Method and system for calibrating modular antenna arrays

A device, comprising:

• a processing system including a processor;
• and
• a memory that stores executable instructions that, when executed by the processing system, facilitate performance of operations, the operations comprising:
• causing a reference antenna element of a first plurality of antenna elements of a first modular antenna panel to transmit a first signal;
• deriving, for each antenna element of a second plurality of antenna elements of a second modular antenna panel, a respective receive-related phase offset, relative to the reference antenna element, based on inter-element propagation delays between the first plurality of antenna elements and the second plurality of antenna elements, resulting in a plurality of respective receive-related phase offsets;
• causing each antenna element of the second plurality of antenna elements to transmit a respective second signal, resulting in a plurality of second signals;
• responsive to the reference antenna element receiving the plurality of second signals, determining a respective transmit-related phase offset for each antenna element of the second plurality of antenna elements, relative to the reference antenna element, based on the inter-element propagation delays between the first plurality of antenna elements and the second plurality of antenna elements, resulting in a plurality of respective transmit-related phase offsets;
• and
• calibrating the first modular antenna panel with the second modular antenna panel based on the plurality of respective receive-related phase offsets and the plurality of respective transmit-related phase offsets.

A method, comprising:

• causing, by a processing system including a processor, a reference antenna element of a first set of antenna elements of a first modular antenna array to transmit a first reference signal;
• determining, by the processing system, for each antenna element of a second set of antenna elements of a second modular antenna array, a respective receive-related offset, relative to the reference antenna element, based on inter-element propagation delays between the first set of antenna elements and the second set of antenna elements, resulting in a plurality of respective receive-related offsets;
• causing, by the processing system, each antenna element of the second set of antenna elements to transmit a respective second reference signal, resulting in a plurality of second reference signals;
• based on the reference antenna element receiving the plurality of second reference signals, calculating, by the processing system, a respective transmit-related offset for each antenna element of the second set of antenna elements relative to the reference antenna element based on the inter-element propagation delays between the first set of antenna elements and the second set of antenna elements, resulting in a plurality of respective transmit-related offsets;
• and
• performing, by the processing system, a calibration between the first modular antenna array with the second modular antenna array based on the plurality of respective receive-related offsets and the plurality of respective transmit-related offsets.