Method for processing a reception beam and communication device thereof

Abstract

The application provides a receiving beam processing method and a communication device thereof. The communication device comprises a modem processor configured to perform the following operations: performing beam management to train a first receiving beam for receiving a physical downlink shared channel; receiving the physical downlink shared channel according to the first receiving beam; selecting at least one second receiving beam from at least one receiving beam candidate; determining at least one second performance indicator of the physical downlink shared channel corresponding to the at least one second receiving beam according to a cyclic test on the at least one second receiving beam during a second time duration; selecting a third receiving beam from the at least one second receiving beam according to the at least one second performance indicator; and receiving the physical downlink shared channel according to the third receiving beam.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates generally to mobile communications, and more particularly to a receiving beam processing method and communication apparatus for receiving Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH). Background Technology

[0002] Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS) plays a crucial role in 5G New Radio (NR). In 5G NR, CSI-RS is used for synchronization (e.g., time / frequency tracking), CSI calculation, Layer 1 Reference Symbol Received Power (L1-RSRP) calculation, and mobility. Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) and Tracking Reference Signal (TRS) are types of CSI-RS and are measured by the User Equipment (UE) to perform beam management. To compensate for path loss in 5G NR Frequency Range 2 (FR2) systems, the UE is equipped with multiple antennas in its antenna array. For downlink (DL) data reception, beam management can be used to perform channel estimation on the SSB or TRS and optimize the receiver (Rx) beam based on the spatial correlation matrix. However, in some cases, the beam management results are not optimal for PDSCH reception.

[0003] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a receiving beam processing method and its communication device to improve the receiving performance of PDSCH. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a receiving beam processing method and a communication device thereof to solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0005] This invention provides a communication apparatus for processing received beams, including a radio transceiver for transmitting or receiving wireless signals in a wireless network; and a modem processor coupled to the radio transceiver and configured to perform the following operations: performing beam management to train a first received beam for receiving a physical downlink shared channel; receiving the physical downlink shared channel based on the first received beam; if a first performance metric of the first received beam during a first duration is lower than a previous first performance metric of the first received beam during a previous first duration by a first threshold, selecting at least one second received beam from at least one received beam candidate based on a scenario; determining at least one second performance metric of the physical downlink shared channel corresponding to the at least one second received beam based on a cyclic test of the at least one second received beam during a second duration; selecting a third received beam from the at least one second received beam based on the at least one second performance metric; and receiving the physical downlink shared channel based on the third received beam.

[0006] This invention provides a method for processing a received beam in a communication device, comprising: performing beam management to train a first received beam for receiving a physical downlink shared channel; receiving the physical downlink shared channel according to the first received beam; if a first performance indicator of the first received beam during a first duration is lower than a previous first performance indicator of the first received beam during a previous first duration by a first threshold, then selecting at least one second received beam from at least one received beam candidate according to a scenario; determining at least one second performance indicator of the physical downlink shared channel corresponding to the at least one second received beam by performing cyclic testing on the at least one second received beam during a second duration; selecting a third received beam from the at least one second received beam according to the at least one second performance indicator; and receiving the physical downlink shared channel according to the third received beam.

[0007] The receiving beam processing method and communication device provided by this invention can improve the performance of physical downlink shared channel reception. Attached Figure Description

[0008] A fuller understanding of the invention can be achieved by referring to the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these drawings are not drawn to scale according to standard industry practice. In fact, the dimensions of elements in the drawings have been enlarged or reduced for clarity. This means that many specific details, relationships, and methods are disclosed to provide a complete understanding of the invention.

[0009] Figure 1 This is an example block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] Figure 2 This is an example block diagram of a modem according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a process according to an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0012] Certain terms are used in the specification and claims to refer to specific elements. Those skilled in the art will understand that hardware manufacturers may use different names to refer to the same element. This specification and claims do not distinguish elements by differences in name, but rather by differences in function. The term "comprising" as used throughout the specification and claims is an open-ended term and should be interpreted as "comprising but not limited to." Furthermore, the term "coupled" herein includes any direct and indirect electrical connection means. Therefore, if the text describes a first device coupled to a second device, it means that the first device can be directly electrically connected to the second device, or indirectly electrically connected to the second device through other devices or connection means.

