Multi-TRP PDCCH Assignment With Soft Combining for Coverage Holes

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing wireless communication systems face challenges in ensuring reliable downlink assignments for downlink control channels, particularly in environments with high blocking and penetration loss, such as factory settings with heavy metal machines and multi-TRPs, leading to coverage holes and reduced communication reliability.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of methods and apparatuses that allow a UE to receive multiple PDCCHs and PDSCHs carrying the same DCI or TB from multiple TRPs, with the network entity indicating associations between these channels, and enabling simultaneous reception and soft combining of channel bit LLRs to enhance decoding accuracy.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If multiple PDCCHs and PDSCHs are transmitted from multiple TRPs to improve reliability, then communication reliability and DCI delivery success rate are improved, but device complexity and processing overhead increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication reliabilityVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the downlink transmission by dividing it into multiple PDCCH candidates across different control resource sets (CORESETs) and multiple PDSCH transmissions. Each segment can be independently decoded, and the UE performs soft combining of segmented channel bit LLRs from different TRPs, which improves reliability while managing complexity through modular processing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent merges multiple PDCCH candidates and PDSCH transmissions from different TRPs into a unified decoding process. The UE combines channel bit LLRs from multiple sources using soft combining techniques, merging the benefits of spatial diversity while processing them through a integrated framework that manages complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

2Measurement precision

If multiple PDCCH candidates are monitored in different control resource sets, then spatial diversity and decoding accuracy are improved, but processing time and complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedecoding accuracyVSAvoidprocessing time
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent configures multiple control resource sets (CORESETs) with different time-frequency resources and associations with PDSCH transmissions in advance. This preliminary configuration allows the UE to efficiently monitor multiple PDCCH candidates without real-time decision overhead, improving decoding accuracy while managing processing time through pre-established resource mappings.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent enables dynamic monitoring of multiple PDCCH candidates across different control resource sets with varying time-frequency allocations. The UE can adaptively select and process candidates based on channel conditions and resource availability, optimizing the balance between decoding accuracy and processing time through dynamic resource utilization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

Data Source

PatentEP4184849B1Downlink assignments for downlink control channels
Publication Date: 2025.12.17 LENOVO (SINGAPORE) PTE LTD
  • EP4184849B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4184849B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4184849B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Apparatuses, methods, and systems are disclosed for downlink assignments for downlink control channels. One method (700) includes determining (708) a third set of downlink control channel monitoring occasions that comprises first downlink control channel monitoring occasions and second downlink control channel monitoring occasions, and associated search spaces correspond to two different control resource sets comprising a first control resource set and a second control resource set, wherein: demodulation reference signal ports of the first control resource set are quasi-collocated with a first set of reference signals; demodulation reference signal ports of the second control resource set are quasi-collocated with a second set of reference signals. The method (700) includes monitoring (710) one or more downlink control channel candidates in at least one slot of the third set of monitoring occasions if the one or more downlink control channel candidates carry the same downlink control information.