Sidelink DTX Beam Refinement for FR2 Link Robustness
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wireless communication technologies face challenges in efficiently configuring and selecting beams for sidelink communications between user equipment (UEs), particularly in frequency range 2 (FR2), where intermittent links and high power consumption lead to beam misalignment and reduced link robustness due to discontinuous transmission (DTX) modes.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a beam refinement procedure during DTX occasions, where UEs identify a subset of transmit or receive beams during a discovery opportunity and refine them by sending or receiving reference signals using a subset or narrower beams, enhancing beamforming gain and link quality while maintaining power savings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If discontinuous transmission (DTX) mode is used to save power, then power consumption is reduced, but beam alignment is lost and link robustness deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs beam refinement procedures before entering DTX mode and schedules beam refinement occasions at specific intervals during DTX operation. This preliminary action ensures that beam alignment is maintained or re-established before power-saving mode takes effect, preventing beam misalignment from degrading link robustness while still achieving power savings during the DTX periods.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic beam refinement procedures during DTX operation, where the UE wakes up at predetermined intervals to perform beam refinement and then returns to DTX mode. This periodic action maintains beam alignment capability while spending the majority of time in power-saving mode, resolving the contradiction between power consumption and link robustness.
2Reliability
If beam refinement procedure is performed during DTX occasion, then link robustness is improved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs beam refinement using only a subset of available beams rather than exhaustively testing all possible beams. This partial action approach maintains link robustness by refining the most promising beam pairs while limiting the duration and energy expenditure of the beam refinement procedure, thus improving reliability without excessive power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent dynamically adjusts beam refinement parameters such as the number of beams to test, the frequency of refinement occasions, and the time duration of each refinement procedure based on channel conditions and traffic requirements. This allows the system to optimize the balance between link robustness improvement and power consumption by adapting the intensity of beam refinement activities to current needs.
3Power
If subset of beams is used for beam refinement, then beamforming gain is enhanced, but measurement precision may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs initial beam identification during discovery opportunities before the beam refinement procedure. This preliminary action provides a set of candidate beams that are already known to have acceptable quality, so the subsequent beam refinement using a subset of these pre-identified beams can achieve high beamforming gain without sacrificing measurement precision, as the subset is drawn from pre-validated options.
Data Source
AI summary
Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques for configuring sidelink communications between user equipment's (UEs). Per one technique, during a discovery opportunity, a first UE and a second UE may identify a subset of beam pairs suitable for communication, and schedule a discontinuous transmission (DTX) occasion during the discovery opportunity. During the DTX occasion, the first UE and second UE may perform a beam refinement procedure to determine a beam pair (BP) over which to communicate, from the identified subset of beam pairs. The beam refinement procedure may include beam narrowing of at least one of the identified subset of beam pairs.