Systems and methods for srs transmission

Abstract

Described herein is an apparatus of a user equipment (UE). The apparatus includes a radio frequency (RF) interface; and one or more processors configured to: decode, via the RF interface, a message indicating a configuration of sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission parameters, the SRS transmission parameters comprising a SRS duration in an uplink subframe, a number of SRS repetitions, a number of SRS antenna switches, a guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, and a guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching; determine, from the SRS transmission parameters, a number of frequency hops that can be accommodated; and encode, for transmission via the RF interface, the SRS in accordance with the determined number of frequency hops. Other embodiments can be described and claimed.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Various embodiments herein relate generally to the field of wireless communications, and more particularly, to systems and methods for sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission. BACKGROUND

[0002] Mobile communications have evolved significantly from early voice systems to today's highly sophisticated integrated communication platforms. The next generation wireless communication system, 5G (or New Radio (NR)), will enable users and applications to access information and share data anytime and anywhere. NR is expected to be a unified network / system that aims to meet vastly different and sometimes conflicting performance dimensions and services. These different multi-dimensional requirements are driven by different services and applications. In general, NR will evolve based on 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) LTE (Long Term Evolution)-Advanced, with potential new radio access technologies (RATs) added to enrich people's lives with better, simpler, and seamless wireless connectivity solutions. NR will connect everything through wireless and provide fast, rich content and services. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0003] The features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description, drawings, and claims below, detailed description and drawings included herewith, and wherein: Figure One Features of the present disclosure are illustrated by way of example, and in which:

[0004] Figure 1 is an illustration of additional sounding reference signal (SRS) symbols in a normal uplink (UL) subframe, according to some embodiments.

[0005] Figure 2 is an illustration of a first example of SRS transmission pattern, according to an embodiment.

[0006] Figure 3 is an illustration of a second example of SRS transmission pattern, according to an embodiment.

[0007] Figure 4 is an illustration of a third example of SRS transmission pattern, according to an embodiment.

[0008] Figure 5 An example method of transmitting a sounding reference signal (SRS) is shown, according to some embodiments.

[0009] Figure 6 An example method of receiving a sounding reference signal (SRS) is shown, according to some embodiments.

[0010] Figure 7 An example architecture of a system of a network is shown, according to various embodiments.

[0011] Figure 8 An example of an infrastructure equipment, in accordance with various embodiments, is shown.

[0012] Figure 9 An example of a platform (or “device”), in accordance with various embodiments, is shown.

[0013] Figure 10 Example components of a baseband circuitry and radio-frequency front module (RFEM), in accordance with various embodiments, are shown.

[0014] Figure 11 Various protocol functions that can be implemented in a wireless communication device, in accordance with various embodiments, are shown.

[0015] Figure 12 is a block diagram showing components that can read instructions from a machine- or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein, in accordance with some example embodiments.

[0016] Reference will now be made to the illustrated exemplary embodiments, and specific language will be used herein to describe them. It will, however, be understood that no limitation of the scope of the technology is intended by this specific language. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0017] The following detailed description references the drawings. Like numerals can be used to refer to like or similar elements throughout the several views. In the following description, for purposes of explanation and not limitation, specific details are set forth such as particular structures, architectures, interfaces, techniques, etc. in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various aspects of the claimed embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the present disclosure that the various aspects of the claimed embodiments can be practiced in other examples that depart from these specific details. In certain instances, descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure with unnecessary detail.

[0018] Various aspects of the illustrative embodiments will be described using terminology commonly employed by those skilled in the art and having a basic understanding of the technology. However, it is expected that persons skilled in the art, in view of the present disclosure, can practice alternative embodiments using some of the aspects described. For purposes of explanation and not limitation, specific details are set forth, such as particular architectures, interfaces, techniques, etc. in order to provide a thorough understanding of the illustrative embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the present disclosure that the alternative embodiments can be practiced without some of the specific details. In other instances, well-known features are omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the illustrative embodiments.

[0019] Moreover, various operations will be described as multiple discrete operations, in turn, in a manner that is most helpful in understanding the illustrative embodiments. However, the order of description should not be construed as to imply that these operations are necessarily order dependent. In particular, these operations need not be performed in the order of presentation.

[0020] The phrase “in various embodiments,” “in some embodiments,” and the like can be used repeatedly. This phrase generally does not refer to the same embodiments; however, it can. The terms “comprising,” “having,” and “including” are synonymous, unless the context dictates otherwise. The phrase “A or B” means (A), (B), or (A and B).

[0021] Example embodiments can be described as a process that is depicted as a flowchart, flow diagram, data flow diagram, structure diagram, or block diagram. Although a flowchart can describe operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallel, concurrently, or in some cases in a different order than that shown. In addition, the order of the operations can be re- arranged. A process can be terminated when its operations are completed, but could also occur under some other condition or event. Processes might correspond in part to method steps, a function call, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination can correspond to a return of the function to the calling function and / or the main function.

[0022] As used herein, the term “processor” refers to, is part of, or includes, circuitry capable of sequentially and automatically processing arithmetic or logical operations; recording, storing, and / or communicating digital data. The term “processor” can refer to one or more application processors, one or more baseband processors, a physical central processing unit (CPU), a single-core processor, a dual-core processor, a triple-core processor, a quad-core processor, and / or any other device capable of executing or otherwise operating computer-executable instructions (e.g., program code, software modules, and / or function processes). As used herein, the term “interface” refers to, is part of, or includes, circuitry that provides for the exchange of information between two or more components or devices. The term “interface” can refer to one or more hardware interfaces (e.g., a bus, an input / output (I / O) interface, a peripheral component interface, etc.).

[0023] In LTE systems, a sounding reference signal (SRS) is a reference signal transmitted by a UE in the uplink (UL) direction, which can be used by a base station to estimate the uplink channel quality. The base station can use the uplink channel quality for uplink frequency-selective scheduling. In addition, the base station can use the SRS for uplink timing estimation as part of a timing alignment procedure. For example, when no physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) or physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmission occurs in the uplink for an extended period of time, the base station can use the SRS, in which case the base station can rely on the SRS for uplink timing estimation. In systems with unpaired spectrum (e.g., supporting downlink (DL) and UL time division duplex (TDD) multiplexing), the SRS can also be used to assist precoding computation for DL transmission. In particular, with sufficient accuracy to satisfy channel reciprocity, the DL channel can be inferred from the UL channel based on SRS measurements. In this case, the eNB can use the channel estimated from SRS to compute the desired precoding.

[0024] Rel-16 LTE can support additional SRS in normal UL subframes to increase SRS capacity and coverage. SRS capacity can be increased by allowing more flexible SRS transmission within the UL normal subframe. Unlike the basic SRS which supports periodic transmission or aperiodic transmission, the additional SRS can only support aperiodic transmission. The actual symbols allocated for additional SRS transmission can be determined based on two parameters: SRS starting symbol and SRS duration.

[0025] Figure 1 is an illustration of additional sounding reference signal (SRS) symbols in a normal UL subframe according to some embodiments. As shown in Figure 1 The resources allocated for SRS transmission can start at symbol 9 with a duration of 4 symbols.

[0026] The OFDM symbols configured for SRS transmission in the uplink subframe can be used for SRS repetition, SRS frequency hopping, antenna switching (or, also referred to as antenna selection herein), or a combination thereof. If the additional SRS is configured with SRS antenna selection, repetition, and frequency hopping, the SRS transmission can be performed in the order of repetition first, SRS frequency hopping second, and antenna switching third. In some cases, to accommodate the transient period associated with RF retuning for antenna switching and frequency hopping, the UE can be configured with corresponding guard symbols.

[0027] It should be noted that the number of repetitions, the number of frequency hops, and the guard interval are limited by the total number of symbols allocated for the additional SRS configured by the SRS duration parameter. The above constraints can be used to determine one of the SRS transmission parameters, such as the number of SRS frequency hops.

[0028] However, the current formula N = R × N discussed in 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 36.211Rel-16 AS ×N FH +(N AS –1)×G AS +(N FH –1)×G FH When frequency hopping is configured simultaneously with antenna selection and repetition, it cannot be used to determine the number of frequency hopping operations. Here, N represents the number of additional SRS symbols configured, and R represents the number of SRS repetitions. AS N represents the number of SRS antenna switches. FH G represents the number of SRS frequency hopping frequencies. AS Indicates the gap configuration (i.e., protection symbol configuration) used for antenna switching, G FH This indicates the gap configuration used for SRS frequency hopping.

[0029] This disclosure proposes a method for handling the number of additional SRS symbols N, the number of repetitions R, and the number of SRS antenna switches N in a given configuration. AS Gap configuration for SRS frequency hopping G FH and the gap configuration G for antenna switching AS In the case of calculating the number N of SRS frequency hopping FH The method.

[0030] Specifically, the described embodiments are used to determine the number of frequency hopping operations while considering the following parameters: the total SRS duration configuration N = {1,2,…,13}, the number of SRS repetitions R = {1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9,12,13}, and the number of antenna selections N. AS ={2,3,4}, Configuration of protection symbols for SRS antenna selection G AS ={0,1} and the configuration G of the protection symbols for SRS frequency hopping FH ={0,1}. In the example, G AS =1 can indicate that antenna switching requires a protection symbol, while G AS =0 indicates that antenna switching does not require a guard symbol. In the example, G FH =1 indicates that frequency hopping requires a protection symbol, while G FH =0 indicates that frequency hopping does not require a guard symbol. The proposed formula takes into account the order of SRS transmission with respect to repetition, frequency hopping, and antenna switching.

[0031] In one embodiment, frequency hopping and antenna selection can be configured simultaneously. In this case, the number of guard periods required for frequency hopping for each antenna can be equal to N. FH- 1. So, the total number of guard periods over all antenna switches can be equal to (N FH - 1) x N AS . Considering that the actual number of SRS transmissions can be R x N AS x N FH , the total number of symbols that can accommodate such SRS configuration can be given by N = R x N AS x N FH + (N AS - 1) x G AS + (N FH - 1) x N AS x G FH . For example, for the case that guard period G FH = 1 is allocated for frequency hopping and no guard period G AS = 0 is allocated for antenna selection, a total number N = 10 symbols can be needed to support N FH = 3 and N AS = 2, e.g., N = 1 x 2 x 3 + (2 - 1) x 0 + (3 - 1) x 2 x 1 = 10. The SRS transmission pattern for the above example is shown in Figure 2 . In the example shown in Figure 2 , there are two antenna ports (as indicated by “first port” and “second port”) and three subbands (as indicated by “SB”). The gray squares represent gaps, and the patterned squares represent SRS transmissions from the corresponding antenna. As can be seen from Figure 2 , SRS is transmitted from the first port at symbol 1 in subband 1, at symbol 3 in subband 3, and at symbol 5 in subband 2, with gaps for frequency hopping at symbols 2 and 4. Similarly, SRS is transmitted from the second port at symbol 6 in subband 1, at symbol 8 in subband 3, and at symbol 10 in subband 2, with gaps for frequency hopping at symbols 7 and 9. There is no gap for antenna switching.

[0032] Table 1 is provided below, which summarizes the supported N values for different SRS parameters according to this embodiment.

[0033] Table 1

[0034] G AS ]]> 0 1 0 1 G HF ]]> 0 0 1 1 R <![CDATA[N AS ]]> <![CDATA[N FH ]]> 1 2 1 2 3 2 3 1 2 2 4 5 6 7 1 2 3 6 7 10 11 1 2 4 8 9 1 2 5 10 11 1 2 6 12 13 1 3 1 3 5 3 5 1 3 2 6 8 9 11 1 3 3 9 11 15 1 3 4 12 21 1 4 1 4 7 4 7 1 4 2 8 11 12 1 4 3 12 2 2 1 4 5 4 5 2 2 2 8 9 10 11 2 2 3 12 13 2 3 1 6 8 6 8 2 3 2 12 2 4 1 8 11 8 11 3 2 1 6 7 6 7 3 2 2 12 13 3 3 1 9 11 9 11 3 4 1 12 12 4 2 1 8 9 8 9 4 3 1 12 14 12

[0035] In another embodiment, considering that frequency hopping should still be performed during antenna switching due to the use of different frequency subbands, the total number of guard symbols can be equal to (N FH = 1, and regardless of whether a gap for antenna switching is configured (e.g., G AS = {0, 1}). FH x N AS–1). In this case, the total number of SRS symbols required to accommodate SRS transmission in this configuration can be determined by N = R × N. AS ×N FH +(N FH ×N AS –1)×G FH Given. For example, for a protection period G allocated for frequency hopping. FH In the case where G = 1, for any G AS ={0,1}, may require a total of N = 11 symbols to support N FH =3 and N AS =2, for example, N = 1 × 2 × 3 + (3 × 2 – 1) × 1 = 11. In Figure 3 The SRS transmission pattern used in the above example is shown in the diagram. Figure 3 In the example shown, there are two antenna ports (as indicated by "Port 1" and "Port 2") and three sub-bands (as indicated by "SB"). Gray squares represent gaps, and patterned squares represent SRS transmissions from the corresponding antennas. Figure 3 It can be seen that SRS is transmitted from the first port at symbol 1 in subband 1, symbol 3 in subband 3, and symbol 5 in subband 2, with intervals for frequency hopping at symbols 2 and 4. Similarly, SRS is transmitted from the second port at symbol 7 in subband 1, symbol 9 in subband 3, and symbol 11 in subband 2, with intervals for frequency hopping at symbols 8 and 10. There is an interval for antenna switching at symbol 6.

[0036] In this embodiment, when protection symbols for frequency hopping are not required, for example, G... FH =0, the number of protection symbols required can be equal to (N) AS –1)×G AS In this case, the total number of SRS symbols required to accommodate SRS transmission in this configuration can be determined by N = R × N. AS ×N FH +(N AS –1)×G AS Given. For example, for frequency hopping without assigning a protection period G. FH =0 and a protection period G was allocated for the antenna selection. AS In the case where N = 1, a total of N = 7 symbols may be needed to support N. FH =3 and N AS 2. For example, N = 1 × 2 × 3 + (2 – 1) × 1 = 7. In Figure 4 The SRS transmission pattern of the example above is shown in the diagram. Figure 4In the example shown, there are two antenna ports (as indicated by "Port 1" and "Port 2") and three sub-bands (as indicated by "SB"). Gray squares represent gaps, and patterned squares represent SRS transmissions from the corresponding antennas. Figure 4 It can be seen that SRS transmissions from the first port at symbol 1 in subband 1, symbol 2 in subband 3, and symbol 3 in subband 2 do not have a gap for frequency hopping. Similarly, SRS transmissions from the second port at symbol 5 in subband 1, symbol 6 in subband 3, and symbol 7 in subband 2 do not have a gap for frequency hopping. There is a gap for antenna switching at symbol 4.

