IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,401,431
Granted Patent B2
US 12,401,431 · App. 18/172,269 · Granted Aug 26, 2025

Joint phase and gain calibration for millimeter wave beamforming

Inventors: Vasanthan Raghavan (West Windsor Township, NJ); Kobi Ravid (Closter, NJ); Junyi Li (Fairless Hills, PA)
Assignee: QUALCOMM Incorporated
H04B17/11H04B17/12H04B17/14H04B17/21H04L5/0055
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,401,431
App. No.
18/172,269
Granted
Aug 26, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

Wireless communications systems, apparatuses, and methods are provided. A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE) includes transmitting, to a network unit, a plurality of reference signals, wherein the plurality of reference signals is associated with a first set of phase and gain values to be used with a first antenna array at the UE for uplink transmissions, receiving, from the network unit, signals used to determine calibration coefficients associated with the first set of phase and gain values for the first antenna array, and transmitting, to the network unit, a communication signal based on the calibration coefficients associated with the first set of phase/gain values and calibration coefficients associated with a second set of phase/gain values, wherein the calibration coefficients associated with the second set of phase/gain values are interpolated from the calibration coefficients associated with the first set of phase/gain values.

Claims (73)

1. A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:

transmitting, to a network unit, a plurality of reference signals, wherein the plurality of reference signals is associated with a first set of phase and gain values to be used with a first antenna array at the UE for uplink transmissions;

receiving, from the network unit, signals used to determine calibration coefficients associated with the first set of phase and gain values for the first antenna array; and

transmitting, to the network unit, a communication signal based on the calibration coefficients associated with the first set of phase and gain values and calibration coefficients associated with a second set of phase and gain values, wherein the calibration coefficients associated with the second set of phase and gain values are interpolated from the calibration coefficients associated with the first set of phase and gain values.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the calibration coefficients associated with the second set of phase and gain values are interpolated from adjacent calibration coefficients associated with the first set of phase and gain values.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first set of phase and gain values and the second set of phase and gain values are associated with a same antenna element.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

transmitting, to the network unit, a request for an antenna array calibration; and

receiving, from the network unit, an antenna array calibration acknowledgement, wherein the transmitting the plurality of reference signals comprises transmitting the plurality of reference signals in response to the antenna array calibration acknowledgement.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the transmitting the request for the antenna array calibration is based on an event associated with the UE.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the event comprises at least one of:

a temperature of the UE satisfying a temperature threshold;

a frequency range associated with the communication signal satisfying a frequency threshold; or

a distance between the UE and the network unit satisfying a distance threshold.

7. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:

receiving, from the network unit, calibration coefficients associated with a third set of phase and gain values, wherein the transmitting the communication signal comprises transmitting the communication signal further based on the third set of phase and gain values.

8. A method of wireless communication performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising:

transmitting, to a network unit, a plurality of reference signals, wherein the plurality of reference signals is associated with a first set of phase and gain values to be used with a first antenna array at the UE for uplink transmissions;

receiving, from the network unit, signals used to determine calibration coefficients associated with the first set of phase and gain values for the first antenna array;

receiving, from the network unit, signals used to determine the calibration coefficients associated with a second set of phase and gain values; and

transmitting, to the network unit, a communication signal based on the calibration coefficients associated with the first set of phase and gain values and the calibration coefficients associated with the second set of phase and gain values.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the signals used to determine the calibration coefficients associated with the second set of phase and gain values comprise signals from one or more additional UEs.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein the one or more additional UEs are from a same UE class as the UE.

11. The method of claim 8 , further comprising: transmitting, to the network unit, a request for an antenna array calibration; and

receiving, from the network unit, an antenna array calibration acknowledgement, wherein the transmitting the plurality of reference signals comprises transmitting the plurality of reference signals in response to the antenna array calibration acknowledgement.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the transmitting the request for the antenna array calibration is based on an event associated with the UE.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the event comprises at least one of:

a temperature of the UE satisfying a temperature threshold;

a frequency range associated with the communication signal satisfying a frequency threshold; or

a distance between the UE and the network unit satisfying a distance threshold.

