Model-Driven Meta-Learning-Aided Fast Beam Prediction in Millimeter-Wave Communications

Beamforming plays a key role in improving the spectrum utilization efficiency of multi-antenna systems. However, we observe that (i) conventional beam prediction solutions suffer from high model training overhead and computational latency and thus cannot adapt quickly to changing wireless environments, and (ii) deep-learning-based beamforming may face the risk of catastrophic oblivion in dynamically changing environments, which can significantly degrade system performance. Inspired by the above challenges, we propose a continuous-learning-inspired beam prediction model for fast beamforming adaptation in dynamic downlink millimeter-wave (mmWave) communications. More specifically, we develop a meta-empirical replay (MER)-based beam prediction model. It combines empirical replay and optimization-based meta-learning. This approach optimizes the trade-offs between transmission and interference in dynamic environments, enabling effective fast beamforming adaptation. Finally, the high-performance gains brought by the proposed model in dynamic communication environments are verified through simulations. The simulation results show that our proposed model not only maintains a high-performance memory for old tasks but also adapts quickly to new tasks.