Component Carrier Activation via Random Access Preamble
Solution Overview
Problem
Current carrier aggregation techniques face challenges in efficiently managing the activation and deactivation of multiple component carriers, leading to ambiguity in random access procedures and inefficient power consumption in user terminals.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of non-contention and contention-based random access procedures, where a wireless communications device and radio access network use unique preambles and scrambling techniques to activate and deactivate component carriers, ensuring unambiguous acknowledgement and optimizing power usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If deactivation timer is used to manage component carrier activation, then power consumption is reduced, but ambiguity arises in random access procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where the network provides explicit activation/deactivation commands through MAC CEs and RRC messages. The deactivation timer is enhanced with feedback from the network side to clear ambiguity - when the timer expires, the network can send a confirmation message to verify whether the CC should remain deactivated or be reactivated, thus resolving the information loss while maintaining power savings.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary signaling mechanism (MAC CE with CC activation/deactivation commands) that mediates between the deactivation timer and the random access procedure. This intermediary provides explicit instructions to the UE about whether to maintain deactivation or proceed with activation, eliminating ambiguity in the random access procedure while preserving the power consumption benefits of timer-based management.
2Productivity
If multiple component carriers are activated to increase bandwidth, then data rate is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic component carrier management where the UE can activate and deactivate CCs based on traffic conditions and network commands. The deactivation timer enables automatic deactivation of idle CCs, while MAC CE commands provide dynamic control. This dynamic approach allows the system to maintain high data rates when needed while reducing device complexity by deactivating unnecessary carriers, achieving adaptability between performance and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operational parameters of component carriers dynamically through the deactivation timer mechanism. By adjusting the timer value and using MAC CE commands to modify activation states, the system can flexibly control the number of active CCs, thereby balancing data rate requirements against device complexity without requiring permanent configuration of all carriers.
3Use of energy by moving object
If deactivation timer expires to deactivate component carrier, then power consumption is reduced, but communication synchronization may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses feedback mechanisms where the network monitors the deactivation timer status and provides confirmation messages to the UE. When the timer expires, the network can send a feedback message to verify whether deactivation should proceed or be postponed to maintain synchronization. This feedback loop ensures that power consumption is reduced through timer-based deactivation while communication synchronization stability is maintained through network coordination.
4Reliability
If explicit activation commands are sent to manage component carriers, then reliability of carrier management is improved, but signaling overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the MAC CE protocol multi-functional by using the same signaling structure for both activation and deactivation commands. A single MAC CE format can convey different instructions (activate, deactivate, maintain) depending on the field values, reducing the need for separate dedicated signaling messages for each function. This universality improves reliability of carrier management while minimizing signaling overhead by consolidating multiple control functions into a single protocol element.
Data Source
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AI summary
A wireless communications device with a wireless module and a controller module is provided. The wireless module performs wireless transceiving to and from a radio access network. The controller module receives a preamble assignment message comprising a component carrier indicator from the radio access network via the wireless module, and transmits, on a component carrier corresponding to the component carrier indicator, a Random Access Preamble (RAP) message to the radio access network via the wireless module. Also, the controller module receives a Random Access Response (RAR) message corresponding to the RAP message from the radio access network via the wireless module, indicates in a scheduled transmission UE ID to the radio access network, and determines whether to activate the component carrier in response to a contention resolution message received from the radio access network.