5G Frame Structure for Slot-less Operation Above 52.6 GHz
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Solution Overview
Problem
The short slot duration in 5G wireless communication systems operating above 52.6 GHz carrier frequencies is insufficient for higher layer processing due to severe phase noise, necessitating a novel frame structure and resource allocation for slot-less operation to combat phase noise effectively.
Innovation Solution
A novel frame structure design with adjustable cyclic prefix (CP) lengths and symbol boundaries, allowing for slot-less operation by aligning symbol boundaries with specific subcarrier spacings, and defining scheduling and HARQ timing gaps at the symbol or symbol group level to enable flexible data transmission across slot boundaries.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If slot duration is reduced to combat phase noise at frequencies above 52.6 GHz, then reliability is improved, but higher layer processing time becomes insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The frame structure is segmented into multiple sub-frames, each containing multiple slots. This segmentation allows the system to maintain very short slot durations for phase noise mitigation while providing sufficient overall processing time across multiple slots for higher layer operations. The segmentation enables parallel processing across different slots and sub-frames.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic slot configuration where the number of slots per sub-frame and symbols per slot can be adjusted based on operational requirements. This dynamic structure allows optimization of slot duration for phase noise combat while ensuring adequate processing time through flexible configuration of time resources.
2Reliability
If slot duration is reduced to combat phase noise, then reliability is improved, but resource allocation flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the frame into sub-frames and slots, the system achieves fine-grained resource allocation at the symbol level within each slot while maintaining overall structure flexibility. This segmentation enables independent configuration of different slots for different services and applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs dynamic resource allocation mechanisms where resource assignments can be changed slot-by-slot or symbol-by-symbol based on traffic requirements. This dynamic approach maintains adaptability despite reduced slot duration, allowing the system to respond to varying service demands with flexible resource distribution.
3Adaptability or versatility
If slot-less operation is implemented to enable flexible resource allocation, then adaptability is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent maintains a segmented frame structure with sub-frames and slots rather than completely eliminating slot structure. This partial segmentation provides the necessary organizational framework to manage complexity while enabling flexible resource allocation within each segment, avoiding the full complexity of completely slot-less operation.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of implementing full slot-less operation, the patent applies slot-less resource allocation partially within the existing slot structure. This partial application achieves the desired flexibility for specific use cases while maintaining the simplified slot-based structure for other operations, thereby controlling overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A generation Node B (gNB) configured for operating in a fifth generation (5G) system encodes a downlink control information (DCI) for transmission to a user equipment (UE). For slot-less operation the DCI may indicate a set of values for a data channel scheduling gap and hybrid automatic repeat request—acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) timing. The set of values may be defined for a symbol group including one or more symbols. The gNB may encode the data channel for transmission based on the one or more values. The data channel may be transmitted on the symbol group with slot-less operation and using a subframe or frame for reference timing.