Multi-Stage Preamble Detection for Random Access Latency Reduction

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current wireless communication systems, such as LTE, face high latency and inefficiency in transitioning User Equipment (UE) from a standby or idle mode to an active mode due to the multi-stage preamble sequence design, which results in prolonged connection establishment times, exceeding 50 milliseconds, and is not suitable for applications requiring faster transitions.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a multi-stage preamble detection method, where UEs transmit a first sequence associated with a group and a second sequence associated with the UE, reducing the search space and detection complexity, allowing for a 2-step contention-free random access procedure, enabling faster transitions from inactive or connected inactive modes to active modes.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If a multi-stage preamble sequence design is used for connection establishment, then the system can support multiple UE groups and reduce collision probability, but the connection establishment time increases to over 50 milliseconds

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveconnection establishment reliabilityVSAvoidconnection establishment time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the preamble detection process into two stages: first detecting a first preamble to identify UE group membership, then detecting a second preamble to identify the specific UE within the group. This segmentation allows the system to reduce collision probability by dividing the search space while maintaining faster connection establishment compared to traditional single-stage approaches.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a hierarchical dimension to preamble detection by using different preamble types at different levels: a first preamble for group-level identification and a second preamble for UE-level identification. This dimensional approach to search space reduction enables both reliability and reduced latency by organizing the detection process in multiple hierarchical levels rather than a single flat stage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

2Device complexity

If traditional single-stage preamble detection is used, then the detection process is simple, but the search space is large and detection complexity increases with more UEs

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedetection process complexityVSAvoidUE detection difficulty
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSDifficulty of detecting and measuring

Solution Approach 1:

The patent divides the detection process into two sequential stages: first detecting a first preamble to determine UE group membership, then detecting a second preamble to identify the specific UE within the group. This segmentation reduces the search space at each stage and simplifies the overall detection process compared to a single-stage approach that would need to search through all possible UEs simultaneously.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary detection of the first preamble to establish UE group membership before proceeding to the second preamble detection for specific UE identification. This preliminary action filters out unnecessary search space and simplifies the subsequent detection process by narrowing down the search to only relevant UEs within the identified group.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

3Speed

If a 2-step contention-free random access procedure is implemented, then transition speed from idle mode increases, but the system requires more sophisticated preamble sequence management

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemode transition speedVSAvoidpreamble sequence management complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the random access procedure into two distinct steps: first transmitting a first preamble to indicate UE group membership, then transmitting a second preamble to indicate the specific UE within the group. This segmentation enables faster mode transition by reducing the number of random access attempts needed while managing complexity through structured preamble sequence assignment and detection protocols.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3530061B1Random access channel design, methods, and apparatus
Publication Date: 2020.09.16 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP3530061B1 patent drawingFigure 1A
  • EP3530061B1 patent drawingFigure 1B
  • EP3530061B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3

AI summary

In response to receiving a random access channel message from a User Equipment (UE), a network element in a communication network may initiate a random access procedure, for example. The random access channel message includes multiple sequences, such as a first sequence associated with a group of UEs that includes the UE and a second sequence associated with the UE, and may be in any one of multiple different message formats. The random access procedure could include respective search stages for each of the multiple sequences. Power control for random access message transmission is also implemented by the UE in some embodiments.