some or all of the processes controlled by processor 202b or instructions for performing the descriptions, functions, procedures, suggestions, methods and/or operational flowcharts disclosed herein. Software code containing them can be stored. Here, the processor 202b and the memory 204b may be part of a communication modem/circuit/chip designed to implement wireless communication technology (eg, LTE, NR). Transceiver 206b may be coupled to processor 202b and may transmit and/or receive wireless signals via one or more antennas 208b. The transceiver 206b may include a transmitter and/or a receiver. The transceiver 206b may be used interchangeably with an RF unit. In this disclosure, a wireless device may mean a communication modem/circuit/chip.

Hereinafter, the hardware elements of the wireless devices 200a and 200b will be described in more detail. Although not limited thereto, one or more protocol layers may be implemented by one or more processors 202a and 202b. For example, one or more processors 202a and 202b may operate on one or more layers (e.g., physical (PHY), media access control (MAC), radio link control (RLC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), and radio resource (RRC). control) and functional layers such as SDAP (service data adaptation protocol) can be implemented. One or more processors 202a, 202b may generate one or more Protocol Data Units (PDUs) and/or one or more service data units (SDUs) according to the descriptions, functions, procedures, suggestions, methods, and/or operational flowcharts disclosed in this document. can be created. One or more processors 202a and 202b may generate messages, control information, data or information according to the descriptions, functions, procedures, suggestions, methods and/or operational flowcharts disclosed in this document. One or more processors 202a, 202b generate signals (e.g., baseband signals) containing PDUs, SDUs, messages, control information, data, or information according to the functions, procedures, proposals, and/or methods disclosed herein. , can be provided to one or more transceivers (206a, 206b). One or more processors 202a, 202b may receive signals (e.g., baseband signals) from one or more transceivers 206a, 206b, and the descriptions, functions, procedures, suggestions, methods, and/or operational flowcharts disclosed herein. Depending on the device, PDU, SDU, message, control information, data or information can be obtained.

One or more processors 202a, 202b may be referred to as a controller, microcontroller, microprocessor, or microcomputer. One or more processors 202a and 202b may be implemented by hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. As an example, one or more application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), one or more digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), one or more programmable logic devices (PLDs), or one or more field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) May be included in one or more processors 202a and 202b. The descriptions, functions, procedures, suggestions, methods and/or operational flowcharts disclosed in this document may be implemented using firmware or software, and the firmware or software may be implemented to include modules, procedures, functions, etc. Firmware or software configured to perform the descriptions, functions, procedures, suggestions, methods and/or operational flowcharts disclosed in this document may be included in one or more processors 202a and 202b or stored in one or more memories 204a and 204b. It may be driven by the above processors 202a and 202b. The descriptions, functions, procedures, suggestions, methods and/or operational flowcharts disclosed in this document may be implemented using firmware or software in the form of codes, instructions and/or sets of instructions.

One or more memories 204a and 204b may be connected to one or more processors 202a and 202b and may store various types of data, signals, messages, information, programs, codes, instructions and/or commands. One or more memories 204a, 204b may include read only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), flash memory, hard drives, registers, cache memory, computer readable storage media, and/or It may be composed of a combination of these. One or more memories 204a and 204b may be located internal to and/or external to one or more processors 202a and 202b. Additionally, one or more memories 204a and 204b may be connected to one or more processors 202a and 202b through various technologies, such as wired or wireless connections.

One or more transceivers (206a, 206b) may transmit user data, control information, wireless signals/channels, etc. mentioned in the methods and/or operation flowcharts of this document to one or more other devices. One or more transceivers 206a, 206b may receive user data, control information, wireless signals/channels, etc. referred to in the descriptions, functions, procedures, suggestions, methods and/or operational flow charts, etc. disclosed herein from one or more other devices. there is. For example, one or more transceivers 206a and 206b may be connected to one or more processors 202a and 202b and may transmit and receive wireless signals. For example, one or more processors 202a and 202b may control one or more transceivers 206a and 206b to transmit user data, control information, or wireless signals to one or more other devices. Additionally, one or more processors 202a and 202b may control one or more transceivers 206a and 206b to receive user data, control information, or wireless signals from one or more other devices. In addition, one or more transceivers (206a, 206b) may be connected to one or more antennas (208a, 208b), and one or more transceivers (206a, 206b) may be connected to the description and functions disclosed in this document through one or more antennas (208a, 208b). , may be set to transmit and receive user data, control information, wireless signals/channels, etc. mentioned in procedures, proposals, methods and/or operation flow charts, etc. In this document, one or more antennas may be multiple physical antennas or multiple logical antennas (eg, antenna ports). One or more transceivers (206a, 206b) process the received user data, control information, wireless signals/channels, etc. using one or more processors (202a, 202b), and convert the received wireless signals/channels, etc. from the RF band signal. It can be converted to a baseband signal. One or more transceivers (206a, 206b) may convert user data, control information, wireless signals/channels, etc. processed using one or more processors (202a, 202b) from a baseband signal to an RF band signal. To this end, one or more transceivers 206a, 206b may include (analog) oscillators and/or filters.

Wireless device structure applicable to this disclosure

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating another example of a wireless device to which the present disclosure is applied.

Referring to FIG. 3, the wireless device 300 corresponds to the wireless devices 200a and 200b of FIG. 2 and includes various elements, components, units/units, and/or modules. ) can be composed of. For example, the wireless device 300 may include a communication unit 310, a control unit 320, a memory unit 330, and an additional element 340. The communication unit may include communication circuitry 312 and transceiver(s) 314. For example, communication circuitry 312 may include one or more processors 202a and 202b and/or one or more memories 204a and 204b of FIG. 2 . For example, transceiver(s) 314 may include one or more transceivers 206a, 206b and/or one or more antennas 208a, 208b of FIG. 2. The control unit 320 is electrically connected to the communication unit 310, the memory unit 330, and the additional element 340 and controls overall operations of the wireless device. For example, the control unit 320 may control the electrical/mechanical operation of the wireless device based on the program/code/command/information stored in the memory unit 330. In addition, the control unit 320 transmits the information stored in the memory unit 330 to the outside (e.g., another communication device) through the communication unit 310 through a wireless/wired interface, or to the outside (e.g., to another communication device) through the communication unit 310. Information received through a wireless/wired interface from another communication device can be stored in the memory unit 330.

The additional element 340 may be configured in various ways depending on the type of wireless device. For example, the additional element 340 may include at least one of a power unit/battery, an input/output unit, a driving unit, and a computing unit. Although not limited thereto, the wireless device 300 includes robots (FIG. 1, 100a), vehicles (FIG. 1, 100b-1, 100b-2), XR devices (FIG. 1, 100c), and portable devices (FIG. 1, 100d). ), home appliances (Figure 1, 100e), IoT devices (Figure 1, 100f), digital broadcasting terminals, hologram devices, public safety devices, MTC devices, medical devices, fintech devices (or financial devices), security devices, climate/ It can be implemented in the form of an environmental device, AI server/device (FIG. 1, 140), base station (FIG. 1, 120), network node, etc. Wireless devices can be mobile or used in fixed locations depending on the usage/service.

In FIG. 3 , various elements, components, units/parts, and/or modules within the wireless device 300 may be entirely interconnected through a wired interface, or at least some of them may be wirelessly connected through the communication unit 310. For example, within the wireless device 300, the control unit 320 and the communication unit 310 are connected by wire, and the control unit 320 and the first unit (e.g., 130, 140) are connected wirelessly through the communication unit 310. can be connected Additionally, each element, component, unit/part, and/or module within the wireless device 300 may further include one or more elements. For example, the control unit 320 may be comprised of one or more processor sets. For example, the control unit 320 may be comprised of a communication control processor, an application processor, an electronic control unit (ECU), a graphics processing processor, a memory control processor, etc. As another example, the memory unit 330 may be comprised of RAM, dynamic RAM (DRAM), ROM, flash memory, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and/or a combination thereof. It can be configured.

