CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS The present application claims the benefit of US Provisional Application No. 62/374,658 (P108193Z) filed August 12, 2016. Said Application No. 62/374,658 is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Next Generation New Radio Access Technology is currently being studied with regard to the testability of radio-frequency (RF) and performance requirements for the New Radio technology. Regarding the frequency coverage of potential Fifth Generation (5G) Radio Access Technology (RAT) devices, it is reasonable to expect a greater level of integration of high- frequency devices, for example devices operating above 6 gigahertz (GHz), than typically is seen today with Third Generation Partnership Project (3 GPP) devices operating in accordance with a Long-Term Evolution (LTE) standard or Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) devices. Such highly integrated architectures may feature innovative front-end solutions, multi-element antenna arrays, passive and active feeding networks, and so on, that may not allow for the same testing techniques used to verify RF requirements in devices today.

A potential highly integrated 5G device may not be able to physically expose a front-end cable connector to the test equipment. In such a device, the interface between the front-end and the antenna may be an antenna array feeding network, the interface may be so tightly integrated so as to preclude the possibility of exposing a test connector, and so on. The greater level of integration of high-frequency devices, for example devices operating above 6 GHz, than seen today with LTE is expected to drive over-the-air (OTA) testing of radio frequency (RF), radio resource management (RRM), and/or demodulation performance requirements.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES

Claimed subject matter is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. Such subject matter may be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an architecture of a new radio user equipment (UE) in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of a method of over-the-air testing in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an anechoic chamber (AC) test system in accordance with one or more embodiments; FIG. 4 is a diagram of a multi-probe anechoic chamber (MP AC) test system in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a reverberation chamber (RC) test system in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of a first phase of a first testing procedure in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of a second phase of the first testing procedure in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 8 is a diagram of a semi-anechoic chamber (SAC) test system in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram of a second testing procedure in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a near- field chamber (NFC) test system in accordance with one or more embodiments;

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an information handling system capable of implementing a testing procedure for a new radio standard in accordance with one or more embodiments; and

FIG. 12 illustrates example components of a device in accordance with some embodiments.

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and/or clarity of illustration, elements illustrated in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, if considered appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding and/or analogous elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of claimed subject matter. It will, however, be understood by those skilled in the art that claimed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components and/or circuits have not been described in detail.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a block diagram of an architecture of a new radio user equipment (UE) in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. As shown in FIG. 1, an apparatus of a user equipment (UE) 100 may include one or more of a baseband processing block 110, an intermediate frequency (I/F) processing block 112 if applicable to UE 100, a radio-frequency (RF) processing block 114, an antenna array matching network 116, and/or an antenna array 118. A reference point defining an RF requirement for testing may be located between RF processing block 114 and matching network 116. An over-the-air (OTA) measurement reference may be obtained at an output of antenna array 118. It is possible that the reference point defining an RF requirement for testing may be defined at an output of antenna array 118 being the same as the OTA measurement reference. It is expected that standardization and regulatory bodies will adopt a reference point for defining RF as well as other applicable requirements at the input/output port of the radio frequency front end (RFFE). As a non-limiting example, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has provided the following definition of emission limits:

§ 30.203 Emission limits.

(a) The conductive power or the total radiated power of my emissios outside a licensee's freoueacy block shall be -13 dBm/MHz or lower, However, ia the bands immediately outside and adjacent to the licensee's frequency block, having a bandwidth eqeal to 10 pescent of the channel bandwidth, the

conductive power or the total radiated power of any emission shall be -5 dBm/MMz or Iower,

(b)(1) Compliance with this provision is based oa the use of measurement instrumentation employing a resolution bandwidth of 1 megahertz or greater.

(2) When tneasuring the emission limits, the nominal carrier frequency shall be adjusted as close to the licensee's frequency block edges as the design permits,

(3) The measurements of emission power cm he expressed in peak or average values,

(e) For fixed point-to-point and point-to-multipoint limits see § 30.404,

The definition, above, follows standard practice in legacy networks, such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE) networks. For new radio NR UEs such as UE 100, however, the implementation of a test procedure that measures RF signals directly at this port may not be feasible. Instead, a potential measurement reference is the over-the-air interface at the antenna or antenna array 118. In one example, the apparatus of UE 100 may be tested in accordance with the Third Generation Partnership Project (3 GPP) Technical Report (TR) 37.977 V14.0.0 (2016- 06), although the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect. Measurement procedures at the measurement reference point are shown in and described with respect to FIG. 2, below.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a flow diagram of a method of over-the-air testing in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. As shown in FIG. 2, method 200 for over-the-air (OTA) testing may include selecting a measurement method or process at block 210. An anechoic chamber testing process may be selected at block 212, a multi-probe anechoic chamber testing process may be selected at block 214, or a reverberation chamber testing process may be selected at block 224. Examples of an anechoic chamber test system, a multi-probe anechoic chamber test system, and a reverberation test system are discussed in further detail, below.

If either an anechoic chamber testing process or a multi-probe anechoic chamber test process are selected, a test frequency Ft may be selected at block 216, and radiation and/or a sensitivity pattern may be tested at block 218 at the selected test frequency. One or more range corrections may be applied at block 220, and total radiated power (TRP) and/or total radiated sensitivity (TRS) may be calculated at block 222.

