Selective PT-RS Puncturing for CORESET Collision Avoidance

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Solution Overview

Problem

In wireless communication systems, Phase Tracking Reference Signals (PT-RS) often collide with Control Resource Sets (CORESET) resources, leading to unnecessary puncturing of PT-RS, which reduces decoding rates and degrades phase tracking performance, especially when PT-RS collides with resources scheduled for data transmission rather than control signaling.

Innovation Solution

The transmitter punctures PT-RS only in resource blocks (RBs) colliding with control transmissions, such as Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), while refraining from puncturing in RBs scheduled for data transmission, like Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), to maintain phase tracking accuracy without reducing PT-RS resources.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If PT-RS is punctured in all CORESET resources, then control signal transmission is ensured, but phase tracking performance degrades and PT-RS resources are unnecessarily reduced

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontrol signal transmission reliabilityVSAvoidphase tracking performance
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by differentiating the treatment of PT-RS based on the specific resource block type. PT-RS is punctured only in RBs allocated for control transmissions (PDCCH) while being preserved in RBs allocated for data transmissions (PDSCH). This localized differentiation resolves the contradiction by ensuring control signal reliability where needed while maintaining phase tracking performance where data transmission occurs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the CORESET resources into distinct categories: control transmission RBs and data transmission RBs. By identifying and separately handling PT-RS in these different segments, the system ensures that puncturing occurs only where control signals are transmitted, while preserving PT-RS in data transmission regions. This segmentation approach resolves the contradiction between control reliability and phase tracking performance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Quantity of substance

If PT-RS is punctured to avoid collision with CORESET, then resource allocation for control is maintained, but decoding rates decrease

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontrol resource allocationVSAvoiddecoding rate
Core Design Contradiction:
Quantity of substanceVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by selectively puncturing PT-RS only in the specific local region where control transmissions occur, rather than uniformly across the entire CORESET. This ensures that control resource allocation is maintained in necessary areas while preserving PT-RS resources in data transmission areas, thereby maintaining decoding rates.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the resource allocation into control-specific RBs and data-specific RBs within the CORESET. By applying puncturing only to the control transmission segment and preserving the data transmission segment, the system maintains adequate control resource allocation while avoiding unnecessary reduction in PT-RS that would harm decoding performance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Stability of the object's composition

If PT-RS resources are reduced due to collision with CORESET, then control transmission integrity is preserved, but phase tracking accuracy deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontrol transmission integrityVSAvoidphase tracking accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Stability of the object's compositionVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by making the PT-RS puncturing decision local to each resource block based on its transmission type. In RBs where control transmissions occur, PT-RS is punctured to preserve control integrity. In RBs where data transmissions occur, PT-RS is preserved to maintain phase tracking accuracy. This localized approach resolves the contradiction by preserving integrity only where control transmissions occur.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the CORESET resources into control transmission regions and data transmission regions. By applying different PT-RS handling strategies to these segments—puncturing in control regions and preserving in data regions—the system maintains control transmission integrity while avoiding unnecessary reduction in phase tracking accuracy.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3744034B1Puncturing PT-RS based on a collision between PT-RS and coreset
Publication Date: 2023.05.10 QUALCOMM INC
  • EP3744034B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3744034B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3744034B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A transmitter, such as a base station, identifies a potential collision between a first set of resources configured for a CORESET for a receiver and a second set of resources configured for a PT-RS for the receiver. The apparatus may determine whether colliding resources in the CORESET are configured/used for a control transmission or a data transmission. The apparatus punctures the PT-RS based on whether the colliding resources in the CORESET are configured/used for the control transmission (e.g., PDCCH). For example, the apparatus may puncture the PT-RS only for resource blocks of the CORESET colliding with the control transmission without puncturing the PT-RS over an entire set of the colliding resources configured for the CORESET. A receiver may similarly identify potential collisions and determine whether PT-RS will be punctured based on whether the colliding resources in the CORESET are configured/used for a control transmission or a data transmission.