Reference Signal Tone Location Shift for Interference Avoidance

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional wireless communication systems lack a mechanism for user equipment (UE) to inform the base station about interfering or beneficial reference signal tones, leading to potential interference and suboptimal communication performance.

Innovation Solution

The system enables the UE to identify tones with specific impairment values and selectively transmit configuration information to the base station, allowing it to select appropriate reference signal tone patterns for communication, thereby avoiding interference and utilizing beneficial tones.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the base station uses conventional reference signal scheduling without UE feedback, then the system complexity is low, but interference from unknown tones cannot be avoided and communication performance deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication performanceVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the UE measures reference signal tones, identifies impairments (such as DC tones or interfering signals), and reports this information back to the base station. The base station then uses this feedback to adjust the reference signal tone pattern, avoiding identified interfering tones. This closed-loop feedback system resolves the contradiction by enabling interference avoidance through UE-reported tone impairment information.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If the base station schedules reference signals on all available tones, then the productivity is high, but interference from harmful tones increases and signal quality deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesignal qualityVSAvoidcommunication efficiency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by identifying specific problematic tones (local locations in the frequency spectrum) and adjusting the reference signal pattern only at those locations rather than changing the entire pattern. The base station receives impairment information from the UE and selectively avoids scheduling reference signals on identified harmful tones while maintaining scheduling on clean tones, thus preserving overall communication efficiency while improving signal quality at affected locations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

3Measurement precision

If the UE transmits detailed tone impairment information to the base station, then the measurement precision is high, but the loss of information overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetone identification accuracyVSAvoidsignaling overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the essential impairment information from the UE's measurements and transmits this extracted data to the base station, rather than transmitting complete measurement datasets. The UE identifies problematic tones and reports their locations and impairment types, which are the critical elements needed for scheduling decisions. This extraction approach maintains high measurement precision for tone identification while minimizing signaling overhead by transmitting only the necessary impairment indicators.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP3791510B1Reference signal tone location shift
Publication Date: 2024.10.16 QUALCOMM INC
  • EP3791510B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3791510B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3791510B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. A user equipment (UE) may identify a tone satisfying an impairment value. The UE may select configuration information for communicating with a base station based on the tone. The UE may selectively transmit a signal to the base station indicating the configuration information. The UE may receive a configuration signal from the base station indicating a reference signal tone pattern for communicating reference signals between the UE and the base station.