METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR BEAM DETECTION IN A WIRELESS COMMUNICATION SYSTEM

• US 20160219569A1
• Filed: 01/22/2016
• Published: 07/28/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ASUSTek Computer, Inc.
• Original Assignee: ASUSTek Computer, Inc.
• Inventors: Kuo, Richard Lee-Chee, Lin, Ko-Chiang
• Granted Patent: US 10,925,061 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/046 the resource being in the space domain, e.g. beams
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/23 in the downlink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards a terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/006 in the downlink, i.e. towards the terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0833 Random access procedures, e.g. with 4-step access
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/02 Terminal devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/08 Access point devices

Abstract

A method and apparatus for beam detection in a wireless communication system. In one embodiment, the method includes the UE initiating a RA procedure. The method also includes the UE transmitting multiple RA preambles to a base station of the cell at different occasions for the base station to determine a beam set of the UE. The method further includes the UE starts monitoring a PDCCH for RA response reception from the base station after finishing transmissions of the multiple RA preambles.

Claims

1. A method for preamble transmissions by a User Equipment (UE) in a cell of a wireless communication system, wherein there are multiple beams in the cell, the method comprising:

the UE initiates a random access (RA) procedure;

the UE transmits multiple RA preambles to abuse station of the cell at different occasions for the base station to determine abeam set of the UE; and

the UE starts monitoring a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) for RA response reception from the base station after finishing transmissions of the multiple RA preambles.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE monitors the PDCCH for RA response reception in a RA response window.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the RA response window starts at a subframe that contains an end of a transmission of the last RA preamble of the multiple RA preambles plus a number of subframes and has a length configured to the UE.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the RA response window starts at a subframe that contains the end of the transmission of the last RA preamble of the multiple RA preambles plus three (3) subframes.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE receives one A response for the UE within the RA response window.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE decodes each RA response individually without combining multiple RA responses.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the UE is within normal coverage of the base station, such as the received signal quality of the UE from the base station is above a threshold.

8. A method for beam finding in a cell of a wireless communication system, wherein there are multiple beams in the cell, the method comprising:

a base station of the cell monitors random access (RA) preamble(s) via different beams at different occasions during a RA procedure;

the base station receives at least a RA preamble from a UE; and

the base station determines a beam set of the UE according to the bean(s) via which the RA preamble(s) is (are) received.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

the base station transmits a RA response to the UE after all the multiple beams of the cell have been monitored.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the base station transmits only one RA response to the UE in response to receptions of multiple RS preambles from the UE during the RA procedure.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein multiple beams are monitored at each occasion.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein an occasion refers to a time unit (e.g., a symbol, a time slot, or a subframe).

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the RA preamble dedicated to the UE.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the RA preamble being dedicated to the UE means the RA preamble of the UE is distinguishable from RA preambles of other UEs in the cell in at least one of following domains:

time domain, frequency domain, and sequence domain.

15. A UE (User Equipment), comprising:

a control circuit;

a processor installed in the control circ

a memory installed in the control circuit and operatively coupled to the processor;

wherein the processor is configured to execute a program code stored in the memory to;

initiate a random access (RA) procedure;

transmit multiple RA preambles to a base station of the cell at different occasions for the base station to determine a beam set of the UE; and

start monitoring a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) for RA response reception from the base station after finishing transmissions of the multiple RA preambles.

16. The UE of claim 15, wherein the UE monitors the PDCCH for RA response reception in a RA response window.

17. The UE of claim 16, wherein the RA response window starts at a subframe that contains an end of a transmission of the last RA preamble of the multiple RA preambles plus a number of subframes and has a length configured to the UE.

18. The UE of claim 17, wherein the RA response window starts at a subframe that contains the end of the transmission of the last RA preamble of the multiple RA preambles plus three (3) subframes.

19. The UE of claim 15, wherein the UE receives one RA response for the UE within the RA response window.

20. The UE of claim 15, wherein the UE decodes each RA response individually without combining multiple RA responses.