Scheduling Request Acknowledgement for Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communications

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current wireless communication systems face challenges in efficiently managing scheduling request acknowledgments, particularly in ultra-reliable low latency communications, where immediate responses are crucial to prevent unnecessary retransmissions and optimize network resource utilization.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of an active scheduling request scheme where user equipment (UE) receives an immediate acknowledgement message from the base station, allowing it to suppress retransmissions and utilize uplink grants without delay, thereby reducing network traffic and latency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of time

If immediate acknowledgement messages are implemented for scheduling requests, then latency is reduced and retransmissions are minimized, but device complexity and network overhead increase

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovelatencyVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of timeVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The base station pre-configures acknowledgement resources and scheduling request resources before actual communication occurs. This allows the UE to immediately transmit scheduling requests on pre-allocated resources and receive acknowledgements without needing to negotiate resources in real-time, reducing latency while maintaining manageable device complexity through advance planning

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

An explicit acknowledgement message is sent from the base station to the UE in response to the scheduling request. This feedback mechanism confirms receipt of the scheduling request and informs the UE whether to proceed with uplink transmission or to suppress retransmission, thereby reducing unnecessary retransmissions and latency

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If acknowledgement messages are transmitted for every scheduling request, then communication reliability is improved, but network traffic and resource overhead increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication reliabilityVSAvoidnetwork traffic
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

Acknowledgement messages are transmitted selectively rather than for every scheduling request. The base station sends acknowledgements only when necessary to confirm receipt and prevent retransmissions, while suppressing acknowledgements when the scheduling request can be inferred as received or when resources are constrained, thereby maintaining reliability while reducing network traffic overhead

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Productivity

If scheduling request retransmissions are suppressed based on acknowledgement, then network resource utilization is optimized, but the system requires more complex protocol handling

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvenetwork resource utilizationVSAvoidprotocol complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The UE autonomously decides whether to suppress retransmissions based on receiving an acknowledgement message. Once the UE receives the acknowledgement confirming the base station has received the scheduling request, it self-manages by suppressing further retransmissions without requiring continuous network control, thereby optimizing network resource utilization while keeping protocol handling manageable through decentralized decision-making

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentEP3639603B1Techniques and apparatuses for scheduling request acknowledgement
Publication Date: 2022.02.23 QUALCOMM INC
  • EP3639603B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3639603B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3639603B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

Certain aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication. In some aspects, a user equipment may transmit a scheduling request to a base station. In some aspects, the user equipment may monitor for an ultra-reliable low latency communications type of response message from the base station based at least in part on transmitting the scheduling request to the base station, wherein the response message includes an indicator of an assignment of uplink resources for the user equipment or that the assignment of uplink resources is delayed, and wherein, based at least in part on the monitoring, the user equipment avoids retransmission of the scheduling request when the response message is detected or retransmits the scheduling request without delay when the response message is not detected. Numerous other aspects are provided.