UE Beam Management Emulation With a Single Broad Beam Antenna
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current beam management processes for 5G NR require expensive active antenna panels, which are narrow band and inefficient for multiple band or full band coverage, leading to resource waste and delays in UE attachment procedures.
Innovation Solution
A device with a single fixed broad beam antenna emulates UE beam management by generating and transmitting UE broad beams, allowing simultaneous testing of multiple UEs across different frequency ranges, and determining errors at the base station.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If active antenna panels are used for beam management testing, then beam direction scanning capability is achieved, but device cost and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a single fixed broad beam antenna to emulate multiple beam directions through signal processing and simulation techniques. Instead of physically creating multiple antenna panels for different beam directions, the system creates virtual copies of beam scanning behavior by processing signals to simulate what multiple antennas would detect, thereby achieving beam management testing functionality with minimal physical hardware
Solution Approach 2:
The single fixed broad beam antenna performs multiple functions that would traditionally require separate specialized components. It simultaneously handles signal transmission, reception, and emulation of multiple beam directions across different frequency ranges, making one antenna panel serve the role of what would otherwise require multiple specialized antenna panels
2Reliability
If active antenna panels are used for beam management testing, then beamforming characteristics can be tested, but resource consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the single fixed broad beam antenna to serve multiple testing purposes simultaneously. By processing signals from this single antenna to emulate multiple UE beam scanning scenarios, the system makes the antenna self-sufficient for what would otherwise require multiple dedicated testing resources, reducing overall computing and networking resource consumption while maintaining testing reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple beam management testing functions into a single antenna system. By merging the capabilities of what would be separate antenna panels into one unified system with signal processing, the patent reduces resource duplication and optimizes computing and networking resource utilization while maintaining comprehensive beam management testing capability
3Productivity
If multiple UEs are emulated simultaneously, then testing throughput increases, but beam scanning coherence requirements increase complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The system emulates multiple UE beam scanning processes using a single physical antenna through virtual signal processing. Each emulated UE's beam scanning behavior is created as a virtual copy processed through software algorithms, allowing multiple UEs to be tested simultaneously without requiring multiple physical antennas to maintain coherence, thereby simplifying the system while increasing productivity
Data Source
Figure 1A
Figure 1B
Figure 1C
AI summary
A device may receive configuration data identifying bands and frequencies utilized by a plurality of user equipments and may generate a user equipment broad beam based on the configuration data. The device may transmit the user equipment broad beam towards a base station with a single user equipment fixed broad beam antenna of the device and may receive, from the base station, feedback data associated with the user equipment broad beam transmitted towards the base station. The device may determine whether the feedback data identifies one or more errors at the base station for one or more of the plurality of user equipments and may perform one or more actions based on determining whether the feedback data identifies the one or more errors at the base station for one or more of the plurality of user equipments.