WO2021225404A1 - Method and system for improving uplink channel information (uci) decoding in communication network - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed are a communication technique for merging, with an IoT technology, a 5G communication system for supporting a data transmission rate higher than that of a 4G system; and a system therefor. The present disclosure discloses method and a resource management system (102) for improving Uplink Channel Information (UCI) decoding in communication network. The method includes configuring at least one of a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) resource from a plurality of HARQ resources for a User Equipment (UE) (103), identifying decoding performance of each of the configured HARQ resources and selecting one of a HARQ resource from the configured HARQ resources for UCI decoding based on a predefined parameter.

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR IMPROVING UPLINK CHANNEL INFORMATION (UCI) DECODING IN COMMUNICATION NETWORK

The present disclosure is related in general to wireless communication system and resource management, more particularly, but not exclusively to a method and system for of improving Uplink Channel Information (UCI) decoding in communication network.

In order to meet the demand for wireless data traffic soring since the 4G communication system came to the market, there are ongoing efforts to develop enhanced 5G communication systems or pre-5G communication systems. For the reasons, the 5G communication system or pre-5G communication system is called the beyond 4G network communication system or post LTE system.

For higher data transmit rates, 5G communication systems are considered to be implemented on ultra-high frequency bands (mmWave), such as, e.g., 60GHz. To mitigate pathloss on the ultra-high frequency band and increase the reach of radio waves, the following techniques are taken into account for the 5G communication system: beamforming, massive multi-input multi-output (MIMO), full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antenna, analog beamforming, and large scale antenna.

Also being developed are various technologies for the 5G communication system to have an enhanced network, such as evolved or advanced small cell, cloud radio access network (cloud RAN), ultra-dense network, device-to-device (D2D) communication, wireless backhaul, moving network, cooperative communication, coordinated multi-point (CoMP), and interference cancellation. There are also other various schemes under development for the 5G system including, e.g., hybrid FSK and QAM modulation (FQAM) and sliding window superposition coding (SWSC), which are advanced coding modulation (ACM) schemes, and filter bank multi-carrier (FBMC), non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) and sparse code multiple access (SCMA), which are advanced access schemes.

The Internet is evolving from the human-centered connection network by which humans create and consume information to the Internet of Things (IoT) network by which information is communicated and processed between things or other distributed components. Another arising technology is the Internet of Everything (IoE), which is a combination of the Big data processing technology and the IoT technology through, e.g., a connection with a cloud server. To implement the IoT, technology elements, such as a sensing technology, wired/wireless communication and network infra, service interface technology, and a security technology, are required. There is a recent ongoing research for inter-object connection technologies, such as the sensor network, Machine-to-Machine (M2M), or the Machine-Type Communication (MTC).

In the IoT environment may be offered intelligent Internet Technology (IT) services that collect and analyze the data generated by the things connected with one another to create human life a new value. The IoT may have various applications, such as the smart home, smart building, smart city, smart car or connected car, smart grid, health-care, or smart appliance industry, or state-of-art medical services, through conversion or integration of existing information technology (IT) techniques and various industries.

With development in communication technology many standards for wireless communication have evolved for providing high-speed data for data terminals. These standard (for example for LTE, 5G and the like) include uplink/downlink channels such as, Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH). The PUSCH is used for transmitting user traffic data in multiplex with Uplink Control Information (UCI), if necessary.　

Selecting suitable Uplink Control Information (UCI) resources is necessary to ensure a reliable UCI decoding performance for a User Equipment (UE). Generally, when the UE is set up in gNodeB(gNB), a set of UCI resources for HARQ, CSI and SR are configured for the UE. Further, a set of (multiple HARQ) resources are configured for the UE, and during the Downlink (DL) traffic, the Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) resource selected for the UE is usually the first available resource (at gNB Scheduler) for UE among the set of resources which were configured to the UE.

Therefore, the selection of HARQ resource is an essential aspect of DL scheduling. In case if an underperforming HARQ resource is selected, it might lead to unwanted retransmissions. Thus, causing a drop in DL throughput. Selection of Control State Information (CSI) and Scheduling Request (SR) resources are just as important and having an underperforming UCI resource may lead to a myriad of issues in system. For instance, if the UCI decoding performance is very poor, it might sometimes lead to release of the UE from the system. Thus, causing an overall drop in the DL/UL throughput of the system as well as the UE. Therefore, UCI plays a crucial role in the operation of the 5G network and UCI decoding performance becomes an imperative aspect of ensuring a robust and reliable system.

The information disclosed in this background art of the disclosure section is only for enhancement of understanding of the general background of the invention and should not be taken as an acknowledgement or any form of suggestion that this information forms the prior art already known to a person skilled in the art.

Currently, in the realm of Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio (NR), several optimization steps have been adopted to ensure a frugal method of using the resources and near ideal performance from the system. However, there still exist a need to improve the performance of the system.