[0013] The following description describes the preferred embodiments of the invention for the purpose of illustrating the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention. The scope of protection of the invention should be defined by the claims.

[0014] Figure 1This is a schematic block diagram of a communication device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The communication device 100 may be a portable electronic device, such as a mobile station (MS), which can be interchangeably referred to as user equipment (UE). The communication device 100 may include a radio transceiver 110, a modem 120, an application processor 130, a user identification card 140, a storage device 150, and at least one antenna 160. The radio transceiver 110 is configured to send and / or receive wireless signals to network devices in a wireless network via an antenna module, so as to communicate with the network devices through a communication link established between the communication device 100 and the network devices. The radio transceiver 110 may include a receiver 112 configured to receive wireless signals and a transmitter 111 configured to transmit wireless signals. The radio transceiver 110 is further configured to perform radio frequency (RF) signal processing. For example, receiver 112 can convert the received signal into an intermediate frequency (IF) or baseband signal for processing, or transmitter 111 can receive the IF or baseband signal from modem 120 and convert the received signal into a wireless signal to be transmitted to network devices in a wireless network or access network (e.g., a cellular network or wireless local access network). According to embodiments of the present invention, the network device may be a cell, Node B (NB), evolved Node B (eNB), g Node-B (gNB), base station, Mobility Management Entity (MME), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) device, etc., on the network side, communicating with communication device 100 via a communication link through wireless signals.

[0015] The transmitter 111 and receiver 112 of the radio transceiver 110 may include multiple hardware devices to perform RF conversion and RF signal processing. For example, the transmitter 111 and / or receiver 112 may include a power amplifier for amplifying the RF signal, a filter for filtering out unwanted portions of the RF signal, and / or a mixer for performing RF conversion. According to embodiments of the invention, the RF frequency may be, for example, a frequency of any specific band in an LTE system or a frequency of any specific band in a 5G NR system.

[0016] Modem 120 may be configured to handle corresponding communication protocol operations and process IF or baseband signals received from or to be transmitted to radio transceiver 110. Application processor 130 is configured to run the operating system of communication device 100 and run applications installed in communication device 100. In embodiments of the invention, modem 120 and application processor 130 may be designed as discrete chips coupled to some bus or hardware interface, or they may be integrated into a combined chip (i.e., system-on-chip (SoC)), and the invention is not limited thereto.

[0017] Subscriber identification card 140 may be a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM), a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) SIM (USIM), a Removable Subscriber Identity Module (R-UIM), or a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) SIM (CSIM) card, and typically contains user account information, International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI), and a set of SIM Application Toolkit (SAT) commands, and may provide storage space for phonebook contacts. Storage device 150 may be coupled to modem 120 and application processor 130 and may store system data or user data.

[0018] It should be noted that, in order to clarify the concept of this invention, Figure 1 A simplified block diagram is presented, showing only elements relevant to the present invention. For example, in some embodiments of the invention, the communication device may further include elements not shown in the diagram. Figure 1 The peripheral devices shown are illustrated. In another example, in some embodiments of the invention, the communication device may further include a central controller coupled to the modem 120 and the application processor 130. Therefore, the invention should not be limited to... Figure 1 The content shown.

[0019] In some embodiments of the present invention, the communication device can communicate via, for example... Figure 1 The single-card architecture shown supports multiple Radio Access Technology (RAT) communications. It should be noted that, although... Figure 1 This invention demonstrates single-card applications, but is not limited thereto. For example, in some embodiments of the invention, the communication device may include multiple user identification cards (SIM cards) to support multi-RAT communication in single-standby or multi-standby mode. In multi-RAT communication applications, modems, radio transceivers, and / or antenna modules may be shared by the SIM cards in accordance with the corresponding communication protocols, and may have the ability to handle the operation of different RATs and process corresponding RF, IF, or baseband signals.

