Coordinated Beam Switching for Wireless Interference Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless communications systems using beamforming face challenges with the 'flashlight effect' due to changes in channel quality between user equipment and NodeB transmission, caused by changes in beam patterns of neighboring cells, leading to increased interference and reduced spectral efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for coordinated beam switching and scheduling, where controllers select beams based on signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) reports and channel information, generating a histogram to optimize beam cycling patterns, allowing for dynamic allocation of beams according to actual UE population and interference levels, without requiring UE knowledge of interfering cells.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If beamforming is used to increase cell coverage and improve cell edge spectral efficiencies, then transmit/receive gain is improved, but channel quality changes between measurement and reporting due to beam pattern changes in neighboring cells
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic beam switching where the serving cell changes its beam pattern over time in a coordinated manner. The beam cycle pattern allows the system to switch between different beam directions dynamically, and the UE measures and reports channel quality for multiple beam indices, enabling the system to adapt to changing channel conditions while maintaining reliable communication.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs feedback mechanisms where UEs measure channel quality (SNR/SINR) for multiple beam indices and report these measurements back to the serving cell. The controller uses this feedback information to determine the optimal beam cycle pattern and select the best beam for transmission, ensuring that channel quality variations are compensated through informed beam selection.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If coordinated beam switching is implemented to solve flashlight effect, then interference management is improved, but system complexity increases due to beam cycle pattern coordination
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a controller as an intermediary entity that manages the beam cycle pattern coordination between multiple cells. The controller receives beam index information from UEs, determines the appropriate beam cycle pattern, and coordinates the beam switching among neighboring cells. This centralized coordination simplifies the complexity by providing a single point of control rather than requiring direct peer-to-peer coordination between all cells.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the beam switching process into distinct phases: a beam cycle pattern determination phase where the controller plans the beam sequence, and an execution phase where cells switch beams according to the predetermined pattern. This segmentation allows complex coordinated beam switching to be broken down into manageable steps, reducing the overall system complexity.
3Measurement precision
If UEs measure and report channel quality for multiple beams, then beam selection accuracy is improved, but measurement and reporting burden on UEs increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a two-stage measurement approach where UEs first perform coarse measurements to identify promising beam indices, and then perform more precise measurements only on those selected beams. This partial action approach reduces the overall measurement burden compared to measuring all possible beams, while still achieving sufficient beam selection accuracy by focusing resources on the most relevant beams.
Data Source
Figure 1~2a
Figure 2b~2c
Figure 3~6b
AI summary
A system and method for enabling coordinated beam switching scheduling and switching is provided. A method for controller operation includes selecting beams for transmission in a beam cycle pattern, transmitting the selected beams in the beam cycle pattern, scheduling a subset of the plurality of communications nodes based on received transmissions for the subset of communications nodes and channel information reports from the plurality of communications nodes, and transmitting the received transmissions to the scheduled subset of the plurality of communications nodes. The selecting is based on measurements of received signal power to noise made by a plurality of communications nodes, and the channel information reports are based on measurements of received signal power plus received interference power to noise made by each of the plurality of communications nodes.