METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTING BEAM

• US 20200136709A1
• Filed: 01/18/2018
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Company Limited (China Information Communication Technology Group Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Datang Mobile Communications Equipment Company Limited (China Information Communication Technology Group Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: WANG, Shihua, DUAN, Tao, MA, Jingyan, WU, Jian
• Granted Patent: US 10,931,359 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0695 using beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/088 using beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering

Abstract

Disclosed are a method and apparatus for detecting a beam, which are used for realizing accurate beam forming under a millimeter wave wireless communication system where antenna array calibration is carried out without using a calibration network in the millimeter wave wireless communication system. The method for detecting a beam provided in the present application comprises: determining a beam with a pre-set width; and using the beam with the pre-set width to scan a user equipment.

Claims

1. A method for detecting a beam, the method comprising:

determining a beam with a preset width; and

scanning a user equipment using the beam with the preset width.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining the beam with the preset width comprises:

determining a beam with a first preset width.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the scanning the user equipment using the beam with the preset width comprises:

scanning the user equipment using an odd-indexed beam with the first preset width to obtain a plurality of groups of received signals, calculating an average power of each group of received signals, and determining two highest average powers Pm and Pn from average powers;

if a difference between Pm and Pn is above a preset threshold, determining an index of a beam with the first preset width, for performing a scan as index_step1=2m−

1;

if a difference between Pm and Pn is below the preset threshold, and |m−

n|=1, determining the index of a beam with the first preset width, for performing a scan as index_step1=m+n−

1; and

if a difference between Pm and Pn is below the preset threshold, and |m−

n|>

1, determining an abnormal condition, and scanning the user equipment again using the beam with the preset width.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the method further comprises:

determining K=index_step1*5;

selecting the indexes of beams with a second preset width corresponding to a beam with the first preset width as [K−

4, K−

2, K, K+2, K+4] according to a value of K, wherein the first preset width is larger than the second preset width; and

scanning the user equipment using the beam with the second preset width corresponding to the indexes [K−

4, K−

2, K, K+2, K+4].

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the scanning the user equipment using the beams with the second preset width corresponding to the indexes [K−

4, K−

2, K, K+2, K+4] comprises;

scanning the user equipment using the beams with the second preset width corresponding to the indexes [K−

4, K−

2, K, K+2, K+4], to obtain five groups of received signals, comparing average powers P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 of the five groups of received signals, and determining two highest average powers Pm and Pn from the average powers;

if a difference between Pm and Pn is above a preset threshold, determining the index of a beam with the second preset width, for performing a scan as index_step2=index(m);

if a difference between Pm and Pn is below the preset threshold, and |m−

n|=1, determining the index of a beam with the second preset width, for performing a scan as index_step2=[index(m)+index(n)]/2; and

if a difference between Pm and Pn is below the preset threshold, and |m−

n|>

1, determining an abnormal condition, and scanning the user equipment again using the beams with the second preset width.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprises:

determining a beam with the second preset width, corresponding to the index index_step2 as a beam for use in a millimeter wireless communication system in a downlink, and orienting the beam to a position of the user equipment for communication.

7. The method according to claim 2, wherein presetting the beam with the first preset width comprises:

presetting five beams, with a first beam width of 60°

at 3 dB, wherein the beams with the first preset width are indexed respectively with pw_1, pw_2, . . . , pw_5, and a beam center angle of pw_i is i*30°

, wherein i=1, . . . , 5.

8. The method according to claim 4, wherein presetting the beam with the second preset width comprises:

presetting 29 beams, with the second preset beam width of 12°

at 3 dB, wherein the beams with the second preset width are indexed respectively with pn_1, pn_2, . . . , pn_29, and a beam center angle of pn_j is i*6°

, wherein j=1, 2, . . . , 29.

9. An apparatus for detecting a beam, the apparatus comprising a memory configured to store a computer readable program, and a processor configured to execute the computer readable program to:

determine a beam with a preset width; and

scan a user equipment using the beam with the preset width.

10. The apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer readable program to determine a beam with a first preset width.

11. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer readable program:

scan the user equipment using an odd-indexed beam with the first preset width to obtain a plurality of groups of received signals, to calculate an average power of each group of received signal, and to determine two highest average power Pm and Pn from the average power;

if a difference between Pm and Pn is above a preset threshold, determine an index of a beam with the first preset width, for performing a scan as index_step1=2m−

1;

if a difference between Pm and Pn is below the preset threshold, and |m−

n|=1, to determine the index of a beam with the first preset width, for performing a scan as index_step1=m+n−

1; and

if a difference between Pm and Pn is below the preset threshold, and |m−

n|>

1, to determine an abnormal condition, and to scan the user equipment again using the beam with the preset width.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer readable program:

determine K=index_step1*5;

select indexes of beams with a second preset width corresponding to a beam with the first preset width as [K−

4, K−

2, K, K+2, K+4] according to a value of K, wherein the first preset width is larger than the second preset width; and

scan the user equipment using the beams with the second preset width corresponding to the indexes [K−

4, K−

2, K, K+2, K+4].

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer readable program to scan the user equipment using the beams with the second preset width corresponding to the indexes [K−

4, K−

2, K, K+2, K+4] by;

scanning the user equipment using the beams with the second preset width corresponding to the indexes [K−

4, K−

2, K, K+2, K+4] to obtain five groups of received signals, comparing averages power P1, P2, P3, P4, P5 of the five groups of signals, and determining two highest average powers Pm and Pn from the average power;

if a difference between Pm and Pn is above a preset threshold, determining an index of a beam with the second preset width, for performing a scan as index_step2=index(m);

if a difference between Pm and Pn is below the preset threshold, and |m−

n|=1, determining the index of a beam with the second preset width, for performing a scan as index_step2=[index(m)+index(n)]/2; and

if a difference between Pm and Pn is below the preset threshold, and |m−

n|>

1, determining an abnormal condition, and to scan the user equipment again using the beams with the second preset width.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer readable program to:

determine a beam with the second preset width, corresponding to the index index_step2 as a beam for use in a millimeter wireless communication system in a downlink, and orient the beam to a position of the user equipment for communication.

15. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer readable program to preset the beam with the first preset width by:

presetting five beams, with the first preset beam width of 60°

at 3 dB, wherein the beams with the first width are indexed respectively with pw_1, pw_2, . . . , pw_5, and a beam center angle of pw_i is i*30°

, wherein i=1, . . . , 5.

16. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to execute the computer readable program to preset the beam with the second preset width by:

presetting 29 beams, with the second preset beam width of 12°

at 3 dB, wherein the beams with the second preset width are indexed respectively with pn_1, pn_2, . . . , pn_29, and a beam center angle of pn_j is i*6°

, wherein j=1, 2, . . . , 29.