Relay Configuration for Wireless Uplink Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless communication systems face challenges in reliable uplink data transmission due to adverse channel conditions, distance, and interference, where base stations may struggle to receive data packets from user equipment (UEs) effectively, leading to inefficiencies in spectral usage and coverage.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a relay configuration that semi-persistently schedules uplink transmission opportunities and corresponding hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback opportunities, allowing for dynamic activation and deactivation based on acknowledgement (ACK) or negative acknowledgement (NACK) signals, with relay UEs retransmitting data packets to improve reception reliability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If base stations directly receive data packets from UEs, then transmission simplicity is maintained, but reception reliability deteriorates under adverse channel conditions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces relay UEs as intermediary nodes between source UEs and base stations. These relay UEs receive data packets from source UEs and forward them to base stations, improving reception reliability when direct transmission fails. The relay configuration includes multiple relay UEs that can sequentially or simultaneously transmit the same packet, providing redundant transmission paths through adverse channel conditions.
2Area of stationary object
If relay UEs are introduced to improve coverage, then coverage area is extended, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Relay UEs serve as intermediary nodes that extend the coverage area of the network. When a source UE cannot directly communicate with a base station, the data packet is forwarded through one or more relay UEs that have better channel conditions, thereby extending the effective coverage area of the base station to remote or blocked locations.
Solution Approach 2:
The relay configuration is dynamically activated and deactivated based on channel conditions and transmission needs. The base station configures relay parameters including the number of relay UEs, transmission opportunities, and time-frequency resources. This dynamic adaptation allows the network to extend coverage only when and where needed, rather than maintaining complex relay infrastructure everywhere.
3Productivity
If semi-persistent scheduling is used for relay transmissions, then spectral efficiency is improved, but resource flexibility decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs semi-persistent scheduling where relay transmission opportunities are periodically allocated based on the periodicity of the relay configuration. This periodic allocation improves spectral efficiency by reducing control signaling overhead compared to dynamic scheduling, while still allowing the base station to reactivate or modify the configuration when channel conditions change or new transmission needs arise.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described. A wireless device may configure a relay configuration for a set of user equipments (UEs). The relay configuration may include a set of first direction transmission opportunities and corresponding second direction transmission opportunities. The relay configuration may be activated or deactivated, such as on a packet-by-packet basis. When the relay configuration is activated, a first UE and one or more second UEs may sequentially transmit a packet using the first direction transmission opportunities so as to be receivable by the wireless device and each other. The relay process may continue, for example, until the wireless device successfully receives the packet. The wireless device may monitor the first direction transmission opportunities and transmit positive or negative acknowledgments during the second direction transmission opportunities to indicate whether it has successfully received the packet.