PUCCH Resource Allocation for Large HARQ-ACK Payloads
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current wireless communication systems face challenges in determining the optimal resource and power allocation for uplink control channel transmissions in carrier aggregation operations, particularly for large HARQ-ACK payloads, which affects detection reliability and network efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves mechanisms for base stations to indicate and user equipment (UE) to determine resources and power for PUCCH format transmissions, using TPC command fields in DCI formats to adjust transmission power and resource allocation based on the number of DCI formats transmitted, and employing TBCC encoding to improve detection reliability by utilizing known values in the HARQ-ACK codeword.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If carrier aggregation operation is used to increase network capacity, then data rates are improved, but resource and power allocation complexity for uplink control channel increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the resource allocation process by defining specific PUCCH resource sets and associating them with different DCI format counts. Each resource set contains pre-configured resource indices that can be selected based on the number of DCI formats, thereby simplifying the allocation complexity while maintaining carrier aggregation capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs preliminary action by pre-configuring multiple PUCCH resource sets with different resource indices before transmission. The UE and base station prepare these resource sets in advance, and the selection is made based on the actual number of DCI formats transmitted, avoiding real-time complex allocation decisions.
2Adaptability or versatility
If TPC command fields are used to adjust transmission power, then power allocation flexibility is improved, but the probability of obtaining TPC commands decreases when multiple DCI formats are transmitted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the TPC command indication into different fields based on the DCI format type. For DCI formats 0 and 0/4, a specific TPC command field is used, while for other DCI formats, a different field (such as the frequency hopping flag or resource allocation field) is repurposed to indicate TPC commands. This segmentation ensures that TPC commands can be reliably extracted regardless of the number or type of DCI formats transmitted.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary mechanism where the base station explicitly indicates which field contains the TPC command information. This indication acts as a mediator that resolves the ambiguity of which field to interpret as TPC command when multiple DCI formats are present, thereby improving the reliability of TPC command extraction.
3Reliability
If resource allocation is optimized for large HARQ-ACK payloads, then detection reliability is improved, but resource allocation complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of PUCCH resource selection by associating different resource indices with different DCI format counts and HARQ-ACK payload sizes. The resource selection is adjusted based on the number of DCI formats transmitted and the size of the HARQ-ACK payload, allowing optimization for large payloads without requiring complex real-time allocation decisions.
4Adaptability or versatility
If multiple PUCCH resource sets are configured to handle different DCI format counts, then adaptability is improved, but configuration complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements universality by designing a multi-functional PUCCH resource configuration system. The same set of PUCCH resource sets serves multiple purposes: they are used for different DCI format counts, different HARQ-ACK payload sizes, and different carrier aggregation configurations. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate configurations for each scenario, thereby reducing overall configuration complexity.
Data Source
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AI summary
User equipment, UE, in a communication system, the UE comprising: a transceiver, and a controller coupled with the transceiver and configured to: receive a number of physical downlink control channels, PDCCHs, that include downlink control information, DCI, formats scheduling receptions of physical downlink shared channels, PDSCHs, that include transport blocks, TBs, and transmit a physical uplink control channel PUCCH, that includes a number of hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement, HARQ-ACK, information bits in response to the receptions of the TBs in the PDSCHs, wherein a resource for the PUCCH transmission is determined from a field in a DCI format in a last PDCCH reception. Corresponding base station and methods.