Beam Switching and Reporting for Millimeter Wave Path Loss
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Solution Overview
Problem
Millimeter wave (mmW) systems experience high path loss and require directional transmission to mitigate this, necessitating beam refinement and tracking between user equipment (UE) and base stations to maintain effective communication.
Innovation Solution
The base station transmits beam reference signals in all directions for UE to identify 'coarse' beams, and then refines these with beam refinement requests to track 'fine' beams, with UE informing the base station of any changes to adjust new beams for optimal communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If directional beam transmission is used to mitigate path loss in mmW systems, then signal quality is improved, but system complexity increases due to beam refinement and tracking requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the beam management process into distinct phases: initial beam acquisition using wide beams, followed by beam refinement using narrower beams. This segmentation allows the system to first establish connectivity with coarse beams and then progressively refine to fine beams, reducing the overall complexity compared to attempting fine beam alignment from the start.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary beam acquisition using wide beams before proceeding to beam refinement. By performing this preliminary action of establishing initial connectivity with broader coverage beams, the system prepares the foundation for subsequent refined beam tracking, reducing the complexity of the overall beam management process.
2Reliability
If beam switching is performed to maintain coverage during UE movement, then communication reliability is improved, but beam switching delay increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary identification of candidate beams during the coarse beam acquisition phase. By having potential alternative beams pre-identified and ready, the system can perform beam switching more quickly when UE movement requires handover between beams, reducing the beam switching delay while maintaining coverage continuity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the UE reports beam quality measurements back to the base station. This feedback allows the base station to proactively identify when beam switching is needed and prepare appropriate beam transitions, reducing delays by acting on real-time channel conditions rather than waiting for connection degradation.
3Productivity
If fine beam tracking is implemented to maintain optimal signal quality, then communication efficiency is improved, but measurement and tracking precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments beam tracking into coarse beam identification followed by fine beam refinement. This two-stage approach allows the system to first establish the general beam direction with relaxed precision requirements, then progressively refine to higher precision only when needed, reducing the overall measurement precision burden compared to continuous fine tracking.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies partial fine beam tracking rather than continuous full precision tracking. By performing refined beam measurements only when necessary (e.g., when coarse beam quality degrades or during specific reporting intervals), the system achieves sufficient communication efficiency without the continuous high precision measurement burden.
Data Source
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Figure 2A~2D
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AI summary
A UE may receive, from a base station, through a set of beams a set of BRSs. The UE may measure a signal quality of each BRS of the set of BRSs, and each measured signal quality may correspond to a beam of the set of beams. In an aspect, the UE may maintain a set of candidate beam indexes corresponding to a set of best measured signal qualities of the set of BRSs. In an aspect, the UE may transmit, to the base station, information indicating at least one measured signal quality and at least one beam index from the set of maintained candidate beam indexes, and the at least one beam index may correspond to the at least one measured signal quality.