Patent attributes
The present disclosure describes methods and apparatuses for beamforming enhancement via strategic resource utilization. In some aspects, an air interface resource is used for exchanging wireless communications using one or more signal beams. In some implementations, end-user devices are classified into a beamforming state—such as active, idle, or inactive—based on an activity level with a base station. To facilitate antenna beamforming between the base station and an end-user device, opportunities for beamforming training are provided by strategically granting resource units based on one or more resource allocation rules. For example, both control and data information can be allocated together on the same frequencies for each end-user device. Also, an uplink or a downlink grant can be provided that precedes a downlink or an uplink allocation, respectively. In some implementations, the resource allocation rules are applied based on the beamforming state to which an end-user device has been classified.
