Apparatus and methods for interference mitigation for nr-lte dynamic spectrum sharing

Abstract

The present disclosure provides apparatuses and methods for interference mitigation for NR-LTE dynamic spectrum sharing. The present disclosure provides an apparatus comprising a processor circuit. The processor circuit is configured to decode a message received from a first access node (AN), wherein the message comprises cell-specific reference signal (CRS) parameters associated with a CRS received from a second AN, identify, based on the CRS parameters, resource elements (REs) that are interfered by the CRS in a downlink transmission scheduled by the first AN, and mitigate interference of the CRS on the identified REs. Other embodiments are also disclosed and claimed.

Description

[0001] CLAIM

[0002] This application is based on and claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application Serial No. 63 / 025,606, filed May 15, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. TECHNICAL FIELD

[0003] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of wireless communications, and in particular, to apparatuses and methods for interference mitigation for New Radio (NR)-Long Term Evolution (LTE) Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS). BACKGROUND

[0004] Mobile communications have evolved significantly from early voice systems to today’s highly sophisticated integrated communication platforms. The next generation wireless communication system, the Fifth Generation (5G) or New Radio (NR), will provide information access and data sharing anytime and anywhere through various terminals and applications. NR is expected to be a unified network / system aiming to meet vastly different and sometimes conflicting performance dimensions and services. This diverse multi-dimensional requirement is driven by different services and applications. Generally, NR can evolve based on Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE)-Advanced and other potential new Radio Access Technologies (RATs) to enrich people’s lives with better, simple, and seamless wireless connectivity solutions. NR can enable everything through wireless connectivity and provide fast, rich content and services. SUMMARY

[0005] One aspect of the present disclosure provides an apparatus comprising: a radio frequency (RF) interface; and a processor circuit coupled with the RF interface, wherein the processor circuit is configured to: decode a message received from a first access node (AN) via the RF interface, wherein the message comprises a cell-specific reference signal (CRS) parameter associated with a CRS received from a second AN; identify, based on the CRS parameter, a resource element (RE) in a downlink transmission scheduled by the first AN that is interfered by the CRS; and mitigate interference of the CRS to the identified RE.

[0006] One aspect of the disclosure provides an apparatus comprising: a radio frequency (RF) interface; and a processor circuit coupled with the RF interface, wherein the processor circuit is to: encode a message to indicate cell-specific reference signal (CRS) parameters associated with CRS transmitted from a first access node (AN) to a user equipment (UE); and cause the message to be transmitted to the UE via the RF interface for the UE to suppress interference of the CRS to a downlink transmission scheduled by a second AN to the UE.

[0007] One aspect of the disclosure provides a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor circuit, cause the processor circuit to: decode a message received from a first cell, wherein the message comprises cell-specific reference signal (CRS) parameters associated with CRS received from a second cell; identify, based on the CRS parameters, resource elements (REs) in a downlink transmission scheduled by the first cell that are interfered by the CRS; and suppress interference of the CRS to the identified REs.

[0008] One aspect of the disclosure provides a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor circuit, cause the processor circuit to: encode a message to indicate cell-specific reference signal (CRS) parameters associated with CRS transmitted from a first cell to a user equipment (UE); and cause the message to be transmitted to the UE for the UE to suppress interference of the CRS to a downlink transmission scheduled by a second cell to the UE. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0009] In the drawings, embodiments of the disclosure will be illustrated by way of example, and not limitation, in which like reference numerals refer to similar elements.

[0010] Figure 1 A communication system according to some embodiments of the disclosure is shown.

[0011] Figure 2 An example scenario of multiple transmission reception points (TRPs) according to some embodiments of the disclosure is shown.

[0012] Figure 3 A flowchart of a method for interference suppression for NR-LTE DSS according to some embodiments of the disclosure is shown.

[0013] Figure 4 An example of RRC configuration for CRS assistance information according to some embodiments of the disclosure is shown.

[0014] Figure 5A flow diagram illustrating a method for interference mitigation for NR-LTE DSS in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure is shown.

[0015] Figure 6 A wireless network is schematically illustrated in accordance with various embodiments of the disclosure.

[0016] Figure 7 Example components of a device in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure are shown.

[0017] Figure 8 An example of an infrastructure equipment in accordance with various embodiments is shown.

[0018] Figure 9 is a block diagram that shows a component that is capable of reading instructions from a machine- or computer-readable medium and executing any one or more of the methods discussed herein in accordance with some example embodiments.

[0019] Figure 10 A network in accordance with various embodiments of the disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Various aspects of illustrative embodiments will be described using terminology commonly employed by those skilled in the art and having a basic understanding of the technologies referenced herein. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that many alternatives embodying the essence of the present disclosure can be practiced without adhering to the specific details set forth herein. For the purpose of clarity, specific numbers, materials, and configurations are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding and to fully convey the substance of the illustrative embodiments. However, it will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art that alternatives can be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known features are not described in detail in order to avoid obscuring the illustrative embodiments.

[0021] Furthermore, various operations will be described as multiple discrete operations, in a manner that is most helpful in understanding the illustrative embodiments; however, the order of description is not intended to be construed as a requirement, nor does it insinuate that these operations are ordered in any particular way. In particular, these operations need not be performed in the order presented.

[0022] The phrases “in an embodiment,” “in one embodiment,” and “in some embodiments” are used repeatedly. This phrase does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment; however, it may. The terms “comprising,” “having,” and “including” are synonymous, unless the context dictates otherwise. The phrases “A or B” and “A / B” mean “(A), (B), or (A and B)”.

[0023] Figure 1A communication system 100 is shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The communication system 100 is shown to include a user equipment (UE) 101. The UE 101 can be a smartphone (e.g., a handheld touchscreen mobile computing device connectable to one or more cellular networks). However, it can also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device, e.g., a personal data assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a pager, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, a wireless hand-held device, or any computing device including a wireless communication interface.

[0024] In some embodiments, the UE 101 can comprise an Internet of Things (IoT) UE, which can comprise a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications that utilize short-lived UE connections. An IoT UE can utilize technologies such as machine-to-machine (M2M) or machine-type communications (MTC), enhanced MTC (eMTC), and narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) to exchange data with an IoT server or device via a public land mobile network (PLMN), Proximity-based service (ProSe) or device-to-device (D2D) communication, sensor networks, or IoT networks. The M2M or MTC exchange of data can be a machine-initiated data exchange.

[0025] The UE 101 can be configured to connect (e.g., communicatively couple) with a radio access network (RAN) 110, which can be, for example, an evolved universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN), a next generation RAN (NG RAN), or some other type of RAN. The UE 101 can operate with cellular communication protocols, which can be, for example, global system for mobile communications (GSM) protocols, code division multiple access (CDMA) network protocols, push-to-talk (PTT) protocols, cellular PTT (POC) protocols, universal mobile

[0026] The RAN 110 can include one or more access nodes. These access nodes can be referred to as base stations (BSs), NodeBs, evolved NodeBs (eNBs), next generation NodeBs (gNBs), and so on, and can include ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations providing coverage over a geographic area (e.g., a cell). Figure 1 As shown, for example, the RAN 110 includes an AN 111 and an AN 112.

[0027] The UE 101 can implement a communication coupling with the RAN 110 through utilization of a connection 103 with an AN 111, as Figure 1 illustrated. The connection 103 can be implemented with one or more beams (not shown). A beam can imply a spatial domain transmit and / or receive filter or a spatial relation, and thus the terms "beam," "spatial domain transmit and / or receive filter," and "spatial relation" can be used interchangeably herein.

[0028] The ANs 111 and 112 can communicate with each other via an X2 interface 113. The ANs 111 and 112 can be macro ANs, which can provide a larger coverage area. Alternatively, they can be femto ANs or pico ANs, which can provide a smaller coverage area, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth than macro ANs. For example, one or both of the ANs 111 and 112 can be a low power (LP) AN. In one embodiment, the ANs 111 and 112 can be the same type of AN. In another embodiment, they are different types of ANs.

[0029] The AN 111 can terminate the air interface protocol and can be the first point of contact for the UEs 101. In some embodiments, the ANs 111 and 112 can implement various logical functions for the RAN 110 including, but not limited to, radio network controller (RNC) functions such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management.

[0030] According to some embodiments, the UE 101 can be configured to communicate with the AN 111 or with other UEs using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals over a multicarrier communication channel in accordance various communication techniques, such as, but not limited to, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication technique (e.g., for downlink communications) or a single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) communication technique (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communications), although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. The OFDM signals can comprise a plurality of orthogonal subcarriers.

[0031] In some embodiments, a downlink resource grid can be used for downlink transmissions from an AN 111 to a UE 101, while uplink transmissions can use similar techniques. 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. Such a time-frequency plane representation is a common practice for OFDM systems, which makes it intuitive for radio resource allocation. Each column and each row of the resource grid corresponds to one OFDM symbol and one OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to one slot, with the number of subcarriers in the frequency domain (e.g., 12 subcarriers) being indicated by the resource allocation. The smallest time-frequency unit in a resource grid is denoted as a resource element. Each resource element can be assigned to a single user for data transmission.

[0032] The downlink channels can include a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH).

[0033] The PDSCH can carry user data and higher layer signaling to a UE 101. The PDCCH can carry information about the transport format and resource allocations related to the PDSCH channels, etc. It can also inform the UEs 101 about the transport format, resource allocation, and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) information related to the uplink shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling (assigning control and shared channel resource blocks to UEs 101 within a cell) can be performed at the AN 111 based on channel quality indicators (CQIs) received from the UEs 101. The downlink resource assignment information can be sent on the PDCCH using downlink control information (DCI).

