UE Capability Signaling for Wireless Relay Communications
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless communications systems often fail to fully exploit the capabilities of user equipment (UE) antennas, leading to suboptimal data rates due to limitations in antenna configurations and frequency band usage, particularly when UEs have limited antenna elements for certain frequency bands, restricting throughput and quality of service.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of UE capability signaling techniques that allow UEs to identify and utilize relays with more antennas and different frequency bands, enabling communication via relays to enhance data rates by using a second set of antennas for millimeter wave frequency bands while maintaining direct connections on sub-7 GHz bands, thereby optimizing antenna usage and frequency band allocation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If UEs use direct connection with limited antenna elements for millimeter wave frequency bands, then device complexity is reduced, but data rate is limited due to insufficient antenna elements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a relay node as an intermediary between the UE and the network. The relay node possesses additional antenna elements for millimeter wave frequency bands and forwards communications to the UE, enabling the UE to achieve higher data rates without directly implementing the complex antenna configuration itself. This resolves the contradiction by allowing the UE to benefit from enhanced productivity through the relay while maintaining relatively simple device complexity.
2Adaptability or versatility
If UEs implement multiple antenna configurations for different frequency bands, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The relay node serves as an intermediary that handles the complexity of multiple antenna configurations for different frequency bands. The UE communicates with the relay using simplified configurations, while the relay manages the complex multi-frequency, multi-antenna operations with the network, thereby improving adaptability without proportionally increasing UE device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The communication system is segmented into two parts: the UE with simpler antenna requirements and the relay node with comprehensive multi-frequency band capabilities. This segmentation allows the UE to achieve broad frequency band adaptability through the relay without implementing all the complex antenna configurations itself, thus improving adaptability while controlling device complexity.
3Productivity
If UEs use relays with more antennas and higher bandwidths, then data rate is improved, but connection establishment complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The relay node acts as an intermediary that simplifies connection establishment for the UE. Instead of the UE directly managing complex connections with multiple antenna configurations and frequency bands, the UE establishes simplified connections with the relay, which then handles the complex network connections. This enables the UE to achieve higher data rates while keeping connection establishment complexity manageable.
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and devices for wireless communications are described for communications between a user equipment (UE) and a base station via one or more relays. The UE and base station may establish a direct connection according to a first UE capability, and the UE may identify one or more relays that are in proximity to the UE and that may be used for relaying communications between the UE and the base station. The UE may provide a capability indication of a second UE capability to the base station that indicates transmission parameters associated with at least one relay, which the base station may use to communicate with the UE via the relay. The base station may select which UE capability to use for communications, which may result in either direct communications with the UE or a connection via the relay.