If a reverberation chamber testing process is selected at block 224, a test frequency Ft may be selected at block 226, and total isotropic radiation and/or sensitivity may be measured at block 228. One or more range corrections may be applied at block 220, and total radiated power (TRP) and/or total radiated sensitivity (TRS) may be calculated at block 232.

In method 200 of FIG. 2, by measuring the total radiated power (TRP) or total radiated sensitivity (TRS) at each test frequency, the measurement uncertainty may be minimized. Excessive measurement time: by repeating the entire TRP or TRS procedure at each test frequency, whereas for regulatory conformance testing these test points may be sampling multi- gigahertz frequency spans at intervals of several megahertz, the total test time may become prohibitive. In addition, achieving isotropy in the reverberation chamber may be technically challenging. For high-frequency propagation such as frequencies above several GHz, the problem of stirring the modes in the chamber either via mechanical stirrers or via other methods designed to randomize the propagation conditions may become difficult to solve, although the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in these respects.

Referring now FIG. 3, a diagram of an anechoic chamber (AC) test system in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. As shown in FIG. 3, anechoic chamber (AC) test system 300 may comprise an anechoic chamber 310 in which a device under test 312, for example UE 100 of FIG. 1, may be disposed in a region 322 of the anechoic chamber 310. Anechoic chamber 310 may include a dual-polarized measurement antenna 314 disposed on a dual-axis positioning system 316. System test and control equipment 320 may control the positioning system 316, and may communicate with DUT 312 via communication antenna 318. Measured signals may be obtained via measurement antenna 314.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a diagram of a multi-probe anechoic chamber (MP AC) test system in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. The multi-probe anechoic chamber test system 400 of FIG. 4 is similar to the anechoic chamber (AC) test system 300 of FIG. 3, except that a circular positioning of dual polarized measurement antennas (probes) 410 is utilized. Furthermore, an array of dual-polarized measurement antennas 314 is disposed about the anechoic chamber 410.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a diagram of a reverberation chamber (RC) test system in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. In the reverberation chamber test system 500 of FIG. 5, one or more measurement antennas 314 are disposed in the reverberation chamber 510, along with one or more mechanical stirrers 512.

Referring now to FIG. 6, a flow diagram of a first phase of a first testing procedure in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. The new radio testing procedure described herein may comprise two options which target different testing environments or chambers. A first testing procedure, referred to as Option 1, utilizes a combination of anechoic chamber (AC) in a first phase, Phase 1, semi-anechoic chamber (SAC) test environments in a second phase, Phase 2 (the SAC or AC test environments may be used interchangeably in this phase). The second phase may be utilized to interpolate between the measurements obtained in the first phase at a selected number of testing frequencies. A second testing procedure, referred to as Option 2, utilizes a near- field chamber (NFC). The testing procedure for Option 1, Phase 1 is shown in FIG. 6 as procedure 600. A measurement method or procedure may be selected at block 610, for example an anechoic chamber testing procedure may be selected at block 612, or a multi-probe anechoic chamber testing procedure may be selected at block 614. A calibration frequency F0 may be selected at block 616. A radiation pattern and/or a sensitivity pattern may be selected at block 618. A range of corrections may be applied at block 620. Beamforming gain at F0 from Equivalent Isotropically Radiated Power (EIRP) and total radiated power (TRP), and Effective Isotropic Sensitivity (EIS) and total radiated sensitivity (TRS) may be calculated at block 624. The second phase of the first testing procedure is shown in and described with respect to FIG. 7, below.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a flow diagram of a second phase of the first testing procedure in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. Method 700 shows Option 1 of Phase 2 as follows. A measurement method or procedure may be selected at block 710. For example, an anechoic chamber testing procedure may be selected at block 712, a multi-probe anechoic chamber testing procedure may be selected at block 714, or a semi-anechoic chamber testing procedure may be selected at block 726. If either an anechoic chamber testing procedure is selected, or a multi-probe anechoic chamber testing procedure is selected, a test frequency Ft may be selected at block 716. The device under test (DUT) 312 may be positioned and/or it beam may be optimized to achieve a peak Equivalent Isotropically Radiated Power (EIRP) at block 718. Radiation and/or sensitivity may be measured at block 720. Range and beamforming gain corrections may be applied at block 722, and total radiated power (TRP) and/or total radiated sensitivity (TRS) may be calculated at block 724.

If a semi-anechoic chamber testing procedure is selected, a test frequency Ft may be selected at block 728. The device under test (DUT) 312 may be positioned and/or it beam may be optimized to achieve a peak Equivalent Isotropically Radiated Power (EIRP) at block 730. Radiation and/or sensitivity may be measured at block 732. Range and beamforming gain corrections may be applied at block 734, and total radiated power (TRP) and/or total radiated sensitivity (TRS) may be calculated at block 736. An example of a semi-anechoic chamber testing system is shown in and described with respect to FIG. 8, below.

Referring now to FIG. 8, a diagram of a semi-anechoic chamber (SAC) test system in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. The semi-anechoic test system 500 of FIG. 8 is similar to the anechoic chamber test system 300 of FIG. 3, except that the measurement antenna 314 is disposed in a fixed location in semi-anechoic chamber 810, and a single-axis positioning system is used.

