Patent ID: 12231222

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS

One or more specific embodiments will be described below. In an effort to provide a concise description of these embodiments, not all features of an actual implementation are described in the specification. It should be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, as in any engineering or design project, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developers' specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which may vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it should be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time consuming, but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking of design, fabrication, and manufacture for those of ordinary skill having the benefit of this disclosure.

When introducing elements of various embodiments of the present disclosure, the articles “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to mean that there are one or more of the elements. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “having” are intended to be inclusive and mean that there may be additional elements other than the listed elements. Additionally, it should be understood that references to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” of the present disclosure are not intended to be interpreted as excluding the existence of additional embodiments that also incorporate the recited features. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Use of the term “approximately,” “near,” “about”, and/or “substantially” should be understood to mean including close to a target (e.g., design, value, amount), such as within a margin of any suitable or contemplatable error (e.g., within 0.1% of a target, within 1% of a target, within 5% of a target, within 10% of a target, within 25% of a target, and so on).

Various governmental regulatory or standards entities—such as the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of the United States, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) in Europe, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) of China, the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)—provide regulations or standards (e.g., radio frequency emission regulations or standards) for radio frequency communication on certain frequency ranges or bands. For device manufacturers to market communication devices or “user equipment” (e.g., radio frequency communication devices such as mobile communication devices, smartphones, tablets, wearable devices, and so on) in a region, the manufacturers may conform the user equipment to the regulations/standards of that region.

However, there may be differences between the various regulatory and/or standards schemes around the world. For example, for the ‘L’ frequency band (e.g., a 1.6 gigahertz (GHz) frequency band) and the ‘S’ frequency band (e.g., a 2 GHz frequency band), the FCC has defined an out-of-channel emission mask (e.g., to maintain transmission power in neighboring frequency ranges outside of a channel of a transmitted signal below certain thresholds) for user equipment, but has defined no regulations for reception by the user equipment. ETSI, however, for the same frequency bands, has defined out-of-band (e.g., to maintain transmission power in neighboring frequency ranges outside of a band of a transmitted signal below certain thresholds) and out-of-channel emission masks more stringent than those defined by the FCC, as well as having defined standards for reception by the user equipment. Thus, user equipment sold and/or used in a region governed by the ETSI standards may conform to more stringent emission and reception standards. User equipment sold and/or used in a region governed by the FCC regulations may conform to less stringent emission regulations/standards, and may not conform to any reception regulations/standards.

Accordingly, user equipment conforming to FCC regulations may not operate in a region governed by ETSI, as it may not conform to the more stringent emission and reception standards imposed by ETSI. On the other hand, user equipment conforming to ETSI standards may operate less efficiently (e.g., with less transmission and reception capability) in a region governed by the FCC, as the user equipment may operate under the FCC regulations instead of the ETSI standards. While this problem may not be experienced by many terrestrial network users, communicating with non-terrestrial networks may often be associated with moving from geographical region to geographical region, each possibly governed by different regulatory and/or standards bodies. Accordingly, if the user equipment is conformed to one regulation or standard, and is moved to a geographical region governed by another regulation or standard to communicate with a non-terrestrial network, the user equipment may operate inefficiently, or even be incapable of operation.

Additionally, as defined by the ETSI standards, an in-band or narrowband blocking specification (e.g., for the L and S bands) results in a channel having a bandwidth of less than 10 megahertz. That is, ETSI regulates a noise level of a received signal on the channel to not exceed a threshold when there is an interfering signal 5 megahertz less than the center frequency and 5 megahertz greater than the center frequency. Expanding the channel bandwidth to greater than or equal to 10 megahertz may enable greater data throughput, but it may be desired to maintain the noise level tolerance below a threshold to ensure sufficient communication quality.

The present disclosure provides techniques to adjust user equipment transmitter and/or receiver configuration to conform to the regulations or standards of the region in which it is located to communicate with non-terrestrial networks (e.g., satellite networks). Communicating with non-terrestrial networks, in particular, may often include doing so from different geographical regions governed by different regulatory and/or standards bodies. Adjusting the user equipment transmitter and/or receiver configuration may increase communication efficiency, and even enable operation of the user equipment) in the different geographical regions as the user equipment may be dynamically set to a more efficient or permissible configuration with respect to non-terrestrial transmission and reception (e.g., when it is determined under which regulations or standards the user equipment is to operate). In some embodiments, the configuration of the user equipment may be set to operate under less stringent regulations or standards (e.g., FCC regulations) by default, and adjust to a less efficient configuration (e.g., ETSI standards) if it is determined that the user equipment should operate under more stringent regulations or standards.

As mentioned above, for transmission over certain frequency band (e.g., the L and S bands), the FCC has defined an out-of-channel emission mask (e.g., to maintain transmission power in neighboring frequency ranges outside of a channel of a transmitted signal below certain thresholds) for user equipment. ETSI, however, for the same frequency bands, has defined out-of-band (e.g., to maintain transmission power in neighboring frequency ranges outside of a band of a transmitted signal below certain thresholds) and out-of-channel emission masks more stringent than those defined by the FCC. In some embodiments, a terrestrial network communication node (e.g., a communication node, such as a base station, that enables communication with a non-terrestrial communication hub, such as a satellite, via a non-terrestrial network) may indicate a regulation or standard to which the user equipment is to conform. The user equipment may store multiple transmitter configurations corresponding to multiple emission masks that conform with multiple regional regulations/standards. Upon receiving the indication, the user equipment may apply an emission mask to a transmitter of the user equipment that conforms to the regulation or standard indicated by the non-terrestrial network communication node, and transmit data to the non-terrestrial network using the configured transmitter. That is, if the indication indicates the FCC regulation, then the user equipment may apply an out-of-channel emission mask compliant with the FCC regulation to the transmitter. If the indication indicates the ETSI standard, then the user equipment may apply an out-of-channel and out-of-band emission mask compliant with the ETSI standard to the transmitter.

Moreover, certain regulations may govern reception, e.g., over the L and S bands. For example, ETSI regulates a noise level tolerance of a received signal on a channel having a center frequency and a bandwidth by ensuring that a noise level of the received signal does not exceed a first threshold when there is an interfering signal at a frequency the bandwidth of the channel away from the center frequency, and that noise level of the received signal does not exceed a second threshold when there are interfering signals 5 megahertz away from the center frequency. However, FCC has no such regulation for reception over the L and S bands. Accordingly, in some embodiments, a terrestrial communication node may indicate a regulation or standard to which the user equipment is to conform. The user equipment may store multiple receiver configurations that conform to multiple regional regulations or standards. Upon receiving the indication, the user equipment may apply the receiver that conforms to the regulation or standard indicated by the terrestrial communication node, and receive data from the non-terrestrial network using the configured receiver. That is, if the indication indicates the ETSI standard, then the user equipment may configure the receiver to be compliant with the noise level tolerance specified by the ETSI standard. If the indication indicates the FCC regulation, then the user equipment may not configure the receiver to be compliant with the noise level tolerance specified by the ETSI standard.

These regulations or standards may define a fixed frequency offset between a desired signal and an interfering signal (e.g., an unwanted signal in an adjacent or nearby frequency channel with the potential to interfere with the desired signal). This fixed frequency offset may limit the range of channel bandwidths that may be used. For example, if the frequency offset is fixed by regulation or standard at 5 MHz from a center frequency (fc) of a signal, a signal with a bandwidth of 5 MHz may be sufficiently separated from the interfering signal so as to receive little interference from the interfering signal. However, if the signal were to have a bandwidth of 10 MHz, there may be substantial interference caused by the proximity between the edges of the desired signal and the interfering signals.

As such, the present disclosure provides techniques for enabling a frequency offset between the desired signal and the interfering signals that may be scaled depending on the channel bandwidth associated with the desired signal. By enabling channel-bandwidth-dependent scaling, a larger range of channel bandwidths may be utilized by user equipment, which may result in higher throughput and a more flexible range of signal data rates.