[0034] The PDCCH can use control channel elements (CCEs) to convey the control information. Before mapping to resource elements, the PDCCH complex-valued symbols can first be organized into quadruplets, which can then be permuted using a sub-block interleaver to achieve rate matching. One or more CCEs can be used to send the PDCCH, where each CCE can correspond to nine sets of physical resource elements called resource element groups (REGs). Four Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) symbols can be mapped to each REG. The PDCCH can be transmitted using one or more CCEs, depending on the size of the downlink control information (DCI) and the channel condition. There can be four or more different PDCCH formats defined in LTE with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation level, L=1, 2, 4, or 8)

[0035] Some embodiments can use concepts for resource allocation for control channel information that are an extension of the above-described concepts. For instance, some embodiments can use an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH) that uses PDSCH resources for control information transmission. The EPDCCH can be transmitted using one or more enhanced control channel elements (ECCEs). Similar to above, each ECCE can correspond to nine sets of physical resource elements (called an enhanced resource element group (EREG)), each set including four physical resource elements. In some cases, an ECCE can have other numbers of EREGs.

[0036] The uplink channels can include a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) and a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH). The PUSCH can carry user data, and the PUCCH can carry control information. The control information can include Hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement (ACK) / negative acknowledgement (NACK) feedback, scheduling requests, and / or channel state information (CSI). In some embodiments, the uplink channels can also include a physical random access channel (PRACH) which can be time division multiplexed (TDM) with the PUCCH.

[0037] The RAN 110 is shown to include ANs 111 and 112, which can be examples of ANs described above. ANs 111 and 112 can communicate with one or more UEs 101, which can be examples of UEs described above. ANs 111 and 112 can terminate the air interface

[0038] In an embodiment, the CN 120 can include a MME 121, a S-GW 122, a

[0039] The S-GW 122 can terminate the SI interface 114 toward the RAN 110 and route data packets between the RAN 110 and the CN 120. In addition, the S-GW 122 can be a local mobility anchor point for inter-AN handovers and also can provide an anchor for inter-3 GPP mobility. Other responsibilities can include lawful intercept, charging, and some policy enforcement and implementation.

[0040] The P-GW 123 can terminate an SGi interface toward a PDN. The P-GW 123 can route data packets between the CN 120 and a network other than a core network, such as the Internet, intranet, or an operator's network using, for example, Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. Generally, the application server 130 can be an element offering applications that use IP bearer resources with the core network (e.g., UMTS Packet Services (PS) domain, LTE PS data services, etc.). In an embodiment, the P-GW 123 is communicatively coupled to, and in communication with, the application server 130 via an IP communications interface. The application server 130 can also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social networking services, etc.) for UEs 101 via the CN 120.

[0041] The P-GW 123 can also be responsible for policy enforcement and charging data collection. The policy and charging rules function (PCRF) 126 is the policy and charging control element of the CN 120. In a non-roaming scenario, there can be a single PCRF in the home public land mobile network (HPLMN) associated with a UE's Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session. In a roaming scenario with local breakout of traffic, there can be two PCRFs associated with a UE's IP-CAN session: a home PCRF (H-PCRF) within the HPLMN and a visited PCRF (V-PCRF) within a visited public land mobile network (VPLMN). The PCRF 126 can be communicatively coupled to the application server 130 via the P-GW 123. The application server 130 can signal the PCRF 126 to indicate a new service flow and select the appropriate Quality of Service (QoS) and charging

[0042] Figure 1 The number of devices and / or networks shown in FIG. 1 is provided for the sake of example only. In practice, there can be additional devices and / or networks, fewer devices and / or networks, different devices and / or networks, or differently arranged devices and / or networks than those shown in FIG. 1. Figure 1The devices and / or networks shown are compared to devices and / or networks with different configurations. Optionally or additionally, one or more devices of system 100 may perform one or more functions described as being performed by other one or more devices of system 100. Furthermore, although Figure 1 The diagram shows "direct" connections, but these connections should be interpreted as logical communication paths. Furthermore, in practice, one or more intermediate devices (e.g., routers, gateways, modems, switches, hubs, etc.) may be present.

[0043] 5G NR supports multiple Transmitter Receiver Points (TRP) transmission schemes. Specifically in Rel-15, Dynamic Point Selection (DPS) for PDSCH transmission can be facilitated by indicating a set of reference signals associated with the transmit TRP via the Transmit Configuration Indicator (TCI). This set of reference signals can be provided as part of the Transmit Configuration Indicator (TCI) state, conveying the information required for effective PDSCH demodulation to the UE. In particular, the TCI state can include identifiers for: Tracking Reference Signal (TRS), Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), and / or Synchronization Signal (SS) / Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH). In addition to the identifiers of the reference signals, the TCI state can also indicate the type of Quasi-Co-location (QCL) parameters, which can be estimated from the relevant reference signals and applied to PDSCH demodulation. QCL parameters may include average delay, delay spread, Doppler shift, Doppler spread, and / or spatial Rx parameters (only for certain frequency ranges (FR), e.g., for FR2 (e.g., millimeter wave)), and QCL parameters can be used to compensate for time and frequency offsets, parameterize channel estimation, and provide information to help the UE perform Rx beamforming.

[0044] In Rel-16, the multi-TRP scheme was enhanced to support noncoherent joint transport (NC-JT). Figure 2 Example scenarios of multiple TRPs according to some embodiments of this disclosure are shown. For example... Figure 2 As shown, two TRPs (or cells) are associated with the same UE, and they can support NC-JT with the UE.

[0045] For FR1 (e.g., below 6 GHz), new spectrum solely for 5G NR may be limited. As a result, most 5G NR deployments may need to share the same spectrum with already deployed 4G systems (LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro). To facilitate efficient spectrum utilization between LTE and NR systems, Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) is used, where the amount of allocated resources can be dynamically determined through base station scheduling. Since LTE and NR signals are transmitted on the same carrier, transmission conflicts need to be avoided.

[0046] In most cases, the collision of NR and LTE transmissions can be avoided by scheduling, except for certain transmissions that are not flexible enough. In particular, the cell specific reference signal (CRS) in LTE is always ON and cannot be cancelled. To solve the NR transmission coexistence with the CRS of LTE, NR defines a special PDSCH resource element (RE) mapping pattern (CRS rate matching) which defines a set of REs that are not available for NR PDSCH transmission.

[0047] For multi-TRP scenarios, for example, PDSCH can be transmitted from different TRPs, possibly with different sets of PDSCH REs that are not available for NR. As a result, some NR PDSCH REs transmitted from one TRP can collide with the CRS transmitted from another TRP, thus causing interference even if the other TRP does not transmit any PDSCH (LTE).

[0048] Figure 3 A flowchart of a method 300 for interference mitigation for NR-LTE DSS is shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 300 can be performed by a UE and can include steps 310, 320, and 330.

[0049] At 310, a message received from a first AN (or first cell) can be decoded. The message can include CRS parameters associated with CRS received from a second AN (or second cell).

[0050] At 320, based on the CRS parameters, REs in a downlink transmission scheduled by the first AN that are interfered by the CRS can be identified.

[0051] At 330, the interference of the CRS on the identified REs can be mitigated.

[0052] In some embodiments, the method 300 can include more or fewer steps. The present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0053] In some embodiments, the first AN can include an NR AN, for example, a gNB. In some embodiments, the second AN can include an LTE AN, for example, an eNB. For example, in a DSS scenario, a LTE eNB and a NR gNB operate on the same carrier and serve LTE UEs and NR UEs, respectively. Assume that a NR UE is connected to the NR gNB and receives information about other transmission aspects on the same carrier, including information about the CRS transmitted by the LTE eNB. In this case, the CRS assistance information is provided by the NR gNB to the NR UE.

[0054] In some embodiments, the CRS parameters can include at least one of the following: a physical cell identity of the second AN; a number of CRS antenna ports (e.g., the UE can know how many CRS antenna ports the LTE eNB is using on the same carrier to assist CRS interference cancellation); a number of subcarriers from a reference point to a center subcarrier of the CRS; a bandwidth of the CRS; and a multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) subframe configuration. In some embodiments, the CRS parameters can include other information to help the UE facilitate interference mitigation or cancellation. The present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0055] Figure 4 An example of RRC configuration for CRS assistance information is shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, a list of LteCRS-AssistanceInfo can be provided to the NR UE, which can include a set of parameters defining the REs and / or OFDM symbols in which the CRS is transmitted. Based on the provided information, the UE can apply interference cancellation or mitigation on PDSCH or PDCCH REs or any other signals transmitted by the NR that overlap with the corresponding CRS. For example, the parameter antennaPortsCount can take a value from an enumerated list {an1, an2, an4, sparel}, where, for example, an1 corresponds to one CRS antenna port, an2 corresponds to two CRS antenna ports, and an4 corresponds to four CRS antenna ports.

[0056] In some embodiments, the NR UE can be interfered by more than one CRS, each of which is transmitted by a respective one of more than one LTE eNB. Thus, for the NR UE, there can be more than one set of CRS parameters, each corresponding to one LTE eNB.

[0057] In some embodiments, the downlink transmission scheduled by the second AN for the UE can include at least one of the following: a PDSCH transmission; a PDCCH transmission; a CSI-RS; and a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS). In some embodiments, the downlink transmission can include other transmissions. The present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0058] In some embodiments, the interference mitigation can be performed using an interference cancellation receiver to estimate the interference signal received from the CRS.

