UE Blockage Detection Using Camera Frame Data for Beam Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless communication systems face challenges in mitigating the impact of environmental blockages on beam communication between devices, leading to potential latency, reliability issues, and increased power consumption.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of techniques that allow user equipment (UE) to detect potential beam blockages using sensors such as cameras, perform beam management procedures preemptively, and switch to alternative beam pairs to maintain communication.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If beam management procedures are performed reactively after blockage detection, then communication reliability is maintained, but latency increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs beam management procedures in advance by predicting potential blockages using sensor data (cameras, LIDAR) before they actually occur. This proactive approach allows the system to switch to alternative beam pairs preemptively, maintaining communication reliability while minimizing latency caused by reactive beam management.
2Measurement precision
If sensors and cameras are utilized for environment perception, then blockage detection accuracy is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system leverages existing multi-functional sensors (cameras, LIDAR, depth sensors) that serve both environmental perception for blockage detection and other device functions. This approach improves blockage detection accuracy while minimizing the addition of dedicated hardware, thereby controlling device complexity.
3Loss of time
If proactive beam management is implemented, then latency is reduced, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs lightweight blockage prediction using sensor data and machine learning models to identify potential blockages before they occur. By only initiating full beam management procedures when prediction indicates a likely blockage, the system reduces latency while avoiding unnecessary power consumption from continuous proactive beam management.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the frequency and intensity of proactive beam management based on environmental conditions, blockage risk predictions, and current communication quality. This adaptive approach optimizes the balance between latency reduction and power consumption by scaling resources according to actual needs.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. A user equipment (UE), such as a UE associated with an extended reality (XR) device, may obtain frame data from one or more cameras associated with the UE. The UE may determine a path of a beam providing communication between the UE and a base station, determine a location of a base station in communication with the UE, or both, where the base station location may be relative to a location of the UE. The UE may identify, based on the frame data, the path of the beam, the base station location, the UE location, or a combination thereof, a physical blockage to the communication. The UE may perform beam management for the communication based on identifying the physical blockage, so as to mitigate the impact the physical blockage may have on the communications between the UE and the base station.