Beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption

Abstract

The present invention relates to a beamforming method for finding an optimal communication environment for wireless communication. According to the present invention, provided is a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption wherein, in order to solve the problems of conventional beamforming methods which had the limitation that signal loss, delay, and high power consumption generally occurred during beam switching and beamforming operations, thereby causing catastrophic errors in vehicle communication using millimeter waves, the beamforming method is configured so that a current beam is maintained in an ON state until an optimal beam is found during beam switching, beamforming is performed after increasing the beam width before performing a beamforming operation, and beamforming is performed by appropriately changing the priorities of a beamforming operation and a beam switching operation between a transmitter and a receiver according to power consumption, thereby preventing signal loss that occurs during beam switching and beamforming and improving the safety of vehicle operation, and at the same time reducing the power consumption for vehicle communication, thereby increasing the efficiency of various battery-operated vehicles and mobile devices, such as electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles, and pedestrian mobility devices in vehicle-to-pedestrian (V2P) communication, as well as infrastructure for same.

Description

Beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption

[0001] The invention relates to a beamforming method for finding an optimal communication environment in wireless communication, and more specifically, to a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption configured to prevent signal loss and reduce power consumption during beam switching and beamforming operations, in order to solve the problems of conventional beamforming methods, which had limitations such as signal loss and delay occurring during beam switching and beamforming operations for beamforming in communication systems using millimeter waves, such as, for example, automotive communication, which could cause critical errors in automotive communication, and in addition, power consumption for beam switching and beamforming operations increasing as the communication environment deteriorates.

[0002] In addition, the present invention relates to a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption, which is configured to effectively prevent signal loss occurring during beam switching and beamforming, thereby improving the safety of vehicle operation. This is achieved by solving the problems of conventional beamforming methods, which, as described above, require beamforming technology supporting NLoS (Non-Line of Sight) as millimeter waves with Line of Sight (LoS) characteristics are used to enable broadband transmission in automotive communication, and which have limitations such as causing signal loss, delay, and high power consumption during beam switching and beamforming operations, which can lead to fatal errors in automotive communication. The method is configured to maintain the current beam in an ON state until the optimal beam is found during beam switching, and to increase the beam width before performing beamforming operations and then perform beamforming.

[0003] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption, configured such that, in addition to preventing signal loss during beam switching and beamforming as described above, the beamforming operation is performed preferentially over the beam switching operation in consideration of power consumption, and during the beamforming operation, the transmitter with high power consumption performs the beamforming operation preferentially and the receiver performs the beamforming operation later, and during the beam switching operation, the receiver with low power consumption performs the beam switching operation preferentially and the transmitter performs the beam switching operation later, thereby preventing signal loss during beam switching and beamforming to improve the safety of vehicle operation, and at the same time, reducing power consumption for automotive communication to increase the efficiency of various battery-operated vehicles and mobility devices, such as electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles, and pedestrian mobility devices in Vehicle-to-Pedestrian (V2P) communication, as well as the infrastructure for them.

[0004]

[0005] Recently, with the advancement of IT technology, autonomous driving functions are being introduced into automobiles, and these autonomous driving functions are performed based on safety information and surrounding perception information collected through high-precision maps, automotive communications, and various sensors installed in the vehicle.

[0006] Furthermore, in automotive communication technology, safety information must be processed with the utmost priority to ensure safe driving; in particular, there is a risk that even slight signal loss during the transmission and processing of large volumes of information can be directly or indirectly linked to accidents.

[0007] Here, automotive communication generally uses millimeter waves capable of broadband transmission, but since these millimeter waves have Line of Sight (LoS) characteristics, beamforming technology that supports Non-Line of Sight (NLoS) is essential.

[0008] Furthermore, since signal loss during the transmission and reception of safety information data can cause critical errors in vehicle communication and operation, signal loss must not occur during beamforming to overcome NLoS as mentioned above.

[0009] Furthermore, since devices performing automotive communication, such as electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles, and pedestrian mobility devices in Vehicle-to-Pedestrian (V2P) communication, are mostly battery-based, it is required to minimize the power consumed for communication as much as possible.

[0010] Here, for example, as presented in Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-2290591 “Switched beamforming antenna device for millimeter wave band wireless communication” and Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-2067114 “Deep learning-based beam tracking and prediction method and system for millimeter communication”, various devices and methods for beamforming for millimeter wave band wireless communication have been presented in the prior art.

[0011] However, the aforementioned conventional technologies had limitations in that they only presented technologies capable of improving signal transmission and reception performance or accuracy, but failed to present technologies capable of preventing signal loss during beam switching and beamforming while simultaneously reducing power consumption for automotive communication.