[0059] Figure 5 A flowchart of a method 500 for interference mitigation for NR-LTE DSS is shown in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 500 can be performed by an AN (e.g., an eNB or a gNB). The method 500 can include steps 510 and 520.

[0060] At 510, the message can be encoded to indicate CRS parameters related to CRS transmitted from the first AN (e.g., LTE eNB) to the UE.

[0061] At 520, the message can be transmitted to the UE for the UE to suppress interference of CRS on downlink transmissions scheduled by the second AN (e.g., NR gNB) to the UE.

[0062] In some embodiments, the method 500 can include more or fewer steps. The disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0063] In some embodiments, the CRS parameters can include at least one of: a physical cell identity of the first AN; a number of CRS antenna ports; a number of subcarriers from a reference point to a center subcarrier of the CRS; a bandwidth of the CRS; and a MBSFN subframe configuration. In some embodiments, the CRS parameters can include other information to help the UE facilitate interference suppression or cancellation. The disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0064] In some embodiments, the downlink transmissions scheduled by the second AN for the UE can include at least one of: PDSCH transmissions; PDCCH transmissions; CSI-RS; and DM-RS. In some embodiments, the downlink transmissions can include other transmissions. The disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0065] With the solution of the disclosure, the existing signaling is extended by providing the UE with additional CRS information that can assist interference cancellation receivers. The proposed signaling assistance can be used to improve the performance of NR systems in DSS scenarios with CRS interference from TRPs.

[0066] Figure 6 A wireless network 600 according to various embodiments is schematically illustrated. The wireless network 600 can include a UE 602 in wireless communication with an AN 604. The UE 602 and the AN 604 can be similar to and substantially interchangeable with the similarly named components described elsewhere herein.

[0067] The UE 602 can be communicatively coupled with the AN 604 via a connection 606. The connection 606 is illustrated as an over-the-air interface to enable communicative coupling, and can be consistent with a cellular communication protocol operating at millimeter wave (mmWave) or sub-6 GHz frequencies, such as an LTE protocol or a 5G NR protocol.

[0068] The UE 602 can include a host platform 608 coupled with a modem platform 610. The host platform 608 can include application processing circuitry 612, which can be coupled with protocol processing circuitry 614 of the modem platform 610. The application processing circuitry 612 can run various applications for the UE 602, including source / receiver applications for data. The application processing circuitry 612 can also implement one or more layer operations to send / receive application data to / from a data network. These layer operations can include transport (e.g., UDP) and Internet (e.g., IP) operations.

[0069] The protocol processing circuitry 614 can implement one or more layer operations to facilitate the transmission or reception of data over the connection 606. The layer operations implemented by the protocol processing circuitry 614 can include, for example, MAC, RLC, PDCP, RRC, and NAS operations.

[0070] The modem platform 610 can further include digital baseband circuitry 616 that can implement one or more layer operations of the “lower” layer operations performed by the protocol processing circuitry 614 in the network protocol stack. These operations can include, for example, PHY operations including one or more of HARQ-ACK functions, scrambling / descrambling, encoding / decoding, layer mapping / de-mapping, modulation symbol mapping, received symbol / bit metric determination, multi-antenna port precoding / decoding, where these functions can include one or more of space-time, space-frequency, or spatial encoding, reference signal generation / detection, preamble sequence generation and / or decoding, synchronization sequence generation / detection, control channel signal blind decoding, and other related functions.

[0071] The modem platform 610 can further include transmit circuitry 618, receive circuitry 620, RF circuitry 622, and RF front-end (RFFE) circuitry 624, which can include or connect to one or more antenna panels 626. Briefly, the transmit circuitry 618 can include digital-to-analog converters, mixers, intermediate frequency (IF) components, etc.; the receive circuitry 620 can include analog-to-digital converters, mixers, IF components, etc.; the RF circuitry 622 can include low-noise amplifiers, power amplifiers, power-tracking components, etc.; the RFFE circuitry 624 can include filters (e.g., surface / bulk acoustic wave filters), switches, antenna tuners, beamforming components (e.g., phase array antenna components), etc. The selection and arrangement of components of the transmit circuitry 618, receive circuitry 620, RF circuitry 622, RFFE circuitry 624, and antenna panels 626 (collectively, “transmit / receive components”) can be specific to details of a particular implementation, e.g., whether communications are TDM or FDM, at mmWave or sub-6 GHz frequencies, etc. In some embodiments, the transmit / receive components can be arranged in multiple, side-by-side transmit / receive chains, and can be arranged in the same or different chips / modules / etc.

[0072] In some embodiments, the protocol processing circuitry 614 can include one or more instances of control circuitry (not shown) to provide control functions for the transmit / receive components.

[0073] UE reception can be established through and via the antenna panels 626, RFFE circuitry 624, RF circuitry 622, receive circuitry 620, digital baseband circuitry 616, and protocol processing circuitry 614. In some embodiments, the antenna panels 626 can receive transmissions from the AN 604 by receiving beamformed signals received by multiple antennas / antenna elements of the one or more antenna panels 626.

[0074] UE transmission can be established via and through the protocol processing circuitry 614, digital baseband circuitry 616, transmit circuitry 618, RF circuitry 622, RFFE circuitry 624, and antenna panels 626. In some embodiments, the transmit components of the UE 604 can apply a spatial filter to data to be transmitted to form a transmit beam that is emitted by the antenna elements of the antenna panels 626.

[0075] Similar to UE 602, AN 604 can include a host platform 628 coupled with a modem platform 630. Host platform 628 can include application processing circuitry 632 coupled with protocol processing circuitry 634 of modem platform 630. Modem platform can also include digital baseband circuitry 636, transmit circuitry 638, receive circuitry 640, RF circuitry 642, RFFE circuitry 644, and antenna panel 646. The components of AN 604 can be similar to the like-named components of UE 602 and substantially interchangeable therewith. In addition to performing data transmission / reception as described above, the components of AN 608 can perform various logical functions including, for example, RNC functions such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management, and data packet scheduling.

[0076] Figure 7 Example components of the device 700 are illustrated. In some embodiments, the device 700 can include application circuitry 702, baseband circuitry 704, radio frequency (RF) circuitry 706, front-end module (FEM) circuitry 708, one or more antennas 710, and power management circuitry (PMC) 712 coupled together as shown in the illustrated example. The components of the illustrated device 700 can be included in a UE or an AN. In some embodiments, the device 700 can include less functionality (for example, an AN can not use application circuitry 702, but rather include a processor / controller to process IP data

[0077] The application circuitry 702 can include one or more application processors. For example, the application circuitry 702 can include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor(s) can include any combination of general-purpose processors and dedicated processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processors can be coupled with or include memory / storage and can be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage to enable various applications and / or operating systems to run on the device 700. In some embodiments, the processors of application circuitry 702 can process IP data packets received from an EPC.

[0078] The baseband circuitry 704 can include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The baseband circuitry 704 can include one or more baseband processors or control logic to process baseband signals received from a receive signal path of the RF circuitry 706 and to generate baseband signals for a transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 706. The baseband processing circuitry 704 can interface with the application circuitry 702 for generation and processing of the baseband signals and for controlling operations of the RF circuitry 706. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 704 can include a third generation (3G) baseband processor 704A, a fourth generation (4G) baseband processor 704B, a fifth generation (5G) baseband processor 704C, or other baseband processor(s) 704D for other existing generations, generations in development or future generations (e.g., sixth generation (6G), etc.) of wireless standards. The baseband circuitry 704 (e.g., one or more of baseband processors 704A-D) can handle various radio control functions

[0079] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 704 can include one or more audio digital signal processor(s) (DSP) 704F. The audio DSP(s) 704F can include elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation, among other things, and in some embodiments, can include other suitable processing elements. In some embodiments, components of baseband circuitry can be combined in a single chip or set of chips with other components of wireless device 700 or implemented as a separate element.

[0080] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 704 can provide for communication compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 704 can support communication with an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) or other wireless metropolitan area networks (WMAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless personal area network (WPAN). Embodiments in which the baseband circuitry 704 is configured to support wireless communication according to more than one radio

[0081] The RF circuitry 706 can enable communication with wireless networks using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various embodiments, the RF circuitry 706 can include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate the communication with the wireless network. RF circuitry 706 can include a receive signal path, which can include circuitry to down-convert and filter a received RF signal from the FEM circuitry 708 and provide a baseband signal to the baseband circuitry 704. RF circuitry 706 can also include a transmit signal path, which can include circuitry to up-convert and filter a baseband signal provided by the baseband circuitry 704 and provide a generated RF signal to the FEM circuitry 708 for transmission.

[0082] In some embodiments, the receive signal path of the RF circuitry 706 can include mixer circuitry 706a, amplifier circuitry 706b and filter circuitry 706c. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 706 can include filter circuitry 706c and mixer circuitry 706a. The RF circuitry 706 can also include synthesizer circuitry 706d for synthesizing a frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 706a of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 706a of the receive signal path can be configured to down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 708 based on the synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuitry 706d. The amplifier circuitry 706b can be configured to amplify the down-converted signals, and the filter circuitry 706c 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 704 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 706a of the receive signal path can be configured to down-convert RF signals based on a frequency provided by synthesizer circuitry 706d. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 706a of the receive signal path can include passive mixers, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0083] In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 706a of the transmit signal path can be configured to up-convert input baseband signals based on the synthesis frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry 706d to generate RF output signals for the FEM circuitry 708. The baseband signals can be provided by the baseband circuitry 704 and can be filtered by filter circuitry 706c.

