Network Node Antenna Point Random Access Control
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
In wireless communication systems, the use of soft cells with shared random access resources leads to spatial random access gains being lost, resulting in limited random access channel capacity and delayed access for wireless devices due to collisions and the need for retransmissions.
Innovation Solution
A method where a network node controls multiple antenna points, detecting and scheduling random access responses to preambles received on shared resources, separating them in time and/or space to enable concurrent access and improve capacity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by stationary object
If antenna points share random access resources in soft cell deployments, then energy savings and simplified network operation are achieved, but spatial random access gains are lost and random access channel capacity is limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the random access response transmission by associating each response with a specific antenna point identifier. Even though multiple antenna points share the same random access resources for preamble reception, the network node can identify which antenna point received each preamble and transmit corresponding responses in a segmented manner, thereby maintaining spatial differentiation and enabling spatial random access gains while preserving the energy efficiency of shared resources.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by introducing antenna point-specific information into the random access response transmissions. Each random access response is tailored to indicate the specific antenna point that received the preamble, allowing wireless devices to identify the serving antenna point and enabling spatially differentiated handling of random access requests. This maintains the benefit of shared resources while recovering spatial gains through localized response customization.
2Device complexity
If antenna points share random access resources, then device complexity for resource management is reduced, but collisions increase and access delay worsens
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements feedback by including antenna point identification information in the random access response transmissions. This feedback mechanism allows wireless devices to identify which antenna point received their preamble and adjust their subsequent communications accordingly. The feedback enables the system to handle collisions more effectively by providing spatial context, reducing access delay while maintaining simple shared resource management.
3Productivity
If the same random access preamble is received at multiple antenna points on the same resource, then only one response can be transmitted traditionally, but this causes contention resolution failures and access delays
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the random access responses from multiple antenna points by transmitting them through a single network node using shared physical uplink resources. The network node consolidates the responses while incorporating antenna point identification information, allowing multiple wireless devices that transmitted the same preamble at different antenna points to receive appropriate responses simultaneously. This merging approach maintains high throughput while improving contention resolution reliability through spatial awareness.
Data Source
AI summary
The teachings presents a method 10 performed in a network node 2, the network node 2 controlling a first and a second antenna point 3, 4. The network node 2 uses the same random access resources for the first and the second antenna points 3, 4. The method 10 comprises: detecting 11 a specific random access preamble received on a random access resource at the first antenna point 3 and on the same random access resource at the second antenna point 4; and scheduling 12 a transmission of a random access response to the random access preamble received at the first antenna point 3 and a transmission of a random access response to the random access preamble received at the second antenna point 4, the random access responses being scheduled separated in time and/or space. The teachings also presents corresponding devices.