WO2024060045A1

WO2024060045A1 - Antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications

Info

Publication number: WO2024060045A1
Application number: PCT/CN2022/120093
Authority: WO
Inventors: Xiaotong Zhang; Sharda RANJAN
Original assignee: Qualcomm Inc
Current assignee: Qualcomm Inc
Priority date: 2022-09-21
Filing date: 2022-09-21
Publication date: 2024-03-28
Anticipated expiration: 2025-03-21

Abstract

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described for antenna switching based on an evaluation of signal strength measurements of a serving beam or synchronization signal block (SSB) and one or more other beams or SSBs for multiple different antenna ports. A user equipment (UE) may measure received signals for multiple different beams or SSBs using each of multiple antenna ports, and determine a metric associated with each antenna port that is based on the measurements and a transmit power limit of each antenna port to determine whether to switch antenna ports. A threshold value of the metric may be used to filter antenna ports, and an antenna port having a metric less than the threshold may not be considered for an antenna switch.

Description

ANTENNA SWITCHING DIVERSITY TECHNIQUES IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

The following relates to wireless communications, including antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications.

BACKGROUND

Wireless communications systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power) . Examples of such multiple-access systems include fourth generation (4G) systems such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth generation (5G) systems which may be referred to as New Radio (NR) systems. These systems may employ technologies such as code division multiple access (CDMA) , time division multiple access (TDMA) , frequency division multiple access (FDMA) , orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) , or discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM) . A wireless multiple-access communications system may include one or more base stations, each supporting wireless communication for communication devices, which may be known as user equipment (UE) .

A wireless multiple-access communications system may include one or more base stations or one or more network entities, each simultaneously supporting communication for multiple communication devices, which may be otherwise known as user equipment (UE) . In some wireless communications systems, a UE may communicate with a base station using uplink and downlink communications, in which different antennas and associated components (e.g., amplifiers, phase shifters, etc. ) of multiple transmit/receive chains may be used for uplink transmissions and for downlink receptions. In such systems, selection of one or more antenna ports associated with multiple transmit/receive chains allows for enhanced communications efficiency from increased diversity in antenna port selection, which allows for selection of an antenna port having more favorable channel metrics. Enhanced techniques for selection of antenna ports from multiple available antenna ports may help to further enhance communications efficiency.

SUMMARY

The described techniques relate to improved methods, systems, devices, and apparatuses that support antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications. For example, the described techniques provide for evaluation of signal strength measurements of a serving beam or synchronization signal block (SSB) and one or more other beams or SSBs for multiple different antenna ports. A user equipment (UE) may measure received signals for multiple different beams or SSBs using each of multiple antenna ports, and determine a metric associated with each antenna port that is based on the measurements and a transmit power limit (e.g., a maximum transmit power limit (MTPL) ) of each antenna port to determine whether to switch antenna ports. For example, if an average metric of a current antenna port across multiple SSBs is better than the average metric for a different antenna port, then switching is not performed. Likewise, if the average metric of the different antenna port across two or more beams or SSBs is better than the current antenna port, switching is performed. In some cases, a threshold value of RSRP may be used to filter antenna ports, and antennas having a RSRP less than the threshold are not considered for an antenna switch.

A method for wireless communications at a user equipment (UE) is described. The method may include communicating with a network entity using a first antenna port, measuring a first reference signal from a first synchronization signal block (SSB) using the first antenna port to obtain a first measurement associated with the first antenna port, measuring a second reference signal from a second SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a second measurement associated with the first antenna port, the first antenna port having a first maximum uplink transmit power, and a first metric is based on the first measurement, the second measurement, and the first maximum uplink transmit power, measuring the first reference signal from the first SSB using a second antenna port to obtain a third measurement associated with the second antenna port, measuring the second reference signal from the second SSB using the second antenna port to obtain a fourth measurement associated with the second antenna port, the second antenna port having a second maximum uplink transmit power, and a second metric is based on the third measurement, the fourth measurement, and the second maximum uplink transmit power, switching from the first antenna port to the second antenna port for uplink communications based on the first metric and the second metric, and communicating with the network entity using the second antenna port.

An apparatus for wireless communications at a UE is described. The apparatus may include a processor, memory coupled with the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions may be executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to communicate with a network entity using a first antenna port, measure a first reference signal from a first synchronization signal block (SSB) using the first antenna port to obtain a first measurement associated with the first antenna port, measure a second reference signal from a second SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a second measurement associated with the first antenna port, the first antenna port having a first maximum uplink transmit power, and a first metric is based on the first measurement, the second measurement, and the first maximum uplink transmit power, measure the first reference signal from the first SSB using a second antenna port to obtain a third measurement associated with the second antenna port, measure the second reference signal from the second SSB using the second antenna port to obtain a fourth measurement associated with the second antenna port, the second antenna port having a second maximum uplink transmit power, and a second metric is based on the third measurement, the fourth measurement, and the second maximum uplink transmit power, switch from the first antenna port to the second antenna port for uplink communications based on the first metric and the second metric, and communicate with the network entity using the second antenna port.

Another apparatus for wireless communications at a UE is described. The apparatus may include means for communicating with a network entity using a first antenna port, means for measuring a first reference signal from a first synchronization signal block (SSB) using the first antenna port to obtain a first measurement associated with the first antenna port, means for measuring a second reference signal from a second SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a second measurement associated with the first antenna port, the first antenna port having a first maximum uplink transmit power, and a first metric is based on the first measurement, the second measurement, and the first maximum uplink transmit power, means for measuring the first reference signal from the first SSB using a second antenna port to obtain a third measurement associated with the second antenna port, means for measuring the second reference signal from the second SSB using the second antenna port to obtain a fourth measurement associated with the second antenna port, the second antenna port having a second maximum uplink transmit power, and a second metric is based on the third measurement, the fourth measurement, and the second maximum uplink transmit power, means for switching from the first antenna port to the second antenna port for uplink communications based on the first metric and the second metric, and means for communicating with the network entity using the second antenna port.

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications at a UE is described. The code may include instructions executable by a processor to communicate with a network entity using a first antenna port, measure a first reference signal from a first synchronization signal block (SSB) using the first antenna port to obtain a first measurement associated with the first antenna port, measure a second reference signal from a second SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a second measurement associated with the first antenna port, the first antenna port having a first maximum uplink transmit power, and a first metric is based on the first measurement, the second measurement, and the first maximum uplink transmit power, measure the first reference signal from the first SSB using a second antenna port to obtain a third measurement associated with the second antenna port, measure the second reference signal from the second SSB using the second antenna port to obtain a fourth measurement associated with the second antenna port, the second antenna port having a second maximum uplink transmit power, and a second metric is based on the third measurement, the fourth measurement, and the second maximum uplink transmit power, switch from the first antenna port to the second antenna port for uplink communications based on the first metric and the second metric, and communicate with the network entity using the second antenna port.

Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for comparing the second measurement and the fourth measurement to a threshold criteria, and where the switching is responsive to at least one of the second measurement and the fourth measurement meeting the threshold criteria.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the threshold criteria is a threshold reference signal received power (RSRP) , the second measurement is a second RSRP associated with the second SSB, and the fourth measurement is a fourth RSRP associated with the second SSB, and where the switching is responsive to the second RSRP and the fourth RSRP being greater than the threshold RSRP.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the threshold criteria corresponds to a difference from the first measurement associated with the first antenna port. In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the threshold criteria corresponds to a difference from a highest measured reference signal received power associated with the first antenna port or the second antenna port. In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the threshold criteria may be based on a frequency range used for communications using the first antenna port or the second antenna port.

Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining the first metric based on the first maximum uplink transmit power and an average of the first measurement and the third measurement and determining the second metric based on the second maximum uplink transmit power and an average of the second measurement and the fourth measurement.

In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the first metric and the second metric may be based on a most recent measurement instance associated with the first antenna port and the second antenna port, or may be based on a filtered value of two or more measurement instances associated with each of the first antenna port and the second antenna port. In some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein, the filtered value of the two or more measurement instances associated with each antenna port may be an average measurement value of the two or more measurement instances associated with each antenna port, or a weighted average of the two or more measurement instances associated with each antenna port.

Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining that the second metric exceeds the first metric by a switching threshold value, and where the switching is performed responsive to the determining. Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for switching a downlink communications antenna port from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on the first measurement, the second measurement, the third measurement, and the fourth measurement.

Some examples of the method, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable medium described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining that the UE is in a power-limited mode in which a transmit power of the first antenna port is limited by the first maximum uplink transmit power and a transmit power of the second antenna port is limited by the second maximum uplink transmit power, and where the first metric and the second metric are determined responsive to the UE being in the power-limited mode.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system that supports antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 illustrates another example of a wireless communications system that supports antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of antenna port metrics that supports antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example of an RSRP measurement table based on different reference signals that supports antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a flow chart for antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGs. 6 and 7 show block diagrams of devices that support antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of a communications manager that supports antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 shows a diagram of a system including a device that supports antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

FIGs. 10 through 15 show flowcharts illustrating methods that support antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In some wireless communications systems, a user equipment (UE) may use antenna switching diversity (ASDiv) as one technique to enhance transmission and reception performance at the UE. This technique uses measured channel metrics, such as reference signal received power (RSRP) of a reference signal measured at each antenna port, and maximum transmit power (e.g., a maximum transmit power limit (MTPL) ) available for each antenna port, to select which of multiple different antenna ports is to be used as a receive antenna port and transmit antenna port. In some Current designs measurements for different antenna ports are made using a serving beam or serving SSB, and the different measurements are compared for ASDiv switching decisions. However, in some cases (e.g., where a UE is relatively far from a serving cell, or under overlapping coverage of multiple beams) a decrease in uplink throughput may be observed subsequent to switching an antenna port based on measurements for ASDiv. This may result from variability in measurements among antenna ports, and also from transmit power limit (e.g., MTPL) differences between antenna ports. For example, a first antenna port may have a MTPL of 28 dBm and a second antenna port may have a MTPL of 25 dBm, and even though the second antenna port has a RSRP that is more than 3 dB better than the first antenna port, the lower transmit power and measurement variability may result in a reduction in uplink throughput. Various techniques discussed herein provide for enhanced reliability of antenna port switching decisions.

In accordance with various aspects, antenna switching procedures are provided that evaluate signal strength measurements of a serving beam or serving SSB, and one or more other beams or SSBs, for multiple antenna ports. A metric based on the signal strength measurement and an available transmit power associated with each antenna port may be used to select an antenna port and, if a different antenna port than a current antenna port being used at the UE is selected, an antenna switch is performed. In some cases, an average metric of the current antenna port across multiple beams or SSBs is better than an average metric for a different antenna port, then antenna switching is not performed. Likewise, if the average metric of the different antenna port across two or more beams or SSBs is better than the average metric of the current antenna port, switching is performed. In some cases, the average metric may be a weighted average (e.g., measurements with a higher RSRP are weighted more heavily than measurements with a lower RSRP, or a time series of RSRPs may be averaged with more recent measurements weighted more heavily) .

In some cases, a threshold value of reference signal measurements may be used to filter antenna ports, and antennas having a measurement value (e.g., RSRP) less than the threshold may not be considered when computing metrics for an antenna switch determination. In some cases, such a threshold may be different based on a frequency range of the measured reference signal (e.g., sub-6 GHz frequencies may have a different threshold than millimeter wave (mmW) frequencies) . In some cases, a moving average or other smoothing/filtering also may be used on reference signal measurements used for antenna port switching determinations.

