Asymmetric Resource Sharing for Virtual Antennas

Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional virtual diversity reception systems operate symmetrically, leading to unnecessary signal processing and signaling overhead, as all mobile terminals receive and feedback channel estimates equally, despite varying performance requirements.

Innovation Solution

Asymmetric resource sharing method where a base station transmits fewer information symbols to some mobile terminals than others, using stale channel state information to generate synthesized signals and combine them for virtual antennas, reducing signal processing and overhead while maintaining performance.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If symmetric resource sharing is used where all mobile terminals receive and feedback channel estimates equally, then all terminals benefit equally from virtual diversity reception, but signal processing complexity and signaling overhead increase unnecessarily

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveperformance benefitVSAvoidsignal processing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating the treatment of mobile terminals based on their individual performance requirements. Some terminals receive full virtual diversity processing while others receive reduced processing, matching the level of service to actual need. This resolves the contradiction by providing appropriate performance benefits to each terminal while avoiding unnecessary signal processing complexity for terminals that don't require maximum performance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements asymmetry by breaking the symmetric resource sharing model where all terminals are treated equally. Instead, it creates an asymmetric system where terminals are categorized into different groups (e.g., first group receives full processing, second group receives reduced processing) based on their performance requirements. This asymmetric approach resolves the contradiction by optimizing the balance between performance benefits and processing complexity for each terminal group.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #4Asymmetry

2Reliability

If symmetric resource sharing is used where all mobile terminals receive and feedback channel estimates equally, then all terminals benefit equally from virtual diversity reception, but signaling overhead increases unnecessarily

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveperformance benefitVSAvoidsignaling overhead

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating the treatment of mobile terminals based on their individual performance requirements. Some terminals receive full virtual diversity processing while others receive reduced processing, matching the level of service to actual need. This resolves the contradiction by providing appropriate performance benefits to each terminal while avoiding unnecessary signal processing complexity for terminals that don't require maximum performance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements asymmetry by breaking the symmetric resource sharing model where all terminals are treated equally. Instead, it creates an asymmetric system where terminals are categorized into different groups (e.g., first group receives full processing, second group receives reduced processing) based on their performance requirements. This asymmetric approach resolves the contradiction by optimizing the balance between performance benefits and processing complexity for each terminal group.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #4Asymmetry

3Device complexity

If fewer information symbols are transmitted to some mobile terminals, then signal processing and signaling overhead are reduced, but performance may be compromised for those terminals

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvesignal processing complexityVSAvoidperformance

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies dynamics by making the resource allocation flexible and adaptive rather than static. Terminals are dynamically assigned to different groups based on their performance requirements, and the system can adapt to changing conditions. This resolves the contradiction by allowing the system to optimize between processing complexity and performance on a per-terminal basis, ensuring that terminals receiving fewer symbols still achieve acceptable performance for their specific needs.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies parameter changes by varying the number of information symbols transmitted to different terminal groups. Instead of using a fixed transmission scheme for all terminals, the system changes the transmission parameters (number of symbols) based on terminal requirements. This resolves the contradiction by allowing optimization of processing complexity while maintaining appropriate performance levels for each terminal group.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS8750913B2Asymmetric resource sharing using stale feedback

Publication Date: 2014.06.10 TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL)

AI summary

With the asymmetric resource sharing disclosed herein, a base station transmits fewer information symbols at some transmission times to one or more mobile terminals than to other mobile terminals at other transmission times. After transmitting the information symbols, the base station receives channel estimates from the mobile terminals, which the base station then use to generate synthesized signals representing estimates of the signals received at the mobile terminals. The base station subsequently combines complementary pairs of the synthesized signals to generate combined signals and transmits at least one of the combined signals to implement at least one virtual antenna for at least one of the mobile terminals.