Procedures are disclosed to enable a wireless device to determine its alignment direction toward a base station or another device in 5G or 6G, using a “phased beam-alignment pulse”, which is a transmitted pulse having phase modulation that varies with angle. For example, the pulse may be transmitted spanning 360 degrees of angle, and may be phase modulated varying from 0 to 360 degrees of phase in the same angular range. A user device can receive the phased beam-alignment pulse and immediately determine, from the phase, the alignment angle toward the transmitter. In another embodiment, the transmitter transmits a uniform, non-directional pulse, and the receiver receives it using an antenna configured to impose an angle-dependent phase shift, thereby indicating the alignment direction. With either method, wireless entities can align their beams rapidly and efficiently, using just one or two resource elements, without complex encoding or time-consuming handshaking.

Procedures are disclosed to enable a wireless device to determine its alignment direction toward a base station or another device in 5G or 6G, using a “phased beam-alignment pulse”, which is a transmitted pulse having phase modulation that varies with angle. For example, the pulse may be transmitted spanning 360 degrees of angle, and may be phase modulated varying from 0 to 360 degrees of phase in the same angular range. A user device can receive the phased beam-alignment pulse and immediately determine, from the phase, the alignment angle toward the transmitter. In another embodiment, the transmitter transmits a uniform, non-directional pulse, and the receiver receives it using an antenna configured to impose an angle-dependent phase shift, thereby indicating the alignment direction. With either method, wireless entities can align their beams rapidly and efficiently, using just one or two resource elements, without complex encoding or time-consuming handshaking.

A computer system for angle of arrival estimation receives one or more snapshots from a circular array of antennas. The computer system processes the one or more snapshots for amplitude and/or phase-based direction finding using two cascaded algorithms. The first algorithm of the two cascaded algorithms is configured to identify a target subregion from which a signal arrives. The second algorithm of the two cascaded algorithms is configured to identify a direction of the signal within the target subregion.

A computer system for angle of arrival estimation receives one or more snapshots from a circular array of antennas. The computer system processes the one or more snapshots for amplitude and/or phase-based direction finding using two cascaded algorithms. The first algorithm of the two cascaded algorithms is configured to identify a target subregion from which a signal arrives. The second algorithm of the two cascaded algorithms is configured to identify a direction of the signal within the target subregion.

A system and method for determining an Angle of Arrival (AOA) for frequency modulated communications. The system may include first and second antennas spaced apart from each other by a distance, and configured to receive wireless communications in the form of a modulated signal. The system may determine a phase difference between the received signals based on one or more samples of a dedicated portion of the received signals, where one or more aspects of the dedicated portion is variable.

A system and method for determining an Angle of Arrival (AOA) for frequency modulated communications. The system may include first and second antennas spaced apart from each other by a distance, and configured to receive wireless communications in the form of a modulated signal. The system may determine a phase difference between the received signals based on one or more samples of a dedicated portion of the received signals, where one or more aspects of the dedicated portion is variable.

Procedures are disclosed to enable a wireless device to determine its alignment direction toward a base station or another device in 5G or 6G, using a “phased beam-alignment pulse”, which is a transmitted pulse having phase modulation that varies with angle. For example, the pulse may be transmitted spanning 360 degrees of angle, and may be phase modulated varying from 0 to 360 degrees of phase in the same angular range. A user device can receive the phased beam-alignment pulse and immediately determine, from the phase, the alignment angle toward the transmitter. In another embodiment, the transmitter transmits a uniform, non-directional pulse, and the receiver receives it using an antenna configured to impose an angle-dependent phase shift, thereby indicating the alignment direction. With either method, wireless entities can align their beams rapidly and efficiently, using just one or two resource elements, without complex encoding or time-consuming handshaking.

A system and method for determining an Angle of Arrival (AOA) for frequency modulated communications. The system may include first and second antennas spaced apart from each other by a distance, and configured to receive wireless communications in the form of a frequency modulated signal. The system may determine a phase difference between the received signals irrespective of the modulations in the signal, thereby facilitating determining an AOA.

A system and method for determining an Angle of Arrival (AOA) for frequency modulated communications. The system may include first and second antennas spaced apart from each other by a distance, and configured to receive wireless communications in the form of a frequency modulated signal. The system may determine a phase difference between the received signals irrespective of the modulations in the signal, thereby facilitating determining an AOA.

Beamforming is a critical element of 5G and especially 6G, but currently requires a series of time-consuming and resource-consuming messages. Disclosed are procedures by which base stations can transmit a phased beam pulse, having a phase that varies with angle, so that each user device can measure the received phase of the pulse and thereby determine its angle relative to the base station. Each user can then sequentially inform the base station of its orientation relative to the base station, or can append that information to another message such as an initial access message or an acknowledgement, for example. The user device and the base station can then exchange messages in narrow beams aimed at each other according to the alignment angle. Also disclosed are procedures to economically generate the wide-angle phased beam by combining overlapping beams of various phases.