Particularly, in existing systems, the UCI decoding has been plagued with issues and the current techniques are not dynamic enough to keep up with sudden changes in the decoding performance brought forth from the uncertainty in the channel. Thus, it is desired to provide a method and systems to select the UCI resources to ensure a reliable UCI decoding performance for the UE.

In an embodiment, the present disclosure may relate to a method of improving Uplink Channel Information (UCI) decoding in communication network. The method includes configuring at least one of a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) resource from a plurality of HARQ resources for a User Equipment (UE), identifying decoding performance of each of the configured HARQ resources and selecting one of a HARQ resource from the configured HARQ resources for UCI decoding based on a predefined parameter.

In an embodiment, the present disclosure may relate to a resource management system configured in a base-station for improving Uplink Channel Information (UCI) decoding in communication network. The resource management system may include a processor and a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, where the memory stores processor executable instructions, which, on execution, may cause the resource management system to configure at least one of a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) resource from a plurality of HARQ resources for a User Equipment (UE), identify decoding performance of each of the configured HARQ resources and select one of a HARQ resource from the configured HARQ resources for UCI decoding based on a predefined parameter.

The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be in any way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments, and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and features will become apparent by reference to the drawings and the following detailed description.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate exemplary embodiments and, together with the description, serve to explain the disclosed principles. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the figures to reference like features and components. Some embodiments of system and/or methods in accordance with embodiments of the present subject matter are now described, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying figures, in which:

FIG.1 illustrates an exemplary environment for improving Uplink Channel Information (UCI) decoding in communication network in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG.2 shows a detailed block diagram of a resource management system in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG.3A-3B show exemplary sequence flowcharts for selection of HARQ resource based on decoding performance, in accordance with some embodiment of the present disclosure r in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG.4 illustrates an exemplary sequence flowchart for enabling/disabling UCI multiplexing based on performance, in accordance with some embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG.5 illustrates an exemplary sequence flowchart for selection of ideal CS and OCC Index for UCI resource in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG.6 illustrates a flowchart showing a method for improving Uplink Channel Information (UCI) decoding in communication network in accordance with some embodiments of present disclosure;

FIG.7A-7B show exemplary use case graph showcasing improvement in the UCI decoding performance of HARQ resources and corresponding improvements in downlink throughput in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG.8 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary user equipment for implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure.

It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative systems embodying the principles of the present subject matter. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow charts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudo code, and the like represent various processes which may be substantially represented in computer readable medium and executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown.

In the present document, the word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment or implementation of the present subject matter described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments.

While the disclosure is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiment thereof has been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail below. It should be understood, however that it is not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the disclosure is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternative falling within the scope of the disclosure.

The terms "comprises", "comprising" or any other variations thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a setup, device, or method that comprises a list of components or steps does not include only those components or steps but may include other components or steps not expressly listed or inherent to such setup or device or method. In other words, one or more elements in a system or apparatus proceeded by "comprises...a"does not, without more constraints, preclude the existence of other elements or additional elements in the system or method.

In the following detailed description of the embodiments of the disclosure, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the disclosure, and it is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relates to a method and a resource management system for improving Uplink Channel Information (UCI) decoding in communication network. Generally, control channels carry information and indicators from a User Equipment (UE), such as uplink control information (UCI). The UCI support scheduling of uplink shared channel (UL-SCH) transmissions. UCI messages are encoded and transmitted through physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) or are multiplexed onto the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). In an embodiment, uplink channel decoding is performed such that data and control streams are decoded to offer transport and control services over the radio transmission link.

Generally, when the UE is set up in gNodeB (gNB), a set of UCI resources for HARQ, CSI and SR are configured for the UE. Further, a set of (multiple HARQ) resources are configured for the UE, and during Downlink (DL) traffic, the Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) resource selected for the UE is usually the first available resource (at gNB Scheduler) for UE among the set of resources which were configured to the UE. Therefore, the selection of HARQ resource is an essential aspect of DL scheduling.

Currently, several optimization steps have been adopted to ensure a frugal method of using the resources and near ideal performance from the system. However, there still exist a need to improve the performance of the system. Particularly, in existing systems, the UCI decoding has been plagued with issues and the current techniques are not dynamic enough to keep up with sudden changes in the decoding performance brought forth from the uncertainty in the channel.

The present disclosure in such condition focuses on storing decoding performance and utilizing the stored decoding performance during selection of UCI resources such as HARQ resources. Essentially, the UCI resources may be selected based on high decoding rate. The method prescribed in the present disclosure enhances UCI decoding success rate at the gNB and improves throughput of uplink and downlink channels. The present disclosure reduces experience of data stalls, thereby improving user experience by providing faster uplink data request servicing.

