Beamforming Switching Between Overlapping Beam Patterns
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Solution Overview
Problem
Massive MIMO systems face challenges in efficiently managing resources due to the high number of beams required, leading to limited baseband chains and reduced capacity, especially in dynamic environments where user terminal movements and changes in propagation paths occur.
Innovation Solution
A method and device for beamforming that switches between sets of beam patterns, allowing efficient resource handling by overlapping sets of radio transceiver devices, enabling increased capacity through spatial multiplexing with a limited number of baseband chains and providing low latency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the number of beams in the GoB is increased to serve more user terminals simultaneously, then the system capacity and spectral efficiency are improved, but the number of required baseband chains and digital signal processing hardware increases, leading to higher cost and power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple beams are merged into a single beam through beam combining techniques. The patent describes combining multiple beamformed signals into one composite beam that serves multiple user terminals simultaneously, thereby reducing the number of separate baseband chains required while maintaining the ability to serve multiple users
Solution Approach 2:
A single baseband chain is designed to handle multiple beams through dynamic beam switching and combining. The patent shows that one baseband chain can serve multiple user terminals by dynamically selecting and combining appropriate beams based on channel conditions, making the baseband chain multi-functional
2Device complexity
If the number of beams per user terminal is restricted to one to reduce hardware requirements, then the number of baseband chains is reduced, but the system becomes very sensitive to small changes in user terminal position and propagation paths
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple beams are combined into a single composite beam that serves one or more user terminals. This combining provides spatial diversity and makes the system more robust to movements and channel changes, as the combined beam maintains service quality even when individual beam conditions change
Solution Approach 2:
The beam combining coefficients are dynamically adjusted based on channel conditions, user terminal positions, and propagation path changes. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to maintain reliability and track user movements effectively while using a limited number of baseband chains
3Reliability
If multiple narrow beams are used to track user terminal movements and changes in propagation paths, then the reliability and adaptability are improved, but the number of beams increases, requiring more digital baseband chains and increasing hardware cost
Solution Approach 1:
Multiple narrow tracking beams are merged into a composite beam structure that maintains tracking capability. The patent describes how multiple beamformed signals targeting different spatial directions or propagation paths are combined to create a robust composite beam that tracks user terminals without requiring separate baseband chains for each narrow beam
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided mechanisms for beamforming of beams. A method is performed by a radio transceiver device. The method comprises performing beamforming by switching between communicating in a first set of beam patterns and in a second set of beam patterns. The first set of beam patterns and the second set of beam patterns comprise equally many beams. Signals in the beams are communicated with a first set of other radio transceiver devices in the first set of beam patterns and with a second set of other radio transceiver devices in the second set of beam patterns. The first set of other radio transceiver devices and the second set of other radio transceiver devices at least partly overlaps.