Such techniques may provide additional reliability for UEs making antenna switching determinations, through evaluation of multiple measurements that may reduce the impact of measurement variability. Techniques as discussed herein may thus provide for more efficient antenna management for UEs operating using antenna switching diversity techniques. Such techniques may provide for enhanced reliability of wireless connections of a UE, enhanced data throughput due to higher quality connections, enhanced user experience, and reduced power consumption due to fewer antenna switches.

Aspects of the disclosure are initially described in the context of wireless communications systems. Aspects of the disclosure are further illustrated by and described with reference to measurement techniques, apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flowcharts that relate to antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system 100 that supports antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communications system 100 may include one or more network entities 105, one or more UEs 115, and a core network 130. In some examples, the wireless communications system 100 may be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, an LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network, an LTE-A Pro network, a New Radio (NR) network, or a network operating in accordance with other systems and radio technologies, including future systems and radio technologies not explicitly mentioned herein.

The network entities 105 may be dispersed throughout a geographic area to form the wireless communications system 100 and may include devices in different forms or having different capabilities. In various examples, a network entity 105 may be referred to as a network element, a mobility element, a radio access network (RAN) node, or network equipment, among other nomenclature. In some examples, network entities 105 and UEs 115 may wirelessly communicate via one or more communication links 125 (e.g., a radio frequency (RF) access link) . For example, a network entity 105 may support a coverage area 110 (e.g., a geographic coverage area) over which the UEs 115 and the network entity 105 may establish one or more communication links 125. The coverage area 110 may be an example of a geographic area over which a network entity 105 and a UE 115 may support the communication of signals according to one or more radio access technologies (RATs) .

The UEs 115 may be dispersed throughout a coverage area 110 of the wireless communications system 100, and each UE 115 may be stationary, or mobile, or both at different times. The UEs 115 may be devices in different forms or having different capabilities. Some example UEs 115 are illustrated in FIG. 1. The UEs 115 described herein may be capable of supporting communications with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115 or network entities 105, as shown in FIG. 1.

As described herein, a node of the wireless communications system 100, which may be referred to as a network node, or a wireless node, may be a network entity 105 (e.g., any network entity described herein) , a UE 115 (e.g., any UE described herein) , a network controller, an apparatus, a device, a computing system, one or more components, or another suitable processing entity configured to perform any of the techniques described herein. For example, a node may be a UE 115. As another example, a node may be a network entity 105. As another example, a first node may be configured to communicate with a second node or a third node. In one aspect of this example, the first node may be a UE 115, the second node may be a network entity 105, and the third node may be a UE 115. In another aspect of this example, the first node may be a UE 115, the second node may be a network entity 105, and the third node may be a network entity 105. In yet other aspects of this example, the first, second, and third nodes may be different relative to these examples. Similarly, reference to a UE 115, network entity 105, apparatus, device, computing system, or the like may include disclosure of the UE 115, network entity 105, apparatus, device, computing system, or the like being a node. For example, disclosure that a UE 115 is configured to receive information from a network entity 105 also discloses that a first node is configured to receive information from a second node.

In some examples, network entities 105 may communicate with the core network 130, or with one another, or both. For example, network entities 105 may communicate with the core network 130 via one or more backhaul communication links 120 (e.g., in accordance with an S1, N2, N3, or other interface protocol) . In some examples, network entities 105 may communicate with one another via a backhaul communication link 120 (e.g., in accordance with an X2, Xn, or other interface protocol) either directly (e.g., directly between network entities 105) or indirectly (e.g., via a core network 130) . In some examples, network entities 105 may communicate with one another via a midhaul communication link 162 (e.g., in accordance with a midhaul interface protocol) or a fronthaul communication link 168 (e.g., in accordance with a fronthaul interface protocol) , or any combination thereof. The backhaul communication links 120, midhaul communication links 162, or fronthaul communication links 168 may be or include one or more wired links (e.g., an electrical link, an optical fiber link) , one or more wireless links (e.g., a radio link, a wireless optical link) , among other examples or various combinations thereof. A UE 115 may communicate with the core network 130 via a communication link 155.

One or more of the network entities 105 described herein may include or may be referred to as a base station 140 (e.g., a base transceiver station, a radio base station, an NR base station, an access point, a radio transceiver, a NodeB, an eNodeB (eNB) , a next-generation NodeB or a giga-NodeB (either of which may be referred to as a gNB) , a 5G NB, a next-generation eNB (ng-eNB) , a Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, or other suitable terminology) . In some examples, a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140) may be implemented in an aggregated (e.g., monolithic, standalone) base station architecture, which may be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within a single network entity 105 (e.g., a single RAN node, such as a base station 140) .

In some examples, a network entity 105 may be implemented in a disaggregated architecture (e.g., a disaggregated base station architecture, a disaggregated RAN architecture) , which may be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed among two or more network entities 105, such as an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open RAN (O-RAN) (e.g., a network configuration sponsored by the O-RAN Alliance) , or a virtualized RAN (vRAN) (e.g., a cloud RAN (C-RAN) ) . For example, a network entity 105 may include one or more of a central unit (CU) 160, a distributed unit (DU) 165, a radio unit (RU) 170, a RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) 175 (e.g., a Near-Real Time RIC (Near-RT RIC) , a Non-Real Time RIC (Non-RT RIC) ) , a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) 180 system, or any combination thereof. An RU 170 may also be referred to as a radio head, a smart radio head, a remote radio head (RRH) , a remote radio unit (RRU) , or a transmission reception point (TRP) . One or more components of the network entities 105 in a disaggregated RAN architecture may be co-located, or one or more components of the network entities 105 may be located in distributed locations (e.g., separate physical locations) . In some examples, one or more network entities 105 of a disaggregated RAN architecture may be implemented as virtual units (e.g., a virtual CU (VCU) , a virtual DU (VDU) , a virtual RU (VRU) ) .

The split of functionality between a CU 160, a DU 165, and an RU 170 is flexible and may support different functionalities depending on which functions (e.g., network layer functions, protocol layer functions, baseband functions, RF functions, and any combinations thereof) are performed at a CU 160, a DU 165, or an RU 170. For example, a functional split of a protocol stack may be employed between a CU 160 and a DU 165 such that the CU 160 may support one or more layers of the protocol stack and the DU 165 may support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. In some examples, the CU 160 may host upper protocol layer (e.g., layer 3 (L3) , layer 2 (L2) ) functionality and signaling (e.g., Radio Resource Control (RRC) , service data adaption protocol (SDAP) , Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) ) . The CU 160 may be connected to one or more DUs 165 or RUs 170, and the one or more DUs 165 or RUs 170 may host lower protocol layers, such as layer 1 (L1) (e.g., physical (PHY) layer) or L2 (e.g., radio link control (RLC) layer, medium access control (MAC) layer) functionality and signaling, and may each be at least partially controlled by the CU 160. Additionally, or alternatively, a functional split of the protocol stack may be employed between a DU 165 and an RU 170 such that the DU 165 may support one or more layers of the protocol stack and the RU 170 may support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. The DU 165 may support one or multiple different cells (e.g., via one or more RUs 170) . In some cases, a functional split between a CU 160 and a DU 165, or between a DU 165 and an RU 170 may be within a protocol layer (e.g., some functions for a protocol layer may be performed by one of a CU 160, a DU 165, or an RU 170, while other functions of the protocol layer are performed by a different one of the CU 160, the DU 165, or the RU 170) . A CU 160 may be functionally split further into CU control plane (CU-CP) and CU user plane (CU-UP) functions. A CU 160 may be connected to one or more DUs 165 via a midhaul communication link 162 (e.g., F1, F1-c, F1-u) , and a DU 165 may be connected to one or more RUs 170 via a fronthaul communication link 168 (e.g., open fronthaul (FH) interface) . In some examples, a midhaul communication link 162 or a fronthaul communication link 168 may be implemented in accordance with an interface (e.g., a channel) between layers of a protocol stack supported by respective network entities 105 that are in communication via such communication links.

In wireless communications systems (e.g., wireless communications system 100) , infrastructure and spectral resources for radio access may support wireless backhaul link capabilities to supplement wired backhaul connections, providing an IAB network architecture (e.g., to a core network 130) . In some cases, in an IAB network, one or more network entities 105 (e.g., IAB nodes 104) may be partially controlled by each other. One or more IAB nodes 104 may be referred to as a donor entity or an IAB donor. One or more DUs 165 or one or more RUs 170 may be partially controlled by one or more CUs 160 associated with a donor network entity 105 (e.g., a donor base station 140) . The one or more donor network entities 105 (e.g., IAB donors) may be in communication with one or more additional network entities 105 (e.g., IAB nodes 104) via supported access and backhaul links (e.g., backhaul communication links 120) . IAB nodes 104 may include an IAB mobile termination (IAB-MT) controlled (e.g., scheduled) by DUs 165 of a coupled IAB donor. An IAB-MT may include an independent set of antennas for relay of communications with UEs 115, or may share the same antennas (e.g., of an RU 170) of an IAB node 104 used for access via the DU 165 of the IAB node 104 (e.g., referred to as virtual IAB-MT (vIAB-MT) ) . In some examples, the IAB nodes 104 may include DUs 165 that support communication links with additional entities (e.g., IAB nodes 104, UEs 115) within the relay chain or configuration of the access network (e.g., downstream) . In such cases, one or more components of the disaggregated RAN architecture (e.g., one or more IAB nodes 104 or components of IAB nodes 104) may be configured to operate according to the techniques described herein.

For instance, an access network (AN) or RAN may include communications between access nodes (e.g., an IAB donor) , IAB nodes 104, and one or more UEs 115. The IAB donor may facilitate connection between the core network 130 and the AN (e.g., via a wired or wireless connection to the core network 130) . That is, an IAB donor may refer to a RAN node with a wired or wireless connection to core network 130. The IAB donor may include a CU 160 and at least one DU 165 (e.g., and RU 170) , in which case the CU 160 may communicate with the core network 130 via an interface (e.g., a backhaul link) . IAB donor and IAB nodes 104 may communicate via an F1 interface according to a protocol that defines signaling messages (e.g., an F1 AP protocol) . Additionally, or alternatively, the CU 160 may communicate with the core network via an interface, which may be an example of a portion of backhaul link, and may communicate with other CUs 160 (e.g., a CU 160 associated with an alternative IAB donor) via an Xn-C interface, which may be an example of a portion of a backhaul link.

An IAB node 104 may refer to a RAN node that provides IAB functionality (e.g., access for UEs 115, wireless self-backhauling capabilities) . A DU 165 may act as a distributed scheduling node towards child nodes associated with the IAB node 104, and the IAB-MT may act as a scheduled node towards parent nodes associated with the IAB node 104. That is, an IAB donor may be referred to as a parent node in communication with one or more child nodes (e.g., an IAB donor may relay transmissions for UEs through one or more other IAB nodes 104) . Additionally, or alternatively, an IAB node 104 may also be referred to as a parent node or a child node to other IAB nodes 104, depending on the relay chain or configuration of the AN. Therefore, the IAB-MT entity of IAB nodes 104 may provide a Uu interface for a child IAB node 104 to receive signaling from a parent IAB node 104, and the DU interface (e.g., DUs 165) may provide a Uu interface for a parent IAB node 104 to signal to a child IAB node 104 or UE 115.

For example, IAB node 104 may be referred to as a parent node that supports communications for a child IAB node, or referred to as a child IAB node associated with an IAB donor, or both. The IAB donor may include a CU 160 with a wired or wireless connection (e.g., a backhaul communication link 120) to the core network 130 and may act as parent node to IAB nodes 104. For example, the DU 165 of IAB donor may relay transmissions to UEs 115 through IAB nodes 104, or may directly signal transmissions to a UE 115, or both. The CU 160 of IAB donor may signal communication link establishment via an F1 interface to IAB nodes 104, and the IAB nodes 104 may schedule transmissions (e.g., transmissions to the UEs 115 relayed from the IAB donor) through the DUs 165. That is, data may be relayed to and from IAB nodes 104 via signaling via an NR Uu interface to MT of the IAB node 104. Communications with IAB node 104 may be scheduled by a DU 165 of IAB donor and communications with IAB node 104 may be scheduled by DU 165 of IAB node 104.

