Repeater Beam Pair Selection Under Self-Interference Constraints
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional RF repeaters lack the ability to select optimal receive-transmit beam pairs due to self-interference issues, leading to low-quality channel state information reporting, especially in scenarios where backhaul and access antennas are closely located, making it difficult to isolate and cancel interference.
Innovation Solution
A network-controlled repeater (NCR) is configured via a side control link to measure and report self-interference, allowing the network device to identify and discard beam pairs causing interference, thereby improving beam pair selection and communication performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If conventional RF repeaters amplify and forward signals without beam pair selection, then device complexity is reduced, but self-interference quality deteriorates when backhaul and access antennas are closely located
Solution Approach 1:
The repeater device segments the beam pair selection process into two independent phases: downlink beam pair selection based on UE feedback, and uplink beam pair selection based on self-interference measurements. This segmentation allows each phase to be optimized independently, resolving the contradiction between device complexity and self-interference quality.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary downlink beam pair selection before uplink beam pair selection. By first establishing the downlink beam pair based on UE channel state information, the system creates a foundation for subsequent uplink beam pair selection, allowing the repeater to anticipate and mitigate self-interference issues before they affect uplink communication.
2Ease of operation
If RF repeaters use simple amplify-and-forward operation, then ease of operation is improved, but communication reliability deteriorates due to inability to select optimal beam pairs
Solution Approach 1:
The repeater device performs self-service by autonomously measuring self-interference on candidate uplink beam pairs and selecting the optimal beam pair without requiring complex network coordination. The repeater uses its own received signals to evaluate beam pair quality, maintaining ease of operation while improving communication reliability through intelligent beam selection.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the repeater measures self-interference levels on different beam pairs and uses this feedback to select the optimal uplink beam pair. The repeater also receives downlink beam pair information from the network and provides feedback to the network about selected beam pairs, improving reliability while maintaining operational simplicity.
3Measurement precision
If the repeater measures self-interference on all configured beam pairs, then measurement precision is improved, but loss of time increases due to extensive measurements
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies partial action by measuring self-interference only on a selected subset of candidate beam pairs rather than all possible beam pairs. The repeater uses downlink beam pair information and UE feedback to identify the most promising candidate beam pairs for uplink, performing measurements only on these partial candidates, thus reducing measurement time while maintaining sufficient precision for reliable beam selection.
4Adaptability or versatility
If the network configures multiple beam pairs for the repeater, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases due to beam pair management
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the beam pair management complexity from the repeater by having the network device configure downlink beam pairs and provide this information to the repeater. The repeater then uses this pre-configured information to guide its uplink beam pair selection, extracting the need for complex bidirectional beam management and reducing device complexity while maintaining adaptability through network-provided configuration.
Data Source
AI summary
A repeater device receives a first configuration that associates reference signal (RS) resources and receive/transmit (Rx/Tx) beam pairs configurable at the repeater device for repeating one of: (i) a downlink (DL) radio frequency (RF) signal received on a backhaul link from the base station to a user equipment (UE) over an access link; and (ii) an uplink (UL) RF signal from the UE to the base station. The device: receives a second configuration for measuring and reporting self-interference of a first list of the RS resources; configures the repeater device with Rx/Tx beam pairs identified in the first list of RS resources; measures self-interference received on an Rx beam of first Rx/Tx beam pairs; and generates and forwards, to the base station, a self-interference measurement report comprising a second list of Rx/Tx beam pairs from the first list of Rx/Tx beam pairs that cause self-interference above a threshold value.