Three-Tx Antenna Codebooks for Mid-Range 5G Uplink
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing 5G NR specifications lack support for mid-range devices with 3 Tx antennas, leading to a gap in UL performance that is not cost-effective or efficient, as higher Tx antenna counts incur substantial power amplifier costs and increased device size.
Innovation Solution
Introduce support for 3 Tx antennas in UEs with new codebook designs for coherent, non-coherent, and partially coherent precoding, along with revised RRC parameters, and power scaling for SRS ports, to enhance UL throughput and manage hardware costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If higher Tx antenna counts (4 or 8) are used to improve UL throughput performance, then UL throughput is improved, but power amplifier costs and device size increase substantially
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a new parameter dimension by supporting 3 Tx antenna configurations, which falls between the traditional 2 and 4 antenna options. This parameter change enables mid-range devices to achieve improved UL throughput (supporting up to 3 layers) without incurring the substantial costs and size increases associated with 4 or 8 antenna configurations. The new codebook designs and RRC parameters are specifically tailored for this intermediate configuration.
2Productivity
If 3 Tx antennas are supported with new codebook designs and specifications, then UL throughput performance is improved, but specification complexity and implementation overhead increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the Tx antenna support into distinct categories: 1, 2, 3, 4, and 8 antennas, each with its own codebook design. By creating separate codebook designs for 3 Tx antennas (supporting 1, 2, or 3 layers) rather than forcing devices to use 4-antenna codebooks, the specification complexity is managed through targeted additions rather than comprehensive redesigns of existing standards.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements partial action by introducing 3 Tx antenna support as an intermediate option between 2 and 4 antennas. Rather than requiring full 4-antenna codebook complexity for all devices, the specification provides tailored codebook designs for 3 Tx configurations, implementing only the necessary complexity for mid-range devices while maintaining simpler options for basic devices.
3Device complexity
If existing 4-port SRS resources are reconfigured for 3 Tx transmissions, then hardware cost is reduced, but configuration flexibility and precision are compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces dynamic configuration capabilities where 4-port SRS resources can be flexibly reconfigured for 3 Tx transmissions through RRC parameters. The system can dynamically adjust which ports are active and how resources are allocated, allowing the same hardware to adapt between different transmission configurations (3 Tx or 4 Tx) based on network conditions and device capabilities.
Data Source
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AI summary
A system and a method are disclosed. The method includes transmitting, by a user equipment (UE), capability information for three transmit (Tx) antenna ports; configuring the three Tx antenna ports based on pre-defined configuration information including a codebook design comprising one or more matrices or vectors to map uplink data to be transmitted to more than two Tx antenna ports and less than four Tx antenna ports; and transmitting the uplink data via the configured three Tx antenna ports.