[0020] Furthermore, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and alterations based on the above description without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention, to derive a communication device for supporting multi-RAT wireless communication, comprising multiple radio transceivers and / or multiple antenna modules. Therefore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the communication device can be designed to support multi-SIM applications in single-standby or multi-standby mode by making certain changes and modifications.

[0021] It should also be noted that the user identification card 140 can be a dedicated hardware card as described above, or in some embodiments of the present invention, it can be a virtual card, such as one burned into the internal storage device of the corresponding modem and capable of identifying the identity identifier, number, address, etc. of the communication device. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to... Figure 1 The content shown.

[0022] It should also be noted that, in some embodiments of the present invention, the communication device may also support multiple IMSIs.

[0023] Figure 2 This is a schematic block diagram of a modem 220 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The modem 220 may be... Figure 1 The modem 120 shown may include at least a baseband processing device 221 and a processor 222 (to distinguish it from...) Figure 1 The "application processor" shown (hereinafter referred to as the "modem processor"), internal storage device 223, and network interface card 224 are shown. Baseband processing device 221 can receive IF or baseband signals from radio transceiver 110 and perform IF or baseband signal processing. For example, baseband processing device 221 can convert intermediate frequency or baseband signals into multiple digital signals and process the digital signals, and vice versa. Baseband processing device 221 may include multiple hardware devices to perform signal processing, such as analog-to-digital converters for ADC conversion, digital-to-analog converters for DAC conversion, amplifiers for gain adjustment, modulators for signal modulation, demodulators for signal demodulation, encoders for signal encoding, decoders for signal decoding, and so on.

[0024] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the baseband processing device 221 may be designed to have the capability to process baseband signal processing operations for different RATs and to process corresponding intermediate frequency (IF) or baseband signals according to corresponding communication protocols, so as to support multi-RAT wireless communication. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the baseband processing device 221 may include a plurality of sub-units, each sub-unit being designed to have the capability to process baseband signal processing operations for one or more specific RATs and to process corresponding IF or baseband signals according to corresponding communication protocols, so as to support multi-RAT wireless communication. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to any particular implementation.

[0025] Modem processor 222 can control the operation of modem 220. According to one embodiment of the invention, modem processor 222 can be arranged to execute program code of corresponding software modules of modem 220. Modem processor 222 can maintain and execute separate tasks, threads, and / or protocol stacks for different software modules. In one embodiment, protocol stacks can be implemented to handle radio activities of a single RAT separately. However, it is also possible to implement more than one protocol stack to handle multiple radio activities of a single RAT simultaneously, or to implement only one protocol stack to handle radio activities of more than one RAT simultaneously, and the invention is not limited thereto.

[0026] The modem processor 222 can also read data from and write data to a user identification card (e.g., user identification card 140) coupled to the modem. Internal storage device 223 can store system data and user data for the modem 220. The modem processor 222 can also access internal storage device 223.

[0027] Network interface card 224 provides internet access for communication devices. It should be noted that, although... Figure 2 The network interface card 224 shown is configured inside the modem, but the invention is not limited thereto. In some embodiments of the invention, the communication device may also include a network interface card configured outside the modem, or the communication device may be coupled to an external network interface card to provide Internet access service. In some embodiments of the invention, the network interface card 224 may be a virtual network interface card created by the operating system of the communication device 100, rather than a physical network interface card. Therefore, the invention is not limited to any specific implementation method.

[0028] It should be noted that, in order to clarify the concept of this invention, Figure 2 A simplified block diagram is presented, showing only the elements relevant to the present invention. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to... Figure 2 The content shown.

[0029] It should also be noted that in some embodiments of the present invention, the modem 220 may further include more than one processor and / or more than one baseband processing device. For example, the modem 220 may include multiple processors and / or multiple baseband processing devices for supporting multiple RAT operations. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to... Figure 2 The content shown.

