Base Station Transmit Antenna Quantity Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Base stations face difficulties operating at higher-order modulation schemes due to susceptibility to noise and imperfections, leading to bit rate errors and reduced coverage when trying to maintain optimal transmit power levels, especially for devices at the edge of the coverage area.
Innovation Solution
The base station reduces the quantity of transmit antennas while lowering the total transmit power level to maintain effective communication at higher-order modulation schemes, thereby offsetting the reduction in coverage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the base station operates at higher-order modulation schemes with maximum transmit power level, then data transmission rate is improved, but coverage area is reduced and bit rate errors increase due to noise susceptibility
Solution Approach 1:
The base station dynamically adjusts the quantity of transmit antennas based on the detected modulation scheme order. When high-order modulation is detected, the system reduces the number of active transmit antennas to concentrate power and improve signal reliability, thereby reducing bit rate errors while maintaining high data transmission rates through the high-order modulation scheme.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the parameter of transmit antenna quantity in response to detected modulation scheme order. By detecting when high-order modulation is being used and subsequently reducing the number of transmit antennas, the system optimizes the balance between data rate and reliability by concentrating available power into fewer antenna elements.
2Reliability
If the base station reduces total transmit power level to reduce bit rate errors at high-order modulation schemes, then reliability is improved, but coverage area is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of reducing total transmit power, the system changes the parameter of transmit antenna quantity. By using fewer antennas at high-order modulation schemes, the system maintains total transmit power levels that support adequate coverage area while reducing the power distributed per antenna, which concentrates the signal and reduces bit rate errors through improved signal-to-noise ratio.
3Device complexity
If the base station uses a fixed quantity of transmit antennas at maximum power level, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability to different modulation schemes is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The base station implements dynamic adaptation by detecting the modulation scheme order and adjusting the quantity of transmit antennas accordingly. This dynamic configuration allows the system to adapt to different modulation schemes (QPSK, 16QAM, 64QAM, 256QAM) while maintaining relatively simple operation through automated detection and adjustment, avoiding the need for complex manual configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
A base station may manage transmissions between the base station and wireless communication devices (WCDs), where the base station serves the WCDs over an air interface, and where the base station is configured to engage in downlink transmission using a particular quantity of transmit antennas. In one example, the base station determines that each of at least one WCD currently being served by the base station is configured to support a particular modulation scheme. And in responsive to the determining, the base station reduces the quantity of transmit antennas and engages in the downlink transmission using the reduced quantity of transmit antennas.