Radar Sensing in RAN for Blockage Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless communications, especially at higher frequency ranges beyond 52.6 GHz, radio blockages pose significant challenges due to signal attenuation and beam failure, exacerbated by the mobility of user equipment (UE) and obstacles, leading to inefficient beam management and frequent failures.
Innovation Solution
Implementing radar sensing techniques to identify and localize blockages by configuring time-frequency resources for radar-sensing slots within the Radio Access Network (RAN), utilizing downlink, uplink, and sidelink signals for blockage detection, and employing cooperative radar signal transmission and reception among multiple transmit/receive points and user equipment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Power
If beam-based communication is used at higher frequency ranges, then data transmission capacity is improved, but signal attenuation and blockage susceptibility increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary radar sensing to detect potential blockages before they cause beam failure. By proactively identifying obstacles in the signal path, the system can pre-adjust beam directions or switch to alternative beams, preventing communication interruptions and maintaining reliable transmission at high frequencies.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback loops where radar sensing measurements are fed back to the beam management controller. This feedback enables real-time detection of blockages and dynamic adjustment of beamforming parameters, ensuring that the system adapts to changing environmental conditions and maintains signal reliability despite the inherent susceptibility of high-frequency beams to attenuation.
2Measurement precision
If continuous channel measurement and reporting is performed for beam management, then beam tracking accuracy is improved, but signaling overhead and time consumption increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system merges radar sensing functionality with existing communication channel measurements. By combining the detection of reflected communication signals with dedicated radar sensing operations, the system achieves accurate blockage detection and beam tracking without requiring separate measurement procedures, thereby reducing overall signaling overhead and time consumption while maintaining measurement precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements multi-functional reference signals that serve both communication purposes (data transmission, channel estimation) and radar sensing purposes (blockage detection, obstacle localization). This universal approach allows a single signal to fulfill multiple roles, eliminating the need for separate dedicated measurement signals and reducing the time and overhead associated with continuous beam management.
3Measurement precision
If radar sensing slots are configured for blockage detection, then blockage localization accuracy is improved, but network resource overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements partial radar sensing by configuring sensing slots only in specific time-frequency resources where blockage detection is most critical, rather than continuously across all resources. This selective approach maintains adequate blockage localization accuracy while significantly reducing the overall network resource overhead compared to comprehensive continuous sensing.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enhances beam selection, tracking, and refinement by providing real-time blockage information, reducing overhead and latency in channel measurements, and improving communication reliability in high-frequency bands by avoiding blockages and optimizing beam management.
Implementation Method 1
procedures for identifying and localizing radio blockages via radar sensing
Implementation Method 2
radar sensing measurements performed on the at least one radar-sensing slot
Data Source
AI summary
Apparatuses, methods, and systems are disclosed for radar-sensing in a radio access network (“RAN”). One apparatus includes a transceiver and a processor that configures time-frequency resources for radar-sensing in a RAN, the time-frequency resources comprising a radar-sensing slot. The processor receives sensing information and determines an obstacle in a cell based on the radar-sensing information.