In the case of the techniques described herein applied in the context of a disaggregated RAN architecture, one or more components of the disaggregated RAN architecture may be configured to support antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications as described herein. For example, some operations described as being performed by a UE 115 or a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140) may additionally, or alternatively, be performed by one or more components of the disaggregated RAN architecture (e.g., IAB nodes 104, DUs 165, CUs 160, RUs 170, RIC 175, SMO 180) .

A UE 115 may include or may be referred to as a mobile device, a wireless device, a remote device, a handheld device, or a subscriber device, or some other suitable terminology, where the “device” may also be referred to as a unit, a station, a terminal, or a client, among other examples. A UE 115 may also include or may be referred to as a personal electronic device such as a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA) , a tablet computer, a laptop computer, or a personal computer. In some examples, a UE 115 may include or be referred to as a wireless local loop (WLL) station, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or a machine type communications (MTC) device, among other examples, which may be implemented in various objects such as appliances, or vehicles, meters, among other examples.

The UEs 115 described herein may be able to communicate with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115 that may sometimes act as relays as well as the network entities 105 and the network equipment including macro eNBs or gNBs, small cell eNBs or gNBs, or relay base stations, among other examples, as shown in FIG. 1.

The UEs 115 and the network entities 105 may wirelessly communicate with one another via one or more communication links 125 (e.g., an access link) using resources associated with one or more carriers. The term “carrier” may refer to a set of RF spectrum resources having a defined physical layer structure for supporting the communication links 125. For example, a carrier used for a communication link 125 may include a portion of a RF spectrum band (e.g., a bandwidth part (BWP) ) that is operated according to one or more physical layer channels for a given radio access technology (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR) . Each physical layer channel may carry acquisition signaling (e.g., synchronization signals, system information) , control signaling that coordinates operation for the carrier, user data, or other signaling. The wireless communications system 100 may support communication with a UE 115 using carrier aggregation or multi-carrier operation. A UE 115 may be configured with multiple downlink component carriers and one or more uplink component carriers according to a carrier aggregation configuration. Carrier aggregation may be used with both frequency division duplexing (FDD) and time division duplexing (TDD) component carriers. Communication between a network entity 105 and other devices may refer to communication between the devices and any portion (e.g., entity, sub-entity) of a network entity 105. For example, the terms “transmitting, ” “receiving, ” or “communicating, ” when referring to a network entity 105, may refer to any portion of a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140, a CU 160, a DU 165, a RU 170) of a RAN communicating with another device (e.g., directly or via one or more other network entities 105) .

Signal waveforms transmitted via a carrier may be made up of multiple subcarriers (e.g., using multi-carrier modulation (MCM) techniques such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM) ) . In a system employing MCM techniques, a resource element may refer to resources of one symbol period (e.g., a duration of one modulation symbol) and one subcarrier, in which case the symbol period and subcarrier spacing may be inversely related. The quantity of bits carried by each resource element may depend on the modulation scheme (e.g., the order of the modulation scheme, the coding rate of the modulation scheme, or both) , such that a relatively higher quantity of resource elements (e.g., in a transmission duration) and a relatively higher order of a modulation scheme may correspond to a relatively higher rate of communication. A wireless communications resource may refer to a combination of an RF spectrum resource, a time resource, and a spatial resource (e.g., a spatial layer, a beam) , and the use of multiple spatial resources may increase the data rate or data integrity for communications with a UE 115.

The time intervals for the network entities 105 or the UEs 115 may be expressed in multiples of a basic time unit which may, for example, refer to a sampling period of T _s=1/ (Δf _max·N _f) seconds, for which Δf _max may represent a supported subcarrier spacing, and N _f may represent a supported discrete Fourier transform (DFT) size. Time intervals of a communications resource may be organized according to radio frames each having a specified duration (e.g., 10 milliseconds (ms) ) . Each radio frame may be identified by a system frame number (SFN) (e.g., ranging from 0 to 1023) .

Each frame may include multiple consecutively-numbered subframes or slots, and each subframe or slot may have the same duration. In some examples, a frame may be divided (e.g., in the time domain) into subframes, and each subframe may be further divided into a quantity of slots. Alternatively, each frame may include a variable quantity of slots, and the quantity of slots may depend on subcarrier spacing. Each slot may include a quantity of symbol periods (e.g., depending on the length of the cyclic prefix prepended to each symbol period) . In some wireless communications systems 100, a slot may further be divided into multiple mini-slots associated with one or more symbols. Excluding the cyclic prefix, each symbol period may be associated with one or more (e.g., N _f) sampling periods. The duration of a symbol period may depend on the subcarrier spacing or frequency band of operation.

A subframe, a slot, a mini-slot, or a symbol may be the smallest scheduling unit (e.g., in the time domain) of the wireless communications system 100 and may be referred to as a transmission time interval (TTI) . In some examples, the TTI duration (e.g., a quantity of symbol periods in a TTI) may be variable. Additionally, or alternatively, the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communications system 100 may be dynamically selected (e.g., in bursts of shortened TTIs (sTTIs) ) .

Physical channels may be multiplexed for communication using a carrier according to various techniques. A physical control channel and a physical data channel may be multiplexed for signaling via a downlink carrier, for example, using one or more of time division multiplexing (TDM) techniques, frequency division multiplexing (FDM) techniques, or hybrid TDM-FDM techniques. A control region (e.g., a control resource set (CORESET) ) for a physical control channel may be defined by a set of symbol periods and may extend across the system bandwidth or a subset of the system bandwidth of the carrier. One or more control regions (e.g., CORESETs) may be configured for a set of the UEs 115. For example, one or more of the UEs 115 may monitor or search control regions for control information according to one or more search space sets, and each search space set may include one or multiple control channel candidates in one or more aggregation levels arranged in a cascaded manner. An aggregation level for a control channel candidate may refer to an amount of control channel resources (e.g., control channel elements (CCEs) ) associated with encoded information for a control information format having a given payload size. Search space sets may include common search space sets configured for sending control information to multiple UEs 115 and UE-specific search space sets for sending control information to a specific UE 115.

A network entity 105 may provide communication coverage via one or more cells, for example a macro cell, a small cell, a hot spot, or other types of cells, or any combination thereof. The term “cell” may refer to a logical communication entity used for communication with a network entity 105 (e.g., using a carrier) and may be associated with an identifier for distinguishing neighboring cells (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCID) , a virtual cell identifier (VCID) , or others) . In some examples, a cell also may refer to a coverage area 110 or a portion of a coverage area 110 (e.g., a sector) over which the logical communication entity operates. Such cells may range from smaller areas (e.g., a structure, a subset of structure) to larger areas depending on various factors such as the capabilities of the network entity 105. For example, a cell may be or include a building, a subset of a building, or exterior spaces between or overlapping with coverage areas 110, among other examples.

In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., MTC, narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) , enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) ) that may provide access for different types of devices.

In some examples, a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140, an RU 170) may be movable and therefore provide communication coverage for a moving coverage area 110. In some examples, different coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may overlap, but the different coverage areas 110 may be supported by the same network entity 105. In some other examples, the overlapping coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may be supported by different network entities 105. The wireless communications system 100 may include, for example, a heterogeneous network in which different types of the network entities 105 provide coverage for various coverage areas 110 using the same or different radio access technologies.

Some UEs 115, such as MTC or IoT devices, may be low cost or low complexity devices and may provide for automated communication between machines (e.g., via Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication) . M2M communication or MTC may refer to data communication technologies that allow devices to communicate with one another or a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140) without human intervention. In some examples, M2M communication or MTC may include communications from devices that integrate sensors or meters to measure or capture information and relay such information to a central server or application program that uses the information or presents the information to humans interacting with the application program. Some UEs 115 may be designed to collect information or enable automated behavior of machines or other devices. Examples of applications for MTC devices include smart metering, inventory monitoring, water level monitoring, equipment monitoring, healthcare monitoring, wildlife monitoring, weather and geological event monitoring, fleet management and tracking, remote security sensing, physical access control, and transaction-based business charging.

The wireless communications system 100 may be configured to support ultra-reliable communications or low-latency communications, or various combinations thereof. For example, the wireless communications system 100 may be configured to support ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) . The UEs 115 may be designed to support ultra-reliable, low-latency, or critical functions. Ultra-reliable communications may include private communication or group communication and may be supported by one or more services such as push-to-talk, video, or data. Support for ultra-reliable, low-latency functions may include prioritization of services, and such services may be used for public safety or general commercial applications. The terms ultra-reliable, low-latency, and ultra-reliable low-latency may be used interchangeably herein.

In some examples, a UE 115 may be configured to support communicating directly with other UEs 115 via a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 135 (e.g., in accordance with a peer-to-peer (P2P) , D2D, or sidelink protocol) . In some examples, one or more UEs 115 of a group that are performing D2D communications may be within the coverage area 110 of a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140, an RU 170) , which may support aspects of such D2D communications being configured by (e.g., scheduled by) the network entity 105. In some examples, one or more UEs 115 of such a group may be outside the coverage area 110 of a network entity 105 or may be otherwise unable to or not configured to receive transmissions from a network entity 105. In some examples, groups of the UEs 115 communicating via D2D communications may support a one-to-many (1: M) system in which each UE 115 transmits to each of the other UEs 115 in the group. In some examples, a network entity 105 may facilitate the scheduling of resources for D2D communications. In some other examples, D2D communications may be carried out between the UEs 115 without an involvement of a network entity 105.

In some systems, a D2D communication link 135 may be an example of a communication channel, such as a sidelink communication channel, between vehicles (e.g., UEs 115) . In some examples, vehicles may communicate using vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications, or some combination of these. A vehicle may signal information related to traffic conditions, signal scheduling, weather, safety, emergencies, or any other information relevant to a V2X system. In some examples, vehicles in a V2X system may communicate with roadside infrastructure, such as roadside units, or with the network via one or more network nodes (e.g., network entities 105, base stations 140, RUs 170) using vehicle-to-network (V2N) communications, or with both.

The core network 130 may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The core network 130 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) or 5G core (5GC) , which may include at least one control plane entity that manages access and mobility (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME) , an access and mobility management function (AMF) ) and at least one user plane entity that routes packets or interconnects to external networks (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW) , a Packet Data Network (PDN) gateway (P-GW) , or a user plane function (UPF) ) . The control plane entity may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management for the UEs 115 served by the network entities 105 (e.g., base stations 140) associated with the core network 130. User IP packets may be transferred through the user plane entity, which may provide IP address allocation as well as other functions. The user plane entity may be connected to IP services 150 for one or more network operators. The IP services 150 may include access to the Internet, Intranet (s) , an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) , or a Packet-Switched Streaming Service.

The wireless communications system 100 may operate using one or more frequency bands, which may be in the range of 300 megahertz (MHz) to 300 gigahertz (GHz) . Generally, the region from 300 MHz to 3 GHz is known as the ultra-high frequency (UHF) region or decimeter band because the wavelengths range from approximately one decimeter to one meter in length. UHF waves may be blocked or redirected by buildings and environmental features, which may be referred to as clusters, but the waves may penetrate structures sufficiently for a macro cell to provide service to the UEs 115 located indoors. Communications using UHF waves may be associated with smaller antennas and shorter ranges (e.g., less than 100 kilometers) compared to communications using the smaller frequencies and longer waves of the high frequency (HF) or very high frequency (VHF) portion of the spectrum below 300 MHz.

