Beamforming In A Wireless Communication System

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2019199419-A1
Application number	US-201616329802-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 26, 2016
Priority date	Sep 26, 2016
Publication date	Jun 27, 2019
Grant date	—

Abstract

A radio network node (12) is configured to serve a wireless device (14) in a wireless communication system (10). The radio network node (12) in this regard is configured to determine that the wireless device (14) is onboard a public transit vehicle (16). Based on that determination, the radio network node (12) is configured to predict a position of the public transit vehicle (16), e.g., based on a route schedule (20) of the public transit vehicle (16) and/or positioning measurements (22) received from the public transit vehicle (16). The radio network node (12) is further configured to control beamforming for the wireless device (14) based on the predicted position of the public transit vehicle (16). In some embodiments, this controlling comprises performing dynamic beam direction adjustment, as needed to track the vehicle (16)'s movement. Alternatively or additionally, the controlling comprises performing beam selection from among a subset of candidate beams with coverage in a vicinity of the vehicle (16)'s predicted position.

First claim

1 - 20 . (canceled)

21 . A method performed by a radio network node serving a wireless device in a wireless communication system; the method comprising the radio network node:
determining that the wireless device is onboard a public transit vehicle; based on the determining, predicting a position of the public transit vehicle based on a route schedule of the public transit vehicle and/or positioning measurements received from the public transit vehicle; and controlling beamforming for the wireless device based on the predicted position of the public transit vehicle, wherein the controlling comprises:
dynamically adjusting a direction of a beam on which the radio network node transmits to or receives from the wireless device, as needed for the direction of the beam to track movement of the public transit vehicle; and/or
selecting a beam on which to transmit to or receive from the wireless device, by identifying, from among candidate beams in a set, a subset of the candidate beams with coverage in a vicinity of the predicted position of the public transit vehicle, and selecting a candidate beam in the subset.

22 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the predicting comprises predicting the position of the public transit vehicle based on the route schedule of the public transit vehicle.

23 . The method of claim 22 , wherein the predicting comprises:
determining a position at which the route schedule indicates the public transit vehicle will be at a particular time in the future; and predicting a position at which the public transit vehicle will be at the particular time in the future, based on the determined position.

24 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the predicting comprises predicting a position of the public transit vehicle based on positioning measurements received from the public transit vehicle.

25 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the predicting comprises predicting a position of the public transit vehicle at a future time by extrapolating a position of the public transit vehicle as indicated by a positioning measurement received from the public transit vehicle, using a speed vector obtained for the public transit vehicle.

26 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the predicting comprises predicting a position P t 2 of the public transit vehicle at a future time t 2 as either P t 2 =P t 2 +speed·t 2 or

P

t
2

=

P

t
1

+

speed
·

t
2

+

acceleration
·

t
2
2

2

,

where P t 1 is the position of the public transit vehicle at a time t 1 , speed is a speed vector obtained for the public transit vehicle, and acceleration is an acceleration vector obtained for the public transit vehicle.

27 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the determining that the wireless device is onboard the public transit vehicle comprises identifying that the wireless device moves in sync with the public transit vehicle.

28 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the determining that the wireless device is onboard the public transit vehicle comprises:
determining a coarse trajectory of the wireless device using beam tracking; and matching the coarse trajectory of the wireless device with an estimated or predicted trajectory of the public transit vehicle.

29 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the determining that the wireless device is onboard the public transit vehicle comprises receiving information indicating detection of the wireless device by a device onboard the public transit vehicle.

30 . The method of claim 21 :
wherein the predicting comprises predicting a position of the public transit vehicle based on the route schedule of the public transit vehicle and/or positioning measurements received from the public transit vehicle; and wherein the dynamically adjusting comprises adjusting the direction of the beam to point towards the predicted position of the public transit vehicle.

31 . The method of claim 21 :
wherein a table maps candidate device positions within a coverage area of the radio network node to candidate beams in the set, the table being accessible by the radio network node; and wherein the identifying comprises identifying the subset of candidate beams by identifying to which of the candidate beams the table maps positions within a defined vicinity of the predicted position of the public transit vehicle.

32 . The method of claim 21 , further comprising:
receiving, from the wireless device, a measurement report indicating a received quality of a reference signal transmitted on the beam; and selecting a beam on which to transmit to or receive from the wireless device, responsive to the received quality being below a defined threshold.

33 . A radio network node configured to serve a wireless device in a wireless communication system, the radio network node comprising:
processing circuitry; and memory containing instructions executable by the processing circuitry whereby the radio network node is configured to:
determine that the wireless device is onboard a public transit vehicle;
based on determining that the wireless device is onboard the public transit vehicle, predict a position of the public transit vehicle based on a route schedule of the public transit vehicle and/or positioning measurements received from the public transit vehicle; and
control beamforming for the wireless device based on the predicted position of the public transit vehicle, by:
dynamically adjusting a direction of a beam on which the radio network node transmits to or receives from the wireless device, as needed for the direction of the beam to track movement of the public transit vehicle; and/or
selecting a beam on which to transmit to or receive from the wireless device, by identifying, from among candidate beams in a set, a subset of the candidate beams with coverage in a vicinity of the predicted position of the public transit vehicle and selecting a candidate beam in the subset.

34 . The radio network node of claim 33 , wherein the instructions are such that the radio network node is operative to predict the position of the public transit vehicle based on the route schedule of the public transit vehicle.

35 . The radio network node of claim 34 , wherein the instructions are such that the radio network node is operative to predict the position of the public transit vehicle by:
determining a position at which the route schedule indicates the public transit vehicle will be at a particular time in the future; and predicting a position at which the public transit vehicle will be at the particular time in the future, based on the determined position.

36 . The radio network node of claim 33 ,

Assignees

• Ericsson Telefon Ab L M

Inventors

• Teslenko Maxim
• Liang Hongxin
• Tombaz Sibel
• Vandikas Konstantinos

Classifications

• G08G1/123

  indicating the position of vehicles, e.g. scheduled vehicles; {Managing passenger vehicles circulating according to a fixed timetable, e.g. buses, trains, trams}(transmission of navigation instructions to vehicles G08G1/0968) · CPC title

• H04B7/0617 Primary

  for beam forming · CPC title

• H04W4/029

  Location-based management or tracking services · CPC title

• H04W16/28

  using beam steering · CPC title