[0012] Therefore, in order to overcome the limitations of the conventional technology described above, it is desirable to propose a new beamforming method configured to prevent signal loss during beam switching and beamforming to improve the safety of vehicle operation, while simultaneously reducing power consumption for automotive communication to increase the efficiency of various battery-operated vehicles, mobile devices, and the infrastructure supporting them; however, a device or method that satisfies all such requirements has not yet been presented.

[0013]

[0014] The present invention aims to solve the problems of the prior art as described above. Accordingly, the objective of the present invention is to provide a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption, configured to prevent signal loss and reduce power consumption during beam switching and beamforming operations, in order to solve the problems of prior art beamforming methods, which had limitations such as signal loss and delay occurring during beam switching and beamforming operations for beamforming in communication systems using millimeter waves, such as automotive communication, which could lead to critical errors in automotive communication, and in addition, power consumption for beam switching and beamforming operations increasing as the communication environment deteriorates.

[0015] In addition, another objective of the present invention is to provide a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption, which is configured to effectively prevent signal loss occurring during beam switching and beamforming, thereby improving the safety of vehicle operation. This is achieved by solving the problems of conventional beamforming methods, which, as described above, generally require beamforming technology supporting NLoS (Non-Line of Sight) because millimeter waves with Line of Sight (LoS) characteristics are used to enable broadband transmission in automotive communication, and thus have limitations that can cause fatal errors in automotive communication due to signal loss, delay, and high power consumption during beam switching and beamforming operations. The method is configured to maintain the current beam in an ON state until the optimal beam is found during beam switching, and to increase the beam width before performing beamforming operations and then perform beamforming.

[0016] Furthermore, another objective of the present invention is to provide a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption, which, in addition to preventing signal loss during beam switching and beamforming as described above, is configured to prioritize beamforming operations over beam switching operations in consideration of power consumption, such that during beamforming operations, the transmitter with high power consumption performs the beamforming operation first and the receiver performs the beamforming operation later, and during beam switching operations, the receiver with low power consumption performs the beam switching operation first and the transmitter performs the beam switching operation later. By doing so, the method is configured to prevent signal loss during beam switching and beamforming, thereby improving the safety of vehicle operation, and simultaneously reducing power consumption for automotive communication, thereby increasing the efficiency of various battery-operated vehicles and mobility devices, such as electric vehicles, autonomous vehicles, and pedestrian mobility devices in Vehicle-to-Pedestrian (V2P) communication, as well as the infrastructure supporting them.

[0017]

[0018] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, according to the present invention, a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption is provided, comprising: a judgment step in which a process is performed to determine whether beam switching or beam forming is required by monitoring transmitted and received signals; a beam switching step in which a process is performed to execute a beam switching operation if it is determined that beam switching is required based on the judgment result of the judgment step; and a beam forming step in which a process is performed to execute a beam forming operation if it is determined that beam forming is required based on the judgment result of the judgment step.

[0019] Here, the beam switching step is characterized by being configured such that, during beam switching, the beam of the current sector is kept in the ON state while sequentially changing to a beam in a different direction to find the beam with the best signal quality, and when a beam to be switched is found, the current beam is turned OFF and a process is performed to change to that beam.

[0020] In addition, the beam switching step is characterized by being configured to perform a process that controls the beam switching operation to be performed preferentially by a receiver with lower power consumption than a transmitter during the beam switching operation, and then controls the beam switching operation to be performed preferentially by a vehicle or infrastructure, and subsequently by a battery-operated device.

[0021] In addition, the beamforming step is characterized by being configured to control the beamforming operation by increasing the current beam width according to a predetermined setting before performing the beamforming operation so that signal transmission and reception are possible regardless of which direction the beam direction is changed, and then performing the beamforming operation, and to perform a process of returning to the original beam width after performing the beamforming operation to terminate the beamforming operation.

[0022] Here, the beamforming step is characterized by being configured such that, prior to performing the beamforming operation, the current beam width is increased according to a predetermined setting, while the beamforming operation is performed at a signal level greater than the original signal level.

[0023] Furthermore, the beamforming step is characterized by being configured to perform a process that controls the beamforming operation to be performed preferentially in a transmitter with relatively high power consumption compared to a receiver, and then controls the beamforming operation to be performed preferentially in a battery-operated device or vehicle, and subsequently in the infrastructure.

[0024] In addition, the above method is characterized by being configured to automatically perform a process of determining and executing the priority of beam switching operations and beam forming operations according to the channel environment or predetermined settings when performing beam forming operations by using a pre-trained artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm including deep learning, machine learning, or artificial neural networks (ANN).

[0025] In addition, the above method is characterized by being configured to automatically perform processing to maintain an optimal channel environment through AV resolution adjustment and PHY (modulation level, bandwidth, coding rate) adjustment, in addition to determining and executing the priority of beam switching and beamforming operations based on artificial intelligence according to the channel environment or predetermined settings.