As noted above, as defined by the ETSI standards, an in-band or narrowband blocking specification (e.g., for the L and S bands) results in a channel having a bandwidth of less than 10 megahertz (MHz) due to ETSI standards ensuring that a noise level of a received signal on the channel does not exceed a threshold when there is an interfering signal 5 MHz less than the center frequency and 5 MHz greater than the center frequency. To expand a channel bandwidth (e.g., in the L and S bands) to greater than or equal to 10 MHz while maintaining the noise level of the received signal below a threshold to ensure sufficient communication quality, in some embodiments, the interfering signal may be located at a frequency that is dependent on (e.g., scaled based on) the channel bandwidth (e.g., as opposed to the fixed 5 MHz frequency offset). In additional or alternative embodiments, other factors in addition to the channel bandwidth may be used to determine frequency of the interfering signal while maintaining the noise level of the received signal below a threshold to ensure sufficient communication quality. For example, the interfering signal may be located at a frequency that is dependent on the channel bandwidth, a subcarrier spacing of the channel, and/or a fixed frequency offset. As another example, the interfering signal may be located at a frequency in another channel that is dependent on the channel bandwidth, a subcarrier spacing of the channel, and/or a number of resource blocks of the other channel. By enabling channel bandwidth (among other possible factors) dependent scaling of the interfering signal, a larger range of channel bandwidths may be realized, which may result in higher throughput and a more flexible range of signal data rates for the user equipment.

Additionally, regulations or standards may define the threshold for which the noise level of a received signal is not to exceed. For example, as mentioned above, the ETSI standards ensuring that a noise level of a received signal on the channel (e.g., having a bandwidth of 5 MHz) does not exceed a threshold (e.g., of 1 decibel milliwatt) when there are interfering signals present at 5 MHz less than the center frequency and at 5 MHz greater than the center frequency. The threshold of 1 decibel milliwatt may be determined based on how far (e.g., in frequency) the interfering signal is offset from the channel, as the closer the interfering signal is to the channel (e.g., the smaller the offset), the greater the effect of interference from the interfering signal on the channel. That is, the threshold varies inversely with the frequency that the interfering signal is offset from the received signal. Moreover, because the offset frequency may vary directly with the channel bandwidth, the threshold may also vary directly with the channel bandwidth. Accordingly, in embodiments where the interfering signal is closer in frequency to the received signal/channel, the threshold may be relaxed (e.g., increased) due to the greater effect of interference by the interfering signal. In embodiments where the interfering signal is farther in frequency from the received signal/channel, the threshold may be decreased due to the lesser effect of interference by the interfering signal. For example, when compared to the ETSI standard of using a channel bandwidth of 5 MHz and a threshold of 1 decibel milliwatt, if the channel bandwidth is less than 5 MHz, then the presently disclosed embodiments may enable the threshold to be greater than 1 decibel milliwatt (due to the interfering signal being closer to the received signal). On the other hand, if the channel bandwidth is greater than 5 MHZ, then the presently disclosed embodiments may enable the threshold to be less than 1 decibel milliwatt (due to the interfering signal being closer to the received signal). As such, the present disclosure provides techniques for scaling the noise tolerance of a received signal based on a frequency that an interfering signal is offset from the received signal.

While the present disclosure references conforming user equipment to different regulations or standards of certain regulatory or standards bodies (e.g., ETSI, FCC, 3GPP) for certain frequency bands (e.g., the L band, the S band) for non-terrestrial network communication, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments may also apply to regulations or standards of any suitable regulatory or standards body, for any suitable frequency band or range, and/or for any suitable type of communication (e.g., terrestrial communication—such as communications using a cellular network between two user equipment on the Earth).

With the foregoing in mind,FIG.1is a block diagram of an electronic device10, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The electronic device10may include, among other things, one or more processors12(collectively referred to herein as a single processor for convenience, which may be implemented in any suitable form of processing circuitry), memory14, nonvolatile storage16, a display18, input structures22, an input/output (I/O) interface24, a network interface26, and a power source29. The various functional blocks shown inFIG.1may include hardware elements (including circuitry), software elements (including computer code stored on a computer-readable medium) or a combination of both hardware and software elements. The processor12, memory14, the nonvolatile storage16, the display18, the input structures22, the input/output (I/O) interface24, the network interface26, and/or the power source29may each be communicatively coupled directly or indirectly (e.g., through or via another component, a communication bus, a network) to one another to transmit and/or receive data between one another. It should be noted thatFIG.1is merely one example of a particular implementation and is intended to illustrate the types of components that may be present in electronic device10.

By way of example, the electronic device10may represent a block diagram of any suitable computing device, including a desktop computer, a notebook computer, a portable electronic or handheld electronic device (e.g., a wireless electronic device or smartphone), a tablet, a wearable electronic device, and other similar devices. In particular, the electronic device10may include user equipment or radio frequency communication devices, such as mobile communication devices, smartphones, tablets, wearable devices, and so on. In some embodiments, the electronic device10may include (or may be included in) any suitable communication hub or node, such as a terrestrial communication hub or node, a non-terrestrial communication hub or node, a base station, or a network operator. It should be noted that the processor12and other related items inFIG.1may be generally referred to herein as “data processing circuitry.” Such data processing circuitry may be embodied wholly or in part as software, hardware, or a combination thereof. Furthermore, the processor12and other related items inFIG.1may be a single contained processing module or may be incorporated wholly or partially within any of the other elements within the electronic device10. The processor12may be implemented with any combination of general-purpose microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate array (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), controllers, state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware components, dedicated hardware finite state machines, or any other suitable entities that may perform calculations or other manipulations of information. The processors12may perform the various functions described herein and below.

In the electronic device10ofFIG.1, the processor12may be operably coupled with a memory14and a nonvolatile storage16to perform various algorithms. Such programs or instructions executed by the processor12may be stored in any suitable article of manufacture that includes one or more tangible, computer-readable media. The tangible, computer-readable media may include the memory14and/or the nonvolatile storage16, individually or collectively, to store the instructions or routines. The memory14and the nonvolatile storage16may include any suitable articles of manufacture for storing data and executable instructions, such as random-access memory, read-only memory, rewritable flash memory, hard drives, and optical discs. In addition, programs (e.g., an operating system) encoded on such a computer program product may also include instructions that may be executed by the processor12to enable the electronic device10to provide various functionalities.

In certain embodiments, the display18may facilitate users to view images generated on the electronic device10. In some embodiments, the display18may include a touch screen, which may facilitate user interaction with a user interface of the electronic device10. Furthermore, it should be appreciated that, in some embodiments, the display18may include one or more liquid crystal displays (LCDs), light-emitting diode (LED) displays, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) displays, or some combination of these and/or other display technologies.

The input structures22of the electronic device10may enable a user to interact with the electronic device10(e.g., pressing a button to increase or decrease a volume level). The I/O interface24may enable electronic device10to interface with various other electronic devices, as may the network interface26. The network interface26may include, for example, one or more interfaces for a personal area network (PAN), such as a BLUETOOTH® network, for a local area network (LAN) or wireless local area network (WLAN), such as a network employing one of the IEEE 802.11x family of protocols (e.g., WI-FI®), and/or for a wide area network (WAN), such as any standards related to the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including, for example, a 3rdgeneration (3G) cellular network, universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS), 4thgeneration (4G) cellular network, long term evolution (LTE®) cellular network, long term evolution license assisted access (LTE-LAA) cellular network, 5thgeneration (5G) cellular network, and/or New Radio (NR) cellular network, and/or for a non-terrestrial network, such as a satellite communication network. In particular, the network interface26may include, for example, one or more interfaces for using a Release-15 cellular communication standard of the 5G specifications that include the millimeter wave (mmWave) frequency range (e.g., 24.25-300 gigahertz (GHz)). The network interface26of the electronic device10may allow communication over the aforementioned networks (e.g., 5G, Wi-Fi, LTE-LAA, and so forth).

The network interface26may also include one or more interfaces for, for example, broadband fixed wireless access networks (e.g., WIMAX®), mobile broadband Wireless networks (mobile WIMAX®), asynchronous digital subscriber lines (e.g., ADSL, VDSL), digital video broadcasting-terrestrial (DVB-T®) network and its extension DVB Handheld (DVB-H®) network, ultra-wideband (UWB) network, alternating current (AC) power lines, and so forth.

As illustrated, the network interface26may include a transceiver30. In some embodiments, all or portions of the transceiver30may be disposed within the processor12. The transceiver30may support transmission and receipt of various wireless signals via one or more antennas (not shown inFIG.1). The power source29of the electronic device10may include any suitable source of power, such as a rechargeable lithium polymer (Li-poly) battery and/or an alternating current (AC) power converter. In certain embodiments, the electronic device10may take the form of a computer, a portable electronic device, a wearable electronic device, or other type of electronic device.

