Carrier Aggregation Module for Flexible PHY Processing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing carrier aggregation techniques in wireless communication systems are inflexible, costly, and inefficient in terms of power consumption due to their lack of reconfigurability and the need to support multiple scenarios and bandwidth classes, leading to increased die size and power consumption.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a carrier aggregation module within the PHY layer that allows for flexible processing of an arbitrary number of carriers by oversampling, frequency shifting, and summing signals, enabling efficient use of processing resources and reducing the number of required modules and power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If independent PHY layers are used for each carrier in carrier aggregation, then each channel can be managed independently, but the die size and power consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple carrier processing chains into a unified structure where common functions (FFT, channel estimation, equalization, decoding) are shared across carriers. This combining approach maintains the ability to process multiple carriers independently while significantly reducing the overall die size by eliminating redundant processing blocks for each carrier.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements universal processing blocks that can handle multiple carriers simultaneously. The FFT module, channel estimation module, equalizer, and decoder are designed as multi-functional units that process signals from different carriers through time-division or frequency-division multiplexing, rather than having dedicated instances for each carrier.
2Adaptability or versatility
If independent PHY layers are implemented for each carrier to support multiple scenarios, then carrier aggregation capability is achieved, but power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines power-consuming processing functions into shared modules that serve multiple carriers. The FFT, channel estimation, equalization, and decoding operations are performed once for aggregated carriers rather than separately for each carrier, significantly reducing overall power consumption while maintaining support for various bandwidth classes and aggregation scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs periodic processing where the shared PHY layer modules process signals from multiple carriers in a time-division manner. Different carriers are processed in different time periods or slots, allowing the system to support multiple bandwidth classes and aggregation configurations dynamically while keeping the processing hardware active but efficient.
3Adaptability or versatility
If multiple independent processing chains are used for different carrier aggregation scenarios, then all scenarios can be supported, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs universal processing modules that can adapt to different carrier aggregation scenarios through configuration rather than through multiple specialized hardware chains. The FFT size, processing rate, and resource allocation can be dynamically adjusted to support various bandwidth classes (1.4MHz, 3MHz, 5MHz, 10MHz, 15MHz, 20MHz) and aggregation configurations without requiring separate processing chains for each scenario.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamic reconfiguration capabilities where the PHY layer processing parameters (FFT size, sampling rate, resource block allocation) can be adjusted in real-time based on the active carrier aggregation scenario. This dynamic adaptation allows a single set of processing modules to handle multiple scenarios efficiently, reducing device complexity compared to static dedicated chains for each scenario.
Data Source
AI summary
User equipment is provided for receiving an OFDM signal. The user equipment includes a plurality of carrier processing chains and a carrier aggregation module, aggregating the signals received on each carrier processed by the plurality of carrier processing chains. The aggregation module delivers a set of aggregated signals of the plurality of carrier processing chains at the input of a Fast Fourier Transform module of a PHY layer processing subsystem of the user equipment. The Fast Fourier transform module is able to process a size of data according to a predetermined rate depending on the aggregated bandwidth of the set of aggregated signals of the plurality of carrier processing chains, and the carrier aggregation module includes at least one frequency shifter for frequency shifting carriers.