Cooperative Communication Link Control via Base Station Coordination

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current communication systems lack effective network-side control for cooperative communication links, leading to low transmission efficiency and poor communication quality in multiple-user cooperative communication scenarios.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus for controlling cooperative communication links by confirming the capability of user equipment to perform cooperative communication, establishing first-hop physical links, selecting supportive user equipment based on measurement information, and configuring and managing support links to improve transmission efficiency and quality.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If cooperative communication is implemented without network-side control, then device-to-device communication can be established between terminals, but transmission efficiency and communication quality deteriorate due to lack of coordinated link management

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransmission efficiencyVSAvoidlink control complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The base station acts as an intermediary that coordinates link establishment and management between beneficial user equipment and supportive user equipment. The network side sends link setup requests to terminals, receives measurement information, selects appropriate supportive devices, and controls support links based on link measurement information, thereby improving transmission efficiency without requiring complex distributed control protocols among devices.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If multiple terminals are used for cooperative communication, then spectrum utilization efficiency improves through multi-user diversity gain, but link management complexity increases without network coordination

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespectrum utilization efficiencyVSAvoidcooperative link management
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system implements feedback mechanisms where terminals report link measurement information to the base station, which then selects appropriate supportive user equipment and controls support links based on this feedback. This allows the network to optimize spectrum utilization through multi-user diversity while maintaining manageable link complexity through centralized decision-making based on measured channel conditions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

3Adaptability or versatility

If terminals autonomously establish cooperative links, then communication flexibility improves, but communication quality deteriorates due to lack of network optimization

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecooperative communication flexibilityVSAvoidcommunication quality
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The base station performs preliminary actions by sending link setup requests to terminals before actual data transmission begins. The network side pre-establishes the cooperative communication framework, selects supportive user equipment based on initial measurements, and configures support links in advance, ensuring both communication flexibility and quality through network-optimized link establishment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3059993B1Method, base station and terminal for controlling link in cooperative communication
Publication Date: 2020.03.11 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP3059993B1 patent drawingFigure 1a
  • EP3059993B1 patent drawingFigure 1b
  • EP3059993B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3a

AI summary

A method for controlling a link in cooperative communication includes: confirming that a beneficial user equipment and a pre-supportive user equipment have a capability of performing cooperative communication; separately sending a first-hop link setup request to the beneficial user equipment and the pre-supportive user equipment, so that the beneficial user equipment and the pre-supportive user equipment establish first-hop physical links according to the first-hop link setup request; separately receiving initial measurement information that is sent by the pre-supportive user equipment and/or the beneficial user equipment after the pre-supportive user equipment and/or the beneficial user equipment performs initial measurement on the first-hop physical link; according to the initial measurement information, selecting a supportive user equipment of the beneficial user equipment from the pre-supportive user equipment or selecting a beneficial user equipment that is supported by the supportive user equipment; establishing a support link based on the established physical links; separately receiving link measurement information of the support link reported by the beneficial user equipment and the supportive user equipment after the beneficial user equipment and the supportive user equipment perform measurement on the support link; and controlling the support link according to the link measurement information. In addition, another method for controlling a link in cooperative communication and a corresponding apparatus and system are further provided.