[0037] Table 2 is provided below, which summarizes the N values ​​supported for different SRS parameters according to this embodiment:

[0038] Table 2

[0039] G AS ]] 0 1 0 1 G HF ]]> 0 0 1 1 R <![CDATA[N AS ]]> <![CDATA[N FH ]]> 1 2 1 2 3 3 3 1 2 2 4 5 7 7 1 2 3 6 7 11 11 1 2 4 8 9 1 2 5 10 11 1 2 6 12 13 1 3 1 3 5 5 1 3 2 6 8 11 11 1 3 3 9 11 17 1 3 4 12 23 1 4 1 4 7 7 7 1 4 2 8 11 1 4 3 12 2 2 1 4 5 5 5 2 2 2 8 9 11 11 2 2 3 12 13 2 3 1 6 8 8 8 2 3 2 12 2 4 1 8 11 11 11 3 2 1 6 7 7 7 3 2 2 12 13 3 3 1 9 11 11 11 3 4 1 12 4 2 1 8 9 9 9 4 3 1 12

[0040] It can be concluded that the common expression N = RN can be used. AS N FH +(N AS -1)G AS +(N FH -1)N AS G FH +(N AS -1)(1-G AS )G FH (It provides the same results as Table 2) to represent the use of G FH =1 and G FH The above expression equals 0.

[0041] The above formulas / tables can be used to configure additional SRS parameters (e.g., the number of additional SRS symbols N, the number of repetitions R, the number of SRS antenna switches N). AS Gap configuration for SRS frequency hopping G FH and the gap configuration G for antenna switching AS In the case of ), the number of frequency hopping frequencies N is derived. FH .

[0042] Figure 5 An example method 500 for transmitting a probe reference signal (SRS) according to some embodiments is shown. Method 500 can be performed by a user equipment (UE) or a portion thereof.

[0043] like Figure 5As shown, the method 500 can begin at block 502 by decoding a message received from an evolved NodeB (eNB) indicating a configuration of sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission parameters, the SRS transmission parameters including a SRS duration in an uplink subframe, a number of SRS repetitions, a number of SRS antenna switches, a guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, and a guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching. The method 500 can continue at block 504 by determining a number of frequency hops that can be accommodated according to the SRS transmission parameters. The method 500 can also include, at block 506, encoding the SRS for transmission according to the determined number of frequency hops.

[0044] Figure 6 An example method 600 of receiving a sounding reference signal (SRS) is shown, in accordance with some embodiments. The method 600 can be performed by an evolved NodeB (eNB) or a portion thereof.

[0045] As Figure 6 shown, the method 600 can begin at block 602 by determining a configuration of sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission parameters, the SRS transmission parameters including a SRS duration in an uplink subframe, a number of SRS repetitions, a number of SRS antenna switches, a guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, and a guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching. The method 600 can continue at block 604 by determining a number of frequency hops that can be accommodated according to the SRS transmission parameters. The method 600 can also include, at block 606, decoding the SRS received from a user equipment (UE) according to the determined number of frequency hops.

[0046] Figure 7 An example architecture of a system 700 of a network is shown, in accordance with various embodiments. The following description is provided for an example system 700 operating in connection with the 5G or NR system standards provided in conjunction with the LTE system standards and 3GPP technical specifications. However, example embodiments are not so limited, and the described embodiments can be applicable to other networks that benefit from the principles described herein, such as future 3GPP systems (e.g., sixth generation (6G) systems), IEEE 802.16 protocols (e.g., WMAN, WiMAX, etc.), and the like.

[0047] As Figure 7As shown, the system 700 includes UE 701a and UE 701b (collectively referred to as “UEs 701”) in communication with an eNodeB 713 (also referred to as “base station 713”) of a RAN 710. The UEs 701, as shown, are illustrated as smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices connectable to one or more cellular networks), but can also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device, e.g., consumer electronics devices, cellular telephones, smartphones, feature phones, tablet computers, wearable computer devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), pagers, wireless handsets, desktop computers, laptop computers, in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), in-car entertainment (ICE) devices, instrument cluster (IC), head-up display (HUD) devices, onboard diagnostic (OBD) devices, dashboard mobile devices (DME), mobile data terminals (MDTs), electronic engine management systems (EEMS), electronic / engine control units (ECUs), electronic / engine control modules (ECMs), embedded systems, microcontrollers, control modules, engine management systems (EMS), networked or “smart” appliances, MTC devices, M2M, IoT devices, etc.

[0048] In some embodiments, any of the UEs 701 can be IoT UEs, which can include a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications utilizing short-lived UE connections. An IoT UE can utilize technologies such as M2M or MTC for exchanging data with an MTC server or device via a PLMN, ProSe or D2D communication, sensor networks, or IoT networks. The M2M or MTC exchange of data can be a machine-initiated data exchange

[0049] The UEs 701 can be configured to connect (e.g., communicatively couple) with a RAN 710. In embodiments, the RAN 710 can be an NG RAN or a 5G RAN, an E-UTRAN, or a legacy RAN (e.g., UTRAN or GERAN). As used herein, the term “NG RAN” or similar can refer to a RAN 710 that operates in an NR or 5G system 700, and the term “E-UTRAN” or similar can refer to a RAN 710 that operates in an LTE or 4G system 700. The UEs 701 utilize connections (or channels) 703 and 704, respectively, to communicate with the RAN 710. The connections 703 and 704 can include a physical communications interface or layer, as further discussed below.

[0050] In this example, connections 703 and 704 are illustrated as air interfaces of wireless communication, and can be implemented using any suitable wireless communication technology including, but not limited to, GSM, CDMA, PTT, POC, UMTS, 3GPP LTE, 5G, NR, etc. In embodiments where UE 701 is configured to connect directly with another UE, for example, connection 704 can be replaced with a direct connection between UEs 701a and 701b. In various embodiments, the UEs 701 can implement a LTE / LTE-A communication protocol, a 5G / NR communication protocol, and / or any of the other communication protocols described herein.

[0051] UE 701b is illustrated as being configured to access an AP 706 (also referred to as“WLAN node 706,”“WLAN 706,”“WLAN Termination 706,”“WT 706” or the like) via connection 707. Connection 707 can comprise a local wireless connection, for example, a connection consistent with any release of the IEEE 802.11 standard, Bluetooth®connection, etc. The AP 706 is illustrated as connected to the Internet which can be used to connect to servers, such as a V2X server, on the core network (described in further detail below). In various embodiments, the UE 701b, RAN 710 and AP 706 can be configured to utilize LWA operation and / or LWIP operation. LWA operation can involve RAN node 711a-b configuring UEs 701b to utilize radio resources of LTE and WLAN. LWIP operation can involve UEs 701b using WLAN radio resources (e.g., connection 707) via IPsec protocol tunnels to authenticate and encrypt packets (e.g., IP packets) sent over the connection 707.

[0052] The RAN 710 can include one or more AN nodes or RAN nodes 711a and 711b (collectively referred to as“RAN nodes 711”) that implement connectivity between the 5G-EKN and the 5G-AN. As used herein, the terms“access node,”“access point” and the like can describe an appliance that provides the radio link to the network for one or more user. These access nodes can be referred to as BS, gNB, RAN nodes, eNB, NodeB, RSU, TRxP or TRP, etc., and can include ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations providing coverage to a geographic area (e.g., a cell) over a wired backhaul connected to one or more core networks. As used herein, the term“NG RAN node” or the like can refer to a RAN node 711 operating in an NR or 5G system 700 (e.g., gNB), while the term“E-UTRAN node” or the like can refer to a RAN node 711 operating in an LTE or 4G system 700 (e.g., eNB). According to various embodiments, the RAN nodes 711 can be implemented as one or more of dedicated physical devices (e.g., macrocells base stations) and / or low power (LP) base stations for providing femtocells, picocells, or other similar cells with smaller coverage areas, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth than macrocells.

[0053] In some embodiments, all or some of the RAN nodes 711 can be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network, which can be referred to as a CRAN and / or a virtual baseband unit pool (vBBUP). In these embodiments, the CRAN or vBBUP can implement RAN function splitting, such as PDCP splitting, where the RRC layer and PDCP layer are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, while the other L2 protocol entities are operated by the individual RAN nodes 711; MAC / PHY splitting, where the RRC layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, and MAC layer are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, while the PHY layer is operated by the individual RAN nodes 711; or“lower PHY” splitting where the RRC layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, MAC layer, and upper part of the PHY layer are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, while the lower part of the PHY layer is operated by the individual RAN nodes 711. This virtualized framework allows the processor cores of the empty RAN nodes 711 to perform other virtualized applications. In some implementations, a single RAN node 711 can represent multiple Figure 7 gNB-DUs connected to a gNB-CU via individual Fl interfaces (not shown). In these implementations, the gNB-DUs can include one or more remote radio heads or RFEMs (see, e.g., Figure 8), and the gNB-CU can be operated by a server (not shown) located in the RAN 710, or by a pool of servers in a similar manner as the CRAN / vBBUP. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more RAN nodes 711 can be next generation e Bs (ng-e Bs), which are RAN nodes that provide E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol terminations towards the UE 701, and connect via an NG interface to a 5GC (discussed below).

[0054] In V2X scenarios, one or more RAN nodes 711 can be or act as RSUs. The term “Road Side Unit” or “RSU” can refer to any transportation infrastructure entity for V2X communications. An RSU can be implemented in or by a suitable RAN node or a fixed (or relatively fixed) UE, where a UE- implemented RSU can be referred to as “UE-type RSU,” an eNB- implemented RSU can be referred to as “eNB-type RSU,” a gNB- implemented RSU can be referred to as “gNB-type RSU,” and the like. In one example, an RSU is a computing device coupled with radio frequency circuitry located on a roadside that provides connectivity support to passing vehicle UEs 701 (vUEs 701). The RSU can also include internal data storage circuitry for storing geometry of intersection maps, traffic statistics, media, and applications / software for sensing and controlling ongoing vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The RSU can operate on the 5.9 GHz dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) band to provide extremely low latency communications required for high-speed events such as crash avoidance, traffic warnings, and the like. Additionally or alternatively, the RSU can operate on the cellular V2X frequency band to provide the foregoing low latency communications, as well as other cellular communications services. Additionally or alternatively, the RSU can operate as a Wi-Fi hotspot (2.4 GHz band) and / or provide connectivity to one or more cellular networks to provide uplink and downlink communications. The computing device and part or all of the radio frequency circuitry of the RSU can be encapsulated in a weatherproof enclosure suitable for outdoor installation, and can include a network interface controller to provide wired connections (e.g., Ethernet) to a traffic signal controller and / or a backhaul network.

[0055] Any of the RAN nodes 711 can terminate the air interface protocol and can be the first point of contact for a UE 701. In some embodiments, any of the RAN nodes 711 can fulfill various logical functions for the RAN 710 including, but not limited to, RNC functions such as radio network control

[0056] In embodiments, the UEs 701 can be configured to communicate using OFDM communication signals with the RAN nodes 711 over a multicarrier communication channel, which can be an OFDM communication channel, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited to any particular communication technology. The OFDM signals can comprise a plurality of orthogonal subcarriers.

[0057] In some embodiments, a downlink resource grid can be used for downlink transmissions from any of the RAN nodes 711 to the UEs 701, while uplink transmissions can utilize a similar time-frequency grid. The grid can be a time-frequency grid, called a resource grid or time-frequency resource grid, which is the physical resource in the downlink in each slot. For an OFDM system, this is a common practice. The resource grids make it easy to

[0058] According to various embodiments, the UEs 701 and the RAN nodes 711 communicate data (for example, transmit and receive) over a licensed medium (also referred to as “licensed spectrum” and / or “licensed band”) and an unlicensed shared medium (also referred to as “unlicensed spectrum” and / or “unlicensed band”). The licensed spectrum can include channels that operate in a frequency range of approximately 400 MHz to approximately 3.8 GHz, while the unlicensed spectrum can include the 5 GHz band.

[0059] To operate in the unlicensed spectrum, the UEs 701 and the RAN nodes 711 can operate using LAA, eLAA, and / or feLAA mechanisms. In these implementations, the UEs 701 and the RAN nodes 711 can perform one or more known clear channel assessment and / or carrier-sensing operations to determine whether one or more channels in the unlicensed spectrum is unavailable or occupied before the UEs 701 and the RAN nodes 711 transmit in the unlicensed spectrum. The clear channel assessment / carrier-sensing operations can be performed according to a listen-before-talk (LBT) protocol.

[0060] LBT is a mechanism in which a device (e.g., UE 701, RAN node 711, etc.) can listen to the medium (e.g., a channel or carrier frequency) and transmit only when it hears (or sees) that the medium is idle. The medium listening operation can include a CCA, which utilizes at least ED to determine if there are other signals on the channel in order to determine if the channel is occupied or clear. This LBT mechanism allows cellular / LAA networks to coexist with incumbent systems in the unlicensed spectrum, as well as other LAA networks. The ED can include listening to RF energy on the intended transmission band for a period of time and comparing the listened RF energy to a predefined or configured threshold.

[0061] Generally, the incumbent in the 5 GHz band is a WLAN based on IEEE 802.11 technologies. The WLAN employs a contention-based channel access mechanism, known as CSMA / CA. Here, when a WLAN node (e.g., mobile station (MS) (e.g., UE 701, AP 706, etc.)) intends to transmit, the WLAN node can first perform a CCA before transmitting. Furthermore, in cases where more than one WLAN node hears the channel is idle and transmits at the same time, a back-off mechanism is used to avoid collision. The back-off mechanism can be a counter that is drawn randomly within a CWS, which is increased exponentially upon a collision and reset to a minimum value upon successful transmission. The LBT mechanism designed for LAA is somewhat similar to the WLAN’s CSMA / CA. In some implementations, the LBT procedure for DL or UL transmission burst (including PDSCH or PUSCH transmission), respectively, can have an LAA contention window, which length can vary between X and Y ECCA slots, where X and Y are the minimum and maximum values of the CWS for LAA. In one example, the minimum CWS for LAA transmissions can be 9 microseconds (ps); however, the size of the CWS and MCOT (e.g., transmission burst) can be based on government regulatory requirements.