Referring now to FIG. 9, a flow diagram of a second testing procedure in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. In the second testing procedure 900, a near- field chamber, also referred to as an RF isolation chamber testing procedure, at block 910. A test frequency Ft may be selected at block 912. Total coupled radiation and/or sensitivity may be tested at block 914. Near- field coupling corrections may be applied at block 916, and total radiated power (TRP) and/or total radiated sensitivity (TRS) may be calculated at block 918. An example of a near- field chamber test system is shown in and described with respect to FIG. 10, below.

Referring now to FIG. 10, a block diagram of a near-field chamber (NFC) test system in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. Near-field chamber test system 1000 is similar to the anechoic chamber test system 300 of FIG. 3, except that the measurement antenna comprises a near- field probe disposed in an RF isolation chamber 1010.

In one embodiment, the measurement procedure implements Option 1, Phase 1 of FIG. 6 by utilizing an anechoic chamber of FIG. 6 to measure the TRP and TRS metrics at test calibration frequency points {F0_1,F0_2,...,F0_N}, where the test calibration frequency points may be chosen as a tradeoff between measurement uncertainty of the method and total test time. After obtaining these metrics, Phase 2 of FIG. 7 may be implemented in an anechoic chamber by fixing the position of the DUT 312 or by optimizing the DUT's beam peak direction to achieve peak performance.

In another embodiment, Phase 2 may be implemented in a semi-anechoic chamber as shown in FIG. 8. In yet another embodiment, Phase 1 may be implemented in a multi-probe anechoic chamber as shown in FIG. 4. In a further embodiment, Phase 1 may be implemented in a multi-probe anechoic chamber as shown in FIG. 4, and Phase 2 may be implemented in a semi- anechoic chamber as shown in FIG. 8.

In an additional embodiment, Option 1, Phase 1 may be omitted in favor of a standardized gain value assumed for the DUT 312, based on the number of antennas utilized by the DUT 312, on a manufacturer's declaration, or on a standardized lookup table utilizing any number of DUT 312 design parameters. This gain value may then be applied as the beamforming gain correction factor in Phase 2, where the Phase 2 measurement may be performed in either an anechoic or semi-anechoic chamber.

In yet another embodiment, Option 2 may be implemented in a near-field testing chamber as shown in FIG. 10, where the near-field probe 1012 may be positioned in a limited number of angular positions around the DUT 312, where limited may refer to significantly fewer positions than currently used in anechoic chamber measurements.

In the embodiments discussed herein, reduced measurement times may be achieved. For Option 1, by performing full TRP and TRS measurements at selected frequencies such as carrier frequencies, at which other performance tests may be mandated by relevant specifications, such as Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), Cellular Telecommunications and Internet Association (CTIA), Global Certification Forum (GCF), China Communications Standards Association (CCSA), and others, and by performing fixed-position tests at all test frequencies of interest, the measurement time, when compared to current procedures, may be significantly reduced.

For Option 2, by performing near-field approximations of TRP and TRS measurements, where the test procedure presumes significantly fewer angular positions of the DUT per measurement, the measurement time, when compared to current procedures, significantly may be reduced. For Option 2, a further reduction in test time may be implemented by utilizing different testing chambers for Phase 1 and Phase 2. Phase 1 may be implemented in an anechoic chamber, while Phase 2 in a semi-anechoic chamber with a significantly reduced setup complexity.

Referring now to FIG. 11 , a block diagram of an information handling system capable of implementing a testing procedure for a new radio standard in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. Although information handling system 1100 represents one example of several types of computing platforms, information handling system 1100 may include more or fewer elements and/or different arrangements of elements than shown in FIG. 11, and the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in these respects.

In one or more embodiments, information handling system 1100 may include one or more applications processors 310 and one or more baseband processors 1112. Applications processor 1110 may be utilized as a general-purpose processor to run applications and the various subsystems for information handling system 1100. Applications processor 1110 may include a single core or alternatively may include multiple processing cores. One or more of the cores may comprise a digital signal processor or digital signal processing (DSP) core. Furthermore, applications processor 1110 may include a graphics processor or coprocessor disposed on the same chip, or alternatively a graphics processor coupled to applications processor 1110 may comprise a separate, discrete graphics chip. Applications processor 1110 may include on board memory such as cache memory, and further may be coupled to external memory devices such as synchronous dynamic random-access memory (SDRAM) 1114 for storing and/or executing applications during operation, and NAND flash 1116 for storing applications and/or data even when information handling system 1100 is powered off. In one or more embodiments, instructions to operate or configure the information handling system 1100 and/or any of its components or subsystems to operate in a manner as described herein may be stored on an article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory storage medium and/or machine- readable medium. In one or more embodiments, the storage medium and/or machine-readable medium may comprise any of the memory devices shown in and described herein, although the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect. Baseband processor 1112 may control the broadband radio functions for information handling system 1100. Baseband processor 1112 may store code for controlling such broadband radio functions in a NOR flash 1118. Baseband processor 1112 controls a wireless wide area network (WW AN) transceiver 1120 which is used for modulating and/or demodulating broadband network signals, for example for communicating via a 3GPP LTE or LTE- Advanced network or the like.