Mobile devices to which this disclosure is applicable

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a portable device to which the present disclosure is applied.

Figure 4 illustrates a portable device to which the present disclosure is applied. Portable devices may include smartphones, smart pads, wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, smart glasses), and portable computers (e.g., laptops, etc.). A mobile device may be referred to as a mobile station (MS), user terminal (UT), mobile subscriber station (MSS), subscriber station (SS), advanced mobile station (AMS), or wireless terminal (WT).

Referring to FIG. 4, the portable device 400 includes an antenna unit 408, a communication unit 410, a control unit 420, a memory unit 430, a power supply unit 440a, an interface unit 440b, and an input/output unit 440c. ) may include. The antenna unit 408 may be configured as part of the communication unit 410. Blocks 410 to 430/440a to 440c correspond to blocks 310 to 330/340 in FIG. 3, respectively.

The communication unit 410 can transmit and receive signals (eg, data, control signals, etc.) with other wireless devices and base stations. The control unit 420 can control the components of the portable device 400 to perform various operations. The control unit 420 may include an application processor (AP). The memory unit 430 may store data/parameters/programs/codes/commands necessary for driving the portable device 400. Additionally, the memory unit 430 can store input/output data/information, etc. The power supply unit 440a supplies power to the portable device 400 and may include a wired/wireless charging circuit, a battery, etc. The interface unit 440b may support connection between the mobile device 400 and other external devices. The interface unit 440b may include various ports (eg, audio input/output ports, video input/output ports) for connection to external devices. The input/output unit 440c may input or output video information/signals, audio information/signals, data, and/or information input from the user. The input/output unit 440c may include a camera, a microphone, a user input unit, a display unit 440d, a speaker, and/or a haptic module.

For example, in the case of data communication, the input/output unit 440c acquires information/signals (e.g., touch, text, voice, image, video) input from the user, and the obtained information/signals are stored in the memory unit 430. It can be saved. The communication unit 410 may convert the information/signal stored in the memory into a wireless signal and transmit the converted wireless signal directly to another wireless device or to a base station. Additionally, the communication unit 410 may receive a wireless signal from another wireless device or a base station and then restore the received wireless signal to the original information/signal. The restored information/signal may be stored in the memory unit 430 and then output in various forms (eg, text, voice, image, video, haptic) through the input/output unit 440c.

Types of wireless devices to which this disclosure is applicable

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a vehicle or autonomous vehicle to which the present disclosure is applied.

5 illustrates a vehicle or autonomous vehicle to which the present disclosure is applied. A vehicle or autonomous vehicle can be implemented as a mobile robot, vehicle, train, aerial vehicle (AV), ship, etc., and is not limited to the form of a vehicle.

Referring to FIG. 5, the vehicle or autonomous vehicle 500 includes an antenna unit 508, a communication unit 510, a control unit 520, a driving unit 540a, a power supply unit 540b, a sensor unit 540c, and an autonomous driving unit. It may include a portion 540d. The antenna unit 550 may be configured as part of the communication unit 510. Blocks 510/530/540a to 540d correspond to blocks 410/430/440 in FIG. 4, respectively.

The communication unit 510 may transmit and receive signals (e.g., data, control signals, etc.) with external devices such as other vehicles, base stations (e.g., base stations, road side units, etc.), and servers. The control unit 520 may control elements of the vehicle or autonomous vehicle 500 to perform various operations. The control unit 520 may include an electronic control unit (ECU).

Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of an AI device applied to the present disclosure. For example, AI devices include fixed devices such as TVs, projectors, smartphones, PCs, laptops, digital broadcasting terminals, tablet PCs, wearable devices, set-top boxes (STBs), radios, washing machines, refrigerators, digital signage, robots, vehicles, etc. It can be implemented as a device or a movable device.

Referring to FIG. 6, the AI device 600 includes a communication unit 610, a control unit 620, a memory unit 630, an input/output unit (640a/640b), a learning processor unit 640c, and a sensor unit 640d. may include. Blocks 610 to 630/640a to 640d may correspond to blocks 310 to 330/340 of FIG. 3, respectively.

The communication unit 610 uses wired and wireless communication technology to communicate with wired and wireless signals (e.g., sensor information, user Input, learning model, control signal, etc.) can be transmitted and received. To this end, the communication unit 610 may transmit information in the memory unit 630 to an external device or transmit a signal received from an external device to the memory unit 630.

The control unit 620 may determine at least one executable operation of the AI device 600 based on information determined or generated using a data analysis algorithm or a machine learning algorithm. And, the control unit 620 can control the components of the AI device 600 to perform the determined operation. For example, the control unit 620 may request, search, receive, or utilize data from the learning processor unit 640c or the memory unit 630, and may select at least one operation that is predicted or determined to be desirable among the executable operations. Components of the AI device 600 can be controlled to execute operations. In addition, the control unit 620 collects history information including the operation content of the AI device 600 or the user's feedback on the operation, and stores it in the memory unit 630 or the learning processor unit 640c, or the AI server ( It can be transmitted to an external device such as Figure 1, 140). The collected historical information can be used to update the learning model.

The memory unit 630 can store data supporting various functions of the AI device 600. For example, the memory unit 630 may store data obtained from the input unit 640a, data obtained from the communication unit 610, output data from the learning processor unit 640c, and data obtained from the sensing unit 640. Additionally, the memory unit 630 may store control information and/or software codes necessary for operation/execution of the control unit 620.

The input unit 640a can obtain various types of data from outside the AI device 600. For example, the input unit 620 may obtain training data for model training and input data to which the learning model will be applied. The input unit 640a may include a camera, microphone, and/or a user input unit. The output unit 640b may generate output related to vision, hearing, or tactile sensation. The output unit 640b may include a display unit, a speaker, and/or a haptic module. The sensing unit 640 may obtain at least one of internal information of the AI device 600, surrounding environment information of the AI device 600, and user information using various sensors. The sensing unit 640 may include a proximity sensor, an illumination sensor, an acceleration sensor, a magnetic sensor, a gyro sensor, an inertial sensor, an RGB sensor, an IR sensor, a fingerprint recognition sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, an optical sensor, a microphone, and/or a radar. there is.

The learning processor unit 640c can train a model composed of an artificial neural network using training data. The learning processor unit 640c may perform AI processing together with the learning processor unit of the AI server (FIG. 1, 140). The learning processor unit 640c may process information received from an external device through the communication unit 610 and/or information stored in the memory unit 630. Additionally, the output value of the learning processor unit 640c may be transmitted to an external device through the communication unit 610 and/or stored in the memory unit 630.

Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating a method of processing a transmission signal applied to the present disclosure. As an example, the transmission signal may be processed by a signal processing circuit. At this time, the signal processing circuit 700 may include a scrambler 710, a modulator 720, a layer mapper 730, a precoder 740, a resource mapper 750, and a signal generator 760. At this time, as an example, the operation/function of FIG. 7 may be performed in the processors 202a and 202b and/or transceivers 206a and 206b of FIG. 2. Additionally, as an example, the hardware elements of FIG. 7 may be implemented in the processors 202a and 202b and/or transceivers 206a and 206b of FIG. 2. As an example, blocks 710 to 760 may be implemented in processors 202a and 202b of FIG. 2. Additionally, blocks 710 to 750 may be implemented in the processors 202a and 202b of FIG. 2, and block 760 may be implemented in the transceivers 206a and 206b of FIG. 2, and are not limited to the above-described embodiment.

