PUCCH Repetition Patterns Across Slots for Reliable Uplink Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing wireless communication systems face challenges in ensuring the reliability of Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) transmissions, particularly in environments with high interference or varying channel conditions, leading to potential decoding failures.
Innovation Solution
The method involves configuring a user equipment (UE) device to transmit multiple repetitions of PUCCH across one or more slots, with specific timing and beam configurations determined by network signaling, allowing for intra-slot and inter-slot repetition modes, and frequency hopping, to enhance reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple repetitions of PUCCH are transmitted across one or more slots, then the reliability of PUCCH transmission is improved, but the time duration and complexity of transmission configuration increase
Solution Approach 1:
The PUCCH transmission is segmented into multiple repetitions across different slots, where each repetition can be independently configured and transmitted. This segmentation allows the system to achieve higher reliability through diversity while managing complexity by treating each repetition as a separate, manageable unit with its own timing and beam configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The transmission configuration is made dynamic through network signaling that can adaptively adjust parameters such as the number of repetitions, slot allocations, and beam configurations based on current channel conditions. This dynamic approach allows the system to optimize reliability while adapting to varying complexity requirements in different operational scenarios.
2Reliability
If multiple repetitions of PUCCH are transmitted with constant time intervals, then the decoding reliability is improved, but the transmission time duration increases
Solution Approach 1:
PUCCH repetitions are transmitted with constant periodic time intervals, creating a structured repetition pattern that facilitates receiver accumulation and decoding. This periodic approach improves decoding reliability by providing regular, predictable transmission opportunities while the interval duration can be optimized to balance reliability gains against time consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The system allows flexible adjustment of the time interval parameter between repetitions, enabling optimization of the balance between decoding reliability and transmission time duration. By changing this parameter based on channel conditions and traffic requirements, the system can achieve adequate reliability with minimal time overhead.
3Reliability
If frequency hopping is configured for PUCCH repetitions, then the reliability under varying channel conditions is improved, but the device complexity and signaling overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
Frequency hopping is applied selectively to different PUCCH repetitions, allowing each repetition to experience different frequency conditions. This local variation in frequency domain quality helps overcome channel fading and interference at specific frequencies, improving overall reliability while the hopping pattern can be configured with appropriate complexity based on channel conditions.
4Reliability
If beam configurations are optimized for each PUCCH repetition, then the transmission reliability is improved, but the signaling overhead and configuration complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Beam configurations for PUCCH repetitions are determined and signaled in advance through network configuration messages. This preliminary action allows the UE to prepare appropriate beam settings before transmission, improving reliability through optimized beam selection while reducing real-time signaling overhead by establishing configurations beforehand.
Data Source
AI summary
A user equipment (UE) may increase the reliability of transmission of a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) by transmitting repeated copies of the PUCCH, according to a repetition pattern spanning one or more slots. In an intra-slot mode, more than one copy may be transmitted within each configured slot, with or without frequency hopping. The number of copies as well as a temporal gap between the transmission of successive copies may be configured by the network. The repetition pattern may or may not be interrupted by slot boundaries. In an inter-slot mode, one copy is transmitted per configured slot. Different copies may be transmitted in different directions, according to a spatial consistency pattern. The UE may perform repeated transmission of PUCCHs to different Transmission-Reception Points (TRPs) using respectively different timing advances and/or transmit power levels.