Virtual Bandwidth Parts Below 5 MHz for 5G NR Flexibility
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current 3GPP standards for 5G NR networks do not support bandwidths below 5 MHz, limiting flexibility and efficiency in supporting various use cases due to high energy consumption and inefficient radio resource allocation.
Innovation Solution
The creation of virtual bandwidth parts (BWPs) that are narrower than 5 MHz, allowing for dynamic restriction of PDCCH, PDSCH, PUCCH, and PUSCH within these BWPs without explicit signaling, enabling flexible network operation and reducing energy consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If virtual BWPs with bandwidth below 5 MHz are created, then network flexibility and power efficiency are improved, but this deviates from current 3GPP standards
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the carrier bandwidth into multiple bandwidth parts (BWPs), allowing the network to create virtual BWPs with bandwidths below the standard 5 MHz minimum. This segmentation enables flexible allocation of radio resources to different service types while maintaining standard compliance at the physical layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the bandwidth parameter by creating virtual BWPs with bandwidths less than 5 MHz, which is not allowed in current 3GPP standards. This parameter change enables the network to optimize power consumption and resource allocation for specific service types while the base station manages the deviations through higher-layer protocols.
2Ease of operation
If virtual BWPs are created without explicit signaling, then signaling overhead is reduced and ease of operation is improved, but control complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by allowing the UE to automatically operate within the bandwidth of the active virtual BWP without requiring explicit signaling for each channel (PDCCH, PDSCH, PUCCH, PUSCH). The UE autonomously restricts these channels to the virtual BWP bandwidth based on the active BWP configuration, reducing signaling overhead while the base station maintains control through BWP activation/deactivation mechanisms.
3Use of energy by moving object
If bandwidth is reduced below 5 MHz, then power consumption is reduced, but the number of available resource blocks decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by enabling the network to dynamically activate and deactivate virtual BWPs based on service requirements. The base station can switch between different virtual BWPs with different bandwidths and resource block allocations, allowing the system to optimize the trade-off between power consumption and available resources depending on current network conditions and service demands.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is creation of a very narrow bandwidth part (BWP), referred to herein as a virtual BWP. The virtual BWP is created within an operating channel that is not supported by 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) current standards (e.g., below 5 MHz). This enables a wireless network to be even more flexible in supporting a variety of use cases. In particular, the network artificially creates a small virtual BWP and assigns it to users without requiring any explicit signaling to the user for creating the virtual BWP. The virtual BWPs will limit the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) data region, the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) for a given user which can be associated with slicing.