Compressed IQ Signal Combining Without Decompression Delay

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Solution Overview

Problem

In signal relay devices, the process of combining uplink signals in a fronthaul section involves decompression and recompression, leading to signal transmission delays due to the need to manage compressed IQ data from multiple radio units.

Innovation Solution

A method for combining compressed uplink signals without decompression, involving signal receiving, input data processing, pre-processing, combining, and post-processing operations, where the signal relay device directly sums compressed IQ data from multiple radio units and manages potential overflows, thereby reducing the delay associated with decompression and recompression.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If compressed IQ data is decompressed and recompressed to combine uplink signals, then signal combining accuracy is improved, but signal transmission delay increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesignal combining accuracyVSAvoidsignal transmission delay
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the processing parameter from decompressed domain to compressed domain. By performing combining operations directly on compressed IQ data without decompression, the system maintains signal combining accuracy while eliminating the time-consuming decompression and recompression steps, thus resolving the contradiction between accuracy and delay

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent extracts only the necessary combining operations from the traditional decompress-combine-compress workflow. By taking out the decompression and recompression steps and performing combining directly in the compressed domain, the system eliminates unnecessary processing delays while preserving the essential signal combining function

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Ease of manufacture

If decompression and compression processes are performed for signal combining, then signal processing completeness is improved, but processing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesignal processing completenessVSAvoidprocessing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts and removes the decompression and compression processes from the signal combining workflow. By performing combining operations directly on compressed IQ data, the system maintains processing completeness for the combining function while eliminating the complexity of decompression and recompression operations

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent inverts the traditional processing order by performing combining operations in the compressed domain rather than the decompressed domain. This inversion eliminates the need for decompression and recompression, reducing processing complexity while maintaining the completeness of signal combining

Inventive Principle:
Principle #13The other way round (Inversion)

Data Source

PatentEP4120584A1Method of combining compressed signal
Publication Date: 2023.01.18 SOLID
  • EP4120584A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4120584A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4120584A1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A method of combining compressed uplink signals according to one aspect of the present disclosure is a method of combining IQ data of uplink signals compressed without decompression by a block floating point compression method, a block scaling compression method, or a µ-law compression method.