The codeword can be converted into a wireless signal through the signal processing circuit 700 of FIG. 7. Here, a codeword is an encoded bit sequence of an information block. The information block may include a transport block (eg, UL-SCH transport block, DL-SCH transport block). Wireless signals may be transmitted through various physical channels (eg, PUSCH, PDSCH). Specifically, the codeword may be converted into a scrambled bit sequence by the scrambler 710. The scramble sequence used for scrambling is generated based on an initialization value, and the initialization value may include ID information of the wireless device. The scrambled bit sequence may be modulated into a modulation symbol sequence by the modulator 720. Modulation methods may include pi/2-binary phase shift keying (pi/2-BPSK), m-phase shift keying (m-PSK), and m-quadrature amplitude modulation (m-QAM).

The complex modulation symbol sequence may be mapped to one or more transport layers by the layer mapper 730. The modulation symbols of each transport layer may be mapped to corresponding antenna port(s) by the precoder 740 (precoding). The output z of the precoder 740 can be obtained by multiplying the output y of the layer mapper 730 with the precoding matrix W of N*M. Here, N is the number of antenna ports and M is the number of transport layers. Here, the precoder 740 may perform precoding after performing transform precoding (eg, discrete Fourier transform (DFT) transform) on complex modulation symbols. Additionally, the precoder 740 may perform precoding without performing transform precoding.

The resource mapper 750 can map the modulation symbols of each antenna port to time-frequency resources. A time-frequency resource may include a plurality of symbols (eg, CP-OFDMA symbol, DFT-s-OFDMA symbol) in the time domain and a plurality of subcarriers in the frequency domain. The signal generator 760 generates a wireless signal from the mapped modulation symbols, and the generated wireless signal can be transmitted to another device through each antenna. To this end, the signal generator 760 may include an inverse fast fourier transform (IFFT) module, a cyclic prefix (CP) inserter, a digital-to-analog converter (DAC), a frequency uplink converter, etc. .

The signal processing process for the received signal in the wireless device may be configured as the reverse of the signal processing process (710 to 760) of FIG. 7. As an example, a wireless device (eg, 200a and 200b in FIG. 2) may receive a wireless signal from the outside through an antenna port/transceiver. The received wireless signal can be converted into a baseband signal through a signal restorer. To this end, the signal restorer may include a frequency downlink converter, an analog-to-digital converter (ADC), a CP remover, and a fast fourier transform (FFT) module. Afterwards, the baseband signal can be restored to a codeword through a resource de-mapper process, postcoding process, demodulation process, and de-scramble process. The codeword can be restored to the original information block through decoding. Accordingly, a signal processing circuit (not shown) for a received signal may include a signal restorer, resource de-mapper, postcoder, demodulator, de-scrambler, and decoder.

6G communication system

6G (wireless communications) systems require (i) very high data rates per device, (ii) very large number of connected devices, (iii) global connectivity, (iv) very low latency, (v) battery- The goals are to reduce the energy consumption of battery-free IoT devices, (vi) ultra-reliable connectivity, and (vii) connected intelligence with machine learning capabilities. The vision of the 6G system can be four aspects such as “intelligent connectivity”, “deep connectivity”, “holographic connectivity”, and “ubiquitous connectivity”, and the 6G system can satisfy the requirements as shown in Table 1 below. In other words, Table 1 is a table showing the requirements of the 6G system.

Per device peak data rate	1 Tbps
E2E latency	1ms
Maximum spectral efficiency	100bps/Hz
Mobility support	up to 1000 km/hr
Satellite integration	Fully
A.I.	Fully
Autonomous vehicle	Fully
XR	Fully
Haptic Communication	Fully

At this time, the 6G system includes enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC), massive machine type communications (mMTC), AI integrated communication, and tactile communication. tactile internet, high throughput, high network capacity, high energy efficiency, low backhaul and access network congestion, and improved data security. It can have key factors such as enhanced data security.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a communication structure that can be provided in a 6G system applicable to the present disclosure.

Referring to Figure 8, the 6G system is expected to have simultaneous wireless communication connectivity 50 times higher than that of the 5G wireless communication system. URLLC, a key feature of 5G, is expected to become an even more mainstream technology in 6G communications by providing end-to-end delays of less than 1ms. At this time, the 6G system will have much better volume spectrum efficiency, unlike the frequently used area spectrum efficiency. 6G systems can provide very long battery life and advanced battery technologies for energy harvesting, so mobile devices in 6G systems may not need to be separately charged.

Core implementation technology of 6G system - Terahertz (THz) communication

THz communication can be applied in the 6G system. As an example, the data transfer rate can be increased by increasing the bandwidth. This can be accomplished by using sub-THz communications with wide bandwidth and applying advanced massive MIMO technology.

Figure 9 is a diagram showing an electromagnetic spectrum applicable to the present disclosure. As an example, referring to Figure 9, THz waves, also known as submillimeter radiation, typically represent a frequency band between 0.1 THz and 10 THz with a corresponding wavelength in the range of 0.03 mm-3 mm. The 100GHz-300GHz band range (Sub THz band) is considered the main part of the THz band for cellular communications. Adding the Sub-THz band to the mmWave band increases 6G cellular communication capacity. Among the defined THz bands, 300GHz-3THz is in the far infrared (IR) frequency band. The 300GHz-3THz band is part of the wideband, but it is at the border of the wideband and immediately behind the RF band. Therefore, this 300 GHz-3 THz band shows similarities to RF.

Key characteristics of THz communications include (i) widely available bandwidth to support very high data rates, (ii) high path loss occurring at high frequencies (highly directional antennas are indispensable). The narrow beamwidth produced by a highly directional antenna reduces interference. The small wavelength of THz signals allows a much larger number of antenna elements to be integrated into devices and base stations (BSs) operating in this band. This enables the use of advanced adaptive array techniques that can overcome range limitations.

Terahertz (THz) wireless communication

Figure 10 is a diagram illustrating a THz communication method applicable to the present disclosure.

Referring to Figure 10, THz wireless communication uses wireless communication using THz waves with a frequency of approximately 0.1 to 10 THz (1 THz = 1012 Hz), and is a terahertz (THz) band wireless communication that uses a very high carrier frequency of 100 GHz or more. It can mean communication. THz waves are located between RF (Radio Frequency)/millimeter (mm) and infrared bands. (i) Compared to visible light/infrared, they penetrate non-metal/non-polarized materials better and have a shorter wavelength than RF/millimeter waves, so they have high straightness. Beam focusing may be possible.

reflecting intelligent surface (RIS)

RIS is one of the major new technology candidates for future wireless communications, and is a surface equipped with multiple elements that reflect signals. Each device element can independently change the phase of impinging electromagnetic waves. One of the main features of RIS is that it is controllable, allowing the phase change rate of each element to be adjusted in real time. Based on the adjustment of the phase change rate, it is possible to modify the wireless communication channel in real time, such as increasing the information transmission rate or assisting devices that cannot receive a signal. Additionally, because it uses passive elements that support only signal reflection, RIS can be implemented at a low cost and with low power consumption.

Metamaterials, which are devices that cause reflection of signals, can be implemented in various ways. For example, metamaterials include a diode method using metal materials, a method using liquid crystal, and a method using graphene (e.g., a method of combining graphene and metal using surface plasmon polariton (SPP)). It can be implemented based on Metamaterials can be implemented in various other ways. Devices made of metamaterials can be controlled by a controller. By controlling each of the elements, the controller can adjust the phase change rate applied when the signal is reflected from each of the elements. For example, a base station or a separate device can function as a controller.

In some cases, the RIS may further include active elements as well as passive elements. An active device refers to a device that has the ability to process received signals beyond simply reflecting signals. Active devices can be implemented by connecting the receiving RF chain to passive devices. Active devices may weaken the characteristics of low cost and low complexity, which are one of the advantages of RIS, but active devices can enable more diverse and flexible system operation. Active devices are also referred to as active sensors.

