Terminal Uplink Transmission Skipping Empty MAC PDU

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Solution Overview

Problem

The radio communication system lacks a concrete procedure for efficient uplink transmission, which is not adequately addressed in existing technologies.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of specific methods and configurations in terminal and base station apparatuses to manage uplink transmission efficiently, including the use of Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), and Uplink Reference Signals (UL RS) to optimize data and control information transmission.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If semi-persistent scheduling is used for uplink transmission, then transmission efficiency is improved, but unnecessary transmissions consume additional energy and resources

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransmission efficiencyVSAvoidenergy consumption
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The terminal autonomously determines whether to perform uplink transmission based on its own data buffer status without requiring base station intervention or additional signaling. When no data is available, the terminal automatically skips the scheduled transmission, making the system self-regulating and eliminating wasteful transmissions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The invention dynamically changes the transmission parameter (whether to transmit or skip) based on the data availability condition. The transmission decision parameter is adjusted from a fixed scheduled transmission to a conditional transmission that changes based on the presence or absence of data in the buffer.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Reliability

If uplink transmission is performed frequently to ensure data delivery, then reliability is improved, but system resources are wasted when there is no data to transmit

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata delivery reliabilityVSAvoidsystem resource usage
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

The terminal independently monitors its own data buffer and makes transmission decisions without requiring base station commands or additional feedback mechanisms. This self-service approach ensures data is transmitted when available while automatically preventing resource waste when the buffer is empty.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

Instead of performing full scheduled transmissions every time, the invention applies partial action by skipping transmissions entirely when no data is present. This avoids the excessive resource consumption of full scheduled transmissions while maintaining adequate data delivery when needed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Speed

If pre-scheduled grants are used to reduce latency, then transmission speed is improved, but empty transmissions increase overhead signaling

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetransmission speedVSAvoidoverhead signaling
Core Design Contradiction:
SpeedVSLoss of information

Solution Approach 1:

The terminal autonomously decides whether to utilize pre-scheduled grants based on its data availability, eliminating the need for additional base station signaling to confirm or cancel grants. This self-service mechanism maintains the low-latency benefit of pre-scheduling while removing the overhead of grant management signaling.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The invention extracts the essential function of pre-scheduled grants (rapid transmission when needed) while removing the harmful aspect (empty transmissions and associated signaling overhead). By allowing terminals to skip empty transmissions autonomously, the solution keeps the speed advantage without the signaling burden.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP3490325B1Terminal device, base station device, communication method, and integrated circuit
Publication Date: 2022.03.23 SHARP KK
  • EP3490325B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3490325B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3490325B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

A terminal apparatus includes a receiver configured to receive a first uplink grant used to indicate activation of a semi-persistent scheduling, a higher layer processing unit configured to store the first uplink grant as a configured uplink grant, and a transmitter configured to transmit a medium access control (MAC) protocol data unit corresponding to the configured uplink grant, wherein the higher layer processing unit does not generate the MAC protocol data unit in a case that the MAC protocol data unit includes only a MAC control element for a padding buffer status (BSR) report and aperiodic channel state information (CSI) is not requested.