Joint Scheduling Grant for Multi-Carrier Wireless Communication

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Solution Overview

Problem

In LTE LAA scenarios, the limited control signaling capacity of the primary cell restricts simultaneous scheduling of multiple secondary cells, leading to reduced peak data rate and system throughput due to the need for independent PDCCH transmissions for each carrier.

Innovation Solution

A method that generates a single scheduling grant with an indicator to schedule multiple carriers, allowing devices to recognize and transmit data across multiple carriers efficiently, reducing control signaling overhead.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If independent PDCCH transmissions are used for each carrier, then control signaling accuracy is maintained, but control signaling capacity is exceeded and scheduling efficiency deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvescheduling efficiencyVSAvoidcontrol signaling capacity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple independent PDCCH transmissions into a single joint scheduling grant that can schedule multiple carriers simultaneously. This merging approach consolidates the control signaling overhead, allowing the base station to schedule multiple secondary cells without exceeding the limited control signaling capacity of the primary cell, thereby resolving the contradiction between maintaining control signaling accuracy and improving scheduling efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Adaptability or versatility

If multiple independent PDCCHs are transmitted, then each carrier can be scheduled independently, but the control signaling overhead increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecarrier scheduling flexibilityVSAvoidcontrol signaling overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges multiple carrier scheduling operations into a single joint scheduling grant that maintains the ability to independently schedule each carrier while significantly reducing control signaling overhead. The joint grant includes carrier-specific resource allocation information for multiple carriers, enabling flexible carrier scheduling without the need for separate PDCCH transmissions for each carrier.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

3Productivity

If narrow bandwidth is used for PCell, then frequency resources are optimized, but control signaling capacity is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvefrequency resource efficiencyVSAvoidcontrol signaling capacity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent enables the base station to schedule multiple carriers using a single joint scheduling grant transmitted on the narrow bandwidth PCell. This approach allows frequency resources to be optimized by using narrow bandwidth for control signaling while still achieving high scheduling capacity through the joint grant mechanism that can allocate resources across multiple wider bandwidth carriers.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP3238495B1Scheduling enhancement in wireless communication
Publication Date: 2019.04.17 MICROSOFT TECHNOLOGY LICENSING LLC
  • EP3238495B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP3238495B1 patent drawingFigure 3a~3b
  • EP3238495B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

The subject matter described herein relates to scheduling enhancement in wireless communication. A scheduling grant including an indicator can be generated, for example, at the base station (BS). The indicator included in the scheduling grant identifies multiple carriers to be scheduled with the scheduling grant. Upon receiving the scheduling grant, a device, for example, UE can recognize the multiple carriers scheduled with the single scheduling grant, and can detect corresponding data transmission in the multiple carriers accordingly. Compared with scheduling each carrier with independent scheduling grant, the proposed solution saves control signaling overhead, and thereby alleviates the problems caused by control signaling capacity limitation, and increase peak data rate and system throughput.