gNB-Controlled User Equipment Cooperation via Sidelink Feedback

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing wireless communication networks face challenges in improving network quality and user experience for users at the edge of coverage areas or with high interference, as current user equipment cooperation mechanisms lack effective control by the gNB.

Innovation Solution

The gNB controls multiple user equipments to perform user equipment cooperation through designed subframe formats, enabling in-band or out-of-band communication, and specific cooperative control information to optimize resource allocation and communication modes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If user equipment cooperation is implemented without gNB control, then user equipment can exchange information via sidelink communication, but the efficiency and coordination of the cooperation process deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesystem throughputVSAvoidcooperation control complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The gNB acts as an intermediary that coordinates user equipment cooperation by sending cooperative control information to both the first and second user equipments. This mediator approach enables efficient coordination of sidelink communication, resource allocation, and communication modes without requiring complex peer-to-peer negotiation between user equipments, thus improving cooperation efficiency while maintaining manageable system complexity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The gNB implements feedback mechanisms by receiving communication information from user equipments and sending updated cooperative control information in response. This feedback loop enables dynamic adjustment of cooperation parameters, resource allocation, and communication modes based on actual channel conditions and user equipment performance, thereby optimizing system throughput and cooperation efficiency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Productivity

If multiple subframe formats are designed for different cooperation modes, then user equipment cooperation efficiency is improved, but the system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveuser equipment cooperation efficiencyVSAvoidsubframe format complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system employs dynamic subframe formats that can be flexibly configured based on different user equipment cooperation modes. The gNB selects and configures appropriate subframe formats (such as in-band or out-of-band formats) according to the specific cooperation scenario, channel conditions, and user equipment capabilities. This dynamic adaptation enables optimized cooperation efficiency for different scenarios while avoiding the need to maintain all possible format configurations simultaneously, thus balancing efficiency improvement with system complexity management

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP3557930B1Method and device for implementing coordination of user apparatuses
Publication Date: 2025.09.24 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP3557930B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3557930B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3557930B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A method for implementing user equipment cooperation is provided. The method includes: generating, by an access network device, cooperative control information, where the cooperative control information is used to instruct first user equipment to perform sidelink transmission in a first transmission unit of a first subframe and perform uplink transmission in a second transmission unit of the first subframe, the first transmission unit is adjacent to the second transmission unit, and the sidelink transmission includes that the first user equipment sends feedback information to second user equipment and that the second user equipment receives the feedback information sent by the first user equipment; and sending, by the access network device, the cooperative control information to the first user equipment and the second user equipment. According to this application, the access network device can control a plurality of user equipments to perform user equipment cooperation.