Multicarrier Grant Aggregation for Control Overhead Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current multicarrier wireless communication systems face challenges in efficiently transmitting and receiving grant information across multiple carriers, particularly in determining and identifying control regions for grant communication, which affects resource allocation and reliability in multicarrier operations.

Innovation Solution

The method involves determining grant information and identifying a control region based on user device capabilities, inserting grant information into the identified region, and transmitting it, using a processor to configure and execute instructions for selecting and formatting the grant information, including common fields for cyclic redundancy check, Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request process Identification, and flags, to support both legacy and non-legacy control regions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If separate grants are transmitted for each carrier, then resource allocation flexibility is improved, but control overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveresource allocation flexibilityVSAvoidcontrol overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines multiple carrier grant information into a single aggregated DCI message that can schedule resources across multiple carriers simultaneously. This merging approach reduces the number of separate control messages needed while maintaining the ability to allocate resources flexibly on each individual carrier through bitmap indicators and carrier-specific resource allocation fields within the unified grant structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates a universal grant structure that can function across multiple carriers with different configurations. The single DCI message incorporates carrier identification fields, resource allocation bitmaps, and modulation and coding scheme indicators that can be applied universally to any number of carriers, allowing the same control mechanism to serve multiple functions across the multicarrier system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

2Quantity of substance

If a unified grant structure is used across multiple carriers, then control overhead is reduced, but determining the appropriate control region becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontrol overheadVSAvoidcontrol region identification complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary configuration of control region parameters through higher-layer signaling before actual grant transmission. Cell-specific and user-specific control region configurations are established in advance, including time-frequency resource locations, cyclic shifts, and orthogonal cover codes. This preliminary setup simplifies the real-time operation by pre-computing and storing control region identification information that can be quickly retrieved when processing unified grants across multiple carriers.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces an intermediary layer of carrier indication fields and resource allocation bitmaps that mediate between the unified grant structure and the specific control regions of individual carriers. These intermediary elements translate the aggregated grant information into carrier-specific instructions, allowing the system to manage multiple carriers through a single control message without directly complexifying the control region identification process for each carrier.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Measurement precision

If carrier-specific grants are used, then grant precision for each carrier is improved, but processing complexity at the receiver increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvegrant precisionVSAvoidprocessing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the unified DCI message into distinct fields that correspond to different carriers, with each segment containing carrier-specific resource allocation, modulation and coding scheme, and hybrid automatic repeat request information. This segmentation allows the receiver to efficiently parse and process only the relevant carrier information needed for current operations, reducing overall processing complexity compared to handling completely separate grants for each carrier.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements partial processing where the receiver can selectively decode and process only the subset of carrier information that is currently relevant or active. Not all carrier fields need to be fully processed in every transmission interval, allowing the system to maintain grant precision for all carriers while reducing instantaneous processing complexity by focusing on the most critical carrier assignments first.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

Data Source

PatentEP2345198B1Downlink grants in a multicarrier wireless communication system
Publication Date: 2018.03.28 QUALCOMM INC
  • EP2345198B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2345198B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2345198B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Aspects describe communicating grant information in a multicarrier wireless communication system. The grant information can be transmitted to mobile devices that have single carrier capability and/or mobile devices that have multicarrier capability. Grant information can be sent in a legacy control region and/or a non-legacy control region.