[0062] The LAA mechanism builds on the CA technology of the LTE-Advanced system. In CA, each aggregated carrier is known as a CC. A CC can have a bandwidth of 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, or 20 MHz, and up to five CCs can be aggregated, resulting in a maximum aggregated bandwidth of 100 MHz. In FDD systems, the number of aggregated carriers can be different for DL and UL, where the number of UL CCs is equal to or less than the number of DL component carriers. In some cases, each CC can have a different bandwidth from the other CCs. In TDD systems, the number of CCs and the bandwidth of each CC is typically the same for DL and UL.

[0063] A CA can also include one or more additional CCs operating in the same frequency (intra-band) or a different frequency (inter-band). Each CC can be referred to as a serving cell. A CA can also include one or more SCells. An SCell can be in the downlink and / or uplink. An SCell can be added or removed based on, for example, the channel conditions or load balancing. When a UE is configured with multiple serving cells, the UE can transmit a single scheduled transmission on each serving cell.

[0064] The PDSCH carries user data and higher-layer signaling to the UEs 701. The PDCCH carries information about the transport format and resource allocations related to the PDSCH channel. It can also inform the UEs 701 about the transport format, resource allocation, and HARQ information related to the uplink shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling (assigning control channel resource blocks and shared channel resource blocks to the UEs 701d within a cell) can be performed by any of the RAN nodes 711 based on channel quality indicators (CQIs) received from the UEs 701. The downlink resource assignment information can be sent to a UE 701 on the PDCCH used for (e.g., assigned to) each UE 701.

[0065] The PDCCH uses CCEs to carry control information. Before being mapped to resource elements, the PDCCH complex-valued symbols can first be organized into quadruplets, which can then be permuted using a sub-block interleaver for rate matching. One or more CCEs can be used to send each PDCCH, where each CCE can correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements known as REGs. Four Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) symbols can be mapped to each REG. Depending on the size of the DCI and the channel condition, one or two or four or more CCEs can be used to send the PDCCH. The four or more different PDCCH formats can be defined for LTE with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation level, L=1, 2, 4, or 8).

[0066] Some embodiments can use concepts from the above-described concepts as an extension. For example, some embodiments can utilize an EPDCCH for control channel information transmission using PDSCH resources. The EPDCCH can be transmitted using one or more ECCEs. Similar to above, each ECCE can correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements known as EREGs. In some cases, an ECCE can have other numbers of EREGs.

[0067] The RAN nodes 711 can be configured to communicate with one another via an interface 712. In embodiments where the system 700 is an LTE system (e.g., when the CN 720 is an EPC), the interface 712 can be an X2 interface 712. The X2 interface can be defined between two or more RAN nodes 711 connected to the EPC 720, for example, two or more eNBs, and / or between two eNBs connected to the EPC 720. The X2 interface can include an X2 user plane interface (X2-U) and an X2 control plane interface (X2-C). The X2-U can provide flow control mechanisms for user data packets transferred over the X2 interface, and can be used to communicate information about the transfer of user data between eNBs. For example, the X2-U can provide specific sequence number information for user data transferred from a MeNB to an SeNB; information about successfully in-sequence delivery of PDCP PDUs to a UE 701 from an SeNB for user data; information of PDCP PDUs that have not been delivered in-sequence to the UE 701; information about a current minimum desired buffer size at the SeNB for sending user data to the UE; or the like. The X2-C can provide intra-LTE access mobility functionality, including context transfer from source to target eNBs, user plane transport control, etc.; load management functionality; and inter-cell interference coordination functionality.

[0068] In embodiments where the system 700 is a 5G or NR system (e.g., when CN 720 is a 5GC), the interface 712 can be an Xn interface 712. The Xn interface is defined between two or more RAN nodes 711 connected to a 5GC 720 (e.g., two or more eNBs), between a RAN node 711 (e.g., gNB) and an eNB connected to the 5GC 720, and / or between two eNBs connected to the 5GC 720. In some implementations, the Xn interface can include an Xn user plane (Xn-U) interface and an Xn control plane (Xn-C) interface. The Xn-U can provide non-guaranteed delivery of user plane PDUs and support / provide data forwarding and flow control functionality. The Xn-C can provide management and error handling functionality, functionality to manage the Xn-C interface; mobility support for a UE 701 in a connected mode (e.g., CM-CONNECTED) including functionality to manage the connected mode UE mobility between one or more RAN nodes 711. The mobility support can include a context transfer from an old (source) serving RAN node 711 to new (target) serving RAN node 711; and control of user plane tunnel between the old (source) serving RAN node 711 and the new (target) serving RAN node 711. The Xn-U protocol stack can include a transport network layer built on Internet Protocol (IP) transport layer and a GTP-U layer on top of UDP and / or IP layer to carry user plane PDUs. The Xn-C protocol stack can include an application layer signaling protocol (referred to as Xn Application Protocol (Xn-AP)) and a transport network layer built on SCTP. The SCTP can be on top of IP layer and can provide guaranteed delivery of application layer messages. In the transport IP layer, point-to-point transmission is used to deliver the signaling PDUs. In other implementations, the Xn-U protocol stack and / or the Xn-C protocol stack can be the same as or similar to the user plane and / or control plane protocol stacks illustrated and described herein.

[0069] The RAN 710 is shown to be communicatively coupled to a core network, in this embodiment, core network (CN) 720. The CN 720 can comprise a plurality of network elements 722, which are configured to provide various data and telecommunications services to customers / subscribers (e.g., users of UEs 701) who are connected to the CN 720 via the RAN 710. The components of the CN 720 can be implemented in one physical node or in separate physical nodes, including components to read and execute instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium). In some embodiments, any or all of the above-described network node functions can be virtualized— i.e., implemented by and / or within a virtual machine(s) and / or container(s) — utilizing NFV, as further described below. The logical instantiation of the CN 720 can be referred to as a network slice, and the logical instantiation of a portion of the CN 720 can be referred to as a network sub-slice. NFV architectures and infrastructures can be used to virtualize one or more network functions (that are alternatively implemented by proprietary hardware) onto a physical resource comprising a combination of industry-standard server hardware, storage hardware, or switches. In other words, NFV systems can be used to execute virtual or reconfigurable implementations of one or more EPC components / functions.

[0070] Generally, the application server 730 can be an element of a core network that provides content, services, and / or connections for users of the UEs 701 that are connected to the application server 730 via the core network. In some embodiments, the application server 730 can be a standalone server, a group of servers, or a server farm. In some embodiments, the application server 730 can be an element of a cloud computing or mobile edge computing architecture. In some embodiments, the application server 730 can be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., VoIP sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social networking services, etc.) for the UEs 701 via the EPC 720.

[0071] In embodiments, the CN 720 can be a 5GC (referred to as “5GC 720” or the like), and the RAN 710 can connect with the CN 720 via an NG interface 713. In embodiments, the NG interface 713 can be split into two parts, an NG user plane (NG-U) interface 714, which carries traffic data between the RAN nodes 711 and UPFs, and an S1 control plane (NG-C) interface 715, which is the signaling interface between the RAN nodes 711 and AMFs.

[0072] In embodiments, the CN 720 can be a 5G CN (referred to as“5GC 720” or the like), and in other embodiments, the CN 720 can be the EPC. Where the CN 720 is the EPC (referred to as“EPC 720” or the like), the RAN 710 can interface with the CN 720 via an S1 interface 713. In embodiments, the S1 interface 713 can be split into two parts, an S1 user plane (S1-U) interface 714, which carries traffic data between the RAN nodes 711 and the S-GW, and the S1-MME interface 715, which is a signaling interface between the RAN nodes 711 and MMEs.

[0073] Figure 8 An example of an infrastructure equipment 800 is shown in accordance with various embodiments. The infrastructure equipment 800 (or“system 800”) can be implemented as a base station, a radio head, a RAN node (e.g., the previously shown and described RAN nodes 711 and / or AP 706), an application server 730, and / or any other element / device discussed herein. In other examples, the system 800 can be implemented in or by a UE.

[0074] The system 800 includes application circuitry 805, baseband circuitry 810, one or more radio front end modules (RFEMs) 815, memory circuitry 820, power management integrated circuitry (PMIC) 825, power source circuitry 830, network controller circuitry 835, network interface connector 840, satellite positioning circuitry 845, and antenna 850. In some embodiments, the device 800 can include additional elements such as memory / storage, display, camera, sensor, or input / output (I / O) interface. In other embodiments, the components described below can be included in more than one device. For example, for CRAN, vBBU, or other similar implementations, the circuitries described below can be included in more than one device separately.

[0075] The application circuitry 805 includes circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more processors (or processor cores), cache memory, and one or more of low- dropout regulators (LDOs), interrupt controllers, serial interfaces (e.g., SPI, I2C, or universal programmable serial interface module), real time clocks (RTCs), timer-counters (including interval and watchdog timers), general purpose input / output (I / O or IO), memory card controllers (e.g., Secure Digital (SD) MultiMedia

[0076] The processors of the application circuitry 805 can include, for example, one or more processor cores (CPUs), one or more application processors, one or more graphics processing units (GPUs), one or more reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, one or more Acorn RISC Machine (ARM) processors, one or more complex instruction set computing (CISC) processors, one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), one or more FPGAs, one or more PLDs, one or more ASICs, one or more microprocessors or controllers, or any suitable combination thereof. In some embodiments, the application circuitry 805 can include, or can be, a special-purpose processor / controller to operate according to the various embodiments herein. As examples, the processors of the application circuitry 805 can include one or more Intel Pentium®, Core®, i3, i5, i7, i9, Xeon®, Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Ryzen® processors; Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Ryzen® Threadripper® processors; Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Epyc® processors; Qualcomm® Snapdragon® mobile processors; Apple® A10 and A11 processors; Texas Instruments, Inc. Dallas processors; Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Ryzen® processors; Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Ryzen® Threadripper® processors; Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Epyc® processors; Qualcomm® Snapdragon® mobile processors; Apple® A10 and A11 processors; Texas Instruments, Inc. Dallas processors; Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Ryzen® processors; Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Ryzen® Threadripper® processors; Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Epyc® processors; Qualcomm® Snapdragon® mobile processors; Apple® A10 and A11 processors; Texas Instruments, Inc. Dallas MIPS-based designs from MIPS Technologies, Inc., such as MIPS Warrior P-class processors; and the like. In some embodiments, the system 800 can not utilize application circuitry 805, but rather can include a special-purpose processor / controller to process IP data

[0077] In some implementations, the application circuitry 805 can include one or more hardware accelerators, which can be microprocessors, programmable processing devices, or the like. The one or more hardware accelerators can include, for example, computer vision (CV) and / or deep learning (DL) accelerators. As examples, the programmable processing devices can be one or more field-programmable devices (FPDs), such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) or the like; programmable logic devices (PLDs), such as complex PLDs (CPLDs), high-capacity PLDs (HCPLDs), or the like; ASICs, such as structured ASICs or the like; programmable SoCs (PSoCs); or the like. In such implementations, the circuitry of application circuitry 805 can include logic blocks or logic structures, and other interconnect resources, which can be programmed to perform various functions, such as the processes, methods, functions, and the like disclosed herein. In such embodiments, the circuitry of application circuitry 805 can include memory cells (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), Flash memory, static

[0078] The baseband circuitry 810 can be implemented, for example, as a solder-down application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and can include a digital signal processor (DSP), a Figure 10 Various hardware elements of the baseband circuitry 810 are discussed below in relation to FIG. 8A.

[0079] The user interface circuitry 850 can include one or more interfaces designed to enable a user or peripheral device to interact with the system 800. The user interface can include, but is not limited to, one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), one or more indicators (e.g., a light emitting diode (LED)), a physical keyboard or keypad, a mouse, a touchpad, a touchscreen, a speaker or other audio emitting device, a microphone, a printer, a scanner, a headset, a display screen or display device, etc. The peripheral device interface can include, but is not limited to, a non-volatile memory port, a universal serial bus (USB) port, a audio jack, a power supply interface, etc.

[0080] The Radio Front-End Module (RFEM) 815 may include a millimeter-wave (mmWave) RFEM and one or more sub-mmWave radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). In some implementations, the one or more sub-mmWave RFICs may be physically separate from the mmWave RFEM. The RFICs may include connections to one or more antennas or antenna arrays (see below for example). Figure 10 The antenna array 1011 is used, and the RFEM can be connected to multiple antennas. In an alternative implementation, both mmWave and sub-mmWave radio functions can be implemented in the same physical RFEM 815, which includes both mmWave and sub-mmWave antennas.

[0081] The memory circuit 820 may include one or more of the following: volatile memory, including dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and / or synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM); and non-volatile memory (NVM), including high-speed electrically erasable memory (commonly referred to as "Flash memory"), phase-change random access memory (PRAM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), etc., and may include... A three-dimensional (3D) XPOINT memory. The memory circuit 820 can be implemented as one or more of a solder-in packaged integrated circuit, a socket-type memory module, and an insertable memory card.

[0082] The PMIC 825 may include a voltage regulator, a surge protector, a power alarm detection circuit, and one or more backup power sources (e.g., a battery or capacitor). The power alarm detection circuit can detect one or more of a power outage (undervoltage) and a power surge (overvoltage) condition. The power source circuit 830 can provide power drawn from the network cable to supply both power and data connectivity to the infrastructure equipment 800 using a single cable.