FIG.2is a functional block diagram of the electronic device10ofFIG.1, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the processor12, the memory14, the transceiver30, the transmitter52, the receiver54, and/or the antennas55(illustrated as55A-55N) may be communicatively coupled directly or indirectly (e.g., through or via another component, a communication bus, a network) to one another to transmit and/or receive data between one another.

The electronic device10may include the transmitter52and/or the receiver54that respectively enable transmission and reception of data between the electronic device10and a remote location via, for example, a network or direct connection associated with the electronic device10and an external transceiver (e.g., in the form of a cell, eNB (E-UTRAN Node B or Evolved Node B), or gNB (Next Generation NodeB or gNodeB)), base stations, a non-terrestrial network, a satellite, and the like. As illustrated, the transmitter52and the receiver54may be combined into the transceiver30. The electronic device10may also have one or more antennas55A-55N electrically coupled to the transceiver30. The antennas55A-55N may be configured in an omnidirectional or directional configuration, in a single-beam, dual-beam, or multi-beam arrangement, and so on. Each antenna55may be associated with a one or more beams and various configurations. In some embodiments, multiple antennas of the antennas55A-55N of an antenna group or module may be communicatively coupled to a respective transceiver30and each emit radio frequency signals that may constructively and/or destructively combine to form a beam. The electronic device10may include (not shown) multiple transmitters, multiple receivers, multiple transceivers, and/or multiple antennas as needed for various communication standards.

The transmitter52may wirelessly transmit packets having different packet types or functions. For example, the transmitter52may transmit packets of different types generated by the processor12. The receiver54may wirelessly receive packets having different packet types. In some examples, the receiver54may detect a type of a packet used and to process the packet accordingly. In some embodiments, the transmitter52and the receiver54may transmit and receive information via other wired or wireline systems or devices.

As illustrated, the various components of the electronic device10may be coupled together by a bus system56. The bus system56may include a data bus, for example, as well as a power bus, a control signal bus, and a status signal bus, in addition to the data bus. The components of the electronic device10may be coupled together or accept or provide inputs to each other using some other mechanism.

FIG.3is a schematic diagram of the transmitter52(e.g., transmit circuitry), according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the transmitter52may receive outgoing data60in the form of a digital signal to be transmitted via the one or more antennas55. A digital-to-analog converter (DAC)62of the transmitter52may convert the digital signal to an analog signal, and a modulator64may combine the converted analog signal with a carrier signal to generate a radio wave. A power amplifier (PA)66receives signal the modulated signal from the modulator64. The power amplifier66may amplify the modulated signal to a suitable level to drive transmission of the signal via the one or more antennas55. A filter68(e.g., filter circuitry and/or software) of the transmitter52may then remove undesirable noise from the amplified signal to generate transmitted data70to be transmitted via the one or more antennas55. The filter68may include any suitable filter or filters to remove the undesirable noise from the amplified signal, such as a bandpass filter, a bandstop filter, a low pass filter, a high pass filter, and/or a decimation filter. Additionally, the transmitter52may include any suitable additional components not shown, or may not include certain of the illustrated components, such that the transmitter52may transmit the outgoing data60via the one or more antennas55. For example, the transmitter52may include a mixer and/or a digital up converter. As another example, the transmitter52may not include the filter68if the power amplifier66outputs the amplified signal in or approximately in a desired frequency range (such that filtering of the amplified signal may be unnecessary).

FIG.4is a schematic diagram of the receiver54(e.g., receive circuitry), according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As illustrated, the receiver54may receive received data80from the one or more antennas55in the form of an analog signal. A low noise amplifier (LNA)82may amplify the received analog signal to a suitable level for the receiver54to process. A filter84(e.g., filter circuitry and/or software) may remove undesired noise from the received signal, such as cross-channel interference. The filter84may also remove additional signals received by the one or more antennas55which are at frequencies other than the desired signal. The filter84may include any suitable filter or filters to remove the undesired noise or signals from the received signal, such as a bandpass filter, a bandstop filter, a low pass filter, a high pass filter, and/or a decimation filter. A demodulator86may remove a radio frequency envelope and/or extract a demodulated signal from the filtered signal for processing. An analog-to-digital converter (ADC)88may receive the demodulated analog signal and convert the signal to a digital signal of incoming data90to be further processed by the electronic device10. Additionally, the receiver54may include any suitable additional components not shown, or may not include certain of the illustrated components, such that the receiver54may receive the received data80via the one or more antennas55. For example, the receiver54may include a mixer and/or a digital down converter.

FIG.5is a diagram95illustrating the communicative relationship between user equipment96, a terrestrial communication node97, and a non-terrestrial communication node98. The terrestrial communication node97may include a base station, such as a base station that provides 5G/New Radio (NR) coverage (e.g., a Next Generation NodeB (gNodeB or gNB) base station) and enables communication to a non-terrestrial network. The user equipment96and the terrestrial communication node97may include at least some of the components of the electronic device10shown inFIGS.1and2, including the transmitter52, the receiver54, and the associated circuitry shown inFIGS.3and4. The user equipment96may communicate with the terrestrial communication node97to establish a communication link to the non-terrestrial communication node98. For example, the user equipment96may send a request (e.g., via the processor12) to the terrestrial communication node97seeking an available uplink frequency channel and/or an available downlink frequency channel to establish communications with the non-terrestrial communication node98. These channels may be within the L frequency band (e.g., a 1.6 gigahertz (GHz) frequency band) and/or the S frequency band (e.g., a 2 GHz frequency band) that may be used for communication with satellites such as the non-terrestrial communication node98. For example, the 1610-1626.5 megahertz (MHz), the 1626.5-1660.5 MHz, and 1668-1675 MHz sub-bands of the L band and the 1980-2010 MHz sub-band of the S band may be used by the user equipment96for uplink or transmitting data to the non-terrestrial communication node98, and the 1518-1559 MHz and the 1613.8-1626.5 MHz sub-bands of the L band and the 2170-2200 MHz and 2483.5-2500 MHz sub-bands of the S band may be used by the user equipment96for downlink or receiving data from the non-terrestrial communication node98.

As used herein, a NTN may include a satellite network, a HAPS (high altitude platform system, high altitude platform station, and/or high altitude pseudo-satellite) network, an air-to-ground network, and so on. Additionally, a non-terrestrial communication hub may include any airborne or spaceborne object that has been intentionally placed into orbit, such as a conventional spaceborne orbital satellite having a geostationary or geosynchronous orbit (GEO) at approximately 36,000 kilometers, medium-Earth orbit (MEO) at approximately 7,000 kilometers to 20,000 kilometers, or low-Earth orbit (LEO) at approximately 300 meters to 1,500 kilometers. In additional or alternative embodiments, the non-terrestrial communication hub may include any airborne device or vehicle or atmospheric satellite, such as balloon satellites, manned aircraft (e.g., an airplane, an airship, or any other aircraft), unmanned aircraft systems (UASs), HAPS, and so on. Further, the non-terrestrial communication hub may include a network or constellation of any of the non-terrestrial vehicles, devices, and/or satellites above.

FIG.6is a graphical representation of an FCC regulation100for an out-of-channel emission mask that may be applied to or implemented on the transmitter52ofFIG.3, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. An emission mask or spectrum emission mask (SEM) is a relative measurement of emission power outside of a target frequency range to transmission power of a signal transmitted in the target frequency range. For example, a regulatory or standards entity (e.g., the FCC) may define one or more threshold powers and one or more corresponding frequency ranges for which emissions caused by the transmitter52may not exceed. The emission mask104may thus contain or limit leakage of the transmitted signal in the channel102into other frequency ranges, channels, and/or bands, as such leakage may interfere with signals in the other frequency ranges, channels, or bands.

