PUCCH RS Placement for 5G Uplink Coverage and Latency

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Solution Overview

Problem

In 5G New Radio communication systems, the larger path loss due to higher frequencies deteriorates cell coverage, particularly for uplink control information transmission at cell edges, where existing PUCCH designs fail to achieve desired performance.

Innovation Solution

The method involves placing reference symbols (RS) at the beginning and end of the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) with long duration, using Space-Time Block Coding (STBC) and frequency hopping, and distributing RS symbols within the PUCCH to facilitate improved demodulation and diversity gains, while allowing for flexible slot structures and frequency band usage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Area of stationary object

If PUCCH with long duration is used to improve cell coverage at higher frequencies, then coverage is improved, but latency increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecell coverageVSAvoidlatency

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The PUCCH with long duration is divided into multiple slots, each containing UCI symbols and RS symbols. This segmentation allows the transmission to be structured in manageable units that can be processed and decoded more efficiently, reducing overall latency while maintaining extended coverage through the aggregated transmission across multiple slots.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Reference symbols (RS) are placed at predetermined positions within each slot before the actual UCI data transmission. This preliminary placement of RS symbols enables earlier channel estimation and demodulation preparation, reducing the processing time required after reception and thereby lowering latency while maintaining the extended coverage benefit.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Area of stationary object

If PUCCH with long duration is used to improve cell coverage, then coverage is improved, but demodulation performance deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecell coverageVSAvoiddemodulation performance

Core Design Contradiction:

Area of stationary objectVSMeasurement precision

Solution Approach 1:

Reference symbols are strategically placed at specific positions within each slot (at the beginning and at predetermined intervals). This local concentration of RS symbols ensures that channel estimation is performed at multiple critical points throughout the long-duration transmission, maintaining high demodulation performance across the entire extended PUCCH duration by capturing channel variations locally.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The structured placement of RS symbols within each slot enables continuous channel estimation feedback throughout the long-duration PUCCH transmission. This feedback mechanism allows the receiver to track and compensate for channel variations over the extended time period, maintaining demodulation performance despite the increased coverage area.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Measurement precision

If reference symbols are distributed within PUCCH to improve demodulation, then demodulation performance is improved, but signal robustness deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedemodulation performanceVSAvoidsignal robustness

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Multiple slots are combined to form a complete PUCCH with long duration, with each slot containing both UCI symbols and RS symbols. This merging of multiple transmission units provides redundancy and diversity, improving signal robustness while the RS symbols within each slot maintain demodulation performance through local channel estimation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentUS11432271B2Information transmission method and apparatus and storage medium

Publication Date: 2022.08.30 GUANGDONG OPPO MOBILE TELECOMMUNICATIONS CORP LTD

AI summary

Disclosed is an information transmission method. In the method, an RS symbol is placed at beginning of a PUCCH, UCI symbols are placed after the RS symbol in the PUCCH, and the PUCCH is transmitted. Also disclosed is an information transmission apparatus and computer readable storage medium.