Location Service Assisted Beamforming for mmWave User Discovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mmWave cellular technologies face challenges in efficiently connecting user terminals due to the need for directional transmissions, which complicates the user discovery and beamforming processes, especially in ultra-dense environments, and there is a lack of clear methods to integrate beamforming with the application layer for improved communication efficiency.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that decouples the beamforming module from the application layer, utilizing a location service to provide and update user terminal location information, enabling efficient beam steering and association between user terminals and access points, thereby enhancing the user discovery and communication efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If directional beamforming transmissions are used in mmWave environments, then spectral efficiency is improved and path-loss is minimized, but the complexity of user discovery and association procedures increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a location service as an intermediary component that mediates between the beamforming module and the application layer. The location service provides location information to the beamforming module, which then uses this information to perform targeted beamforming operations. This intermediary approach simplifies the overall system by centralizing location management and providing a standardized interface, reducing the complexity of user discovery and association procedures while maintaining high spectral efficiency through directional transmissions
2Reliability
If sector-level sweep and beam refinement protocols are implemented, then connection reliability is improved, but the association time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having the location service determine and provide location information before the beamforming association process begins. The beamforming module uses this pre-provided location information to directly target beamforming operations, eliminating the need for extensive sector-level sweeping. This preliminary location-based targeting significantly reduces association time while maintaining connection reliability through subsequent beam refinement protocols
3Measurement precision
If bidirectional beamforming training sequences are used to sweep all spatial sectors, then user discovery accuracy is improved, but communication efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by using location information to identify specific areas of interest and directing beamforming operations only to those localized regions. Instead of sweeping all spatial sectors uniformly, the system concentrates beamforming resources on locations where users are most likely to be found based on location service data. This localized approach maintains user discovery accuracy while significantly improving communication efficiency by reducing unnecessary transmissions in empty sectors
Data Source
AI summary
A method provides location information within a mobile network with beamforming characteristics. The mobile network includes at least one access point or base station that includes a beamforming module. The method includes tracing and maintaining user terminals' location information in a location service deployed in the mobile network, providing the location information of a user's terminal from the location service to the beamforming module of the at least one access point or base station in order to assist beamforming and association between the user's terminal and the at least one access point or base station, and providing the location information of the user's terminal from the at least one access point or base station to the location service in order to populate, update, and/or refine a location information base of the location service.