Beam Quality Reporting in 5G NR Using Differential Indication

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current beam quality reporting in new radio communications systems is inaccurate due to limitations in differential reporting, where beam qualities above a threshold but below the minimum differential range cannot be quantized, and qualities below a certain threshold are not reported, leading to incomplete data for network devices.

Innovation Solution

The proposed solution involves reserving specific indication information in 4-bit differential RSRP reporting to indicate abnormal or specified beam quality values, allowing terminal devices to report beam qualities that fall outside the standard differential range, and enabling network devices to adjust the differential step size for accurate reporting.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If differential beam quality reporting is used to reduce signaling overhead, then reporting efficiency is improved, but beam quality accuracy deteriorates when values fall outside the differential range

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvereporting efficiencyVSAvoidbeam quality accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic switching between differential reporting mode and absolute reporting mode based on beam quality conditions. When beam quality exceeds the differential range or falls below the threshold, the system dynamically transitions to absolute reporting to ensure accurate representation, while maintaining differential reporting for normal conditions to optimize signaling efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the reporting parameter from differential format to absolute format when beam quality values fall outside the representable range. This parameter transformation allows the system to maintain reporting efficiency for most cases while ensuring accuracy for extreme values by using a different representation method.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Loss of substance

If beam quality threshold filtering is applied to reduce unnecessary reporting, then signaling overhead is reduced, but complete beam quality information is lost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesignaling overheadVSAvoidbeam quality information completeness
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of substanceVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The system dynamically adjusts reporting behavior based on beam quality conditions. Instead of static threshold filtering, the system activates absolute reporting mode when thresholds are exceeded, ensuring that critical out-of-range information is always transmitted while maintaining reduced overhead for normal operating conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP3684093B1Communication methods and apparatuses
Publication Date: 2022.12.28 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP3684093B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3684093B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP3684093B1 patent drawingFigure 5a~5c

AI summary

This application discloses a communication method and apparatus. The method includes: receiving, by a terminal device, a reference signal sent by a network device; measuring the reference signal to obtain at least one piece of beam quality; and reporting specified differential beam quality indication information to the network device, where the specified differential beam quality indication information is used to indicate that beam quality reporting is abnormal, and/or the specified differential beam quality indication information is used to indicate that beam quality corresponding to the specified differential beam quality indication information is a specified value. A corresponding apparatus is further disclosed. According to the solution in this application, specified differential beam quality indication information is used to indicate that beam quality reporting is abnormal or indicate that beam quality is a specified value, so that beam quality can be accurately reported.