UE Phase Capability Reporting for Coherent SRS Stitching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing 5G New Radio (NR) mobile communication networks face challenges in accurately determining the location of User Equipment (UE) due to limitations in bandwidth and phase characteristics of Sounding Reference Signals (SRS) transmitted by UEs, which affect the coherence and accuracy of positioning measurements.
Innovation Solution
UEs report their capabilities regarding phase characteristics between SRS resources transmitted on different Component Carriers (CCs) to enable the network to configure them accordingly, allowing for coherent processing and increased bandwidth, thereby enhancing the accuracy of position determination.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the bandwidth of SRS resources is increased to improve positioning accuracy, then the accuracy of position determination is improved, but the device complexity and capability requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the SRS resources across multiple Component Carriers (CCs) to achieve effective bandwidth increase for positioning. By dividing the positioning measurement function across multiple carriers and enabling selective stitching based on phase characteristics, the system achieves higher positioning accuracy without requiring a single device to support the full aggregated bandwidth, thus managing device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extends the SRS bandwidth by utilizing the frequency dimension through multiple Component Carriers. Instead of increasing bandwidth on a single carrier, the solution transitions to another dimension by aggregating resources across multiple carriers with different center frequencies, effectively increasing the total bandwidth available for positioning while distributing the complexity across multiple smaller units.
2Measurement precision
If SRS resources are stitched across multiple Component Carriers to increase bandwidth, then the accuracy of position determination is improved, but the phase characteristic maintenance becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the UE reports its phase characteristic capabilities (such as phaseTrackingRS capability, carrier aggregation capability, and maximum frequency difference) to the network. The network uses this feedback to determine whether to configure SRS stitching across multiple CCs, ensuring that stitching is only performed when phase characteristics can be reliably maintained, thus balancing accuracy improvement with reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the parameter of phase relationship maintenance by introducing conditional stitching based on phase capability thresholds. Instead of maintaining phase characteristics across all CCs unconditionally, the system dynamically adjusts the stitching configuration based on reported phase capability parameters, allowing stitching only when the phase characteristic degradation remains within acceptable thresholds.
3Quantity of substance
If the network configures SRS stitching based on UE phase capabilities, then the bandwidth of SRS resources is increased, but the signaling overhead and configuration complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by having the UE report its phase characteristic capabilities in advance through uplink signaling (e.g., in UECapabilityInformation or positioning capability messages). This preliminary capability reporting allows the network to pre-determine the appropriate SRS stitching configuration without requiring complex real-time negotiations, reducing configuration complexity while enabling bandwidth increase.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses copying by reusing existing capability reporting mechanisms and message structures from other 5G NR functions. The phase capability information is reported using existing uplink signaling formats, and the network uses these copied structures to configure SRS resources, avoiding the need to create entirely new complex configuration protocols.
4Stability of the object's composition
If phase characteristics are maintained below threshold values across multiple CCs, then the coherence of SRS processing is improved, but the adaptability to different UE capabilities is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamics by making the SRS stitching configuration adaptive rather than static. The network dynamically adjusts whether to enable stitching across multiple CCs based on the specific UE's reported phase capabilities. For UEs with high phase stability, stitching is enabled to improve coherence; for UEs with lower phase stability, stitching is disabled or limited, thus adapting to different UE capabilities while maintaining coherence where possible.
Data Source
AI summary
A mobile device can report its capabilities to a network node regarding one or more phase characteristics between Sounding Resource Signal (SRS) resources transmitted by the mobile device under one or more circumstances, enabling the network to configure the mobile device accordingly. Such reporting can enable the network to coherently process multiple SRS resources, effectively increasing the bandwidth of the SRS resources and, ultimately, the accuracy of a position determination for the mobile device. Various techniques are provided for reporting capabilities and determining applicable conditions.