Frequency-Selective Beam Management for 5G UE

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

In 5G wireless communication systems, the optimal user equipment (UE) beam can vary across different frequency bands due to frequency selectivity, leading to sub-optimal performance when only one UE beam is remembered for the entire frequency band.

Innovation Solution

The UE remembers multiple UE beams, each optimized for specific frequency bands based on channel quality metrics, and selects the appropriate beam for transmission or reception based on the scheduled frequency band, allowing for improved uplink and downlink performance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Device complexity

If the UE remembers only one UE beam for the entire frequency band, then the device complexity is reduced, but the communication performance becomes sub-optimal due to frequency selectivity

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebeam management complexityVSAvoidcommunication performance
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The frequency band is segmented into multiple frequency sub-bands, and the UE remembers one beam per sub-band instead of a single beam for the entire band. This segmentation allows the system to account for frequency selectivity while maintaining manageable complexity through structured organization of beam information.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The UE dynamically selects which beam to use based on the scheduled frequency sub-band information. This dynamic adaptation ensures that the appropriate beam is chosen for each frequency region, optimizing communication performance while keeping the overall system manageable through automated selection logic.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

2Reliability

If the UE remembers multiple UE beams for different frequency bands, then the communication performance is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication performanceVSAvoidbeam management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The frequency band is divided into multiple sub-bands with dedicated beams for each, allowing the system to capture frequency-selective channel characteristics. This structured segmentation improves performance by matching beams to specific frequency regions while organizing complexity in a manageable way.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The UE autonomously selects the appropriate beam based on the scheduled frequency sub-band without requiring complex external coordination. This self-service mechanism simplifies the overall system by enabling the UE to automatically adapt to frequency-selective conditions using the stored beam information.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Adaptability or versatility

If the UE selects beams based on frequency band scheduling information, then the adaptability to frequency-selective channels is improved, but the processing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefrequency-selective adaptationVSAvoidbeam selection processing
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The beam selection process is made dynamic by linking it to the scheduled frequency sub-band information. The UE adapts its beam choice based on real-time scheduling decisions, enabling frequency-selective optimization through a relatively simple lookup-based selection mechanism rather than complex real-time optimization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP3652870B1Frequency-selective beam management
Publication Date: 2021.02.24 TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL)
  • EP3652870B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3652870B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3652870B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

A method performed by a user equipment (UE) is provided. The method includes selecting a first beam for a first frequency band and selecting a second beam for a second frequency band. The method further includes receiving scheduling information (SI) for scheduling at least one of an uplink (UL) transmission from the UE and a downlink (DL) transmission to the UE. The SI includes frequency information identifying a frequency band. The method further includes selecting a beam from a set of beams including the first and second beams. The selection is based on the identified frequency band.