Specific embodiments of the present invention

This disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for transmitting and receiving signals through beamforming in a wireless communication system. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to an apparatus and method for generating a plurality of beams by controlling the phase value of a transmission line between a switching network-based beamformer and an array antenna in a communication device of a wireless communication system. In the following description, a communication device may include at least one of the wireless device described in FIG. 1 and a base station. In the present disclosure, a beam refers to a signal formed to have directionality using a plurality of antenna elements, or a weight or filter for forming a signal.　In the present disclosure, a beam may be referred to as a spatial domain filter or another term with equivalent technical meaning.

As one of the techniques for implementing high-speed and large-capacity data transmission services in communication systems, the technique of forming a beam by controlling the phase of an array antenna is attracting attention. This has the advantage of securing multiplexing gain through multi-stream transmission while minimizing degradation of reception sensitivity and/or signal-to-interference ratio compared to fixed beamforming techniques. When a phase shifter provided in an RF chain is used to control the phase of the array antenna, the beamforming performance of the phased array antenna is limited by the performance of the phase shifter. However, in a massive array antenna structure such as a massive MIMO array antenna, connecting a phase shifter to every unit antenna has a problem in that it is not easy to implement because the complexity is very high. In addition, a fast switching element is required to implement a phase shifter in a communication system using ultra-high frequency bands such as sub-THz and THz, but there is a problem of high insertion loss. Therefore, there are currently no commercially available phase shifters in the sub-THz and THz bands.

Accordingly, research has recently been conducted on beamforming methods that do not use a phase shifter. As an example, methods using switching network-based beamformers 1110 and 1210 as shown in FIGS. 11A and 12A are provided. For example, the switching network-based beamformer 1110 includes a switch network 1111 and a Butler matrix 1113, as shown in FIG. 11A, or a switch network 1113, as shown in FIG. 12A. It may include a network 1211 and a Rotman lens 1213.

The switch network 1111 shown in FIG. 11A includes a plurality of switches, and the input port of the Butler matrix 1113 can be selected using the plurality of switches. The Butler matrix 1113 may be configured to have the same number of input ports and output ports, as shown in FIGS. 11B and 11C. The Butler matrix 1113 uses a plurality of hybrid couplers and phase delay lines to generate a plurality of output signals with different phases based on signals input through a specific input port, and generates a plurality of output signals with different phases. By providing output signals to an array antenna, a beam corresponding to a specific input port can be generated. The switch network 1211 shown in FIG. 12A includes a plurality of switches, and the input port of the Rotman lens 1213 can be selected using the plurality of switches. As shown in FIGS. 12B and 12C, the Rotman lens 1213 uses a lens body including at least two curved surfaces and phase delay lines to generate different phases based on signals input through a specific input port. A beam corresponding to a specific input port can be generated by generating a plurality of output signals and providing the generated plurality of output signals to an array antenna.

The switching network-based beamformers 1110 and 1210 as described above have a structure that generates one beam for each switch and input port of the switch network 1111 and 1211. For example, as shown in FIG. 13A, when the switching network-based beamformer 1210 includes five switches, the switching network-based beamformer 1210 uses five switches and five input ports. Five different beams corresponding to (Beam port 1, Beam port 2, Beam port 3, Beam port 4, Beam port 5) can be generated. Therefore, when using the switching network-based beamformers 1110 and 1210 in mmWave, sub-THz, and/or THz communication systems where narrow beam widths are expected to be used, a large number of narrow beams are required to generate a large number of narrow beams. A large number of switches and a large number of input ports corresponding to each of the narrow beams must be provided. For example, as shown in FIG. 13b, when it is desired to generate 8 beams using a beamformer 1110 based on a switching network including a Butler matrix, a switch network 1111 including 8 switches and 8 A Butler matrix 1113 containing input ports must be provided. As another example, as shown in FIG. 13C, when it is desired to generate 10 beams using a beamformer 1210 based on a switching network including a Rotman lens, a switch network 1211 including 10 switches and It must be equipped with a Rotman lens 1213 containing 10 input ports. This may result in problems such as complexity, design difficulty, insertion loss, and/or enlargement of the beamforming system. Therefore, there is a need to provide a beamforming method that can generate a large number of narrow beams while minimizing such problems.

Figure 14 is a block diagram of a beamforming system including a beamformer based on a switching network according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The beamforming system shown in FIG. 14 may be included in a wireless device and/or a communication device such as a base station. The configuration of the beamforming system 1400 shown in FIG. 14 is an example, and each component may be composed of a single chip, component, or electronic circuit, or may be composed of a combination of chips, components, or electronic circuits. According to another embodiment, some of the components shown in FIG. 14 may be separated into a plurality of components and configured into different chips, components, or electronic circuits, and some components may be combined to form one chip, component, or electronic circuit. It may also be composed of electronic circuits. According to another embodiment, some of the components shown in FIG. 14 may be omitted, or other components not shown in FIG. 14 may be added. Hereinafter, at least some of the components of FIG. 14 will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 to 20.

Referring to FIG. 14, the beamforming system 1400 may include a switching network-based beamformer 1410, a phase variable line set 1420, an array antenna 1430, and a line phase controller 1440.

The switching network-based beamformer 1410 includes a switch network 1411 including a plurality of switches, and an RF beamformer 1413, and generates a plurality of signals with a specified phase difference based on the input RF signal. You can. The input RF signal may mean a transmission signal.

The switch network 1411 may include a plurality of switches and control the output of an input RF signal. For example, the switch network 1411 may control at least one of a plurality of switches and output an RF signal to at least one beam port among a plurality of beam ports corresponding to each of the plurality of switches. Each of the plurality of beam ports may correspond to each of the plurality of input ports of the RF beamformer 1413.

According to one embodiment, the switch network 1411 may determine a beam direction for the RF signal and select at least one beam port for outputting the RF signal based on the determined beam direction. The beam direction may include at least one of a beam angle or a beam index. Each of the beam ports may correspond to at least two beam directions. The at least two beam directions may include a basic beam direction and an additional beam direction. The basic beam direction may include beam directions that can be formed using only the switching network-based beamformer 1410, and the additional beam direction may include beam directions that can be additionally formed using the phase variable line 1420. The additional beam direction may differ from the basic beam direction by a specified angle. For example, the first beam port (Bp1) may correspond to a first basic beam (Bp1-1) with a beam angle of A and a first additional beam (Bp1-2) with a beam angle of A+Δ, The Nth beam port (BpN) may correspond to the Nth basic beam (BpN-1) with a beam angle of B and the Nth additional beam (BpN-2) with a beam angle of B+Δ. The switch network 1411 may control at least one of a plurality of switches to output an RF signal to a selected beam port. For example, if the determined beam direction corresponds to the first basic beam (Bp1-1), the switch network 1411 selects the first beam port (Bp1) corresponding to the first basic beam (Bp1-1) and , an RF signal can be output through the first beam port (Bp1).

The RF beamformer 1413 may be configured to have a plurality of input ports and a plurality of output ports. A plurality of input ports may correspond to each of the plurality of beam ports, and a plurality of output ports may correspond to each unit antenna constituting the array antenna 1430. The RF beamformer 1413 generates a plurality of signals (or transmission signals) with different phases using an RF signal input through one of the plurality of input ports, and generates a plurality of signals (or transmission signals) with different phases. Signals can be output to multiple output ports. A plurality of signals output through a plurality of output ports may have a phase difference corresponding to the input port. According to one embodiment, the RF beamformer 1413 includes a lens or matrix-type beamformer that generates a phase difference in the form of a true time delay due to the difference in the length of transmission paths for the input RF signal. can do. For example, the RF beamformer 1413 may include a Butler matrix as shown in FIG. 11C, or a Rotman lens as shown in FIG. 12C. Here, the fact that the RF beamformer 1413 includes a Butler battrix or a Rotman lens is only an example to aid understanding, and embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. However, hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the case where the RF beamformer 1413 includes a Rotman lens will be described as an example.