FIG.1 illustrates an exemplary environment for improving Uplink Channel Information (UCI) decoding in communication network in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 1, the environment 100 may include a network node 101 configured with a resource management system 102 for improving Uplink Channel Information (UCI) decoding. The network node 101 may include, but not limited to, a Base Station (BS). The resource management system 102 is connected to one or more User Equipment (UE) 103 via a communication network 105. In an embodiment, the UE may include, but is not limited to, a laptop, a computer, a notebook, a smartphone, a tablet, and any other user computing devices. A person skilled in the art would understand that, any other devices, not mentioned explicitly, may also be used as the UE 103 in the present disclosure. The BS is a fixed point of communication for the UE　 on a　carrier network for providing network services. The communication network 105 may provide wireless communication of different generations such as, 2nd Generation (2G), 3rd　Generation (3G), Long Term Evolution (LTE), 5th Generation (5G), 6th Generation (6G) and non-3gpp technologies.

In one embodiment, the resource management system 102 may be configured as a separate entity to the BS. In another embodiment, the resource management system 102 may be configured in association with other entities in the network node 101, in order to improving Uplink Channel Information (UCI) decoding. The resource management system 102 may either reside within the network node 101 or outside the network node 101.

Further, the resource management system 102 may include an I/O interface 107, a memory 109 and a processor 111. The I/O interface 107 may be configured to receive to data from the UE 103. The data received from the I/O interface 107 may be stored in the memory 109. The memory 109 may be communicatively coupled to the processor 111 of resource management system 102. The memory 109 may also store processor instructions which may cause the processor 111 to execute the instructions for improving Uplink Channel Information (UCI) decoding in communication network.

In an embodiment, when a UE 103 is setup in the gNB, a set of UCI resources for Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ), Cyclic Shift index (CSI) and Orthogonal Cover Coding are configured for the UE 103. Generally, for HARQ, a set of eight resources are configured to a UE 103 and during the Downlink (DL) traffic, the HARQ resource selected for the UE 103 becomes the first resource available for UE 103 among the configured set of eight resources. Selection of HARQ resource is an essential aspect of DL scheduling. If an underperforming HARQ resource is selected, it may lead to several retransmissions thus causing a drop in the DL throughput.

In the existing network configuration, UCI resource allocation running at the gNB are not dynamic in order to keep up with any sudden changes in the decoding performance brought forth from the uncertainty in the channel. Consequently, leading to poor UCI decoding performance, which may sometime lead to release of the UE from the system, thus causing an overall drop in the DL/UL throughput of the system as well as the UE. The present invention, being proposed in the present disclosure, improves the UCI decoding by storing decoding performance and utilizing the stored decoding performance during selection of UCI resources such as HARQ resources.

Initially, the resource management system 102 may configure at least one of a HARQ resource from a plurality of HARQ resources for the UE 103. Further, the resource management system 102 may identify decoding performance of each of the configured HARQ resources by monitoring the performance of the respective resource for predefined number of previous decoding cycles. Typically, the decoding performance based on the previous decoding cycle is stored in the resource management system 102. Thereafter, the resource management system 102 may select one of a HARQ resource from the configured HARQ resources for UCI decoding based on a predefined parameter. In an embodiment, the predefined parameter comprises a high decoding rate. That is, the HARQ resource which provided the high decoding rate in previous decoding cycle is selected for subsequent decoding cycles. At periodic intervals, the resource management system 102 may update a downlink scheduler of the network with outcome of identified decoding performance of configured HARQ resources.

Alternatively, the resource management system 102 may be configured to select one of the plurality of HARQ resources at random regularly, where the one of the plurality of HARQ resources are selected in a random fashion in order to select an ideal HARQ resource for the UCI decoding. Typically, the random selection of the one of the plurality of HARQ resources is enabled when difference of current time and previous time of random selection is greater than a predefined random timer. However, the random selection of the one of the plurality of HARQ resources is disabled and switched back to selection of HARQ using decoding performance based on variance of the decoding performance.

In addition, the resource management system 102 may operate UCI multiplexing at the UE 103 by either enabling or disabling the UCI multiplexing based on UCI decoding performance at the network for a predefined time period. Further, the resource management system 102 may select an optimal set of Cyclic Shift index (CSI) and Orthogonal Cover Coding (OCC) index parameters by obtaining the decoding performance associated with each combination of CSI and OCC index. Thereafter, periodically transmitting the decoding performance associated with each combination of CSI and OCC to one of the components of the network for improving selection of channel resources. Selection of HARQ, UCI multiplexing and CSI and OCC is explained in detail in FIG.3-5.

FIG.2 shows a detailed block diagram of a resource management system in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

The resource management system 102 may include data 200 and one or more modules 209 which are described herein in detail. In an embodiment, data 200 may be stored within the memory 109. The data 200 may include, for example, resource data 201, decoding performance data 203, selection data 205 and other data 207.

