Multiple slot long physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) design for 5th generation (5G) new radio (NR)
Patent No. US10601566 (titled "Multiple slot long physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) design for 5th generation (5G) new radio (NR)") on Aug 9, 2018. The application was issued on Mar 24, 2020.
What is this patent about?
'566 is related to the field of wireless communication systems, specifically addressing the design of the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) in 5th Generation (5G) New Radio (NR) networks. The background involves the need for efficient and flexible communication structures to support various services like enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) and Ultra-Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC). Existing communication structures may lack the necessary flexibility and efficiency for these advanced applications.
The underlying idea behind '566 is to improve the design of the long PUCCH format, which spans multiple slots, by optimizing the demodulation reference signal (DMRS) structure and frequency hopping methods. The key inventive insight is to configure the PUCCH such that the number and location of symbols dedicated to the PUCCH remain consistent across multiple slots, simplifying the design and improving reliability.
The claims of '566 focus on a user equipment (UE) and a base station (gNB) configured to communicate using a PUCCH that spans multiple slots. The independent claims specifically cover the determination of the multi-slot PUCCH configuration based on signaling from the gNB, the determination of a frequency hopping method, and the transmission/reception of uplink control information (UCI). A key constraint is that the number and location of PUCCH symbols are identical in each slot.
In practice, the UE receives configuration information from the gNB indicating that the PUCCH should span multiple slots. The UE then determines the appropriate DMRS structure and frequency hopping method for this multi-slot PUCCH. The UCI is then transmitted using the configured PUCCH resources, ensuring that each slot contains the same number of PUCCH symbols in the same location. This simplifies the encoding and decoding process, as the channel characteristics are consistent across slots.
This approach differs from prior solutions by enforcing a consistent PUCCH structure across multiple slots. While other methods may allow for variable PUCCH symbol counts and locations, '566 simplifies the design by fixing these parameters. This consistency improves the reliability of UCI transmission, particularly in challenging channel conditions, and facilitates efficient resource allocation by the gNB.
How does this patent fit in bigger picture?
Technical Landscape
In the late 2010s when ’566 was filed, wireless communication systems were transitioning toward architectures that required simultaneous support for diverse service types, such as high-bandwidth mobile data and ultra-reliable low-latency messaging. At a time when uplink control signaling was typically implemented using fixed-length structures within a single transmission time interval, systems commonly relied on rigid physical uplink control channel formats that lacked the temporal flexibility to span multiple slots. Hardware and software constraints of that era made the dynamic configuration of demodulation reference signal positions and frequency hopping patterns non-trivial, as existing frameworks were often optimized for static, single-slot resource allocation rather than variable multi-slot durations.
Prosecution Position
Following the filing of this application, the examiner issued a non-final Office Action rejecting claims 1–16. The rejection was based on a combination of prior art references that the examiner asserted collectively taught the determination of multi-slot control channel durations, reference signal structures, and frequency hopping methods. The prosecution record provided does not describe the specific claim changes or technical arguments that may have subsequently led to allowance, though it documents the initial procedural rejection of the pending claims.
Claims
This patent contains 16 claims, of which claims 1, 8, 15, and 16 are independent. The independent claims focus on a user equipment (UE) and a base station (gNB) and methods performed by each, relating to uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmission spanning multiple slots with frequency hopping. The dependent claims generally elaborate on specific aspects and implementations of the frequency hopping and PUCCH configuration described in the independent claims.
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US10601566
- Application Number
- US16059926A
- Filing Date
- Aug 9, 2018
- Status
- Granted
- Publication Date
- Mar 24, 2020
- External Links
- Slate, USPTO, Google Patents