[0083] Network controller circuitry 835 can provide connectivity to the network using standard network interface protocols, such as Ethernet, Ethernet over GRE tunneling, Multiprotocol Label Switching over Ethernet (MPLS), or certain other suitable protocols. Network connectivity can be provided to / from infrastructure device 800 via a physical connection via network interface connector 840, which can be electrical (typically referred to as a "copper interconnect"), optical, or wireless. Network controller circuitry 835 may include one or more dedicated processors and / or FPGAs to communicate using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, network controller circuitry 835 may include multiple controllers to provide connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0084] The positioning circuitry 845 includes circuitry to receive and decode signals transmitted / broadcasted by a positioning network of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS). Examples of navigation satellite constellations (or GNSS) include United States’ Global Positioning System (GPS), Russia’s Global Navigation System (GLONASS), the European Union’s Galileo system, China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, a regional navigation system, or GNSS augmentation system (e.g. India’s Navigation with Indian Constellation (NAVIC), Japan’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), France’s Doppler Orbitography and Satellite

[0085] Figure 8 The illustrated components can communicate using an interface bus 903. The interface bus 903 can include any number of buses, and / or interconnects (IX) technologies, such as an industry standard architecture (ISA), extended ISA (EISA), peripheral component interconnect (PCI), peripheral component interconnect extended (PCIx), PCI Express (PCIe), or any number of other technologies. The bus / IX can be a proprietary bus used in a system-on-a-chip (SoC) environment. Other bus / IX systems can be included, such as an I2C interface, an SPI interface, a point-to-point interface, and a power bus, among others.

[0086] Figure 9 An example of a platform 900 (or “device 900”) in accordance with various embodiments is shown. In embodiments, the computer platform 900 can be suitable for use as the UE 701, application server 730, and / or any other element / device discussed herein. The platform 900 can include any combination of the components shown in the example. Components of the platform 900 can be implemented as integrated circuits (ICs), portions thereof, discrete electronic devices, or other modules, logic, hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof adapted in the computer platform 900, or as components incorporated within a chassis of a larger system. Figure 9The block diagram of FIG. 1 is intended to show a high-level view of components of the computer platform 900. However, some of the components shown can be omitted in some implementations, additional components can be present, and different arrangements of the components shown can occur in other implementations.

[0087] The application circuitry 905 includes circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more processors (or processor cores), cache memory, and one or more of LDOs, interrupt controllers, serial interfaces (for example, SPI, I2C or universal programmable serial interface module), RTC, timer-counters (including real and timer-millennium counters), general purpose I / O, memory card controllers (for example, SD MMC or similar), USB interfaces, MIPI interfaces, and JTAG test access ports.

[0088] The processor(s) of the application circuitry 905 can include, for example, one or more processor cores, one or more application processors, one or more GPUs, one or more RISC processors, one or more ARM processors, one or more CISC processors, one or more DSP, one or more FPGAs, one or more PLDs, one or more ASICs, one or more microprocessors, or some combination thereof. In some embodiments, the application circuitry 905 can include or can be a proprietary application processor / CPU.

[0089] As examples, the processor(s) of the application circuitry 905 can include a processor based on Architecture Core TM , such as Quark TM , Atom TM , i3, i5, i7, or another MCU-class processor, or another such processor available from Intel Corporation of Santa Clara, California. The processor(s) of the application circuitry 905 can also be or include one or more of an Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) processor, a Qualcomm processor, a Texas Instruments processor, a IBM processor, a processors or accelerated processing units (APUs) from Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. A5-A9 processors from Qualcomm Incorporated; Snapdragon processors from Qualcomm TM processors from Texas Instruments, Inc. Open Multimedia Applications Platform (OMAP) processors from Texas Instruments, Inc. TM processors from MIPS Technologies, Inc. such as MIPS Warrior M-class, Warrior I-class, and Warrior P-class processors; ARM-based designs licensed from ARM Holdings, Ltd. such as the ARM Cortex-A, Cortex-R, and Cortex-M family of processors; and the like. In some implementations, the application circuitry 905 can be a part of a system on a chip (SoC) in which the application circuitry 905 and other system components are formed Edison and Galileo SoC boards from Intel Corporation. TM or Galileo TM SoC boards.

[0090] Additionally or alternatively, the application circuitry 905 can include the following circuitry, such as but not limited to one or more field-programmable devices (FPDs) such as FPGAs and the like; programmable logic devices (PLDs) such as complex PLDs (CPLDs), high-capacity PLDs (HCPLDs), and the like; ASICs such as structured ASICs and the like; programmable SoCs (PSoCs); and the like. In such embodiments, the circuitry of the application circuitry 905 can include logic blocks or logic structures, and other interconnect resources, which can be programmed to perform various functions such as the processes, methods, functions, and the like of the various embodiments discussed herein. In such embodiments, the circuitry of the application circuitry 905 can include memory cells (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, static memory (e.g., static random-access memory (SRAM), anti-fuses, and the like)) for storing logic blocks, logic structures, data, and the like in look-up tables (LUTs) and the like.

[0091] The baseband circuitry 910 can be implemented, as examples, as a solder-down substrate including one or more integrated circuits, a single packaged integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board, or a multi-chip module including two or more integrated circuits. Figure 10 Various hardware electronic elements of the baseband circuitry 910 are discussed below with respect to FIG. 10.

[0092] The RFEM 915 can include one or more radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs) and / or one or more millimeter wave (mmWave) RFICs. In some implementations, the one or more sub-mmWave RFICs can be physically separated from the mmWave RFIC(s). The RFICs can include connections to one or more antennas or antenna arrays (see, e.g., antenna array 1011 below), and the RFEM can be connected to multiple antennas. In alternative implementations, both mmWave and sub-mmWave radio functions can be implemented in the same physical RFEM 915, which contains both mmWave and sub-mmWave antennas. Figure 10

[0093] The memory circuitry 920 can include any number and type of memory devices used to provide a given amount of system memory. As an example, the memory circuitry 920 can include one or more of volatile memory, including random access memory (RAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), and / or synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM); and non-volatile memory (NVM), including flash memory, phase change RAM (PRAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), etc. The memory circuitry 920 can be developed according to Joint Electron Devices

[0094] ​​The removable memory circuit 923 can include devices, circuitry, enclosures / housings, ports or sockets, etc. for coupling portable data storage devices with the platform 900. These portable data storage devices can be used for mass storage purposes, and can include, for example, Flash memory cards (e.g., Secure Digital (SD) cards, microSD cards, xD Picture cards, etc.) as well as USB Flash drives, optical discs, external HDDs, etc.

[0095] The platform 900 can also include interface circuitry (not shown) for connecting external devices with the platform 900. The external devices connected to the platform 900 via the interface circuitry include the sensor circuitry 921 and the electro-mechanical components (EMCs) 922, as well as removable memory devices coupled to the removable memory circuitry 923.

[0096] The sensor circuitry 921 includes devices, modules, or subsystems whose purpose is to detect events or changes in the environment of the platform 900 and send information about the detected events (sensor data) to other devices, modules, subsystems, etc. Examples of such sensors include, inter alia, an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) including an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and / or a magnetometer; a Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS) or Nano-Electro-Mechanical System (NEMS) including a 3-axis accelerometer, a 3-axis gyroscope, and / or a magnetometer; a level sensor; a flow sensor; a temperature sensor (e.g., a thermistor); a pressure sensor; a barometric sensor; a gravimeter; an altimeter; an image capture device (e.g., a camera or lensless aperture); a Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensor; a proximity sensor (e.g., an infrared radiation detector, etc.), a depth sensor, an ambient light sensor, an ultrasonic transceiver; a microphone or other like audio capture device; etc.

[0097] The EMCs 922 include devices, modules, or subsystems whose purpose is to cause the platform 900 to change its state, position, and / or orientation, or to move or control mechanisms or (sub)systems. Further, the EMCs 922 can be configured to generate and send messages / signalling to other components of the platform 900 to indicate a current state of the EMCs 922. Examples of the EMCs 922 include one or more power switches, relays including electromechanical relays (EMRs) and / or solid state relays (SSRs), actuators (e.g., valve actuators, etc.), sound generators, visual alert devices, electric motors (e.g., DC electric motors, stepper motors, etc.), wheels, thrusters, propellers, claws, clamps, hooks, and / or other like electro-mechanical components. In embodiments, the platform 900 is configured to operate one or more EMCs 922 based on one or more captured events and / or instructions or control signals received from service providers and / or various clients.

[0098] In some implementations, the interface circuitry can connect the platform 900 with positioning circuitry 945. The positioning circuitry 945 includes circuitry to receive and decode signals from positioning networks’ satellites. Examples of navigation satellite constellations (or GNSS) include United States’ GPS, Russia’s GLONASS, the European Union’s Galileo system, China’s BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, a regional navigation system or GNSS augmentation system (e.g., NAVIC), Japan’s QZSS, France’s DORIS, and the like. The positioning circuitry 945 comprises various hardware elements (e.g., including hardware devices to facilitate OTA communication, such as switches, filters, amplifiers, antenna elements) to communicate with components of a positioning network, such as navigation satellite constellations’ nodes. In some embodiments, the positioning circuitry 945 can include a Micro-PNT IC that uses a master timing clock to perform position tracking / estimation without GNSS assistance. The positioning circuitry 945 can also be part of, or interact with, the baseband circuitry 910 and / or RFEMs 915 to communicate with nodes and components of the positioning network. The positioning circuitry 945 can also provide location and / or time data to the application circuitry 905, which can use this data in various operations, such as synchronization operations with various infrastructure (e.g., radio base stations) for route planning navigation applications, and the like.

[0099] In some implementations, the interface circuitry can connect the platform 900 with near-field communication (NFC) circuitry 940. The NFC circuitry 940 is configured to provide non-contact, short-range communication based on radio-frequency identification (RFID) standards, wherein magnetic field sensing is used to enable communication between the NFC circuitry 940 and an NFC-enabled device (e.g., an “NFC touchpoint”) external to the platform 900. The NFC circuitry 940 includes an NFC controller coupled with an antenna element and a processor coupled with the NFC controller. The NFC controller can be a chip / IC that provides NFC functionality to the NFC circuitry 940 by executing NFC controller firmware and an NFC stack. The NFC stack can be executed by the processor to control the NFC controller, and the NFC controller firmware can be executed by the NFC controller to control the antenna element to transmit short-range RF signals. The RF signals can power a passive NFC tag (e.g., a microchip embedded in a sticker or wristband) to transmit stored data to the NFC circuitry 940 or initiate a data transfer between the NFC circuitry 940 and another active NFC device (e.g., a smartphone or NFC-enabled POS terminal) in proximity to the platform 900.

[0100] The driver circuitry 946 can include software and hardware elements that operate to control particular devices embedded in the platform 900, attached to the platform 900, or otherwise coupled to the platform 900. The driver circuitry 946 can include a variety of drivers allowing other components of the platform 900 to interact with and control various input / output (I / O) devices that can be present in the platform 900 or connected to the platform 900. For example, driver circuitry 946 can include a display driver to control and allow access to a display device, a touchscreen driver to control and allow access to a touchscreen interface of the platform 900, sensor drivers to obtain sensor readings from sensor circuitry 921 and control and allow access to the sensor circuitry 921, EMC drivers to obtain actuator positions 922 and / or control and allow access to the EMCs 922, camera drivers to control and allow access to an embedded image capture device, audio drivers to control and allow access to one or more audio devices.

[0101] A power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 925 (also referred to as “power management circuitry 925”) can manage power supplied to the various components of the platform 900. In particular, with respect to the baseband circuitry 910, the PMIC 925 can control power-source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-to-DC conversion. The PMIC 925 can typically be included when the platform 900 is capable of being powered by a battery 930, for example, when the device is included in a UE 701.

[0102] In some embodiments, the PMIC 925 can control, or be part of, various power-saving mechanisms of the platform 900. For example, if the platform 900 is in an RRC_Connected state (where it remains connected to the RAN node as it expects to receive traffic shortly), it can enter a state known as Discontinuous Reception (DRX) for power saving. During this state, the platform 900 can power down for short durations of time specified in the DRX cycle. If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, the platform 900 can transition off to an RRC_Idle state (where it disconnects from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback, handover, etc.). In this state, the platform 900 enters a very low power state, where it periodically wakes up to listen to the network for any data traffic or paging notifications. It does this according to a very long sleep cycle (as long as several hours). In this state, the platform 900 can not receive data; in order to receive data, it must transition back to an RRC_Connected state. An additional power saving mode can be used when the platform 900 is not lonaught expected to have data traffic to exchange, and the platform 900 specifies time periods when it is unavailable to receive data. This is known as extended DRX (eDRX). During this state, the platform 900 wakes up only once an hour (as long as several hours) to listen to the network for any data traffic or paging notifications. This allows the platform 900 to remain mostly powered down to conserve battery power. In some embodiments, the PMIC 925 can also control power-saving mechanisms of the audio driver circuitry 935, the video

[0103] The battery 930 can supply power to the platform 900, although in some examples the platform 900 can be mounted deployed in a fixed location, and can have a power supply coupled to an electrical grid. The battery 930 can be a lithium ion battery, a metal-air battery (e.g., zinc-air, aluminum-air, lithium-air), and the like. In some implementations, such as in V2X applications, the battery 930 can be a typical lead-acid automotive battery.

[0104] In some implementations, the battery 930 can be a“smart battery,” which includes or is coupled to a Battery Management System (BMS) or battery monitoring integrated circuitry. The BMS can be included in the platform 900 to track the state of charge (SoCh) of the battery 930. The BMS can be used to monitor other parameters of the battery 930 to provide failure predictions, such as the state of health (SoH) and the state of function (SoF) of the battery 930. The BMS can communicate battery 930 information to the application circuitry 905 or other components of the platform 900. The BMS can also include an analog-to-digital (ADC) converter that allows the application circuitry 905 to directly monitor the voltage of the battery 930 or the current flow from the battery 930. The battery parameters can be used to determine actions that the platform 900 can perform, such as transmission frequency, network operation, listening frequency, etc.

[0105] A power block or other power supply coupled to an electrical grid can be coupled with the BMS to charge the battery 930. In some examples, the power block can be replaced with a wireless power receiver, such as through a loop antenna in the computer platform 900 to obtain power wirelessly. In these examples, a wireless battery charging circuit can be included in the BMS. The particular charging circuit selected can depend on the size of the battery 930, and thus the current required. Charging can be performed using the Airfuel standard promulgated by the Airfuel Alliance, the Qi wireless charging standard promulgated by the Wireless Power Consortium, or the Rezence charging standard promulgated by the Alliance for Wireless Power, among others.

