SRS Transmission Timing Offset Scheduling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Current wireless communication systems face interference and inefficiencies in sharing communication spectrum among network operating entities, leading to increased signaling overhead and communication latency due to the need for medium-sensing procedures in unlicensed shared spectrum access.

Innovation Solution

The proposed method involves a UE dynamically determining SRS transmission times using a standard offset and additional timing offsets, allowing for multiple transmission opportunities and flexible scheduling of SRS transmissions, thereby reducing the need for medium-sensing procedures and enhancing communication efficiency in shared spectrum access.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If medium-sensing procedures are performed in unlicensed shared spectrum access, then interference between network operating entities is managed, but signaling overhead and communication latency increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinterference managementVSAvoidcommunication latency

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs medium-sensing procedures in advance before SRS transmission is needed. The UE checks if the channel is available beforehand and caches this information, so that when SRS transmission is triggered, the UE can immediately transmit without performing real-time sensing, thus reducing communication latency while still ensuring interference management

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If medium-sensing procedures are performed in unlicensed shared spectrum access, then interference between network operating entities is managed, but signaling overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveinterference managementVSAvoidsignaling overhead

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The medium-sensing procedure is executed in advance and the result is cached. This preliminary action eliminates the need for repeated sensing requests and responses between UE and base station during actual SRS transmission, thereby reducing signaling overhead while maintaining interference management capability

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The UE autonomously performs medium-sensing procedures and makes its own decision about channel availability without requiring continuous network coordination. This self-service approach reduces the signaling overhead that would otherwise be required for network-controlled sensing coordination

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

3Device complexity

If SRS transmission timing is fixed with standard offset, then scheduling is simple, but transmission opportunities are limited and efficiency is reduced

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvescheduling complexityVSAvoidSRS transmission efficiency

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces dynamic timing adjustments by allowing the base station to provide additional timing offsets that can modify the standard SRS transmission timing. This enables the system to adapt SRS transmission opportunities based on current channel conditions and network state, improving transmission efficiency without requiring complex scheduling algorithms at the UE side

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The system changes the timing parameter dynamically by combining a fixed standard offset with variable additional offsets provided by the base station. This allows flexible adjustment of SRS transmission timing to optimize for current network conditions while maintaining the simplicity of offset-based scheduling

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

4Productivity

If additional timing offsets are provided dynamically, then transmission opportunities increase and efficiency improves, but signaling overhead increases

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveSRS transmission efficiencyVSAvoidsignaling overhead

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The additional timing offsets are provided as dynamic parameters that adjust the standard SRS timing. These offsets enable multiple transmission opportunities by allowing the base station to indicate alternative timing options based on current channel conditions, thereby improving SRS transmission efficiency without requiring complete rescheduling information

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentUS11533201B2Enhanced transmission opportunities for sounding reference signals

Publication Date: 2022.12.20 QUALCOMM INC

AI summary

Enhanced transmission opportunities are disclosed for sounding reference signals (SRS). The enhancements may provide more flexibility in scheduling SRS transmission and more SRS transmission opportunities. An additional offset may be defined and dynamically communicated to a user equipment (UE) to use either to override or in additional to a semi-statically communicated standard offset when scheduling the SRS transmission opportunity based on an SRS trigger slot or another granted slot. The UE may further treat each combination of timing information as a separate SRS opportunity or may define a window between two signaled timing offsets within which the UE may attempt SRS transmissions.