[0026] Furthermore, according to the present invention, a communication system is provided characterized by being configured to perform beam switching and beam forming operations using the beam forming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption described above.

[0027] In addition, according to the present invention, a vehicle is provided characterized by comprising an automotive communication device configured to perform beam switching and beam forming operations using a beam forming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption described above.

[0028] In addition, according to the present invention, an infrastructure facility is provided that comprises an automotive communication device configured to perform beam switching and beam forming operations using the beam forming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption described above.

[0029]

[0030] As described above, according to the present invention, a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption is provided, wherein the current beam is kept in an On state until an optimal beam is found during beam switching, and beam width is increased before performing beamforming, and additionally, beamforming is performed preferentially over beam switching in consideration of power consumption, and during beamforming, the transmitter with high power consumption performs the beamforming operation preferentially and the receiver performs the beamforming operation later, and during beam switching, the receiver with low power consumption performs the beam switching operation preferentially and the transmitter performs the beam switching operation later. By effectively preventing signal loss occurring during beam switching and beamforming, the safety of vehicle operation can be improved, and at the same time, power consumption for automotive communication is reduced, thereby increasing the efficiency of various battery-operated vehicles, mobile devices, and infrastructure for them.

[0031] In addition, according to the present invention, a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption is provided, configured to prevent signal loss occurring during beam switching and beamforming as described above and to reduce power consumption. This solves the problems of conventional beamforming methods, which had limitations such as signal loss and delay occurring during beam switching and beamforming operations for beamforming in communication systems using millimeter waves, such as automotive communication, which could cause fatal errors in automotive communication, and increased power consumption for beam switching and beamforming operations as the communication environment deteriorated.

[0032] In addition, according to the present invention, a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption is provided, configured to prevent signal loss occurring during beam switching and beamforming as described above and to reduce power consumption. This solves the problems of conventional beamforming methods, which, in general, required beamforming technology supporting NLoS because millimeter waves with LoS characteristics were used to enable broadband transmission in automotive communication, and which had limitations that could cause fatal errors in automotive communication due to signal loss, delay, and high power consumption during beam switching and beamforming operations.

[0033]

[0034] Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram schematically illustrating the overall concept of beamforming operations including beam switching and beam forming.

[0035] Figure 2 is a conceptual diagram schematically illustrating the operation of the beamforming process.

[0036] FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of the beamforming process of a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0037] FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram schematically illustrating a configuration that maintains an optimal channel environment at all times by performing beamforming, AV resolution adjustment, and PHY (modulation level, bandwidth, coding rate) adjustment based on artificial intelligence using a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0038] FIG. 5 is a flowchart schematically showing the overall configuration of a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] FIG. 6 is a flowchart schematically showing the specific configuration of a beamforming process for implementing a low-power beamforming operation in a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0040]

[0041] Hereinafter, specific embodiments of a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption according to the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

[0042] Hereinafter, it should be noted that the following description is merely one embodiment for carrying out the present invention, and the present invention is not limited only to the contents of the embodiment described below.

[0043] In addition, it should be noted that in the following description of the embodiments of the present invention, detailed descriptions of parts that are identical or similar to the prior art or that are deemed to be easily understood and implemented by those skilled in the art have been omitted for the sake of brevity.

[0044] Next, with reference to the drawings, specific details of a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption according to the present invention will be described.

[0045] In other words, the 60 GHz frequency band, which is currently designated as the Industry-Science-Medical (ISM) band that can be used worldwide without separate notification, is advantageous for implementing broadband information transmission for processing large amounts of information required for automotive communication, but due to Line of Sight (LoS) characteristics, beamforming technology that supports Non-Line of Sight (NLoS) communication environments is required.

[0046] More specifically, millimeter waves have low diffraction characteristics and straight-line characteristics, and since transceivers for millimeter waves have Line of Sight (LoS) operation, optimal beamforming technology through beam tracking is required in environments where the transceiver moves, such as automobiles. Therefore, beamforming must be performed to enable NLoS (Non-Line of Sight) operation corresponding to this.

[0047] Here, beamforming technology is a technique that finds and selects the optimal beam to minimize the weakening of transmitted and received signals or the effects of interference. In other words, since the direction of the transmitted and received beams may shift whenever pedestrians or vehicles move, the design must necessarily consider beamforming operations, which cause the transmitter to form a beam toward the receiver and the receiver to face and receive the transmitted signal beam.

[0048] In addition, new beamforming technology is required to minimize signal loss, delay, and power consumption for application in environments such as automobiles. However, existing beamforming technologies, such as 802.11ad / ay, have the disadvantage of causing signal delay because they frequently perform beamforming operations to find the optimal beam when there is radio interference or weak radio environments. Furthermore, the operation to find the optimal beam in a weak radio environment causes beamforming operations to occur even more frequently, which further exacerbates signal delay and consequently hinders safe driving.