In general, WW AN transceiver 1120 may operate according to any one or more of the following radio communication technologies and/or standards including but not limited to: a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) radio communication technology, a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) radio communication technology, an Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) radio communication technology, and/or a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) radio communication technology, for example Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Freedom of Multimedia Access (FOMA), 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE), 3GPP Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE Advanced), Code division multiple access 2000 (CDMA2000), Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD), Mobitex, Third Generation (3G), Circuit Switched Data (CSD), High-Speed Circuit-Switched Data (HSCSD), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (Third Generation) (UMTS (3G)), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) (W-CDMA (UMTS)), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), High Speed Packet Access Plus (HSPA+), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System-Time-Division Duplex (UMTS-TDD), Time Division-Code Division Multiple Access (TD-CDMA), Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-CDMA), 3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 8 (Pre-4th Generation) (3 GPP Rel. 8 (Pre-4G)), 3 GPP Rel. 9 (3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 9), 3 GPP Rel. 10 (3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 10) , 3 GPP Rel. 11 (3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 11), 3GPP Rel. 12 (3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 12), 3 GPP Rel. 13 (3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 12), 3 GPP Rel. 14 (3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 12), 3 GPP LTE EXTra, NR (5G), LTE Licensed- Assisted Access (LAA), UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), Long Term Evolution Advanced (4th Generation) (LTE Advanced (4G)), cdmaOne (2G), Code division multiple access 2000 (Third generation) (CDMA2000 (3G)), Evolution-Data Optimized or Evolution-Data Only (EV-DO), Advanced Mobile Phone System (1st Generation) (AMPS (1G)), Total Access Communication System/EXTended Total Access Communication System (TACS/ETACS), Digital AMPS (2nd Generation) (D-AMPS (2G)), Push-to-talk (PTT), Mobile Telephone System (MTS), Improved Mobile Telephone System (IMTS), Advanced Mobile Telephone System (AMTS), OLT (Norwegian for Offentlig Landmobil Telefoni, Public Land Mobile Telephony), MTD (Swedish abbreviation for Mobiltelefonisystem D, or Mobile telephony system D), Public Automated Land Mobile (Autotel/PALM), ARP (Finnish for Autoradiopuhelin, "car radio phone"), NMT (Nordic Mobile Telephony), High capacity version of NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone) (Hicap), Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD), Mobitex, DataTAC, Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (iDEN), Personal Digital Cellular (PDC), Circuit Switched Data (CSD), Personal Handy-phone System (PHS), Wideband Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (WiDEN), iBurst, Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA), also referred to as also referred to as 3GPP Generic Access Network, or GAN standard), Zigbee, Bluetooth®, Wireless Gigabit Alliance (WiGig) standard, millimeter wave (mmWave) standards in general for wireless systems operating at 10-90 GHz and above such as WiGig, IEEE 802.1 lad, IEEE 802.1 lay, and so on, and/or general telemetry transceivers, and in general any type of RF circuit or RFI sensitive circuit. It should be noted that such standards may evolve over time, and/or new standards may be promulgated, and the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect.

The WW AN transceiver 1120 couples to one or more power amps 1122 respectively coupled to one or more antennas 1124 for sending and receiving radio-frequency signals via the WW AN broadband network. The baseband processor 1112 also may control a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver 326 coupled to one or more suitable antennas 1128 and which may be capable of communicating via a Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, and/or an amplitude modulation (AM) or frequency modulation (FM) radio standard including an IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n standard or the like. It should be noted that these are merely example implementations for applications processor 1110 and baseband processor 1112, and the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in these respects. For example, any one or more of SDRAM 1114, NAND flash 1116 and/or NOR flash 1118 may comprise other types of memory technology such as magnetic memory, chalcogenide memory, phase change memory, or ovonic memory, and the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect.

In one or more embodiments, applications processor 1110 may drive a display 1130 for displaying various information or data, and may further receive touch input from a user via a touch screen 1132 for example via a finger or a stylus. An ambient light sensor 1134 may be utilized to detect an amount of ambient light in which information handling system 1100 is operating, for example to control a brightness or contrast value for display 1130 as a function of the intensity of ambient light detected by ambient light sensor 1134. One or more cameras 1136 may be utilized to capture images that are processed by applications processor 1110 and/or at least temporarily stored in NAND flash 1116. Furthermore, applications processor may couple to a gyroscope 1138, accelerometer 1140, magnetometer 1142, audio coder/decoder (CODEC) 1144, and/or global positioning system (GPS) controller 1146 coupled to an appropriate GPS antenna 1148, for detection of various environmental properties including location, movement, and/or orientation of information handling system 1100. Alternatively, controller 1146 may comprise a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) controller. Audio CODEC 1144 may be coupled to one or more audio ports 1150 to provide microphone input and speaker outputs either via internal devices and/or via external devices coupled to information handling system via the audio ports 1150, for example via a headphone and microphone jack. In addition, applications processor 1110 may couple to one or more input/output (I/O) transceivers 1152 to couple to one or more I/O ports 1154 such as a universal serial bus (USB) port, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) port, a serial port, and so on. Furthermore, one or more of the I/O transceivers 1152 may couple to one or more memory slots 1156 for optional removable memory such as secure digital (SD) card or a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, although the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in these respects.

