PRB Bundle Grid Realignment Around Guard Bands in Radio Resource Management

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Solution Overview

Problem

The challenge of managing physical resource blocks (PRBs) in wireless communication systems is exacerbated by the presence of guard bands, leading to inefficiencies in channel estimation and resource allocation, particularly in unlicensed spectrum usage, where simultaneous use by multiple transmitters causes interference and decreased communication quality.

Innovation Solution

Adapting the PRB bundle grid to account for guard bands by reassigning and re-aligning non-overlapping PRBs to create contiguous bundles, allowing for more efficient resource allocation and channel estimation, even in the presence of guard bands.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If radio network information including cell reconfiguration messages is sent to all UEs in coverage area, then connection re-establishment success rate is improved, but network signaling load and processing complexity increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconnection re-establishment success rateVSAvoidnetwork signaling processing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating the treatment of radio network information based on UE groups. Instead of uniformly sending complete cell reconfiguration messages to all UEs, the network identifies and sends targeted information only to UEs in specific radio link failure scenarios. This selective approach reduces overall signaling complexity while maintaining reliability for affected UEs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the UE population into different groups based on their radio link failure conditions. By dividing UEs into those requiring full cell reconfiguration messages and those that can use simplified re-establishment procedures, the system reduces the overall signaling load on the network while ensuring appropriate UEs receive the necessary information for successful re-establishment.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If complete cell reconfiguration messages are sent to all UEs, then connection re-establishment reliability is improved, but message transmission overhead and network resources increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconnection re-establishment reliabilityVSAvoidsignaling message volume
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential information needed for connection re-establishment from the complete cell reconfiguration message. By identifying and sending only the critical parameters (such as target cell ID and basic reconfiguration data) rather than the full message, the system reduces signaling message volume while maintaining sufficient reliability for UEs to re-establish connections successfully.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Duration of action of moving object

If radio network information is transmitted to restore connectivity, then UE service continuity is improved, but network energy consumption and processing load increase

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveUE service continuityVSAvoidnetwork energy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Duration of action of moving objectVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary action by pre-identifying UEs that are likely to experience radio link failures and proactively providing them with necessary radio network information before failures occur. This allows affected UEs to quickly re-establish connections with minimal service interruption, while the network avoids the energy-intensive process of handling extensive failure recovery signaling for all UEs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentEP3970429B1Radio resource management
Publication Date: 2026.05.20 NOKIA TECHNOLOGIES OY
  • EP3970429B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3970429B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3970429B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

In an example, there is provided an apparatus configured to store a bandwidth part arrangement of the bandwidth part (301, 305, 307) into plural physical resource blocks which are grouped into bundles forming a bundle grid (330-370), the bandwidth part (301, 305, 307) comprising at least one guard band (320), determine at least one of the bundles as partially overlapping with the at least one guard band (320), each partially overlapping bundle comprising overlapping and non-overlapping physical resource blocks, and to at least one of: 1) re-assign at least one of the non-overlapping physical resource blocks to a non-overlapping bundle immediately preceding or immediately following, in the bundle grid (330-370), the partially overlapping bundle, 2) re-align a first physical resource block of the non-overlapping bundle immediately following the partially overlapped bundle to coincide with a guard band end, and 3) re-align a last physical resource block of the non-overlapping bundle immediately preceding the partially overlapped bundle to coincide with a guard band (320) start.