The horizontal axis106inFIG.6represents frequency (measured in MHz), and the vertical axis108represents power (measured in decibel milliwatts (dBm)/MHz). An emission mask may indicate one or more emission thresholds for one or more corresponding ranges of frequencies (e.g., outside of a target frequency range, such as a target band or channel). That is, the emission mask may provide upper limits of signal power (e.g., caused or leaking from the transmitted channel102) that may be permitted to leak into the corresponding frequency ranges (e.g., nearby frequency channels or bands). As illustrated the emission mask104provides one or more emission thresholds for one or more corresponding range of frequencies outside of a target channel, such as the channel102centered at 1618.15 MHz. In particular, the out-of-channel emission mask104dictates that signal leakage resulting from the transmitted channel102in the frequency range between 1617.65 MHz to 1617.95 MHz cannot exceed a threshold of −18 dBm/MHz. Thus, any signal leakage in that frequency range may be tolerated below −18 dBm/MHz, but the transmitter52equipped with the emission mask104conforming to the FCC regulations may not emit a leakage signal in the frequency range above −18 dBm/MHz. Signal leakage may be caused by several factors, such as nonlinearities (e.g., a change in the performance due to a change in ambient temperature, real world manufacturing implications, manufacturing defects, non-ideal components) in the electronic device10. To address signal leakage, the user equipment96may include a configuration for the transmitter52to contain or limit out-of-band emissions (or, for out-of-channel emission masks, out-of-channel emissions) within one or more threshold powers for one or more frequency ranges. To implement or apply an emission mask (e.g., the emission mask104), the processor12may utilize a number of techniques, such as power backoff (e.g., reducing transmission power) and/or frequency filtering (e.g., using the filter68).

As previously discussed, the user equipment96may be configured so as to conform to regulations or standards defined by a regulatory or standards entity, and the regulations/standards may change as the user equipment96moves from one geographical region to another. For example, in the discussion ofFIG.6above, the regulations were defined by the FCC. However, if the user equipment96were to be moved outside of the United States to another region (e.g., to Europe), the user equipment96may be reconfigured to conform to the regulations or standards of the other region (e.g., standards defined by ETSI).

FIG.7is a graphical representation of an ETSI standard120for an out-of-band emission mask124that may govern the transmitter52, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The emission mask124may indicate one or more emission thresholds for one or more corresponding range of frequencies outside of a target frequency band122between 1610 MHz and 1626.5 MHz. In some embodiments, the processor12may receive or determine the regional standard at which the user equipment96is located and configure the transmitter52with the out-of-band emission mask124illustrated inFIG.7(e.g., using the methods200or250inFIGS.10and11discussed below) to conform to the regional standard.

FIG.8is a graphical representation of an ETSI standard130for an out-of-channel emission mask134for a channel with an upper bound at a target frequency that may be applied to or implemented on the transmitter52, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, the emission mask134may indicate one or more emission thresholds for one or more corresponding range of frequencies outside of a target frequency channel132with an upper bound at 1618.25 MHz. In some embodiments, the processor12may receive or determine the regional standard at which the user equipment96is located and configure the transmitter52with the out-of-channel emission mask134(e.g., using the methods200or250inFIGS.10and11discussed below) to conform to the regional standard.

FIG.9is a graphical representation of an ETSI standard140for an out-of-channel emission mask144for a channel with a lower bound at the target frequency that may be applied to or implemented on the transmitter52, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In particular, the emission mask144may indicate one or more emission thresholds for one or more corresponding range of frequencies outside of a target frequency channel142with a lower bound at 1618.25 MHz. In some embodiments, the processor12may receive or determine the regional standard at which the user equipment96is located and configure the transmitter52with the out-of-channel emission mask144to conform to the regional standard. As illustrated, the emission masks134and144ofFIGS.8and9are channel-specific. Moreover, the ETSI-conforming emission masks124,134, and144may be applied to channels in the same frequency band, while the user equipment96is in the same geographical region (e.g., a region in Europe governed by ETSI). Accordingly, the disclosed embodiments may provide techniques to enable the user equipment96to select between different emission masks, even in the same geographical region governed by the same regulatory entity/standard body.

Conforming to the standards of the geographical region in which the user equipment96is located may increase the efficiency of, or even prevent deactivation of, the user equipment96in the different geographical regions, as the user equipment may be dynamically set to a more efficient or permissible configuration with respect to non-terrestrial transmission and reception (e.g., when it is determined under which standards the user equipment is to operate).

The user equipment96may determine its location using information received from the terrestrial communication node97. The terrestrial communication node97may broadcast system information, via a system information block (SIB), to multiple devices (e.g., the user equipment96) within range of (e.g., in a cell supported by) the terrestrial communication node97). The SIB may include information that enables the user equipment96to establish communication with the terrestrial communication node97, such as one or more network signaling (NS) values that indicate, to the user equipment receiving the SIB, the regulation/standard (e.g., of the FCC, ETSI, MIIT) for which to conform. Using the NS values, the processor12of the user equipment96may configure the transceiver30to conform to the regulation/standard of the region at which the user equipment96is located.

FIG.10is a flowchart of a method200for configuring the transceiver30of the user equipment96to conform to regional regulations/standards and communicate with a non-terrestrial network (e.g., including the non-terrestrial communication node98), according to embodiment of the present disclosure. Any suitable device (e.g., a controller) that may control components of the user equipment96, the terrestrial communication node97, the non-terrestrial network, and the non-terrestrial communication node98, such as the processor12of each of these devices or systems, may perform the method200. In some embodiments, the method200may be implemented by executing instructions stored in a tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium, such as the memory14or storage16, using the processor12. For example, the method200may be performed at least in part by one or more software components, such as an operating systems, one or more software applications, and the like, of the user equipment96, the terrestrial communication node97, the non-terrestrial network, and the non-terrestrial communication node98. While the method200is described using steps in a specific sequence, it should be understood that the present disclosure contemplates that the described steps may be performed in different sequences than the sequence illustrated, and certain described steps may be skipped or not performed altogether.

In process block202, the user equipment96detects the terrestrial communication node97. In particular, the user equipment96may detect the terrestrial communication node97by broadcasting a radio frequency (RF) signal. Upon receiving the signal, the terrestrial communication node97may respond with timing alignment information, among other information. In process block204the user equipment96synchronizes to the terrestrial communication node97by aligning its timing with the timing alignment information of the terrestrial communication node97.

In process block206, the terrestrial communication node97broadcasts system information with an NS flag or NS value indicating a regional regulation or standard (e.g., an FCC regulation, an ETSI standard, and so on). In process block208, the user equipment96reads the system information, including the NS value, and thereby determine the regional regulation/standard under which to operate. In process block210, the user equipment96configures the transceiver30(e.g., the transmitter52, the receiver54, or both) based on the regulation/standard indicated by the NS value. The user equipment96(e.g., via the processor12) may configure the transceiver30by adjusting power of the transmitter52, adjusting the power of the receiver54, removing one or more filters from a circuit path of the transceiver30, adding or removing one or more low noise amplifiers from a circuit path of the transceiver, and so on. In process block212, the user equipment96transmits data to or receives data from the non-terrestrial communication node98using the configured transceiver30. In process block214, the non-terrestrial communication node98receives data from or transmits data to the user equipment96. In this manner, the method200may enable the user equipment96to configure the transceiver30to conform to regional regulations/standards and communicate with the non-terrestrial network (e.g., including the non-terrestrial communication node98).

FIG.11is a flowchart of a method250for configuring the transmitter52ofFIG.3(e.g., of the user equipment96) with an emission mask to conform to regional regulations or standards and communicate with a non-terrestrial network (e.g., including the non-terrestrial communication node98), according to embodiment of the present disclosure. Any suitable device (e.g., a controller) that may control components of the user equipment96, such as the processor12, may perform the method250. In some embodiments, the method250may be implemented by executing instructions stored in a tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium, such as the memory14or storage16, using the processor12. For example, the method250may be performed at least in part by one or more software components, such as an operating systems, one or more software applications, and the like, of the user equipment96. While the method250is described using steps in a specific sequence, it should be understood that the present disclosure contemplates that the described steps may be performed in different sequences than the sequence illustrated, and certain described steps may be skipped or not performed altogether.

In process block252, the processor12detects the terrestrial communication node97. In particular, the processor12detects the terrestrial communication node97by broadcasting a radio frequency (RF) signal. Upon receiving the signal, the terrestrial communication node97may respond with timing alignment information, among other information. In process block204, the processor12synchronizes to the terrestrial communication node97by aligning its timing with the timing alignment information of the terrestrial communication node97.

In process block256, the processor12receives system information from the terrestrial communication node97. That is, the terrestrial communication node97may broadcast system information to the user equipment96with an NS flag or NS value indicating a regional regulation/standard. In query block258, the processor12determines whether the NS value indicates ETSI standards. That is, the terrestrial communication node97may indicate the regulation/standard that governs the region in which it is located in the NS value.