The wireless communications system 100 may also operate using a super high frequency (SHF) region, which may be in the range of 3 GHz to 30 GHz, also known as the centimeter band, or using an extremely high frequency (EHF) region of the spectrum (e.g., from 30 GHz to 300 GHz) , also known as the millimeter band. In some examples, the wireless communications system 100 may support millimeter wave (mmW) communications between the UEs 115 and the network entities 105 (e.g., base stations 140, RUs 170) , and EHF antennas of the respective devices may be smaller and more closely spaced than UHF antennas. In some examples, such techniques may facilitate using antenna arrays within a device. The propagation of EHF transmissions, however, may be subject to even greater attenuation and shorter range than SHF or UHF transmissions. The techniques disclosed herein may be employed across transmissions that use one or more different frequency regions, and designated use of bands across these frequency regions may differ by country or regulating body.

The wireless communications system 100 may utilize both licensed and unlicensed RF spectrum bands. For example, the wireless communications system 100 may employ License Assisted Access (LAA) , LTE-Unlicensed (LTE-U) radio access technology, or NR technology using an unlicensed band such as the 5 GHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band. While operating using unlicensed RF spectrum bands, devices such as the network entities 105 and the UEs 115 may employ carrier sensing for collision detection and avoidance. In some examples, operations using unlicensed bands may be based on a carrier aggregation configuration in conjunction with component carriers operating using a licensed band (e.g., LAA) . Operations using unlicensed spectrum may include downlink transmissions, uplink transmissions, P2P transmissions, or D2D transmissions, among other examples.

A network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140, an RU 170) or a UE 115 may be equipped with multiple antennas, which may be used to employ techniques such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications, or beamforming. The antennas of a network entity 105 or a UE 115 may be located within one or more antenna arrays or antenna panels, which may support MIMO operations or transmit or receive beamforming. For example, one or more base station antennas or antenna arrays may be co-located at an antenna assembly, such as an antenna tower. In some examples, antennas or antenna arrays associated with a network entity 105 may be located at diverse geographic locations. A network entity 105 may include an antenna array with a set of rows and columns of antenna ports that the network entity 105 may use to support beamforming of communications with a UE 115. Likewise, a UE 115 may include one or more antenna arrays that may support various MIMO or beamforming operations. Additionally, or alternatively, an antenna panel may support RF beamforming for a signal transmitted via an antenna port.

The network entities 105 or the UEs 115 may use MIMO communications to exploit multipath signal propagation and increase spectral efficiency by transmitting or receiving multiple signals via different spatial layers. Such techniques may be referred to as spatial multiplexing. The multiple signals may, for example, be transmitted by the transmitting device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Likewise, the multiple signals may be received by the receiving device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Each of the multiple signals may be referred to as a separate spatial stream and may carry information associated with the same data stream (e.g., the same codeword) or different data streams (e.g., different codewords) . Different spatial layers may be associated with different antenna ports used for channel measurement and reporting. MIMO techniques include single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) , for which multiple spatial layers are transmitted to the same receiving device, and multiple-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) , for which multiple spatial layers are transmitted to multiple devices.

Beamforming, which may also be referred to as spatial filtering, directional transmission, or directional reception, is a signal processing technique that may be used at a transmitting device or a receiving device (e.g., a network entity 105, a UE 115) to shape or steer an antenna beam (e.g., a transmit beam, a receive beam) along a spatial path between the transmitting device and the receiving device. Beamforming may be achieved by combining the signals communicated via antenna elements of an antenna array such that some signals propagating along particular orientations with respect to an antenna array experience constructive interference while others experience destructive interference. The adjustment of signals communicated via the antenna elements may include a transmitting device or a receiving device applying amplitude offsets, phase offsets, or both to signals carried via the antenna elements associated with the device. The adjustments associated with each of the antenna elements may be defined by a beamforming weight set associated with a particular orientation (e.g., with respect to the antenna array of the transmitting device or receiving device, or with respect to some other orientation) .

A network entity 105 or a UE 115 may use beam sweeping techniques as part of beamforming operations. For example, a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140, an RU 170) may use multiple antennas or antenna arrays (e.g., antenna panels) to conduct beamforming operations for directional communications with a UE 115. Some signals (e.g., synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) may be transmitted by a network entity 105 multiple times along different directions. For example, the network entity 105 may transmit a signal according to different beamforming weight sets associated with different directions of transmission. Transmissions along different beam directions may be used to identify (e.g., by a transmitting device, such as a network entity 105, or by a receiving device, such as a UE 115) a beam direction for later transmission or reception by the network entity 105.

Some signals, such as data signals associated with a particular receiving device, may be transmitted by transmitting device (e.g., a transmitting network entity 105, a transmitting UE 115) along a single beam direction (e.g., a direction associated with the receiving device, such as a receiving network entity 105 or a receiving UE 115) . In some examples, the beam direction associated with transmissions along a single beam direction may be determined based on a signal that was transmitted along one or more beam directions. For example, a UE 115 may receive one or more of the signals transmitted by the network entity 105 along different directions and may report to the network entity 105 an indication of the signal that the UE 115 received with a highest signal quality or an otherwise acceptable signal quality.

In some examples, transmissions by a device (e.g., by a network entity 105 or a UE 115) may be performed using multiple beam directions, and the device may use a combination of digital precoding or beamforming to generate a combined beam for transmission (e.g., from a network entity 105 to a UE 115) . The UE 115 may report feedback that indicates precoding weights for one or more beam directions, and the feedback may correspond to a configured set of beams across a system bandwidth or one or more sub-bands. The network entity 105 may transmit a reference signal (e.g., a cell-specific reference signal (CRS) , a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) ) , which may be precoded or unprecoded. The UE 115 may provide feedback for beam selection, which may be a precoding matrix indicator (PMI) or codebook-based feedback (e.g., a multi-panel type codebook, a linear combination type codebook, a port selection type codebook) . Although these techniques are described with reference to signals transmitted along one or more directions by a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140, an RU 170) , a UE 115 may employ similar techniques for transmitting signals multiple times along different directions (e.g., for identifying a beam direction for subsequent transmission or reception by the UE 115) or for transmitting a signal along a single direction (e.g., for transmitting data to a receiving device) .

A receiving device (e.g., a UE 115) may perform reception operations in accordance with multiple receive configurations (e.g., directional listening) when receiving various signals from a receiving device (e.g., a network entity 105) , such as synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals. For example, a receiving device may perform reception in accordance with multiple receive directions by receiving via different antenna subarrays, by processing received signals according to different antenna subarrays, by receiving according to different receive beamforming weight sets (e.g., different directional listening weight sets) applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of an antenna array, or by processing received signals according to different receive beamforming weight sets applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of an antenna array, any of which may be referred to as “listening” according to different receive configurations or receive directions. In some examples, a receiving device may use a single receive configuration to receive along a single beam direction (e.g., when receiving a data signal) . The single receive configuration may be aligned along a beam direction determined based on listening according to different receive configuration directions (e.g., a beam direction determined to have a highest signal strength, highest signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) , or otherwise acceptable signal quality based on listening according to multiple beam directions) .

The wireless communications system 100 may be a packet-based network that operates according to a layered protocol stack. In the user plane, communications at the bearer or PDCP layer may be IP-based. An RLC layer may perform packet segmentation and reassembly to communicate via logical channels. A MAC layer may perform priority handling and multiplexing of logical channels into transport channels. The MAC layer also may implement error detection techniques, error correction techniques, or both to support retransmissions to improve link efficiency. In the control plane, an RRC layer may provide establishment, configuration, and maintenance of an RRC connection between a UE 115 and a network entity 105 or a core network 130 supporting radio bearers for user plane data. A PHY layer may map transport channels to physical channels.

In some cases, one or more UEs 115 may implement antenna switching procedures that evaluate signal strength measurements of a serving beam or serving SSB, and one or more other beams or SSBs, for multiple antenna ports. A metric based on the signal strength measurement and an available transmit power associated with each antenna port may be used to select an antenna port and, if a different antenna port than a current antenna port being used at the UE 115 is selected, an antenna switch is performed. In some cases, an average metric of the current antenna port across multiple beams or SSBs is better than an average metric for a different antenna port, then antenna switching is not performed.

FIG. 2 illustrates another example of a wireless communications system 200 that supports antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. In the example of FIG. 2, wireless communications system 200 may include network entity 105-a and UE 115-a, which may be examples of the corresponding devices described with respect to FIG. 1. Network entity 105-a may provide network coverage for a geographic coverage area 110-a. The network entity 105-a may transmit downlink communications 205 to the UE 115-a, and the UE 115-a may transmit uplink communications 210 to the network entity 105-a.

To support communications between network entity 105-a and UE 115-a, the network entity 105-a may transmit one or more reference signals 215 associated with a first beam or first SSB (e.g., channel state information (CSI) reference signals, synchronization signal blocks (SSBs) , demodulation reference signals (DMRSs) , tracking reference signals (TRSs) , and the like) , and one or more reference signals 220 associated with a second beam or second SSB (e.g., CSI reference signals, SSBs, DMRSs, TRSs, and the like) . The UE 115-a may measure one or more metrics of received reference signals 215 and reference signals 220, and in some cases may provide a measurement report 225 to the network entity 105-a (e.g., a CSI report) . The UE 115-a, in some cases, may identify one or more antennas for use in uplink and downlink communications based on one or more metrics from the measurements of the reference signals 215 associated with the first beam or first SSB and the measurements of the reference signals 220 associated with the second beam or second SSB. For example, the UE 115-a may have an antenna system 230 that includes a number of antenna elements 235 and associated components (e.g., filters, power amplifiers, low noise amplifiers, switches, and the like) , and a set of available antenna ports may include two or more antenna ports that each include one or more antenna elements 235. In the example, of FIG. 2, a first antenna port 240 (port 0) that includes a single antenna element and a second antenna port 245 (port 1) that includes a single antenna element are illustrated. While one antenna element 235 per antenna port is illustrated in FIG. 2, antenna ports may include two or more antenna elements 235 in some cases, and the set of available antenna ports may include ports with different combinations of one or more antenna elements 235. Further, in some cases, the antenna system 230 may include one or more antenna panels that may each include a number of antenna elements 235. While four antenna elements 235 are illustrated in FIG. 2, other UEs may have more or fewer antennas.

In some cases, such as implementations that use MIMO communications, antenna switch diversity (ASDiv) may be desired in which transmit antennas are selected from available receive antennas based on measurements of the receive antennas (e.g., highest receive antenna RSRPs based on measurements of reference signals 215 and reference signals 220 may be selected for uplink antennas) . As discussed herein, ASDiv may utilize periodic measurements in order to get antenna metrics such as RSRP, that may be used along with and one or more power parameters such as MTPL or a transmit power headroom to evaluate which antenna port of the set of antenna ports is likely to provide desirable uplink channel characteristics and associated performance (e.g., data transfer rates, etc. ) . As discussed above, present ASDiv techniques may use a serving beam or serving SSB for ASDiv measurements on different antenna ports of the antenna system 230. In such cases, UE 115-a in the example of FIG. 2 have SSB1 as a serving SSB using the first antenna port 240, and may consider the reference signals 215 of the first beam or first SSB for ASDiv, in which a RSRP of each of the four antenna elements 235 and associated MTPL is used to determine whether to switch the a transmit antenna port from the first antenna port 240 to the second antenna port 245. In some cases, the metric for an antenna switch (S) may be defined as:

S = RSRP + MTPL

and the antenna port with the best value of S (e.g., largest value of S) , or suitable value of S, may be selected for a receive antenna port as well as a transmit antenna port. In the event that the selected antenna port is not currently being used for communications at the UE 115-a, an antenna switch may be performed. An example of antenna ports and associated S values is illustrated in FIG. 3.