[0084] In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 706a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 706a of the transmit signal path can include two or more mixers and can be arranged for quadrature downconversion and / or upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 706a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 706a 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 706a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 706a of the transmit signal path can be arranged for direct downconversion and / or direct upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 706a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 706a of the transmit signal path can be configured for superheterodye operation.

[0085] 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 706 can include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry and the baseband circuitry 704 can include a digital baseband interface to communicate with the RF circuitry 706.

[0086] In some dual-mode embodiments, separate radio ICs can be provided for processing signals for the

[0087] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 706d 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 706d can be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0088] The synthesizer circuitry 706d can be configured to synthesize an output frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 706a of the RF circuitry 706 based on a frequency input and a divider control input. In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 706d can be a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer.

[0089] 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 704 or the application processor 702 as a function of the desired output frequency. In some embodiments, the divider control input (e.g., N) can be determined based on a channel indicated by the application processor 702 from a lookup table.

[0090] Synthesizer circuitry 706d of the RF circuitry 706 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.

[0091] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 706d 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 706 can include an IQ / polar converter.

[0092] FEM circuitry 708 can include a receive signal path, which can include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 710, amplify the received signals and provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the RF circuitry 706 for further processing. FEM circuitry 708 can also include a transmit signal path, which can include circuitry configured to amplify signals for transmission provided by the RF circuitry 706 as well as provide the amplified versions of the transmission signals to the one or more antennas 710 for transmission. In various embodiments, the amplification through the transmit or receive signal paths can be done solely in the RF circuitry 706, solely in the FEM 708, or in both the RF circuitry 706 and the FEM 708.

[0093] In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry 708 can include a TX / RX switch to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEM circuitry can include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuitry 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 706). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuitry 708 can include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify input RF signals (e.g., provided by the RF circuitry 706), and one or more filters to generate RF signals for subsequent transmission (e.g., by one or more of the one or more antennas 710).

[0094] In some embodiments, the PMC 712 can manage power provided to the baseband circuitry 704. In particular, the PMC 712 can control power source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-to-DC conversion. The PMC 712 can typically be included when the device 700 is capable of being powered by a battery, for example when the device is included in a UE. The PMC 712 can increase the power conversion efficiency while providing desirable implementation size and heat dissipation characteristics.

[0095] Although Figure 7 The PMC 712 is shown to be coupled to only the baseband circuitry 704. However, in other embodiments, the PMC 712 can be coupled to and perform similar power management operations for additional components, such as, but not limited to, the application circuitry 702, RF circuitry 706, or FEM 708.

[0096] In some embodiments, the PMC 712 can control, or otherwise be part of various power-saving mechanisms of the device 700. For example, if the device 700 is in an RRC_Connected state, in which it is still connected to the RAN node and the core network, but does not have an allocation of resources, it can enter a state known as Discontinuous Reception (DRX) in which it periodically wakes up to listen to a downlink shared channel for messages from the base station, and sleeps between these listening periods. The length of the sleep periods can be controlled by the device 700 to conserve power. In the device 700, the period for each listening period, known as the DRX cycle (Drx- Cycle), can be scaled with the length of time between consecutive listening periods, known as the on-duration timer (drx- OnDuration), being longer than the length of time the device 700 is awake listening to the downlink shared channel, known as the inactivity timer (drx- Inactivity).

[0097] If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, then the device 700 can transition into an RRC Idle state, in which it disconnects from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback, handover, or the like. The device 700 goes into a very low power state and it performs paging where again it periodically wakes up to listen to the network and then powers down again. The device 700 can not receive data in this state; in order to receive data, it must transition back to an RRC_Connected state.

[0098] An additional power saving mode can allow the device to be unavailable to the network for periods longer than the paging interval (ranging from a few seconds to several hours). During this time, the device is completely unreachable and can be completely powered down. Any data sent during this time will incur a large delay, and the delay is assumed to be acceptable.

[0099] The processors of application circuitry 702 and baseband circuitry 704 can be configured to execute instructions for one or more instances of a protocol stack. For example, the processors of baseband circuitry 704 (alone or in combination) can be used to execute layer 3, layer 2, or layer 1 functionality in addition to or instead of the execution of such functionality by processors of application circuitry 704. As an example, the processors of baseband circuitry 704 can be used to execute Layer 3, Layer 2, or Layer 1 functionality when operating in SGL mode, while the processors of application circuitry 704 can be used to execute Layer 4 functionality (e.g.,, transport communication protocol (TCP) and user datagram protocol (UDP) layers) even when baseband circuitry 704 is operating in SGL mode. As referred to herein, Layer 3 can include a radio resource control (RRC) layer.

[0100] 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, etc., such as the previously shown and described RAN nodes 111 and 112. In other examples, the system 800 can be implemented in or by a UE, application server(s) 130, and / or any of the other elements / devices discussed herein. The system 800 can include one or more of application circuitry 805, baseband circuitry 810, one or more radio front end modules 815, memory 820, power management integrated circuitry (PMIC) 825, power tee circuitry 830, network controller 835, network interface connector 840, satellite positioning circuitry 845, and user interface 850. In some embodiments, the device 800 can include additional elements such as storage / memory, displays, cameras, sensors, or input / output (I / O) interface elements. In other embodiments, the components described below can be included in more than one device (for example, the circuitries can be split between more than one device for a cloud-RAN (C-RAN) implementation).

[0101] As used herein, the term "circuitry" can refer to, be part of, or include an integrated circuit (for example, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable device (FPD), for example, a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device (PLD), a complex PLD (CPLD), a high-capacity PLD (HCPLD), a structured ASIC, or a programmable System on Chip (SoC)), a processor (shared, dedicated, or group), and / or memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and / or other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality. In some embodiments, the circuitry can be configured to

[0102] The terms "application circuitry" and / or "baseband circuitry" can be considered synonymous with, and can be replaced by, "processor circuitry." As used herein, the term "processor circuitry" can refer to a circuit capable of sequentially and automatically processing operations or sequences of operations on data. The term "processor circuitry" can refer to one or more application processors, one or more baseband processors, physical central processing units (CPUs), single-core processors, dual-core processors, triple-core processors, quad-core processors, and / or any other devices, components, and / or circuits capable of performing the functions described herein.

[0103] The application circuitry 805 can include one or more central processing units (CPUs), and one or more of cache memory, low drop-out (LDO) voltage regulators, interrupt controllers, serial interfaces such as SPI, I2C or universal programmable serial interface module, real time clock (RTC), timer-counters including interval and watchdog timers, general purpose input / output (I / O or IO), memory card controllers such as Secure Digital (SD) / MultiMediaCard (MMC), Universal Serial Bus (USB) interfaces, Mobile Industry Processor Interface (MIPI) interfaces and Joint Test Access Group (JTAG) test access ports. As examples, the application circuitry 805 can include one or more Intel PENTIUM Class® or Core® processor; Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) processor; ARM processor; etc. 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 received from an EPC or 5GC. In some embodiments, the application circuitry 805 may include one or more of: a system on a chip (SoC); a system in a package (SiP); and / or other system architectures that integrate hardware and / or software components.

[0104] Additionally or alternatively, application circuitry 805 can include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more a field-programmable device(s) (FPD) such as field-programmable gate arrays (FPGA), programmable logic devices (PLD), complex programmable logic device (CPLD), high- capacity PLD (HCPLD), programmable SoC (PSoC), etc. In this embodiment, the circuitry of application circuitry 805 can include logic blocks or logic fabric, including other interconnected resources that can be programmed to perform various functions, such as the processes, methods, functions and procedures discussed herein. In this embodiment, the circuitry of application circuitry 805 can include memory cells, such as 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, etc.) used to store logic blocks, logic fabric, data, etc. in look-up-tables (LUTs).

[0105] The baseband circuitry 810 can be implemented, for example, 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 attached to a circuit board or packaged together. Although not shown, the baseband circuitry 810 can include one or more digital baseband system on a chip (SoC) components, which can be

[0106] User interface circuitry 850 can include one or more user interfaces designed to enable interaction with a user of system 800 or peripheral component interfaces designed to enable interaction with peripheral components of system 800. User interfaces can include, but are not limited to, one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), one or more indicators (e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs)), 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. Peripheral component interfaces can include, but are not limited to, a non-volatile memory port, a universal serial bus (USB) port, an audio jack, a power supply interface, etc.

[0107] Radio front end modules (RFEMs) 815 can include millimeter wave RFEMs and one or more sub-millimeter wave radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). In some implementations, the one or more sub-millimeter wave RFICs can be physically separate from the millimeter wave RFEMs. RFICs can include connections to one or more antennas or antenna arrays, and RFEMs can be connected to multiple antennas. In alternative implementations, both millimeter wave and sub-millimeter wave radio functions can be implemented in the same physical radio front end module 815. RFEMs 815 can contain both millimeter wave antennas and sub-millimeter wave antennas.

[0108] Memory circuitry 820 can include one or more of volatile memory, including dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and / or non-volatile memory (NVM), including static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, phase change random access memory (PRAM), magnetic resistive random access memory (MRAM), etc., and can include three-dimensional (3D) cross-point (XPOINT) memory from Intel® and Micron®. Memory circuitry 820 can be implemented as one or more of solder down packaged integrated circuits, socketed memory modules, and plug-in memory cards. and Memory circuitry 820 can include one or more of volatile memory, including dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and / or non-volatile memory (NVM), including static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, phase change random access memory (PRAM), magnetic resistive random access memory (MRAM), etc., and can include three-dimensional (3D) cross-point (XPOINT) memory from Intel® and Micron®. Memory circuitry 820 can be implemented as one or more of solder down packaged integrated circuits, socketed memory modules, and plug-in memory cards.