[0049] Furthermore, signal loss may occur during the process of changing beams while performing beamforming operations, beam switching, and beamforming operations. Such signal loss causes image degradation and leads to system malfunction. If the process of performing beamforming operations is repeated because a better beam cannot be found, the signal loss becomes even greater. Therefore, beamforming technology that prevents signal loss during the beamforming process is required.

[0050] Furthermore, low power consumption is critical for battery-operated devices, such as electric vehicles or pedestrian mobility devices in Vehicle-to-Pedestrian (V2P) communication. Since the communication unit is the primary source of power consumption in these devices, power must be controlled based on signal conditions to ensure high-efficiency operation of the communication unit.

[0051] In particular, since power consumption increases significantly when transmitting high-output signals under weak signal conditions, it is required to rapidly find the optimal signal using beamforming technology; furthermore, the design must consider low-power consumption operation during beamforming.

[0052] Accordingly, the present invention applies beamforming technology, which is essential for millimeter-wave communication, to automotive communication, and presents a low-power consumption beamforming technology that is suitable for wireless communication without signal loss, as described below.

[0053] More specifically, first, referring to FIG. 1, FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram schematically illustrating the overall concept of a beamforming operation including beam switching and beam forming.

[0054] As shown in FIG. 1, the beamforming operation includes beam switching and beam forming. To this end, the transmitter and receiver are configured as a plurality of arrays, and each array can be configured to operate by being divided into unit blocks (BF1, BF2, BF3, BF4 in FIG. 1) having a basic unit array structure to cover a certain sector.

[0055] In other words, beamforming is changing the beam within the same sector, and beam switching is changing the beam to a unit block in a different sector. Depending on the signal state, beamforming and beam switching can be appropriately performed to find the optimal transmission and reception environment regardless of which direction the transmitter and receiver are positioned relative to each other. In millimeter waves, beamforming is performed while beam switching and beamforming are executed to achieve omnidirectional coverage.

[0056] Here, since there is a beam currently in use and a beam that needs to be switched to find a better direction than the current beam during beam switching operation, a beam switching algorithm can be implemented configured so that there is no signal loss while finding a beam with a better direction than the current beam by using two beams simultaneously in a manner that maintains the use of the current beam while simultaneously using the beam of the direction being sought.

[0057] In addition, regarding beamforming operation, signal loss can be prevented by implementing an operation algorithm that forms a wider beam and changes direction before switching to a better direction beam.

[0058] That is, since beamforming operation changes direction with a relatively small angle of change, the direction of the beam can be changed without signal loss by having a larger beam width so that the current direction can be covered even if the direction of the beam is changed before the execution of the beamforming operation as described above.

[0059] Therefore, by implementing the algorithms for beam switching and beam forming as described above, it is possible to implement beamforming operation without signal loss.

[0060] In addition, as mentioned above, millimeter wave communication must be able to implement low-power operation to be suitable for battery-operated devices, and since two beams are used during beam switching operation, power consumption increases twofold.

[0061] Accordingly, beam switching operation requires that the receiver, which consumes less power than the transmitter, operate preferentially, and that it also needs to operate preferentially in vehicles and infrastructure, where power consumption is relatively less critical compared to pedestrian mobility devices.

[0062] On the other hand, in beamforming operation, the number of arrays of the currently used transceivers is reduced to achieve a beam width larger than the currently used beam, thereby operating the transceivers to have a large beam width. Since this beamforming operation reduces power consumption, it is necessary to prioritize the operation of devices that are relatively sensitive to power consumption, such as pedestrian and vehicle-side devices, and to operate beamforming centered on transmitters that consume a large amount of power.

[0063] Therefore, as described above, by implementing beam switching operations centered on the receiver (Rx) and infrastructure (Infra), and beam forming operations centered on the transmitter (Tx) and pedestrian mobility device in V2P, a beamforming method that reduces the overall system's power consumption can be implemented.

[0064] In other words, if the operation is prioritized by dividing it into infrastructure and vehicle or pedestrian mobility devices, it is advantageous for low-power consumption operation for the transmitter (Tx) of the vehicle or pedestrian mobility device to perform beamforming first and initiate the optimal beamforming operation.

[0065] Next, a specific configuration of a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption according to an embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be explained.

[0066] First, with reference to FIG. 2, specific details of a signal-loss-free beam switching algorithm for a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption according to an embodiment of the present invention will be explained.

[0067] That is, referring to FIG. 2, FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram schematically illustrating the operation of the beamforming process.

