Base Station Channel Sounding via Blank Resource Embedding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional wireless channel sounding systems, especially those using directional antennas, are slow and difficult to modify, making real-time monitoring and diverse measurement types challenging, particularly in 5G deployments where millimeter wave spectrum is utilized.
Innovation Solution
The method involves using the transceivers and baseband processors of an in-service base station to embed channel sounding waveforms into the time-frequency resource grid, leveraging blank or reserved resources, allowing for channel characterization without the need for a dedicated transmitter, and utilizing existing waveforms to minimize implementation effort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional wireless channel sounding systems use directional antennas, then measurement accuracy is improved, but measurement speed deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical directional antenna system with an electronic signal processing approach. Instead of physically rotating antennas to measure channel characteristics, the system uses reference signals transmitted through the existing wireless infrastructure and processes them digitally to extract channel information, achieving both accuracy and speed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces reference signals as an intermediary element between the transmitter and receiver. These reference signals carry channel information that can be extracted through correlation processing, enabling accurate channel measurement without requiring complex mechanical directional antenna systems.
2Reliability
If traditional wireless channel sounding systems use dedicated transmitters, then measurement reliability is improved, but device complexity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the existing wireless infrastructure multi-functional by enabling it to perform both normal communication and channel sounding functions. The same base station and user equipment used for data transmission also transmit and measure reference signals, eliminating the need for dedicated channel sounding hardware while maintaining measurement reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses its own existing infrastructure to perform channel sounding. The base station and user equipment that normally handle communication traffic also generate and measure the reference signals, making the system self-sufficient for channel characterization without external dedicated equipment.
3Manufacturing precision
If traditional wireless channel sounding systems use fixed hardware configurations, then manufacturing precision is improved, but adaptability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transforms the static hardware configuration into a dynamic software-defined system. The channel sounding functionality is implemented through configurable signal processing algorithms that can adapt to different measurement requirements, enabling the same hardware to perform various types of channel measurements by changing the processing parameters rather than the physical configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
An example method may include a processing system of a base station having a processor selecting a blank resource of a time and frequency resource grid of the base station for a transmission of a channel sounding waveform and transmitting the channel sounding waveform via the blank resource. Another example method may include a processing system of a channel sounding receiver receiving at a location, from a base station, a channel sounding waveform via a blank resource of a time and frequency resource grid of the base station, and measuring a channel property at the location based upon the channel sounding waveform.