According to one embodiment, the RF beamformer 1413 generates a plurality of signals having a first phase difference using an RF signal input through a first input port, and sends the generated plurality of signals to each of a plurality of output ports. Can be printed. The first phase difference may be determined by the first input port through which the RF signal is input, and/or the first beam port corresponding to the first input port. For example, if the RF beamformer 1413 is composed of a Lotman lens with 5 input ports and 8 output ports, the phase difference between the output ports for each input port can be expressed as in Table 2 below.

Array Port (Antenna No.)	Beam-port 1 on	Beam-port 2 on	Beam-port 3 on
One	86° ( ϕ1 )	44° ( Ø2 )	0°
2	172° (2*ϕ 1 )	88° (2* ϕ2 )	0°
3	258° (3* ϕ1 )	132° (3* ϕ2 )	0°
4	344° (4*ϕ 1 )	176° (4* ϕ2 )	0°
5	430° (5* ϕ1 )	220° (5* ϕ2 )	0°
6	516° (6* ϕ1 )	264° (6* ϕ2 )	0°
7	602° (7* ϕ1 )	308° (7* ϕ2 )	0°
8	688° (8* ϕ1 )	352° (8* ϕ2 )	0°

In Table 2, array port may refer to the output port of the RF beamformer 1413. In addition, Beam-port # on means a case where an RF signal is input through the # # input port of the RF beamformer 1413 corresponding to the # # beam port of the switch network 1411.

Referring to Table 2, it can be seen that when an RF signal is input through the first input port of the RF beamformer 1413, the signals output through the eight output ports may have a first phase difference (ϕ ₁ ). there is. Additionally, when an RF signal is input through the second input port of the RF beamformer 1413, it can be seen that the signals output through the eight output ports have a second phase difference (ϕ ₂ ). When an RF signal is input through the third input port of the RF beamformer 1413, it can be seen that the signals output through the eight output ports have a third phase difference (0).

According to one embodiment, the RF beamformer 1413 may provide a plurality of signals having a phase difference corresponding to the input port to the phase variable line set 1420.

The phase variable line set 1420 may be placed between the RF beamformer 1413 and the array antenna 1430. The phase variable line set 1420 may include a plurality of phase variable lines connecting the output ports of the RF beamformer 1413 and each unit antenna included in the array antenna 1430. While a general transmission line is configured as shown in FIG. 15, each of a plurality of phase variable lines according to embodiments of the present disclosure may be configured as shown in FIGS. 16A and 16B.

FIG. 15 shows a cross section showing the structure of a general transmission line, and FIG. 16A shows a cross section showing the structure of a phase variable line according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 16b shows the shape of the unit structure of a phase variable line according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

First, referring to FIG. 15, a general transmission line 1500 has a signal line 1520, which is a conductor, disposed on the top of a dielectric substrate 1510, and a GND 1530, which is a conductor, is disposed on the bottom of the dielectric substrate 1510. It can be seen that it has a structure. In such a general transmission line 1500, the thickness of the signal line 1520 corresponding to the characteristic impedance may be determined based on the dielectric constant and thickness of the dielectric. Additionally, the phase value at the end of the transmission line 1500 may be determined by the length of the wavelength within the tube considering the permittivity of the dielectric. That is, the phase value at the end of the transmission line 1500 may be determined depending on the length of the transmission line 1500.

On the other hand, the phase variable line according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is a transmission line with a new structure that can implement a specific difference in phase value depending on the applied voltage while maintaining the structure of the general transmission line 1500 as described above. You can. For example, a phase variable line may be a transmission line that has the characteristic of varying the amount of phase shift of a transmission signal depending on the applied voltage.

Referring to FIGS. 16A and 16B, the phase variable line 1600 has a signal line 1620, which is a conductor, disposed on the upper part of the dielectric substrate 1610, and a GND 1630, which is a conductor, on both sides of the lower part of the dielectric substrate 1610. may be disposed, and the phase variable member 1640 may be disposed at the lower center of the dielectric substrate 1610. The phase variable member 1640 may be arranged so that at least a portion of the phase variable member 1640 overlaps the signal line 1620 in the vertical direction. The phase variable member 1640 may be a material that can change the inductance and/or capacitance value corresponding to the impedance on the transmission line. According to one embodiment, the phase variable member 1640 may be a material in which at least one of conductivity or dielectric constant changes depending on the applied voltage. For example, the phase variable member 1640 may include at least one of graphene, liquid crystal, or a diode. Graphene can vary the amount of phase shift in a transmission line by changing the conductivity characteristics of the conductor depending on the applied DC voltage. Liquid crystal can change the amount of phase shift of a transmission line by changing the dielectric constant characteristics of the dielectric according to the applied DC voltage. The listed phase variable members are merely examples, and embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. However, hereinafter, for convenience of explanation, the case where the phase variable member 1640 is graphene will be described as an example.

According to one embodiment, the chemical potential of graphene included in the phase variable line 1600 may be changed by an applied DC voltage, as shown in FIG. 17. For example, when a first DC voltage, which is a bias voltage, is applied to graphene, the chemical potential of graphene becomes 1.0 eV, and when a second DC voltage is applied to graphene, the chemical potential of graphene becomes 0.0 eV. It can be. When the chemical potential of graphene is 1.0 eV, the conductivity of graphene is similar to that of an ordinary conductor. In other words, when the chemical potential of graphene is 1.0 eV, graphene can perform the same role as GND, a general conductor. When the chemical potential of graphene is 0.0 eV, the conductivity of graphene changes and graphene can operate as an insulator. When the graphene of the phase variable line 1600 operates as an insulator, the area between the GNDs 1620 of the phase variable line 1600 may function like a slot existing on a ground plane. At this time, the length, size, and/or shape of the slot may affect the phase characteristics of the phase variable line 1600. For example, the amount of phase shift of the phase variable line 1600 may vary depending on the length, size, and/or shape of the slot. The length, size, and/or shape of the slot may refer to the length, size, and/or shape of graphene, which is the phase variable member 1640.

FIG. 18 is a graph showing the relationship between the length of the phase variable member 1640 and the phase difference of a plurality of phase variable lines according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 18 shows simulation results at 150 GHz when a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) substrate is used as a dielectric substrate, the dielectric constant of the substrate is 3.1, the loss tangent is 0.003, and the thickness of the substrate is 0.0508 mm. Referring to FIG. 18, it can be seen that the change in phase difference values according to the length of the graphene included in the phase variable line 1600 is not completely linear, but has a linear tendency. This means that when only the length of the phase variable member 1640 is changed, the phase difference value does not change consistently. Therefore, in embodiments of the present disclosure, the phase difference value of the plurality of phase variable lines is designed to vary the length, size, and/or shape of the phase variable member 1640 included in each of the plurality of phase variable lines. This can be changed consistently.

Table 3 shows insertion loss relative to the length of the phase variable member 1640 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Length [mm]	Insertion loss @ 150 GHz
0.2	1.1 dB
0.4	1.44 dB
0.6	0.72 dB
0.8	0.81 dB
1.0	1.5dB
1.2	1.37 dB
1.4	0.52 dB
1.6	0.96 dB

Referring to Table 3, it can be seen that the insertion loss value according to the length of the phase variable member 1640 is not large. This may mean that a phase difference can be implemented using a transmission line including the phase variable member 1640, that is, the phase variable line 1600, as described in the present disclosure.

