PUCCH/PUSCH DMRS Bundling for Phase-Continuous Joint Channel Estimation

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Solution Overview

Problem

In 5G NR wireless communications, phase continuity is lost due to issues such as power inconsistencies, collisions, and transmission power control commands, which affect joint channel estimation across physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) repetitions.

Innovation Solution

The UE is configured to manage transmission power and prioritize power allocation to maintain phase continuity by dropping overlapping PUCCHs, multiplexing UCI with PUSCH, disregarding certain DCI commands, and prioritizing power allocation based on DMRS bundling and data priority.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the UE transmits PUCCH and PUSCH repetitions with separate power control commands, then transmission flexibility is improved, but phase continuity is lost

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransmission flexibilityVSAvoidphase continuity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the power control handling for PUCCH and PUSCH transmissions by applying the same Transmission Power Control (TPC) command to both channel types. This combining approach ensures that both channels use consistent power levels across repetitions, thereby maintaining phase continuity while still allowing independent transmission scheduling.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent applies the TPC command received for PUSCH transmissions to PUCCH transmissions in advance, before the PUCCH transmission occurs. This preliminary application of power control ensures that the PUCCH transmission is pre-configured with the correct power level to maintain phase continuity with subsequent PUSCH repetitions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Measurement precision

If the UE applies TPC commands from DCI to each transmission separately, then transmission power control accuracy is improved, but phase consistency deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransmission power control accuracyVSAvoidphase consistency
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSStability of the object's composition

Solution Approach 1:

The patent combines the power control application logic for different transmission types by using a unified TPC command for both PUCCH and PUSCH. This merging ensures that while individual transmissions are controlled accurately, the phase relationship between them remains consistent.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent changes the power control parameter application strategy by extending the PUSCH TPC command's effect to PUCCH transmissions. This parameter extension maintains accurate power control for each transmission type while ensuring the power parameter remains consistent across different channel types for phase continuity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Productivity

If the UE handles PUCCH and PUSCH power control independently, then channel-specific optimization is improved, but joint channel estimation accuracy deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvechannel-specific optimizationVSAvoidjoint channel estimation accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent merges the power control handling to enable joint channel estimation while preserving channel-specific transmission characteristics. By applying the same TPC command to both PUCCH and PUSCH, the system maintains the power relationships necessary for accurate joint channel estimation across both channel types.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP4030848B1Maintaining phase continuity in uplink transmissions for joint channel estimation
Publication Date: 2025.08.27 APPLE INC
  • EP4030848B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4030848B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4030848B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A user equipment (UE) is configured to transmit an uplink transmission with a bundling of demodulated reference signals (DMRS), transmit the uplink transmission, receive a downlink control information (DCI) transmission from the base station between repetitions of the uplink transmission, wherein the DCI indicates a transmission power control (TPC) information element (IE) indicating remaining ones of the repetitions of the uplink transmission should be transmitted using a new transmission power and determine if the DCI is a group common (GC)-DCI Format 2_2.