The resource data 201 may include information about the configured at least one of the HARQ for the UE 103. Further, the information may include details about type of selection such as, random selection or selection using decoding performance.

The decoding performance data 203 may include information about the decoding performance of the configured HARQ resources in previous decoding cycles. Also, the information may include UCI decoding performance at the network for a predefined time period and for each combination of CSI and OCC index.

The selection data 205 may include information about selected HARQ resource for the UE 103. The selection data 205 may also include information if UCI multiplexing is enabled or disabled.

The other data 207 may store data, including temporary data and temporary files, generated by modules 209 for performing the various functions of the resource management system 102.

In an embodiment, the data 200 in the memory 109 are processed by the one or more modules 209 present within the memory 109 of resource management system 102. In an embodiment, the one or more modules 209 may be implemented as dedicated units. As used herein, the term module refers to an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), Programmable　System-on-Chip (PSoC), a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable components that provide the described functionality. In some implementations, the one or more modules 209 may be communicatively coupled to the processor 111 for performing one or more functions of the resource management system 102. The said modules 209 when configured with the functionality defined in the present disclosure will result in a novel hardware.

In one implementation, the one or more modules 209 may include, but are not limited to a communication module 211, a configuration module 213, a decoding performance identifying module 215, a resource selection module 217, UCI multiplexing operating module 219, and a CSI and OCC obtaining module 221. The one or more modules 209 may also include other modules 223 to perform various miscellaneous functionalities of the resource management system 102.

The communication module 211 may include receiving data from the UE 103. Further, the communication module 211 may include transmitting decoding performance of configured HARQ resources at periodic intervals. periodically transmitting the decoding performance associated with each combination of CSI and OCC to one of the components of the network for improving selection of channel resources.

The configuration module 213 may configure least one of the HARQ resource from the plurality of HARQ resources for the UE 103. FIG.3A illustrates an exemplary sequence flowchart for the selection of HARQ resources, in accordance with some embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3A shows two types of selection processes for HARQ Resources, i.e., randomized selection and prioritized selection. The randomized selection is defined as a process where a configuration module 213 may configure one of predefined (say eight) HARQ resources randomly, with each resource having same likelihood of being selected. Whereas, the prioritized selection is defined as a process where the configuration module 213 selects the resources based on decreasing order of decoding performance. The present invention may focus to run the prioritized selection for most of the time and allow the randomized selection occasionally to give all the predefined resources an equal chance.

Further, as shown in steps 301, 303, 305, 306, a decision to run the randomized selection process is achieved through a parameter "RandomizedSelectionTimer". For instance, the randomized selection process is initiated, if difference of (CurrentTime and PrevTimeofRandomizedSelectionRun) is less than the RandomizedSelectionTimer. In steps 302, 304 and 307, a decision to quit the randomized selection is executed depending on a variance of the decoding performance. Particularly, the configuration module 213 decides by checking a condition as mentioned in equation 1 below.

<equation 1>

Where X is a set containing the decoding score of predefined resources;

X' = X - max_x;

The "σ_X" is the standard deviation of X;

△_σis the minimum standard deviation required to trigger prioritized selection;

max_X and max_X' are the maximum values in set X and X' respectively; and

δ_th is the difference threshold required to switch to the prioritised selection process.

In an embodiment, decoding performance is given by equation 2 below.

<equation 2>

Where, θmin is minimum decoding success required to qualify as a viable resource for selection. The equation 2 is used whenever the decoding performance is to be identified in the present disclosure.

Returning to FIG.2, the decoding performance identifying module 215 may identify the decoding performance of each of the configured HARQ resources. FIG.3B illustrates an exemplary sequence flowchart for resource selection based on decoding performance in accordance with one embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in Figure 3B, in case of selection of the prioritized selection, the decoding performance identifying module 215 at step 308 may collect decoding performance of each selected HARQ resource and arrange the resources in decreasing order of performance. Further, at step 309, the decoding performance identifying module 215 may decide to update these results to the DL scheduler by using a parameter "NumOfSlotsForHarqRetructuring". At step 310, a difference of current time and the previous update time is compared against "NumOfSlotsForHarqRetructuring" as shown in equation 3 below:

<equation 3>

(T-T_P) > Number of slots for HARQ restructing

where, T = current time and T_P is previous update time.

In case the different of (T-T_P) exceeds the number of slots for HARQ restructuring, the ordering to the DL scheduler is updated.

