Time-Multiplexed Digital Beamforming with a Shared TDD Beamformer

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing time division duplexing (TDD)-based devices require separate beamformers for downlink and uplink operations, leading to increased compute resource utilization, power consumption, and hardware requirements, with potential overlap issues affecting performance.

Innovation Solution

A single beamformer is used to process uplink, downlink, and physical random access channel (PRACH) data samples independently and simultaneously within a single symbol duration, utilizing a control-plane parser, beam weight buffers, and a scheduler to manage synchronization and processing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If separate beamformers are used for downlink and uplink operations, then beamforming performance is maintained, but hardware requirements and power consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebeamforming performanceVSAvoidhardware requirements

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines separate downlink and uplink beamformer units into a single shared beamformer unit. The beamformer is time-multiplexed to process downlink data samples during downlink periods and uplink data samples during uplink periods, eliminating the need for duplicate hardware while maintaining beamforming performance for both directions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The single beamformer unit is designed to perform multiple functions by processing both downlink and uplink beamforming operations. Through time-division multiplexing controlled by the scheduler, the same hardware resource serves dual purposes, reducing overall device complexity while preserving the required beamforming capabilities.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Reliability

If separate beamformers are used for downlink and uplink operations, then beamforming operations are independent, but power consumption increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebeamforming operation independenceVSAvoidpower consumption

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges separate beamforming processing functions into a single shared beamformer unit that operates in a time-multiplexed manner. By consolidating the hardware resources, the total power consumption is reduced while the scheduler ensures independent processing of downlink and uplink operations through temporal separation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Device complexity

If a single beamformer unit is used without synchronization, then hardware requirements are reduced, but operation overlap degrades performance

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvehardware requirementsVSAvoidbeamforming operation performance

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The scheduler monitors the operational state of the single beamformer unit and dynamically allocates processing time slots for downlink and uplink operations. This feedback-based scheduling mechanism prevents operation overlap by ensuring the beamformer processes only one direction at a time, maintaining performance while using shared hardware.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements periodic time-division multiplexing where the single beamformer alternates between processing downlink data samples and uplink data samples in scheduled time slots. This periodic switching prevents operation overlap while allowing the same hardware to serve both directions sequentially.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

4Adaptability or versatility

If separate beamformer units are used for PUSCH and PRACH, then different numerologies are supported, but resource utilization increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenumerology supportVSAvoidresource utilization

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The single beamformer unit is designed to universally support multiple numerologies required for both PUSCH and PRACH operations. The scheduler intelligently assigns the beamformer to process different data types (PUSCH or PRACH) based on the required numerology, allowing one hardware unit to replace what would traditionally require separate dedicated beamformers for each channel type.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS12580617B2Systems and methods for efficient time multiplexed digital beamforming

Publication Date: 2026.03.17 HFCL LTD

AI summary

Systems and methods for efficient time multiplexed digital beamforming in a network are described. In particular, the system (for example, a radio unit) receives a C-plane packet from a fronthaul interface and stores corresponding control information of the C-plane packet at a scheduler, stores beam weight information in one or more beam weight buffers, receives and stores data samples in data input buffers, receives processing information from a timer, receives one or more scheduling instructions for at least two of the data input buffers from the scheduler, sequentially retrieves the data samples from the at least two of the data input buffers based on the one or more scheduling instructions, and processes the retrieved data samples from the at least two of the data input buffers for beamforming within a single symbol duration based on synchronization of the one or more scheduling instructions.