[0030] It should also be noted that, in some embodiments of the present invention, the baseband processing device 221 and the modem processor 222 may be integrated into a single processing unit, and the modem may include one or more such processing units to support multiple RAT operations. Therefore, the present invention should not be limited to... Figure 2 The content shown.

[0031] According to embodiments of the present invention, the modem processor 222 and the application processor 130 may include multiple logics designed to process one or more functions. The logics may be configured to execute program code of one or more software and / or firmware modules to perform corresponding operations. When performing corresponding operations by executing the corresponding programs, the logics may be considered as dedicated hardware devices or circuitry, such as dedicated processor subunits. Typically, the modem processor 222 may be configured to perform operations at relatively low protocol layers, while the application processor 130 may be configured to perform operations at relatively high protocol layers. Therefore, in some embodiments of the present invention, the application processor 130 may be considered as an upper-layer entity or upper-layer processing circuitry relative to the modem processor 222, while the modem processor 222 may be considered as a lower-layer entity or lower-layer processing circuitry relative to the application processor 130.

[0032] It should be noted that in 5G (fifth generation) New Radio (NR) Frequency Range 2 (FR2) systems, communication device 100 can perform beam management to optimize the receive (Rx) beam. However, in some cases, the beam management result is not optimal for PDSCH reception. For example, when the SSB and TRS use a single port. When subarray imbalance occurs, the Rx beam of the weaker subarray becomes unreliable. For example, using a single port for the SSB and TRS does not reflect the performance of Layer 2 PDSCH. For example, co-channel interference (CCI) on the SSB or TRS is not the same as that on the PDSCH. For example, in multipath scenarios, beamforming with one angle of arrival (AoA) provides better performance than beamforming with multiple AoAs. For example, a single antenna Rx beam (e.g., one vertical and one horizontal (1V1H)) provides better performance than a multi-antenna Rx beam (e.g., 4V4H).

[0033] Figure 3 This is an application of the present invention to a communication device (e.g., Figure 1 The flowchart illustrates process 30 in the communication device 100 shown, which processes the Rx beam received by the PDSCH. Process 30 includes the following steps:

[0034] Step S300: Begin.

[0035] Step S302: Perform beam management to train the first Rx beam for receiving PDSCH.

[0036] Step S304: Receive the PDSCH according to the first Rx beam.

[0037] Step S306: If the first performance index of the first Rx beam during the first duration is lower than the previous first performance index of the first Rx beam during the previous first duration by a first threshold, then select at least one second Rx beam from at least one Rx beam candidate according to the scenario.

[0038] Step S308: Based on the cyclic testing of at least one second Rx beam during the second duration, determine at least one second performance metric (e.g., bit error rate) of the PDSCH corresponding to at least one second Rx beam.

[0039] Step S310: Select a third Rx beam from at least one second Rx beam according to the at least one second performance index.

[0040] Step S312: Receive PDSCH according to the third Rx beam.

[0041] Step S314: End.

[0042] According to process 30, the communication device selects the Rx beam with better performance based on the Rx beam assumption test (i.e., steps S306, S308, and S310), and receives the PDSCH (e.g., 2-port data) based on the Rx beam with better performance. Therefore, the present invention can improve the performance of PDSCH reception (e.g., improve the PDSCH bit error rate).

[0043] The implementation of process 30 is not limited to the above description. Process 30 can be implemented using the following embodiments of the present invention.