As also discussed above, in some cases (e.g., where the UE 115-a may be in an overlapping or far cell coverage of multiple SSBs) , a complex channel environment may result in measurement variability and selection of an antenna port this is less than optimal. Such a selection may degrade UE 115-a throughput performance, thereby degrading user experience. In accordance with various techniques as discussed herein, reduced selections of less favorable antenna ports may be achieved through evaluation based on two or more different beams or SSBs. In some cases, an antenna port may be identified as Rx _m (e.g., receive antenna port m) , where m is {0, 1, 2, 3} for four receive antenna ports in the example of FIG. 2. A modified metric for an antenna switch (S’ ) may be defined as:

where, x is the number of all the SSBs. In some cases, x may be the number of SSBs whose RSRP is not lower than a threshold value in the serving cell. For example, the threshold value may be a configured value (e.g., S _crit) or a defined value based on system simulations. In one example, the threshold value may be based on RSRP values, such as a measured RSRP that is within 3dB of a cell quality RSRP, or an RSRP value that is not less than a highest measured RSRP within 3dB. In the example of FIG. 2, the UE 115-a may then consider S′ ₀, S′ ₁, S′ ₂, S′ ₃ to determine whether to switch antenna ports. In some cases, a most recent value of each S′ _m may be used, although in other cases a smoothed value (e.g., an average value over a moving window of multiple S′ _m values) or filtered value (e.g., an average of values not lower than a threshold within a measurement window) of each S′ _m may be used to determine antenna switching.

Such antenna switching techniques may increase the robustness of the antenna switching determination algorithm (e.g., ASDiv algorithm) . For example, when the UE 115-a transmissions use only one antenna, the associated transmissions are omnidirectional transmissions with spherical radiation, and considering all the meaningful RSRPs (e.g., with RSRP values ≥ threshold value) of SSBs may enhance the likelihood that uplink communications will have a robust SNR value at the network entity 105-a. Described techniques may also help to maintain uplink throughput, and reduce uplink block error rate (BLER) spikes, as a more robust antenna switching algorithm may avoid unnecessary transmit antenna port switching where one or more uplink transmissions may be skipped as part of the antenna switching (causing a BLER spike) . Thus, described technique may provide uplink throughput that is more stable, with less uplink throughput degradation. Additionally, techniques as discussed herein may reduce workload at the UE 115-a, and reduce latency, as less antenna switching may reduce overall workload at UE 115-a modules to provide reduced power consumption and reduced latency.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of antenna port metrics 300 that supports antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. Antenna port metrics 300 may be implemented by a UE or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the antenna port metrics 300 may be determined by a UE as described with reference to FIGs. 1 and 2, or may be performed by a modem, a chipset, and/or communications manager as discussed herein.

In this example, a UE may have four antenna ports 305, and may measure RSRP 315 at each antenna port 305. The UE may also determine a MTPL 310 for each antenna port 305, which may be based on a maximum transmit power for a carrier that is computed in accordance with a power control algorithm. For example, an uplink power control algorithm may compute a maximum transmit power for each antenna port 305 based on one or more factors, such as exposure limits (e.g., maximum permitted exposure (MPE) limits, or specific absorption rate (SAR) limits, computed based on inner and/or outer loop power control procedures) , thermal limits (e.g., if thermal status of a transmit/receive chain limits a maximum power) , a transmit power of one or more other antenna ports in concurrent transmissions, and the like. The metric for antenna switch (S) 320 for each antenna port 305 may be computed based on the corresponding values of MTPL 310 and RSRP 315. In this example, antenna port Rx0 has a lowest S value (-72) , and may be selected at the transmit antenna port. As discussed, various aspects of the present disclosure may use a modified metric for antenna switch (S′) , an example of which is illustrated in FIG. 4.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example RSRP measurement table 400 for different reference signals that supports antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. RSRP measurement table 400 may be implemented by a UE or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the RSRP measurement table 400 may be determined by a UE as described with reference to FIGs. 1 and 2, or may be performed by a modem, a chipset, and/or communications manager as discussed herein.

In this example, a UE may make measurements on two antenna ports (port0 and port1) with port0 being a current antenna port used for communications. Although two antenna ports are illustrated for the purposes of illustration and discussion, other examples may include more than two antenna ports. In the example of FIG. 4, the RSRP measurement table 400 may include a cell ID 405, a number of beams 410 associated with the cell, a cell quality RSRP 415, a cell quality reference signal received quality (RSRQ) 420, and detected beams information 425 that includes a SSB index 430 and associated RSRP 435 for each measured antenna port. In this example, for cell ID 405 having a value 264, four beams may be monitored at the UE, with cell quality RSRP being -114.15 dB and cell quality RSRQ 420 being -16.78. A serving SSB 440 in this example may be SSB index value 3, which has a measured RSRP values for port0 and port1 of -121.40 dB and -115.35, respectively. Thus, in this example, if only the serving SSB 440 RSRP values were considered and each port has a same MTPL, an antenna switch would be indicated to switch the uplink antenna port from port0 to port1.

Continuing with the example of FIG. 4, three additional SSBs may be measured, and in this example SSB index value 2 may have measured RSRP values for port0 and port1 of -113.59 and -119.63, respectively; SSB index value 1 may have measured RSRP values for port0 and port1 of -117.22 and -123.09, respectively; and SSB index value 6 may have measured RSRP values for port0 and port1 of -156.00 and -118.05, respectively. Using techniques as discussed herein and an MTPL for each port of 28, to determine a value of S′for each antenna port using

SSB indices

3, 2, and 1 (e.g., where SSB index value 6 is removed based on being below a threshold RSRP value on port0) , the UE may compute S′ _port0 = –89.4, and S′ _port1 = –91.36, and thus the UE would select port0, and not perform an antenna switch. In such an example, based on the measured values, the UE is within overlapping SSB coverage for multiple SSBs, and determining the metric (S′) based on multiple SSBs may enhance the reliability of antenna switching decisions by helping to reduce variability in measurements, and thereby avoid antenna switches that may degrade UE throughput.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a flow chart that illustrates a method 500 of an antenna switching diversity in wireless communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 500 may be implemented by a UE or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 500 may be performed by a UE as described with reference to FIGs. 1 and 2, or may be performed by a modem, a chipset, and/or communications manager as discussed herein. In some examples, a UE or associated components may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the described functions. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware. Operations shown and discussed in the example of FIG. 5 may be performed in a different order than the example order shown, or the operations performed may be performed in different orders or at different times. Some operations may be combined or omitted and other operations may be added to the method 500.

In this example, at 505, the UE may measure RSRP for a first SSB on each antenna port of a set of available antenna ports of the UE. At 510, the UE may measure RSRP for one or more remaining SSBs on each antenna port of the set of available antenna ports. As discussed herein, measurements on multiple SSBs may help to enhance the reliability of antenna switching decisions at a UE.

At 515, the UE may discard RSRPs that have a value less than a RSRP threshold value. In some cases, the threshold value may be a preset value (e.g., a defined value of -140 dB) , may be relative value to another SSB measurement (e.g., measured RSRP that is within 3dB of a cell quality RSRP, or an RSRP value that is not less than a highest measured RSRP within 3dB) . In some cases, the threshold value may be configurable, may be adaptive based on other measured RSRP values (e.g., within a range of other RSRP values that is smaller as RSRP values increase) , may be based on a frequency range associated with the SSBs (e.g., frequency range 1 (FR1) has a first threshold value and frequency range 2 (FR2) has a second threshold value) , or any combinations thereof.

At 520, the UE may, for each antenna port with a remaining RSRP, compute metrics (e.g., S′) based on measured RSRPs for each SSB and associated antenna port MTPL. At 525, the UE may determine whether a current serving antenna port has a metric that is greater than or equal to any other antenna port metric. At 530, in cases where the current antenna port metric is greater than or equal to any other antenna port metric, no transmit antenna switching is performed. At 535, in cases where the current antenna port metric is less than at least one other antenna port metric, the UE may switch the transmit antenna port to the antenna port having the highest valued antenna port metric.

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram 600 of a device 605 that supports antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 605 may be an example of aspects of a UE 115 as described herein. The device 605 may include a receiver 610, a transmitter 615, and a communications manager 620. The device 605 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses) .

The receiver 610 may provide a means for receiving information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications) . Information may be passed on to other components of the device 605. The receiver 610 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.

The transmitter 615 may provide a means for transmitting signals generated by other components of the device 605. For example, the transmitter 615 may transmit information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications) . In some examples, the transmitter 615 may be co-located with a receiver 610 in a transceiver module. The transmitter 615 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.

The communications manager 620, the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or various combinations thereof or various components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications as described herein. For example, the communications manager 620, the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or various combinations or components thereof may support a method for performing one or more of the functions described herein.

In some examples, the communications manager 620, the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in communications management circuitry) . The hardware may include a processor, a digital signal processor (DSP) , a central processing unit (CPU) , an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) , a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a microcontroller, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure. In some examples, a processor and memory coupled with the processor may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., by executing, by the processor, instructions stored in the memory) .

Additionally, or alternatively, in some examples, the communications manager 620, the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in code (e.g., as communications management software or firmware) executed by a processor. If implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of the communications manager 620, the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or various combinations or components thereof may be performed by a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, a microcontroller, or any combination of these or other programmable logic devices (e.g., configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure) .

In some examples, the communications manager 620 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or both. For example, the communications manager 620 may receive information from the receiver 610, send information to the transmitter 615, or be integrated in combination with the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or both to obtain information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.

The communications manager 620 may support wireless communications at a UE in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 620 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for communicating with a network entity using a first antenna port. The communications manager 620 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for measuring a first reference signal from a first SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a first measurement associated with the first antenna port. The communications manager 620 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for measuring a second reference signal from a second SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a second measurement associated with the first antenna port, the first antenna port having a first maximum uplink transmit power, and a first metric is based on the first measurement, the second measurement, and the first maximum uplink transmit power. The communications manager 620 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for measuring the first reference signal from the first SSB using a second antenna port to obtain a third measurement associated with the second antenna port. The communications manager 620 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for measuring the second reference signal from the second SSB using the second antenna port to obtain a fourth measurement associated with the second antenna port, the second antenna port having a second maximum uplink transmit power, and a second metric is based on the third measurement, the fourth measurement, and the second maximum uplink transmit power. The communications manager 620 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for switching from the first antenna port to the second antenna port for uplink communications based on the first metric and the second metric. The communications manager 620 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for communicating with the network entity using the second antenna port.

By including or configuring the communications manager 620 in accordance with examples as described herein, the device 605 (e.g., a processor controlling or otherwise coupled with the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, the communications manager 620, or a combination thereof) may support techniques for antenna switching based on metrics of multiple different reference signals, which may provide enhanced likelihood that uplink communications will have a robust SNR value at the network entity. may help to maintain uplink throughput and reduce uplink BLER spikes, reduce workload, and provide reduced power consumption and reduced latency.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram 700 of a device 705 that supports antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 705 may be an example of aspects of a device 605 or a UE 115 as described herein. The device 705 may include a receiver 710, a transmitter 715, and a communications manager 720. The device 705 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses) .

The receiver 710 may provide a means for receiving information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications) . Information may be passed on to other components of the device 705. The receiver 710 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.

The transmitter 715 may provide a means for transmitting signals generated by other components of the device 705. For example, the transmitter 715 may transmit information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications) . In some examples, the transmitter 715 may be co-located with a receiver 710 in a transceiver module. The transmitter 715 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.

