Base Station Beam Management for Directional LBT
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless communication systems, particularly in the context of directional Listen Before Talk (LBT) in higher frequency bands like 52.6 GHz to 71 GHz, determining the appropriate beam application for sensing is challenging due to differences in channel power detection between transmission and reception nodes, leading to hidden terminal issues and inefficiencies in channel access.
Innovation Solution
A base station configuration that performs time division multiplexing of reception beams corresponding to transmission beams, allowing LBT sensing with each beam, and applies a transmission beam only when a reception beam is not detected as busy during the Listen Before Talk process, enabling effective beam management and channel access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If directional LBT sensing is performed using multiple beams, then channel access reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to the need to manage multiple beams and their corresponding sensing operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the channel sensing operation into multiple independent beam-specific sensing processes. Each reception beam performs LBT sensing independently on the channel, allowing the system to determine channel status for each spatial direction separately. This segmentation improves reliability by ensuring that channel access decisions are made based on actual channel conditions in each beam direction, while the modular nature of independent sensing reduces management complexity compared to a monolithic approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary LBT sensing operations using multiple reception beams before final transmission decisions are made. The base station conducts sensing with each reception beam in advance to determine which transmission beams can be used, storing the sensing results for subsequent transmission scheduling. This preliminary action ensures that only beams with clear channel conditions are selected for transmission, improving access reliability while the results are reused to avoid repeated sensing overhead.
2Reliability
If LBT sensing is performed with each reception beam, then hidden terminal issues are mitigated, but time consumption increases due to multiple sensing operations
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the sensing operation into separate beam-specific sensing tasks that can be executed in parallel or time-division multiplexed manner. Each reception beam performs sensing independently, allowing the system to detect hidden terminals in different spatial directions simultaneously or in an organized sequence. This segmentation enables comprehensive hidden terminal detection across all beam directions while managing time consumption through structured parallel or sequential execution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary sensing with reception beams to establish channel status before actual data transmission begins. The sensing results are stored and used to determine which transmission beams are available for subsequent communications. By performing this sensing action in advance, the system ensures reliable hidden terminal detection while the results can be reused for multiple transmission opportunities, reducing the need for repeated sensing operations.
3Productivity
If multiple transmission beams are applied in COT, then channel utilization efficiency is improved, but the risk of channel collision increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by associating each transmission beam with its corresponding reception beam's LBT sensing results. Instead of using a single omnidirectional sensing result for all transmissions, the system determines channel status locally for each beam direction based on the specific reception beam's sensing performance. This allows the system to utilize multiple transmission beams efficiently in directions where the channel is clear, while avoiding transmissions in directions where hidden terminals or collisions are detected, thus improving both channel utilization and collision avoidance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback by using the LBT sensing results obtained from reception beams to control and determine which transmission beams should be applied in the Channel Occupancy Time. The sensing outcomes provide feedback information about channel conditions in different spatial directions, which is then used to select appropriate transmission beams. This feedback mechanism ensures that multiple beams are utilized only when channel conditions permit, improving channel utilization efficiency while maintaining reliability by avoiding collisions in occupied channels.
Data Source
AI summary
A base station includes: a reception unit configured to perform time division multiplexing of a plurality of reception beams corresponding to a plurality of transmission beams applied for transmission in COT (Channel Occupancy Time), and to perform LBT (Listen before talk) in which sensing is performed by applying each of the plurality of reception beams using a round robin method; and a transmission unit configured to apply, to the transmission in the COT, a transmission beam corresponding to a reception beam, among the plurality of the reception beams, for which a busy state is not detected in the LBT.