Base Station Beam Muting for Interference Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
In stationary multi-beam-based mobile communication systems, inter-beam interference caused by overlapping beams leads to poor signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) performance and limited service capacity due to constant beam emission.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus that calculate proportional fairness metrics for each beam, create a beam muting list by blocking power to beams with low metrics, and mute selected beams to mitigate interference, predicting base station capacity and selecting beams to add to the list based on capacity thresholds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of stationary object
If all beams are constantly emitted to provide coverage, then coverage continuity is improved, but inter-beam interference increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements periodic beam muting where beams are selectively activated and deactivated in time slots based on proportional fairness metrics. Instead of continuous beam emission, the system periodically mutes beams that contribute to interference while maintaining coverage through other beams, thereby reducing inter-beam interference while preserving coverage continuity.
2Power
If beam power is increased to improve signal strength, then signal quality is improved, but interference to other beams increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent dynamically changes the power parameter of beams based on proportional fairness metrics. Beams with low metrics (causing excessive interference) have their power reduced or muted, while beams with high metrics maintain or increase power. This parameter adjustment resolves the contradiction by adaptively controlling signal strength and interference levels.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If beam muting is applied to reduce interference, then inter-beam interference is reduced, but base station capacity may decrease
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs feedback mechanisms where proportional fairness metrics are continuously calculated based on terminal performance in each beam. These metrics provide feedback to the beam muting decision, ensuring that muting actions are taken only when they improve overall system fairness and capacity. The feedback loop prevents unnecessary muting that would reduce base station capacity while still achieving interference reduction.
Data Source
AI summary
A base station that runs a plurality of beams calculates the sum of proportional fairness metrics for each of terminals scheduled for resource allocation in the beams, creates a beam muting list based on the sum of proportional fairness metrics for each beam, and mutes the beams in the beam muting list for blocking power.