DMRS-Based CSI Reporting With Differential Beam Indication

The patent segments the beam management reporting process into two parts: (1) absolute beam measurements reported periodically, and (2) differential beam measurements reported only when changes occur. This segmentation allows the system to maintain beam management reliability through periodic updates while reducing overhead by only transmitting changes rather than full reports every time.

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the UE monitors beam measurements and only transmits differential information when changes are detected. The network entity uses previously reported absolute measurements as reference and compares them with current measurements to determine what needs to be reported, creating an efficient feedback loop that reduces unnecessary transmissions.

The patent performs preliminary actions by configuring the UE with multiple source reference signals and their corresponding DMRS ports in advance through higher layer signaling. This pre-configuration allows the UE to automatically determine which DMRS measurements should be associated with which source reference signals without requiring explicit indication in each measurement report, thereby reducing overhead while maintaining precision.

The patent introduces source reference signals as intermediaries that link DMRS measurements to beam identification. Instead of directly measuring beams, the UE measures DMRS associated with source reference signals, which then serve as mediators to identify and report differential beam qualities. This intermediary approach maintains measurement precision while enabling overhead reduction through implicit precoder indication.