As described above, the phase difference between the plurality of phase variable lines may be determined by the length, size, and/or shape of graphene, which is the phase variable member 1640. Accordingly, the phase variable line set 1420 according to embodiments of the present disclosure may be designed so that a plurality of phase variable lines include phase variable members 1640 of different lengths, as shown in FIG. 19. . However, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, the plurality of phase variable lines may include phase variable members 1640 of different lengths, sizes, and/or shapes so as to have different inductances and/or capacitances.

The line phase controller 1440 can control the DC voltage applied to the phase variable line set 1420. According to one embodiment, the line phase controller 1440 may include a switch that applies a first DC voltage, which is a bias voltage, to the phase variable line set 1420.

The line phase controller 1440 may control the DC voltage applied to the phase variable line set 1420 based on the beam direction determined for the RF signal. For example, the line phase controller 1440 determines the operating state of the phase variable line set 1420 based on the beam direction determined for the RF signal, and applies a DC voltage corresponding to the determined operating state to the phase variable line set 1420. ) can be approved. The operating state of the phase variable line set 1420 is a first state in which the phase variable member 1640 included in the phase variable line set 1420 operates as a conductor (a state in which the chemical potential is 1.0 eV), and the phase variable line set 1420 operates as a conductor. The phase variable member 1640 included in the set 1420 may include a second state (a state in which the chemical potential is 0.0 eV) in which it operates as an insulator.

If the beam direction determined for the RF signal corresponds to the basic beam (e.g., Bp1-1, Bp2-1, ..., BpN-1), the line phase controller 1440 determines the phase variable line set 1420. It is determined that it must operate in state 1 (a state in which the chemical potential is 1.0 eV), and the first DC voltage is applied to the phase variable line set 1420 to control the phase variable line set 1420 to operate in the first state. You can. The plurality of phase variable lines of the phase variable line set 1420 operating in the first state operate like general transmission lines and do not generate a phase difference with respect to signals output from the RF beamformer 1413. Accordingly, signals that pass through the phase variable line set 1420 and are provided to the array antenna 1430 may have the same phase value as state 1 in Table 4 below. The phase value of state 1 in Table 4 is the same as the phase value in Table 2.

If the beam direction determined for the RF signal corresponds to an additional beam (e.g., Bp1-2, Bp2-2, ..., BpN-2), the line phase controller 1440 determines that the phase variable line set 1420 is It is determined that it must operate in a 2 state (a state in which the chemical potential is 0.0 eV), and the first voltage is not supplied to the phase variable line set 1420, or a second DC voltage is applied to the phase variable line set 1420. It can be controlled to operate in this second state. The plurality of phase variable lines of the phase variable line set 1420 operating in the second state may generate an additional phase difference with respect to signals output from the RF beamformer 1413. Accordingly, signals that pass through the phase variable line set 1420 and are provided to the array antenna 1430 may have the same phase value as state 2 in Table 4. The phase values of state 2 in Table 4 may have a specified phase difference from the phase values of state 1 in Table 4.

For example, if the RF beamformer 1413 is composed of a Lotman lens with 5 input ports and 8 output ports, the input phase value of the array antenna 1430 for each input port is expressed as Table 4 below. You can.

Array Port (Antenna No.)	State 1 (A)	State 2 (B)	Beam-port 1 on		Beam-port 2 on		Beam-port 3 on
			State 1 (C)	State 2 (C+B)	State 1 (D)	State 2 (D+B)	State 1 (E)	State 2 (E+B)
One	0°	21° ( ϕS )	86° ( ϕ1 )	107° (ϕ 1 ')	44° ( ϕ2 )	65° ( ϕ2 ')		0°	21° ( ϕS )
2	0°	42° (2* ϕS )	172° (2*ϕ 1 )	214° (2*ϕ 1 ')	88° (2* ϕ2 )	130° (2* ϕ2 ')		0°	42° (2* ϕS )
3	0°	63° (3* ϕS )	258° (3* ϕ1 )	321° (3* ϕ1 ')	132° (3* ϕ2 )	195° (3* ϕ2 ')		0°	63° (3* ϕS )
4	0°	84° (4* ϕS )	344° (4* ϕ1 )	428° (4* ϕ1 ')	176° (4* ϕ2 )	260° (4* ϕ2 ')		0°	84° (4* ϕS )
5	0°	105° (5* ϕS )	430° (5* ϕ1 )	535° (5* ϕ1 ')	220° (5* ϕ2 )	325° (5* ϕ2 ')		0°	105° (5* ϕS )
6	0°	126° (6* ϕS )	516° (6* ϕ1 )	642° (6* ϕ1 ')	264° (6* ϕ2 )	390° (6* ϕ2 ')		0°	126° (6* ϕS )
7	0°	147° (7* ϕS )	602° (7* ϕ1 )	749° (7* ϕ1 ')	308° (7* ϕ2 )	455° (7* ϕ2 ')		0°	147° (7* ϕS )
8	0°	168° (8* ϕS )	688° (8* ϕ1 )	856° (8* ϕ1 ')	352° (8* ϕ2 )	520° (8* ϕ2 ')		0°	168° (8* ϕS )
Array antenna beam direction			-20°	-25°	-10°	-15°		0°	-5°

In Table 4, array port may refer to the input port of the array antenna 1430. Additionally, Beam-port # on means a case where an RF signal is input through the # beam port of the switch network 1411. State 1 means that the phase variable line set 1420 is in the first state (a state with a chemical potential of 1.0 eV), and state 2 means that the phase variable line set 1420 is in a second state (a state with a chemical potential of 0.0 eV). It can mean that

Referring to Tables 2 and 4, when the phase variable line set 1420 is operated in the first state by the phase variable controller 1440, the signal input from the phase variable line set 1420 to the array antenna 1430 It can be seen that the phase values are the same as in Table 2. As shown in FIG. 20, when the phase variable line set 1420 operates in the first state, the basic beam (e.g., Bp1-1, Bp2-1, ..., BpN) corresponding to the selected beam port This means that -1) can be created. On the other hand, when the phase variable line set 1420 is operated in the second state by the line phase controller 1440, the phase value of the signals input from the phase variable line set 1420 to the array antenna 1430 is the first state. It can be seen that the phase values of the state and the phase values generated from the corresponding phase variable line are added. As shown in FIG. 20, when the phase variable line set 1420 operates in the second state, additional beams (e.g., Bp1-2, Bp2-2, ..., BpN) corresponding to the selected beam port This means that -2) can be created.

The array antenna 1430 includes a plurality of unit antennas and can transmit signals provided from the phase variable line set 1420. The array antenna 1430 can transmit signals in a specific beam direction based on the phase difference of signals provided from the phase variable line set 1420. A specific beam direction may be changed depending on the status of the selected beam port and/or the phase variable line set 1420.

In the above description, the switch network 1411 determines the beam direction for the RF signal, but embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, the beam direction for the RF signal may be determined in a separate processor (or controller) electrically connected to the switch network 1411 and/or the line phase controller 1440.

In addition, in the above description, the case where the phase variable line set 1420 is provided between the RF beamformer 1413 and the array antenna 1430 has been described, but the location of the phase variable line set 1420 is not limited to this. No. For example, the phase variable line set 1420 is included in the RF beamformer 1413, and may be provided on the output side of the RF beamformer 1413.

In addition, in the above description, for convenience of explanation, the case where the phase variable line set 1420 has two states has been described, but embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to this. For example, a greater number of beams may be generated by controlling the DC voltage applied to the phase variable line set 1420 so that the phase variable line set 1420 has three or more states.

