UE Beam Pair Link Refinement for Wireless Communication

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Solution Overview

Problem

In wireless communication systems, base stations face challenges in determining the appropriateness and duration of User Equipment (UE)-side beam pair refinement procedures due to lack of information about available UE beams and directivity patterns, affecting beamforming performance.

Innovation Solution

The system allows UE to communicate information about the beam pair refinement procedure to the base station, enabling selective performance of UE-side beam pair refinement, with the base station determining the procedure's duration based on received information, thereby improving beamforming performance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the base station performs UE-side beam pair refinement procedure without UE beam information, then the procedure can be initiated, but the beamforming performance is suboptimal due to lack of information about available UE beams and directivity patterns

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebeamforming performanceVSAvoidUE beam information
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The UE performs beam sweeping and measures beam qualities before the beam pair refinement procedure, preparing beam information in advance. The base station receives this pre-prepared beam information (including available beams and directivity patterns) before initiating the refinement procedure, enabling informed beam selection and improving beamforming performance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The UE provides feedback to the base station about its beam characteristics, including available beams and directivity patterns. This feedback mechanism allows the base station to make informed decisions about the beam pair refinement procedure, selecting appropriate beams and configuring optimal parameters based on actual UE capabilities rather than operating blindly.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Duration of action of moving object

If the base station performs beam pair refinement procedure with insufficient information, then the procedure duration can be short, but the communication quality deteriorates due to suboptimal beam selection

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprocedure durationVSAvoidcommunication quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Duration of action of moving objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Beam information is prepared in advance by the UE through beam sweeping and measurement procedures. This preliminary action provides the base station with ready-to-use beam characteristics, enabling rapid and accurate beam selection during the refinement procedure without requiring extended measurement times.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The UE autonomously performs beam sweeping, measures beam qualities, and determines its own beam characteristics (available beams and directivity patterns). This self-service capability allows the UE to generate its own beam information without requiring extensive base station coordination or additional measurement time, enabling fast and quality beam pair refinement.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Reliability

If the base station performs comprehensive beam pair refinement procedure, then beamforming performance is improved, but resource usage increases due to additional signaling and processing

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebeamforming performanceVSAvoidresource usage
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The UE autonomously performs beam sweeping and generates beam information (available beams, directivity patterns) without requiring extensive base station resources. This self-service approach shifts the processing burden from the base station to the UE, reducing network resource usage while still enabling comprehensive beam pair refinement for optimal beamforming performance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The UE provides consolidated beam information feedback to the base station, including its available beams and directivity patterns. This feedback mechanism enables the base station to make informed beam selection decisions without requiring the UE to perform exhaustive measurements or the base station to conduct extensive probing, thereby reducing signaling overhead and processing resources while achieving optimal beamforming.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP3639398B1Techniques and apparatuses for user equipment-requested beam pair link procedure
Publication Date: 2021.09.15 QUALCOMM INC
  • EP3639398B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3639398B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3639398B1 patent drawingFigure 3A

AI summary

Certain aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication. In some aspects, a user equipment (UE) may determine whether to perform a beam pair refinement procedure with regard to the UE and a base station; and/or transmit, to the base station, information regarding whether to perform the beam pair refinement procedure. In some aspects, a base station may receive, from a UE, information regarding a beam pair refinement procedure with regard to the UE; and/or perform the beam pair refinement procedure based at least in part on the information. Numerous other aspects are provided.