[0106] User interface circuitry 950 includes various input / output (I / O) devices found within or connected to platform 900 and includes one or more user interfaces designed to enable user interaction with platform 900 and / or peripheral component interfaces designed to enable peripheral component interaction with platform 900. User interface circuitry 950 includes input device circuitry and output device circuitry. Input device circuitry includes any physical or virtual means for accepting an input including, inter alia, one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), a physical keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a touchpad, a touchscreen, a microphone, a scanner, a headset, etc. Output device circuitry includes any physical or virtual means for showing information or conveying information (e.g., sensor readings, actuator positions, or other similar information). Output device circuitry can include any number and / or combinations of audio and / or visual displays including, inter alia, one or more simple visual output / indicators (e.g., binary status indicators (e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs)) and multi-character visual outputs, or more complex outputs, such as display devices or touchscreens (e.g., liquid crystal displays (LCDs), LED displays, quantum dot displays, projectors, etc.), where the output of characters, graphics, multimedia objects, etc. is generated or produced from the operation of platform 900. Output device circuitry can also include a speaker or other audio emitting device, a printer, etc. In some embodiments, sensor circuitry 921 can function as input device circuitry (e.g., an image capture device, a motion capture device, etc.), and one or more EMCs can function as output device circuitry (e.g., an actuator to provide haptic feedback, etc.). In another example, NFC circuitry, including an NFC controller coupled with an antenna element and a processing device, can be included to read electronic tags and / or connect with another NFC-enabled device. Peripheral component interfaces can include, but are not limited to, a non-volatile memory port, a USB port, an audio jack, a power supply interface, etc.

[0107] Although not shown, the components of platform 900 can communicate using a suitable bus or interconnect (IX) technology. The technology can include any number of technologies, including ISA, EISA, PCI, PCIx, PCI Express, a time- triggered protocol (TTP) system, a FlexRay system, or any number of other technologies. The bus / IX can be a proprietary bus / IX, for example, used in a based-on-SoC system. Other bus / IX systems can be included, such as an I2C interface, an SPI interface, point-to-point interfaces, power bus, and others.

[0108] Figure 10 Example components of baseband circuitry 1010 and radio frequency Figure 8 circuitry 810 and Figure 9baseband circuitry 910. The RFEM 1015 corresponds to Figure 8 the RFEM 815 and Figure 9 the RFEM 915. As shown, the RFEM 1015 can include a radio frequency (RF) circuitry 1006, a front-end module (FEM) circuitry 1008, and an antenna array 1011 coupled at least as shown.

[0109] The baseband circuitry 1010 includes circuitry and / or control logic configured to carry out various radio / network protocol and radio control functions, which enables communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuitry 1006. Radio control functions can include, but are not limited to, signal modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some embodiments, modulation / demodulation circuitry of the baseband circuitry 1010 can include fast Fourier transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping / demapping functionality. In some embodiments, encoding / decoding circuitry of the baseband circuitry 1010 can include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or low density parity check (LDPC) encoder / decoder functionality. Embodiments of modulation / demodulation and encoder / decoder functionality are not limited to these examples and can include other suitable functionality in other embodiments. The baseband circuitry 1010 is configured to process baseband signals received from a receive signal path of the RF circuitry 1006 and to generate baseband signals for a transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 1006. The baseband circuitry 1010 is configured to interface with application circuitry 805 / 905 (see Figure 8 and Figure 9 ) for generating and processing baseband signals, and for controlling operations of the RF circuitry 1006. The baseband circuitry 1010 can handle various radio control functions.

[0110] The aforementioned circuitry and / or control logic of the baseband circuitry 1010 can include one or more single or multi-core processors. For example, one or more processors can include a 3G baseband processor 1004A, a 4G / LTE baseband processor 1004B, a 5G / NR baseband processor 1004C, or some other baseband processor(s) 1004D for other existing generations, generations in development or future generations (for example, fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G), etc.). In other embodiments, some or all of the functionality of the baseband processor(s) 1004A-D can be included in modules stored in the memory 1004G and executed via a Central Processing Unit (CPU) 1004E. In other embodiments, some or all of the functionality of the baseband processor(s) 1004A-D can be provided as hardware accelerators (for example, FPGAs, ASICs, etc.) loaded with the appropriate bit streams or logic blocks stored in respective memory cells. In various embodiments, the memory 1004G can store program code of a real-time OS (RTOS), which when executed by the CPU 1004E (or other baseband processor), causes the CPU 1004E (or other baseband processor) to manage resources of the baseband circuitry 1010, schedule tasks, etc. Examples of a RTOS can include: OSE by Mentor TM , Nucleus RTOS by Mentor TM ,VRTX by Mentor Graphics, ThreadX by Express Logic TM , FreeRTOS by Amazon, REX OS, Open Kernel (OK) OKL4 by Open Kernel Labs, or any other suitable RTOS, such as those discussed herein. Moreover, the baseband circuitry 1010 includes one or more audio digital signal processors (DSP) 1004F. The audio DSP(s) 1004F include elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation, and can include other suitable processing elements in other embodiments.

[0111] In some embodiments, each processor 1004A-1004E includes a respective memory interface to send / receive data to / from the memory 1004G. The baseband circuitry 1010 can further include one or more interfaces to communicate with other circuitries / devices, such as an interface to send / receive data to / from memory external to the baseband circuitry 1010; an application circuitry interface to send / receive data to / from the application circuitry 805 / 905 of Fig. 8; an RF circuitry interface to send / receive data to / from RF circuitry 810 of Fig. 8; and / or an alert circuitry interface to send / receive alert information to / from alert circuitry 815 of Fig. 8. Figures 8-10 Figure 10RF circuitry 1006 to send / receive data; a wireless hardware connectivity interface to send / receive data to / from one or more wireless hardware elements (e.g., a Near Field / low power components, components, etc.); and a power management interface to send / receive power or control signals to / from the PMIC 925.

[0112] In alternate embodiments, which can be combined with the above embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1010 includes one or more digital baseband systems that are coupled with one another via an interconnection subsystem. The interconnection subsystem can include a bus system, a point-to-point connection system, a network-on-chip (NOC) structure, and / or some other suitable bus or interconnection technology, such as those discussed herein. Each digital baseband subsystem can also be coupled to a CPU subsystem, an audio subsystem, and an interface subsystem, also via the interconnection subsystem. The digital baseband subsystems can be coupled to a digital baseband interface and a mixed-signal baseband subsystem via another interconnection subsystem. Each interconnection subsystem can include a bus system, a point-to-point connection system, a network-on-chip (NOC) structure, and / or some other suitable bus or interconnection technology, such as those discussed herein. The audio subsystem can include DSP circuitry, buffer memory, program memory, speech

[0113] Although Figure 10Not shown, but in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1010 includes various processing devices (e.g., a “multi-protocol baseband processor” or “protocol processing circuitry”) for operating one or more wireless communication protocols and processing devices for implementing PHY layer functions. In these embodiments, the PHY layer functions include the aforementioned radio control functions. In these embodiments, the protocol processing circuitry operates or implements various protocol layers / entities of one or more wireless communication protocols. In a first example, when the baseband circuitry 1010 and / or RF circuitry 1006 are part of a mmWave communication circuit or certain other suitable cellular communication circuit, the protocol processing circuitry can operate LTE protocol entities and / or 5G / NR protocol entities. In this first example, the protocol processing circuitry would operate MAC, RLC, PDCP, SDAP, RRC, and NAS functions. In a second example, when the baseband circuitry 1010 and / or RF circuitry 1006 are part of a Wi-Fi communication system, the protocol processing circuitry can operate one or more IEEE-based protocols. In this second example, the protocol processing circuitry would operate Wi-Fi MAC and logical link control (LLC) functions. The protocol processing circuitry can include one or more memory structures (e.g., 1004G) for storing program codes and data used by the protocol functions, and one or more processing cores for executing the program codes and using the data in various operations. The baseband circuitry 1010 can also support radio communications for more than one wireless protocol.

[0114] The various hardware elements of the baseband circuitry 1010 discussed herein can be implemented, for example, as solder-down substrates including one or more integrated circuits (ICs), a single packaged IC soldered directly to a main circuit board, or a multi-chip module containing two or more ICs in a single package. In one example, components of the baseband circuitry 1010 can be suitably combined in single chip or chip set, or arranged in the same circuit board. In another example, some or all of the components of the baseband circuitry 1010 and the RF circuitry 1006 can be implemented together in, for example, a system on a chip (SoC) or system-in-package (SiP). In another example, some or all of the components of the baseband circuitry 1010 can be implemented as a separate SoC that communicates with the RF circuitry 1006 (or multiple instances of the RF circuitry 1006). In yet another example, some or all of the components of the baseband circuitry 1010 and the application circuitry 805 / 905 can be implemented together as SoCs mounted to the same circuit board (e.g., “multi-chip packages”).

[0115] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1010 can provide for communication with one or more wireless radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1010 can support communication with E-UTRAN or other WMANs, WLANs, WPANs. Embodiments in which the baseband circuitry 1010 is configured to support wireless communication according to more than one wireless protocol can be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

[0116] The RF circuitry 1006 can enable communication with wireless networks using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various embodiments, the RF circuitry 1006 can include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate the communication with the wireless network. RF circuitry 1006 can include a receive signal path, which can include circuitry to down-convert and amplify the received signal and provide the baseband circuitry 1010 with baseband signals. RF circuitry 1006 can also include a transmit signal path, which can include circuitry to amplify and up-convert the baseband signals provided by the baseband circuitry 1010 and provide the FEM circuitry 1008 with RF output signals for transmission.

[0117] In some embodiments, the receive signal path of the RF circuitry 1006 can include mixer circuitry 1006a, amplifier circuitry 1006b and filter circuitry 1006c. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 1006 can include filter circuitry 1006c and mixer circuitry 1006a. RF circuitry 1006 can also include synthesizer circuitry 1006d for synthesizing a frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 1006a of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 1006a of the receive signal path can be configured to down-convert the RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 1008 based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry 1006d. The amplifier circuitry 1006b can be configured to amplify the down-converted signals, and the filter circuitry 1006c can be a low-pass filter (LPF) or band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signals to generate output baseband signals. Output baseband signals can be provided to the baseband circuitry 1010 for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signals can be zero-frequency baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 1006a of the receive signal path can be configured to down-convert the RF signals by a frequency equal to the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry 1006d.

[0118] In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 1006a of the transmit signal path can be configured to up-convert input baseband signals based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry 1006d to generate RF output signals for the FEM circuitry 1008. The baseband signals can be provided by the baseband circuitry 1010 and can be filtered by filter circuitry 1006c.

[0119] In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 1006a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 1006a of the transmit signal path can include two or more mixers and can be arranged for quadrature downconversion and upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 1006a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 1006a of the transmit signal path can include two or more mixers and can be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 1006a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 1006a of the transmit signal path can be arranged for direct downconversion and direct upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 1006a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 1006a of the transmit signal path can be configured for superheterodye operation.

[0120] In some embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signals can be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signals can be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, the RF circuitry 1006 can include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry and the baseband circuitry 1010 can include a digital baseband interface to communicate with the RF circuitry 1006.

[0121] In some dual-mode embodiments, separate radio ICs can be provided for processing signals for each spectrum, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0122] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 1006d can be a fractional N synthesizer or a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect as other types of frequency synthesizers can be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuitry 1006d can be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer that includes a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0123] The synthesizer circuitry 1006d can be configured to synthesize an output frequency for the mixer circuitry 1006a of the RF circuitry 1006 based on a frequency input and a divider control input. In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 1006d can be a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer.

[0124] In some embodiments, the frequency input can be provided by a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), although this is not a requirement. The divider control input can be provided by the baseband circuitry 1010 or application circuitry 805 / 905 as desired for the output frequency. In some embodiments, the divider control input (e.g., N) can be determined based on a channel indicated by the application circuitry 805 / 905 from a look-up table.

[0125] The synthesizer circuitry 1006d of the RF circuitry 1006 can include a divider, a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the divider can be a dual modulus divider (DMD) and the phase accumulator can be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD can be configured to divide the input signal by either N or N+1 (e.g., based on a carry out) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, the DLL can include a set of cascaded, tunable, delay elements, a phase detector, a charge pump and a D-type flip- flop. In these embodiments, the delay elements can be configured to break a VCO period up into Nd equal phase segments. In this way, the DLL provides negative feedback to help assure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

[0126] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 1006d can be configured to generate a carrier frequency as an output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency can be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and used in conjunction with quadrature generator and divider circuitry to generate multiple signals at the carrier frequency with multiple different phases with respect to each other. In some embodiments, the output frequency can be a LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, the RF circuitry 1006 can include an IQ / polar converter.

[0127] The FEM circuitry 1008 can include a receive signal path, which can include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from the antenna array 1011, amplify the received signals and provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the RF circuitry 1006 for further processing. The FEM circuitry 1008 can also include a transmit signal path, which can include circuitry configured to amplify signals for transmission provided by the RF circuitry 1006 for transmission by one or more of the antenna elements of the antenna array 1011. In various embodiments, the amplification through the transmit or receive signal paths can be done solely in the RF circuitry 1006, solely in the FEM circuitry 1008, or in both the RF circuitry 1006 and the FEM circuitry 1008.

[0128] In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry 1008 can include a TX / RX switch to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEM circuitry 1008 can include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuitry 1008 can include a low-noise amplifier (LNA) to amplify received RF signals and provide the amplified received RF signals as an output (e.g., to the RF circuitry 1006). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuitry 1008 can include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify signals for transmission (e.g., by the antenna array 1011) and one or more filters to generate RF signals for subsequent transmission by the one or more antenna elements of the antenna array 1011.

[0129] The antenna array 1011 includes one or more antenna elements, each of which is configured to convert electrical signals into radio waves for transmission, and to convert received radio waves into electrical signals. For example, digital baseband signals provided by the baseband circuitry 1010 are converted into analog RF signals (e.g., modulated waveforms) that will be amplified and transmitted via antenna elements of the antenna array 1011 including one or more antenna elements (not shown). The antenna elements can be omnidirectional, directional, or a combination thereof. The antenna elements can be formed from a variety of materials such as metal (e.g., copper) foils or wires, and the like. The antenna array 1011 can include microstrip antennas or printed antennas that are manufactured on the surface of one or more printed circuit boards. The antenna array 1011 can be formed into a variety of shapes, such as a metal foil (e.g., a patch antenna), and can be coupled with the RF circuitry 1006 and / or the FEM circuitry 1008 using metal transmission lines, and the like.