The resource selection module 217 may select one of the HARQ resource from the configured HARQ resources for UCI decoding based on the high recoding rate associated with the HARQ resources. As an exemplary embodiment, Table 1 below depicts a situation of varying decoding performance across different HARQ resources due to intra-band frequency interference. In current mechanism, the system may select the first available HARQ resource. While the present invention in such case may perform reordering of the HARQ resources based on their decoding performance as depicted in Table 2. The HARQ resource is selected based on this order to ensure maximum decoding success rate.

<Table 1>

<Table 2>

The UCI multiplexing operating module 219 may operate the UCI multiplexing at the UE 103 by either enabling or disabling the UCI multiplexing based on UCI decoding performance at the network for a predefined time period. FIG.4 illustrates an exemplary sequence flowchart for enabling/disabling UCI multiplexing based on performance, in accordance with some embodiment of the present disclosure. The UCI Multiplexing is enabled/ disabled depending on the performance of the UCI decoding. When the UE has to send multiple UCI in a single time resource, the UE sends them multiplexed in a single UCI resource. Several times, the decoding rate is vastly affected by this and overall performance of the system goes down. Hence, in such situation, the decision for enabling or disabling the UCI multiplexing is taken at runtime (through Downlink Control Information) based on the UCI decoding performance of that UE.

Returning to FIG.2, the CSI and OCC obtaining module 221 may select an optimal set of Cyclic Shift index (CSI) and Orthogonal Cover Coding (OCC) index parameters by obtaining the decoding performance associated with each combination of CSI and OCC index. Thereafter, the CSI and OCC obtaining module 221 may periodically transmit the decoding performance associated with each combination of CSI and OCC to one of the components of the network for improving selection of channel resources.

FIG.5 illustrates an exemplary sequence flowchart for selection of ideal CS and OCC Index for UCI resource in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Generally, physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) decoding performance is stored and reported to higher layers for better decision-making capability. Certain PUCCH formats such as, formats 0/1 or 4 may have a capability to encode several PUCCH data in a single physical resource.

The single physical resource characterized by symbols and Resource Blocks (RBs) encodes multiple PUCCH data by using cyclic shift and/or orthogonal cover coding. Since decoding performance may vary for different combinations of CS Index and/or OCC Index, the present disclosure as shown in steps 501-505 ensures to store their decoding performance and report it to higher layers so that a more efficient PUCCH resource can be selected next time. In an embodiment, the report is sent periodically with a period P denoted as "PucchFormat014DecodingUpdatePeriod".

In an exemplary case, table 3 below depicts a situation of varying decoding performance for different combinations of CS and/or OCC Indices. The problem as depicted in Table 3 occurs when the gNB decides for CS Index for PUCCH resource, it is unaware of the viability of each pair and decide to contain an inefficient pair. Further, there is no such existing procedure to keep a tab on decoding performance on a real-time basis. The present invention in such situation may periodically inform the higher layers about the decoding performance of each combination. This makes the higher layers refrain from allocating a poorly performing pair, thus ensuring maximum decoding success rate.

<Table 3>

FIG.6 illustrates a flowchart showing a method for improving Uplink Channel Information (UCI) decoding in communication network in accordance with some embodiments of present disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG.6, the method 600 includes one or more blocks for improving Uplink Channel Information (UCI) decoding in communication network. The method 600 may be described in the general context of computer executable instructions. Generally, computer executable instructions can include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, procedures, modules, and functions, which perform particular functions or implement particular abstract data types.

The order in which the method 600 is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks can be combined in any order to implement the method. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the methods without departing from the scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the method can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof.

At block 601, at least one of the Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) resource is configured by the configuration module (for a UE) 213 from the plurality of HARQ resources for the UE 103.

At block 603, the decoding performance identifying module 215 identifies the decoding performance of each of the configured HARQ resources.

At block 605, one of the HARQ resource from the configured HARQ resources is selected by the resource selection module 217 for UCI decoding based on the predefined parameter. In an embodiment, the predefined parameter includes the high decoding rate.

FIG.7A-7B show exemplary use case graphs showcasing improvement in the UCI decoding performance of HARQ resources and corresponding improvements in downlink throughput in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown, simulation results show a significant improvement in the UCI decoding performance of HARQ resources and corresponding improvements in downlink throughput (i.e., up to 10% for multiple UEs and up to 30% for a single UE) over varying channel conditions in view of the present disclosure.

FIG.8 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary system 800 for implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. The system 800 may include a central processing unit ("CPU"or "processor") 802. The processor 802 may include at least one data processor for improving Uplink Channel Information (UCI) decoding in communication network. The processor 802 may include specialized processing units such as, integrated system (bus) controllers, memory management control units, floating point units, graphics processing units, digital signal processing units, etc.

