Telecommunications Subframe Idle Symbol Reuse for Half-Duplex Efficiency
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Solution Overview
Problem
Half-duplex operation in telecommunications systems results in wasted transmission resources due to propagation delays and switching times, leading to idle symbols that reduce the available data transmission rate and increase complexity in scheduling.
Innovation Solution
The introduction of an additional physical channel that utilizes otherwise idle symbols at the beginning or end of radio subframes, allowing for efficient reuse of these resources to support communications, particularly for machine-type communication devices and devices in a dormant state, thereby increasing the effective downlink bandwidth.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of time
If half-duplex operation is used to support terminal devices, then switching time and propagation delay are reduced, but transmission resources are wasted due to idle symbols
Solution Approach 1:
The patent converts the harmful idle symbols caused by half-duplex operation into beneficial transmission resources by introducing an additional physical channel that utilizes these otherwise wasted time-frequency resources to carry control information or data for specific terminal devices
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the usage parameter of idle symbols from 'unused' to 'active transmission' by allocating them to support an additional physical channel, thereby transforming the system's resource utilization efficiency without changing the fundamental half-duplex operation mode
2Adaptability or versatility
If idle symbols are introduced to accommodate propagation delay and switching time, then half-duplex operation is enabled, but data transmission rate is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the idle symbols multi-functional by using them to support an additional physical channel that can carry control information, data for machine-type communication devices, or other specialized traffic, thereby enabling half-duplex operation while maintaining overall system productivity
3Ease of operation
If additional control channels are added to support half-duplex devices, then scheduling flexibility is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the transmission resources by creating an additional physical channel that operates independently from the main data channel, allowing separate scheduling and control mechanisms for different terminal device types without complicating the overall system architecture
Data Source
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AI summary
A telecommunications system comprising a plurality of base stations and a plurality of terminal devices is arranged to communicate over a radio interface having a radio frame structure comprising radio subframes, wherein each radio subframe comprises a plurality of symbols. At least one symbol in each radio subframe is used to support a physical shared channel and at least one symbol in each radio subframe is used to support a physical control channel associated with the physical shared channel. A symbol at the end of each radio subframe is used to support the physical shared channel for communication links between a base station and a terminal device operating in a full-duplex mode, but the corresponding symbol is used to support a separate physical channel, for example an additional low-rate channel, for communication links operating in a half-duplex mode. Thus, transmission resources that would normally be idle in a half-duplex system as compared to a full-duplex system can in effect be re-used for another channel.