[0044] In embodiments of the present invention, the at least one Rx beam candidate includes the last optimal Rx beam, at least one predetermined Rx beam, at least one Rx beam with different antenna combinations, at least one Rx beam with different antenna arrays, or at least one Rx beam for receiving a reference signal (RS). In one embodiment of the present invention, the at least one predetermined Rx beam includes at least one beambook-mapping Rx beam. In one embodiment of the present invention, the at least one Rx beam for receiving RS includes at least one Rx beam with a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) on the Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), Tracking Reference Signal (TRS), or Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS). In one embodiment of the present invention, the first duration is 1 second, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0045] In one embodiment of the invention, when dynamic congestion occurs in the communication device, the communication device selects at least one Rx beam with different antenna arrays from at least one Rx beam candidate. In one embodiment of the invention, when co-channel interference (CCI) exists on the PDSCH, the communication device selects at least one Rx beam for receiving RS from at least one Rx candidate beam. In one embodiment of the invention, when the mutual information (MI) of the DMRS contained in the PDSCH suddenly decreases, the communication device selects the last optimal Rx beam from at least one candidate Rx beam.

[0046] In an example of the present invention, the first performance indicator (e.g., a key performance indicator (KPI)) includes at least one of the bit error rate of the PDSCH corresponding to the first Rx beam, the SNR of the DMRS contained in the PDSCH corresponding to the first Rx beam, or the MI of the DMRS. The PDSCH corresponding to the first Rx beam may be the PDSCH received by the communication device based on (or through) the first Rx beam.

[0047] In an example of the present invention, the second performance indicator (e.g., a key performance indicator (KPI)) includes at least one of the bit error rate of the PDSCH corresponding to the second Rx beam, the SNR of the DMRS contained in the PDSCH corresponding to the second Rx beam, or the MI of the DMRS. The PDSCH corresponding to the second Rx beam may be the PDSCH received by the communication device based on (or through) the second Rx beam.

[0048] In one embodiment of the present invention, if a second performance index corresponding to a second receiving beam is better than a second performance index corresponding to other second receiving beams, the communication device selects the second Rx beam as a third Rx beam from at least one second Rx beam.

[0049] In summary, this invention provides a communication apparatus and method for processing Rx beams in PDSCH reception. The communication apparatus performs an Rx beam assumption test to select an Rx beam for PDSCH reception and receives the PDSCH based on the Rx beam. Therefore, this invention improves the performance of PDSCH reception.

[0050] In the several embodiments provided by this invention, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices, and methods can be implemented using other methods. The above-described device embodiments are merely exemplary; for example, the division of units is only a logical functional division, and other divisions may exist in actual implementation. For example, multiple units or elements may be combined or integrated into another system, or certain features may be omitted or not implemented. Furthermore, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be an indirect coupling or communication connection through some interfaces, devices, or units, and may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0051] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of the present invention can be integrated into a single processing unit, or each unit can exist physically independently, or two or more units can be integrated into a single unit. The aforementioned integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0052] While the invention has been described by way of exemplary means according to preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Various changes and modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention should be defined and protected by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A communication device for processing a received beam, comprising: A radio transceiver is used to send or receive wireless signals in a wireless network. as well as A modem processor, coupled to the radio transceiver, is configured to perform the following operations: Perform beam management to train the first receive beam for receiving the physical downlink shared channel; According to the first receiving beam, the physical downlink shared channel is received; If the first performance index of the first receiving beam during the first duration is lower than the previous first performance index of the first receiving beam during the previous first duration by a first threshold, then at least one second receiving beam is selected from at least one receiving beam candidate according to the scenario. Based on cyclic testing of at least one second received beam during the second duration, at least one second performance metric of the physical downlink shared channel corresponding to the at least one second received beam is determined. Based on the at least one second performance indicator, a third receiving beam is selected from the at least one second receiving beam; as well as According to the third receiving beam, the physical downlink shared channel is received.

2. The communication apparatus for processing received beams as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The at least one candidate receive beam includes the last optimal receive beam, at least one predetermined receive beam, at least one receive beam with different antenna combinations, at least one receive beam with different antenna arrays, or at least one receive beam for receiving a reference signal.

3. The communication apparatus for processing received beams as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The step of selecting the at least one second receiving beam from the at least one receiving beam candidate according to the scenario includes: When the communication device experiences dynamic congestion, at least one receiving beam with a different antenna array is selected from the at least one receiving beam candidate.