The processor 802 may be disposed in communication with one or more input/output (I/O) devices (not shown) via I/O interface 801. The I/O interface 801 may employ communication protocols/methods such as, without limitation, audio, analog, digital, monoaural, RCA, stereo, IEEE-1394, serial bus, universal serial bus (USB), infrared, PS/2, BNC, coaxial, component, composite, digital visual interface (DVI), high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), RF antennas, S-Video, VGA, IEEE 802.n /b/g/n/x, Bluetooth, cellular (e.g., code-division multiple access (CDMA), high-speed packet access (HSPA+), global system for mobile communications (GSM), long-term evolution (LTE), WiMax, or the like), etc.

Using the I/O interface 801, the system 800 may communicate with one or more I/O devices. For example, the input device may be an antenna, keyboard, mouse, joystick, (infrared) remote control, camera, card reader, fax machine, dongle, biometric reader, microphone, touch screen, touchpad, trackball, stylus, scanner, storage device, transceiver, video device/source, etc. The output device may be a printer, fax machine, video display (e.g., cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), light-emitting diode (LED), plasma, Plasma display panel (PDP), Organic light-emitting diode display (OLED) or the like), audio speaker, etc.

The processor 802 may be disposed in communication with the communication network 809 via a network interface 803. The network interface 803 may communicate with the communication network 809. The network interface 803 may employ connection protocols including, without limitation, direct connect, Ethernet (e.g., twisted pair 10/100/1000 Base T), transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP), token ring, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/x, etc. The communication network 809 may include, without limitation, a direct interconnection, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), wireless network (e.g., using Wireless Application Protocol), the Internet, etc. Using the network interface 803 and the communication network 809, the system 800 may communicate with UE 103. The network interface 803 may employ connection protocols include, but not limited to, direct connect, Ethernet (e.g., twisted pair 10/100/1000 Base T), transmission control protocol/internet protocol (TCP/IP), token ring, IEEE 802.11a/b/g/n/x, etc.

The communication network 809 includes, but is not limited to, a direct interconnection, an e-commerce　network, a peer to peer (P2P)　network, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), wireless network (e.g., using Wireless Application Protocol), the Internet, Wi-Fi, and such. The first network and the second network may either be a dedicated network or a shared network, which represents an association of the different types of networks that use a variety of protocols, for example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), etc., to communicate with each other. Further, the first network and the second network may include a variety of network devices, including routers, bridges, servers, computing devices, storage devices, etc.

In some embodiments, the processor 802 may be disposed in communication with a memory 705 (e.g., RAM, ROM, etc. not shown in figure 8) via a storage interface 804. The storage interface 704 may connect to memory 705 including, without limitation, memory drives, removable disc drives, etc., employing connection protocols such as, serial advanced technology attachment (SATA), Integrated Drive Electronics (IDE), IEEE-1394, Universal Serial Bus (USB), fiber channel, Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI), etc. The memory drives may further include a drum, magnetic disc drive, magneto-optical drive, optical drive, Redundant Array of Independent Discs (RAID), solid-state memory devices, solid-state drives, etc.

The memory 805 may store a collection of program or database components, including, without limitation, user interface 806, an operating system 807 etc. In some embodiments, the system 800 may store user/application data, such as, the data, variables, records, etc., as described in this disclosure. Such databases may be implemented as fault-tolerant, relational, scalable, secure databases such as Oracle or Sybase.

The operating system 807 may facilitate resource management and operation of the system 800. Examples of operating systems include, without limitation, APPLE MACINTOSH^R OS X, UNIX^R, UNIX-like system distributions (E.G., BERKELEY SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTION^TM (BSD), FREEBSD^TM, NETBSD^TM, OPENBSD^TM, etc.), LINUX DISTRIBUTIONS^TM (E.G., RED HAT^TM, UBUNTU^TM, KUBUNTU^TM, etc.), IBM^TM OS/2, MICROSOFT^TM WINDOWS^TM (XP^TM, VISTA^TM/7/8, 10 etc.), APPLE^R IOS^TM, GOOGLE^R ANDROID^TM, BLACKBERRY^R OS, or the like.

In some embodiments, the system 800 may implement a web browser 808 stored program component. The web browser 808 may be a hypertext viewing application, for example MICROSOFT^® INTERNET EXPLORER^TM, GOOGLE^® CHROME^TM, MOZILLA^® FIREFOX^TM, APPLE^® SAFARI^TM, etc. Secure web browsing may be provided using Secure Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTPS), Secure Sockets Layer (SSL), Transport Layer Security (TLS), etc. Web browser 608 may utilize facilities such as AJAX^TM, DHTML^TM, ADOBE^® FLASH^TM, JAVASCRIPT^TM, JAVA^TM, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), etc. In some embodiments, the system 800 may implement a mail server stored program component. The mail server may be an Internet mail server such as Microsoft Exchange, or the like. The mail server may utilize facilities such as ASP^TM, ACTIVEX^TM, ANSI^TM C++/C#, MICROSOFT^®, NETTM, CGI SCRIPTS^TM, JAVA^TM, JAVASCRIPT^TM, PERL^TM, PHP^TM, PYTHON^TM, WEBOBJECTS^TM, etc. The mail server may utilize communication protocols such as Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP), Messaging Application Programming Interface (MAPI), MICROSOFT^® exchange, Post Office Protocol (POP), Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP), or the like. In some embodiments, the system 800 may implement a mail client stored program component. The mail client may be a mail viewing application, such as APPLE^® MAIL^TM, MICROSOFT^® ENTOURAGE^TM, MICROSOFT^® OUTLOOK^TM, MOZILLA^® THUNDERBIRD^TM, etc.

