Blackout Period Indication for Multi-Panel UE Beam Failure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wireless communication systems, particularly 5G NR, lack a mechanism for a multi-panel UE to convey a blackout period to the base station, leading to potential transmission failures due to beam failure events like UE display folding, where the base station continues transmitting on impacted beam pair links during the blackout period.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a blackout determination module in the UE to predict and communicate the blackout period to the base station, allowing the base station to refrain from transmitting on impacted beam pair links during this time, thereby preventing transmission failures.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the base station continues transmitting on impacted beam pair links during the blackout period, then transmission continuity is maintained, but transmission failures occur due to beam failure events
Solution Approach 1:
The UE performs preliminary actions by determining and reporting the blackout period indication to the base station before the actual blackout occurs. This allows the base station to proactively stop transmissions on impacted beam pair links, preventing transmission failures during the blackout period when the beam is unavailable.
2Reliability
If the base station stops transmitting on impacted beam pair links during the blackout period, then transmission failures are prevented, but communication efficiency decreases due to unnecessary transmission pauses
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements feedback by having the UE report the blackout period indication to the base station. This feedback mechanism provides the base station with accurate information about when beam failures will occur, enabling it to stop transmissions only during the necessary blackout period and resume immediately after, thereby maintaining high communication efficiency while preventing transmission failures.
3Reliability
If the UE reports the blackout period to the base station, then the base station can avoid transmission failures, but signaling overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The blackout period indication is designed as a compact signaling parameter that conveys essential timing information (start and end of blackout period) in an efficient format. By optimizing the parameter structure and encoding method, the solution minimizes the signaling overhead required to report the blackout period while ensuring the base station receives sufficient information to adjust transmissions appropriately.
Data Source
AI summary
There may be a gap between the time a beam pair link (BPL) impacted by a beam failure (BF) event is deactivated and the time a replacement BPL is activated and becomes fully functional at a UE. The gap may be called a blackout period. A base station may not know the blackout period and may continue transmitting to the UE on the impacted BPL during the blackout period. This may result in a transmission failure. Disclosed herein are apparatus and methods for determining a blackout period associated with a beam failure (BF) event and communicating a blackout indication to a base station, the blackout indication including the blackout period.