Symbol Phase Alignment for Flexible Inter-Symbol Guard Periods

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing communication systems face challenges in flexibly configuring inter-symbol guard periods due to phase discontinuity when non-zero frequency transmission is used, leading to invalidation of flexible-length guard periods, especially in scenarios with varying channel conditions and multiplexing requirements.

Innovation Solution

Perform phase adjustment on transmit symbols to ensure that symbol components at specific reference points are continuous, allowing for flexible configuration of inter-symbol guard periods even in non-zero frequency scenarios, thereby maintaining effective channel multipath resistance and enabling multiplexing among users with different channel conditions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If phase adjustment is not performed on transmit symbols, then the configuration process is simple, but phase discontinuity occurs in non-zero frequency transmission scenarios, invalidating flexible-length guard periods

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevalidity of flexible-length guard periodVSAvoidsignal processing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by performing phase adjustment on transmit symbols before transmission. Specifically, the transmitter applies a phase rotation factor to each symbol based on its frequency position and time index, ensuring phase continuity is established in advance. This preliminary phase correction prevents phase discontinuity from occurring during transmission, thereby validating flexible-length guard periods in non-zero frequency scenarios without requiring complex post-processing at the receiver.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Adaptability or versatility

If flexible-length guard periods are configured for different users, then multiplexing capability is improved, but system complexity increases due to different channel conditions

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemultiplexing capabilityVSAvoidconfiguration complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by allowing different users to have different guard period lengths tailored to their specific channel conditions. The system configures a first guard period length for a first user based on their channel characteristics and a second guard period length for a second user based on their channel characteristics. This localized customization enables each user to achieve optimal performance for their specific environment while maintaining overall system multiplexing capability through the phase adjustment mechanism.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentEP4030713B1Symbol processing method and apparatus
Publication Date: 2026.01.28 HUAWEI TECH CO LTD
  • EP4030713B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4030713B1 patent drawingFigure 3~4
  • EP4030713B1 patent drawingFigure 5~6

AI summary

This application provides a symbol processing method and apparatus. The method includes: obtaining, based on a plurality of complex-valued symbols, a first set corresponding to a first transmit symbol and a second set corresponding to a second transmit symbol; performing a copy operation on the first set and the second set, so that both the first set and the second set have a first complex-valued symbol; performing signal processing on the first set and the second set, so that a start position and an end position of a first subset respectively correspond to positions before and after a first reference point of the first transmit symbol and that a start position and an end position of a second subset respectively correspond to positions before and after a second reference point of the second transmit symbol; and performing phase adjustment on the first transmit symbol and/or the second transmit symbol after the signal processing, to ensure that a symbol component whose end position is the first reference point in the first transmit symbol is the same as a symbol component whose end position is the second reference point in the second transmit symbol. This application can ensure that an inter-symbol guard period is flexibly configured.