Radio Base Station OLPC Signaling for Dual-Carrier HSUPA
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In dual-carrier High Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA) configurations, existing technologies face inefficiencies in signaling for Outer Loop Power Control (OLPC) due to the need for multiple independent power control loops per carrier, requiring accurate association of Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) information with the correct carrier for effective Signal-to-Interference (SIR) target control.
Innovation Solution
A mechanism is introduced where the radio base station reports the number of HARQ requests and a carrier identity to the network control node within the user plane frame, allowing the node to determine and control OLPC parameters for each carrier efficiently, utilizing spare bits in the current UP frame format to associate HARQ information with the correct power control loop.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple independent power control loops are used per carrier in dual-carrier HSUPA, then accurate SIR target control for each carrier is achieved, but signaling resources are consumed excessively
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the power control information by introducing a carrier indicator field that divides the signaling into carrier-specific segments. This allows the network control node to identify which carrier the HARQ retransmission count belongs to, enabling precise SIR target control for each carrier while using a single consolidated signaling path instead of multiple independent loops.
2Device complexity
If HARQ information is reported without carrier identification, then signaling format is simple, but accurate association with correct carrier becomes impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent embeds the carrier indicator field within the existing HARQ reporting structure, nesting the carrier identification information inside the user plane frame. This nested approach maintains the simplicity of the overall signaling format while incorporating the necessary carrier association information without requiring a completely new signaling protocol.
3Measurement precision
If carrier identity is added to user plane frame, then HARQ information can be accurately associated with correct carrier, but frame structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies partial action by adding only the essential carrier indicator field to the user plane frame rather than restructuring the entire frame. This selective addition provides the necessary carrier identification capability while minimizing the increase in frame structure complexity, using only the minimum required elements to solve the problem.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The invention relates to a radio base station (13) for handling Outer Loop Power Control of a user equipment (12) in a radio communications network of a multiple cell (10,11) High Speed Uplink Packet Access configuration: The user equipment (12) is connected to at least two cells (10,11) using at least two carriers, one cell per carrier, wherein the radio base station (13) reports number of hybrid automatic repeat requests of the two or more carriers to a network control node (14). The radio base station (13) and the network control node (14) are comprised in the radio communications network. The radio base station determines (401) a number of hybrid automatic repeat requests over a first carrier of the at least two or more carriers, and signals (402) a user plane frame to the network control node (14). The user plane frame comprises the determined number of hybrid automatic repeat requests and an identity associated to the first carrier, enabling the network control node (14) to control an Outer Loop Power Control parameter to be used in an Outer Loop Power Control process for the first carrier.