[0109] The PMIC 825 can include voltage regulators, surge protectors, power alarm detection circuitry, and one or more backup power sources such as a battery or capacitor. The power alarm detection circuitry can detect one or more of brownouts (under-voltage) and power surges (over-voltage). The power tee circuit 830 can provide power drawn from a network cable to provide both power supply and data connectivity to the infrastructure equipment 800 utilizing a single cable.

[0110] The network controller circuit 835 can provide connectivity to a network using a standard network interface protocol such as Ethernet, GRE TUNNEL-ed Ethernet, Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS)-based Ethernet, or some other appropriate protocol. Network connectivity can be provided to / from the infrastructure equipment 800 via the network interface connector 840 utilizing a physical connection, which can be electrical (commonly referred to as a "copper interconnect"), optical, or wireless. The network controller circuit 835 can include one or more dedicated processors and / or FPGAs to communicate using one or more of the above-described protocols. In some implementations, the network controller circuit 835 can include multiple controllers to provide connectivity to other networks utilizing the same or different protocols.

[0111] The positioning circuit 845 can include circuitry to receive and decode signals transmitted by one or more navigation satellite constellations of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS). Examples of navigation satellite constellations (or GNSS) can 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 (such as Navigation with Indian Constellation (NAVIC), Japan’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), France’s Doppler Orbitography and Radio-positioning Integrated by Satellite (DORIS), etc.), or the like. The positioning circuit 845 can include various hardware elements (including hardware devices such as switches, filters, amplifiers, antenna elements, etc. to facilitate communication over-the-air (OTA) communications) to communicate with components of a positioning network (such as navigation satellite constellation nodes).

[0112] A node or satellite of a navigation satellite constellation(s) (“GNSS node”) can provide positioning services by continuously transmitting or broadcasting GNSS signals along a line of sight that can be used by a GNSS receiver (e.g., positioning circuitry 845 and / or positioning circuitry implemented by UE 101, 102, etc.) to determine its GNSS position. A GNSS signal can include a pseudo-random code known to the GNSS receiver (e.g., a sequence of ones and zeros) and a message including a time of transmission (ToT) of the code epoch (e.g., a defined point in the pseudo-random code sequence) and a GNSS node position at the ToT. The GNSS receiver can monitor / measure GNSS signals transmitted / broadcast by multiple GNSS nodes (e.g., four or more satellites) and solve various equations to determine a corresponding GNSS position (e.g., spatial coordinates). GNSS receivers also implement clocks that are typically not as stable and accurate as the atomic clocks of the GNSS nodes, and the GNSS receiver can use the measured GNSS signals to determine a bias of the GNSS receiver relative to true time (e.g., a deviation of the GNSS receiver clock relative to GNSS node time). In some embodiments, positioning circuitry 845 can include a Micro-Technology for Positioning, Navigation, and Timing (Micro-PNT) IC that uses a master timing clock to perform position tracking / estimation without GNSS assistance.

[0113] A GNSS receiver can measure a time of arrival (ToA) of GNSS signals from multiple GNSS nodes according to its own clock. The GNSS receiver can determine a time of flight (ToF) value for each received GNSS signal according to the ToA and the ToT, and can then determine a three-dimensional (3D) position and clock bias according to the ToF. The 3D position can then be converted to latitude, longitude, and altitude. Positioning circuitry 845 can provide data to application circuitry 805, which can include one or more of position data or time data. Application circuitry 805 can use time data to operate synchronously with other radio base stations (e.g., RAN nodes 111, 112, etc.).

[0114] Figure 8The illustrated components can communicate with one another using interface circuits. As used herein, the term "interface circuit" can refer to, be part of, or include, circuitry that supports the exchange of information between two or more components or devices. The term "interface circuit" can refer to one or more hardware interfaces, such as a bus, an input / output (I / O) interface, a peripheral component interface, a network interface card, etc. Any suitable bus technology can be used in various implementations, which can include any number of technologies, including 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 can be a proprietary bus used in SoC-based systems, for example. Other bus systems can be included, such as I2C interfaces, SPI interfaces, point-to-point interfaces, and power buses, among others.

[0115] Figure 9 is a block diagram illustrating a component 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 methodologies discussed herein, according to some example embodiments. Specifically, the Figure 9 A diagrammatic representation of hardware resources 900 is shown, including one or more processors (or processor cores) 910, one or more memory / storage devices 920, and one or more communication resources 930, each of which can be communicatively coupled via a bus 940. Hardware resources 900 can be part of a UE, an AN, or an LMF. For embodiments utilizing node virtualization (e.g., NFV), a hypervisor 902 can be executed to provide an execution environment in which one or more network slices / substrates utilize the hardware resources 900.

[0116] Processors 910 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computer (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computer (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP) such as a baseband processor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) can include, for example, a processor 912 and a processor 914.

[0117] The memory / storage device 920 can include a main memory, a disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. The memory / storage device 920 can include, but is 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.

[0118] The communication resources 930 can include interconnection or network interface components or other suitable devices to communicate with one or more peripheral devices 904 or one or more databases 906 via a network 908. For example, the communication resources 930 can include wired communication components (e.g., for coupling via a universal serial bus (USB)), cellular communication components, NFC components, Bluetooth components (e.g., Bluetooth Low Energy), Wi-Fi components, and other communication components.

[0119] The instructions 950 can include software, a program, an application, an applet, an app, or other executable code for causing at least any of the processors 910 to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. The instructions 950 can reside completely, though portions of the instructions 950 can reside at one or more of the following locations: at the processors 910 (e.g., within the cache memory of the processors), in the memory / storage devices 920, or any suitable combination thereof. Furthermore, any of the instructions 950 can be transferred to or from the hardware resources 900 via any of the peripheral devices 904 or databases 906. Accordingly, the processors 910, the memory / storage devices 920, the peripheral devices 904, and the memory of databases 906 are all examples of computer- readable and machine-readable media.

[0120] Figure 10 A diagram illustrating a network 1000 is shown in accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure. The network 1000 can operate in a manner consistent with the 3GPP technical specifications of the LTE or 5G / NR systems. However, example embodiments are not limited in this regard and the described embodiments can apply to other networks that benefit from the principles described herein, such as future 3GPP systems, etc.

[0121] The network 1000 can include a UE 1002 that can include any mobile or non- mobile computing device designed to communicate with a RAN 1004 via an over-the-air connection. The UE 1002 can be, but is not limited to, a smartphone, a tablet computer, a wearable computer device, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, an in-vehicle infotainment device, an automotive entertainment device, an instrument cluster, a heads-up display device, an on-board diagnostic device, a dashboard mobile device, a mobile data terminal, an electronic engine management system, an electronic / engine control unit, an electronic / engine control module, an embedded system, a sensor, a microcontroller, a control module, an engine management system, a connected appliance, a machine type communication device, a M2M or D2D device, an Internet of Things device, etc.

[0122] In some embodiments, the network 1000 can include multiple UEs coupled directly to each other via a sidelink interface. The UEs can be M2M / D2D devices that communicate using physical sidelink channels such as, but not limited to, a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), a physical sidelink

[0123] In some embodiments, the UE 1002 can also communicate with an AP 1006 over an air connection. The AP 1006 can manage a WLAN connection, which can be used to offload some / all network traffic from the RAN 1004. The connection between the UE 1002 and the AP 1006 can be consistent with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, where the AP 1006 can be a wireless fidelity router. In some embodiments, the UE 1002, the RAN 1004, and the AP 1006 can utilize cellular WLAN aggregation (e.g., LTE-WLAN Aggregation (LWA) / Lightweight IP (LWIP)). Cellular WLAN aggregation can involve the UE 1002 configured by the RAN 1004 to utilize both cellular radio resources and WLAN resources.

[0124] RAN 1004 may include one or more access nodes, such as AN 1008. AN 1008 can terminate the air interface protocol of UE 1002 by providing access layer protocols including RRC, Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), Radio Link Control (RLC), Media Access Control (MAC), and L1 protocol. In this way, AN 1008 enables data / voice connectivity between CN 1020 and UE 1002. In some embodiments, AN 1008 may be implemented in a discrete device or as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of, for example, a virtual network, which may be referred to as CRAN or a virtual baseband unit pool. AN 1008 may be referred to as a base station (BS), gNB, RAN node, evolved Node B (eNB), next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), Node B (NodeB), roadside unit (RSU), TRxP, TRP, etc. AN 1008 can be a macro cell base station or a low-power base station, used to provide micro cells, pico cells, or other similar cells with smaller coverage areas, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to macro cells.

[0125] In embodiments where RAN 1004 includes multiple ANs, they can be coupled to each other via an X2 interface (in the case of RAN 1004 being an LTE RAN) or an Xn interface (in the case of RAN 1004 being a 5G RAN). In some embodiments, the X2 / Xn interfaces, which can be separated into a control plane interface and a user plane interface, can allow ANs to transmit and handover, data / context transfer, mobility, payload management, interference coordination, and other related information.

[0126] The AN of RAN 1004 can manage one or more cells, cell groups, component carriers, etc., to provide an air interface for network access to UE 1002. UE 1002 can simultaneously connect to multiple cells provided by the same or different ANs of RAN 1004. For example, UE 1002 and RAN 1004 can use carrier aggregation to allow UE 1002 to connect to multiple component carriers, each component carrier corresponding to a primary cell (Pcell) or a secondary cell (Scell). In a dual connectivity scenario, the first AN can be the primary node providing the primary cell group (MCG), and the second AN can be the secondary node providing the secondary cell group (SCG). The first / second AN can be any combination of eNB, gNB, ng-eNB, etc.

