Semi-Orthogonal Multiple Access Sub-QAM Constellation Segmentation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current radio frequency communications systems face challenges in efficiently managing interference and decoding complexity, especially in low signal-to-noise ratio environments, and require complex control signaling across multiple user equipment (UEs) in advanced multiple access techniques like NOMA.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of semi-orthogonal multiple access (SOMA) through power and modulation domain multiple access (PMDMA), which uses joint QAM constellation mapping and power offsets to simplify decoding and control signaling, allowing UEs with high-quality channels to decode signals without interference from low-quality channels, thereby reducing processing complexity and overhead.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If NOMA combines power optimization and superposition coding to increase information transmission, then communication capacity is improved, but decoding complexity and control signaling overhead increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication capacityVSAvoiddecoding complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the QAM constellation into multiple sub-constellations, each assigned to different UEs. This segmentation allows each UE to decode only its assigned sub-constellation, significantly reducing decoding complexity while maintaining the superposition coding structure for increased communication capacity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different sub-constellations are assigned different configurable weights locally, allowing each UE to have optimized signal characteristics tailored to its channel conditions. This local quality differentiation enables simpler decoding for each UE while maintaining overall system capacity

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Productivity

If NOMA uses power optimization per UE to improve data rates, then communication efficiency is improved, but control signaling complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata rateVSAvoidcontrol signaling
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses a universal control signaling format that serves multiple UEs simultaneously. The same signaling structure is used for all UEs regardless of their assigned sub-constellations, simplifying control signaling while maintaining per-UE power optimization through the configurable weights in the constellation design

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

3Productivity

If hierarchical modulation is used for rate adaptive scheduling to improve throughput, then communication efficiency is improved, but decoding requirements become more complex

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovethroughputVSAvoiddecoding requirements
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The hierarchical modulation structure is segmented into distinct sub-constellations that can be independently decoded. Each UE decodes only its assigned sub-constellation, reducing the overall decoding complexity while maintaining the rate adaptive throughput benefits of hierarchical modulation

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP3178208B1System and method for semi-orthogonal multiple access
Publication Date: 2023.08.09 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP3178208B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3178208B1 patent drawingFigure 2a~2c
  • EP3178208B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

A method for operating a transmitting device using semi-orthogonal multiple access (SOMA) includes determining power allocations and sub-quadrature amplitude modulation (sub-QAM) allocations for a first receiving device and a second receiving device in accordance with channel information associated with the first receiving device and the second receiving device, and transmitting information about a first power allocation for the first receiving device, and a first sub-QAM allocation for the first receiving device to the first receiving device.