If the NS value indicates that ETSI standards do not govern, then in process block260, the processor12configures the transmitter52with an emission mask that conforms to default regulations or standards. The default regulations/standards may be any set of emission regulations or standards (e.g., defined by ETSI, the FCC, etc.). However, it may be beneficial to set default configuration to a less stringent set of regulations or standards, such as the FCC regulations (as the FCC regulations may be less stringent than the ETSI standards). Therefore, the default configuration may include the emission mask104inFIG.6.

If the NS value indicates that ETSI standards govern the region at that the user equipment96is located, then in process block262, the processor12configures the transmitter52with an emission mask that conforms to ETSI standards (e.g., the emission masks124,134, and134ofFIGS.7,8, and9respectively). Once the processor12has configured the transmitter52so as to conform to the governing regulations or standards of the region, the processor12transmits data to the non-terrestrial communication node98using the transmitter52, as is seen in process block264. In this manner, the method250may enable the processor12to configure the transmitter52ofFIG.3(e.g., of the user equipment96) with an emission mask to conform to regional regulations or standards and communicate with a non-terrestrial network (e.g., including the non-terrestrial communication node98). The user equipment96may configure (e.g., via the processor12) the transmitter52, as described in the process blocks260and262, by adjusting power of the transmitter52, removing one or more filters from a circuit path of the transmitter52, adding or removing one or more low noise amplifiers from a circuit path of the transmitter52, and so on.

As previously stated, the emission masks may be band-specific and/or channel-specific. Thus, even if the user equipment96remains in the same region (e.g., a region in Europe governed by ETSI), there may be several different regulations or standards schemes (e.g., the emission masks124,134, and144inFIGS.7,8, and9respectively) to conform to depending on the frequency band and/or frequency channel allocated to the emission channel102. Accordingly, the disclosed embodiments may provide techniques to enable the user equipment96to select between different emission masks, even in the same geographical region governed by the same regulatory entity/standard body.

Similarly to the regulations/standards for transmitters52, regulations/standards for receivers54(e.g., receiving signals in the S band) may vary from region to region. For example, ETSI has defined out-of-band and out-of-channel standards for signal reception in the S-band for user equipment (e.g., the user equipment96). These standards may relate to adjacent channel selectivity (ACS), in-band blocking, and/or other performance or noise characteristics. In contrast, other regulatory or standards entities, such as the FCC, may have no such regulations or standards defined for signal reception for the user equipment96. Because of this regulatory variance, it may be beneficial to enable receiver configuration based on applicable regulation or standard for signal reception (e.g., as related to the receiver54) as well as signal emission (e.g., as related to the transmitter52).

FIG.12is a graphical representation of an ETSI standard300for adjacent channel selectivity (ACS) that may be implemented by the receiver54, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. ACS may include an ability of the receiver54to receive a desired reception signal on its assigned channel (e.g., the channel302having a center frequency (fc)304) in the presence of an interfering or blocking signal in an adjacent channel305having a center frequency308at a given frequency offset from the center frequency desired reception signal. The center frequency308of the adjacent channel305may be defined as the sum of the center frequency304of channel302and the bandwidth (BW)314of the channel302(or fc+BW).

ETSI standards pertaining to the ACS may define a threshold power of performance degradation or a noise tolerance level (e.g., noise tolerance310) that may not be exceeded when the interfering signal is at a specified power level (e.g., power level312). For example, ACS-related ETSI standards may provide that desired reception signal on the channel302may be degraded no more than 0.5 dB) (e.g., may tolerate no more than 0.5 dB of noise) when the interfering signal is present in an adjacent channel305(e.g., having the center frequency308that is the sum of the center frequency304of channel302and the bandwidth314of the channel302) and has a power level312that is 12 dB greater than the threshold power of performance degradation/noise tolerance level310. Therefore, if the threshold power of performance degradation is a reference sensitivity power level (“REFSENS”)+0.5 dB, then the power level312of the interfering signal306is REFSENS+12.5 dB. However, it should be understood that any suitable threshold power of performance degradation310and/or power level of the interfering signal306may be used.

REFSENS may include a minimum receiver input power measured at an antenna (e.g., the antennas55) of a receiver (e.g., the receiver54), or a noise level at the receiver when there is no interfering signal (e.g.,306) present. It should be noted that REFSENS is not a requirement defined by ETSI, and the REFSENS value referred to in the disclosure refers to the reference sensitivity the receiver54exhibits without an interfering signal306present. However, in some embodiments, REFSENS may refer to definition provided under the New Radio standard, as shown below in Equation 1:
REFSENSE (dBm)=—174 dBm+NF+10*log(RXBW)−Diversity Gain+SNR+IM   (Equation 1)

In Equation 1, NF is noise figure, RXBW is the received bandwidth314of the channel302, diversity gain, SNR is signal-to-noise ratio, and IM is impairment margin (e.g., a measure of a capability of the receiver54to receive a wanted signal on its assigned channel302in the presence of two or more interfering signals which have a specific frequency relationship to the wanted signal). For example, REFSENS at a channel bandwidth of 20 MHz for an IM of 2.5 dB is −96.7 dBm, for an IM of 2.0 dB is −97.2 dBm, for an IM of 1.5 dB is −97.7 dBm, and for an IM of 1.0 dB is −98.2 dBm.

The primary purpose of REFSENS is to facilitate determining the degradation a desired reception signal (e.g., the channel302) when noise is introduced (e.g., when the interfering signal306is present). Accordingly, the ETSI standard300for ACS may ensure that a sufficient quality signal is received by the receiver54, even in the presence of noise in an adjacent channel305.

FIG.13is a graphical representation of an ETSI standard320for in-band blocking that may be implemented by the receiver54, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In-band blocking may prevent noise (e.g., interfering signals) in the same frequency band as a desired received signal from excessively interfering with the desired received signal. ETSI standards specifies a threshold power of performance degradation or a noise tolerance level (e.g., threshold power of performance degradation322) that may not be exceeded when the interfering signals are in the range of 10 MHz less than a lower edge of an operating band (e.g., BEL−10 MHz) of the received signal and 10 MHz greater than an upper edge of the operating band (e.g., BEU+10 MHz). ETSI defines the interfering signals at a fixed offset frequency316of 5 MHz offset (e.g., an offset frequency) from a center frequency304(e.g., fc) of the channel302of the received signal (e.g., fc+5 MHz, fc−5 MHz). In particular, the interfering signals may have frequencies in a same frequency band as the received signal. Accordingly, the ETSI standard320for in-band blocking may ensure that a sufficient quality signal is received by the receiver54, even in the presence of noise in the same frequency band (e.g., from 2473.5 MHz to 2510 MHz) as the signal. Thus, under ETSI standards, the offset frequency316will remain 5 MHz from the center frequency304, regardless of the bandwidth314of the channel302. As a result, this may limit the ability of the user equipment96to receive on channels having bandwidths greater than 5 MHz, and by extension limit the throughput of the channel302. This will be addressed in greater depth in the discussion of narrowband blocking receiver configurations inFIGS.15,17, and20.

The processor12may configure the receiver54to meet blocking regulations or standards, such as the ACS and in-band blocking regulations or standards, by performing power backoff and/or filtering techniques. However, complying with the blocking regulations or standards may result in certain performance trade-offs, such as power or insertion loss, leading to receiver performance or REFSENS degradation (e.g., caused by noise of the interfering signals). When not operating in regions with blocking regulations or standards (e.g., not operating in regions governed by ETSI), the user equipment96may benefit from configuring the receiver54to operate with less stringent blocking regulations or standards. Therefore, it may be advantageous to enable the processor12to apply different receiver configurations to meet different regional regulations or standards, depending on where the user equipment96is located. Similarly to the transmitter52, the processor12may configure the receiver54with a default configuration adhering to regulations or standards (e.g., FCC regulations) that are less stringent than ETSI standards, and may reconfigure the receiver54to meet ETSI standards if the user equipment96is located in an area governed by ETSI.

