Phased Antenna Beam Squint for Mobile Link Adaptation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing electronic devices with wireless capabilities face limitations in supporting high data rates due to over-the-air attenuation and beam squinting effects in phased antenna arrays, which can be exacerbated by the movement of user equipment devices.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a communication system that includes a wireless base station, user equipment devices, and optionally reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS), utilizing phased antenna arrays to leverage beam squint for optimizing communications efficiency. This involves adjusting modulation coding schemes, transmit power levels, reference signal allocation, beam width, frequency domain resource allocation, and carrier aggregation band selection to maintain effective wireless communications.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If phased antenna arrays are used to support higher data rates, then wireless communication capacity increases, but beam squinting effects worsen and limit wireless performance

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewireless communication data rateVSAvoidwireless communication performance

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts the harmful beam squinting effect into a beneficial tool for communication optimization. By intentionally exploiting beam squint, the system can serve multiple users with different channel conditions and angles simultaneously, transforming what was previously a performance-limiting factor into a resource for enhancing system capacity and user coverage.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts communication parameters such as modulation and coding schemes (MCS), transmit power levels, and reference signal allocation based on the beam squint characteristics. This allows the system to adapt to frequency-dependent beam patterns and maintain optimal performance across different users and channel conditions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Productivity

If higher frequency signals are used to increase data rates, then communication capacity improves, but over-the-air attenuation increases and line-of-sight requirements become more stringent

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewireless communication data rateVSAvoidover-the-air signal attenuation

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The system adjusts transmission parameters including power levels and modulation schemes to compensate for frequency-dependent attenuation. By leveraging beam squint, the system can direct energy more effectively toward different users, partially offsetting the inherent path loss at higher frequencies.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Measurement precision

If beam squint is mitigated to maintain consistent beam direction, then beam accuracy improves, but communication efficiency decreases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebeam direction accuracyVSAvoidcommunication efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of trying to eliminate beam squint to maintain accurate beam pointing, the system inverts the approach by intentionally utilizing beam squint for communication optimization. This allows the system to achieve better overall communication efficiency by serving multiple users with different angles and channel conditions simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

4Reliability

If sub-band allocation is adjusted to track moving UE devices, then communication reliability improves, but system complexity increases due to frequent parameter updates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication reliability for mobile devicesVSAvoidsystem configuration complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring sub-band allocations based on predicted UE device movements and beam squint characteristics. This allows the system to maintain reliable communications with moving devices without requiring frequent real-time adjustments, thereby reducing system complexity while maintaining tracking accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS20250105986A1Communications Systems for Leveraging Beam Squint Effects

Publication Date: 2025.03.27 APPLE INC

AI summary

A communication system may include a wireless base station (BS), one or more user equipment (UE) devices, and optionally one or more reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS's). Phased antenna arrays may be implemented on one or more of these devices. The phased antenna arrays may exhibit beam squint. The beam squint may be leveraged to optimize communications efficiency in the system. For example, a transmit device may leverage beam squint to perform modulation coding scheme (MCS) adjustment, transmit power level adjustment, reference signal allocation, beam width adjustment, frequency domain resource allocation, carrier aggregation band selection, and/or beam management procedures. Beam squint may also be leveraged to ensure that satisfactory communications are maintained between the BS and the UE devices even as the UE devices move over time.