Multi-Carrier MAC-CE Signaling for 5G Beam Switch Overhead
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing 5G NR MIMO MAC-CEs support only a single component carrier, leading to increased overhead and reduced throughput due to frequent beam switches, especially in mobility scenarios, as they require individual signaling for each carrier.
Innovation Solution
Implementing enhanced MAC-CE and RRC signaling that facilitate efficient spatial and beam change indications for multiple component carriers, allowing a single MAC-CE to be applied to multiple carriers, reducing redundant information and overhead.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If individual MAC-CEs are sent for each component carrier, then each carrier can be controlled independently, but overhead increases and throughput decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple individual MAC-CEs into a single enhanced MAC-CE that can simultaneously control multiple component carriers. The enhanced MAC-CE includes a first field indicating the number of carriers and a second field containing control information for all carriers, eliminating the need to send separate MAC-CEs for each carrier and thereby reducing overhead.
Solution Approach 2:
The enhanced MAC-CE is designed with multi-functionality to serve multiple component carriers simultaneously. It includes structures that can indicate different carriers through bitmap fields and can apply control information (such as TCI states, CSI-RS resources, SRS resources) to multiple carriers in a single signaling message, making one MAC-CE serve the purpose of multiple individual MAC-CEs.
2Measurement precision
If individual MAC-CEs are sent for each component carrier, then control precision is maintained, but throughput is reduced due to frequent beam switches
Solution Approach 1:
By merging multiple beam control operations into a single enhanced MAC-CE, the patent reduces the frequency of signaling messages. The enhanced MAC-CE can indicate beam changes for multiple carriers simultaneously using a unified structure with carrier-specific fields, maintaining precise beam control while reducing the overhead associated with frequent individual signaling.
3Quantity of substance
If a single enhanced MAC-CE is used for multiple carriers, then overhead is reduced, but the complexity of the MAC-CE structure increases
Solution Approach 1:
The enhanced MAC-CE is segmented into distinct fields and components: a first field indicating the number of carriers, a second field with control information for multiple carriers, and optional third fields for additional carrier-specific parameters. This segmentation allows the complex structure to be organized in a manageable way, with each field serving a specific purpose for different carriers.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a dimensional approach by using bitmap fields to represent multiple carriers. Instead of repeating the full control information structure for each carrier, the patent uses a compact bitmap indication that maps to predefined carrier configurations, reducing the dimensional complexity while maintaining the ability to control multiple carriers.
4Reliability
If frequent beam switches are performed, then mobility performance is improved, but overhead increases due to individual signaling for each carrier
Solution Approach 1:
The enhanced MAC-CE merges beam switch indications for multiple carriers into a single signaling message. When beam switches are frequent during mobility, the enhanced MAC-CE can simultaneously indicate beam changes for all active carriers using a unified structure, reducing the overhead that would otherwise accumulate from multiple individual MAC-CEs.
Data Source
AI summary
Currently, the MIMO MAC-CEs have been designed to support only one component carrier. Aspects described herein provide MAC-CEs and RRC signaling, which may facilitate efficient spatial and beam change indications for multiple component carriers. A UE may be configured to receive a configuration for each of a plurality of carriers. The UE may be configured to receive control information in a MAC-CE. The control information may comprise at least one of a TCI state, an CSI-RS resource configuration, or an SRS resource configuration. The UE may be further configured to determine whether the control information applies to multiple carriers from among the plurality of carriers. The UE may be configured to apply the control information to at least one of the plurality of carriers based on a determination of whether the control information applies to multiple carriers from among the plurality of carriers.