Coordinated Multi-Point Beam Management for Fast Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
In massive MIMO systems, ensuring dynamic beam alignment and fast beam switching between base stations is crucial for maintaining link reliability, especially when user equipment moves or beams are blocked, as existing technologies face challenges in efficiently managing inter-base station beam configurations and coordinating multi-point technologies.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves a method for inter-base station beam management that includes dynamic beam alignment and fast switching, utilizing downlink and uplink independent/dependent network systems, where beam measurements are conducted using reference signals like CSI-RS and SRS, and beam switching is triggered and configured through DCI messages or higher-layer signaling, allowing for semi-static or dynamic configuration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If joint transmission (JT) scheme is used to allow multiple base stations to jointly send data to users, then capacity gain is maximized, but system requirements including channel sharing, data information exchange, and strict synchronization increase greatly, causing pressure on backhaul network and system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the CoMP coordination into different operational modes (JT, DPS, CS/CB) with varying levels of complexity. Each mode handles beam management independently or with different degrees of coordination, allowing the system to achieve capacity gains without always requiring full joint transmission complexity. The beam management functions are divided between individual base stations and the coordinating set, reducing overall system burden.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic beam switching and base station selection mechanisms that allow the system to adapt between different coordination modes based on channel conditions, user location, and network load. This dynamic approach enables the system to achieve high capacity when conditions permit while reducing complexity when they don't, resolving the contradiction between productivity and device complexity.
2Productivity
If narrow beamforming technology is used to improve link quality and cell coverage, then spectral efficiency is improved, but beam direction selection error obviously decreases SINR
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary beam measurement and selection procedures where the UE measures reference signals from multiple base stations and identifies optimal beams before actual data transmission. This preliminary action ensures that the correct narrow beams are selected in advance, preventing selection errors that would degrade SINR while maintaining the spectral efficiency benefits of narrow beamforming.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent establishes feedback mechanisms where the UE reports beam measurement results and quality metrics back to the base station. This feedback enables the base station to verify beam alignment quality and switch beams if selection errors are detected, thereby maintaining high SINR while utilizing narrow beamforming for improved spectral efficiency.
3Reliability
If dynamic beam switching is implemented to enable fast response when UE moves or beams are blocked, then link reliability is improved, but beam configuration and coordination complexity between base stations increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments beam management functions into independent procedures for different scenarios (beam measurement, beam indication, beam switching). Each CoMP base station maintains its own beam configurations independently, and only coordinates when switching between base stations is required. This segmentation reduces overall configuration complexity while enabling fast beam switching to maintain link reliability.
4Productivity
If coordinated scheduling and beamforming is used to reduce interference to adjacent cell users, then system performance is improved, but interference avoidance/zeroization requirements increase system complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies interference coordination locally at each base station and CoMP set rather than requiring global optimization. Each base station performs scheduling and beamforming decisions considering only its local CoMP members, reducing computational complexity while still achieving interference avoidance benefits. The CS/CB mode exemplifies this by coordinating interference management within localized base station groups rather than system-wide.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention discloses an inter-base station beam configuration and management method, a base station, user equipment, and a system. The method includes: receiving, by user equipment, a beam signal sent by a base station; determining, by the user equipment, a receive beam based on the sent beam signal; receiving, by the base station, a beam signal sent by a terminal device; determining, by the base station, a receive beam based on the sent beam signal; performing dynamic selection and fast beam switching between base stations in combination with a coordinated multi-point technology; and performing fast beam alignment between the base station end with the user equipment end. This application can effectively implement fast beam switching and alignment between base stations and support dynamic base station selection, thereby improving link reliability.