Resource Occupancy Indicators for Heterogeneous Network Interference

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing communication systems face challenges in managing resource occupancy schemes in legacy and enhanced control resource areas, leading to unnecessary power consumption and interference due to limited capacity and interference issues in heterogeneous networks.

Innovation Solution

A method where a base station determines and communicates the resource occupancy scheme to User Equipment (UE) through specific periodicity indicators, allowing the UE to differentiate between legacy and enhanced control resource areas, thereby optimizing control information transmission and avoiding interference.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If ABS subframes are configured for interference avoidance in heterogeneous networks, then interference between macro base station and low-power base station is reduced, but control information transmission capacity is limited and system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveinterferenceVSAvoidsystem complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments control resource areas into legacy control resource areas and enhanced control resource areas. The legacy control resource area follows traditional ABS subframe patterns for interference avoidance, while the enhanced control resource area provides additional control information transmission capacity. This segmentation resolves the contradiction by maintaining interference avoidance benefits while adding capacity through the enhanced area.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces a new dimension for control resource allocation by defining enhanced control resource areas that operate alongside legacy control resource areas. This dimensional expansion allows the system to maintain ABS-based interference coordination in the legacy domain while utilizing the enhanced domain for additional control information transmission, thereby increasing overall capacity without compromising interference management.

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

2Object-affected harmful factors

If ABS subframes are used for interference coordination, then downlink interference is reduced, but unnecessary power consumption occurs due to limited awareness of resource occupancy scheme

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedownlink interferenceVSAvoidpower consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
Object-affected harmful factorsVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the base station sends resource occupancy scheme indicators to the UE, informing it about the occupancy status of legacy and enhanced control resource areas in different subframes. This feedback enables the UE to adjust its reception behavior accordingly, avoiding unnecessary power consumption while maintaining interference coordination benefits through ABS subframes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Solution Approach 2:

The UE autonomously determines its reception behavior based on the received resource occupancy scheme indicators. Instead of continuously monitoring all subframes, the UE can enter sleep mode or reduce monitoring activity in subframes where control information is not transmitted, thereby reducing power consumption while still receiving necessary control information in appropriate subframes.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

3Productivity

If control information is transmitted in both legacy and enhanced control resource areas, then control information transmission capacity is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontrol information transmission capacityVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by allowing control information to be transmitted selectively in different areas based on specific needs. The legacy control resource area maintains traditional transmission patterns for compatibility, while the enhanced control resource area provides additional transmission capacity where needed. This localized approach improves overall capacity without requiring complex processing throughout the entire system.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The enhanced control resource area serves multiple functions: it provides additional control information transmission capacity, maintains compatibility with legacy systems through the legacy control resource area, and enables flexible resource allocation. This multi-functionality improves transmission capacity while managing device complexity by reusing existing legacy infrastructure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

4Measurement precision

If resource occupancy scheme indicators are transmitted with specific periodicity, then UE can accurately detect control information, but signaling overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedetection accuracyVSAvoidsignaling overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs periodic transmission of resource occupancy scheme indicators at configured intervals rather than in every subframe. This periodic action maintains detection accuracy by providing updates at appropriate frequencies while significantly reducing signaling overhead compared to continuous transmission. The periodicity can be adjusted based on system conditions and UE requirements.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #19Periodic action

Solution Approach 2:

The system dynamically adjusts the periodicity parameter of resource occupancy scheme indicator transmission based on current network conditions, UE mobility state, and service requirements. This parameter change allows the system to optimize between detection accuracy and signaling overhead, using higher periodicity when accuracy is critical and lower periodicity when overhead reduction is prioritized.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP2717639B1Indication and processing method and device for resource occupancy mode
Publication Date: 2018.04.11 CHINA ACAD OF TELECOMM TECH
  • EP2717639B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2717639B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP2717639B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

There is disclosed a method of indicating a resource occupancy scheme and processing a resource occupancy scheme indicator so as to enable a UE to be aware a resource occupancy scheme of the network side and avoid an unnecessary power waste and unnecessary interference, and in the method, a base station generates a corresponding resource indicator for a resource occupancy scheme of a legacy control resource area and an enhanced control resource area in each downlink subframe to be transmitted in a specific periodicity and sends the resource indicator to a UE in a resource indication message, and the UE determines from the obtained resource indicator the resource occupancy scheme of the legacy control resource area and the enhanced control resource area in each downlink subframe to be transmitted in the specific periodicity and performs a corresponding resource handling mode, so that the UE can blindly detect in PDCCH common and user spaces or receive control information carried on PHICH resource at an accurate position to thereby avoid an unnecessary power waste of and unnecessary interference to the UE due to blind detection or reception and improve effectively the performance of a system.