UE TCI State Indication for Low-Latency Beam Switching

Solution Overview

Problem

Current methods of beam indication and updating in wireless communication systems suffer from inaccuracies in beam quality assessment, leading to increased signaling overhead and latency, as well as potential switching to incorrect beams due to lack of up-to-date information.

Innovation Solution

User equipment (UE) and base stations are equipped with mechanisms to receive and transmit transmission control indication (TCI) states based on quality factors, allowing for dynamic switching to the best beam for downlink and uplink transmissions with reduced latency and signaling overhead.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If base station controls beam switch and updating, then beam management is maintained, but signaling overhead and latency increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebeam managementVSAvoidlatency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent inverts the traditional beam management control direction by enabling UE to autonomously select and indicate TCI states for beam switching, rather than requiring base station control. This reduces signaling overhead and latency while maintaining beam management effectiveness through UE-based quality factor measurements and autonomous TCI state indication.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The UE performs self-service in beam management by autonomously measuring quality factors of different TCI states, selecting the optimal beam, and indicating the chosen TCI state to the base station without requiring continuous base station control commands. This self-service mechanism reduces signaling overhead and enables faster beam switching.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

2Reliability

If base station controls beam switch and updating, then beam management is maintained, but signaling overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebeam managementVSAvoidsignaling overhead

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent inverts the traditional beam management control direction by enabling UE to autonomously select and indicate TCI states for beam switching, rather than requiring base station control. This reduces signaling overhead and latency while maintaining beam management effectiveness through UE-based quality factor measurements and autonomous TCI state indication.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Solution Approach 2:

The UE performs self-service in beam management by autonomously measuring quality factors of different TCI states, selecting the optimal beam, and indicating the chosen TCI state to the base station without requiring continuous base station control commands. This self-service mechanism reduces signaling overhead and enables faster beam switching.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Productivity

If base station lacks latest beam quality information, then beam switching can occur, but wrong beam selection occurs

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebeam switching capabilityVSAvoidbeam quality information accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where UE continuously measures quality factors of different TCI states and provides this information to the base station. The base station uses this feedback to make informed beam switching decisions, ensuring accurate beam quality information is available for selecting the correct beam while maintaining switching capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The patent enables preliminary beam quality assessment by having the base station configure multiple TCI states in advance with associated quality factor measurements. This allows the system to have beam quality information ready before switching is needed, improving both the speed and accuracy of beam selection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS20260106721A1Apparatus and method of wireless communication

Publication Date: 2026.04.16 GUANGDONG OPPO MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP LTD

AI summary

A method of wireless communication of a user equipment (UE) includes receiving a configuration of one or more transmission control indication (TCI) states from a base station and transmitting a first message to the base station. The first message indicates at least one of the one or more TCI states for an uplink/downlink communication with the base station.