NR Beam Measurement Reporting for Stable Handover Decisions

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing wireless communication networks face issues with handover ping-pongs and radio link failures due to the averaging of beam quality measurements, which can lead to suboptimal handover decisions when using beamforming in New Radio (NR) networks.

Innovation Solution

Decouple the triggering of measurement reports based on cell quality derivation from beam-level information by configuring separate parameters for cell quality derivation (N1) and beam reporting (N2), allowing the network to optimize handover decisions and reduce ping-pong failures while providing detailed beam-level information.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If beam quality measurements are averaged for cell quality derivation, then measurement reliability is improved, but handover decision accuracy deteriorates due to suboptimal triggering

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemeasurement reliabilityVSAvoidhandover decision accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the previously unified beam reporting mechanism into two independent mechanisms: one for cell quality derivation (using N1 beams) and another for beam-level reporting (using N2 beams). This segmentation allows each mechanism to be optimized independently - cell quality derivation can use averaged measurements for reliability, while beam-level reporting provides precise individual beam information for accurate handover decisions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces two separate parameters (N1 and N2) to control different aspects of beam reporting. By changing the parameter structure from a single N value to two independent values, the system can derive cell quality from N1 beams while reporting detailed information about N2 beams, thus resolving the contradiction between measurement reliability and decision accuracy.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Measurement precision

If separate parameters N1 and N2 are configured for cell quality derivation and beam reporting, then handover decision accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehandover decision accuracyVSAvoidconfiguration complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent makes the beam reporting mechanism multi-functional by enabling it to serve two purposes simultaneously: cell quality derivation and beam-level reporting. Through the multi-functionality parameter structure, the same measurement framework handles both functions with different parameter settings (N1 for cell quality, N2 for beam reporting), avoiding the need for completely separate systems and reducing overall complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Solution Approach 2:

The system uses the same measurement infrastructure and processing pipeline for both cell quality derivation and beam-level reporting. The measurements taken for one purpose automatically serve the other purpose as well, with the processing logic adapting based on the configured parameters (N1 or N2), thus reducing the need for duplicate measurement and processing systems.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Productivity

If beamforming is implemented in NR networks, then network performance is improved, but handover ping-pongs and radio link failures increase due to suboptimal handover decisions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork performanceVSAvoidhandover stability

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent enhances feedback mechanisms by providing dual-level information: cell quality metrics for overall network conditions and detailed beam-level metrics for specific transmission paths. This enriched feedback enables more informed handover decisions, allowing the network to select target cells and beams based on comprehensive quality information, thus reducing ping-pong effects and radio link failures while maintaining beamforming performance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary beam quality measurements and maintains detailed beam-level information before handover decisions are required. By having pre-computed beam quality metrics for multiple potential target beams (N2 beams), the network can make faster and more accurate handover decisions without waiting for extensive measurements during the handover process, thereby improving handover stability in beamformed networks.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP4266752B1Wireless device, computer program product, computer-readable storage medium and method performed therein for handling communication in a wireless communication network

Publication Date: 2026.02.18 TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL)

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AI summary

Embodiments herein relate e.g. to a method performed a wireless device (10) for handling communication of the wireless device (10) in a wireless communication network (1). A radio network node (12) serves the wireless device (10). The wireless device obtains a first indication indicating a first number of beams for performing cell quality derivation on and a second indication indicating a second number of beams for performing measurement reporting on. The wireless device performs a cell quality derivation taking the first indication into account; and performs measurement reporting of a second number of beams taking the second indication into account.