Uplink Transmission Timing Adjustment Overlap Handling

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Solution Overview

Problem

In wireless communication systems, particularly in 4G LTE and 5G NR, user equipment (UE) faces challenges in aligning uplink transmissions with base station timing, leading to overlapping transmissions that can degrade communication quality and waste resources.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a timing adjustment (TA) mechanism that allows UE to refrain from transmitting overlapping portions of uplink transmissions, adjusting timing based on received TA commands to avoid overlaps and conserve resources.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Manufacturing precision

If timing adjustment (TA) is applied to align uplink transmissions with base station timing, then transmission timing alignment is improved, but overlapping transmissions occur that degrade communication quality

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransmission timing alignmentVSAvoidoverlapping transmissions degrading communication quality

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The uplink transmission is divided into overlapping and non-overlapping portions. The UE identifies the overlapping portion that conflicts with the previous transmission and the non-overlapping portion that does not conflict, then selectively transmits only the non-overlapping portion after TA adjustment.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different portions of the uplink transmission are treated differently based on their timing characteristics. The overlapping portion is suppressed to avoid interference, while the non-overlapping portion is transmitted to maintain communication efficiency. This selective transmission approach optimizes local transmission quality in different time regions.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Productivity

If timing adjustment (TA) is applied to align uplink transmissions, then communication resource utilization is improved, but overlapping transmissions waste communication resources

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecommunication resource utilizationVSAvoidwasted communication resources

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of transmitting the entire uplink transmission or completely canceling it, the UE transmits only the non-overlapping portion. This partial transmission approach avoids wasting resources on overlapping transmissions while still utilizing available time resources effectively for non-conflicting data.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #16Partial or excessive action

3Reliability

If the UE transmits the entire adjusted uplink transmission, then transmission completeness is improved, but overlapping portions cause interference with previous transmissions

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetransmission completenessVSAvoidinterference from overlapping transmissions

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The overlapping portion that causes harmful interference is extracted and removed from the transmission. Only the non-overlapping portion is transmitted, eliminating the source of interference while preserving the useful non-conflicting transmission content.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentUS11632776B2Techniques for handling overlapping transmissions after timing adjustment

Publication Date: 2023.04.18 QUALCOMM INC

AI summary

Aspects described herein relate to receiving a timing adjustment (TA) command indicating to adjust timing for an uplink transmission in a time division, adjusting, by the UE and based on the TA command, the timing for the uplink transmission in the time division, and where the uplink transmission includes an overlapping portion that at least partially overlaps in time with a previous uplink transmission scheduled for transmission in a previous time division, due to the TA command, and a non-overlapping portion that does not at least partially overlap in time with the previous uplink transmission, refraining from transmitting the non-overlapping portion of the uplink transmission that is scheduled in the time division. Other aspects relate to transmitting the TA command and not receiving an overlapping uplink transmission.