US 12,126,420 B2
Beam alignment verification for wireless networks
Johannes Harrebek, Aalborg (DK); Simon Svendsen, Aalborg (DK); Benny Vejlgaard, Gistrup (DK); Claudio Rosa, Randers NV (DK); Mark Cudak, Rolling Meadows, IL (US); Frederick Vook, Schaumburg, IL (US); Nitin Mangalvedhe, Hoffman Estates, IL (US); and Jun Tan, Glenview, IL (US)
Assigned to NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY, Espoo (FI)
Appl. No. 17/642,148
Filed by Nokia Technologies Oy, Espoo (FI)
PCT Filed Sep. 26, 2020, PCT No. PCT/IB2020/059024
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Mar. 10, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/053650, PCT Pub. Date Mar. 25, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/903,372, filed on Sep. 20, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0376768 A1, Nov. 24, 2022
Int. Cl. H04B 7/08 (2006.01); H04B 17/318 (2015.01)
CPC H04B 7/088 (2013.01) [H04B 17/318 (2015.01)] 13 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An apparatus comprising:
at least one processor; and
at least one memory including computer program code;
the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:
determine a beam alignment reference value based on a first receive power of a signal received from a base station via a first user equipment receive beam, based on a first user equipment beam configuration, that is aligned with a transmit beam of the base station, and a second receive power of a signal received from the base station via a second user equipment receive beam, based on a second user equipment beam configuration, that is aligned with the transmit beam of the base station, wherein the first user equipment receive beam and the second user equipment receive beam have different beam widths;
determine a beam alignment test value based on a third receive power of a signal received from the base station via a third user equipment receive beam, based on the first user equipment beam configuration, and a fourth receive power of a signal received from the base station via a fourth user equipment receive beam, based on the second user equipment beam configuration; and
determine, based on the beam alignment reference value and the beam alignment test value, that the third user equipment receive beam used by the apparatus is not aligned with the transmit beam of the base station,
wherein the determining a beam alignment reference value comprises the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:
receive, from the base station, at least one reference signal via the transmit beam of the base station;
measure the first receive power of a reference signal received from the base station via the first user equipment receive beam; and
measure the second receive power of the reference signal received from the base station via the second user equipment receive beam;
wherein the measuring are performed based on:
the measuring of the second receive power is performed after, and within a threshold period of time of, the measuring of the first receive power; and
the measuring of the first receive power is performed after, and within a threshold period of time of, the measuring of the second receive power,
wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to:
send, to the base station, a message including the following: the beam alignment reference value;
the beam alignment test value; and
a beam alignment result indicating that third user equipment receive beam used by the apparatus is not aligned with the transmit beam of the base station,
wherein the determining the beam alignment reference value comprises the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: determine a difference between the first receive power and the second receive power; and
wherein the determining the beam alignment test value comprises the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: determine a difference between the third receive power and the fourth receive power.