[0068] As shown in Figure 2, beamforming means performing beamforming and beam switching operations to change the current beam (Beam1) in the weak signal direction to a beam (Beam2) in the better signal direction. In this way, signal loss occurs during the process of changing the beam currently in use to another direction according to the beam switching and beamforming operations for beamforming.

[0069] In addition, if the changed beam changes in a direction that is not optimal but degraded compared to the current one during the beam changing process, signal loss will continue to occur until the optimal beam is found. Therefore, a new beamforming algorithm is required to prevent such signal loss.

[0070] More specifically, the beam switching process can be configured to be divided into a transmitter and a receiver, with each performing its respective operation procedure. First, the receiver (Rx) can be configured to periodically check the state of the beam and, if it is determined that the beam signal is weakening, to perform beam switching in a different direction. This process requires a time (tr1 + tr2), which is the sum of the time for determining the signal (tr1) and the time for switching to another beam (tr2), from when the beam signal weakens until beam switching is performed. Even if it is assumed that the optimal beam is found immediately after beam switching, signal loss occurs for the duration of the switching time (tr2).

[0071] In addition, if beam switching is performed N more times because the optimal beam is not found after beam switching, signal loss of tr2 + N(tr1 + tr2) will occur.

[0072] On the other hand, the transmitter (Tx) operates such that when it receives information from the receiver that the beam signal is weakening, it performs the process of switching the beam in a different direction and, after switching, transmits an acknowledgment (Ack) signal to the receiver indicating that the beam has been changed. This process requires a time of (tt1 + tt2 + tt3 + tt4), which is the sum of the time for determining the signal from when the beam signal weakens until beam switching occurs (tt1), the time for the receiver to transmit information to the transmitter (tt2), the time for switching to another beam (tt3), and the time for the transmitter to transmit the Ack to the receiver (tt4). Even if it is assumed that the optimal beam is found immediately after beam switching, signal loss occurs for the duration of the time tt3 required to switch to another beam.

[0073] Furthermore, if beam switching is performed N more times because the optimal beam is not found after beam switching, signal loss of tt3 + N(tt1 + tt2 + tt3 + tt4) will occur.

[0074] As mentioned above, although the specific operations of the transmitter and the receiver differ, signal loss occurs during the beam switching process in which both the transmitter and the receiver switch the current beam in a different direction. To solve this, the present invention can be configured so that when switching the beam to another sector, the beam of the current sector is kept in the ON state while the beam of the other sector is turned ON together.

[0075] In this process, if it is determined that the signal quality of a beam in another direction is better, the current beam is turned off, and if it is not determined that the beam is better, the current beam is kept on by sequentially switching to another beam until the optimal beam is found, thereby preventing signal loss during beam switching and finding the optimal beam.

[0076] At this time, there is a disadvantage that power consumption is doubled because two beams must be turned on during beam switching operation. However, considering this disadvantage, since the transmitter consumes more power than the receiver, the receiver-centered beam switching operation is performed first, and the vehicle or infrastructure is configured to perform the beam switching operation first rather than the battery-operated mobile device in V2P, thereby enabling low-power operation from the perspective of the overall system.

[0077] Next, with reference to FIG. 3, specific details of a signal-loss-free beamforming algorithm for a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0078] That is, referring to FIG. 3, FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram schematically showing the overall configuration of the beamforming process of a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0079] More specifically, beamforming operation refers to a procedure for tilting a beam in a better direction within the same sector. In terms of tilting (changing) the beam, beamforming is performed through a procedure similar to beam switching. However, beamforming is not an operation of turning different beams in different sectors On / Off like beam switching, but rather an operation of changing the direction of the beam by changing the phase value of each array within the sector to change the direction of the beam within the same sector.

[0080] In addition, unlike beam switching, which involves turning the beam on and off, beamforming involves changing the direction of the beam. Therefore, signal loss in the beamforming operation occurs when the beam is turned to a direction that is degraded compared to the current direction during the process of turning the beam to a different direction. Consequently, a new beamforming algorithm is required to prevent signal loss in such cases.

[0081] To this end, in an embodiment of the present invention, the beam width may be increased before performing the beamforming operation to prevent signal loss during the beamforming operation, and then the beamforming operation may be performed.

[0082] In other words, widening the beam width allows the device to operate within the beam coverage area even if the beam is rotated in an unfavorable direction; consequently, signal loss is prevented regardless of the direction the beam is changed, thanks to the wide beam remaining within the coverage area.

[0083] More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, beamforming can be configured to be performed through a two-step procedure (Step 1, Step 2) to perform signal loss-free beamforming.

[0084] As shown in Figure 3, first, assuming that there is a Beam 3 which is a better state beam than the current beam (Beam 1) and a Beam 2 which is out of the direction of signal sensitivity, if beamforming is performed to change the current beam (Beam 1) to Beam 2, signal loss occurs.

