Beam Link Failure Detection in Multi-Beam Radio Systems
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current radio link monitoring (RLM) techniques in LTE and 5G networks face challenges in effectively managing multibeam systems, where multiple beams are used for communication, leading to complexities in detecting link failures and recovering from out-of-sync conditions.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a multibeam RLM framework that tracks each beam separately at the L2 layer, using beam-specific counters and timers to manage beam recovery, and allowing the RRC to declare cell-level RLF based on L2 indications, enabling efficient detection and recovery of link failures across multiple beams.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If beam-based monitoring is implemented in multibeam systems, then link failure detection precision is improved, but system complexity increases due to multiple beams requiring separate tracking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the monitoring task into beam-specific segments by introducing beam-specific counters (e.g., Counter 1 for Beam 1, Counter 2 for Beam 2) and beam-specific timers. Each beam is monitored independently with its own failure detection mechanism, allowing precise identification of which specific beam has failed while managing complexity through modular, organized tracking of multiple beams rather than treating them as a single aggregate.
2Reliability
If separate beam-specific counters are used for each beam, then beam recovery management is improved, but device complexity increases due to multiple counters and timers
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements separate beam-specific counters and timers for each beam to track link quality and recovery status independently. This segmentation allows the system to manage beam recovery on a per-beam basis, improving reliability by identifying and recovering from failures in specific beams without affecting others, while organizing the complexity through structured, modular counter and timer management.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent pre-configures beam-specific counters and timers before beam failures occur. These counters are initialized and ready to immediately start counting out-of-sync indications when a beam failure occurs, rather than being created dynamically. This preliminary setup reduces the computational burden during failure events and simplifies the real-time response mechanism.
3Measurement precision
If beam link failure is determined based on beam-specific out-of-sync indications, then detection accuracy is improved, but processing time increases due to evaluating multiple beams
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the detection process by maintaining separate counters for each beam that independently count out-of-sync indications. This allows the system to quickly determine beam link failure by checking individual beam counters rather than processing all beams simultaneously, improving detection accuracy for specific failed beams while reducing overall processing time through parallel, independent counter management.
Solution Approach 2:
Each beam-specific counter autonomously counts its own out-of-sync indications and triggers beam link failure determination independently when thresholds are met. This self-service mechanism eliminates the need for centralized processing of all beam data, reducing processing time while maintaining accurate detection of beam-specific failures through distributed, autonomous counter operation.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 1A
Figure 3~4B
AI summary
A method including monitoring, by a user equipment (UE) operating in a multi-beam based communication session, signal qualities for a plurality of beams in the multi-beam based communication session (300); determining a beam link failure (BLF) occurring for at least one of the beams in the multi-beam based communication session (302); determining a type of the beam in which the beam link failure (BLF) is occurring (304); and updating a radio link failure (RLF) related condition in dependence on the type of the beam in which the beam link failure (BLF) is occurring (306).