Furthermore, one or more computer-readable storage media may be utilized in implementing embodiments consistent with the present disclosure. A computer-readable storage medium refers to any type of physical memory on which information or data readable by a processor may be stored. Thus, a computer-readable storage medium may store instructions for execution by one or more processors, including instructions for causing the processor(s) to perform steps or stages consistent with the embodiments described herein. The term "computer-readable medium" should be understood to include tangible items and exclude carrier waves and transient signals, i.e., be non-transitory. Examples include Random Access Memory (RAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), volatile memory, non-volatile memory, hard drives, CD ROMs, DVDs, flash drives, disks, and any other known physical storage media.

The present invention improves user experience with a reduced number of data stalls experienced and helps in achieving faster uplink data request servicing.

The present invention improves Key Performance Indicators (KPI) based on the UCI decoding success rate which is enhanced at the gNB leading to improvement in uplink and downlink throughput.

An embodiment of the present invention improves gNB processing with reduced RRC signalling overhead and random-access overhead.

The described operations may be implemented as a method, system or article of manufacture using standard programming and/or engineering techniques to produce software, firmware, hardware, or any combination thereof.　 The described operations may be implemented as code maintained in a "non-transitory computer readable medium", where a processor may read and execute the code from the computer readable medium. The processor is at least one of a microprocessor and a processor capable of processing and executing the queries. A non-transitory computer readable medium may include media such as magnetic storage medium (e.g., hard disk drives, floppy disks, tape, etc.), optical storage (CD-ROMs, DVDs, optical disks, etc.), volatile and non-volatile memory devices (e.g., EEPROMs, ROMs, PROMs, RAMs, DRAMs, SRAMs, Flash Memory, firmware, programmable logic, etc.), etc.　 Further, non-transitory computer-readable media include all computer-readable media except for a transitory. The code implementing the described operations may further be implemented in hardware logic (e.g., an integrated circuit chip, Programmable Gate Array (PGA), Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), etc.).　

Still further, the code implementing the described operations may be implemented in "transmission signals", where transmission signals may propagate through space or through a transmission media, such as, an optical fiber, copper wire, etc. The transmission signals in which the code or logic is encoded may further include a wireless signal, satellite transmission, radio waves, infrared signals, Bluetooth, etc. The transmission signals in which the code or logic is encoded is capable of being transmitted by a transmitting station and received by a receiving station, where the code or logic encoded in the transmission signal may be decoded and stored in hardware or a non-transitory computer readable medium at the receiving and transmitting stations or devices. An "article of manufacture" includes non-transitory computer readable medium, hardware logic, and/or transmission signals in which code may be implemented.　 A device in which the code implementing the described embodiments of operations is encoded may include a computer readable medium or hardware logic. Of course, those skilled in the art will recognize that many modifications may be made to this configuration without departing from the scope of the invention, and that the article of manufacture may include suitable information bearing medium known in the art.

The terms "an embodiment", "embodiment", "embodiments", "the embodiment", "the embodiments", "one or more embodiments", "some embodiments", and "one embodiment" mean "one or more (but not all) embodiments of the invention(s)" unless expressly specified otherwise.

The terms "including", "comprising", "having"and variations thereof mean "including but not limited to", unless expressly specified otherwise.

The enumerated listing of items does not imply that any or all of the items are mutually exclusive, unless expressly specified otherwise.

The terms "a", "an"and "the" mean "one or more", unless expressly specified otherwise.

A description of an embodiment with several components in communication with each other does not imply that all such components are required. On the contrary, a variety of optional components are described to illustrate the wide variety of possible embodiments of the invention.

When a single device or article is described herein, it will be readily apparent that more than one device/article (whether or not they cooperate) may be used in place of a single device/article. Similarly, where more than one device or article is described herein (whether or not they cooperate), it will be readily apparent that a single device/article may be used in place of the more than one device or article or a different number of devices/articles may be used instead of the shown number of devices or programs. The functionality and/or the features of a device may be alternatively embodied by one or more other devices which are not explicitly described as having such functionality/features. Thus, other embodiments of the invention need not include the device itself.　

