US 2023/0413074 A1Published application

Resource-Efficient Low-Complexity Beamforming Feedback in 5G/6G

OwnerDavid E. Newman, R. Kemp Massengillinventors

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Abstract

Feedback messages are essential for controlling transmission beams between network devices in 5G and 6G. Disclosed are brief signals and procedures for a user device to provide feedback to a base station on beam direction, transmission power, beam width, and other transmission parameters. The resource cost is so low, the base station can provide alignment test signals with each downlink message, and the user device can provide feedback selecting a best-received test signal as part of each uplink message, such as an acknowledgement. With such near-real-time beam fine-tuning, base stations and user devices can maintain the tight directional communications required for next-generation communications, without burdening the network with cumbersome feedback messages of prior art. Numerous other aspects are disclosed.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A method for a base station of a wireless network, the method comprising:

a) transmitting a leading demodulation reference, concatenated with a downlink message, concatenated with a following demodulation reference, each demodulation reference of the leading and following demodulation references modulated according to a maximum modulation level and a minimum modulation level of a modulation scheme;
b) wherein the downlink message is transmitted with a transmission parameter set to an initial value;
c) a “higher” demodulation reference, of the leading and following demodulation references, is transmitted with the transmission parameter set to a higher value than the initial value;
d) a “lower” demodulation reference, of the leading and following demodulation references, is transmitted with the transmission parameter set to a lower value than the initial value;
e) receiving, from a user device of the wireless network, a feedback message comprising a selection, the selection comprising either the leading demodulation reference, or the downlink message, or the following demodulation reference;
f) determining, by a processor in the base station, an adjusted value of the transmission parameter according to the selection;
and
g) transmitting an acknowledgement to the user device with the transmission parameter set to the adjusted value.

5 more elements

A base station of a wireless network, the base station comprising a transmitter, a receiver, and a processor, the base station configured to perform at least the following steps:

a) transmit, by the transmitter, a downlink message concatenated with a “higher” test signal and a “lower” test signal, wherein the downlink message is transmitted with an initial value of a transmission parameter, the higher test signal is transmitted with a higher value of the transmission parameter higher than the initial value, and the lower test signal is transmitted with a lower value of the transmission parameter lower than the initial value;
b) receive, by the receiver, a feedback message from a user device of the wireless network, the feedback message indicating whether the downlink message, or the higher test signal, or the lower test signal, was received with a best signal quality;
c) adjust, by the processor, the transmission parameter to an adjusted value, according to the feedback message;
and
d) transmit, by the transmitter, an acknowledgement message to the user device according to the adjusted value of the transmission parameter.

2 more elements

A method for a first user device of a sidelink network, the method comprising:

a) transmitting a first message to a second user device of the sidelink network, the first message transmitted with an initial value of a transmission parameter, the first message concatenated with a higher test signal and a lower test signal, wherein the higher test signal is transmitted with a higher value of the transmission parameter higher than the initial value, and the lower test signal is transmitted with a lower value of the transmission parameter lower than the initial value;
b) receiving a feedback message from the second user device, the feedback message indicating whether the first message, or the higher test signal, or the lower test signal, was received with a best signal quality;
and
c) transmitting a second message to the second user device according to an adjusted value of the transmission parameter.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/461,764Filed 6 Sep 2023
Priority: 4 Apr 2022
Published: 21 Dec 2023
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification19 codes

H04W 72/046
Based on the type of the allocated resource: the resource being in the space domain, e.g. beams
H04B 7/043
Power distribution: using best eigenmode, e.g. beam forming or beam steering
H04B 7/0639
Feedback format: using selective indices, e.g. of a codebook, e.g. pre-distortion matrix index [PMI] or for beam selection
H04B 7/06952
Using beam selection: selecting one or more beams from a plurality of beams, e.g. beam training, management or sweeping

Family

Application63/327,007Us provisional application · filed 4 Apr 2022
Application63/418,784Us provisional application · filed 24 Oct 2022
Application63/426,853Us provisional application · filed 21 Nov 2022
Application63/441,488Us provisional application · filed 27 Jan 2023
Application63/444,380Us provisional application · filed 9 Feb 2023
Application63/447,167Us provisional application · filed 21 Feb 2023
Application63/448,422Us provisional application · filed 27 Feb 2023
Application63/451,722Us provisional application · filed 13 Mar 2023
Application18/191,015Continuation · filed 28 Mar 2023
Application18/215,192Continuation · filed 28 Jun 2023
Application18/461,764Continuation
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