Wireless Communication Device Beamforming Overhead Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Full-dimension (FD) multi-input multi-output (MIMO) wireless communication systems face challenges in managing overhead and cost due to the increasing number of antenna elements, particularly when forming sharp beams with large arrays, which complicates channel estimation and beamforming processes.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a wireless communication device and method that utilizes cell-specific and terminal-specific weighting matrices to manage beamforming, reducing the apparent number of antenna elements by using cell-specific beams with different directivity, thereby decreasing the overhead and cost associated with channel estimation and beamforming.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the number of antenna elements is increased to form sharp beams in FD-MIMO, then beamforming performance is improved, but overhead and device cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the antenna array into multiple subarrays, where each subarray is independently controlled with its own phase shifters and weighting factors. This segmentation allows the system to achieve sharp beamforming performance through coordinated subarray operations while reducing the complexity of managing individual antenna elements, thereby resolving the contradiction between beamforming performance and device complexity.
2Device complexity
If cell-specific beams with different directivity are used to reduce the apparent number of antenna elements, then overhead is decreased, but beam coverage may be limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements cell-specific beams that serve multiple functions: they provide wide coverage for initial access and channel estimation, and simultaneously enable directional beamforming for data transmission. By making the cell-specific beams multi-functional, the system reduces overhead while maintaining adequate beam coverage, resolving the contradiction between overhead reduction and coverage maintenance.
Data Source
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AI summary
[Object] To provide a wireless communication device that can supply an appropriate beam to a terminal device while preventing the problem with overhead or increase in the cost of a wireless device, which are caused by an increasing number of antenna elements when FD-MIMO is used. [Solution] There is provided a wireless communication device including a control unit configured to generate information for a terminal device on the basis of information acquired from the terminal device. The control unit outputs a reference signal on a first beam generated with at least two or more different first weighting matrices, generates a second weighting matrix specific to a terminal device in accordance with information transmitted from the terminal device in accordance with the reference signal, and outputs data for the terminal device on a second beam with the first weighting matrices and the second weighting matrix.