Uplink Power Signaling for Low-Resolution Massive MIMO Receivers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Beyond-5G systems face challenges in managing power consumption and complexity due to the exponential scaling of ADC/DAC power with sampling rate and quantization bits, especially in sub-THz frequencies, which limits their ability to support massive MIMO arrays and high-bandwidth applications like autonomous mobility and augmented/mixed reality.
Innovation Solution
Implementing low-resolution ADCs/DACs with 1 to 4 quantization bits in fully digital architectures, allowing for efficient power management and flexibility, while using signal sequence configurations and power ramping mechanisms to optimize uplink transmission power levels in client and network node devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If high-resolution ADCs/DACs are used in massive MIMO arrays, then measurement precision and signal quality are improved, but power consumption and device complexity increase exponentially
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the quantization resolution parameter from high (traditional) to low (1-4 bits), fundamentally altering the ADC/DAC operation mode. This parameter change reduces power consumption exponentially while maintaining acceptable signal quality through compensating techniques like pilot-based channel estimation and iterative detection algorithms that recover information despite quantization noise.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different quantization resolutions to different parts of the system - using low-resolution ADCs/DACs at the radio frequency front-end while maintaining high-resolution digital signal processing in the baseband unit. This local differentiation allows power reduction at the most energy-intensive component (ADC/DAC) while preserving overall system performance through centralized digital processing.
2Measurement precision
If high-resolution ADCs/DACs are used, then signal quality is improved, but device complexity increases exponentially
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the quantization parameter from high resolution to low resolution (1-4 bits), which fundamentally simplifies the ADC/DAC hardware architecture. Low-resolution converters require fewer circuit elements, smaller transistor counts, and simpler timing circuits, directly reducing device complexity while maintaining system functionality through digital domain compensation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex analog-to-digital conversion hardware with simplified low-resolution converters, then substitutes the lost precision with digital signal processing algorithms. The mechanical/electrical complexity of high-resolution ADC/DAC circuits is replaced with computational complexity in the digital baseband, which is more manageable and scalable.
3Use of energy by moving object
If low-resolution ADCs/DACs are used, then power consumption and complexity are reduced, but signal quality and measurement precision deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces pilot signals as an intermediary element that carries channel state information. These known reference signals are transmitted through the channel and received by the low-resolution ADCs, allowing the system to estimate channel characteristics and compensate for quantization effects. The pilot acts as a mediator that enables the low-resolution system to achieve high-resolution channel knowledge.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements iterative detection and estimation algorithms that use feedback loops to progressively refine channel estimates and signal recovery. The received quantized signals are processed through multiple iterations where channel estimates are updated based on previous iterations' results, allowing the system to converge to accurate signal reconstruction despite initial quantization losses.
4Device complexity
If low-resolution ADCs/DACs are used, then device complexity is reduced, but the volume of raw data exchanged between remote radio head and base-band unit increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and processes only the essential information from the received signals through pilot-based channel estimation. Instead of forwarding all raw quantized samples to the baseband unit, the system extracts channel state information from pilot symbols and processes this condensed representation locally, reducing the data volume that needs to be exchanged while maintaining processing accuracy.
Data Source
AI summary
According to an example embodiment, a client device is configured to: obtain a signal sequence configuration defining a plurality of signal sequences, wherein each signal sequence in the plurality of signal sequences corresponds to an uplink transmission power level in a plurality of uplink transmission power levels; transmit the plurality of signal sequences according to the signal sequence configuration to a network node device; receive, from the network node device, an indication about an uplink transmission power level out of the plurality of uplink transmission power levels to be used for uplink transmission; and perform an uplink transmission using the indicated uplink transmission power level to the network node device.