[0127] The RAN 1004 can provide the air interface over a licensed spectrum or an unlicensed spectrum. To operate in the unlicensed spectrum, nodes can use License Assisted Access (LAA), enhanced LAA (eLAA), and / or further enhanced LAA (feLAA) mechanisms based on Carrier Aggregation (CA) techniques with PCell / Scell. Before accessing the unlicensed spectrum, nodes can perform a medium / carrier sensing operation based on, for example, a Listen Before Talk (LBT) protocol.

[0128] In a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) scenario, the UE 1002 or the AN 1008 can be or act as a road side unit (RSU), which can refer to any transportation infrastructure entity for V2X communication. The RSU can be implemented in or by a suitable AN or a stationary (or relatively stationary) UE. An RSU implemented in or by a UE can be referred to as a “UE-type RSU”; an RSU implemented in or by an eNB can be referred to as an “eNB-type RSU”; an RSU implemented in or by a next generation NodeB (gNB) can be referred to as a “gNB-type RSU”; and the like. In one example, the RSU is a computing device coupled with radio frequency circuitry located on a roadside that provides connectivity support to passing vehicle UEs. The RSU can also include internal data storage circuitry to store intersection map geometry, traffic statistics, media, and applications / software for sensing and controlling ongoing vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The RSU can provide very low latency communications required for high-speed events such as collision avoidance, traffic warnings, and the like. Additionally or alternatively, the RSU can provide other cellular / WLAN communication services. The components of the RSU can be encased in a weatherproof housing suitable for outdoor installation, and can include a network interface controller to provide a wired connection (e.g., Ethernet) to a traffic signal controller or backhaul network.

[0129] In some embodiments, the RAN 1004 can be an LTE RAN 1010 including evolved Node Bs (eNBs), such as eNB 1012. The LTE RAN 1010 can provide an LTE air interface with the following properties: 15 kHz SCS; CP-OFDM waveform for DL and SC-FDMA waveform for UL; turbo codes for data and TBCC for control; and the like. The LTE air interface can rely on CSI-RS for CSI acquisition and beam management; PDSCH / PDCCH demodulation reference signals (DMRS) for PDSCH / PDCCH demodulation; and CRS for cell search and initial acquisition, channel quality measurement, and channel estimation for coherent demodulation / detection at the UE. The LTE air interface can operate on sub-6 GHz bands.

[0130] In some embodiments, the RAN 1004 can be a Next Generation (NG) RAN 1014 with gNBs (e.g., gNBs 1016) or gn-eNBs (e.g., ng-eNB 1018). The gNBs 1016 can interface with the 5G-enabled UEs using the 5G NR interface. The gNBs 1016 can be connected to the 5G core via the NG interface, which can include an N2 interface or an N3 interface. The ng-eNBs 1018 can also be connected to the 5G core via the NG interface but can interface with the UEs using the LTE air interface. The gNBs 1016 and ng-eNBs 1018 can be connected to each other via the Xn interface.

[0131] In some embodiments, the NG interface can be split into two parts, the NG user plane (NG-U) interface, which carries traffic data between the nodes of the NG-RAN 1014 and the UPF 1048, and the NG control plane (NG-C) interface, which is the signaling interface between the nodes of the NG-RAN 1014 and the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 1044 (e.g., the N2 interface).

[0132] The NG-RAN 1014 can provide a 5G-NR air interface with the following characteristics: variable SCS; CP-OFDM for DL, CP-OFDM and DFT-s-OFDM for UL; polar, repetition, simplex, and Reed-Muller codes for control, and LDPC for data. The 5G-NR air interface can rely on CSI-RS, PDSCH / PDCCH DMRS similar to the LTE air interface. The 5G-NR air interface can not use CRS but can use PBCH DMRS for PBCH demodulation; PTRS for PDSCH phase tracking; and tracking reference signal for time tracking. The 5G-NR air interface can operate on FR1 bands including Sub-6 GHz bands, or FR2 bands including 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz bands. The 5G-NR air interface can include SSB, which is a region of downlink resource grid that includes PSS / SSS / PBCH.

[0133] In some embodiments, the 5G-NR air interface can use BWPs for various purposes. For example, BWPs can be used for dynamic adaptation of SCS. For example, the UE 1002 can be configured with multiple BWPs, where each BWP is configured with a different SCS. When a BWP change is indicated to the UE 1002, the SCS of the transmission is also changed. Another use case of BWPs is related to power saving. Specifically, the UE 1002 can be configured with multiple BWPs with different number of frequency resources (e.g., PRBs) to support data transmission in different traffic load scenarios. A BWP containing a smaller number of PRBs can be used for data transmission with smaller traffic load while allowing power saving for the UE 1002 and in some cases the gNB 1016. A BWP containing a large number of PRBs can be used for scenarios with higher traffic load.

[0134] The RAN 1004 is communicatively coupled to the CN 1020 that includes network elements to provide various functionality for supporting data and telecommunications services for customers / subscribers (e.g., users of the UEs 1002). The components of the CN 1020 can be implemented in one physical node or can be implemented in different physical nodes. In some embodiments, NFV can be used to virtualize any or all of the functions provided by the network elements of the CN 1020 onto physical computing resources in servers, switches, etc. A logical instantiation of the CN 1020 can be referred to as a network slice, and a logical instantiation of a portion of the CN 1020 can be referred to as a network sub-slice.

[0135] In some embodiments, the CN 1020 can be an LTE CN 1022, which can also be referred to as an evolved packet core (EPC). The LTE CN 1022 can include a mobility management entity (MME) 1024, a serving gateway (SGW) 1026, a serving GPRS support node (SGSN) 1028, a home subscriber server (HSS) 1030, a proxy gateway (PGW) 1032, and a policy control and charging rules function (PCRF) 1034, which are coupled to one another over interfaces (or “reference points”), as shown. The functions of the elements of the LTE CN 1022 can be briefly introduced as follows.

[0136] The MME 1024 can implement mobility management functions to track the current location of the UEs 1002 to facilitate paging, bearer activation / deactivation, handover, gateway selection, authentication, etc.

[0137] The SGW 1026 can terminate an SGi interface toward the RAN and route data packets between the RAN and the LTE CN 1022. The SGW 1026 can be a local mobility anchor point for inter-RAN handovers and also can provide an anchor for inter-3 GPP mobility. Other responsibilities can include lawful intercept, charging, and some policy enforcement.

[0138] The SGSN 1028 can track UEs 1002 locations and perform security functions and access control. Additionally, the SGSN 1028 can perform inter-EPC node signaling for mobility between different RATs; PDN and S-GW selection for handovers; lawful intercept; and the like. The S3 reference point between the MME 1024 and the SGSN 1028 can enable user and bearer information exchange for inter-3 GPP access network mobility in idle / active states.

[0139] The HSS 1030 can include a database for network users, including subscription-related information to support the network entities’ handling of communication sessions. The HSS 1030 can provide support for routing / roaming, authentication, authorization, naming / addressing resolution, location dependencies, and the like. The S6a reference point between the HSS 1030 and the MME 1024 can enable transfer of subscription and authentication data for authenticating / authorizing user access to the LTE CN 1020.

[0140] The PGW 1032 can terminate an SGi interface toward a data network (DN) 1036 that can include an application / content server 1038. The PGW 1032 can route data packets between the LTE CN 1022 and the data network 1036. The PGW 1032 can be coupled with the SGW 1026 over an S5 reference point to facilitate user plane tunneling and tunnel management. The PGW 1032 can further include a node for policy enforcement and charging data collection (e.g., a PCEF). Additionally, an SGi reference point between the PGW 1032 and the data network 1036 can be an operator’s external public, private PDN, or intra-operator data network, for example, for providing IMS services. The PGW 1032 can couple with the PCRF 1034 via a Gx reference point.

[0141] The PCRF 1034 is the policy and charging control element of the LTE CN 1022. The PCRF 1034 can be communicatively coupled to the application / content server 1038 to determine appropriate QoS and charging parameters for service flows. The PCRF 1032 can provide associated rules to a PCEF (via Gx reference points) with appropriate TFTs and QCIs.

[0142] In some embodiments, the CN 1020 can be a 5G Core (5GC) 1040. The 5GC 1040 can include an Authentication Server Function (AUSF) 1042, an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 1044, a Session Management Function (SMF) 1046, a User Plane Function (UPF) 1048, a Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) 1050, a Network Exposure Function (NEF) 1052, a NF Repository Function (NRF) 1054, a Policy Control Function (PCF) 1056, a Unified Data Management (UDM) 1058, and an Application Function (AF) 1060, as shown, which are coupled with each other through interfaces (or “reference points”). Functions of the elements of the 5GC 1040 can be briefly introduced as follows.

[0143] The AUSF 1042 can store data for authentication of UEs 1002 and handle authentication-related functionality. The AUSF 1042 can facilitate a common authentication framework for various access types. The AUSF 1042 can exhibit Nausf service-based interfaces in addition to communicating with other elements of the 5GC 1040 as shown through reference points.

