Beam Management Using Angle Information for 5G Mobility
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wireless communication systems, particularly in 5G New Radio (NR) environments, face challenges in effectively managing beams to compensate for high path loss and limited range, especially in millimeter wave (mmW) communications, where beamforming techniques are not fully optimized for dynamic network conditions and mobility.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of advanced beam management techniques involving Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) Layer 1 and Layer 2 procedures for acquiring and maintaining transmission and reception points, including beam determination, measurement, reporting, and sweeping, utilizing beam angle information to select optimal downlink and uplink beams, and enabling network operations like wireless node location, obstacle detection, and mobility management within Integrated-Access-Backhaul (IAB) networks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of stationary object
If beamforming is used to compensate for high path loss in mmW communications, then communication range is extended, but beam management complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs beam sweeping and reference signal transmission in advance to pre-establish beam quality information and beam angle information. This preliminary action allows the network to have beam management data ready before actual communication occurs, reducing the complexity of real-time beam management while maintaining extended communication range through proactive beam selection and measurement.
2Reliability
If beam angle information is utilized for beam selection, then communication reliability is improved, but measurement and processing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The beam management process is segmented into distinct components: beam sweeping for coverage, reference signal transmission for measurement, beam quality information collection, and beam angle information determination. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently, improving communication reliability through comprehensive beam selection while managing complexity by dividing the overall process into manageable stages.
Solution Approach 2:
Reference signals serve as an intermediary mechanism that enables the system to obtain beam quality information and beam angle information without direct complex measurements during data transmission. These intermediary signals facilitate reliable beam selection by providing measurable parameters that indicate beam performance and direction, reducing the complexity of real-time beam management.
3Reliability
If advanced beam management procedures are implemented, then communication quality is enhanced, but system overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The beam management procedures are designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: beam sweeping provides both coverage and measurement opportunities, reference signals provide both quality assessment and angle information, and the collected information serves both beam selection and beam refinement purposes. This multi-functionality reduces system overhead by eliminating redundant procedures while maintaining enhanced communication quality.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach enhances communication quality by selecting beams that provide increased resistance to blockage, improves network topology mapping, and supports efficient mobility management, thereby extending communication range and reliability in 5G NR systems.
Implementation Method 1
Each antenna in the antenna array transmits a signal that is combined with other signals of other antennas of the same array in such a way that signals at particular angles experience constructive interference
Implementation Method 2
signals at particular angles experience constructive interference while others experience destructive interference
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the present disclosure provide for beam management in wireless communication systems. In some examples, beam angle information (e.g., angles of arrival/departure) may be utilized to select one or more serving downlink beams for communication between a scheduling entity and a scheduled entity. The beam angle information may further be utilized to facilitate additional operations within a backhaul network, such as wireless node locating, obstacle locating, system mapping within the network topology, beam determination and beam sweeping configuration, and mobility management among wireless nodes of a backhaul network. In other examples, aperiodic uplink beam measurements may be triggered based on downlink beam measurement reports and/or in response to a request from a scheduled entity. The scheduling entity may then jointly select uplink and downlink beams based on both the received downlink beam measurement report and uplink beam measurements.