Base Station Beamforming Antenna Subgrouping for mm-Wave Acquisition
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Solution Overview
Problem
In mm-Wave access systems, the initial acquisition of a mobile transceiver by a base station is challenging due to limited beamforming (BF) gains, which are insufficient for efficient communication.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves a base station transceiver that subdivides its antennas into subgroups to form initial and subsequent beam patterns, with the control module transmitting synchronization signals using a lower BF gain and adjusting to a higher BF gain based on response signals from the mobile transceiver, allowing for efficient beamforming and antenna gain optimization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If high beamforming gain is used during initial acquisition, then signal quality improves, but the complexity of acquiring mobile transceiver increases due to limited BF gains available at the beginning
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the beamforming process into two distinct phases: initial acquisition phase using a first beam pattern with limited antennas, and subsequent communication phase using a second beam pattern with all antennas. This segmentation allows the system to manage complexity by breaking down the acquisition process into manageable stages, where each stage uses appropriate beamforming resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary beamforming using a first beam pattern during the initial acquisition phase before establishing full beamforming with the second beam pattern. This preliminary action enables the mobile transceiver to be acquired using reduced resources, and then the system transitions to optimal beamforming for data transmission, avoiding the complexity of implementing full beamforming from the start.
2Reliability
If all antennas are used to form beam pattern from the beginning, then beamforming gain is maximized, but the device complexity and resource requirement increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the antenna array into two operational groups: a first set of antennas used during initial acquisition to form the first beam pattern, and a second set of antennas (including all available antennas) used during subsequent communication to form the second beam pattern. This segmentation optimizes resource allocation by using only necessary antennas at each stage.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial beamforming during initial acquisition by using only a subset of available antennas to form the first beam pattern, rather than deploying all antennas from the start. This partial action reduces complexity and resource requirements during the critical acquisition phase, while reserving full antenna resources for the communication phase when they are most needed.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments provide beamforming apparatuses, methods and a computer programs for a base station transceiver and a mobile transceiver. An apparatus (10) operable in a base station transceiver (100) of a mobile communication system comprises a transceiver module (12) comprising interfaces to a plurality (15) of antennas. The transceiver module (12) is operable to subdivide the plurality (15) of antennas in a plurality of subgroups using the interfaces, and to form a first beam pattern (16) using one or more antennas of a subgroup. The apparatus (10) further comprises a control module (14), which is operable to transmit a synchronization signal using the transceiver module (12) and the first beam pattern (16). The control module (14) is further operable to receive a response signal after transmission of the synchronization signal from a mobile transceiver (200) using the transceiver module (12), to determine a second beam pattern (18) based on the response signal from the mobile transceiver (200). The second beam pattern (18) has a higher antenna gain than the first beam pattern (16), and to transmit a signal to the mobile transceiver (200) using the second beam pattern (18) and the transceiver module (12). An apparatus (20) operable in a mobile transceiver (200) of a mobile communication system comprises a transceiver module (22) comprising interfaces to a plurality of antennas (25), and a control module (24) operable to determine a first set of beam patterns (26) based on the plurality of antennas (25), to receive a signal from a base station transceiver (100) using a first beam pattern from the first set of beam patterns (26) using the transceiver module (22). The control module (24) is further operable to determine a second set of beam patterns (28) based on the plurality of antennas (25), the second set of beam patterns (28) comprising more beam patterns than the first set of beam patterns (26), and to transmit a signal to the base station transceiver (100) using a second beam pattern from the set of second beam patterns (28) and using the transceiver module (22).