Uplink Control Information for Interference Cancellation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Wireless communication networks face interference issues due to data transmissions from user equipment (UEs) affecting neighboring base stations, leading to degraded performance, particularly in scenarios where UEs are restricted from accessing nearby base stations, causing high interference to femto base stations.

Innovation Solution

Implementing uplink control information (UCI) to enable non-serving base stations to estimate and cancel interference from UEs, which includes sending pertinent information such as UE identity, rate information, resource allocation, and HARQ parameters to allow accurate processing and decoding of data transmissions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If UEs transmit data to serving base stations, then data transmission performance is improved, but interference to non-serving base stations increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvedata transmission performanceVSAvoidinterference to non-serving base stations

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent converts the harmful interference from UE transmissions into a beneficial opportunity by enabling non-serving base stations to decode and cancel this interference. By providing UCI (uplink control information) to non-serving base stations, the system transforms the interference problem into a solution where the interfering signal becomes predictable and removable, improving overall network performance.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where UCI is transmitted from UEs to non-serving base stations, providing necessary information for interference cancellation. This feedback loop enables non-serving base stations to adapt their reception by using the UCI to reconstruct and subtract interference components from received signals.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Reliability

If UEs are restricted from accessing nearby base stations, then network security and resource management are improved, but interference to femto base stations increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvenetwork security and resource managementVSAvoidinterference to femto base stations

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

In restricted association scenarios, the patent converts the harmful interference from UEs (that cannot access nearby femto base stations) into a beneficial opportunity. Non-serving femto base stations receive UCI from these UEs and use it to decode and cancel interference, transforming the security-restriction-induced interference problem into a solvable scenario.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces UCI as an intermediary information carrier that bridges the gap between UEs and non-serving base stations. This intermediary provides the necessary control information that enables interference cancellation without requiring direct access or connection between UEs and non-serving base stations.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Measurement precision

If interference cancellation is implemented at non-serving base stations, then received signal quality is improved, but system complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvereceived signal qualityVSAvoidsystem complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies preliminary action by having UEs transmit UCI in advance before data transmission. This pre-transmitted control information contains necessary parameters that enable non-serving base stations to perform interference cancellation more efficiently, reducing the computational complexity during the actual data reception and processing phase.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses copying by having non-serving base stations reconstruct the interference signal based on UCI information. Instead of directly processing complex interference patterns, the system creates a copy of the interference signal using the provided control information and subtracts it from the received signal, simplifying the overall processing complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Data Source

PatentEP3419186B1Method and apparatus for using uplink control information for inter-cell decoding and interference cancellation

Publication Date: 2023.03.22 QUALCOMM INC

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AI summary

Techniques for supporting data transmission on the uplink in a wireless network are described. In an aspect, a user equipment (UE) may send a data transmission to a serving base station and may send uplink control information (UCI) to a non-serving base station. The UCI may include pertinent information to allow the non-serving base station to process the data transmission from the UE. In one design, the UCI may allow the non-serving base station to estimate the interference due to the data transmission from the UE and to cancel the interference at the non-serving base station. The interference cancellation may improve the received signal quality at the non-serving base station. After the interference cancellation, the non-serving base station may process a data transmission from another UE served by the base station.