Carrier Aggregation for Broadcast and Unicast Services

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current wireless communication systems, particularly LTE, face challenges in providing high data rates and efficient resource allocation as demand for mobile broadband increases, especially for services like video streaming, due to limitations in spectral efficiency and available bandwidth.

Innovation Solution

The solution involves aggregating carriers from multiple frequency bands to concurrently provide a single service, where at least one carrier transmits primary content via broadcast and secondary content via unicast, enhancing service reliability and data rate by utilizing both intra-band and inter-band carriers, and configuring user equipment to receive and decode the aggregated signals effectively.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If carrier aggregation is used to increase bandwidth, then data rate is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata rateVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the service transmission into multiple component carriers (first component carrier and second component carrier), where each carrier can independently carry portions of the service. This segmentation allows the system to achieve higher data rates through aggregation while managing complexity by treating each carrier as a separate transmission unit with its own modulation and coding schemes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Productivity

If spectral efficiency is improved through advanced modulation, then data rate increases, but reliability decreases due to higher error rates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata rateVSAvoidservice reliability
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent dynamically changes transmission parameters including modulation order and code rate across different component carriers based on channel conditions. By adjusting these parameters, the system can achieve higher data rates when channel conditions permit while maintaining reliability through more robust parameter configurations when conditions are poorer.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs composite transmission strategies by combining multiple component carriers with different modulation and coding schemes. This composite approach allows the system to leverage both high-order modulation for high data rates and lower-order modulation for reliable transmission, achieving an optimal balance between productivity and reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #40Composite materials

3Productivity

If bandwidth is expanded to support high data rate services, then service capacity increases, but available spectrum resources are depleted

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveservice capacityVSAvoidspectrum resources
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent utilizes the frequency dimension by aggregating multiple component carriers across different frequency bands. This dimensional approach allows the system to expand service capacity not by increasing the width of a single carrier beyond available spectrum, but by combining multiple carriers in the frequency domain, effectively utilizing scattered spectrum resources.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentEP3207654B1Carrier aggregation methods of broadcast channels with broadcast channels or broadcast channels with unicast channels
Publication Date: 2019.08.28 QUALCOMM INC
  • EP3207654B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3207654B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3207654B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for wireless communication are provided. The apparatus may be a UE. The UE monitors a first component carrier and at least one second component carrier of a plurality of aggregated component carriers for a service and configuration information associated with the service. The UE receives the service concurrently via the first component carrier and the at least one second component carrier. At least one of the first component carrier or the at least one second component carrier carries the service via broadcast.