Implicit Beam Reporting in 5G Random Access

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

In 5G wireless communication systems operating at high bands above 6GHz, conventional omnidirectional transmission is inefficient due to poor radio wave propagation, requiring beam scanning and management, but existing methods waste resources by defining additional bits for reporting optimal beams during the random access process.

Innovation Solution

A method where User Equipment (UE) implicitly reports the optimal beam by sending a third message (MSG3) on the measured beam, allowing the base station to adjust and confirm the beam without defining additional bits for beam information, thereby saving resources.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of information

If additional bits are defined to report optimal beam information in MSG3, then beam reporting capability is improved, but radio resources are wasted

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebeam information reporting capabilityVSAvoidradio resources consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of informationVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies self-service by enabling the UE to implicitly report beam information through the transmission manner of MSG3 itself. The base station determines the optimal beam based on which beam the UE uses to transmit MSG3, eliminating the need for explicit beam indication bits. This allows the message to serve dual purposes: both conveying uplink data and implicitly indicating the selected beam, thereby resolving the contradiction between information completeness and resource efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

2Productivity

If beam scanning and management are introduced for high band communication, then transmission efficiency is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransmission efficiencyVSAvoidbeam management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the beam indication function from the traditional beam management procedure and integrates it into the random access process. By having the UE implicitly indicate the selected beam through MSG3 transmission, the system separates beam selection from complex multi-step beam management procedures, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining high transmission efficiency through beam scanning in high bands.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Ease of operation

If UE reports optimal beam in random access process, then beam adjustment is facilitated, but additional bits are required

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebeam adjustment capabilityVSAvoidbit definition complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent enables the UE to perform self-service by using its own transmission behavior (selecting a beam for MSG3) to convey beam information to the base station. This eliminates the need for separate beam indication bits and simplifies the protocol, while still facilitating effective beam adjustment. The UE's transmission choice itself becomes the signal for beam indication.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3667938B1Methods and devices for reporting and determining optimal beam, user equipment, and base station
Publication Date: 2023.05.10 BEIJING XIAOMI MOBILE SOFTWARE CO LTD
  • EP3667938B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3667938B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP3667938B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

Provided are methods and devices for reporting and determining an optimal beam, User Equipment (UE), a base station and a computer-readable storage medium. The method for reporting an optimal beam includes that: a MSG3 is sent to a base station on a measured optimal beam; and a MSG4 returned by the base station is waited to be received on both the measured optimal beam and an initial beam originally configured to send the MSG3. According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, the MSG3 is sent to the base station on a measured optimal beam, so that the optimal beam can be reported implicitly in the random access process; and no bit for representing beam information needs to be additionally defined, so that resources can be saved.