[0144] The AMF 1044 can allow other functions of the 5GC 1040 to communicate with UEs 1002 and the RAN 1004 and subscribe to notification of mobility events involving UEs 1002. The AMF 1044 can be responsible for registration management (e.g., registering UEs 1002), connection management, availability management, mobility management, lawful interception of AMF-related events, and access authentication and authorization. The AMF 1044 can provide transport for

[0145] The SMF 1046 can be responsible for SM (e.g., session establishment, tunnel management between UPF 1048 and AN 1008); UE IP address allocation and management (including optional authorization); selection and control of UP function; configuration of traffic steering at the UPF 1048 to route traffic to the proper destination; termination of interfaces toward policy control functions; controlling part of policy enforcement, charging, and QoS; lawful intercept (for SM events and interface to LI system); termination of SM parts of NAS messages; downlink data notification; initiating AN specific SM information (sent to AN 1008 over N2 between AMF 1044); and determining the SSC mode of a session. SM can refer to management of a PDU session, and a PDU session or “session” can refer to a PDU connectivity service that provides or enables an exchange of PDUs between the UE 1002 and the data network 1036.

[0146] The UPF 1048 can act as an anchor point for intra-RAT and inter-RAT mobility, a external PDU session point of interconnect to data networks 1036, and a branching point to support multi-homed PDU session. The UPF 1048 can further perform packet routing and forwarding, perform packet inspection, enforce the user plane part of policy rules, lawfully intercept packets (UP collection), perform traffic usage reporting, perform QoS handling for user planes (e.g., packet filtering, gating, UL / DL traffic flow template (TFT) based

[0147] The NSSF 1050 can select a set of network slice instances serving the UE 1002. The NSSF 1050 can also determine allowed network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) and mapping of subscribed single NSSAI (S-NSSAI) to allowed NSSAI, if needed. The NSSF 1050 can further determine the AMF set to be used to serve the UE 1002, based on suitable configuration and possibly by querying the NRF 1054, or determine a list of candidate AMFs. The selection of a set of network slice instances for UE 1002 can be triggered by the AMF with which the UE 1002 is registered by interacting with the NSSF 1050, which can lead to a change of AMF. The NSSF 1050 can interact with the AMF 1044 via an N22 reference point; and can communicate with another NSSF in a visited network via an N31 reference point (not shown). Additionally, the NSSF 1050 can exhibit an Nnssf service-based interface.

[0148] The NEF 1052 can securely expose services and capabilities offered by 3 GPP network functions to third parties, internal exposure / re-exposure, AFs (e.g., AF 1060), edge computing or fog computing systems, etc. In these embodiments, the NEF 1052 can authenticate, authorize, or throttle the AFs. The NEF 1052 can also translate information exchanged with the AF 1060 and information exchanged with internal network functions. For example, the NEF 1052 can convert between an AF service identifier and an internal 5GC information. The NEF 1052 can also receive information from other NFs based on exposure of capabilities of other NFs. This information can be stored at the NEF 1052 as structured data, or at a data storage NF using standardized interfaces. The NEF 1052 can then re-expose the stored information to other NFs and AFs, or use the information for other purposes such as analytics. Additionally, the NEF 1052 can exhibit an Nnef service-based interface.

[0149] The NRF 1054 can support service discovery functions, receive NF discovery requests from NF instances, and provide information of discovered NF instances to NF instances. The NRF 1054 also maintains information of available NF instances and their supported services. As used herein, the terms “instantiate,” “instance,” or like terms can refer to the creation of an instance, an “instance” can refer to a concrete occurrence of an object, which can occur, for example, during program code execution. Additionally, the NRF 1054 can exhibit an Nnrf service-based interface.

[0150] The PCF 1056 can provide policy rules to control plane functions to enforce them, and can also support a unified policy framework to govern network behavior. The PCF 1056 can also implement a front end to access subscription information related to policy decisions in the UDR of the UDM 1058. In addition to

[0151] The UDM 1058 can handle subscription-related information to support network entities in handling communication sessions, and can store subscription data of UEs 1002. For example, subscription data can be transferred via an N8 reference point between the UDM 1058 and AMF 1044. The UDM 1058 can include two parts: an application front end and a UDR. The UDR can store policy data and subscription data for the UDM 1058 and PCF 1056, and / or structured data for exposure and application data (including PFDs for application detection, application request information for multiple UEs 1002) for the NEF 1052. The UDR 221 can exhibit an Nudr service-based interface to allow the UDM 1058, PCF 1056, and NEF 1052 to access a particular set of stored data, as well as to read, update (e.g., add, modify), delete, and subscribe to notifications of relevant data changes in the UDR. The UDM can include a UDM-FE, which is responsible for processing credentials, location management, subscription management, and the like. Several different front ends can serve the same user in different transactions. The UDM-FE accesses subscription information stored in the UDR and performs authentication credential processing, user identification processing, access permission, registration / mobility management, and subscription management. In addition to communicating with other NFs over reference points as shown, the UDM 1058 can also exhibit an Nudm service-based interface.

[0152] The AF 1060 can provide application influence on traffic routing, provide access to the NEF, and interact with the policy framework to enforce policies.

[0153] In some embodiments, the 5GC 1040 can enable edge computing by selecting an operator / third-party service that is geographically close to the point that the UE 1002 attaches to the network. This can reduce latency and load on the network. To provide edge computing implementation, the 5GC 1040 can select a UPF 1048 close to the UE 1002 and perform traffic steering from the UPF 1048 to the data network 1036 over an N6 interface. This can be based on UE subscription data, UE location, and information provided by the AF 1060. In this way, the AF 1060 can influence UPF (re)selection and traffic routing. Based on operator deployment, when the AF 1060 is considered a trusted entity, the network operator can allow the AF 1060 to interact directly with relevant NFs. Additionally, the AF 1060 can exhibit an Naf service-based interface.

[0154] The data network 1036 can represent various network operator services, Internet access, or third-party services that can be provided by one or more servers, including, for example, an application / content server 1038.

[0155] The following paragraphs describe examples of various embodiments.

[0156] Example 1 includes an apparatus comprising: a radio frequency (RF) interface; and a processor circuit coupled with the RF interface, wherein the processor circuit is to: decode a message received from a first access node (AN) via the RF interface, wherein the message comprises cell-specific reference signal (CRS) parameters associated with a CRS received from a second AN; identify, based on the CRS parameters, resource elements (REs) in a downlink transmission scheduled by the first AN that are interfered with by the CRS; and suppress interference by the CRS with the identified REs.

[0157] Example 2 includes the apparatus of Example 1, wherein the first AN comprises a new radio (NR) AN.

[0158] Example 3 includes the apparatus of Example 1, wherein the second AN comprises a long term evolution (LTE) AN.

[0159] Example 4 includes the apparatus of Example 1, wherein the CRS parameters comprise at least one of: a physical cell identity of the second AN; a number of antenna ports for the CRS; a number of subcarriers from a reference point to a center subcarrier of the CRS; a bandwidth of the CRS; and a multicast-broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) subframe configuration.

[0160] Example 5 includes the apparatus of Example 1, wherein the downlink transmission comprises at least one of: a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission; a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission; a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS); and a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS).

[0161] Example 6 includes the apparatus of Example 1, wherein the processor circuit is further to: estimate interference from the CRS.

[0162] Example 7 includes an apparatus comprising: a radio frequency (RF) interface; and a processor circuit coupled with the RF interface, wherein the processor circuit is to: encode a message to indicate cell-specific reference signal (CRS) parameters associated with a CRS transmitted from a first access node (AN) to a user equipment (UE); and cause the message to be transmitted to the UE via the RF interface for the UE to suppress interference by the CRS with a downlink transmission scheduled by a second AN to the UE.

[0163] Example 8 includes the apparatus of Example 7, wherein the first AN comprises a long term evolution (LTE) AN.

[0164] Example 9 includes the apparatus of Example 7, wherein the second AN comprises a New Radio (NR) AN.

[0165] Example 10 includes the apparatus of Example 7, wherein the CRS parameters comprise at least one of: a physical cell identity of the first AN; a number of antenna ports for the CRS; a number of subcarriers from a reference point to a center subcarrier of the CRS; a bandwidth of the CRS; and a Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) subframe configuration.

[0166] Example 11 includes the apparatus of Example 7, wherein the downlink transmission comprises at least one of: a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) transmission; a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) transmission; a Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS); and a Demodulation Reference Signal (DM-RS).

[0167] Example 12 includes a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, that when executed by a processor circuit, cause the processor circuit to: decode a message received from a first cell, wherein the message comprises cell-specific reference signal (CRS) parameters associated with a CRS received from a second cell; identify, based on the CRS parameters, resource elements (REs) of a downlink transmission scheduled by the first cell that are interfered with by the CRS; and suppress interference to the identified REs by the CRS.

[0168] Example 13 includes the computer-readable medium of Example 12, wherein the first cell comprises a New Radio (NR) cell.

[0169] Example 14 includes the computer-readable medium of Example 12, wherein the second cell comprises a Long Term Evolution (LTE) cell.

[0170] Example 15 includes the computer-readable medium of Example 12, wherein the CRS parameters comprise at least one of: a physical cell identity of the second cell; a number of antenna ports for the CRS; a number of subcarriers from a reference point to a center subcarrier of the CRS; a bandwidth of the CRS; and a Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) subframe configuration.

[0171] Example 16 includes the computer-readable medium of Example 12, wherein the downlink transmission comprises at least one of: a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) transmission; a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) transmission; a Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS); and a Demodulation Reference Signal (DM-RS).

[0172] Example 17 includes the computer-readable medium of Example 12, wherein the instructions, when executed, cause the processor circuit to estimate interference from the CRS.

[0173] Example 18 includes a computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed by a processor circuit, cause the processor circuit to encode a message to indicate cell-specific reference signal (CRS) parameters associated with a CRS transmitted from a first cell to a user equipment (UE); and cause the message to be transmitted to the UE for the UE to suppress interference of the CRS on a downlink transmission scheduled by a second cell to the UE.

