SRS Comb Offset Hopping for Uniform RE Sounding Across TRPs

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Solution Overview

Problem

In wireless communication systems, particularly 5G NR, there is a need for improved interference management during sounding reference signal (SRS) transmissions to multiple cells or transmit receive points (TRPs), which can cause inter-cluster interference.

Innovation Solution

Implementing comb offset hopping as an interference randomization mechanism that maintains staggered SRS comb patterns with uniformly spaced comb offsets, allowing for uniform sounding of a larger number of REs.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Object-affected harmful factors

If comb offset hopping is implemented for SRS transmissions, then interference randomization is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinter-cluster interferenceVSAvoidSRS configuration complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic comb offset hopping where the comb offset is varied across different SRS transmission occasions according to a predefined hopping pattern. This dynamic adjustment randomizes the frequency comb offsets over time, effectively distributing interference from multiple cells across different frequency resources and reducing inter-cluster interference while maintaining manageable configuration complexity through standardized hopping patterns.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

2Adaptability or versatility

If SRS transmissions are made to multiple cells or TRPs, then coverage and connectivity are improved, but inter-cluster interference increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemulti-cell connectivityVSAvoidinter-cluster interference

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the frequency resources by assigning different comb offsets to different SRS transmission occasions. This segmentation divides the frequency spectrum into distinct comb patterns that are activated sequentially, allowing SRS transmissions to multiple cells or TRPs to be separated in the frequency domain across different time occasions, thereby reducing interference between clusters while maintaining multi-cell connectivity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs periodic comb offset hopping where the comb offset changes in a periodic manner across SRS transmission occasions according to a configured hopping pattern. This periodic variation ensures that interference from multiple cells is distributed periodically across different frequency resources, allowing the system to maintain connections to multiple cells while reducing through-periodic interference through frequency diversity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #19Periodic action

Data Source

PatentUS12506511B2Comb offset hopping for SRS

Publication Date: 2025.12.23 QUALCOMM INC

AI summary

A UE may be configured with at least one SRS hopping configuration associated with an SRS hopping pattern, and the UE may obtain the SRS hopping pattern based on the at least one SRS hopping configuration and at least one hopping offset. Here, the SRS hopping pattern may include one or more subsets of hopping patterns and each subset of hopping patterns including a subset of consecutive SRS transmission occasions may be associated with a hopping offset. The UE may transmit a set of SRS across a plurality of SRS transmission occasions based on the SRS hopping pattern.