Beam Shape Information for Wideband Positioning

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Existing wireless communication systems face challenges in accurately determining the location of User Equipment (UE) due to frequency-dependent changes in beam shapes of transmitted RF signals, which affect angular measurements used for positioning.

Innovation Solution

The system provides information indicative of the shape of the beam used for transmitting RF signals, including gain, azimuth and elevation directions, boresight, and width of the main lobe, to both positioning entities and receiving devices, accounting for frequency-dependent changes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If beam shape information is provided to positioning entities, then positioning accuracy is improved, but signaling overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvepositioning accuracyVSAvoidsignaling overhead

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential beam shape parameters (azimuth, elevation, beam width) needed for positioning calculations, rather than transmitting complete beamforming weight sets or full radiation patterns. This selective extraction reduces signaling overhead while maintaining positioning accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of having positioning entities calculate beam shapes from raw beamforming weights (complex computation), the network side pre-calculates and provides simplified beam shape parameters. This inverts the computation burden from user equipment to network infrastructure, reducing device complexity and signaling requirements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

2Measurement precision

If frequency-dependent beam shape information is provided, then angular measurement accuracy is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveangular measurement accuracyVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces frequency-dependent parameters (azimuth, elevation, beam width) that adapt to different carrier frequencies. These parameters allow the system to account for beam shape variations across frequency without requiring complex real-time calculations at each frequency point.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

Beam shape parameters are pre-calculated and provided to positioning entities before actual positioning measurements are performed. This preliminary provision of frequency-dependent parameters eliminates the need for complex real-time beam shape analysis during positioning operations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS12302145B2Location assistance data for wideband positioning

Publication Date: 2025.05.13 QUALCOMM INC

AI summary

Frequency-dependent changes in beam shapes of transmitted RF signals can be provided to a receiving device. Beam shape information can include, for example, gain of a beam and a plurality of azimuth and elevation directions, boresight and width of a main lobe (and optionally side lobes) of the beam, information regarding a pattern of antenna elements of an antenna panel used to transmit the beam, and/or similar information. The type of information provided can dictate the amount of overhead required, and we therefore vary depending on the means by which the information is conveyed. Additional detail is provided in the embodiments described herein.