4. The communication apparatus for processing received beams as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The step of selecting the at least one second receiving beam from the at least one receiving beam candidate according to the scenario includes: When the physical downlink shared channel exists, the at least one receive beam is selected from the at least one receive candidate beam for receiving the reference signal.

5. The communication apparatus for processing received beams as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The step of selecting the at least one second receiving beam from the at least one receiving beam candidate according to the scenario includes: When the mutual information of the demodulation reference signal contained in the physical downlink shared channel suddenly decreases, the last optimal receive beam is selected from the at least one candidate receive beam.

6. The communication apparatus for processing received beams as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The first performance metric includes at least one of the following: the bit error rate of the physical downlink shared channel corresponding to the first received beam, the signal-to-noise ratio of the demodulated reference signal contained in the physical downlink shared channel corresponding to the first received beam, or the mutual information of the demodulated reference signal.

7. The communication apparatus for processing received beams as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The second performance metric includes at least one of the following: the bit error rate of the physical downlink shared channel corresponding to the second receive beam, the signal-to-noise ratio of the demodulated reference signal contained in the physical downlink shared channel corresponding to the second receive beam, or the mutual information of the demodulated reference signal.

8. The communication apparatus for processing received beams as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, If the second performance index corresponding to the third receiving beam is better than the second performance index corresponding to other second receiving beams, then the communication device selects the third receiving beam from the at least one second receiving beam.

9. A method for processing a received beam, used in a communication device, comprising: Perform beam management to train the first receive beam for receiving the physical downlink shared channel; According to the first receiving beam, the physical downlink shared channel is received; If the first performance index of the first receiving beam during the first duration is lower than the previous first performance index of the first receiving beam during the previous first duration by a first threshold, then at least one second receiving beam is selected from at least one receiving beam candidate according to the scenario. Based on cyclic testing of at least one second received beam during the second duration, at least one second performance metric of the physical downlink shared channel corresponding to the at least one second received beam is determined. Based on the at least one second performance indicator, a third receiving beam is selected from the at least one second receiving beam; as well as According to the third receiving beam, the physical downlink shared channel is received.

10. The method for processing the received beam as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The at least one candidate receive beam includes the last optimal receive beam, at least one predetermined receive beam, at least one receive beam with different antenna combinations, at least one receive beam with different antenna arrays, or at least one receive beam for receiving a reference signal.

11. The method for processing the received beam as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The step of selecting the at least one second receiving beam from the at least one receiving beam candidate according to the scenario includes: When the communication device experiences dynamic congestion, at least one receiving beam with a different antenna array is selected from the at least one receiving beam candidate.

12. The method for processing the received beam as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The step of selecting the at least one second receiving beam from the at least one receiving beam candidate according to the scenario includes: When the physical downlink shared channel exists, the at least one receive beam is selected from the at least one receive candidate beam for receiving the reference signal.

13. The method for processing the received beam as described in claim 10, characterized in that, The step of selecting the at least one second receiving beam from the at least one receiving beam candidate according to the scenario includes: When the mutual information of the demodulation reference signal contained in the physical downlink shared channel suddenly decreases, the last optimal receive beam is selected from the at least one candidate receive beam.

14. The method for processing the received beam as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The first performance metric includes at least one of the following: the bit error rate of the physical downlink shared channel corresponding to the first received beam, the signal-to-noise ratio of the demodulated reference signal contained in the physical downlink shared channel corresponding to the first received beam, or the mutual information of the demodulated reference signal.

15. The method for processing the received beam as described in claim 9, characterized in that, The second performance metric includes at least one of the following: the bit error rate of the physical downlink shared channel corresponding to the second receive beam, the signal-to-noise ratio of the demodulated reference signal contained in the physical downlink shared channel corresponding to the second receive beam, or the mutual information of the demodulated reference signal.

16. The method for processing the received beam as described in claim 9, characterized in that, If the second performance index corresponding to the third receiving beam is better than the second performance index corresponding to other second receiving beams, then the communication device selects the third receiving beam from the at least one second receiving beam.

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