[0085] Here, as shown in Step 1 of FIG. 3, before performing beamforming, the current beam is first defined as a wide beam (Beam 1 is indicated as a red wide beam after Step 1 of FIG. 3) and the beamforming operation is performed; that is, if the Beam 1 indicated in gray is made into a red wide beam, then the coverage for transmitting and receiving signals is such that the current beam (Beam 1), which has been changed into a wide beam, can be changed to either the Beam 2 direction or the Beam 3 direction, so the optimal beam direction can be found without signal loss.

[0086] In this process, as shown in Step 2 of Fig. 3, the beam is defined in the direction of the beam with good signal quality and high reception sensitivity, and after Step 2, the wide beam is restored to the original beam and the beamforming operation is terminated.

[0087] Here, since the beam level is reduced while defining the currently used beam as a wide beam during beamforming, which can degrade signal quality, it is necessary to start the beamforming operation at a signal level that is relatively higher than the original signal sensitivity level.

[0088] Alternatively, when the output level decreases as the beam width widens, slight gain compensation can be performed by increasing the output level.

[0089] In addition, while the beam output level is reduced by widening the beam width during beamforming, power consumption is reduced during beamforming. Since the transmitter consumes relatively more power than the receiver, it is desirable to prioritize beamforming operations centered on the transmitter. Furthermore, to reduce power consumption in battery-operated pedestrian mobility devices, the system can be configured to perform low-power operations from the perspective of the overall system by prioritizing beamforming operations on the vehicle or pedestrian mobility device rather than the infrastructure.

[0090] As mentioned above, for low power consumption, beamforming operation is first to prioritize beamforming over beam switching. That is, since beamforming operation with beam switching consumes twice as much power and beamforming operation with beam forming consumes less power, it is desirable to implement a control algorithm that prioritizes beamforming operation so that the overall power consumption of the system can be reduced.

[0091] In other words, if the optimal beam is found through beamforming, there is no need to perform separate beam switching; therefore, in such cases, system operation that reduces power consumption while finding the optimal beam solely through beamforming can be achieved.

[0092] Next, regarding beamforming operations, the transmitter is prioritized. That is, as mentioned above, since using a wide beam to perform beamforming without signal loss reduces power consumption, it is advantageous for reducing power consumption to have the transmitter, which consumes relatively more power, perform the beamforming first, followed by the receiver, during the beamforming operation.

[0093] As mentioned above, if a high-power transmitter performs beamforming and finds the optimal beam, the receiver does not need to perform beamforming separately thereafter, thereby reducing power consumption.

[0094] Next, in beam switching operation, the receiver is prioritized to operate. That is, since power consumption doubles during beam switching operation, it is advantageous for the receiver, which consumes less power, to perform beam switching first, and for the transmitter, which consumes relatively more power, to perform beam switching later.

[0095] As mentioned above, if a receiver with low power consumption performs beam switching and finds the optimal beam, the transmitter does not need to perform beam switching separately thereafter, thereby reducing power consumption.

[0096] Furthermore, a beamforming operation method for reducing power consumption from a system perspective of automobiles or pedestrian mobility devices and infrastructure can be configured such that, first, the battery-operated automobile or pedestrian mobility device performs beamforming preferentially to enable low-power operation, and if additional beamforming operation is required, the infrastructure performs beamforming, and even thereafter, if optimal beam finding operation is required, the optimal beam is found through beam switching operation, which consumes more power.

[0097] At this time, during the beam switching operation, the infrastructure is controlled to perform the beam switching operation first, and finally, the vehicle or pedestrian mobility device is controlled to perform the beam switching operation, thereby enabling a beam forming operation that finds the optimal beam while minimizing the power consumption of the vehicle or pedestrian mobility device.

[0098] In addition, when performing a beamforming operation based on the algorithms for beam switching and beamforming operations according to the embodiment of the present invention as described above, the processing of distinguishing whether the beamforming operation is for a vehicle or pedestrian mobility device or for an infrastructure, or determining and executing the priority of the beam switching operation and the beamforming operation in the beamforming operation, is configured to control the optimal beamforming operation by considering the low power consumption of the vehicle or pedestrian mobility device according to the channel environment or predetermined settings using a pre-trained artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm, such as deep learning, machine learning, or an artificial neural network (ANN), for example, thereby making it easy to implement an AI-based lossless, low-latency, and low-power consumption beamforming system and method without signal loss.

[0099] In addition, according to the present invention, in addition to executing a beamforming operation based on an artificial intelligence-based channel environment or a predetermined setting as described above, processing can be configured to maintain an optimal channel environment through an optimal beamforming operation by adjusting the AV resolution or PHY (modulation level, bandwidth, coding rate) based on artificial intelligence.