[0174] Example 19 includes the computer-readable medium of Example 18, wherein the first cell comprises a long term evolution (LTE) cell.

[0175] Example 20 includes the computer-readable medium of Example 18, wherein the second cell comprises a new radio (NR) cell.

[0176] Example 21 includes the computer-readable medium of Example 18, wherein the CRS parameters comprise at least one of: a physical cell identity of the first cell; a number of antenna ports for the CRS; a number of subcarriers from a reference point to a center subcarrier of the CRS; a bandwidth of the CRS; and a multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) subframe configuration.

[0177] Example 22 includes the computer-readable medium of Example 18, wherein the downlink transmission comprises at least one of: a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission; a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission; a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS); and a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS).

[0178] Example 23 includes a method comprising: decoding a message received from a first cell, wherein the message comprises cell-specific reference signal (CRS) parameters associated with a CRS received from a second cell; based on the CRS parameters, identifying resource elements (REs) in a downlink transmission scheduled by the first cell that are interfered by the CRS; and suppressing interference of the CRS on the identified REs.

[0179] Example 24 includes the method of Example 23, wherein the first cell comprises a new radio (NR) cell.

[0180] Example 25 includes the method of Example 23, wherein the second cell comprises a long term evolution (LTE) cell.

[0181] Example 26 includes the method of Example 23, wherein the CRS parameters comprise at least one of: a physical cell identity of the second cell; a number of antenna ports for the CRS; a number of subcarriers from a reference point to a center subcarrier of the CRS; a bandwidth of the CRS; and a multicast-broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) subframe configuration.

[0182] Example 27 includes the method of Example 23, wherein the downlink transmission comprises at least one of: a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission; a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission; a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS); and a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS).

[0183] Example 28 includes the method of Example 23, further comprising: estimating interference from the CRS.

[0184] Example 29 includes a method comprising: encoding a message to indicate cell-specific reference signal (CRS) parameters associated with a CRS transmitted from a first cell to a user equipment (UE); and transmitting the message to the UE for the UE to suppress interference of the CRS on a downlink transmission scheduled by a second cell to the UE.

[0185] Example 30 includes the method of Example 29, wherein the first cell comprises a long term evolution (LTE) cell.

[0186] Example 31 includes the method of Example 29, wherein the second cell comprises a new radio (NR) cell.

[0187] Example 32 includes the method of Example 29, wherein the CRS parameters comprise at least one of: a physical cell identity of the first cell; a number of antenna ports for the CRS; a number of subcarriers from a reference point to a center subcarrier of the CRS; a bandwidth of the CRS; and a multicast-broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) subframe configuration.

[0188] Example 33 includes the method of Example 29, wherein the downlink transmission comprises at least one of: a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission; a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission; a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS); and a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS).

[0189] Example 34 includes a device comprising: means for decoding a message received from a first cell, wherein the message comprises cell-specific reference signal (CRS) parameters associated with a CRS received from a second cell; means for identifying, based on the CRS parameters, resource elements (REs) in a downlink transmission scheduled by the first cell that are interfered with by the CRS; and means for mitigating interference to the identified REs by the CRS.

[0190] Example 35 includes the device of Example 34, wherein the first cell comprises a New Radio (NR) cell.

[0191] Example 36 includes the device of Example 34, wherein the second cell comprises a Long Term Evolution (LTE) cell.

[0192] Example 37 includes the device of Example 34, wherein the CRS parameters comprise at least one of: a physical cell identity of the second cell; a number of antenna ports for the CRS; a number of subcarriers from a reference point to a center subcarrier of the CRS; a bandwidth of the CRS; and a Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) subframe configuration.

[0193] Example 38 includes the device of Example 34, wherein the downlink transmission comprises at least one of: a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) transmission; a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) transmission; a Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS); and a Demodulation Reference Signal (DM-RS).

[0194] Example 39 includes the device of Example 34, further comprising: means for estimating interference from the CRS.

[0195] Example 40 includes a device comprising: means for encoding a message to indicate cell-specific reference signal (CRS) parameters associated with a CRS transmitted from a first cell to a user equipment (UE); and means for transmitting the message to the UE for the UE to mitigate interference to a downlink transmission scheduled by a second cell to the UE by the CRS.

[0196] Example 41 includes the device of Example 40, wherein the first cell comprises a Long Term Evolution (LTE) cell.

[0197] Example 42 includes the device of Example 40, wherein the second cell comprises a New Radio (NR) cell.

[0198] Example 43 includes the apparatus of Example 40, wherein the CRS parameters comprise at least one of: a physical cell identity of the first cell; a number of antenna ports for the CRS; a number of subcarriers from a reference point to a center subcarrier of the CRS; a bandwidth of the CRS; and a multicast-broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) subframe configuration.

[0199] Example 44 includes the apparatus of Example 40, wherein the downlink transmission comprises at least one of: a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission; a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission; a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS); and a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS).

[0200] Example 45 includes a user equipment (UE) as shown and described in the specification.

[0201] Example 46 includes a method performed at a user equipment (UE) as shown and described in the specification.

[0202] Example 47 includes an access node (AN) as shown and described in the specification.

[0203] Example 48 includes a method performed at an access node (AN) as shown and described in the specification.

[0204] While certain embodiments have been illustrated and described herein, it is to be understood that various substitutions and / or modifications can be made to the embodiments shown and described without departing from the scope of the disclosure. The present application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is manifestly intended that the embodiments described herein be only by way of example and illustrations, and not in a limiting sense, as the true scope of the disclosure should be indicated by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A device for communication, comprising: Radio frequency (RF) interface; as well as The processor circuit is coupled to the RF interface. The processor circuit is used for: The message received from the first access node (AN) via the RF interface is decoded, wherein the message includes CRS parameters associated with a cell-specific reference signal (CRS) received from the second AN; Based on the CRS parameters, identify the resource elements (REs) affected by the CRS interference in the downlink transmission scheduled by the first AN; and Suppress the interference of the CRS on the identified RE. The first AN includes a New Radio (NR) AN, and the second AN includes a Long Term Evolution (LTE) AN.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The CRS parameter includes at least one of the following: The physical cell identifier of the second AN; The number of antenna ports for the CRS; The number of subcarriers from the reference point to the center subcarrier of the CRS; The bandwidth of the CRS; and Multicast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) subframe configuration.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The downlink transmission includes at least one of the following: Physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission; Physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission; Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS); and Demodulation reference signal (DM-RS).

4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein, The processor circuit is also used to estimate interference from the CRS.

5. A device for communication, comprising: Radio frequency (RF) interface; as well as The processor circuit is coupled to the RF interface. The processor circuit is used for: The message is encoded to indicate CRS parameters associated with the cell-specific reference signal (CRS) transmitted from the first access node (AN) to the user equipment (UE); and This enables the message to be sent to the UE via the RF interface, so that the UE can suppress the interference of the CRS on downlink transmissions scheduled by the second AN to the UE. The first AN includes a Long Term Evolution (LTE) AN, and the second AN includes a New Radio (NR) AN.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, The CRS parameter includes at least one of the following: The physical cell identifier of the first AN; The number of antenna ports for the CRS; The number of subcarriers from the reference point to the center subcarrier of the CRS; The bandwidth of the CRS; and Multicast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) subframe configuration.

7. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, The downlink transmission includes at least one of the following: Physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission; Physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission; Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS); and Demodulation reference signal (DM-RS).

8. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed by processor circuitry, causing the processor circuitry to: Decode the message received from the first cell, where, The message includes CRS parameters associated with a cell-specific reference signal (CRS) received from the second cell; Based on the CRS parameters, identify the resource elements (REs) affected by the CRS interference in the downlink transmission scheduled by the first cell; and Suppress the interference of the CRS on the identified RE. The first cell includes a New Radio (NR) cell, and the second cell includes a Long Term Evolution (LTE) cell.

9. The computer-readable medium according to claim 8, wherein, The CRS parameter includes at least one of the following: The physical cell identifier of the second cell; The number of antenna ports for the CRS; The number of subcarriers from the reference point to the center subcarrier of the CRS; The bandwidth of the CRS; and Multicast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) subframe configuration.

10. The computer-readable medium according to claim 8, wherein, The downlink transmission includes at least one of the following: Physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission; Physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission; Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS); and Demodulation reference signal (DM-RS).

11. The computer-readable medium according to claim 8, wherein, When the instruction is executed, the processor circuitry estimates interference from the CRS.

12. A computer-readable medium having instructions stored thereon, the instructions, when executed by processor circuitry, causing the processor circuitry to: The message is encoded to indicate the CRS parameters associated with the Cell-Specific Reference Signal (CRS) transmitted from the first cell to the User Equipment (UE); and This enables the message to be sent to the UE so that the UE can suppress the interference of the CRS on downlink transmissions scheduled from the second cell to the UE. in, The first cell includes a Long Term Evolution (LTE) cell, and the second cell includes a New Radio (NR) cell.

13. The computer-readable medium according to claim 12, wherein, The CRS parameter includes at least one of the following: The physical cell identifier of the first cell; The number of antenna ports for the CRS; The number of subcarriers from the reference point to the center subcarrier of the CRS; The bandwidth of the CRS; and Multicast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) subframe configuration.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein, The downlink transmission includes at least one of the following: Physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission; Physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission; Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS); and Demodulation reference signal (DM-RS).

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