IoT NTN Carrier Switching for Satellite Handover Gaps
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Solution Overview
Problem
In IoT NTN (Internet of Things Non-Terrestrial Network) environments, such as satellite communications, the long duration of Narrowband Internet of Things (NBIOT) NPUSCH codeword transmissions often exceeds the time before a user equipment (UE) needs to handover or perform cell reselection, preventing complete repetition of transmissions due to satellite movement, leading to incomplete data transfer.
Innovation Solution
The method involves configuring multiple carrier configurations with satellite-specific parameters like ephemeris, activation timers, and initial timing offsets, allowing for dynamic switching between active carriers based on remaining activation durations or indices, and inserting transmission gaps for frequency retuning and timing adjustments, ensuring seamless data transmission across satellite handovers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If long duration NPUSCH codeword transmission is used to ensure complete data transfer, then data transfer completeness is improved, but the transmission time exceeds the satellite handover duration, causing incomplete transmission
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single long NPUSCH codeword transmission into multiple shorter transmissions across different carriers. Each carrier transmits a portion of the codeword, and the UE combines these segments to reconstruct the complete data. This segmentation allows the transmission to complete within the satellite handover duration while maintaining data completeness.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements periodic transmission across multiple carriers with configured repetition numbers. Each carrier transmits the codeword a specific number of times (Nrep), and the UE aggregates these periodic transmissions. This periodic action distributes the transmission over time, fitting within the satellite handover window while ensuring complete data transfer.
2Adaptability or versatility
If multiple carrier configurations are configured to enable dynamic switching, then adaptability to satellite movement is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The network configures multiple carrier configurations with pre-calculated parameters including activation timing, repetition numbers, and resource allocations before the actual transmission. This preliminary configuration allows the UE to automatically select and switch between carriers without complex real-time calculations, reducing operational complexity while maintaining flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback mechanisms where the UE reports its transmission status and the network adjusts carrier selection accordingly. The network monitors which carriers are most suitable for the current satellite position and updates the active carrier configuration dynamically, simplifying the UE's decision-making process while maintaining adaptability.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods and apparatuses for transmission switching on multiple carriers in IoT NTN are disclosed. A method comprises receiving a resource configuration: and transmitting UL signal on a physical resource determined by the resource configuration.