FIG.14is a flowchart of a method350for configuring the receiver54ofFIG.4(e.g., of the user equipment96) to conform to regional regulations/standards governing ACS and/or in-band blocking, and communicate with a non-terrestrial network (e.g., including the non-terrestrial communication node98), according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Any suitable device (e.g., a controller) that may control components of the user equipment96, such as the processor12, may perform the method350. In some embodiments, the method350may be implemented by executing instructions stored in a tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium, such as the memory14or storage16, using the processor12. For example, the method350may be performed at least in part by one or more software components, such as an operating systems, one or more software applications, and the like, of the user equipment96. While the method350is described using steps in a specific sequence, it should be understood that the present disclosure contemplates that the described steps may be performed in different sequences than the sequence illustrated, and certain described steps may be skipped or not performed altogether.

The processor12may perform process blocks352,354, and356similarly as process blocks252,254, and256of method250inFIG.11. In query block358, the processor12determines whether the NS value indicates ETSI standards. That is, the terrestrial communication node97may indicate the regulation/standard that governs the region in which it is located in the NS value. If the NS value indicates that ETSI standards do not govern, in process block360, the processor12configures the receiver54to conform to default regulations/standards (e.g., FCC regulations). The default regulations/standards may be less stringent than other regulations/standards for which the processor12may conform the receiver54(e.g., ETSI standards). In some embodiments, the processor12may not configure the receiver54at all, as the default, less stringent regulations/standards may not apply to ACS or in-band blocking. If the NS value indicates that ETSI standards govern the region at that the user equipment96is located, then, in process block362, the processor12configures the receiver54to conform to the ETSI blocking standards. That is, the processor12may configured the receiver54to conform to the ACS and in-band blocking standards discussed inFIG.12andFIG.13. In process block364, after the receiver54is configured to conform to the appropriate regulation/standard, the processor12receives data from the non-terrestrial communication node98using the configured receiver54. In this manner, the method350may enable the processor12to configure the receiver54ofFIG.4(e.g., of the user equipment96) to conform to regional regulations/standards governing ACS and/or in-band blocking, and communicate with a non-terrestrial network (e.g., including the non-terrestrial communication node98). The processor12may configure the receiver54, as described in the process blocks360and362, by adjusting the power of the receiver54, removing one or more filters from a circuit path of the receiver54, adding or removing one or more low noise amplifiers from a circuit path of the receiver54, and so on.

FIG.15is a graphical representation of a narrowband blocking scheme400using channel-bandwidth-dependent scaling that may be implemented by the receiver54, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Narrowband blocking may prevent noise (e.g., interfering signals) in a narrow frequency band from excessively interfering with a desired received signal. The narrowband blocking scheme400may be applied to reception in non-terrestrial frequency bands—particularly to signal reception in the S band, though it should be understood that the narrowband blocking scheme400may be applied to any suitable frequency range.

The receiver54of the user equipment96may be configured by the processor12to have less than or equal to a threshold power of performance degradation322when the receiver54is receiving a signal on a channel (e.g.,302) having a bandwidth (e.g.,314) and a center frequency (e.g.,304), while an interfering signal (e.g.,306) is present at a frequency (e.g.,402) equal to the bandwidth314offset (e.g., an offset frequency) from the center frequency304. That is, the frequency at which the interfering signal306is present may scale or change in proportion with the bandwidth314of the channel302. As illustrated, the threshold power of performance degradation322may be REFSENS+1 dB (such that a desired reception signal on the channel302may be degraded no more than 1 dB or may tolerate no more than 0.5 dB of noise when the interfering signal is present), while the power level for the interfering signal306under the narrowband blocking scheme400may be −40 dBm. However, it should be understood that any suitable threshold power of performance degradation322and/or power level of the interfering signal306may be used. In some embodiments, the narrowband blocking scheme400may include two interfering signals306, such that the scalable offset frequency316(e.g., equal to the bandwidth314) may be added to and subtracted from the center frequency304(e.g., resulting in two interfering signals306being present, one at the center frequency304plus the bandwidth314, and one at the center frequency304minus the bandwidth314).

If narrowband blocking scheme does not have a scalable offset frequency316at which the interfering signal306(e.g., the offset frequency is fixed, such as in the in-band blocking ETSI standard320ofFIG.13), the user equipment96may be limited in its ability to adjust the bandwidth314of the channel302. For example, if a narrowband blocking scheme is implemented with a fixed offset frequency of 5 MHz, and the channel302has a 5 MHz bandwidth, the distance between the edges of the channel302and the interfering signal306may be 2.5 MHz. However, if it is desired to increase the bandwidth314of the channel302(e.g., to increase data throughput), the offset frequency may not increase proportionately with the increased bandwidth of the channel302because it is fixed at 5 MHz. As such, if the bandwidth314of the channel302were to increase from 5 MHz to 7.5 MHz, the distance between the edges of the channel302and the interfering signal306would be 1.25 MHz. The decreased distance between the channel302and the interfering signal306may result in greater interference with the channel302from the interfering signal306. Moreover, this fixed offset frequency scheme may preclude the use of any channel302with a bandwidth314of 10 MHz or greater, as the channel302and the interfering signal306may be placed within the channel302itself.

The channel-bandwidth-dependent narrowband blocking scheme400may address this issue by setting the offset frequency316of the interfering signal306from the center frequency304equal to the channel bandwidth of the channel302. For example, if the bandwidth314of the channel302were to increase to 7.5 MHz, then the frequency316that the interfering signal306is offset from the center frequency304may increase to ±7.5 MHz. As can be seen inFIG.15, the channel302has a bandwidth of 10 MHz, and thus the frequency316that the interfering signal306is offset from the center frequency304may be ±10 MHz. Thus, the channel-bandwidth-dependent scaling scheme400may enable the channel302to have a greater bandwidth (and, as a result, throughput), while preventing interference from the interfering signal306. Moreover, the channel-bandwidth-dependent scaling scheme400may be particularly useful for non-terrestrial communication networks, which may take advantage of channel bandwidths of 10 MHz or greater.

FIG.16is a flowchart of a method450for configuring the receiver54with a narrowband blocking scheme with channel-bandwidth-dependent scaling (e.g., the channel-bandwidth-dependent narrowband blocking scheme400ofFIG.15), according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Any suitable device (e.g., a controller) that may control components of the user equipment96, the terrestrial communication node97, the non-terrestrial network, and the non-terrestrial communication node98, such as the processor12of each of these devices or systems, may perform the method450. In some embodiments, the method450may be implemented by executing instructions stored in a tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium, such as the memory14or storage16, using the processor12. For example, the method450may be performed at least in part by one or more software components, such as an operating systems, one or more software applications, and the like, of the user equipment96, the terrestrial communication node97, the non-terrestrial network, and the non-terrestrial communication node98. While the method450is described using steps in a specific sequence, it should be understood that the present disclosure contemplates that the described steps may be performed in different sequences than the sequence illustrated, and certain described steps may be skipped or not performed altogether.

The processor12may perform process blocks452,454, and456similarly to process blocks252,254, and256of method250inFIG.11. In process block458, the processor12configures the receiver54based on the presence of an interfering signal (e.g., the interfering signal306) at a frequency a channel bandwidth (e.g., the channel bandwidth314) away from a channel center frequency (e.g., center frequency304), as discussed inFIG.15. In particular, the processor12may configure the receiver54to have less than or equal to a threshold power of performance degradation322(e.g., REFSENS+1 dB) when the receiver54is receiving a signal on a channel302having a bandwidth314and a center frequency304, while an interfering signal306having a power level (e.g., −40 dBm) is present at a frequency316offset equal to the bandwidth314from the center frequency304. The processor12may configure the receiver54, as described in the process block458, by adjusting the power of the receiver54, removing one or more filters from a circuit path of the receiver54, adding or removing one or more low noise amplifiers from a circuit path of the receiver54, and so on.

In process block460, the processor12receives data from a non-terrestrial communication node (e.g., the non-terrestrial communication node98) using the configured receiver54. As such, the method450may enable the processor12to configure the receiver54ofFIG.4(e.g., of the user equipment96) to implement the narrowband blocking scheme400with channel-bandwidth-dependent scaling, thus enabling greater channel bandwidths and/or greater throughput.

