Radio Unit Antenna Coordinate Mapping for Irregular Array Activation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless communication systems face challenges in efficiently configuring radio unit (RU) antenna elements, particularly in reporting non-rectangular or irregularly spaced antenna arrays, which leads to power wastage, increased latency, and inefficient beamforming.
Innovation Solution
The method involves a radio unit (RU) transmitting an ordered list of coordinates for its antenna elements to a controller, allowing for dynamic reporting of antenna elements in any order, including non-rectangular arrays. The controller then provides low-level endpoints for activated antenna elements, optimizing power usage and reducing latency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If traditional fixed-order antenna element reporting is used, then system compatibility is maintained, but power wastage increases and latency is elevated
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic antenna element reporting where the RU can report antenna elements in any order based on activation status rather than following a fixed predetermined sequence. This dynamic approach allows the system to adapt to different operational scenarios, reporting only necessary antenna elements thereby reducing power consumption while maintaining configuration flexibility through the ordered list coordinate system.
2Productivity
If all antenna elements are reported and activated, then beamforming capability is maximized, but processing time and latency increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and activates only the necessary antenna elements based on operational requirements rather than activating all elements. The controller receives coordinate information for specific antenna elements and activates only those that are needed for current beamforming operations, thereby reducing processing time and latency while maintaining adequate beamforming capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements partial activation of antenna elements where only a subset of available elements are activated based on current needs. This partial action approach avoids the excessive processing that would result from activating all antenna elements, thereby reducing latency while providing sufficient beamforming performance for the given operational context.
3Adaptability or versatility
If non-rectangular antenna arrays are supported, then array flexibility is improved, but configuration complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from traditional one-dimensional array indexing to a two-dimensional coordinate system for identifying antenna elements. By using x and y coordinates to specify antenna element positions, the system can naturally represent non-rectangular and irregular array geometries without significantly increasing configuration complexity. This dimensional approach provides geometric flexibility while maintaining a systematic configuration method.
Data Source
AI summary
Various aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication. In some aspects, a radio unit (RU) may transmit, to a controller of the RU, a message including an ordered list of coordinates corresponding to a plurality of antenna elements in an antenna array of the RU. The RU may receive, from the controller, an indication of one or more low-level endpoints associated with one or more activated antenna elements of the plurality of antenna elements. Numerous other aspects are described.