Control Beam Association for Millimeter Wave Mobility Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wireless communication systems face challenges in efficiently supporting mobility management and random access in millimeter wave wideband communications, particularly with directional antennas or antenna arrays, where mobile stations struggle to detect base stations and establish network access due to directional control channels and beams.
Innovation Solution
The method involves transmitting control beams with reference signals for mobile stations to measure and report, allowing base stations to select appropriate control channels for association, and transmitting resource allocation indications using selected beams, enabling efficient communication and network access.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If directional control channels and beams are used in millimeter wave communications, then spectrum efficiency and network capacity are improved, but mobile stations struggle to detect base stations and establish network access
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the control channel into multiple beams (first control beam, second control beam, etc.) that are transmitted in different directions. Each beam covers a specific spatial sector, allowing mobile stations to receive control information from the base station by aligning their receive beam with the transmitted control beam direction. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by maintaining directional transmission for high spectrum efficiency while enabling mobile stations to detect and access the network through appropriate beam alignment.
2Productivity
If a large number of antennas are deployed to support high data traffic demand, then network capacity is improved, but mobility management becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the large antenna array into multiple sub-arrays, where each sub-array forms a specific control beam. This segmentation allows the base station to manage mobility by controlling which sub-array (and thus which beam) transmits control information to which mobile station. The segmentation simplifies mobility management by reducing the complexity of coordinating all antennas simultaneously while maintaining the capacity benefits of having many antennas through parallel beam transmissions.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic beam switching where the base station can switch between different control beams (first control beam, second control beam, etc.) based on the mobile station's location and movement. This dynamic adaptation allows the system to maintain high capacity with many antennas while simplifying mobility management through automated beam selection and switching, reducing the operational complexity of managing antenna resources during mobile station movement.
3Reliability
If control information is transmitted using multiple beams, then reliability of communication is improved, but the process of beam selection and resource allocation becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transmits reference signals in multiple control beams (first control beam, second control beam, etc.) before actual data communication begins. Mobile stations measure these reference signals to determine beam quality and select the appropriate beam for communication. This preliminary action of transmitting reference signals across multiple beams enables reliable communication by allowing mobile stations to evaluate and select optimal beams in advance, while simplifying the beam selection process through standardized reference signal measurements.
Data Source
AI summary
A base station and mobile station are configured to perform control beam association. A method at the base station includes transmitting at least one first control beam including reference signals on which the mobile station can perform a measurement. The method also includes receiving a first measurement report from the mobile station of the at least one first control beam. The method further includes, based on the first measurement report, selecting at least one of the at least one first control beam for at least one control channel for the mobile station to associate with. The method still further includes transmitting control information in the at least one control channel to the mobile station using the at least one selected control beam, the control information comprising at least one resource allocation indication for the mobile station. The at least one selected control beam is associated to the mobile station.