Beam Management Using Beam Squinting for Low-Latency 6G
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Solution Overview
Problem
The current 5G NR beam management procedure is not suitable for 6G communication systems using high-frequency bands, as it requires significantly more time resources due to the need for forming a greater number of narrower beams, which can lead to substantial time overhead and is not compatible with the ultra-low latency requirements of 6G systems.
Innovation Solution
A method involving beam squinting with controlled angles and TDN function to transmit multiple beams simultaneously, allowing for quick beam adjustment and recovery by allocating resources based on subcarriers and sweeps, and using DCI, MAC-CE, or RRC reconfiguration information for beam index mapping and reception quality feedback.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If more antennas are employed to form highly directional beams in 6G high-frequency bands, then path loss issues are addressed and beam directionality is improved, but the number of candidate beams increases significantly, requiring more time resources for beam management
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple beam transmissions into a single time slot by multiplexing different beams across multiple subcarriers. Instead of sequentially transmitting beams one at a time (which would require N time slots for N beams), the system transmits multiple beams simultaneously in the frequency domain, reducing the time required for beam management while maintaining the ability to form highly directional beams with multiple antennas
2Measurement precision
If narrower beams are formed to achieve higher directionality in 6G, then communication precision is improved, but the number of SSB/CSI-RS candidate beams increases, leading to substantially increased time overhead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from time-domain sequential beam transmission to frequency-domain parallel beam transmission. By mapping different beams to different subcarriers within the same time slot, the system utilizes the frequency dimension to achieve parallel processing of multiple beams, thereby maintaining high beam directionality precision while significantly improving beam management efficiency and reducing time overhead
3Reliability
If sequential beam sweeping is used in 6G, then beam selection is thorough, but the time required for beam establishment and adjustment increases substantially compared to 5G
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables continuous and parallel beam transmission across multiple subcarriers within a single time slot, eliminating the sequential gaps present in traditional beam sweeping. By maintaining continuous beam coverage across the frequency domain simultaneously, the system achieves thorough beam selection accuracy while dramatically reducing the overall beam establishment time compared to sequential methods
Data Source
AI summary
A method for beam adjustment in a base station disclosed herein may comprise the steps of allocating a first resource for transmitting candidate beams determined on the basis of the number of sweeps and the number of subcarriers of which beams are squinted in an angle search space; transmitting, to a terminal, first resource information indicating the allocated first resource; mapping beam indexes to each of the candidate beams; transmitting, to the terminal, information about the beam indexes mapped to each of the candidate beams; transmitting a reference signal by using the first resource; receiving reception quality information for the reference signal from the terminal; and determining a transmission beam on the basis of the reception quality information.