14. A user equipment (UE) comprising:

a memory;

a transceiver; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver, wherein the UE is configured to:

transmit, to a network unit, a plurality of reference signals, wherein the plurality of reference signals is associated with a first set of phase and gain values to be used with a first antenna array at the UE for uplink transmissions;

receive, from the network unit, signals used to determine calibration coefficients associated with the first set of phase and gain values for the first antenna array; and

transmit, to the network unit, a communication signal based on the calibration coefficients associated with the first set of phase and gain values and calibration coefficients associated with a second set of phase and gain values, wherein the calibration coefficients associated with the second set of phase and gain values are interpolated from the calibration coefficients associated with the first set of phase and gain values.

15. The UE of claim 14 , wherein the calibration coefficients associated with the second set of phase and gain values are interpolated from adjacent calibration coefficients associated with the first set of phase and gain values.

16. The UE of claim 14 , wherein the first set of phase and gain values and the second set of phase and gain values are associated with a same antenna element.

17. The UE of claim 14 , wherein the calibration coefficients associated with the second array of phase values and gain values is linearly interpolated from the calibration coefficients associated with the first array of phase values and gain values.

18. The UE of claim 14 , wherein the calibration coefficients associated with the second array of phase values and gain values is interpolated from the calibration coefficients associated with the first array of phase values and gain values using a sample and hold interpolation.

19. The UE of claim 14 , wherein the calibration coefficients associated with the second array of phase values and gain values is interpolated from the calibration coefficients associated with the first array of phase values and gain values using a spline interpolation.

20. The UE of claim 14 , wherein the UE is further configured to:

transmit, to the network unit, a request for an antenna array calibration;

receive, from the network unit, an antenna array calibration acknowledgement; and

transmit the plurality of reference signals in response to the antenna array calibration acknowledgement.

21. The UE of claim 20 , wherein the UE is further configured to transmit the request for the antenna array calibration based on an event associated with the UE.

22. The UE of claim 21 , wherein the event comprises at least one of:

a temperature of the UE satisfying a temperature threshold;

a frequency range associated with the communication signal satisfying a frequency threshold; or

a distance between the UE and the network unit satisfying a distance threshold.

23. The UE of claim 14 , wherein the UE is further configured to:

receive, from the network unit, calibration coefficients associated with a third set of phase and gain values, wherein the transmitting the communication signal comprises transmitting the communication signal further based on the third set of phase and gain values.

24. A user equipment (UE) comprising:

a memory;

a transceiver; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and the transceiver, wherein the UE is configured to:

transmit, to a network unit, a plurality of reference signals, wherein the plurality of reference signals is associated with a first set of phase and gain values to be used with a first antenna array at the UE for uplink transmissions;

receive, from the network unit, signals used to determine calibration coefficients associated with the first set of phase and gain values for the first antenna array;

receive, from the network unit, signals used to determine the calibration coefficients associated with a second set of phase and gain values; and

transmit, to the network unit, a communication signal based on the calibration coefficients associated with the first set of phase and gain values and the calibration coefficients associated with the second set of phase and gain values.

25. The UE of claim 24 , wherein the signals used to determine the calibration coefficients associated with the second set of phase and gain values comprise signals from one or more additional UEs.

26. The UE of claim 25 , wherein the one or more additional UEs are from a same UE class as the UE.

27. The UE of claim 24 , wherein the UE is further configured to:

transmit, to the network unit, a request for an antenna array calibration;

receive, from the network unit, an antenna array calibration acknowledgement; and

transmit the plurality of reference signals in response to the antenna array calibration acknowledgement.

28. The UE of claim 24 , wherein the UE is further configured to transmit the request for the antenna array calibration based on an event associated with the UE.

29. The UE of claim 28 , wherein the event comprises at least one of:

a temperature of the UE satisfying a temperature threshold;

a frequency range associated with the communication signal satisfying a frequency threshold; or

a distance between the UE and the network unit satisfying a distance threshold.

30. The UE of claim 24 , wherein the UE is further configured to transmit the communication signal further based on calibration coefficients associated with a third set of phase and gain values stored in a lookup table of the UE.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 7, 2023
From: RAGHAVAN, VASANTHAN; RAVID, KOBI; LI, JUNYI
To: QUALCOMM INCORPORATED
Reel/Frame 062910/0851 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240283548A1 · Aug 22, 2024
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