The illustrated operations of FIG.6 show certain events occurring in a certain order.　 In alternative embodiments, certain operations may be performed in a different order, modified, or removed. Moreover, steps may be added to the above-described logic and still conform to the described embodiments. Further, operations described herein may occur sequentially or certain operations may be processed in parallel.　 Yet further, operations may be performed by a single processing unit or by distributed processing units.　

Finally, the language used in the specification has been principally selected for readability and instructional purposes, and it may not have been selected to delineate or circumscribe the inventive subject matter. It is therefore intended that the scope of the invention be limited not by this detailed description, but rather by any claims that issue on an application based here on. Accordingly, the disclosure of the embodiments of the invention is intended to be illustrative, but not limiting, of the scope of the invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

While various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.

Claims (15)

1. A method of improving Uplink Channel Information (UCI) decoding in communication network, the method comprising:

   configuring, by a resource management system, at least one of a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) resource from a plurality of HARQ resources for a User Equipment;

   identifying, by the resource management system, decoding performance of each of the configured HARQ resources; and

   selecting, by the resource management system, one of a HARQ resource from the configured HARQ resources for UCI decoding based on a predefined parameter.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the predefined parameter comprises a high decoding rate.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource management system resides either in a Base station (BS) or outside to the BS.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein the decoding performance of the configured HARQ resources is determined by monitoring the performance of the respective resource for predefined number of previous decoding cycles.
5. The method of claim 1 further comprising enabling to select one of the plurality of HARQ resources at random regularly, wherein the one of the plurality of HARQ resources are selected in a random fashion in order to select an ideal HARQ resource for the UCI decoding.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the random selection of the one of the plurality of HARQ resources is enabled when difference of current time and previous time of random selection is greater than a predefined random timer.
7. The method of claim 5, wherein the random selection of the one of the plurality of HARQ resources is disabled and switched back to selection of HARQ using decoding performance based on variance of the decoding performance.
8. The method of claim 1 further comprising updating a downlink scheduler of the network with outcome of identified decoding performance of configured HARQ resources at periodic intervals.
9. The method of claim 1, wherein improving Uplink Channel Information (UCI) decoding in communication network further comprising:

   operating UCI multiplexing at the UE, wherein the operating the UCI multiplexing comprises one of enabling or disabling the UCI multiplexing based on UCI decoding performance at the network for a predefined time period.
10. The method of claim 1, wherein improving Uplink Channel Information (UCI) decoding in communication network further comprising:

    selecting an optimal set of Cyclic Shift index (CSI) and Orthogonal Cover Coding (OCC) index parameters:

    obtaining the decoding performance associated with each combination of CSI and OCC index;

    periodically transmitting the decoding performance associated with each combination of CSI and OCC to one of the components of the network for improving selection of channel resources.
11. A resource management system for improving Uplink Channel Information (UCI) decoding in communication network, comprising:

    a processor; and

    a memory, communicatively coupled to the processor, wherein the memory stores processor-executable instructions, which on execution, cause the processor to:

    configure at least one of a Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) resource from a plurality of HARQ resources for a User Equipment;

    identify decoding performance of each of the configured HARQ resources; and

    selecting one of the HARQ resource from the configured HARQ resources for UCI decoding based on a predefined parameter.
12. The resource management system of claim 11, wherein the predefined parameter comprises a high decoding rate, and

    wherein the processor determines the decoding performance of the configured HARQ resources by monitoring the performance of the respective resource for predefined number of previous decoding cycles.
13. The resource management system of claim 11, wherein the processor enables to select one of the plurality of HARQ resources at random regularly, wherein the one of the plurality of HARQ resources are selected in a random fashion in order to select an ideal HARQ resource for the UCI decoding,

    wherein the processor enables the random selection of the one of the plurality of HARQ resources when difference of current time and previous time of random selection is greater than a predefined random timer, and

    wherein the processor disables the random selection of the one of the plurality of HARQ resources and switches back to selection of HARQ using decoding performance based on variance of the decoding performance.
14. The resource management system of claim 11, wherein the processor updates a downlink scheduler of the network with outcome of identified decoding performance of configured HARQ resources at periodic intervals, and

    wherein the processor further improves the Uplink Channel Information (UCI) decoding in communication network by operating UCI multiplexing at the UE, wherein the operating the UCI multiplexing comprises one of enabling or disabling the UCI multiplexing based on UCI decoding performance at the network for a predefined time period.
15. The resource management system of claim 11, wherein the processor further improves the Uplink Channel Information (UCI) decoding in communication network by:

    selecting an optimal set of Cyclic Shift index (CSI) and Orthogonal Cover Coding (OCC) index parameters;

    obtaining the decoding performance associated with each combination of CSI and OCC index; and

    periodically transmitting the decoding performance associated with each combination of CSI and OCC to one of the components of the network for improving selection of channel resources.

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