Wideband Array Beam Selection Across Carrier Sub-Bands

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Wireless communications systems supporting wideband array operations experience decreased reliability due to varying array responses across a carrier bandwidth, particularly in millimeter wave systems, leading to performance degradation of signals transmitted at frequencies away from the center frequency.

Innovation Solution

Configuring multiple transmission instances of signals like SSBs or CSI-RSs across different sub-bands of the carrier bandwidth, allowing the UE to measure signal characteristics and determine sub-band-specific communication beams, and report preferred beams to the base station for consistent communication.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a single communication beam is optimized for the center frequency of the carrier bandwidth, then communication performance at the center frequency is improved, but signals transmitted at frequencies away from the center frequency suffer performance degradation due to array response variation

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication reliabilityVSAvoidbeam operation consistency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the carrier bandwidth into multiple sub-bands and configures separate transmission instances for each sub-band. This segmentation allows the system to optimize communication beams for each sub-band individually, ensuring that array response variations across the wide carrier bandwidth do not degrade signal quality. By treating each sub-band as a separate operational unit, the system maintains consistent beam performance across the entire carrier bandwidth.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Measurement precision

If multiple transmission instances are configured across different sub-bands, then channel estimation accuracy and communication reliability are improved, but device complexity and power consumption increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvechannel estimation accuracyVSAvoidtransmission configuration complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by configuring transmission instances and communication beams specific to each sub-band based on local channel characteristics. Each sub-band receives tailored transmission parameters optimized for its specific frequency range and channel conditions, rather than applying a uniform configuration across the entire carrier bandwidth. This approach improves measurement precision while managing complexity through localized optimization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically selects and configures transmission instances for different sub-bands based on channel conditions and communication requirements. The base station can adaptively determine which sub-bands require separate transmission instances and configure appropriate communication beams, allowing the system to balance between measurement precision and device complexity depending on operational conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP4179678B1Techniques for supporting wideband array operation
Publication Date: 2025.12.03 QUALCOMM INC
  • EP4179678B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4179678B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4179678B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. To support a reliable array response for wideband communications, a base station may configure a set of transmission instances for a set of signals distributed across a wideband carrier bandwidth. At least one transmission instance of the set of transmission instances may be configured in each sub-band of the carrier bandwidth. The base station may transmit the set of signals in the configured transmission instances to a user equipment (UE). The UE may receive the set of signals distributed across the carrier bandwidth and may measure, for the signals, a set of signal measurements corresponding to the set of sub-bands. Based on the signal measurements, the UE may determine a set of communication beams for the set of sub-bands. Using one or more of the determined communication beams, the UE may communicate with the base station in the carrier bandwidth.