# US 12,191,973 B2 · Repeater-based architecture for intelligent reflective surface deployment > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,191,973 B2 - Document ID: US12191973B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 17/461,566 - Filed: 2021-08-30 - Published: 2023-03-02 - Granted: 2025-01-07 - Earliest claimed: 2021-08-30 - Assignees: QUALCOMM Incorporated - Applicants: QUALCOMM Incorporated - Inventors: Mehmet Izzet Gurelli; Qiang Wu; Junyi Li; Raju Hormis; Tao Luo; Navid Abedini; Ozge Koymen; Farideddin Fayazbakhsh - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12191973B2 ## CPC - H04B 7/155: Ground-based stations (H04B7/204 takes precedence) - H04B 7/15514: {for shadowing compensation (for satellite mobile telephony service systems H04B7/18536)} - H01Q 15/148: {with means for varying the reflecting properties (H01Q15/147 takes precedence)} - H04B 7/04013: {Intelligent reflective surfaces} - H04B 7/0617: {for beam forming} - H04B 7/15528: {Control of operation parameters of a relay station to exploit the physical medium} - H04B 7/1555: {Selecting relay station antenna mode, e.g. selecting omnidirectional -, directional beams, selecting polarizations} - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H01Q: ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS (radiators or antennas for microwave heating H05B6/72) ## Abstract A node including an RU and a control entity is disclosed. The node may receive, from a base station at a control entity of the node, an indication of at least one obstruction for communication via at least one reflective surface. The indication may indicate to the control entity to utilize an RU of the node and the at least one reflective surface for communication. The node may configure, upon receiving the indication of the at least one obstruction, the RU and the at least one reflective surface for communication with the base station. The node may forward communication received from, or forward communication to, the base station via the RU and the at least one reflective surface based on the at least one obstruction for communication. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus for wireless communication at a base station, comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and configured to: detect at least one obstruction for communication via at least one reflective surface, the at least one reflective surface being associated with a node, the node including a repeater unit (RU) and a control entity; transmit, to the control entity of the node, an indication of the at least one obstruction for communication via the at least one reflective surface, the indication indicating to the control entity to utilize the RU and the at least one reflective surface for communication, the RU being separate from the at least one reflective surface; and transmit, to one or more user equipments (UEs) based on the at least one obstruction for communication, a first communication via the RU for repeating the first communication to the at least one reflective surface, or receive, from the one or more UEs based on the at least one obstruction for communication, a repeated second communication via the RU and the at least one reflective surface based on the at least one obstruction for communication. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one obstruction for communication is associated with an absence of a line-of-sight between the base station and the at least one reflective surface. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein no obstruction for communication exists between the base station and the node. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein no obstruction for communication exists between the node and the at least one reflective surface. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the indication configures the node to control the at least one reflective surface for communication with the base station via the RU or with the one or more UEs. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the indication configures the control entity of the node to control the RU, the RU is associated with one or more fixed beams toward the base station, and an activation state of the one or more fixed beams is based on the indication. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the indication configures the control entity of the node to control the RU, the RU is associated with one or more steerable beams toward the base station, and at least one of an activation state or a direction of the one or more steerable beams is based on the indication. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the indication configures the control entity of the node to control the RU, the RU is associated with one or more fixed beams toward the at least one reflective surface, and an activation state of the one or more fixed beams is based on the indication. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the indication configures the control entity of the node to control the RU, the RU is associated with one or more steerable beams toward the at least one reflective surface, and at least one of an activation state or a direction of the one or more steerable beams is based on the indication. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein based on the indication, a transmit power of at least one transmit beam of the RU toward the at least one reflective surface is below a predefined threshold. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a transceiver coupled to the at least one processor. ### Claim 12 A method of wireless communication at a base station, comprising: detecting at least one obstruction for communication via at least one reflective surface, the at least one reflective surface being associated with a node, the node including a repeater unit (RU) and a control entity; transmitting, to the control entity of the node, an indication of the at least one obstruction for communication via the at least one reflective surface, the indication indicating to the control entity to utilize the RU and the at least one reflective surface for communication, the RU being separate from the at least one reflective surface; and transmitting, to one or more user equipments (UEs) based on the at least one obstruction for communication, a first communication via the RU for repeating the first communication to the at least one reflective surface, or receiving, from the one or more UEs based on the at least one obstruction for communication, a repeated second communication via the RU and the at least one reflective surface based on the at least one obstruction for communication. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein the at least one obstruction for communication is associated with an absence of a line-of-sight between the base station and the at least one reflective surface. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein no obstruction for communication exists between the base station and the node. ### Claim 15 (depends on 12) The method of claim 12, wherein no obstruction for communication exists between the node and the at least one reflective surface. ### Claim 16 An apparatus for wireless communication at a node, comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and configured to: receive, from a base station at a control entity of the node, an indication of at least one obstruction for communication via at least one reflective surface, the indication indicating to the control entity to utilize a repeater unit (RU) of the node and the at least one reflective surface for communication; configure, upon receiving the indication of the at least one obstruction, the RU and the at least one reflective surface for communication with the base station, the RU being separate from the at least one reflective surface; and forward a first communication received from the base station to the at least one reflective surface via the RU for repeating the first communication to the at least one reflective surface based on the at least one obstruction for communication, or forward a second communication received from the at least one reflective surface and repeated by the RU to the base station based on the at least one obstruction for communication. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the at least one obstruction for communication is associated with an absence of a line-of-sight between the base station and the at least one reflective surface. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The apparatus of claim 16, wherein no obstruction for communication exists between the base station and the node. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The apparatus of claim 16, wherein no obstruction for communication exists between the node and the at least one reflective surface. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) The apparatus of claim 16, the at least one processor being further configured to: control, based on the indication, the at least one reflective surface for communication with the base station via the RU or with one or more user equipments (UEs). ### Claim 21 (depends on 16) The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the RU is associated with one or more beams toward the base station or the at least one reflective surface, each of the one or more beams being fixed or steerable. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the control entity of the node controls the RU based on the indication. ### Claim 23 (depends on 21) The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the control entity controls at least one of an activation state or a direction of the one or more beams associated with the RU. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the control entity controls the at least one of the activation state or the direction of the one or more beams associated with the RU based on the indication. ### Claim 25 (depends on 16) The apparatus of claim 16, wherein a transmit power of at least one transmit beam of the RU toward the at least one reflective surface is below a predefined threshold. ### Claim 26 (depends on 16) The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising a transceiver coupled to the at least one processor. ### Claim 27 A method of wireless communication at a node, comprising: receiving, from a base station at a control entity of the node, an indication of at least one obstruction for communication via at least one reflective surface, the indication indicating to the control entity to utilize a repeater unit (RU) of the node and the at least one reflective surface for communication; configuring, upon receiving the indication of the at least one obstruction, the RU and the at least one reflective surface for communication with the base station, the RU being separate from the at least one reflective surface; and forwarding a first communication received from the base station to the at least one reflective surface via the RU for repeating the first communication to the at least one reflective surface based on the at least one obstruction for communication, or forwarding a second communication received from the at least one reflective surface and repeated by the RU to the base station based on the at least one obstruction for communication. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) The method of claim 27, wherein the at least one obstruction for communication is associated with an absence of a line-of-sight between the base station and the at least one reflective surface. ### Claim 29 (depends on 27) The method of claim 27, wherein no obstruction for communication exists between the base station and the node. ### Claim 30 (depends on 27) The method of claim 27, wherein no obstruction for communication exists between the node and the at least one reflective surface.