Interference-Aware Beam Selection in 5G NR Systems
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cellular systems, such as LTE, face challenges in efficient beam selection during cell reselection and handover due to insufficient consideration of interference levels, which affects the accuracy of RSRP and RSRQ measurements, leading to suboptimal link quality assessments.
Innovation Solution
Implementing interference-aware beam selection techniques that utilize RSRQ or SINR-like measurements to account for interference levels from neighboring cells, allowing for more accurate beam pair selection between User Equipment (UE) and Network (NW) beams, even outside of measurement subframes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If beam selection is performed based on RSRP measurements only, then the beam selection process is simple and fast, but the link quality assessment is inaccurate due to insufficient consideration of interference levels
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines RSRP measurements with RSRQ measurements to form a comprehensive beam selection criterion. The UE measures both RSRP (signal strength) and RSRQ (signal quality considering interference) for multiple candidate beams, then selects the beam that optimizes a composite metric incorporating both parameters. This merging of measurement types resolves the contradiction by achieving accurate link quality assessment while maintaining a relatively simple measurement and selection process.
2Measurement precision
If interference measurements are performed for each UE beam, then beam selection accuracy is improved, but the measurement and processing time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs interference-aware measurements during predefined measurement subframes that are configured in advance. The network configures specific subframes for RSRQ measurements, allowing the UE to perform interference measurements for multiple beams simultaneously during these predetermined time resources. This preliminary configuration resolves the time penalty by establishing a efficient measurement schedule before the actual beam selection process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent focuses interference measurements on the most critical parameter (RSRQ) rather than performing exhaustive measurements of all possible beam parameters. By concentrating measurement resources on the key interference-related metric and using RSRQ as the primary discrimination factor for beam selection, the system achieves sufficient accuracy without the time cost of measuring and processing every possible beam attribute in detail.
3Reliability
If RSRQ measurements are used to account for interference from neighboring cells, then link quality assessment is improved, but the measurement complexity increases compared to RSRP-only measurements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes RSRQ measurements that inherently incorporate interference feedback from the received signal. The RSRQ metric is calculated as a function of RSRP and RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator), where RSSI includes interference from neighboring cells. This feedback mechanism provides the network with reliable information about actual link quality including interference conditions, enabling more reliable handover decisions without requiring complex separate interference measurement procedures.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for interference-based beam selection are discussed. One example embodiment employable in a UE (User Equipment) can comprise a processor configured to: determine one or more parameters based on configuration signaling, wherein each of the one or more parameters is associated with at least one of channel measurements, interference measurements, or a beam information report; perform the interference measurements for each of one or more distinct UE beams; calculate a measurement metric for each beam pair of one or more beam pairs based on the interference measurements, wherein each beam pair comprises one of the one or more distinct UE beams and an associated NW (Network) beam; and generate the beam information report comprising the measurement metric for at least one beam pair of the one or more beam pairs.