As used herein, the terms "circuit" or "circuitry" may refer to, be part of, or include an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group), and/or memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality. In some embodiments, the circuitry may be implemented in, or functions associated with the circuitry may be implemented by, one or more software or firmware modules. In some embodiments, circuitry may include logic, at least partially operable in hardware. Embodiments described herein may be implemented into a system using any suitably configured hardware and/or software.

FIG. 12 illustrates example components of a device 1200 in accordance with some embodiments. For example, device 1200 may comprise an apparatus of a user equipment such as UE 100 of FIG. 1. In some embodiments, the device 1200 may include application circuitry 1202, baseband circuitry 1204, Radio Frequency (RF) circuitry 1206, front-end module (FEM) circuitry 1208, one or more antennas 1210, and power management circuitry (PMC) 1212 coupled together at least as shown. The components of the illustrated device 1200 may be included in a UE or a RAN node. In some embodiments, the device 1200 may include less elements (e.g., a RAN node may not utilize application circuitry 1202, and instead include a processor/controller to process IP data received from an EPC). In some embodiments, the device 1200 may include additional elements such as, for example, memory/storage, display, camera, sensor, or input/output (I/O) interface. In other embodiments, the components described below may be included in more than one device (e.g., said circuitries may be separately included in more than one device for Cloud-RAN (C-RAN) implementations).

The application circuitry 1202 may include one or more application processors. For example, the application circuitry 1202 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor(s) may include any combination of general-purpose processors and dedicated processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processors may be coupled with or may include memory/storage and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory/storage to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the device 1200. In some embodiments, processors of application circuitry 1202 may process IP data packets received from an EPC.

The baseband circuitry 1204 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The baseband circuitry 1204 may include one or more baseband processors or control logic to process baseband signals received from a receive signal path of the RF circuitry 1206 and to generate baseband signals for a transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 1206. Baseband processing circuity 1204 may interface with the application circuitry 1202 for generation and processing of the baseband signals and for controlling operations of the RF circuitry 1206. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1204 may include a third generation (3G) baseband processor 1204A, a fourth generation (4G) baseband processor 1204B, a fifth generation (5G) baseband processor 1204C, or other baseband processor(s) 1204D for other existing generations, generations in development or to be developed in the future (e.g., second generation (2G), sil2h generation (6G), etc.). The baseband circuitry 1204 (e.g., one or more of baseband processors 1204A-D) may handle various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuitry 1206. In other embodiments, some or all of the functionality of baseband processors 1204A-D may be included in modules stored in the memory 1204G and executed via a Central Processing Unit (CPU) 1204E. The radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation/demodulation, encoding/decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some embodiments, modulation/demodulation circuitry of the baseband circuitry 1204 may include Fast-Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping/demapping functionality. In some embodiments, encoding/decoding circuitry of the baseband circuitry 1204 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) encoder/decoder functionality. Embodiments of modulation/demodulation and encoder/decoder functionality are not limited to these examples and may include other suitable functionality in other embodiments.

In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1204 may include one or more audio digital signal processor(s) (DSP) 1204F. The audio DSP(s) 1204F may be include elements for compression/decompression and echo cancellation and may include other suitable processing elements in other embodiments. Components of the baseband circuitry may be suitably combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on a same circuit board in some embodiments. In some embodiments, some or all of the constituent components of the baseband circuitry 1204 and the application circuitry 1202 may be implemented together such as, for example, on a system on a chip (SOC).

In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1204 may provide for communication compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1204 may support communication with an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) or other wireless metropolitan area networks (WMAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless personal area network (WPAN). Embodiments in which the baseband circuitry 1204 is configured to support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

RF circuitry 1206 may enable communication with wireless networks using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various embodiments, the RF circuitry 1206 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate the communication with the wireless network. RF circuitry 1206 may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry to down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 1208 and provide baseband signals to the baseband circuitry 1204. RF circuitry 1206 may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry to up-convert baseband signals provided by the baseband circuitry 1204 and provide RF output signals to the FEM circuitry 1208 for transmission.

In some embodiments, the receive signal path of the RF circuitry 1206 may include mixer circuitry 1206a, amplifier circuitry 1206b and filter circuitry 1206c. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 1206 may include filter circuitry 1206c and mixer circuitry 1206a. RF circuitry 1206 may also include synthesizer circuitry 1206d for synthesizing a frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 1206a of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 1206a of the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 1208 based on the synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuitry 1206d. The amplifier circuitry 1206b may be configured to amplify the down-converted signals and the filter circuitry 1206c may be a low-pass filter (LPF) or band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signals to generate output baseband signals. Output baseband signals may be provided to the baseband circuitry 1204 for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signals may be zero-frequency baseband signals, although this is not a requirement. In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 1206a of the receive signal path may comprise passive mixers, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 1206a of the transmit signal path may be configured to up-convert input baseband signals based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry 1206d to generate RF output signals for the FEM circuitry 1208. The baseband signals may be provided by the baseband circuitry 1204 and may be filtered by filter circuitry 1206c.

