Early Data Transmission Control for PRACH Collision Avoidance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing solutions for early data transmission (EDT) in LTE and NB-IoT systems cause resource waste and collisions due to unnecessary early data indications and UL grants, especially when there is no uplink data transmission, and lack effective mechanisms for enabling/disabling EDT based on cell and UE status.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating an EDT indication in system information messages, such as SIB14, SIB1, SIB2, or MIB, to enable or disable EDT for UEs, along with UE-specific indications in paging messages to prevent resource waste and collisions, based on cell and UE status.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If early data transmission is enabled through preamble partitioning in Msg1, then early UL data transmission is supported, but PRACH performance deteriorates due to collision and resource waste
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the EDT indication from Msg1 preamble partitioning and relocates it to Msg2 uplink grant or Msg3 PUSCH transmission. This removes the harmful preamble partitioning mechanism while preserving the early data transmission capability, thereby eliminating PRACH performance degradation while maintaining low latency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces Msg2 uplink grant or Msg3 PUSCH as an intermediary carrier for the EDT indication, replacing the direct preamble-based indication in Msg1. This intermediary approach allows the network to control EDT activation without interfering with the random access procedure integrity.
2Productivity
If larger UL grant is provided in Msg2 to support EDT, then early data transmission capability is improved, but network resources are wasted when no UL data is transmitted in Msg3
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the UL grant dynamic by providing a larger grant only when EDT is actually needed and indicated by the network. When EDT is not required, the standard grant size is provided. This dynamic adjustment eliminates resource waste while maintaining early data transmission capability when beneficial.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the UL grant parameter (resource allocation size) based on the EDT indication state. The network controls this parameter change by only triggering EDT when there is actual uplink data to transmit, thereby optimizing resource utilization while supporting early transmission when necessary.
3Adaptability or versatility
If EDT indication is provided in Msg1 through preamble selection, then UE can indicate intention to use EDT, but this causes collision and requires preamble partitioning which degrades access performance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the EDT indication function from Msg1 preamble selection and relocates it to Msg2 uplink grant or Msg3 PUSCH. This removes the harmful collision and partitioning requirements while preserving the UE's ability to indicate EDT intention through alternative, non-intrusive means.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses the existing Msg2 uplink grant or Msg3 PUSCH structures as carriers for the EDT indication, copying the indication function to these existing message formats. This avoids creating new collision-prone mechanisms while achieving the same signaling objective.
4Loss of energy
If per-UE EDT control is implemented, then resource efficiency is improved, but signaling complexity increases without efficient management mechanism
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the Msg2 uplink grant multi-functional by embedding both the resource allocation information and the EDT indication within the same message structure. This universal approach enables per-UE control without requiring separate signaling mechanisms, thereby reducing overall signaling complexity while achieving resource efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines the EDT indication with the existing Msg2 uplink grant signaling, merging two functions into one message. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate EDT indication signaling, reducing complexity while enabling efficient per-UE resource management.
Data Source
AI summary
A communication system for enabling/disabling EDT comprises UEs and a network node. The network node is configured to collect measurements regarding cell information, determine whether EDT is allowed to be used by the UEs to transmit data prior to completing an access procedure, and send a message comprising an EDT indication instructing whether EDT is allowed to be used by the UEs. The UE is configured to initiate a transmission to the network node, receive the message comprising the EDT indication, and determine whether EDT is allowed to be used based on the EDT indication. The communication system may be able to enable or disable EDT for the UE based the status of cell, such that the communication system may avoid a resource waste caused by an early indication in Msg1 or a larger uplink grant in Msg2, and further improve the network performance.