[0130] The processors of the application circuitry 805 / 905 and the baseband circuitry 1010 can be used to execute elements of one or more instances of the protocol stack. For example, the processors of the baseband circuitry 1010 can be used individually or in combination to execute layer 3, layer 2, or layer 1 functions using CPU core(s) and / or GPU core(s), while the processors of the application circuitry 805 / 905 can utilize data (e.g., packet data) received from these layers to further execute layer 4 functions (e.g., TCP and UDP layers). As referred to herein, layer 3 can include the RRC layer, described in further detail below. As referred to herein, layer 2 can include the MAC layer, the RLC layer, and the PDCP layer, described in further detail below. As referred to herein, layer 1 can include the PHY layer of the UE / RAN node, described in further detail below.

[0131] Figure 11 Various protocol functions that can be implemented in a wireless communication device are shown in accordance with various embodiments. In particular, Figure 11 An arrangement 1100 is included showing interconnections between various protocol layers / entities. The following is a description of the arrangement 1100:Figure 11 The description of FIG. 10 is provided for a variety of protocol layers / entities that operate in conjunction with 5G / NR system standards and LTE system standards, but Figure 11 Some or all aspects of FIG. 10 can be applicable to other wireless communication system networks.

[0132] The protocol layers of the arrangement 1100 can include one or more of PHY 1110, MAC 1120, RLC 1130, PDCP 1140, SDAP 1147, RRC 1155, and NAS 1157, as well as other higher layer functions not shown. The protocol layers can include one or more service access points (e.g., 1159, 1156, 1150, 1149, 1145, 1135, 1125, and 1115 in FIG. 10), which can provide communication between two or more protocol layers. Figure 11

[0133] The PHY 1110 can transmit and receive physical layer signals 1105, which can be received from or transmitted to one or more other communication devices. The physical layer signals 1105 can comprise one or more physical channels, such as those discussed herein. The PHY 1110 can further perform link adaptation, power control, cell search (e.g., for initial synchronization and handover purposes), and other measurements used by higher layers such as the RRC 1155. The PHY 1110 can also perform error detection on the transport channels, forward error correction (FEC) coding / decoding of the transport channels, modulation / demodulation of physical channels, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to physical channels, and MIMO antenna processing. In an embodiment, an instance of PHY 1110 can process requests from and provide indications to instances of the MAC 1120 via one or more PHY-SAPs 1115. According to some embodiments, requests and indications communicated via the PHY-SAP 1115 can comprise one or more transport channels.

[0134] ​Instance(s) of MAC 1120 can process requests from and provide indications to instance(s) of RLC 1130 via one or more MAC-SAPs 1125. These requests and indications communicated via the MAC-SAP 1125 can comprise one or more logical channels. The MAC 1120 can perform mapping between the logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs from one or more logical channels onto TBs to be transferred to PHY 1110 via transport channels, demultiplexing of MAC SDUs to one or more logical channels from TBs transferred from the PHY 1110 via transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, and logical channel prioritization.

[0135] Instance(s) of RLC 1130 can process requests from and provide indications to instance(s) of PDCP 1140 via one or more radio link control service access points (RLC-SAP) 1135. These requests and indications communicated via the RLC-SAP 1135 can comprise one or more RLC channels. The RLC 1130 can operate in a plurality of modes of operation, including: Transparent Mode (TM), Unacknowledged Mode (UM), and Acknowledged Mode (AM). The RLC 1130 can perform transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction (for AM data transfers) through automatic repeat request (ARQ), and concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs (for UM and AM data transfers). The RLC 1130 can also perform re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs (for AM data transfers), reordering of RLC data PDUs (for UM and AM data transfers), duplicate detection of data (for UM and AM data transfers), discard of RLC SDUs (for UM and AM data transfers), detection of protocol errors (for AM data transfers), and perform RLC re-establishment.

[0136] Instance(s) of PDCP 1140 can process requests from and provide indications to instance(s) of RRC 1155, and / or instance(s) of SDAP 1147, via one or more packet data convergence protocol service access points (PDCP-SAP) 1145, in accordance with one or more radio bearers configured / activated for the UE 701. These requests and indications communicated via PDCP-SAP 1145 can comprise one or more radio bearers. The PDCP 1140 can execute header compression and decompression of IP data, maintain PDCP Sequence Numbers (SNs), perform in-sequence delivery of upper layer PDUs, reassemble higher layer data packets, eliminate duplicates of lower layer SDUs, cipher and decipher control plane data, integrity protect and integrity verify control plane data, control timer-based discard of data, and perform security operations (e.g., ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification, etc.).

[0137] Instance(s) of SDAP 1147 can process requests from and provide indications to one or more higher layer protocol entities via one or more SDAP-SAP 1149. These requests and indications communicated via SDAP-SAP 1149 can comprise one or more QoS flows. The SDAP 1147 can map QoS Flows to DRBs, and vice versa, and can also mark QFIs in DL and UL packets. A single SDAP entity 1147 can be configured per PDU session. In the UL direction, the NG-RAN 710 can control the mapping of QoS Flows to DRBs in two different ways, namely reflective mapping or explicit mapping. For reflective mapping, the SDAP 1147 of the UE 701 can monitor the QFIs of the DL packets per DRB, and can apply the same mapping for packets flowing in the UL direction. For a DRB, the SDAP 1147 of the UE 701 can map UL packets belonging to the QoS Flow(s) corresponding to the QoS Flow ID(s) and PDU session(s) observed in the DL packets for that DRB. To enable reflective mapping, the NG-RAN can mark DL packets on the Uu interface using QoS Flow ID(s). Explicit mapping can involve the RRC 1155 configuring the SDAP 1147 with explicit QoS Flow to DRB mapping rules, which the SDAP 1147 can store and follow. In embodiments, the SDAP 1147 can only be used in NR implementations, and can not be used in LTE implementations.

[0138] The RRC 1155 can configure aspects of one or more protocol layers via one or more management service access points (M-SAP), which can include one or more instances of PHY 1110, MAC 1120, RLC 1130, PDCP 1140, and SDAP 1147. In embodiments, an instance of RRC 1155 at the UE 701 can process requests from and provide indications to one or more NAS entities 1157 via one or more RRC-SAPs 1156. The main services and functions of the RRC 1155 include broadcasting of system information, broadcast of system information related to public land mobile services (PLMS) access, paging, establishment, configuration, maintenance and release of an RRC connection (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release) between the UE 701 and the RAN 710, establishment, configuration, maintenance and release of point to point Radio Bearers, security functions including key management, inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration.

[0139] The NAS 1157 can form the highest stratum of the control plane between the UE 701 and AMF. The NAS 1157 can support the mobility of the UE 701 and the session management procedures to establish and maintain IP connectivity between the UE 701 and a P-GW in LTE systems.

[0140] In accordance with various embodiments, one or more protocol entities of the arrangement 1100 can be implemented in the UE 701, the RAN node 711, the AMF or MME in LTE implementations, the UPF or S-GW and P-GW in NR or LTE implementations, or the like, to be used in the control plane or user plane communication protocol stack between the aforementioned devices. In such embodiments, one or more protocol entities that can be implemented in one or more of the UE 701, gNB 711, AMF, etc., can communicate with a respective peer protocol entity that can be implemented in or on another device using the services of a respective lower layer protocol entity to perform such communication. In some embodiments, the gNB-CU of the gNB 711 can host the RRC 1155, SDAP 1147, and PDCP 1140 of the gNB that control the operation of one or more gNB-DUs, and the gNB-DUs of the gNB 711 can each host the RLC 1130, MAC 1120, and PHY 1110 of the gNB 711.

[0141] In a first example, the control plane protocol stack can include, in order from highest layer to lowest layer, NAS 1157, RRC 1155, PDCP 1140, RLC 1130, MAC 1120, and PHY 1110. In this example, upper layers 1160 can be built on top of NAS 1157 and include an IP layer 1161, an SCTP 1162, and an application layer signaling protocol (AP) 1163.

[0142] In NR implementations, the AP 1163 can be an NG Application Protocol layer (NGAP or NG-AP) 1163 for the NG interface 713 defined between NG-RAN nodes 711 and AMFs, or the AP 1163 can be an Xn Application Protocol layer (XnAP or Xn-AP) 1163 for the Xn interface 712 defined between two or more RAN nodes 711.

[0143] The NG-AP 1163 can support the functions of the NG interface 713 and can comprise Elementary Procedures (EPs). An NG-AP EP can be a unit of interaction between a NG-RAN node 711 and an AMF. The NG-AP 1163 services can be grouped into two groups: UE-associated services (e.g., services related to a specific UE 701) and non-UE-associated services (e.g., services related to the whole NG interface instance between the NG-RAN node 711 and the AMF). These services can include the following functions, including but not limited to: a paging function to send a paging request to NG-RAN nodes 711 involved in a specific paging area; a UE context management function to allow an AMF to establish, modify, and / or release a UE context in the AMF and NG-RAN nodes 711; a mobility function for a UE 701 in ECM-CONNECTED mode, supporting intra-NG-RAN mobility for intra-system HO and mobility towards / from EPS system for inter-system HO; a NAS signaling transfer function to transfer or reroute NAS messages between UE 701 and AMF; a NAS node selection function to determine association between an AMF and a UE 701; an NG interface management function to establish the NG interface and monitor the NG interface for errors; a warning message transmission function to provide means to transport warning messages via the NG interface or to cancel ongoing broadcast of warning messages; a configuration transfer function to request and transfer RAN configuration information (e.g., SON information, performance measurement (PM) data, etc.) between two RAN nodes 711 via the CN 720; and / or other like functions.

[0144] The XnAP 1163 can support the functions of the Xn interface 712 and can comprise XnAP basic mobility procedures and XnAP global procedures. The XnAP basic mobility procedures can comprise procedures for handling of UE mobility within the NG RAN 711 (or E-UTRAN), such as handover preparation and cancellation procedures, SN Status Transfer procedures, UE context retrieval and UE context release procedures, RAN paging procedures, Dual Connectivity related procedures, etc. The XnAP global procedures can comprise procedures that are not related to a specific UE 701, such as Xn interface establishment and reset procedures, NG-RAN update procedures, cell activation procedures, etc.

[0145] In LTE implementations, the AP 1163 can be an S1 application protocol layer (S1-AP) 1163 for the S1 interface 713 defined between an E-UTRAN node 711 and a MME, or the AP 1163 can be an X2 application protocol layer (X2AP or X2-AP) 1163 for the X2 interface 712 defined between two or more E-UTRAN nodes 711.

[0146] The S1 application protocol layer (S1-AP) 1163 can support the functions of the S1 interface and, similar to the NG-AP discussed earlier, the S1-AP can comprise S1-AP EPs. The S1-AP EPs can be the unit of interaction between an E-UTRAN node 711 and a MME within the LTE CN 720. The S1-AP 1163 services can include two groups: UE-associated services and non-UE-associated services. These services perform the following functions, including but not limited to: E-UTRAN Radio Access Bearer (E-RAB) management, UE capability indication, mobility, NAS signaling transfer, RAN Information Management (RIM), and configuration transfer.

[0147] The X2AP 1163 can support the functions of the X2 interface 712 and can comprise X2AP basic mobility procedures and X2AP global procedures. The X2AP basic mobility procedures can comprise procedures for handling of UE mobility within the E-UTRAN 720, such as handover preparation and cancellation procedures, SN Status Transfer procedures, UE context retrieval and UE context release procedures, RAN paging procedures, Dual Connectivity related procedures, etc. The X2AP global procedures can comprise procedures that are not related to a specific UE 701, such as X2 interface establishment and reset procedures, load indication procedures, error indication procedures, cell activation procedures, etc.

[0148] The SCTP layer (alternatively referred to as the SCTP / IP layer) 1162 can provide guaranteed delivery of application layer messages (e.g., NGAP or XnAP messages in NR implementations, or S1-AP or X2AP messages in LTE implementations). The SCTP 1162 can ensure reliable delivery of signaling messages between the RAN node 711 and AMF / MME based, in part, on the IP protocol supported by the IP 1161. The Internet Protocol layer (IP) 1161 can be used to implement packet addressing and routing functionality. In some implementations, the IP layer 1161 can use point-to-point transmission to transfer and deliver PDUs. In this regard, the RAN node 711 can comprise L2 and L1 layer communication links (e.g., wired or wireless) with the MME / AMF to exchange information.

[0149] In a second example, the user plane protocol stack can include, in order from highest layer to lowest layer, SDAP 1147, PDCP 1140, RLC 1130, MAC 1120, and PHY 1110. The user plane protocol stack can be used for communication between the UE 701, RAN node 711, and a UPF in NR implementations or an S-GW and P-GW in LTE implementations. In this example, upper layers 1151 can be built on top of the SDAP 1147 and can include a user datagram protocol (UDP) and IP security layer (UDP / IP) 1152, a general packet radio service (GPRS) tunneling protocol for user plane layer (GTP-U) 1153, and a user plane PDU layer (UP PDU) 1163.

[0150] The transport network layer 1154 (also referred to as the “transport layer”) can be built on top of IP transport, and the GTP-U 1153 can be used on top of the UDP / IP layer 1152 (including the UDP layer and the IP layer) to carry user plane PDUs (UP-PDUs). The IP layer (also referred to as the “Internet layer”) can be used to implement packet addressing and routing functionality. The IP layer can assign IP addresses to user data packets, e.g., in any of IPv4, IPv6, or PPP formats.

[0151] GTP-U 1153 can be used to carry user data within the GPRS core network and between the radio access network and the core network. The user data transported can be packets of any of IPv4, IPv6, or PPP formats, for example. The UDP / IP 1152 can provide checksums for data integrity, port numbers for addressing different functions at the source and destination, and encryption and authentication on selected data flows. The RAN node 711 and the S-GW can utilize an S1-U interface to exchange user plane data via a protocol stack comprising an LI layer (e.g., PHY 1110), an L2 layer (e.g., MAC 1120, RLC 1130, PDCP 1140, and / or SDAP 1147), the UDP / IP layer 1152, and the GTP-U 1153. The S-GW and the P-GW can utilize a S5 / S8a interface to exchange user plane data via a protocol stack comprising an LI layer, an L2 layer, the UDP / IP layer 1152, and the GTP-U 1153. As discussed previously, NAS protocols can support the mobility of the UE 701 and the session management procedures to establish and maintain IP connectivity between the UE 701 and the P-GW.