[0100] That is, referring to FIG. 4, FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram schematically illustrating a configuration that maintains an optimal channel environment at all times by performing beamforming, AV resolution adjustment, and PHY (modulation level, bandwidth, coding rate) adjustment based on artificial intelligence using a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0101] As shown in FIG. 4, according to the present invention, in addition to appropriately performing beamforming and beam switching to prevent signal loss and reduce power consumption, a processing process can be configured to automatically perform an optimal channel environment at all times by performing AV resolution adjustment and PHY (modulation level, bandwidth, coding rate) adjustment using an artificial intelligence algorithm.

[0102] Here, regarding the more specific details of the processing process for appropriately performing beamforming and beam switching and performing specific control according to learning results and predetermined settings using an artificial intelligence algorithm as described above, since this is a matter that can be appropriately implemented by a person skilled in the art by referring to the beamforming device and method of the prior art and literature on deep learning, machine learning, or artificial neural networks, it should be noted that in order to simplify the explanation, the detailed description of the content that is obvious to a person skilled in the art from the prior art as described above, or that can be easily understood and implemented by a person skilled in the art by referring to the literature of the prior art, etc., has been omitted in the present invention.

[0103] Accordingly, as described above, a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption according to an embodiment of the present invention can be implemented. That is, referring to FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a flowchart schematically showing the overall configuration of a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0104] As shown in FIG. 5, a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption according to an embodiment of the present invention may be broadly configured to include, first, a judgment step (S10) in which a process is performed to determine whether beam switching or beam forming is required by monitoring transmitted and received signals; a beamforming step (S20) in which a process is performed to execute a beam forming operation if it is determined that beam switching is required based on the judgment result of the judgment step (S10); and a beam switching step (S30) in which a process is performed to execute a beam switching operation if it is determined that beam switching is required based on the judgment result of the judgment step (S10).

[0105] Additionally, the above method may be configured to repeat the process of performing beam switching or beam forming by returning to the judgment step (S10) after processing the above beam forming step (S20) or beam switching step (S30), monitoring the transmitted and received signals, and determining whether beam switching or beam forming is necessary.

[0106] More specifically, first, the above-mentioned judgment step (S10) may be configured to perform a process of finding a beam in a better state than the beam currently in use between the transmitter and the receiver and determining whether beamforming or beam switching is required to change to the beam.

[0107] Here, it should be noted that the detailed description of the processing steps of the above-mentioned judgment step (S10) is omitted here because it is obvious to those skilled in the art by referring to the processing steps of existing beamforming or beam switching devices and methods.

[0108] In addition, the beamforming step (S20) described above, as described above with reference to FIG. 3, is configured to control the beamforming operation by increasing the current beam width according to a predetermined setting before performing the beamforming operation so that signal transmission and reception are possible regardless of which direction the beam direction is changed, and then performing the beamforming operation, and after performing the beamforming, to return to the original beam width to terminate the beamforming operation, thereby effectively preventing signal loss that occurs during beamforming.

[0109] Here, the beamforming step (S20) described above can be configured such that, prior to performing the beamforming operation, the current beam width is increased according to a predetermined setting, and at the same time, the beamforming operation is performed at a signal level greater than the original signal level, thereby preventing the degradation of signal quality due to the increase in beam width and reducing the power consumption of the beamforming operation by reducing the beam output level.

[0110] Alternatively, the beamforming step (S20) described above may be configured to operate by increasing the transmission output to compensate for the gain value that decreases when the beam width increases.

[0111] Furthermore, the beamforming step (S20) described above can be configured to perform a process that controls the beamforming operation to be performed preferentially in a transmitter with relatively high power consumption compared to a receiver, and then controls the beamforming operation to be performed preferentially in a battery-operated device or vehicle, and then in an infrastructure, thereby preventing signal loss during beamforming and simultaneously reducing power consumption during beamforming.

[0112] In addition, the beam switching step (S30) described above can be configured to effectively prevent signal loss during beam switching by sequentially changing to a beam in a different direction while keeping the beam of the current sector in an On state as described above with reference to FIG. 2, finding the beam with the best signal quality, and when a beam to be switched is found, turning off the current beam and changing to that beam.

[0113] At this time, the beam switching step (S30) described above is configured to control the beam switching operation to be performed with priority given to a receiver that consumes less power than a transmitter during the beam switching operation, and to perform the beam switching operation with priority given to a vehicle or infrastructure, and then to perform the beam switching operation with a battery-operated device, thereby preventing signal loss during beam switching and simultaneously reducing power consumption during the beam switching operation.