FIG.17is a graphical representation of a narrowband blocking scheme500based on the 4G/LTE narrowband blocking specification that may be implemented by the receiver54, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Similar to narrowband blocking scheme400with channel-bandwidth-dependent scaling ofFIG.15, the narrowband blocking scheme500implements a scalable frequency504of an interfering signal508offset (e.g., an offset frequency) from a center frequency304of a channel302of a desired reception signal (e.g., a wanted signal). For a subcarrier spacing of 15 kilohertz (kHz) (as defined by 4G/LTE), the offset frequency504(or unwanted frequency (fuw)) may include half the channel bandwidth512and a fixed offset frequency506(e.g., 200 kilohertz (kHz)). The subcarrier spacing may be associated with a channel510of the interfering signal508, the channel302of the desired reception signal, and/or the 4G/LTE standard. The channel302may also include guard bands502, which may serve as a buffer or “guard” the received signal and/or its channel302from the interfering signal508.

In particular, the offset frequency504may be defined as a first sum of half the subcarrier spacing value and a product of the subcarrier spacing value and a ceiling (e.g., as provided by a ceiling function) of a quotient of a second sum of half the channel bandwidth512and the fixed offset frequency506(e.g., foffset_fix) divided by the subcarrier spacing value, as illustrated by Equation 2 below:

fu⁢w=⌈B⁢W2+foffset⁢_⁢fixS⁢C⁢S⌉*SCS+S⁢C⁢S2(Equation⁢2)

The threshold power of performance degradation516may depend on the channel bandwidth512, according to the 3GPP specification. In particular,FIG.18is a table530illustrating the threshold power of performance degradation516for different channel bandwidths534. For example, the threshold power of performance degradation516is 16 dB for a channel bandwidth512of 5 MHz or 20 MHz, 13 dB for 10 MHz, 14 dB for 15 MHz, and so on. Turning back toFIG.17, the power level514(e.g., Puw(CW)) for the interfering signal508under the narrowband blocking scheme500may be −55 dBm. However, it should be understood that any suitable threshold power of performance degradation516and/or power level of the interfering signal508may be used. Additionally, as illustrated, the narrowband blocking scheme500may include one interfering signal508disposed the channel bandwidth512away from the center frequency304. In additional or alternative embodiments, the narrowband blocking scheme500may include two interfering signals508, such that the offset frequency504may be added to and subtracted from the center frequency304(e.g., resulting in two interfering signals508being present, one at the center frequency304plus the channel bandwidth512, and one at the center frequency304minus the channel bandwidth512). The ceiling function of Equation 2 is performed by rounding any resulting decimal inside the ceiling function up to the nearest integer.

As a particular example, for the channel bandwidth512of 5 MHz (which has a guard band502of 0.25 MHz), the subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz, and the fixed offset frequency506of 200 kHz, the offset frequency504is 2.7075 MHz. As another example, for a channel bandwidth of 10 MHz, the subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz, and the fixed offset frequency506of 200 kHz, the offset frequency504is 5.2125 MHz. As with the channel-bandwidth-dependent narrowband blocking scheme400ofFIG.15, the narrowband blocking scheme500based on the 4G/LTE narrowband blocking specification may enable the channel302to have a greater bandwidth (and, as a result, throughput), while preventing interference from the interfering signal508. Moreover, narrowband blocking scheme500may be particularly useful for non-terrestrial communication networks, which may take advantage of channel bandwidths of 10 MHz or greater.

FIG.19is a flowchart of a method550for configuring the receiver54with a narrowband blocking scheme based on the 4G/LTE narrowband blocking specification (e.g., the narrowband blocking scheme500ofFIG.17), according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Any suitable device (e.g., a controller) that may control components of the user equipment96, the terrestrial communication node97, the non-terrestrial network, and the non-terrestrial communication node98, such as the processor12of each of these devices or systems, may perform the method550. In some embodiments, the method550may be implemented by executing instructions stored in a tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium, such as the memory14or storage16, using the processor12. For example, the method550may be performed at least in part by one or more software components, such as an operating systems, one or more software applications, and the like, of the user equipment96, the terrestrial communication node97, the non-terrestrial network, and the non-terrestrial communication node98. While the method550is described using steps in a specific sequence, it should be understood that the present disclosure contemplates that the described steps may be performed in different sequences than the sequence illustrated, and certain described steps may be skipped or not performed altogether.

The processor12may perform process blocks552,554, and556similarly to process blocks252,254, and256of method250inFIG.11. In process block558, the user equipment96configures the receiver54based on the presence of an interfering signal (e.g., interfering signal508) at a frequency504offset (e.g., the unwanted or offset frequency) from the center frequency304. As previously discussed inFIG.17, the offset frequency504may be based on a channel bandwidth (e.g., the bandwidth512of channel302), a subcarrier spacing associated with the interfering signal508, and a fixed offset frequency506. In particular, the offset frequency504may be defined as a first sum of half the subcarrier spacing value and a product of the subcarrier spacing value and a ceiling (e.g., as provided by a ceiling function) of a quotient of a second sum of half the channel bandwidth512and the fixed offset frequency506(e.g., foffset_fix) divided by the subcarrier spacing value, as illustrated by Equation 2 above. The threshold power of performance degradation516may depend on the channel bandwidth512, according to the 3GPP specification and/or as illustrated in the table530ofFIG.18. The power level514for the interfering signal508under the narrowband blocking scheme500may be −55 dBm. The processor12may configure the receiver54, as described in the process block558, by adjusting the power of the receiver54, removing one or more filters from a circuit path of the receiver54, adding or removing one or more low noise amplifiers from a circuit path of the receiver54, and so on.

In process block560, the processor12receives data from a non-terrestrial communication node (e.g., non-terrestrial communication node98) using the configured receiver54. As such, the method550may enable the processor12to configure the receiver54ofFIG.4(e.g., of the user equipment96) to implement the narrowband blocking scheme500based on the 4G/LTE narrowband blocking specification, thus enabling greater channel bandwidths and/or greater throughput.

FIG.20is a graphical representation of a narrowband blocking scheme600based on the 5G/New Radio (NR) narrowband blocking specification that may be implemented by the receiver54, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Similarly toFIG.17, there may be a desired signal (e.g., a wanted signal) on a channel302with a center frequency304, guard bands502, and an interfering signal (e.g., interfering signal604) in an adjacent or nearby channel (e.g., channel510). Similarly to narrowband blocking scheme500based on the 4G/LTE narrowband blocking specification ofFIG.17, the interfering signal604may have a frequency602(e.g., an unwanted or offset frequency (fuw)) offset from the center frequency304of the channel302. For a subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz (as defined by 5G/NR, the offset frequency602may be based on the channel bandwidth512of the channel302, a subcarrier spacing value, and a number of resource blocks (NRB). The subcarrier spacing and the number of resource blocks or subcarriers may be associated with the channel510of the interfering signal604, the channel302of the desired reception signal, and/or the 5G/NR standard. In particular, the offset frequency602may be defined as a sum of half the subcarrier spacing value and a first product of the subcarrier spacing value and a floor (e.g., as provided by a floor function) of a quotient of a difference between the channel bandwidth512and half of a second product of the number of resource blocks, the subcarrier spacing value, and a constant value (e.g., 12), divided by the subcarrier spacing value, as illustrated by Equation 3 below:

⌊B⁢W-(N⁢R⁢B*S⁢C⁢S*1⁢22)S⁢C⁢S⌋*S⁢C⁢S+S⁢C⁢S2(Equation⁢3)

As with the narrowband blocking scheme500based on the 4G/LTE narrowband blocking specification ofFIG.17above, the threshold power of performance degradation516may depend on the channel bandwidth512, according to the 3GPP specification and/or the table530ofFIG.18. Similarly, the power level514for the interfering signal604under the narrowband blocking scheme600may be −55 dBm. However, it should be understood that any suitable threshold power of performance degradation516and/or power level of the interfering signal604may be used. Additionally, as illustrated, the narrowband blocking scheme600may include one interfering signal604disposed the channel bandwidth512away from the center frequency304. In additional or alternative embodiments, the narrowband blocking scheme600may include two interfering signals604, such that the offset frequency602may be added to and subtracted from the center frequency304(e.g., resulting in two interfering signals604being present, one at the center frequency304plus the channel bandwidth512, and one at the center frequency304minus the channel bandwidth512). The floor function of Equation 3 is performed by rounding any resulting decimal inside the ceiling function down to the nearest integer.

