Carrier Scheduling Reduces PDCCH Search Space Collisions

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Solution Overview

Problem

In carrier aggregation (CA) technology, especially in LTE-Advanced, the increased number of activated secondary cells leads to a sharp rise in PDCCH blind detection, causing resource congestion and search space collisions, which reduces the success rate of blind detection and affects carrier scheduling performance.

Innovation Solution

A method is introduced where, when the overlapping ratio of search spaces exceeds a threshold, a UE-specific DCI format is selected, marked with an invalid CIF, and scheduled on an anchor carrier, while remaining DCI formats without CIF are scheduled on other carriers, adopting a non-cross-carrier scheduling approach to reduce conflicts and congestion.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If cross-carrier scheduling with CIF is used to schedule multiple carriers, then carrier scheduling capability is improved, but PDCCH resource congestion and search space collision increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecarrier scheduling capabilityVSAvoidPDCCH resource congestion
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the DCI formats into two categories: UE-specific DCI formats (0, 1A, 2A) that carry CIF and are scheduled on anchor carrier, and other DCI formats that do not carry CIF and are scheduled on non-anchor carriers. This segmentation separates the scheduling functions to reduce search space overlap and PDCCH resource congestion while maintaining multi-carrier scheduling capability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Productivity

If the number of activated Scells is increased to enhance carrier aggregation, then network capacity is improved, but PDCCH blind detection complexity increases sharply

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenetwork capacityVSAvoidPDCCH blind detection complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the CIF-containing UE-specific DCI formats from the general DCI format set and schedules them separately on the anchor carrier. This extraction reduces the search space size on non-anchor carriers, thereby reducing PDCCH blind detection complexity while maintaining the ability to schedule multiple carriers through carrier aggregation.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Ease of manufacture

If search space is determined by formula (1) with CCE_start and aggregation level L, then search space definition is standardized, but search space collision probability increases with more carriers

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesearch space definition standardizationVSAvoidblind detection success rate
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies different scheduling approaches to different DCI formats and different carriers. UE-specific DCI formats with CIF are scheduled on the anchor carrier using standard search space definition, while other DCI formats are scheduled on non-anchor carriers without CIF. This local differentiation reduces search space collision probability and improves blind detection success rate while maintaining standardization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP3439406B1Carrier scheduling method, device and system for carrier aggregation
Publication Date: 2021.04.07 ZTE CORP
  • EP3439406B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3439406B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP3439406B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

The present invention provides a carrier scheduling method, device and system for carrier aggregation. The method may include: within a current transmission time interval (TTI), when the number of times of overlapping between search spaces of all user equipment (UEs) to be scheduled satisfies a preset determination condition, selecting a UE-specific downlink control information (DCI) format; marking the selected UE-specific DCI format, and setting scheduling of a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) corresponding to the UE-specific DCI format onto an anchor carrier component; setting physical downlink control channels (PDCCHs) corresponding to remaining DCI formats other than the UE-specific DCI format onto carrier components for scheduling the PDSCHs corresponding to the remaining DCI formats; and sending the set anchor carrier component and the carrier components set corresponding to the remaining DCI formats to the UEs to be scheduled.