[0114] That is, referring to FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is a flowchart schematically showing the specific configuration of a beamforming process for implementing a low-power beamforming operation in a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0115] As shown in FIG. 6, a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption according to an embodiment of the present invention may be configured to determine whether to perform beamforming and beam switching operations by comparing the output level (Pr) of a received signal with a preset beamforming operation judgment reference signal (Pref), and to repeat beamforming and beam switching operations until the output level (Pr) of the received signal becomes greater than the beamforming operation judgment reference signal (Pref).

[0116] In addition, the above-described method can be configured to automatically perform processing to determine and execute the priority of beam switching and beamforming operations according to the channel environment or predetermined settings when performing beamforming operations by using a pre-trained artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm including deep learning, machine learning, or artificial neural networks (ANN). Furthermore, it can be configured to automatically perform processing to maintain an optimal channel environment through AV resolution adjustment and PHY (modulation level, bandwidth, coding rate) adjustment.

[0117] Furthermore, according to the present invention, by utilizing a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption according to an embodiment of the present invention configured as described above, a millimeter-wave communication system capable of preventing signal loss while simultaneously reducing power consumption, and vehicles and various infrastructure facilities utilizing the same can be easily implemented.

[0118] Accordingly, as described above, a beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption according to an embodiment of the present invention can be implemented. By doing so, according to the present invention, signal loss occurring during beam switching and beamforming can be effectively prevented while power consumption can be reduced. This solves the problems of the prior art, which had limitations in that signal loss and delay occurred during beam switching and beamforming operations for beamforming in communication systems using millimeter waves, such as automotive communication, potentially causing fatal errors in automotive communication, and power consumption for beam switching and beamforming operations increased as the communication environment deteriorated.

[0119] Although the details of the beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption according to the present invention have been described above through the embodiments of the present invention, the present invention is not limited only to the contents described in the above embodiments. Therefore, it is obvious that the present invention can be modified, changed, combined, and substituted in various ways by a person skilled in the art according to design needs and other various factors.

Claims

1. A beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption, A determination step in which a process is performed to determine whether beam switching or beam forming is required by monitoring transmitted and received signals; A beam switching step in which a process for executing a beam switching operation is performed if it is determined that beam switching is required based on the judgment result of the above judgment step; and A beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption, characterized by comprising a beamforming step in which a process is performed to execute a beamforming operation when it is determined that beamforming is required based on the judgment result of the above judgment step.

2. In Paragraph 1, The beam switching step above is, A beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption, characterized by being configured such that, during beam switching, the beam of the current sector is kept in the ON state while sequentially changing to beams in different directions to find the beam with the best signal quality, and when a beam to be switched is found, the current beam is turned OFF and a process is performed to change to that beam.

3. In Paragraph 2, The beam switching step above is, Control the beam switching operation to prioritize the receiver, which consumes less power than the transmitter, during the beam switching operation, and A beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption, characterized by being configured to perform a beam switching operation first in a vehicle or infrastructure, and then control the beam switching operation to be performed in a battery-operated device.

4. In Paragraph 1, The above beamforming step is, Before performing beamforming operation, the current beam width is increased according to a predetermined setting so that signal transmission and reception are possible regardless of which direction the beam direction is changed, and then the beamforming operation is controlled to be performed. A beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption, characterized by being configured to perform a process that terminates the beamforming operation by returning to the original beam width after performing beamforming.

5. In Paragraph 4, The above beamforming step is, A beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption, characterized by being configured to increase the current beam width according to a predetermined setting before performing a beamforming operation, while simultaneously performing the beamforming operation at a signal level greater than the original signal level.

6. In Paragraph 4, The above beamforming step is, Controls the transmitter, which consumes relatively more power than the receiver, to perform beamforming operations preferentially, and A beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption, characterized by being configured to perform a beamforming operation first in a battery-operated device or vehicle, and then control the beamforming operation to be performed in the infrastructure.

7. In Paragraph 1, The above method is, A beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption, characterized by being configured to automatically perform processing to determine and execute the priority of beam switching operations and beamforming operations according to channel environment or predetermined settings when performing beamforming operations, using a pre-trained artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm including deep learning, machine learning, or an artificial neural network (ANN).

8. In Paragraph 7, The above method is, A beamforming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption, characterized by being configured to automatically perform processing to maintain an optimal channel environment through AV resolution adjustment and PHY (modulation level, bandwidth, coding rate) adjustment, in addition to determining and executing the priority of beam switching and beamforming operations based on artificial intelligence according to channel environment or predetermined settings.

9. A communication system characterized by being configured to perform beam switching and beam forming operations using the beam forming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption described in Claim 1.

10. A vehicle characterized by comprising an automotive communication device configured to perform beam switching and beam forming operations using the beam forming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption described in Claim 1.

11. An infrastructure facility characterized by comprising an automotive communication device configured to perform beam switching and beam forming operations using the beam forming method for preventing signal loss and reducing power consumption described in Claim 1.

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