Slot Format Indicator Indices for Wireless Control Overhead Reduction
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current wireless telecommunication networks face inefficiencies in transmitting slot format information (SFI) from a radio access network (RAN) node to user equipment (UE), particularly in scenarios involving multiple component carriers or bandwidth parts, leading to increased overhead and complexity in resource allocation and communication.
Innovation Solution
The RAN node employs UE-specific higher layer signaling to provide SFI indices or monitoring configurations, allowing UEs to determine slot formats based on received indices, reducing the need for comprehensive format information and enabling efficient communication across multiple carriers or bandwidth parts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If comprehensive slot format information is transmitted to all UEs, then all UEs can accurately determine slot formats, but overhead and complexity increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the control information delivery by introducing UE-specific higher layer signaling alongside group-common PDCCH signaling. Different UEs receive different SFI indices through UE-specific configurations, allowing precise slot format determination for each UE without transmitting complete slot format information to all UEs, thereby reducing overall overhead while maintaining accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by configuring UEs with SFI indices and monitoring configurations through higher layer signaling before actual slot format determination. This pre-configuration enables UEs to efficiently determine slot formats using pre-assigned indices rather than receiving complete format information dynamically, reducing real-time overhead.
2Reliability
If detailed slot format information is provided for multiple component carriers, then communication accuracy improves, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the slot format information management by assigning different SFI indices to different component carriers through UE-specific higher layer signaling. Each UE receives customized SFI configurations for specific carriers it monitors, enabling accurate communication on multiple carriers without requiring the system to manage and transmit comprehensive slot format information for all carriers to all UEs, thus reducing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by providing customized SFI indices and monitoring configurations to each UE based on its specific requirements and the particular component carriers it needs to monitor. Instead of uniform detailed information distribution, each UE receives locally optimized slot format information appropriate to its configuration, maintaining communication accuracy while reducing overall system complexity.
3Measurement precision
If complete downlink control information is transmitted via PDCCH, then UEs can determine slot formats accurately, but transmission overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the essential slot format identification elements (SFI indices) from the complete slot format information and transmits only these compact indices via PDCCH and higher layer signaling. UEs use these extracted indices to determine slot formats without receiving the complete format descriptions, significantly reducing downlink control information volume while preserving determination accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses SFI indices as simplified copies or references to the complete slot format information. Instead of transmitting the full slot format details, the system transmits compact index values that UEs can map to predefined slot formats through pre-configured tables or procedures, reducing control information transmission while maintaining accurate slot format determination.
Data Source
AI summary
A user equipment (UE) may include one or more processors that are configured to cause UE capability information to be communicated to a radio access network (RAN) node, regarding a maximum number of blind decode attempts (BDAs) supported by the UE. The one or more processors are configured to determine, based on the maximum BDAs, shortened channel control elements (sCCEs) to be used, by the RAN node, to transmit shortened downlink control information (sDCI) via a shortened physical downlink control channel (sPDCCH) and obtain sDCI by monitoring the sPDCCH in accordance with the determined sCCEs.