SUDAS URU Relays for Outdoor-to-Indoor MIMO Throughput
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional MIMO systems for outdoor-to-indoor communication face keyhole effects and penetration losses, limiting data rates due to limited antenna capacity in user equipment and ineffective direct communication links.
Innovation Solution
A Shared User Equipment (SUDAS) system with UE-side radio units (URUs) relays signals between base stations and user equipment using amplify-and-forward relays, shifting licensed band signals to unlicensed mm-Wave band for indoor communication, employing frequency repetition and FDMA, with resource allocation determined by a controller to enhance throughput.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional MIMO systems are used for outdoor-to-indoor communication, then multiple spatial streams are available to increase throughput, but keyhole effect and penetration losses reduce achievable data rates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces UE-side relays as intermediary devices that receive signals from the base station in the outdoor environment and forward them to indoor UEs. These relays act as mediators that bypass the direct penetration path through walls, allowing MIMO spatial multiplexing to occur over the reliable outdoor link while delivering signals to indoor locations where direct penetration is problematic.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent shifts the MIMO operation from the traditional direct base station to UE path to a new dimension involving relay nodes. By placing relays in the outdoor environment and having them forward signals to indoor UEs, the system creates a multi-hop transmission path that separates the MIMO spatial processing from the penetration-challenged direct link, effectively adding a spatial dimension to the communication architecture.
2Reliability
If multiple antennas are added to UE to take advantage of spatial diversity, then penetration losses are mitigated, but size constraints of UE limit the number of antennas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces UE-side relays as intermediary devices that receive signals from the base station in the outdoor environment and forward them to indoor UEs. These relays act as mediators that bypass the direct penetration path through walls, allowing MIMO spatial multiplexing to occur over the reliable outdoor link while delivering signals to indoor locations where direct penetration is problematic.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the communication function between base station, outdoor relays, and indoor UEs. The relays are separated from the indoor UE environment and placed outdoors where they can access multiple antennas without size constraints, while the indoor UE maintains a compact form factor with fewer antennas. This segmentation allows spatial diversity to be achieved without increasing indoor UE volume.
3Productivity
If joint processing is used between relays to improve resource allocation, then system throughput is improved, but high-speed interconnects between relays increase cost and reduce deployment flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a centralized controller as an intermediary that performs joint resource allocation for multiple relays without requiring high-speed interconnects between the relays themselves. The controller collects channel state information from all relays and makes centralized resource allocation decisions, achieving system-wide optimization while keeping relay devices simple and independently deployable.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements feedback mechanisms where relays report channel state information to a centralized controller, which then makes resource allocation decisions. This feedback-based centralized control allows the system to achieve joint processing benefits without requiring complex real-time interconnects between relays, as the controller has global knowledge of system conditions and can make optimal allocation decisions based on reported feedback.
Data Source
AI summary
A SUDAS has at least one URU, wherein the at least one URU is configured for relaying a signal between at least one base station and at least one user equipment by communicating with the at least one user equipment in a first frequency range and with at least one base station in a second frequency range. The SUDAS has a controller configured for determining a first solution for a resource allocation in the first frequency range. The base station is configured for determining a second solution for a resource allocation in the first frequency range using the first solution.