LTE Downlink Frame Structure Reducing Blind Decoding Latency
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Legacy LTE systems face inefficiencies in downlink frame structure and transmission methods, particularly in blind decoding of PDCCHs, leading to increased latency, power consumption, and reduced data communication rates due to UEs needing to search multiple regions for control information, which is inefficient and burdensome, especially for low-latency applications.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves a data structure that divides the downlink channel into resource element blocks within a symbol, with a control region and a data region, where a downlink resource grant is located within the control region, allowing UEs to efficiently determine the position of the data region based on control information, thereby reducing the number of blind decodes required and improving latency and data communication rates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If UEs perform blind decoding across multiple control regions to locate PDCCH, then control information can be found, but the number of blind decodes increases significantly (up to 44 or more per subframe)
Solution Approach 1:
The control region is segmented into multiple control element groups, where each group contains a subset of control elements. This segmentation allows UEs to perform blind decoding on a reduced scale within each group rather than across the entire control region, significantly reducing the number of blind decodes required while maintaining reliable control information detection
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimension of organization by grouping control elements into control element groups with specific starting positions and lengths. This dimensional reorganization transforms the search space from a flat exhaustive search to a structured multi-dimensional search, reducing complexity while preserving detection capability
2Reliability
If UEs perform extensive blind decoding to locate PDCCH, then control information can be reliably detected, but power consumption at the UE increases excessively
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the control region into control element groups, the patent reduces the search space for blind decoding. This segmentation enables UEs to perform fewer decoding operations while still reliably detecting control information, directly reducing power consumption associated with extensive blind decoding activities
3Reliability
If UEs perform many blind decodes to locate PDCCH, then control information can be found, but data communication rates decrease due to system burden
Solution Approach 1:
The segmentation of control elements into groups reduces the number of blind decodes required, thereby reducing the system burden. This efficiency improvement allows more resources to be allocated to data transmission, enhancing data communication rates while maintaining reliable control information detection
4Loss of time
If TTI is reduced to achieve lower latency, then latency is improved, but UEs cannot perform sufficient blind decodes within the reduced time interval
Solution Approach 1:
By segmenting the control region into control element groups, the patent reduces the number of blind decodes required per subframe. This reduction makes it feasible for UEs to complete the necessary blind decoding operations within shorter TTI intervals, enabling low-latency communication while maintaining operational feasibility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary organization of control elements into groups with predetermined starting positions and lengths. This preliminary structuring enables UEs to efficiently locate and decode control information within reduced TTI intervals, making low-latency communication practical
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
A data structure for managing user equipment communications in a wireless communication system is presented. In some examples, the data structure may include one or more resource element blocks into which a frequency bandwidth of a downlink channel is divided within a symbol that defines a transmission time interval in a downlink subframe. Furthermore, the data structure may include a control region and a data region within at least one resource element block of the one or more resource element blocks. Additionally, the data structure may include a downlink resource grant, located within the control region, for a user equipment served by the downlink channel. In an additional aspect, a network entity and method for generating the example data structure are provided.