Frequency Resource Adjustment for 5G NR BWP Boundary Violations

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Solution Overview

Problem

In 5G NR systems, frequency hopping for PUSCH/PUCCH can result in allocated PRBs being outside the active BWP, leading to mistaken PRB usage, causing severe loss of data or UL signaling and deteriorating UL performance.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus for adjusting frequency resources, where the UE moves the frequency resource of a hop to ensure it remains within the active BWP, using approaches such as modulus operation or wrapping around, to prevent PRBs from being outside the BWP, thereby ensuring robust and efficient transmission.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If frequency hopping is supported for PUSCH/PUCCH with PRBs allocated outside active BWP, then transmission diversity is improved, but PRB usage accuracy deteriorates leading to mistaken PRB usage

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransmission diversityVSAvoidPRB usage accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the problematic portion of frequency resources that fall outside the active BWP and removes them from the hopping allocation. By calculating the overlapping part of PRBs outside the active BWP and excluding these from the actual transmission, the system maintains transmission diversity benefits while ensuring accurate PRB usage within the designated BWP boundaries.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent modifies the frequency resource allocation parameters by adjusting the starting PRB and number of PRBs based on the active BWP boundaries. When frequency hopping would cause PRBs to extend outside the active BWP, the system recalculates the hopping parameters to confine the transmission within the valid BWP range, thus resolving the contradiction between diversity and accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Productivity

If frequency hopping allocates PRBs outside active BWP, then spectral utilization is improved, but data loss increases due to mistaken PRB usage

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvespectral utilizationVSAvoiddata loss
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts the potentially harmful effect of frequency hopping extending outside the active BWP into a beneficial configuration by using the overlapping PRB calculation to determine precise hopping parameters. The system leverages the boundary condition to calculate the maximum valid hopping range that stays within the active BWP, thereby maintaining spectral utilization efficiency while preventing data loss from mistaken PRB usage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

3Speed

If frequency hopping is implemented without BWP boundary checks, then transmission speed is maintained, but UL performance deteriorates due to PRB conflicts

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransmission speedVSAvoidUL performance
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary calculation of the active BWP boundaries and the overlapping PRB ranges before frequency hopping occurs. By pre-determining the valid PRB allocation range and preparing the adjusted hopping parameters in advance, the system ensures that UL transmission proceeds at full speed without encountering PRB conflicts or performance degradation from boundary violations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3837869B1Method and apparatus for determining frequency resource, and user equipment
Publication Date: 2023.09.27 GUANGDONG OPPO MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP LTD
  • EP3837869B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3837869B1 patent drawingFigure 3~5
  • EP3837869B1 patent drawingFigure 6~7

AI summary

Disclosed is a method and apparatus for determining a frequency resource and a user equipment. In the method, for a hop in frequency domain, when a first part of a frequency resource of the hop is outside a first bandwidth part (BWP), the UE moves the frequency resource of the hop, such that the whole frequency resource of the hop is turned inside the first BWP.