The device 705, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various aspects of antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications as described herein. For example, the communications manager 720 may include a UL transmission manager 725, a measurement manager 730, an antenna port selection manager 735, or any combination thereof. The communications manager 720 may be an example of aspects of a communications manager 620 as described herein. In some examples, the communications manager 720, or various components thereof, may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the receiver 710, the transmitter 715, or both. For example, the communications manager 720 may receive information from the receiver 710, send information to the transmitter 715, or be integrated in combination with the receiver 710, the transmitter 715, or both to obtain information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.

The communications manager 720 may support wireless communications at a UE in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The UL transmission manager 725 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for communicating with a network entity using a first antenna port. The measurement manager 730 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for measuring a first reference signal from a first SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a first measurement associated with the first antenna port. The measurement manager 730 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for measuring a second reference signal from a second SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a second measurement associated with the first antenna port, the first antenna port having a first maximum uplink transmit power, and a first metric is based on the first measurement, the second measurement, and the first maximum uplink transmit power. The measurement manager 730 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for measuring the first reference signal from the first SSB using a second antenna port to obtain a third measurement associated with the second antenna port. The measurement manager 730 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for measuring the second reference signal from the second SSB using the second antenna port to obtain a fourth measurement associated with the second antenna port, the second antenna port having a second maximum uplink transmit power, and a second metric is based on the third measurement, the fourth measurement, and the second maximum uplink transmit power. The antenna port selection manager 735 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for switching from the first antenna port to the second antenna port for uplink communications based on the first metric and the second metric. The UL transmission manager 725 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for communicating with the network entity using the second antenna port.

FIG. 8 shows a block diagram 800 of a communications manager 820 that supports antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The communications manager 820 may be an example of aspects of a communications manager 620, a communications manager 720, or both, as described herein. The communications manager 820, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various aspects of antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications as described herein. For example, the communications manager 820 may include a UL transmission manager 825, a measurement manager 830, an antenna port selection manager 835, an MTPL manager 840, a threshold criteria manager 845, or any combination thereof. Each of these components may communicate, directly or indirectly, with one another (e.g., via one or more buses) .

The communications manager 820 may support wireless communications at a UE in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The UL transmission manager 825 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for communicating with a network entity using a first antenna port. The measurement manager 830 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for measuring a first reference signal from a first SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a first measurement associated with the first antenna port. In some examples, the measurement manager 830 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for measuring a second reference signal from a second SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a second measurement associated with the first antenna port, the first antenna port having a first maximum uplink transmit power, and a first metric is based on the first measurement, the second measurement, and the first maximum uplink transmit power. In some examples, the measurement manager 830 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for measuring the first reference signal from the first SSB using a second antenna port to obtain a third measurement associated with the second antenna port. In some examples, the measurement manager 830 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for measuring the second reference signal from the second SSB using the second antenna port to obtain a fourth measurement associated with the second antenna port, the second antenna port having a second maximum uplink transmit power, and a second metric is based on the third measurement, the fourth measurement, and the second maximum uplink transmit power. The antenna port selection manager 835 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for switching from the first antenna port to the second antenna port for uplink communications based on the first metric and the second metric. In some examples, the UL transmission manager 825 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for communicating with the network entity using the second antenna port.

In some examples, the antenna port selection manager 835 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for comparing the second measurement and the fourth measurement to a threshold criteria, and where the switching is responsive to at least one of the second measurement and the fourth measurement meeting the threshold criteria. In some examples, the threshold criteria is a threshold RSRP, the second measurement is a second RSRP associated with the second SSB, and the fourth measurement is a fourth RSRP associated with the second SSB, and where and the switching is responsive to the second RSRP and the fourth RSRP being greater than the threshold RSRP. In some examples, the threshold criteria corresponds to a difference from the first measurement associated with the first antenna port. In some examples, the threshold criteria corresponds to a difference from a highest measured reference signal received power associated with the first antenna port or the second antenna port. In some examples, the threshold criteria is based on a frequency range used for communications using the first antenna port or the second antenna port.

In some examples, the measurement manager 830 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for determining the first metric based on the first maximum uplink transmit power and an average of the first measurement and the third measurement. In some examples, the measurement manager 830 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for determining the second metric based on the second maximum uplink transmit power and an average of the second measurement and the fourth measurement. In some examples, the first metric and the second metric are based on a most recent measurement instance associated with the first antenna port and the second antenna port, or are based on a filtered value of two or more measurement instances associated with each of the first antenna port and the second antenna port. In some examples, the filtered value of the two or more measurement instances associated with each antenna port is an average measurement value of the two or more measurement instances associated with each antenna port, or a weighted average of the two or more measurement instances associated with each antenna port.

In some examples, the antenna port selection manager 835 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for determining that the second metric exceeds the first metric by a switching threshold value, and where the switching is performed responsive to the determining. In some examples, the antenna port selection manager 835 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for switching a downlink communications antenna port from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on the first measurement, the second measurement, the third measurement, and the fourth measurement.

In some examples, the MTPL manager 840 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for determining that the UE is in a power-limited mode in which a transmit power of the first antenna port is limited by the first maximum uplink transmit power and a transmit power of the second antenna port is limited by the second maximum uplink transmit power, and where the first metric and the second metric are determined responsive to the UE being in the power-limited mode.

FIG. 9 shows a diagram of a system 900 including a device 905 that supports antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 905 may be an example of or include the components of a device 605, a device 705, or a UE 115 as described herein. The device 905 may communicate (e.g., wirelessly) with one or more network entities 105, one or more UEs 115, or any combination thereof. The device 905 may include components for bi-directional voice and data communications including components for transmitting and receiving communications, such as a communications manager 920, an input/output (I/O) controller 910, a transceiver 915, an antenna 925, a memory 930, code 935, and a processor 940. These components may be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more buses (e.g., a bus 945) .

The I/O controller 910 may manage input and output signals for the device 905. The I/O controller 910 may also manage peripherals not integrated into the device 905. In some cases, the I/O controller 910 may represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral. In some cases, the I/O controller 910 may utilize an operating system such as

or another known operating system. Additionally or alternatively, the I/O controller 910 may represent or interact with a modem, a keyboard, a mouse, a touchscreen, or a similar device. In some cases, the I/O controller 910 may be implemented as part of a processor, such as the processor 940. In some cases, a user may interact with the device 905 via the I/O controller 910 or via hardware components controlled by the I/O controller 910.

In some cases, the device 905 may include a single antenna 925. However, in some other cases, the device 905 may have more than one antenna 925, which may be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. The transceiver 915 may communicate bi-directionally, via the one or more antennas 925, wired, or wireless links as described herein. For example, the transceiver 915 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 915 may also include a modem to modulate the packets, to provide the modulated packets to one or more antennas 925 for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the one or more antennas 925. The transceiver 915, or the transceiver 915 and one or more antennas 925, may be an example of a transmitter 615, a transmitter 715, a receiver 610, a receiver 710, or any combination thereof or component thereof, as described herein.

The memory 930 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM) . The memory 930 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 935 including instructions that, when executed by the processor 940, cause the device 905 to perform various functions described herein. The code 935 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or another type of memory. In some cases, the code 935 may not be directly executable by the processor 940 but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform functions described herein. In some cases, the memory 930 may contain, among other things, a basic I/O system (BIOS) which may control basic hardware or software operation such as the interaction with peripheral components or devices.

The processor 940 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof) . In some cases, the processor 940 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some other cases, a memory controller may be integrated into the processor 940. The processor 940 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 930) to cause the device 905 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications) . For example, the device 905 or a component of the device 905 may include a processor 940 and memory 930 coupled with or to the processor 940, the processor 940 and memory 930 configured to perform various functions described herein.

The communications manager 920 may support wireless communications at a UE in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 920 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for communicating with a network entity using a first antenna port. The communications manager 920 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for measuring a first reference signal from a first SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a first measurement associated with the first antenna port. The communications manager 920 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for measuring a second reference signal from a second SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a second measurement associated with the first antenna port, the first antenna port having a first maximum uplink transmit power, and a first metric is based on the first measurement, the second measurement, and the first maximum uplink transmit power. The communications manager 920 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for measuring the first reference signal from the first SSB using a second antenna port to obtain a third measurement associated with the second antenna port. The communications manager 920 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for measuring the second reference signal from the second SSB using the second antenna port to obtain a fourth measurement associated with the second antenna port, the second antenna port having a second maximum uplink transmit power, and a second metric is based on the third measurement, the fourth measurement, and the second maximum uplink transmit power. The communications manager 920 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for switching from the first antenna port to the second antenna port for uplink communications based on the first metric and the second metric. The communications manager 920 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for communicating with the network entity using the second antenna port.

By including or configuring the communications manager 920 in accordance with examples as described herein, the device 905 may support techniques for antenna switching based on metrics of multiple different reference signals, which may provide enhanced likelihood that uplink communications will have a robust SNR value at the network entity. may help to maintain uplink throughput and reduce uplink BLER spikes, reduce workload, and provide reduced power consumption and reduced latency.

In some examples, the communications manager 920 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, monitoring, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the transceiver 915, the one or more antennas 925, or any combination thereof. Although the communications manager 920 is illustrated as a separate component, in some examples, one or more functions described with reference to the communications manager 920 may be supported by or performed by the processor 940, the memory 930, the code 935, or any combination thereof. For example, the code 935 may include instructions executable by the processor 940 to cause the device 905 to perform various aspects of antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications as described herein, or the processor 940 and the memory 930 may be otherwise configured to perform or support such operations.

FIG. 10 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1000 that supports antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1000 may be implemented by a UE or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1000 may be performed by a UE 115 as described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 9. In some examples, a UE may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the UE may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.

At 1005, the method may include communicating with a network entity using a first antenna port. The operations of 1005 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1005 may be performed by a UL transmission manager 825 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1010, the method may include measuring a first reference signal from a first SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a first measurement associated with the first antenna port. The operations of 1010 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1010 may be performed by a measurement manager 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1015, the method may include measuring a second reference signal from a second SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a second measurement associated with the first antenna port, the first antenna port having a first maximum uplink transmit power, and a first metric is based on the first measurement, the second measurement, and the first maximum uplink transmit power. The operations of 1015 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1015 may be performed by a measurement manager 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1020, the method may include measuring the first reference signal from the first SSB using a second antenna port to obtain a third measurement associated with the second antenna port. The operations of 1020 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1020 may be performed by a measurement manager 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1025, the method may include measuring the second reference signal from the second SSB using the second antenna port to obtain a fourth measurement associated with the second antenna port, the second antenna port having a second maximum uplink transmit power, and a second metric is based on the third measurement, the fourth measurement, and the second maximum uplink transmit power. The operations of 1025 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1025 may be performed by a measurement manager 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1030, the method may include switching from the first antenna port to the second antenna port for uplink communications based on the first metric and the second metric. The operations of 1030 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1030 may be performed by an antenna port selection manager 835 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1035, the method may include communicating with the network entity using the second antenna port. The operations of 1035 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1035 may be performed by a UL transmission manager 825 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1100 that supports antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1100 may be implemented by a UE or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1100 may be performed by a UE 115 as described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 9. In some examples, a UE may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the UE may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.