In the above description, a phase difference on a transmission line was implemented using a phase variable line including a phase variable member such as graphene. Since this does not affect the design of the RF beamformer 1413, that is, the design of the lens or matrix, the advantage of improving complexity for increasing the number of beam formations can be obtained.

As described above, the communication device 1400 according to embodiments of the present disclosure adds a phase variable member to the transmission line between the switching network-based beamformer 1410 and the array antenna 1430, thereby generating the beams that can be generated. The number can be increased, and since this does not affect the design of the switching network-based beamformer 1410, the effect of improving design complexity and/or implementation difficulty for increasing the number of beams can be obtained.

In addition, the communication device 1400 according to embodiments of the present disclosure can finely adjust the beam by adding a phase variable member to the transmission line between the switching network-based beamformer 1410 and the array antenna 1430. , you can achieve the effect of expanding the scan angle. In addition, by improving the antenna gain for the effective beam of the array antenna, high transmission power can be secured, and through this, the signal-to-interference ratio required for communication can be improved.

Figure 21 shows an example of a procedure for performing communication in a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication device of FIG. 21 may be the communication device 1400 of FIG. 14 . Here, the communication device 1400 may be a terminal that is a wireless device, and the other communication device may be a base station.

Referring to FIG. 21, in step S2101, a communication device may receive at least one synchronization signal from another communication device. For example, a communication device may receive at least one SSB among Synchronization Signal Blocks (SSBs) transmitted through different transmission beams from another communication device. The SSB may include a synchronization signal including a Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) and a Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS), and/or a Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH), and Demodulation Reference Signals (DMRS) for the PBCH. Each of the SSBs corresponds to a different time interval or opportunity and may have a different index. A communication device may receive at least one SSB through at least one reception beam among a plurality of reception beams during a designated time period.

In step S2103, the communication device may transmit a random access preamble to another communication device based on at least one synchronization signal received from the other communication device. The communication device may measure the signal strength of at least one SSB received through at least one of the different reception beams and identify the index of the SSB with the highest signal strength. The communication device may determine a transmission beam based on the reception beam corresponding to the identified SSB index and transmit a random access preamble to another communication device through the determined transmission beam. According to one embodiment, a communication device may generate a transmission beam based on transmission lines whose phase shift amount varies depending on the applied voltage. For example, a communication device may generate a transmission beam based on a phase variable line set as described in FIGS. 14 to 20.

In step S2105, the communication device may receive a random access response from another communication device. For example, a communication device may receive a random access response in response to transmitting a random access preamble.

In step S2107, the communication device may establish a connection with another communication device and perform communication with the other device through the connection. At this time, the communication device 1400 may form at least one beam to communicate with another device. Here, at least one beam may be generated based on transmission lines having a variable phase shift amount depending on the applied voltage. For example, the communication device 1400 may generate at least one beam using a phase variable line set as described in FIGS. 14 to 20.

Figure 22 shows an example of a procedure for performing communication by forming a beam in a communication device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication device of FIG. 22 may be the communication device 1400 of FIG. 14 . At least some operations of FIG. 22 may be detailed operations of step S2107 of FIG. 21. Hereinafter, at least some operations in FIG. 22 may be performed sequentially or in parallel. For example, some of the operations in FIG. 22 may be performed at least temporarily at the same time.

Referring to FIG. 22, in step S2201, the communication device may determine a beam direction for communication. According to one embodiment, the beam direction may be determined based on a synchronization signal received from another device. For example, the beam direction may be the beam direction in which the random access preamble is transmitted. According to one embodiment, the beam direction may be determined and/or changed by further considering the location of the communication device or channel state information. Beam direction can be determined and/or changed using a variety of methods known to those skilled in the art.

In step S2203, the communication device may determine the status of the beam port and the phase variable line set based on the determined beam direction. According to one embodiment, the communication device may check the status of the beam port and the phase variable line set corresponding to the beam direction based on a pre-stored beam direction table. The beam direction table may indicate the status of the beam port and phase variable line set corresponding to the beam direction. The beam direction table can be set by the designer at the design stage of the communication device. For example, if the determined beam direction corresponds to the second basic beam (Bp2-1), the communication device may determine the beam port as the second beam port and determine the state of the phase variable line set as the first state. . Here, selecting a beam port corresponding to the beam direction among the plurality of beam ports may mean selecting an input port corresponding to the beam direction among the plurality of input ports of the RF beamformer 1413. This is because each of the plurality of beam ports corresponds to each of the plurality of input ports. Here, determining the state of the phase variable line set may mean determining the voltage to be applied to the phase variable line set. This is because the state of the phase variable line set is changed by the voltage to be applied to the phase variable line set.

In step S2205, the communication device may select a corresponding beam port using the switch network 1411 so that a transmission signal is provided to the determined beam port. For example, the communication device may control at least one switch among a plurality of switches included in the switch network 1411 to provide a transmission signal to the beam port determined in step S2203. The transmission signal provided to the determined beam port may be input to the RF beamformer 1413 through an input port corresponding to the determined beam port. The RF beamformer 1413 may generate a plurality of transmission signals having different phases based on a transmission signal input through an input port corresponding to the determined beam port. The plurality of transmission signals may have a first phase difference corresponding to the determined beam port.

In step S2207, the communication device may control the state of the phase variable line set 1420 by controlling the DC voltage applied to the phase variable line set 1420. When the state of the phase variable line set 1420 determined in step S2203 is the first state, the communication device uses the line phase controller 1440 to apply the first DC voltage corresponding to the first state to the phase variable line set 1420. can be approved. When the first DC voltage is applied to the phase variable line set 1420, the chemical potential of the phase variable member 1640 becomes 1.0 eV, so the phase variable member 1640 can perform a GND role like a general conductor. . The phase variable line set 1420 in the first state does not generate additional phase difference for the plurality of signals output from the RF beamformer 1413, thereby changing the beam direction of the plurality of signals input to the array antenna 1430. It is possible to maintain the basic beam direction corresponding to the selected beam port. For example, the beam direction of the plurality of signals may be maintained in the beam direction corresponding to the first phase difference generated in step S2205.

When the state of the phase variable line set 1420 determined in step S2203 is the second state, the communication device does not supply the first DC voltage to the phase variable line set 1420 using the line phase controller 1440, or A second DC voltage corresponding to state 2 may be applied. When the first DC voltage is not supplied to the phase variable line set 1420 or the second DC voltage is applied, the chemical potential of the phase variable member 1640 becomes 0.0 eV, so that it can operate as an insulator. The phase variable line set 1420 in the second state generates an additional phase difference for the plurality of signals output from the RF beamformer 1413, thereby changing the beam direction of the plurality of signals input to the array antenna 1430 to the selected beam. You can change to an additional beam direction corresponding to the port. For example, the beam direction of the plurality of signals may be changed to a beam direction corresponding to the second phase difference. The second phase difference may be the sum of the additional phase difference generated by the phase variable line set 1420 and the first phase difference.

In step S2209, the communication device may perform beamforming communication using the array antenna 1430. For example, the communication device may transmit a plurality of signals input to the array antenna 1430 in a beam direction corresponding to the phase difference of the corresponding signals.

The proposed methods described above may be implemented independently, but may also be implemented in the form of a combination (or merge) of some of the proposed methods. A rule may be defined so that the base station informs the terminal of the application of the proposed methods (or information about the rules of the proposed methods) through a predefined signal (e.g., a physical layer signal or a higher layer signal). .

The present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the technical ideas and essential features described in the present disclosure. Accordingly, the above detailed description should not be construed as restrictive in all respects and should be considered illustrative. The scope of this disclosure should be determined by reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all changes within the equivalent scope of this disclosure are included in the scope of this disclosure. In addition, claims that do not have an explicit reference relationship in the patent claims can be combined to form an embodiment or included as a new claim through amendment after filing.

Embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various wireless access systems. Examples of various wireless access systems include the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) or 3GPP2 system.

Embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied not only to the various wireless access systems, but also to all technical fields that apply the various wireless access systems. Furthermore, the proposed method can also be applied to mmWave and THz communication systems using ultra-high frequency bands.

Additionally, embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to various applications such as free-running vehicles and drones.

Claims (22)

1. In a method of operating a terminal in a wireless communication system,

   Receiving at least one synchronization signal from a base station;

   Transmitting a random access preamble to the base station based on the at least one synchronization signal;

   Receiving a random access response from the base station;

   Establishing a connection with the base station; and

   Including, performing communication through the connection,

   The communication is performed through at least one spatial domain filter based on the synchronization signal,

   The at least one spatial domain filter is generated based on transmission lines having a characteristic that the amount of phase shift varies depending on the applied voltage.
2. According to paragraph 1,

   Each of the transmission lines includes a phase variable member whose conductivity or dielectric constant changes depending on the applied voltage,

   Each of the phase variable members included in each of the transmission lines is different from each other in at least one of length, size, or shape.
3. According to paragraph 2,

   The phase variable member includes at least one of graphene, liquid crystal, or diode.
4. According to paragraph 2,

   The phase variable member is provided between GNDs disposed on both sides of a lower portion of the dielectric substrate, and is disposed at a position where at least a portion of the phase variable member overlaps in the vertical direction with a signal line disposed on an upper portion of the dielectric substrate.
5. According to paragraph 2,

   The transmission lines are disposed between a switching network-based beamformer and an array antenna.
6. According to paragraph 2,

   The step of performing communication through the connection is,

   determining a direction of a spatial domain filter for communication with the base station;

   Generating transmission signals having a first phase difference using a switching network-based beamformer based on the determined direction of the spatial domain filter;

   Based on the determined direction of the spatial domain filter, providing transmission signals having the first phase difference or the second phase difference to an array antenna using the transmission lines; and

   Comprising performing communication through a direction of a spatial domain filter corresponding to the first phase difference or the second phase difference using the array antenna,

   The second phase difference is a value obtained by adding the first phase difference and a third phase difference generated by the transmission lines.
7. According to clause 6,

   Based on the determined direction of the spatial domain filter, determining the applied voltage to be provided to the input port for the switching network-based beamformer and the transmission lines,

   The first phase difference is determined by the determined input port,

   A method of operating a terminal, wherein the amount of phase shift of the transmission lines is varied by the determined applied voltage.
8. In clause 7,

   The step of providing transmission signals having the first phase difference or the second phase difference to an array antenna using the transmission lines,

   A method of operating a terminal, comprising applying the determined applied voltage to the transmission lines.
9. In clause 7,

   The switching network-based beamformer includes a switch network including a plurality of switches and an RF beamformer, and generates transmission signals having the first phase difference corresponding to the determined input port,

   The RF beamformer includes a lens or matrix-type structure.
10. In a terminal in a wireless communication system,

    transceiver; and

    Includes a processor connected to the transceiver,

    The processor,

    Receive at least one synchronization signal from a base station,

    Transmitting a random access preamble to the base station based on the at least one synchronization signal,

    Receive a random access response from the base station,

    Establishing a connection with the base station,

    Controls communication to be performed through the connection,

    The communication is performed through at least one spatial domain filter based on the synchronization signal,

    The at least one spatial domain filter is generated based on transmission lines having a characteristic that the amount of phase shift varies depending on the applied voltage.
11. According to clause 10,

    Each of the transmission lines includes a phase variable member whose conductivity or dielectric constant changes depending on the applied voltage,

    Each of the phase variable members included in each of the transmission lines is different from each other in at least one of length, size, or shape.
12. According to clause 11,

    The phase variable member includes at least one of graphene, liquid crystal, or diode.
13. According to clause 11,

    The phase variable member is provided between GNDs disposed on both sides of a lower portion of the dielectric substrate, and is disposed at a position where at least a portion of the phase variable member overlaps in the vertical direction with a signal line disposed on an upper portion of the dielectric substrate.
14. According to clause 11,

    The transmission lines are disposed between a switching network-based beamformer and an array antenna.
15. According to clause 11,

    The transceiver includes a switching network-based beamformer, the transmission lines, and an array antenna,

    The processor,

    Determine the direction of a spatial domain filter for communication with the base station,

    Based on the determined direction of the spatial domain filter, the switching network-based beamformer is controlled to generate transmission signals having a first phase difference,

    Based on the determined direction of the spatial domain filter, the transmission lines are controlled to provide transmission signals having the first phase difference or the second phase difference to an array antenna,

    Controlling communication through the direction of a spatial domain filter corresponding to the first phase difference or the second phase difference using the array antenna,

    The second phase difference is a value obtained by adding the first phase difference and a third phase difference generated by the transmission lines.
16. According to clause 15,

    The processor determines the applied voltage to be provided to an input port for the switching network-based beamformer and the transmission lines, based on the determined direction of the spatial domain filter,

    The first phase difference is determined by the determined input port,

    The terminal wherein the amount of phase shift of the transmission lines is varied by the determined applied voltage.
17. According to clause 16,

    The transceiver further includes a line phase controller that applies the determined applied voltage to the transmission lines.
18. According to clause 16,

    The switching network-based beamformer includes a switch network including a plurality of switches and an RF beamformer, and generates transmission signals having the first phase difference corresponding to the determined input port,

    The RF beamformer is a terminal including a lens or matrix-type structure.
19. In a method of operating a base station in a wireless communication system,

    Transmitting at least one synchronization signal to the terminal;

    Receiving a random access preamble from the terminal based on the at least one synchronization signal;

    Transmitting a random access response to the terminal;

    Establishing a connection with the terminal; and

    Including, performing communication through the connection,

    The communication is performed through at least one spatial domain filter based on the synchronization signal,

    The method of operating a base station, wherein the at least one spatial domain filter is generated based on transmission lines having a characteristic that the amount of phase shift varies depending on the applied voltage.
20. In a base station in a wireless communication system,

    transceiver; and

    Includes a processor connected to the transceiver,

    The processor,

    Transmit at least one synchronization signal to the terminal,

    Receive a random access preamble from the terminal based on the at least one synchronization signal,

    Send a random access response to the terminal,

    Establishing a connection with the terminal,

    Controls communication to be performed through the connection,

    The communication is performed through at least one spatial domain filter based on the synchronization signal,

    The at least one spatial domain filter is generated based on transmission lines having a characteristic that the amount of phase shift varies depending on the applied voltage.
21. In a communication device,

    at least one processor;

    At least one computer memory connected to the at least one processor and storing instructions that direct operations as executed by the at least one processor,

    The above operations are,

    Receiving at least one synchronization signal from a base station;

    Transmitting a random access preamble to the base station based on the at least one synchronization signal;

    Receiving a random access response from the base station;

    Establishing a connection with the base station; and

    Comprising: performing communication through the connection,

    The communication is performed through at least one spatial domain filter based on the synchronization signal,

    The at least one spatial domain filter is generated based on transmission lines having a characteristic that the amount of phase shift varies depending on the applied voltage.
22. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing at least one instruction, comprising:

    Contains the at least one instruction executable by a processor,

    The at least one command may cause the device to:

    Receive at least one synchronization signal from a base station,

    Transmitting a random access preamble to the base station based on the at least one synchronization signal,

    Receive a random access response from the base station,

    Establishing a connection with the base station,

    Controls communication to be performed through the connection,

    The communication is performed through at least one spatial domain filter based on the synchronization signal,

    Wherein the at least one spatial domain filter is generated based on transmission lines having a characteristic that the amount of phase shift varies depending on the applied voltage.

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