In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 1206a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 1206a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature downconversion and upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 1206a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 1206a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 1206a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 1206a may be arranged for direct downconversion and direct upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 1206a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 1206a of the transmit signal path may be configured for super-heterodyne operation.

In some embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signals may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternate embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signals may be digital baseband signals. In these alternate embodiments, the RF circuitry 1206 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry and the baseband circuitry 1204 may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with the RF circuitry 1206.

In some dual-mode embodiments, a separate radio IC circuitry may be provided for processing signals for each spectrum, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 1206d may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional N/N+l synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect as other types of frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuitry 1206d may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer comprising a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

The synthesizer circuitry 1206d may be configured to synthesize an output frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 1206a of the RF circuitry 1206 based on a frequency input and a divider control input. In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 1206d may be a fractional N/N+l synthesizer.

In some embodiments, frequency input may be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), although that is not a requirement. Divider control input may be provided by either the baseband circuitry 1204 or the applications processor 1202 depending on the desired output frequency. In some embodiments, a divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a look-up table based on a channel indicated by the applications processor 1202.

Synthesizer circuitry 1206d of the RF circuitry 1206 may include a divider, a delay- locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the divider may be a dual modulus divider (DMD) and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by either N or N+l (e.g., based on a carry out) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, the DLL may include a set of cascaded, tunable, delay elements, a phase detector, a charge pump and a D-type flip-flop. In these embodiments, the delay elements may be configured to break a VCO period up into Nd equal packets of phase, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this way, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 1206d may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and used in conjunction with quadrature generator and divider circuitry to generate multiple signals at the carrier frequency with multiple different phases with respect to each other. In some embodiments, the output frequency may be a LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, the RF circuitry 1206 may include an IQ/polar converter.

FEM circuitry 1208 may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 1210, amplify the received signals and provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the RF circuitry 1206 for further processing. FEM circuitry 1208 may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry configured to amplify signals for transmission provided by the RF circuitry 1206 for transmission by one or more of the one or more antennas 1210. In various embodiments, the amplification through the transmit or receive signal paths may be done solely in the RF circuitry 1206, solely in the FEM 1208, or in both the RF circuitry 1206 and the FEM 1208.

In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry 1208 may include a TX/RX switch to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEM circuitry may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuitry may include an LNA to amplify received RF signals and provide the amplified received RF signals as an output (e.g., to the RF circuitry 1206). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuitry 1208 may include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify input RF signals (e.g., provided by RF circuitry 1206), and one or more filters to generate RF signals for subsequent transmission (e.g., by one or more of the one or more antennas 1210).

In some embodiments, the PMC 1212 may manage power provided to the baseband circuitry 1204. In particular, the PMC 1212 may control power-source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-to-DC conversion. The PMC 1212 may often be included when the device 1200 is capable of being powered by a battery, for example, when the device is included in a UE. The PMC 1212 may increase the power conversion efficiency while providing desirable implementation size and heat dissipation characteristics.

While FIG. 12 shows the PMC 1212 coupled only with the baseband circuitry 1204. In other embodiments, however, the PMC 12 12 may be additionally or alternatively coupled with, and perform similar power management operations for, other components such as, but not limited to, application circuitry 1202, RF circuitry 1206, or FEM 1208. In some embodiments, the PMC 1212 may control, or otherwise be part of, various power saving mechanisms of the device 1200. For example, if the device 1200 is in an RRC_Connected state, where it is still connected to the RAN node as it expects to receive traffic shortly, then it may enter a state known as Discontinuous Reception Mode (DRX) after a period of inactivity. During this state, the device 1200 may power down for brief intervals of time and thus save power. If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, then the device 1200 may transition off to an RRC_Idle state, where it disconnects from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback, handover, etc. The device 1200 goes into a very low power state and it performs paging where again it periodically wakes up to listen to the network and then powers down again. The device 1200 may not receive data in this state, in order to receive data, it must transition back to RRC_Connected state.

An additional power saving mode may allow a device to be unavailable to the network for periods longer than a paging interval (ranging from seconds to a few hours). During this time, the device is totally unreachable to the network and may power down completely. Any data sent during this time incurs a large delay and it is assumed the delay is acceptable.

Processors of the application circuitry 1202 and processors of the baseband circuitry 1204 may be used to execute elements of one or more instances of a protocol stack. For example, processors of the baseband circuitry 1204, alone or in combination, may be used execute Layer 3, Layer 2, or Layer 1 functionality, while processors of the application circuitry 1204 may utilize data (e.g., packet data) received from these layers and further execute Layer 4 functionality (e.g., transmission communication protocol (TCP) and user datagram protocol (UDP) layers). As referred to herein, Layer 3 may comprise a radio resource control (RRC) layer, described in further detail below. As referred to herein, Layer 2 may comprise a medium access control (MAC) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, described in further detail below. As referred to herein, Layer 1 may comprise a physical (PHY) layer of a UE/RAN node, described in further detail below.