At 1105, the method may include communicating with a network entity using a first antenna port. The operations of 1105 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1105 may be performed by a UL transmission manager 825 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1110, the method may include measuring a first reference signal from a first SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a first measurement associated with the first antenna port. The operations of 1110 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1110 may be performed by a measurement manager 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1115, the method may include measuring a second reference signal from a second SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a second measurement associated with the first antenna port, the first antenna port having a first maximum uplink transmit power, and a first metric is based on the first measurement, the second measurement, and the first maximum uplink transmit power. The operations of 1115 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1115 may be performed by a measurement manager 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1120, the method may include measuring the first reference signal from the first SSB using a second antenna port to obtain a third measurement associated with the second antenna port. The operations of 1120 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1120 may be performed by a measurement manager 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1125, the method may include measuring the second reference signal from the second SSB using the second antenna port to obtain a fourth measurement associated with the second antenna port, the second antenna port having a second maximum uplink transmit power, and a second metric is based on the third measurement, the fourth measurement, and the second maximum uplink transmit power. The operations of 1125 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1125 may be performed by a measurement manager 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1130, the method may include comparing the second measurement and the fourth measurement to a threshold criteria. The operations of 1130 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1130 may be performed by an antenna port selection manager 835 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1135, the method may include switching, responsive to at least one of the second measurement and the fourth measurement meeting the threshold criteria, from the first antenna port to the second antenna port for uplink communications based on the first metric and the second metric. The operations of 1135 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1135 may be performed by an antenna port selection manager 835 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1140, the method may include communicating with the network entity using the second antenna port. The operations of 1140 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1140 may be performed by a UL transmission manager 825 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

FIG. 12 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1200 that supports antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1200 may be implemented by a UE or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1200 may be performed by a UE 115 as described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 9. In some examples, a UE may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the UE may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.

At 1205, the method may include communicating with a network entity using a first antenna port. The operations of 1205 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1205 may be performed by a UL transmission manager 825 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1210, the method may include measuring a first reference signal from a first SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a first measurement associated with the first antenna port. The operations of 1210 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1210 may be performed by a measurement manager 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1215, the method may include measuring a second reference signal from a second SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a second measurement associated with the first antenna port, the first antenna port having a first maximum uplink transmit power, and a first metric is based on the first measurement, the second measurement, and the first maximum uplink transmit power. The operations of 1215 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1215 may be performed by a measurement manager 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1220, the method may include measuring the first reference signal from the first SSB using a second antenna port to obtain a third measurement associated with the second antenna port. The operations of 1220 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1220 may be performed by a measurement manager 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1225, the method may include measuring the second reference signal from the second SSB using the second antenna port to obtain a fourth measurement associated with the second antenna port, the second antenna port having a second maximum uplink transmit power, and a second metric is based on the third measurement, the fourth measurement, and the second maximum uplink transmit power. The operations of 1225 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1225 may be performed by a measurement manager 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1230, the method may include determining the first metric based on the first maximum uplink transmit power and an average of the first measurement and the third measurement. The operations of 1230 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1230 may be performed by a measurement manager 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1235, the method may include determining the second metric based on the second maximum uplink transmit power and an average of the second measurement and the fourth measurement. The operations of 1235 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1235 may be performed by a measurement manager 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1240, the method may include switching from the first antenna port to the second antenna port for uplink communications based on the first metric and the second metric. The operations of 1240 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1240 may be performed by an antenna port selection manager 835 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1245, the method may include communicating with the network entity using the second antenna port. The operations of 1245 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1245 may be performed by a UL transmission manager 825 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

FIG. 13 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1300 that supports antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1300 may be implemented by a UE or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1300 may be performed by a UE 115 as described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 9. In some examples, a UE may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the UE may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.

At 1305, the method may include communicating with a network entity using a first antenna port. The operations of 1305 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1305 may be performed by a UL transmission manager 825 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1310, the method may include measuring a first reference signal from a first SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a first measurement associated with the first antenna port. The operations of 1310 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1310 may be performed by a measurement manager 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1315, the method may include measuring a second reference signal from a second SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a second measurement associated with the first antenna port, the first antenna port having a first maximum uplink transmit power, and a first metric is based on the first measurement, the second measurement, and the first maximum uplink transmit power. The operations of 1315 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1315 may be performed by a measurement manager 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1320, the method may include measuring the first reference signal from the first SSB using a second antenna port to obtain a third measurement associated with the second antenna port. The operations of 1320 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1320 may be performed by a measurement manager 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1325, the method may include measuring the second reference signal from the second SSB using the second antenna port to obtain a fourth measurement associated with the second antenna port, the second antenna port having a second maximum uplink transmit power, and a second metric is based on the third measurement, the fourth measurement, and the second maximum uplink transmit power. The operations of 1325 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1325 may be performed by a measurement manager 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1330, the method may include determining that the second metric exceeds the first metric by a switching threshold value. The operations of 1330 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1330 may be performed by an antenna port selection manager 835 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1335, the method may include switching, responsive to the determining, from the first antenna port to the second antenna port for uplink communications based on the first metric and the second metric. The operations of 1335 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1335 may be performed by an antenna port selection manager 835 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1340, the method may include communicating with the network entity using the second antenna port. The operations of 1340 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1340 may be performed by a UL transmission manager 825 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

FIG. 14 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1400 that supports antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1400 may be implemented by a UE or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1400 may be performed by a UE 115 as described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 9. In some examples, a UE may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the UE may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.

At 1405, the method may include communicating with a network entity using a first antenna port. The operations of 1405 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1405 may be performed by a UL transmission manager 825 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1410, the method may include measuring a first reference signal from a first SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a first measurement associated with the first antenna port. The operations of 1410 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1410 may be performed by a measurement manager 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1415, the method may include measuring a second reference signal from a second SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a second measurement associated with the first antenna port, the first antenna port having a first maximum uplink transmit power, and a first metric is based on the first measurement, the second measurement, and the first maximum uplink transmit power. The operations of 1415 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1415 may be performed by a measurement manager 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1420, the method may include measuring the first reference signal from the first SSB using a second antenna port to obtain a third measurement associated with the second antenna port. The operations of 1420 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1420 may be performed by a measurement manager 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1425, the method may include measuring the second reference signal from the second SSB using the second antenna port to obtain a fourth measurement associated with the second antenna port, the second antenna port having a second maximum uplink transmit power, and a second metric is based on the third measurement, the fourth measurement, and the second maximum uplink transmit power. The operations of 1425 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1425 may be performed by a measurement manager 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1430, the method may include switching from the first antenna port to the second antenna port for uplink communications based on the first metric and the second metric. The operations of 1430 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1430 may be performed by an antenna port selection manager 835 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1435, the method may include communicating with the network entity using the second antenna port. The operations of 1435 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1435 may be performed by a UL transmission manager 825 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1440, the method may include switching a downlink communications antenna port from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based on the first measurement, the second measurement, the third measurement, and the fourth measurement. The operations of 1440 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1440 may be performed by an antenna port selection manager 835 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

FIG. 15 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1500 that supports antenna switching diversity techniques in wireless communications in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1500 may be implemented by a UE or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1500 may be performed by a UE 115 as described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 9. In some examples, a UE may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the UE may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.

At 1505, the method may include determining that the UE is in a power-limited mode in which a transmit power of a first antenna port is limited by a first maximum uplink transmit power and a transmit power of a second antenna port is limited by a second maximum uplink transmit power. The operations of 1505 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1505 may be performed by an MTPL manager 840 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1510, the method may include communicating with a network entity using the first antenna port. The operations of 1510 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1510 may be performed by a UL transmission manager 825 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1515, the method may include measuring a first reference signal from a first SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a first measurement associated with the first antenna port. The operations of 1515 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1515 may be performed by a measurement manager 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1520, the method may include measuring a second reference signal from a second SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a second measurement associated with the first antenna port, the first antenna port having the first maximum uplink transmit power, and a first metric is based on the first measurement, the second measurement, and the first maximum uplink transmit power. The operations of 1520 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1520 may be performed by a measurement manager 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1525, the method may include measuring the first reference signal from the first SSB using the second antenna port to obtain a third measurement associated with the second antenna port. The operations of 1525 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1525 may be performed by a measurement manager 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1530, the method may include measuring the second reference signal from the second SSB using the second antenna port to obtain a fourth measurement associated with the second antenna port, the second antenna port having the second maximum uplink transmit power, and a second metric is based on the third measurement, the fourth measurement, and the second maximum uplink transmit power. The operations of 1530 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1530 may be performed by a measurement manager 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8. In some cases, the first metric and the second metric are determined responsive to the UE being in the power-limited mode.

At 1535, the method may include switching from the first antenna port to the second antenna port for uplink communications based on the first metric and the second metric. The operations of 1535 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1535 may be performed by an antenna port selection manager 835 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

At 1540, the method may include communicating with the network entity using the second antenna port. The operations of 1540 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1540 may be performed by a UL transmission manager 825 as described with reference to FIG. 8.

The following provides an overview of aspects of the present disclosure:

Aspect 1: A method for wireless communications at a UE, comprising: communicating with a network entity using a first antenna port; measuring a first reference signal from a first synchronization signal block (SSB) using the first antenna port to obtain a first measurement associated with the first antenna port; measuring a second reference signal from a second SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a second measurement associated with the first antenna port, the first antenna port having a first maximum uplink transmit power, and a first metric is based at least in part on the first measurement, the second measurement, and the first maximum uplink transmit power; measuring the first reference signal from the first SSB using a second antenna port to obtain a third measurement associated with the second antenna port; measuring the second reference signal from the second SSB using the second antenna port to obtain a fourth measurement associated with the second antenna port, the second antenna port having a second maximum uplink transmit power, and a second metric is based at least in part on the third measurement, the fourth measurement, and the second maximum uplink transmit power; and switching from the first antenna port to the second antenna port for uplink communications based at least in part on the first metric and the second metric communicating with the network entity using the second antenna port.

Aspect 2: The method of aspect 1, further comprising: comparing the second measurement and the fourth measurement to a threshold criteria, and wherein the switching is responsive to at least one of the second measurement and the fourth measurement meeting the threshold criteria.

Aspect 3: The method of aspect 2, wherein the threshold criteria is a threshold reference signal received power (RSRP) , the second measurement is a second RSRP associated with the second SSB, and the fourth measurement is a fourth RSRP associated with the second SSB, and wherein and the switching is responsive to the second RSRP and the fourth RSRP being greater than the threshold RSRP.

Aspect 4: The method of any of aspects 2 through 3, wherein the threshold criteria corresponds to a difference from the first measurement associated with the first antenna port.

Aspect 5: The method of any of aspects 2 through 3, wherein the threshold criteria corresponds to a difference from a highest measured reference signal received power associated with the first antenna port or the second antenna port.

Aspect 6: The method of any of aspects 2 through 5, wherein the threshold criteria is based at least in part on a frequency range used for communications using the first antenna port or the second antenna port.

Aspect 7: The method of any of aspects 1 through 6, further comprising: determining the first metric based at least in part on the first maximum uplink transmit power and an average of the first measurement and the third measurement; and determining the second metric based at least in part on the second maximum uplink transmit power and an average of the second measurement and the fourth measurement.

Aspect 8: The method of any of aspects 1 through 7, wherein the first metric and the second metric are based at least in part on a most recent measurement instance associated with the first antenna port and the second antenna port, or are based at least in part on a filtered value of two or more measurement instances associated with each of the first antenna port and the second antenna port.

Aspect 9: The method of aspect 8, wherein the filtered value of the two or more measurement instances associated with each antenna port is an average measurement value of the two or more measurement instances associated with each antenna port, or a weighted average of the two or more measurement instances associated with each antenna port.

Aspect 10: The method of any of aspects 1 through 9, further comprising: determining that the second metric exceeds the first metric by a switching threshold value, and wherein the switching is performed responsive to the determining.

Aspect 11: The method of any of aspects 1 through 10, further comprising: switching a downlink communications antenna port from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based at least in part on the first measurement, the second measurement, the third measurement, and the fourth measurement.

