Enhanced Phase Tracking Reference Signal for 5G NR
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Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless communication systems, particularly in 5G NR, phase noise introduces a significant noise floor that affects signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) in millimeter wave frequencies, limiting the efficiency of data transmission and requiring improved methods for phase tracking and noise reduction.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of an enhanced phase tracking reference signal (ePTRS) that is encoded with a lower modulation and coding scheme (MCS) than the data channel, allowing it to carry data and improve spectral efficiency by tracking phase noise and reducing latency in acknowledgments and other control messages, while also reducing peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) for power efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If a higher MCS is used for data channel to increase data transmission rate, then productivity is improved, but reliability deteriorates due to phase noise affecting higher order modulations more severely
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces PTRS as an intermediary reference signal that mediates between the data channel and phase noise. The PTRS is specifically designed to track phase noise without being affected by it, serving as a stable reference that enables reliable phase compensation for high-order modulations, thus allowing high data rates while maintaining decoding accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the receiver measures phase noise using PTRS and feeds back phase compensation information to the transmitter. This feedback loop enables continuous phase tracking and compensation, ensuring reliable demodulation of high-rate data transmissions even in the presence of phase noise
2Reliability
If PTRS resources are increased to improve phase tracking accuracy, then reliability is improved, but spectral efficiency deteriorates due to reduced resources for data transmission
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by designing PTRS with specific local characteristics that differ from data channels. The PTRS uses lower-order modulation and dedicated reference signal structures in specific time-frequency resources, optimizing phase tracking performance in those local regions without compromising overall spectral efficiency
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the communication signal into distinct components: data channels for information transmission and PTRS for phase tracking. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently - data channels use high-order modulation for spectral efficiency while PTRS uses robust low-order modulation for accurate phase tracking
3Reliability
If conventional reference signals are used without carrying data, then reliability of phase tracking is improved, but spectral efficiency deteriorates due to wasted resources
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the PTRS universal by enabling it to serve multiple functions: phase noise tracking and data transmission. The PTRS structure is designed to simultaneously carry both reference signal functionality for phase tracking and user data, eliminating the need for separate dedicated data resources and thereby improving spectral efficiency while maintaining phase tracking reliability
Data Source
AI summary
A phase tracking reference signal (PTRS) may be enhanced to carry data encoded with a relative low modulation and coding scheme (MCS). A receive device may receiving a data channel, the data channel including a transport block encoded using a first MCS. The receiving device may receiving a PTRS interleaved with the data channel. The PTRS is encoded with the second MCS that is lower than the first MCS. The receiving device may decode the PTRS to determine PTRS data. The receiving device may track phase noise using the PTRS data as a transmitted sequence of the PTRS. The receiving device may decode the transport block for the data channel based on the first MCS and the tracked phase noise.