The following are example implementations of the subject matter described herein. It should be noted that any of the examples and the variations thereof described herein may be used in any permutation or combination of any other one or more examples or variations, although the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in these respects. Example one is directed to an apparatus to test a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising one or more processors, and a memory coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are to select one or more calibration frequency points, measure a radiation pattern or a sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, of one or more beams transmitted by one or more antennas of the UE at the selected calibration frequency points, store the measured radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, for the one or more calibration frequency points in the memory, position the UE or identify an optimal position of the UE to achieve peak Equivalent Isotropically Radiated Power (EIRP) from the beam, and calculate one or more beamforming gains at the one or more calibration frequency points. Example two may include the subject matter of example one or any of the examples described herein, wherein the radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or combination thereof, is measured in an anechoic chamber or a multi-probe anechoic chamber. Example three may include the subject matter of example one or any of the examples described herein, wherein the one or more processors are to calculate the one or more beamforming gains based on at least one of Equivalent Isotropically Radiated Power (EIRP), total radiated power (TRP), Effective Isotropic Sensitivity (EIS), or total radiated sensitivity (TRS), or a combination thereof. Example four may include the subject matter of example one or any of the examples described herein, wherein the one or more processors are to select one or more test frequency points between the one or more calibration frequency points, measure a radiation pattern or a sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, of one or more beams transmitted by one or more antennas of the UE at the one or more test frequency points, store the measured radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, for the one or more test frequency points in the memory, apply one or more range and beamforming gain corrections to the measured radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, for the one or more test frequency points, and calculate TRP or TRS based at least on the corrected measured radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, for the one or more test frequency points. Example five may include the subject matter of example one or any of the examples described herein, wherein the radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or combination thereof, is measured in an anechoic chamber, a multi-probe anechoic chamber, or a semi- anechoic chamber.

Example six is directed to an apparatus to test a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising one or more processors, and a memory coupled to the one or more processors, wherein the one or more processors are to: select one or more test frequency points, measure a radiation pattern or a sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, of one or more beams transmitted by one or more antennas of the UE at the one or more test frequency points, store the measured radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, for the one or more test frequency points in the memory, apply a standardized gain value for one or beamforming gain corrections to the measured radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, for the one or more test frequency points, and calculate total radiated power (TRP) or TRS based at least on the corrected measured radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, for the one or more test frequency points. Example seven may include the subject matter of example six or any of the examples described herein, wherein the standardized gain value is based at least in part on a number of antennas of the UE. Example eight may include the subject matter of example six or any of the examples described herein, wherein the standardized gain value is based at least in part on a predetermined standardized gain value stored in the memory. Example nine may include the subject matter of example six or any of the examples described herein, wherein the standardized gain value is based at least in part on a lookup table for the UE stored in the memory. Example ten may include the subject matter of example six or any of the examples described herein, wherein the radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or combination thereof, is measured in an anechoic chamber, in a semi-anechoic chamber, or a near-field chamber.

Example eleven is directed to one or more machine-readable media having instructions stored thereon that, if executed, result in selecting one or more calibration frequency points, measuring a radiation pattern or a sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, of one or more beams transmitted by one or more antennas of the UE at the selected calibration frequency points, storing the measured radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, for the one or more calibration frequency points in a memory, positioning the UE or identifying an optimal position of the UE to achieve peak EIRP from the beam, and calculating one or more beamforming gains at the one or more calibration frequency points. Example twelve may include the subject matter of example eleven or any of the examples described herein, wherein the radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or combination thereof, is measured in an anechoic chamber or a multi-probe anechoic chamber. Example thirteen may include the subject matter of example eleven or any of the examples described herein, wherein the instructions, if executed, further result in calculating the one or more beamforming gains based on at least one of Equivalent Isotropically Radiated Power (EIRP), total radiated power (TRP), Effective Isotropic Sensitivity (EIS), or total radiated sensitivity (TRS), or a combination thereof. Example fourteen may include the subject matter of example eleven or any of the examples described herein, wherein the instructions, if executed, further result in selecting one or more test frequency points between the one or more calibration frequency points, measuring a radiation pattern or a sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, of one or more beams transmitted by one or more antennas of the UE at the one or more test frequency points, storing the measured radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, for the one or more test frequency points in the memory, applying one or more range and beamforming gain corrections to the measured radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, for the one or more test frequency points, and calculating TRP or TRS based at least on the corrected measured radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, for the one or more test frequency points. Example fifteen may include the subject matter of example eleven or any of the examples described herein, wherein the radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or combination thereof, is measured in an anechoic chamber, a multi-probe anechoic chamber, or a semi-anechoic chamber.

