Methods, network node and wireless terminal for beam tracking when beamforming is employed

US10484076B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (Publ) · SE

Inventors

• Johan Furuskog · Stockholm, SE
• Håkan Andersson · Linköping, SE
• Mattias Frenne · Uppsala, SE
• Johan Kåredal · Lund, SE
• John Skördeman · Brokind, SE
• Tomas Sundin · Sollentuna, SE
• Niclas Wiberg · Säter, SE
• Qiang Zhang · Dalian, CN

Key dates

• Filing date: Feb 6, 2018
• Grant date: Nov 19, 2019
• Expiry date: Feb 6, 2038

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H04W16/28
• WIPO field: Telecommunications
• WIPO sector: Electrical engineering

Abstract

A network node (100), a wireless terminal (102) and methods therein, for supporting beam tracking in the wireless terminal (102) when a selected network beam (Bc) and a selected terminal beam (Tc) are used. The network node (100) identifies a set of candidate network beams (B) having spatial characteristics similar to the selected network beam (Bc), and signals the candidate network beams to the wireless terminal (102). When the network node (100) transmits beam reference signals in the candidate network beams using beam sweeping, the wireless terminal (102) measures received power using different candidate terminal beams (T) and estimates received power of combinations of beam reference signal and candidate terminal beam that have not been measured, based on the measured combinations of beam reference signal and candidate terminal beam.