Physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) format adaptation for 5th generation (5G) new radio (NR)
Patent No. US10531443 (titled "Physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) format adaptation for 5th generation (5G) new radio (NR)") on Jun 14, 2018. The application was issued on Jan 7, 2020.
What is this patent about?
'443 is related to the field of wireless communication systems, specifically focusing on the efficient utilization of uplink control channel (PUCCH) resources in 5G New Radio (NR) networks. The background involves the need for user equipment (UE) to provide feedback to the base station (gNB) regarding the successful or unsuccessful reception of data transmissions, known as hybrid-ARQ acknowledgements (HARQ-ACK). Existing methods can lead to over-provisioning of PUCCH resources, resulting in inefficiency.
The underlying idea behind '443 is to dynamically adapt the PUCCH format used for HARQ-ACK feedback based on the scheduling of the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). The key inventive insight is to use the scheduling search space (common search space (CSS) versus UE-specific search space (USS)) as an implicit indicator of the amount of HARQ-ACK information that needs to be transmitted. This allows the UE to select a more efficient PUCCH format, reducing overhead when possible.
The claims of '443 focus on a UE and gNB configured to adapt the HARQ-ACK reporting based on the scheduling search space. Specifically, if a PDSCH is scheduled in the CSS, the UE reports a single HARQ-ACK bit for the entire transport block. However, if the PDSCH is scheduled in the USS, the UE reports HARQ-ACK bits for each individual code block group (CBG) within the transport block.
In practice, the gNB schedules PDSCH transmissions either in the CSS or USS. The UE, upon receiving a PDSCH, determines the search space in which it was scheduled. Based on this determination, the UE selects the appropriate PUCCH format and generates the HARQ-ACK feedback accordingly. The gNB, knowing the scheduling search space, expects the corresponding HARQ-ACK format from the UE.
This approach differentiates from prior solutions by implicitly signaling the PUCCH format through the scheduling search space. Instead of explicitly signaling the PUCCH format, which adds overhead, the invention leverages existing scheduling mechanisms. This allows for a more efficient use of PUCCH resources, especially in scenarios where a single ACK/NACK for the entire transport block is sufficient, such as when the PDSCH is scheduled in the CSS.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical Landscape
In the late 2010s when ’443 was filed, wireless communication systems were transitioning to architectures that required significantly higher flexibility in handling uplink control data at a time when feedback mechanisms were typically implemented using static or semi-static resource allocations. When systems commonly relied on fixed control channel formats that were sized for worst-case scenarios rather than dynamic payload adaptation, hardware and software constraints made the efficient management of varying feedback sizes non-trivial. This era was characterized by a need to balance the overhead of control signaling against the increasing complexity of multi-carrier and group-based data transmissions, where traditional methods often resulted in excessive resource reservation for small feedback payloads.
Prosecution Position
The examiner allowed the application because the prior art did not demonstrate a specific method for adapting feedback reporting based on the type of search space used for scheduling. Specifically, the examiner noted that the existing technology failed to show a system where a device is configured to send only a single acknowledgement bit for a data block when it is scheduled in a common search space, while simultaneously being configured to send detailed acknowledgement bits for all individual code block groups when the same type of data is scheduled in a user-specific search space.
Claims
This patent includes 5 claims, with independent claims 1, 3, 4, and 5. The independent claims focus on a user equipment and a base station, as well as their communication methods, specifically relating to transmitting and receiving HARQ-ACK based on code block groups within a physical downlink shared channel. The single dependent claim further defines the user equipment by specifying determination of a physical uplink control channel resource.
Key Claim Terms New
Definitions of key terms used in the patent claims.
Litigation Cases New
US Latest litigation cases involving this patent.
Patent Family
File Wrapper
The dossier documents provide a comprehensive record of the patent's prosecution history - including filings, correspondence, and decisions made by patent offices - and are crucial for understanding the patent's legal journey and any challenges it may have faced during examination.
Get instant alerts for new documents
US10531443
- Application Number
- US16008492A
- Filing Date
- Jun 14, 2018
- Status
- Granted
- Publication Date
- Jan 7, 2020
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO, Google Patents