PBCH Signal Accumulation Using SFN Inversion for 5G NR Reception

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Solution Overview

Problem

In 5G NR communication systems, the reception performance of PBCH signals is degraded at the cell edge due to varying system frame number (SFN) information, making it impossible to accumulate signals over time, which is crucial for maintaining signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and successful call access.

Innovation Solution

A method using the linearity characteristic of polar codes to generate an inversion vector that negates the SFN information, allowing for modulo addition and accumulation of PBCH signals across frames, ensuring consistent SFN values and improved SNR through reconstruction.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If PBCH signals are accumulated over time to improve SNR, then reception performance is improved, but the varying SFN information prevents successful accumulation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereception performanceVSAvoidsignal consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts the varying SFN information from the PBCH signal by generating an inversion vector that isolates and removes the SFN component through modulo addition, enabling the remaining signal portions to be accumulated consistently over time

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the parameter of SFN representation by applying modulo addition with an inversion vector, transforming the varying SFN values into a consistent form that allows signal accumulation while preserving the ability to reconstruct the original SFN

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If signal accumulation is performed to enhance SNR at cell edge, then call access success is improved, but the changing SFN bits cause accumulation failure

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecall access successVSAvoidSFN information consistency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary action by generating the inversion vector in advance and applying it to the received PBCH signals before accumulation, pre-processing the signals to remove the varying SFN component and enable successful accumulation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The inversion vector serves as an intermediary that mediates between the varying SFN information and the accumulation process, allowing the signals to be accumulated by temporarily removing the SFN variation and then reconstructing it after accumulation

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentUS11316618B2PBCH signal accumulation method and PBCH decoder for enhancing performance of 5G NR receiver

Publication Date: 2022.04.26 GCT RES

AI summary

The present invention relates to a method of accumulating and decoding a PBCH signal received by a 5G NR receiver, the method including: generating an inversion vector for negating at least one bit of a system frame number (SFN) included the received PBCH signal; performing accumulation over at least one frame by performing modulo addition on the generated inversion vector and the received PBCH signal; decoding the accumulated PBCH signals; and checking validity of the decode PBCH and reconstructing the SFN.