As a particular example, for a channel bandwidth512of 10 MHz, the subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz, and a number of resource blocks of 52 the offset frequency602is 5.3175 MHz. When compared to the narrowband blocking scheme500based on the 4G/LTE narrowband blocking specification ofFIG.17, which yields the offset frequency504of 5.2125 MHz, the narrowband blocking scheme600based on the 5G/NR narrowband blocking specification is 105 kHz greater. As with the channel-bandwidth-dependent narrowband blocking scheme400ofFIG.15and the narrowband blocking scheme500based on the 4G/LTE narrowband blocking specification ofFIG.17, the narrowband blocking scheme600based on the 5G/NR narrowband blocking specification may enable the channel302to have a greater bandwidth (and, as a result, throughput), while preventing interference from the interfering signal604. Moreover, narrowband blocking scheme600may be particularly useful for non-terrestrial communication networks, which may take advantage of channel bandwidths of 10 MHz or greater.

FIG.21is a flowchart of a method650for configuring the receiver54with a narrowband blocking scheme using the 5G/New Radio (NR) narrowband blocking specification (e.g., the narrowband blocking scheme600ofFIG.20), according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Any suitable device (e.g., a controller) that may control components of the user equipment96, the terrestrial communication node97, the non-terrestrial network, and the non-terrestrial communication node98, such as the processor12of each of these devices or systems, may perform the method650. In some embodiments, the method650may be implemented by executing instructions stored in a tangible, non-transitory, computer-readable medium, such as the memory14or storage16, using the processor12. For example, the method650may be performed at least in part by one or more software components, such as an operating systems, one or more software applications, and the like, of the user equipment96, the terrestrial communication node97, the non-terrestrial network, and the non-terrestrial communication node98. While the method650is described using steps in a specific sequence, it should be understood that the present disclosure contemplates that the described steps may be performed in different sequences than the sequence illustrated, and certain described steps may be skipped or not performed altogether.

The processor12may perform process blocks652,654, and656similarly to process blocks252,254, and256of method250inFIG.11. In process block658, the processor12may configure the receiver54based on the presence of an interfering signal (e.g., the interfering signal604) at a frequency602(e.g., the unwanted frequency) from a center channel frequency (e.g., center frequency304of channel302). As previously discussed inFIG.17, the offset frequency602may be based on a channel bandwidth (e.g., the bandwidth512of channel302), a subcarrier spacing and a number of resource blocks associated with the interfering signal604. In particular, the offset frequency602may be defined as a sum of half the subcarrier spacing value and a first product of the subcarrier spacing value and a floor (e.g., as provided by a floor function) of a quotient of a difference between the channel bandwidth512and half of a second product of the number of resource blocks, the subcarrier spacing value, and a constant value (e.g., 12), divided by the subcarrier spacing value, as illustrated by Equation 3 above. The threshold power of performance degradation516may depend on the channel bandwidth512, according to the 3GPP specification and/or as illustrated in the table530ofFIG.18. The power level514for the interfering signal604under the narrowband blocking scheme500may be −55 dBm. The processor12may configure the receiver54, as described in the process block658, by adjusting the power of the receiver54, removing one or more filters from a circuit path of the receiver54, adding or removing one or more low noise amplifiers from a circuit path of the receiver54, and so on.

In process block660, the processor12receives data from a non-terrestrial communication node (e.g., non-terrestrial communication node98) using the configured receiver54. As such, the method650may enable the processor12to configure the receiver54ofFIG.4(e.g., of the user equipment96) to implement the narrowband blocking scheme600based on the 5G/NR narrowband blocking specification, thus enabling greater channel bandwidths and/or greater throughput.

As described above, the various standards (e.g.,300,320,400) or schemes (e.g.,500,600) may define a threshold for which noise level of a received signal is not to exceed in the presence of an interfering signal. For example, as mentioned inFIG.13above, the ETSI standard320ensures that a noise level of a received signal on the channel302(e.g., having a bandwidth314of 5 MHz) does not exceed a threshold322(e.g., of 1 decibel (dB)) when there are interfering signals present at 5 MHz less than the center frequency304and at 5 MHz greater than the center frequency304. The threshold322may be determined based on how far (e.g., in frequency) the interfering signal is offset (e.g., an offset frequency) from the channel302, as the closer the interfering signal is to the channel302(e.g., the smaller the offset frequency316), the greater the effect of interference from the interfering signal on the channel302. That is, the threshold322varies inversely with the frequency316that the interfering signal is offset from the received signal. Moreover, because the offset frequency316may vary directly with the channel bandwidth314, the threshold322may also vary directly with the channel bandwidth314.

Accordingly, in embodiments where the interfering signal is closer in frequency to the received signal/channel302, the threshold322may be relaxed (e.g., increased) due to the greater effect of interference by the interfering signal. In embodiments where the interfering signal is farther in frequency from the received signal/channel302, the threshold322may be decreased due to the lesser effect of interference by the interfering signal. This is illustrated inFIG.22, which is a graphical representation of an inverse relationship700between a frequency706at which an interfering signal704is offset (e.g., an offset frequency) from a center frequency702of a channel of a received signal, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, when compared to the ETSI standard320ofFIG.13that has an offset frequency of 5 MHz and a threshold322of 1 dB, if the offset frequency decreases (e.g., is less than 5 MHz), then the threshold may increase (e.g., be greater than 1 dB) due to the interfering signal being closer to the received signal. On the other hand, if the offset frequency increases (e.g., is greater than 5 MHz), then the threshold may decrease (e.g., be less than 1 dB) due to the interfering signal being closer to the received signal.

As such, the threshold inFIG.22is denoted as REFSENS+Δs, where Δs may indicate a “signal relaxation” (e.g., in dB) that modifies (e.g., positively or negatively) the threshold noise level of a received signal, and where REFSENS serves as a base reference value. In particular, Δs may inversely vary with respect to how far (e.g., shown as ‘d’ or the offset frequency (“f offset”)) the interfering signal is offset from the desired signal and/or a channel of the desired signal. Δs may be any suitable value (e.g., between 0 and 100 dB, 0 and 50 dB, 0 and 20 dB, and so on). For example, in a worst case scenario (e.g., where the interfering signal is near or at the received signal and/or the channel of the received signal, such that the offset frequency is near or approximately 0 MHz), the Δs may be approximately 10 dB to 15 dB (e.g., such that the threshold noise level of the received signal is approximately REFSENS+10 dB to REFSENS+15 dB). As another example, in a best case scenario (e.g., such that the offset frequency becomes large and/or approaches infinity), the Δs may be near or approximately 0 dB (e.g., such that the threshold noise level of the received signal is approximately or approaches REFSENS).

As a particular example, for a channel bandwidth (e.g., of a received signal) of 10 MHz, the channel-bandwidth-dependent narrowband blocking scheme400ofFIG.15, the offset frequency of an interfering signal from a center frequency of a channel having a received signal is 10 MHz. For the same channel bandwidth of 10 MHz, the narrowband blocking scheme500based on the 4G/LTE narrowband blocking specification ofFIG.17, the offset frequency is 5.2125 MHz. The narrowband blocking scheme using the 5G/NR narrowband blocking specification ofFIG.20provides an offset frequency of 5.3175 MHz for the same channel bandwidth. Accordingly, among the three schemes400,500,600the threshold noise level of the received signal may be the least for the channel-bandwidth-dependent narrowband blocking scheme400ofFIG.15(e.g., the Δs will be the least), and may be the largest for the 5G/NR narrowband blocking specification ofFIG.20(e.g., Δs will be the greatest), with the threshold noise level of the narrowband blocking scheme500based on the 4G/LTE narrowband blocking specification ofFIG.17being between the two (e.g., Δs will be between the two Δs's). In this manner, the present disclosure provides techniques for scaling the noise tolerance of a received signal based on a frequency that an interfering signal is offset from the received signal.

The specific embodiments described above have been shown by way of example, and it should be understood that these embodiments may be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms. It should be further understood that the claims are not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed, but rather to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of this disclosure.

The techniques presented and claimed herein are referenced and applied to material objects and concrete examples of a practical nature that demonstrably improve the present technical field and, as such, are not abstract, intangible or purely theoretical. Further, if any claims appended to the end of this specification contain one or more elements designated as “means for [perform]ing [a function] . . . ” or “step for [perform]ing [a function] . . . ,” it is intended that such elements are to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f). However, for any claims containing elements designated in any other manner, it is intended that such elements are not to be interpreted under 35 U.S.C. 112(f).

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