Uplink Timing Adjustment for Base Station Processing Capacity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current radio base stations face limitations in processing time due to fixed time budgets, which restrict their performance and capacity in handling uplink transmissions, especially when dealing with user equipment at varying distances and requiring timely HARQ feedback.
Innovation Solution
The radio base station estimates a time parameter value based on the distance between the user equipment and itself, sets a time value including a time offset to adjust the uplink timing, and transmits this value to the user equipment, effectively increasing the processing time budget at the base station by advancing the uplink timing more than necessary, thereby reducing the effective cell range.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the radio base station uses a fixed time budget for processing uplink transmissions, then the system maintains simple timing management, but the processing capacity and performance of the radio base station are limited
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by transitioning from a fixed time budget to a dynamic time budget that adapts to user equipment distance. The base station estimates propagation delay based on distance and adjusts the time advance value accordingly, allowing the processing time to vary dynamically rather than remaining fixed. This resolves the contradiction by enabling increased processing capacity through dynamic adjustment while maintaining manageable timing complexity through systematic estimation and adjustment mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the timing parameter from a fixed value to a variable parameter based on user equipment distance. By estimating propagation delay and adjusting the time advance value as a variable parameter, the system optimizes processing capacity for different cell ranges. This parameter change allows the base station to allocate appropriate processing time based on actual transmission conditions, resolving the contradiction between fixed simplicity and variable performance.
2Reliability
If the user equipment advances uplink transmission timing more to compensate for distance, then uplink alignment at the base station is maintained, but the effective cell range is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by having the user equipment advance its uplink transmission timing in advance of the actual transmission. The base station estimates the propagation delay and communicates an appropriate time advance value to the user equipment, which then adjusts its transmission timing accordingly. This preliminary timing adjustment ensures that uplink signals from user equipment at various distances arrive aligned at the base station, resolving the contradiction between maintaining alignment and preserving cell range.
3Productivity
If the radio base station increases processing time budget by advancing uplink timing, then more advanced algorithms and data handling are enabled, but latency for user equipment increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by applying different time advance values to different user equipment based on their individual distances from the base station. Instead of a uniform time advance for all users, the system estimates propagation delay locally for each user equipment and adjusts timing accordingly. This allows the base station to increase processing time where needed while minimizing latency impact on user equipment, resolving the contradiction between enhanced data handling capacity and transmission latency.
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments herein relates to a method in a radio base station (12) for handling a timing of uplink transmission from a user equipment (10) to the radio base station (12) in a radio communications network. The user equipment (10) is served in a cell (14) controlled by the radio base station (12), and which radio base station (12) and user equipment (10) are comprised in the radio communications network. The communications in the cell (14) are organized in radio frames comprising subframes. The radio base station (12) receives a first uplink transmission from the user equipment (10) in a subframe related to the radio base station (12). The radio base station then estimates a time parameter value based on a distance between the user equipment (10) and the radio base station (12) when the first uplink transmission is transmitted from the user equipment (10). The radio base station (12) then sets a time value (NTA1) in a message, which time value (NTA1) is to be used to set a timing of a second uplink transmission at the user equipment (10). The time value (NTA1) is based on the estimated time parameter value and a time offset value (ΔT). The radio base station (12) then transmits the message comprising the time value (NTA1) to the user equipment.