Millimeter-Wave SCell Beam Reporting with Limited Scans
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Solution Overview
Problem
The resource-intensive nature of UE beam sweep processes for secondary cells (SCells) in wireless communication systems, particularly in LTE and 5G NR, leads to excessive power consumption, as the network periodically requests UE to measure and report signal metrics even in deactivated states.
Innovation Solution
The UE is configured with a limited set of beams based on Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) states, comparing new measurements with previous ones to determine if they exceed a threshold, thereby reducing the need for full beam sweeps by disabling reporting if the difference is within the threshold or performing partial sweeps if the measurements are recent.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the network periodically requests the UE to measure and report SCell signals, then the network can properly manage load distribution, but the UE power consumption increases due to resource-intensive beam sweep processes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by having the UE perform beam sweeps only when necessary (when SCell activation is likely) rather than continuously. The UE determines whether to perform a full beam sweep based on conditions such as whether the SCell is deactivated, leading to reduced measurements compared to the conventional approach of always performing complete beam sweeps for periodic reporting
2Measurement precision
If the UE performs beam sweep on all available beams, then the UE identifies the beam with the strongest measurements, but the measurement process becomes more resource intensive
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by performing beam sweeps only on a subset of beams rather than all available beams. The UE selectively performs measurements based on whether the SCell is deactivated and other conditions, reducing the total number of beam measurements while maintaining measurement accuracy for the relevant beams
3Loss of information
If the UE reports all new measurements to the network, then the network has up-to-date measurement information, but the UE transmits more data increasing resource usage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the extraction principle by removing unnecessary measurement reports from the reporting set. The UE compares new measurements with previously reported measurements and only reports when there is a significant change (exceeds threshold), extracting and reporting only the essential information while discarding redundant reports
Data Source
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AI summary
Aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for the UE to minimize the need to expend resources in conducting signal measurements for SCell by limiting the number of beams that may be scanned and reported back to the network. For example, in instances when the UE has been configured with an active transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state by the network, the UE may be configured to communicate on a limited set of beams (e.g., one beam for transmission (Tx) and another for receiver (Rx)). As such, the UE, during the periodic measurements, may limit the signal measurements to a limited set of beams from all available beams in order to conserve resources based on a determination that the UE is configured with TCI state. Measurement reporting is enabled or disabled based on whether a difference between the current measurement metric and a previous measurement metric for at least one beam satisfies a threshold.