Radio Link Monitoring via Beam Quality Thresholds

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing wireless communication systems face challenges in effectively monitoring and maintaining good beam quality for beam pair links (BPLs) between user equipment (UE) and access nodes, which is crucial for reliable radio link operations.

Innovation Solution

The proposed solution involves an apparatus for a UE that includes circuitry to decode a Reference Signal (RS) received from an access node and determine the beam quality for one or more BPLs. If the beam quality falls below a predetermined threshold, a beam recovery request is encoded and transmitted to the access node, or out-of-sync is declared directly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If beam quality monitoring is performed continuously to maintain reliable radio link operations, then communication reliability is improved, but device complexity and energy consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication reliabilityVSAvoidmonitoring apparatus complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The UE autonomously monitors beam quality using reference signals and automatically determines when beam failure occurs based on predefined thresholds, eliminating the need for complex centralized monitoring systems. The device self-manages the monitoring process by decoding reference signals and comparing beam quality metrics against thresholds to trigger recovery procedures

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where the UE continuously reports beam quality measurements to the access node, enabling dynamic adjustment of monitoring parameters and triggering beam recovery procedures when quality degrades below thresholds, thus maintaining reliability without requiring overly complex monitoring infrastructure

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Stability of the object's composition

If beam quality monitoring is performed continuously to prevent radio link failures, then radio link stability is improved, but energy consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveradio link stabilityVSAvoidenergy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of continuous monitoring, the system performs beam quality assessment periodically based on reference signal transmissions. The UE monitors beam quality at intervals determined by reference signal periodicity and only triggers recovery procedures when quality falls below thresholds for a specified number of consecutive measurements, reducing energy consumption while maintaining link stability

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The system performs preliminary beam quality checks using reference signals before actual data transmission occurs. By monitoring beam quality in advance and triggering recovery procedures proactively when thresholds are breached, the system prevents radio link failures without requiring continuous high-energy monitoring during data transmission

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3626016B1Method and apparatus for radio link monitoring
Publication Date: 2025.06.18 APPLE INC
  • EP3626016B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3626016B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3626016B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Provided herein are method and apparatus for perform radio link monitoring (RLM) based on a Reference signal (RS). An embodiment provides a user Equipment (UE) comprising circuitry configured to: decode a Reference Signal (RS) received from an access node; and determine beam quality for one or more beam pair links (BPLs) of the RS between the UE and the access node based on the decoded RS, wherein each of the BPLs comprises a transmit (Tx) beam of the access node and a receive (Rx) beam of the UE. Also provided is a procedure of RLM. At least some embodiments allow for beam recovery request for UE beam refinement, and allow for determining whether radio link failure (RLF) occurs.