[0152] Furthermore, although Figure 11 not shown, there can be an application layer on top of the AP 1163 and / or the transport network layer 1154. The application layer can be a layer that the user of the UE 701, the RAN node 711, or other network elements interact with software applications being executed, for example, by application circuitry 805 or application circuitry 905, respectively. The application layer can also provide one or more interfaces for software applications to interact with the communication system (e.g., baseband circuitry 1010) of the UE 701 or the RAN node 711. In some implementations, the IP layer and / or the application layer can provide the same, or similar, functionality as, portions of, the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model layers 5-7 (e.g., OSI layer 7 - the application layer, OSI layer 6 - the presentation layer, and OSI layer 5 - the session layer).

[0153] Figure 12 is a block diagram illustrating a component that can read instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, according to some example embodiments. Specifically, Figure 12An illustrative representation of hardware resources 1200 is shown, including one or more processors (or processor cores) 1210, one or more memory / storage devices 1220, and one or more communication resources 1230, each of which can be communicatively coupled via a bus 1240. For embodiments utilizing node virtualization (e.g., NFV), a hypervisor 1202 can be executed to provide an execution environment for one or more network slices / sub-slices to utilize the hardware resources 1200.

[0154] The processors 1210 can include, for example, a processor 1212 and a processor 1214. The processors 1210 can be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a DSP such as a baseband processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, a radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor (including those discussed herein), or any suitable combination thereof.

[0155] The memory / storage devices 1220 can include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. The memory / storage devices 1220 can include, but are not limited to, any type of volatile or nonvolatile memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), Flash memory, solid-state storage, etc.

[0156] The communication resources 1230 can include interconnection or network interface components or other suitable devices to communicate with one or more peripheral devices 1204 or one or more databases 1206 via a network 1208. For example, the communication resources 1230 can include wired communication components (e.g., for coupling via USB), cellular communication components, NFC components, Bluetooth® (or Bluetooth® Low Energy ) components, Wi-Fi® components, and other communication components.

[0157] The instructions 1250 can include software, a program, an applet, an app, or other executable code for causing at least one processor 1210 to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. The instructions 1250 can reside completely, though not necessarily entirely, within the processor 1210 (e.g., within the processor’s cache memory), the memory / storage devices 1220, or any suitable combination thereof. Furthermore, any portion of the instructions 1250 can be transferred between or among any combination of the external devices 1204 or the databases 1206 and the hardware resources 1200. Accordingly, the memory of the processor 1210, the memory / storage devices 1220, the external devices 1204, and the databases 1206 are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media.

[0158] The following examples pertain to further embodiments.

[0159] Example 1 is an apparatus of a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: a radio frequency (RF) interface; and one or more processors configured to: decode, via the RF interface, a message indicating a configuration of sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission parameters, the SRS transmission parameters comprising a SRS duration in an uplink subframe, a number of SRS repetitions, a number of SRS antenna switches, a guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, and a guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching; determine, from the SRS transmission parameters, a number of frequency hops that can be accommodated; and encode, for transmission via the RF interface, an SRS in accordance with the determined number of frequency hops.

[0160] Example 2 can include the subject matter of Example 1, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein the number of frequency hops is determined based on a priority of a SRS transmission order of first, frequency hopping second, and antenna switching third.

[0161] Example 3 can include the subject matter of Example 1, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein the SRS is an additional SRS in addition to a base SRS to be transmitted by the UE.

[0162] Example 4 can include the subject matter of Example 1, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein the number of frequency hops N FH is determined to satisfy the following equation: N = R x N AS x N FH + (N AS - 1) x G AS + (N FH - 1) x N AS x G FH where N is the SRS duration, R is the number of SRS repetitions, N AS is the number of SRS antenna switches, and G FHThis is the protection symbol configuration used for SRS frequency hopping, G AS This is the protection symbol configuration used for SRS antenna switching.

[0163] Example 5 may include the topic of Example 1 or any other example in this article, where the number of frequency hopping N FH It is determined to satisfy the following formula: if G FH =1, then N = R × N AS ×N FH +(N FH ×N AS –1)×G FH Otherwise G FH =0, then N = R × N AS ×N FH +(N AS –1)×G AS Where N is the duration of the SRS, and R is the number of SRS repetitions. AS It is the number of SRS antenna switches, G FH This is the protection symbol configuration used for SRS frequency hopping, G AS This is the protection symbol configuration used for SRS antenna switching.

[0164] Example 6 may include the subject of Example 4 or 5 or any other example in this document, where the SRS duration is N = {1, 2, ..., 13}, the number of SRS repetitions is R = {1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13}, and the number of SRS antenna switches is N. AS ={2,3,4}, the protection symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching is G AS ={0,1}, the protection symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping is G FH ={0,1}, where G AS =1 indicates that a protection symbol is required for antenna switching, while G AS =0 indicates that antenna switching does not require a protection symbol, and where G FH =1 indicates that frequency hopping requires a protection symbol, while G FH =0 indicates that frequency hopping does not require a protection symbol.

[0165] Example 7 is a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors of a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: decode a message received from an evolved NodeB (eNB) indicating a configuration of sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission parameters, the SRS transmission parameters comprising a SRS duration in an uplink subframe, a number of SRS repetitions, a number of SRS antenna switches, a guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, and a guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching; determine a number of frequency hops that can be accommodated according to the SRS transmission parameters; and encode a SRS for transmission according to the determined number of frequency hops.

[0166] Example 8 can include the subject matter of Example 7, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein the number of frequency hops is determined based on a priority of a SRS transmission order of first repetition, second frequency hopping, and third antenna switching.

[0167] Example 9 can include the subject matter of Example 7, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein the SRS is an additional SRS in addition to a basic SRS to be transmitted by the UE.

[0168] Example 10 can include the subject matter of Example 7, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein the number of frequency hops N FH is determined to satisfy the following equation: N = R x N AS x N FH + (N AS - 1) x G AS + (N FH - 1) x N AS x G FH , where N is the SRS duration, R is the number of SRS repetitions, N AS is the number of SRS antenna switches, G FH is the guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, and G AS is the guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching.

[0169] Example 11 can include the subject matter of Example 7, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein the number of frequency hops N FH is determined to satisfy the following equation: if G FH = 1, then N = R x N AS x N FH + (N FH x N AS - 1) x G FH ; otherwise G FH = 0, then N = R x N AS x N FH + (N AS - 1) x GAS ; where N is a SRS duration, R is a number of SRS repetitions, N AS is a number of SRS antenna switches, G FH is a guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, G AS is a guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching.

[0170] Example 12 can include the subject matter of Example 10 or 11, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein the SRS duration is N = {1, 2,..., 13}, the number of SRS repetitions is R = {1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13}, the number of SRS antenna switches is N AS = {2, 3, 4}, the guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching is G AS = {0, 1}, the guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping is G FH = {0, 1}, where G AS = 1 indicates that antenna switching requires guard symbols, and G AS = 0 indicates that antenna switching does not require guard symbols, and wherein G FH = 1 indicates that frequency hopping requires guard symbols, and G FH = 0 indicates that frequency hopping does not require guard symbols.

[0171] Example 13 is a method to be performed at a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: decoding a message received from an evolved NodeB (eNB) indicating a configuration of sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission parameters, the SRS transmission parameters comprising a SRS duration in an uplink subframe, a number of SRS repetitions, a number of SRS antenna switches, a guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, and a guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching; determining a number of frequency hops that can be accommodated according to the SRS transmission parameters; and encoding a SRS for transmission according to the determined number of frequency hops.

[0172] Example 14 can include the subject matter of Example 13, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein the number of frequency hops is determined based on a priority of a SRS transmission order of first repetition, second frequency hopping, and third antenna switching.

[0173] Example 15 can include the subject matter of Example 13, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein the SRS is an additional SRS in addition to a basic SRS to be transmitted by the UE.

[0174] Example 16 can include the subject matter of Example 13, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein the number of frequency hops N FH is determined to satisfy the following equation: N = R x N AS x NFH +(N AS –1)×G AS +(N FH –1)×N AS ×G FH Where N is the duration of the SRS and R is the number of SRS repetitions. AS It is the number of SRS antenna switches, G FH This is the protection symbol configuration used for SRS frequency hopping, G AS This is the protection symbol configuration used for SRS antenna switching.

[0175] Example 17 may include the subject of Example 13 or any other example in this document, where the number of frequency hopping N FH It is determined to satisfy the following formula: if G FH =1, then N = R × N AS ×N FH +(N FH ×N AS –1)×G FH Otherwise G FH =0, then N = R × N AS ×N FH +(N AS –1)×G AS Where N is the duration of the SRS, and R is the number of SRS repetitions. AS It is the number of SRS antenna switches, G FH This is the protection symbol configuration used for SRS frequency hopping, G AS This is the protection symbol configuration used for SRS antenna switching.

[0176] Example 18 may include the subject of Example 16 or 17 or any other example in this document, where the SRS duration is N = {1, 2, ..., 13}, the number of SRS repetitions is R = {1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13}, and the number of SRS antenna switches is N. AS ={2,3,4}, the protection symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching is G AS ={0,1}, the protection symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping is G FH ={0,1}, where G AS =1 indicates that a protection symbol is required for antenna switching, while G AS =0 indicates that antenna switching does not require a protection symbol, and where G FH =1 indicates that frequency hopping requires a protection symbol, while G FH =0 indicates that frequency hopping does not require a protection symbol.

[0177] Example 19 is an apparatus comprising: means for decoding a message received from an evolved NodeB (eNB) indicating a configuration of sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission parameters including a SRS duration in an uplink subframe, a number of SRS repetitions, a number of SRS antenna switches, a guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, and a guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching; means for determining a number of frequency hops that can be accommodated based on the SRS transmission parameters; and means for encoding a SRS for transmission according to the determined number of frequency hops.

[0178] Example 20 can include the subject matter of Example 19, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein the number of frequency hops is determined based on a priority of a SRS transmission order of first repetition, second frequency hopping, and third antenna switching.

[0179] Example 21 can include the subject matter of Example 19, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein the SRS is an additional SRS in addition to a basic SRS to be transmitted by the UE.

[0180] Example 22 can include the subject matter of Example 19, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein the number of frequency hops N FH is determined to satisfy the following equation: N = R x N AS x N FH + (N AS - 1) x G AS + (N FH - 1) x N AS x G FH , where N is the SRS duration, R is the number of SRS repetitions, N AS is the number of SRS antenna switches, G FH is the guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, and G AS is the guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching.

[0181] Example 23 can include the subject matter of Example 19, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein the number of frequency hops N FH is determined to satisfy the following equation: if G FH = 1, then N = R x N AS x N FH + (N FH x N AS - 1) x G FH ; else G FH = 0, then N = R x N AS x N FH + (N AS - 1) x G AS; where N is a SRS duration, R is a number of SRS repetitions, N AS is a number of SRS antenna switches, G FH is a guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, G AS is a guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching.

[0182] Example 24 can include the subject matter of Example 22 or 23, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein the SRS duration is N = {1, 2,..., 13}, the number of SRS repetitions is R = {1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13}, the number of SRS antenna switches is N AS = {2, 3, 4}, the guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching is G AS = {0, 1}, the guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping is G FH = {0, 1}, where G AS = 1 indicates that antenna switching requires guard symbols, and G AS = 0 indicates that antenna switching does not require guard symbols, and wherein G FH = 1 indicates that frequency hopping requires guard symbols, and G FH = 0 indicates that frequency hopping does not require guard symbols.

[0183] Example 25 is an apparatus of an evolved NodeB (eNB), the apparatus comprising: a radio frequency (RF) interface; and one or more processors configured to: determine a configuration of sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission parameters, the SRS transmission parameters comprising a SRS duration in an uplink subframe, a number of SRS repetitions, a number of SRS antenna switches, a guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, and a guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching; determine a number of frequency hops that can be accommodated based on the SRS transmission parameters; and decode SRS received via the RF interface based on the determined number of frequency hops.

[0184] Example 26 can include the subject matter of Example 25, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein the number of frequency hops is determined based on a priority of a SRS transmission order of first repetition, second frequency hopping, and third antenna switching.

[0185] Example 27 can include the subject matter of Example 25, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein the SRS is an additional SRS in addition to a basic SRS.

[0186] Example 28 can include the subject matter of Example 25, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein the number of frequency hops N FH is determined to satisfy the following equation: N = R x N AS x N FH + (NAS -1) x G AS + (N FH -1) x N AS x G FH where N is a SRS duration, R is a number of SRS repetitions, N AS is a number of SRS antenna switches, G FH is a guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, G AS is a guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching.

[0187] Example 29 can include the subject matter of Example 25, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein a number of frequency hops N FH is determined to satisfy the following formula: if G FH = 1, then N = R x N AS x N FH + (N FH x N AS - 1) x G FH ; otherwise G FH = 0, then N = R x N AS x N FH + (N AS - 1) x G AS ; wherein N is a SRS duration, R is a number of SRS repetitions, N AS is a number of SRS antenna switches, G FH is a guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, G AS is a guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching.

[0188] Example 30 can include the subject matter of Example 28 or 29, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein a SRS duration is N = {1, 2,..., 13}, a number of SRS repetitions is R = {1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13}, a number of SRS antenna switches is N AS = {2, 3, 4}, a guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching is G AS = {0, 1}, a guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping is G FH = {0, 1}, wherein G AS = 1 indicates that antenna switching requires guard symbols, and G AS = 0 indicates that antenna switching does not require guard symbols, and wherein G FH = 1 indicates that frequency hopping requires guard symbols, and G FH = 0 indicates that frequency hopping does not require guard symbols.

[0189] Example 31 is a computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors of an evolved NodeB (eNB), cause the eNB to determine a configuration of sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission parameters including a SRS duration, a number of SRS repetitions, a number of SRS antenna switches, a guard symbol configuration for SRS hopping, and a guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching in an uplink subframe, determine a number of hops that can be accommodated based on the SRS transmission parameters, and decode an SRS received from a user equipment (UE) based on the determined number of hops.

