How 5G Networks Use Different Speeds for Device Communication
Ericsson's patent describes how 5G wireless networks can tell a device how to talk back, and then send data to that device using two different 'speeds' or channel widths at the same time, making communication more flexible.
Patent Number
US 12021609
Status
Active
Filing Date
January 5, 2023
Grant Date
June 25, 2024
Expiration
January 5, 2043
Claims
21
Assignee
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson AB
Inventors
Stefan Parkvall, Janne Peisa, Gunnar Mildh, Robert Baldemair, Stefan Wager, Jonas Kronander, Karl Werner, Richard Abrahamsson, Ismet AKTAS, Peter Alriksson, Junaid Ansari, Shehzad Ali ASHRAF, Henrik Asplund, Fredrik Athley, Håkan Axelsson, Joakim Axmon, Johan Axnäs, Kumar Balachandran, Gunnar Bark, Jan-Erik Berg, Andreas Bergström, Håkan Björkegren, Nadia Brahmi, Cagatay Capar, Anders Carlsson, Andreas Cedergren, Mikael Coldrey, Icaro L. J. da Silva, Erik Dahlman, Ali EL ESSAILI, Ulrika Engström, Mårten Ericson, Erik Eriksson, Mikael Fallgren, Rui Fan, Gabor Fodor, Pål Frenger, Jonas Fridén, Jonas Fröberg Olsson, Anders Furuskär, Johan Furuskog, Virgile GARCIA, Ather Gattami, Fredrik Gunnarsson, Ulf Gustavsson, Bo Hagerman, Fredrik Harrysson, Ning He, Martin Hessler, Kimmo Hiltunen, Songnam HONG, Dennis Hui, Jörg Huschke, Tim Irnich, Sven Jacobsson, Niklas JALDÉN, Simon Järmyr, Zhiyuan Jiang, Martin Johansson, Niklas Johansson, Du Ho Kang, Eleftherios Karipidis, Patrik Karlsson, Ali S. Khayrallah, Caner Kilinc, Göran N. Klang, Sara Landström, Christina Larsson, Gen LI, Lars Lindbom, Robert Lindgren, Bengt Lindoff, Fredrik Lindqvist, Jinhua Liu, Thorsten Lohmar, Qianxi Lu, Lars Manholm, Ivana Maric, Jonas Medbo, Qingyu Miao, Reza Moosavi, Walter Müller, Elena Myhre, Karl Norrman, Bengt-Erik Olsson, Torgny Palenius, Sven Petersson, Jose Luis Pradas, Mikael Prytz, Olav Queseth, Pradeepa Ramachandra, Edgar Ramos, Andres Reial, Thomas Rimhagen, Emil RINGH, Patrik Rugeland, Johan Rune, Joachim Sachs, Henrik Sahlin, Vidit Saxena, Nima SEIFI, Yngve SELÉN, Eliane Semaan, Sachin Sharma, Cong Shi, Johan Sköld, Magnus Stattin, Anders Stjernman, Dennis Sundman, Lars Sundström, Miurel Isabel Tercero Vargas, Claes Tidestav, Sibel Tombaz, Johan Torsner, Hugo Tullberg, Jari VIKBERG, Peter von Wrycza, Thomas Walldeen, Pontus Wallentin, Hai Wang, Ke Wang Helmersson, Jianfeng Wang, Yi-Pin Eric Wang, Niclas Wiberg, Emma Wittenmark, Osman Nuri Can Yilmaz, Ali Zaidi, Zhan Zhang, Zhang Zhang, Yanli Zheng
Citations
4 forward · 156 backward
What it covers
This patent describes a method for wireless communication in 5G networks. From the network's side (a radio network node), it first receives a message from a user equipment (UE), like a smartphone, using a specific 'uplink access configuration' that the network previously told the UE to use (Claim 1). After that, the network sends two different data transmissions to the UE. These transmissions use Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) but have different 'subcarrier spacings' (Claim 1). This means the network can send different types of data, or data to different parts of the device, using different underlying transmission settings simultaneously. For example, a network might send high-priority control information with one subcarrier spacing and regular user data with another, more efficient subcarrier spacing.
What it doesn't cover
- —Does not cover wireless communication systems where all data transmissions use the exact same subcarrier spacing.
- —Does not cover systems where the network does not first provide an 'uplink access configuration index' to the user equipment.
- —Does not cover communication methods that do not use Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM).
- —Does not cover systems where different data transmissions with different subcarrier spacings are processed by the same Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol layer.
- —Does not cover systems where a single, common Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol layer is not used to manage messages from different MAC layers.
The clever bit
The clever part is enabling a wireless network to dynamically manage how a device talks back (uplink access configuration) and then simultaneously send data to that device using different fundamental transmission 'speeds' or channel widths (differing subcarrier spacings). This allows for a highly adaptable and efficient use of the radio spectrum, tailoring the communication method to the specific data being sent.
Why it matters
This patent is significant for the flexibility and efficiency of 5G wireless networks. By allowing different subcarrier spacings (often called 'numerologies') to be used concurrently for different types of data, networks can better adapt to varying service requirements, device capabilities, and radio conditions. This capability is crucial for supporting the diverse applications of 5G, from high-speed mobile broadband to low-latency industrial automation and massive IoT deployments.
Real-world examples
- 1.5G New Radio (NR) networks
- 2.Modern smartphones connecting to 5G
- 3.IoT devices using 5G for diverse communication needs
- 4.Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) deployments using 5G
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US 12021609 · 2026