Base Station Cooperative Communication for Millimeter Wave Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wireless communication systems face challenges in securing wide frequency bands for high-speed data transmission, particularly at cell boundaries, where millimeter wave beamforming struggles with reliability and interference, leading to potential disconnections due to obstacles.
Innovation Solution
A method and apparatus for cooperative communication between Base Stations (BSs) using beamforming, where a Mobile Station (MS) selects and manages beam pairs to enhance link reliability and data rate by forming a virtual cell with multiple BSs, ensuring stable communication by adding or removing BSs based on channel measurements and reliability thresholds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If millimeter wave beamforming technology is used to secure wide frequency band and increase data transmission rate, then data transmission rate is improved, but link reliability deteriorates due to propagation path loss and obstacles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple base stations into a cooperative group where they work together to serve a single user equipment. This merging of multiple transmission points provides both the high data rates needed for millimeter wave communication and improved reliability through diversity, as multiple paths are available for transmission even when some links are blocked by obstacles.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces spatial diversity by utilizing multiple base stations positioned at different locations. This adds a spatial dimension to the communication system, allowing signals to reach the user equipment through multiple geometric paths, thereby overcoming the limitation of single-link reliability in millimeter wave systems.
2Reliability
If cooperative communication between multiple base stations is implemented to improve link reliability, then link reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to BS group configuration and management
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service mechanisms where user equipment autonomously measures channel qualities to multiple base stations and autonomously selects or requests addition of base stations to its cooperative group. This reduces the complexity burden on the network side, as the decision-making intelligence is distributed to the user equipment that directly experiences the channel conditions.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooperative base station group is configured dynamically rather than statically. Base stations can be added to or removed from the cooperative group based on real-time channel measurements and reliability requirements. This dynamic configuration allows the system to adapt to changing conditions without requiring complex pre-planning or manual intervention.
3Ease of operation
If a single communication link is used to simplify system operation, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates as communication may be disconnected by unexpected obstacles
Solution Approach 1:
The patent prepares multiple base station links in advance as backup paths before any disconnection occurs. When configuring the cooperative communication group, multiple base stations are selected and ready to provide service, so that if one link is blocked by an obstacle, alternative links are already available to maintain communication without interruption.
Data Source
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AI summary
A Base Station (BS) cooperative communication method in a wireless communication system is provided. The BS cooperative communication method includes measuring signal quality of one or more neighboring BSs, comparing a number of downlink beams available for communication between a serving BS and a Mobile Station (MS) with a reference value, determining not to involve the one or more neighboring BSs in BS cooperative communication for the MS when the number of downlink beams is equal to or larger than the reference value, comparing signal measurements of the one or more neighboring BSs with a first threshold when the number of downlink beams is smaller than the reference value, and determining to involve one or more neighboring BSs having a signal measurement larger than the first threshold in the BS cooperative communication for the MS.