Aspect 12: The method of any of aspects 1 through 11, further comprising: determining that the UE is in a power-limited mode in which a transmit power of the first antenna port is limited by the first maximum uplink transmit power and a transmit power of the second antenna port is limited by the second maximum uplink transmit power, and wherein the first metric and the second metric are determined responsive to the UE being in the power-limited mode.

Aspect 13: An apparatus for wireless communications at a UE, comprising a processor; memory coupled with the processor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to perform a method of any of aspects 1 through 12.

Aspect 14: An apparatus for wireless communications at a UE, comprising at least one means for performing a method of any of aspects 1 through 12.

Aspect 15: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications at a UE, the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to perform a method of any of aspects 1 through 12.

It should be noted that the methods described herein describe possible implementations, and that the operations and the steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified and that other implementations are possible. Further, aspects from two or more of the methods may be combined.

Although aspects of an LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR system may be described for purposes of example, and LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR terminology may be used in much of the description, the techniques described herein are applicable beyond LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR networks. For example, the described techniques may be applicable to various other wireless communications systems such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) , Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi) , IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX) , IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, as well as other systems and radio technologies not explicitly mentioned herein.

Information and signals described herein may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

The various illustrative blocks and components described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed using a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, a CPU, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor but, in the alternative, the processor may be any processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration) .

The functions described herein may be implemented using hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented using software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored as or transmitted using one or more instructions or code of a computer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of the disclosure and appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, functions described herein may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or combinations of any of these. Features implementing functions may also be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at different physical locations.

Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one location to another. A non-transitory storage medium may be any available medium that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM) , flash memory, compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that may be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL) , or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of computer-readable medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, include CD, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD) , floppy disk and Blu-ray disc. Disks may reproduce data magnetically, and discs may reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

As used herein, including in the claims, “or” as used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items prefaced by a phrase such as “at least one of” or “one or more of” ) indicates an inclusive list such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C) . Also, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shall not be construed as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an example step that is described as “based on condition A” may be based on both a condition A and a condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shall be construed in the same manner as the phrase “based at least in part on. ”

The term “determine” or “determining” encompasses a variety of actions and, therefore, “determining” can include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (such as via looking up in a table, a database or another data structure) , ascertaining and the like. Also, “determining” can include receiving (e.g., receiving information) , accessing (e.g., accessing data stored in memory) and the like. Also, “determining” can include resolving, obtaining, selecting, choosing, establishing, and other such similar actions.

In the appended figures, similar components or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If just the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label, or other subsequent reference label.

The description set forth herein, in connection with the appended drawings, describes example configurations and does not represent all the examples that may be implemented or that are within the scope of the claims. The term “example” used herein means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration, ” and not “preferred” or “advantageous over other examples. ” The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of the described techniques. These techniques, however, may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.

The description herein is provided to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

A method for wireless communications at a user equipment (UE) , comprising:

communicating with a network entity using a first antenna port;

measuring a first reference signal from a first synchronization signal block (SSB) using the first antenna port to obtain a first measurement associated with the first antenna port;

measuring a second reference signal from a second SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a second measurement associated with the first antenna port, the first antenna port having a first maximum uplink transmit power, and a first metric is based at least in part on the first measurement, the second measurement, and the first maximum uplink transmit power;

measuring the first reference signal from the first SSB using a second antenna port to obtain a third measurement associated with the second antenna port;

measuring the second reference signal from the second SSB using the second antenna port to obtain a fourth measurement associated with the second antenna port, the second antenna port having a second maximum uplink transmit power, and a second metric is based at least in part on the third measurement, the fourth measurement, and the second maximum uplink transmit power;

switching from the first antenna port to the second antenna port for uplink communications based at least in part on the first metric and the second metric; and

communicating with the network entity using the second antenna port.
The method of claim 1, further comprising:

comparing the second measurement and the fourth measurement to a threshold criteria, and wherein the switching is responsive to at least one of the second measurement and the fourth measurement meeting the threshold criteria.
The method of claim 2, wherein the threshold criteria is a threshold reference signal received power (RSRP) , the second measurement is a second RSRP associated with the second SSB, and the fourth measurement is a fourth RSRP associated with the second SSB, and wherein and the switching is responsive to the second RSRP and the fourth RSRP being greater than the threshold RSRP.
The method of claim 2, wherein the threshold criteria corresponds to a difference from the first measurement associated with the first antenna port.
The method of claim 2, wherein the threshold criteria corresponds to a difference from a highest measured reference signal received power associated with the first antenna port or the second antenna port.
The method of claim 2, wherein the threshold criteria is based at least in part on a frequency range used for communications using the first antenna port or the second antenna port.
The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining the first metric based at least in part on the first maximum uplink transmit power and an average of the first measurement and the third measurement; and

determining the second metric based at least in part on the second maximum uplink transmit power and an average of the second measurement and the fourth measurement.
The method of claim 1, wherein the first metric and the second metric are based at least in part on a most recent measurement instance associated with the first antenna port and the second antenna port, or are based at least in part on a filtered value of two or more measurement instances associated with each of the first antenna port and the second antenna port.
The method of claim 8, wherein the filtered value of the two or more measurement instances associated with each antenna port is an average measurement value of the two or more measurement instances associated with each antenna port, or a weighted average of the two or more measurement instances associated with each antenna port.
The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the second metric exceeds the first metric by a switching threshold value, and wherein the switching is performed responsive to the determining.
The method of claim 1, further comprising:

switching a downlink communications antenna port from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based at least in part on the first measurement, the second measurement, the third measurement, and the fourth measurement.
The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the UE is in a power-limited mode in which a transmit power of the first antenna port is limited by the first maximum uplink transmit power and a transmit power of the second antenna port is limited by the second maximum uplink transmit power, and wherein the first metric and the second metric are determined responsive to the UE being in the power-limited mode.
An apparatus for wireless communications at a user equipment (UE) , comprising:

a processor;

memory coupled with the processor; and

instructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:

communicate with a network entity using a first antenna port;

measure a first reference signal from a first synchronization signal block (SSB) using the first antenna port to obtain a first measurement associated with the first antenna port;

measure a second reference signal from a second SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a second measurement associated with the first antenna port, the first antenna port having a first maximum uplink transmit power, and a first metric is based at least in part on the first measurement, the second measurement, and the first maximum uplink transmit power;

measure the first reference signal from the first SSB using a second antenna port to obtain a third measurement associated with the second antenna port;

measure the second reference signal from the second SSB using the second antenna port to obtain a fourth measurement associated with the second antenna port, the second antenna port having a second maximum uplink transmit power, and a second metric is based at least in part on the third measurement, the fourth measurement, and the second maximum uplink transmit power;

switch from the first antenna port to the second antenna port for uplink communications based at least in part on the first metric and the second metric; and

communicate with the network entity using the second antenna port.
The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:

compare the second measurement and the fourth measurement to a threshold criteria, and wherein the switch from the first antenna port to the second antenna port is responsive to at least one of the second measurement and the fourth measurement meeting the threshold criteria.
The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the threshold criteria is a threshold reference signal received power (RSRP) , the second measurement is a second RSRP associated with the second SSB, and the fourth measurement is a fourth RSRP associated with the second SSB, and wherein and the switch from the first antenna port to the second antenna port is responsive to the second RSRP and the fourth RSRP being greater than the threshold RSRP.
The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the threshold criteria corresponds to a difference from the first measurement associated with the first antenna port.
The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the threshold criteria corresponds to a difference from a highest measured reference signal received power associated with the first antenna port or the second antenna port.
The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the threshold criteria is based at least in part on a frequency range used for communications using the first antenna port or the second antenna port.
The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:

determine the first metric based at least in part on the first maximum uplink transmit power and an average of the first measurement and the third measurement; and

determine the second metric based at least in part on the second maximum uplink transmit power and an average of the second measurement and the fourth measurement.
The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the first metric and the second metric are based at least in part on a most recent measurement instance associated with the first antenna port and the second antenna port, or are based at least in part on a filtered value of two or more measurement instances associated with each of the first antenna port and the second antenna port.
The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the filtered value of the two or more measurement instances associated with each antenna port is an average measurement value of the two or more measurement instances associated with each antenna port, or a weighted average of the two or more measurement instances associated with each antenna port.
The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:

determine that the second metric exceeds the first metric by a switching threshold value, and wherein the switch from the first antenna port to the second antenna port is performed responsive to the determination.
The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:

switch a downlink communications antenna port from the first antenna port to the second antenna port based at least in part on the first measurement, the second measurement, the third measurement, and the fourth measurement.
The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:

determine that the UE is in a power-limited mode in which a transmit power of the first antenna port is limited by the first maximum uplink transmit power and a transmit power of the second antenna port is limited by the second maximum uplink transmit power, and wherein the first metric and the second metric are determined responsive to the UE being in the power-limited mode.
An apparatus for wireless communications at a user equipment (UE) , comprising:

means for communicating with a network entity using a first antenna port;

means for measuring a first reference signal from a first synchronization signal block (SSB) using the first antenna port to obtain a first measurement associated with the first antenna port;

means for measuring a second reference signal from a second SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a second measurement associated with the first antenna port, the first antenna port having a first maximum uplink transmit power, and a first metric is based at least in part on the first measurement, the second measurement, and the first maximum uplink transmit power;

means for measuring the first reference signal from the first SSB using a second antenna port to obtain a third measurement associated with the second antenna port;

means for measuring the second reference signal from the second SSB using the second antenna port to obtain a fourth measurement associated with the second antenna port, the second antenna port having a second maximum uplink transmit power, and a second metric is based at least in part on the third measurement, the fourth measurement, and the second maximum uplink transmit power;

means for switching from the first antenna port to the second antenna port for uplink communications based at least in part on the first metric and the second metric; and

means for communicating with the network entity using the second antenna port.
The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising:

means for comparing the second measurement and the fourth measurement to a threshold criteria, and wherein the switch from the first antenna port to the second antenna port is responsive to at least one of the second measurement and the fourth measurement meeting the threshold criteria.
The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the threshold criteria is a threshold reference signal received power (RSRP) , the second measurement is a second RSRP associated with the second SSB, and the fourth measurement is a fourth RSRP associated with the second SSB, and wherein and the switch from the first antenna port to the second antenna port is responsive to the second RSRP and the fourth RSRP being greater than the threshold RSRP.
The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising:

means for determining the first metric based at least in part on the first maximum uplink transmit power and an average of the first measurement and the third measurement; and

means for determining the second metric based at least in part on the second maximum uplink transmit power and an average of the second measurement and the fourth measurement.
A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications at a user equipment (UE) , the code comprising instructions executable by a processor to:

communicate with a network entity using a first antenna port;

measure a first reference signal from a first synchronization signal block (SSB) using the first antenna port to obtain a first measurement associated with the first antenna port;

measure a second reference signal from a second SSB using the first antenna port to obtain a second measurement associated with the first antenna port, the first antenna port having a first maximum uplink transmit power, and a first metric is based at least in part on the first measurement, the second measurement, and the first maximum uplink transmit power;

measure the first reference signal from the first SSB using a second antenna port to obtain a third measurement associated with the second antenna port;

measure the second reference signal from the second SSB using the second antenna port to obtain a fourth measurement associated with the second antenna port, the second antenna port having a second maximum uplink transmit power, and a second metric is based at least in part on the third measurement, the fourth measurement, and the second maximum uplink transmit power;

switch from the first antenna port to the second antenna port for uplink communications based at least in part on the first metric and the second metric; and

communicate with the network entity using the second antenna port.
The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 29, wherein the instructions are further executable by the processor to:

compare the second measurement and the fourth measurement to a threshold criteria, and wherein the switch from the first antenna port to the second antenna port is responsive to at least one of the second measurement and the fourth measurement meeting the threshold criteria.