[0190] Example 32 can include the subject matter of Example 31 or any other example herein, wherein the number of hops is determined based on a priority of a SRS transmission order of first repetition, second hopping, and third antenna switching.

[0191] Example 33 can include the subject matter of Example 31 or any other example herein, wherein the SRS is an additional SRS in addition to a basic SRS.

[0192] Example 34 can include the subject matter of Example 31 or any other example herein, wherein the number of hops N FH is determined to satisfy the following equation: N = R x N AS x N FH + (N AS - 1) x G AS + (N FH - 1) x N AS x G FH , where N is the SRS duration, R is the number of SRS repetitions, N AS is the number of SRS antenna switches, G FH is the guard symbol configuration for SRS hopping, and G AS is the guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching.

[0193] Example 35 can include the subject matter of Example 31 or any other example herein, wherein the number of hops N FH is determined to satisfy the following equation: if G FH = 1, then N = R x N AS x N FH + (N FH x N AS - 1) x G FH ; otherwise G FH = 0, then N = R x N AS x N FH + (N AS - 1) x G AS; where N is a SRS duration, R is a number of SRS repetitions, N AS is a number of SRS antenna switches, G FH is a guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, G AS is a guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching.

[0194] Example 36 can include the subject matter of Example 34 or 35, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein the SRS duration is N = {1, 2,..., 13}, the number of SRS repetitions is R = {1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13}, the number of SRS antenna switches is N AS = {2, 3, 4}, the guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching is G AS = {0, 1}, the guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping is G FH = {0, 1}, where G AS = 1 indicates that antenna switching requires guard symbols, and G AS = 0 indicates that antenna switching does not require guard symbols, and wherein G FH = 1 indicates that frequency hopping requires guard symbols, and G FH = 0 indicates that frequency hopping does not require guard symbols.

[0195] Example 37 is a method to be performed at an evolved Node B (eNB), the method comprising: determining a configuration of sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission parameters, the SRS transmission parameters comprising a SRS duration in an uplink subframe, a number of SRS repetitions, a number of SRS antenna switches, a guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, and a guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching; determining a number of frequency hops that can be accommodated according to the SRS transmission parameters; and decoding an SRS received from a user equipment (UE) according to the determined number of frequency hops.

[0196] Example 38 can include the subject matter of Example 37, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein the number of frequency hops is determined based on a priority of a SRS transmission order that is first repetition, second frequency hopping, and third antenna switching.

[0197] Example 39 can include the subject matter of Example 37, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein the SRS is an additional SRS in addition to a basic SRS.

[0198] Example 40 can include the subject matter of Example 37, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein the number of frequency hops N FH is determined to satisfy the following equation: N = R x N AS x N FH + (N AS - 1) x GAS +(N FH –1)×N AS ×G FH Where N is the duration of the SRS and R is the number of SRS repetitions. AS It is the number of SRS antenna switches, G FH This is the protection symbol configuration used for SRS frequency hopping, G AS This is the protection symbol configuration used for SRS antenna switching.

[0199] Example 41 may include the topic of Example 37 or any other example in this document, where the number of frequency hopping N FH It is determined to satisfy the following formula: if G FH =1, then N = R × N AS ×N FH +(N FH ×N AS –1)×G FH Otherwise G FH =0, then N = R × N AS ×N FH +(N AS –1)×G AS Where N is the duration of the SRS, and R is the number of SRS repetitions. AS It is the number of SRS antenna switches, G FH This is the protection symbol configuration used for SRS frequency hopping, G AS This is the protection symbol configuration used for SRS antenna switching.

[0200] Example 42 may include the subject of Example 40 or 41 or any other example in this document, wherein the SRS duration is N = {1, 2, ..., 13}, the number of SRS repetitions is R = {1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13}, and the number of SRS antenna switching is N. AS ={2,3,4}, the protection symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching is G AS ={0,1}, the protection symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping is G FH ={0,1}, where G AS =1 indicates that a protection symbol is required for antenna switching, while G AS =0 indicates that antenna switching does not require a protection symbol, and where G FH =1 indicates that frequency hopping requires a protection symbol, while G FH =0 indicates that frequency hopping does not require a protection symbol.

[0201] Example 43 is an apparatus comprising: means for determining a configuration of sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission parameters, the SRS transmission parameters comprising an SRS duration, a number of SRS repetitions, a number of SRS antenna switches, a guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, and a guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching in an uplink subframe; means for determining a number of frequency hops that can be accommodated based on the SRS transmission parameters; and means for decoding an SRS received from a user equipment (UE) based on the determined number of frequency hops.

[0202] Example 44 can include the subject matter of Example 43, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein the number of frequency hops is determined based on a priority of an SRS transmission order of first repetition, second frequency hopping, and third antenna switching.

[0203] Example 45 can include the subject matter of Example 43, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein the SRS is an additional SRS in addition to a basic SRS.

[0204] Example 46 can include the subject matter of Example 43, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein the number of frequency hops N FH is determined to satisfy the following equation: N = R x N AS x N FH + (N AS - 1) x G AS + (N FH - 1) x N AS x G FH , where N is the SRS duration, R is the number of SRS repetitions, N AS is the number of SRS antenna switches, G FH is the guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, and G AS is the guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching.

[0205] Example 47 can include the subject matter of Example 43, or the subject matter of any other example herein, wherein the number of frequency hops N FH is determined to satisfy the following equation: if G FH = 1, then N = R x N AS x N FH + (N FH x N AS - 1) x G FH ; otherwise G FH = 0, then N = R x N AS x N FH + (N AS - 1) x G AS ; where N is the SRS duration, R is the number of SRS repetitions, N ASis the number of SRS antenna switches, G FH is the guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, G AS is the guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching.

[0206] Example 48 can include the subject matter of Example 46 or 47, or any other example herein, wherein the SRS duration is N = {1, 2,..., 13}, the number of SRS repetitions is R = {1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13}, the number of SRS antenna switches is N AS = {2, 3, 4}, the guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching is G AS = {0, 1}, the guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping is G FH = {0, 1}, wherein G AS = 1 indicates that antenna switching requires guard symbols, and G AS = 0 indicates that antenna switching does not require guard symbols, and wherein G FH = 1 indicates that frequency hopping requires guard symbols, and G FH = 0 indicates that frequency hopping does not require guard symbols.

Claims

1. An apparatus of a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: a radio frequency (RF) interface; and one or more processors configured to: decode, from a message received via the RF interface, a configuration of sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission parameters including a SRS duration in an uplink subframe, a number of SRS repetitions, a number of SRS antenna switches, a guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, and a guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching; determine, from the SRS transmission parameters, a number of frequency hops that can be accommodated; and encode, for transmission via the RF interface, an SRS according to the determined number of frequency hops, wherein the number of frequency hops is determined based on a priority of a SRS transmission order of repetition first, frequency hopping second, and antenna switching third.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, the SRS is an additional SRS in addition to a base SRS to be transmitted by the UE.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The number of frequency hops N FH is determined to satisfy the following equation: N = R x N AS N = R x N FH N = R x N AS N = R x N AS N = R x N FH N = R x N AS N = R x N FH where N is the SRS duration, R is the number of SRS repetitions, N AS is the number of SRS antenna switches, G FH is the guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, G AS is the guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The number of frequency hops N FH is determined to satisfy the following equation: If G FH = 1, then N = R x N AS x N FH + (N FH x N AS - 1) x G FH ; Else G FH = 0, then N = R x N AS x N FH + (N AS - 1) x G AS ; where N is the SRS duration, R is the number of SRS repetitions, N AS is the number of SRS antenna switches, G FH is the guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, G AS is the guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching.

5. The apparatus of claim 3 or 4, wherein, SRS duration is N = {1, 2,..., 13}, the number of SRS repetitions is R = {1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13}, the number of SRS antenna switches is N AS = {2, 3, 4}, the guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching is G AS = {0, 1}, the guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping is G FH = {0, 1}, where G AS = 1 indicates that an antenna switch requires a guard symbol, and G AS = 0 indicates that an antenna switch does not require a guard symbol, and where G FH = 1 indicates that a frequency hopping needs a guard symbol, and G FH = 0 indicates that a frequency hopping does not need a guard symbol.

6. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors of a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: decode, from a message received from an evolved node B (eNB), a configuration of sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission parameters including a SRS duration in an uplink subframe, a number of SRS repetitions, a number of SRS antenna switches, a guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, and a guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching; determine, from the SRS transmission parameters, a number of frequency hops that can be accommodated; and encode, for transmission according to the determined number of frequency hops, wherein the number of frequency hops is determined based on a priority of a SRS transmission order of repetition first, frequency hopping second, and antenna switching third.

7. The storage medium of claim 6, wherein, the SRS is an additional SRS in addition to a base SRS to be transmitted by the UE.

8. The storage medium of claim 6, wherein, The number of frequency hops N FH is determined to satisfy the following equation: N = R x N AS N = R x N FH N = R x N AS N = R x N AS N = R x N FH N = R x N AS N = R x N FH where N is the SRS duration, R is the number of SRS repetitions, N AS is the number of SRS antenna switches, G FH is the guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, G AS is the guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching.

9. The storage medium of claim 6, wherein, The number of frequency hops N FH is determined to satisfy the following equation: If G FH = 1, then N = R x N AS x N FH + (N FH x N AS - 1) x G FH ; Else G FH = 0, then N = R x N AS x N FH + (N AS - 1) x G AS ; where N is the SRS duration, R is the number of SRS repetitions, N AS is the number of SRS antenna switches, G FH is the guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, G AS is the guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching.

10. The storage medium of claim 8 or 9, wherein, SRS duration is N = {1, 2,..., 13}, the number of SRS repetitions is R = {1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13}, the number of SRS antenna switches is N AS = {2, 3, 4}, the guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching is G AS = {0, 1}, the guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping is G FH = {0, 1}, where G AS = 1 indicates that an antenna switch requires a guard symbol, and G AS = 0 indicates that an antenna switch does not require a guard symbol, and where G FH = 1 indicates that a frequency hop needs a guard symbol, and G FH = 0 indicates that a frequency hop does not need a guard symbol.

11. An apparatus of an evolved node B (eNB), the apparatus comprising: a radio frequency (RF) interface; and one or more processors configured to: determine a configuration of sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission parameters including a SRS duration in an uplink subframe, a number of SRS repetitions, a number of SRS antenna switches, a guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, and a guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching; determine, from the SRS transmission parameters, a number of frequency hops that can be accommodated; and decode, from an SRS received via the RF interface according to the determined number of frequency hops, wherein the number of frequency hops is determined based on a priority of a SRS transmission order of repetition first, frequency hopping second, and antenna switching third.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein, the SRS is an additional SRS in addition to a base SRS.

13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein, The number of frequency hops N FH is determined to satisfy the following equation: N = R x N AS N = R x N FH N = R x N AS N = R x N AS N = R x N FH N = R x N AS N = R x N FH where N is the SRS duration, R is the number of SRS repetitions, N AS is the number of SRS antenna switches, G FH is the guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, G AS is the guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein, The number of frequency hops N FH is determined to satisfy the following equation: If G FH = 1, then N = R x N AS x N FH + (N FH x N AS - 1) x G FH ; Else G FH = 0, then N = R x N AS x N FH + (N AS - 1) x G AS ; where N is the SRS duration, R is the number of SRS repetitions, N AS is the number of SRS antenna switches, G FH is the guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, G AS is the guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching.

15. The apparatus of claim 13 or 14, wherein, SRS duration is N = {1, 2,..., 13}, the number of SRS repetitions is R = {1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13}, the number of SRS antenna switches is N AS = {2, 3, 4}, the guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching is G AS = {0, 1}, the guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping is G FH = {0, 1}, where G AS = 1 indicates that an antenna switch requires a guard symbol, and G AS = 0 indicates that an antenna switch does not require a guard symbol, and where G FH = 1 indicates that a frequency hop needs a guard symbol, and G FH = 0 indicates that a frequency hop does not need a guard symbol.

16. A computer-readable storage medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors of an evolved node B (eNB), cause the eNB to: determining a configuration of sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission parameters, the SRS transmission parameters comprising a SRS duration in an uplink subframe, a number of SRS repetitions, a number of SRS antenna switches, a guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, and a guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching; determining a number of frequency hops that can be accommodated according to the SRS transmission parameters; and decoding an SRS received from a user equipment (UE) according to the determined number of frequency hops, wherein the number of frequency hops is determined based on a priority of a SRS transmission order of repetition first, frequency hopping second, and antenna switching third.

17. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein, the SRS is an additional SRS in addition to a base SRS.

18. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein, The number of frequency hops N FH is determined to satisfy the following equation: N = R x N AS N = R x N FH N = R x N AS N = R x N AS N = R x N FH N = R x N AS N = R x N FH where N is the SRS duration, R is the number of SRS repetitions, N AS is the number of SRS antenna switches, G FH is the guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, G AS is the guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching.

19. The storage medium of claim 16, wherein, The number of frequency hops N FH is determined to satisfy the following equation: If G FH = 1, then N = R x N AS x N FH + (N FH x N AS - 1) x G FH ; Else G FH = 0, then N = R x N AS x N FH + (N AS - 1) x G AS ; where N is the SRS duration, R is the number of SRS repetitions, N AS is the number of SRS antenna switches, G FH is the guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping, G AS is the guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching.

20. The storage medium of claim 18 or 19, wherein, SRS duration is N = {1, 2,..., 13}, the number of SRS repetitions is R = {1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13}, the number of SRS antenna switches is N AS = {2, 3, 4}, the guard symbol configuration for SRS antenna switching is G AS = {0, 1}, the guard symbol configuration for SRS frequency hopping is G FH = {0, 1}, where G AS = 1 indicates that an antenna switch requires a guard symbol, and G AS = 0 indicates that an antenna switch does not require a guard symbol, and where G FH = 1 indicates that a frequency hop needs a guard symbol, and G FH = 0 indicates that a frequency hop does not need a guard symbol.

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