Example sixteen is directed to one or more machine-readable media having instructions stored thereon that, if executed, result in selecting one or more test frequency points, measuring a radiation pattern or a sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, of one or more beams transmitted by one or more antennas of the UE at the one or more test frequency points, storing the measured radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, for the one or more test frequency points in a memory, applying a standardized gain value for one or beamforming gain corrections to the measured radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, for the one or more test frequency points, and calculating total radiated power (TRP) or total radiated sensitivity (TRS), or a combination thereof, based at least on the corrected measured radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, for the one or more test frequency points. Example seventeen may include the subject matter of example sixteen or any of the examples described herein, wherein the standardized gain value is based at least in part on a number of antennas of the UE. Example eighteen may include the subject matter of example sixteen or any of the examples described herein, wherein the standardized gain value is based at least in part on a predetermined standardized gain value stored in the memory. Example nineteen may include the subject matter of example sixteen or any of the examples described herein, wherein the standardized gain value is based at least in part on a lookup table for the UE stored in the memory. Example twenty may include the subject matter of example sixteen or any of the examples described herein, wherein the radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or combination thereof, is measured in an anechoic chamber, in a semi- anechoic chamber, or a near- field chamber.

Example twenty-one is directed to an apparatus, comprising means for selecting one or more calibration frequency points, means for measuring a radiation pattern or a sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, of one or more beams transmitted by one or more antennas of the UE at the selected calibration frequency points, means for storing the measured radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, for the one or more calibration frequency points in a memory, means for positioning the UE or identifying an optimal position of the UE to achieve peak EIRP from the beam, and means for calculating one or more beamforming gains at the one or more calibration frequency points. Example twenty-two may include the subject matter of example twenty-one or any of the examples described herein, wherein the radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or combination thereof, is measured in an anechoic chamber or a multi-probe anechoic chamber. Example twenty-three may include the subject matter of example twenty-one or any of the examples described herein, further comprising means for calculating the one or more beamforming gains based on at least one of Equivalent Isotropically Radiated Power (EIRP), total radiated power (TRP), Effective Isotropic Sensitivity (EIS), or total radiated sensitivity (TRS), or a combination thereof. Example twenty-four may include the subject matter of example twenty-one or any of the examples described herein, further comprising means for selecting one or more test frequency points between the one or more calibration frequency points, means for measuring a radiation pattern or a sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, of one or more beams transmitted by one or more antennas of the UE at the one or more test frequency points, means for storing the measured radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, for the one or more test frequency points in the memory, means for applying one or more range and beamforming gain corrections to the measured radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, for the one or more test frequency points, and means for calculating TRP or TRS based at least on the corrected measured radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, for the one or more test frequency points. Example twenty-five may include the subject matter of example twenty- one or any of the examples described herein, wherein the radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or combination thereof, is measured in an anechoic chamber, a multi-probe anechoic chamber, or a semi-anechoic chamber.

Example twenty-six is directed to an apparatus, comprising means for selecting one or more test frequency points, means for measuring a radiation pattern or a sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, of one or more beams transmitted by one or more antennas of the UE at the one or more test frequency points, means for storing the measured radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, for the one or more test frequency points in a memory, means for applying a standardized gain value for one or beamforming gain corrections to the measured radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, for the one or more test frequency points, and means for calculating total radiated power (TRP) or total radiated sensitivity (TRS), or a combination thereof, based at least on the corrected measured radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or a combination thereof, for the one or more test frequency points. Example twenty- seven may include the subject matter of example twenty- six or any of the examples described herein, wherein the standardized gain value is based at least in part on a number of antennas of the UE. Example twenty-eight may include the subject matter of example twenty- six or any of the examples described herein, wherein the standardized gain value is based at least in part on a predetermined standardized gain value stored in the memory. Example twenty-nine may include the subject matter of example twenty-six or any of the examples described herein, wherein the standardized gain value is based at least in part on a lookup table for the UE stored in the memory. Example thirty may include the subject matter of example twenty-six or any of the examples described herein, wherein the radiation pattern or sensitivity pattern, or combination thereof, is measured in an anechoic chamber, in a semi-anechoic chamber, or a near-field chamber. Example thirty-one is directed to machine-readable storage including machine-readable instructions, when executed, to realize an apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim.

In the description and/or claims, the terms coupled and/or connected, along with their derivatives, may be used. In particular embodiments, connected may be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical and/or electrical contact with each other. Coupled may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical and/or electrical contact. Coupled, however, also may mean that two or more elements may not be in direct contact with each other, but yet may still cooperate and/or interact with each other. For example, "coupled" may mean that two or more elements do not contact each other but are indirectly joined together via another element or intermediate elements. Finally, the terms "on," "overlying," and "over" may be used in the following description and claims. "On," "overlying," and "over" may be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical contact with each other. It should be noted, however, that "over" may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other. For example, "over" may mean that one element is above another element but not contact each other and may have another element or elements in between the two elements. Furthermore, the term "and/or" may mean "and", it may mean "or", it may mean "exclusive-or", it may mean "one", it may mean "some, but not all", it may mean "neither", and/or it may mean "both", although the scope of claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect. In the description and/or claims, the terms "comprise" and "include," along with their derivatives, may be used and are intended as synonyms for each other.

Although the claimed subject matter has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it should be recognized that elements thereof may be altered by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and/or scope of claimed subject matter. It is believed that the subject matter pertaining to a testing procedure for new radio standard and many of its attendant utilities will be understood by the forgoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and/or arrangement of the components thereof without departing from the scope and/or spirit of the claimed subject matter or without sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form herein before described being merely an explanatory embodiment thereof, and/or further without providing substantial change thereto. It is the intention of the claims to encompass and/or include such changes.