Physical Resource Block Assignment for Downlink Reference Signals
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current communication networks face challenges in achieving good performance and capacity, particularly at high frequencies, due to inter-cell interference (ICI) caused by assigning the same radio resources to downlink reference signals across different cells, which affects beam management and measurement precision.
Innovation Solution
A method for assigning physical resource blocks to base stations in a cell deployment, where reports from terminal devices are used to determine whether to group physical resource blocks into four sets or less, ensuring that no two adjacent cells share the same set for downlink reference signals transmission, thereby avoiding ICI and optimizing beam management.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the same radio resources are assigned to downlink reference signals at different cells, then resource utilization is improved, but inter-cell interference is induced affecting measurement precision
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the physical resource blocks into multiple sets (e.g., four sets) and assigns different sets to different base stations in a cell deployment. This segmentation allows reference signals from different cells to be transmitted on different resource blocks, eliminating inter-cell interference while maintaining efficient resource utilization across the network.
2Measurement precision
If different radio resources are assigned to downlink reference signals at different cells, then inter-cell interference is avoided, but resource utilization efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic resource block assignment where the network node determines the number of sets based on terminal device reports and cell deployment characteristics. The system can adaptively adjust the number of sets (e.g., switching between 3 or 4 sets) to balance interference avoidance and resource utilization efficiency according to actual network conditions.
3Measurement precision
If four sets of physical resource blocks are used, then inter-cell interference is completely avoided, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the parameter of the number of sets from a fixed value to a dynamically determined value based on terminal device reports and network conditions. The network node can determine to use either three or four sets depending on the specific deployment scenario, optimizing the balance between interference avoidance and system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided mechanisms for assigning physical resource blocks to base stations in a cell deployment for transmission of downlink reference signals. A method is performed by a network node. The method comprises obtaining reports from terminal devices in the cell deployment, each report indicating location-wise signal strength measurements of base stations for one of the terminal devices. The method comprises determining, based on the obtained reports, whether to group the physical resource blocks in four sets of physical resource blocks or to group the physical resource blocks in less than four sets of physical resource blocks. The method comprises assigning the determined four or less sets of physical resource blocks to the base stations such that no two adjacent cells in the cell deployment are assigned to the same set of physical resource blocks. The method comprises initiating transmission of the downlink reference signals from the base stations in the assigned physical resource blocks.