Physical Resource Block Bundling in Multi-TRP Operation

Abstract

A wireless communication system may include multiple transmit receive points (TRPs). Systems, devices, and techniques for control signaling of precoding resource block group (PRG) size configuration for multiple TRP operation are described. The described techniques include: determining, by a user equipment (UE), a PRG size based on a downlink control information (DCI) message that provides scheduling information for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH); receiving, by the UE, a set of PDSCH transmissions from multiple TRPs transmitted in accordance with the DCI message; and decoding, by the UE, one or more of the PDSCH transmissions based on the PRG size.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This disclosure claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 821,338, entitled “PHYSICAL RESOURCE BLOCKBUNDLING IN MULTI-TRP OPERATION,” filed on March 20, 2019. The entirety of the above-identified patent application is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure generally relates to signaling in wireless communication systems. Background Art

[0004] The use of wireless communication systems is rapidly increasing. Furthermore, wireless communication technology has evolved from voice-only communication to also include the transmission of data (such as the internet and multimedia content) to a variety of devices. To accommodate the increasing number of devices transmitting both voice and data signals, many wireless communication systems share available communication channel resources between the devices. Summary of the Invention

[0005] A wireless communication system may include multiple transmit receive points (TRPs). Systems, devices, and techniques for control signaling of precoding resource block group (PRG) size configuration for multi-TRP operation are described. The described techniques include: determining, by a user equipment (UE), a PRG size based on a downlink control information (DCI) message that provides scheduling information for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH); receiving, by the UE, a set of PDSCH transmissions from multiple TRPs transmitted in accordance with the DCI message; and decoding, by the UE, one or more of the PDSCH transmissions based on the PRG size. Other embodiments include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer programs for performing the actions of a method defined by instructions encoded on a computer-readable storage device.

[0006] Implementations of any of the above aspects may include one of the following features or a combination of two or more features. In some embodiments, the PDSCH transmission includes physical resource blocks (PRBs) associated with different transmission configuration indicator (TCI) states, and multiple TRPs are associated with TCI states, respectively. The TCI state includes a first TCI state and a second TCI state. The PRB may include a first PRB associated with the first TCI state and a second PRB associated with the second TCI state. Determining the PRG size may include determining whether the first PRB and the second PRB overlap. Determining the PRG size may include determining whether the PRBs associated with different TCI states are non-overlapping or at least partially overlapping. Determining the PRG size may include determining that the PRBs associated with different TCI states are not wideband if the PRBs associated with different TCI states are partially overlapping or non-overlapping.

[0007] Embodiments may include determining that a precoder for at least one of the PDSCH transmissions is constant or wideband if PRBs associated with different TCI states are non-overlapping. In some embodiments, the DCI message is a single DCI message that provides scheduling information for the group of PDSCH transmissions. Determining the PRG size may include determining whether a bundling type parameter specifies a dynamic bundling attribute. Determining the PRG size may include determining whether a bundling size setting parameter includes two or more bundling size parameters. Determining the PRG size may include determining whether at least a portion of the PRBs are contiguous. Determining the PRG size may include determining whether at least a portion of the PDSCH transmission is multiplexed in frequency, space, or both frequency and space.

[0008] In some embodiments, the DCI message may include two or more DCI messages that provide scheduling information for the group of PDSCH transmissions. In some embodiments, the PDSCH transmission includes PRBs associated with different TCI states. Multiple TRPs may be associated with each TCI state. Determining the PRG size may include determining whether a bundling type parameter specifies a dynamic bundling attribute.

[0009] In some embodiments, determining the PRG size may include determining that the PRG size is equal to the bandwidth based on the two or more DCI messages. Determining that the PRG size is equal to the bandwidth may include determining whether the bandwidth of the total number of PRBs scheduled by the two or more DCI messages exceeds half of the bandwidth of the active bandwidth portion.

[0010] In some embodiments, a UE may include: one or more processors; circuitry configured to receive information including a DCI message providing scheduling information for a PDSCH and a set of PDSCH transmissions from a plurality of TRPs transmitted in accordance with the DCI message; and a memory storing instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations. The operations may include: determining a PRG size based on the DCI message; and decoding one or more of the PDSCH transmissions based on the PRG size.

[0011] The details of one or more embodiments are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features and advantages will be apparent from the detailed description and drawings, and from the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication system is shown.

[0013] Figure 2 An exemplary architecture of a system including a core network is shown.

[0014] Figure 3 Another exemplary architecture of a system including a core network is shown.

[0015] Figure 4 An example of infrastructure equipment is shown.

[0016] Figure 5 Examples of platforms or devices are shown.

[0017] Figure 6 Exemplary components of baseband circuitry and radio front-end circuitry are shown.

[0018] Figure 7 Exemplary components of cellular communication circuitry are shown.

[0019] Figure 8 Exemplary protocol functions that may be implemented in a wireless communication system are shown.

[0020] Figure 9 An example of a computer system is shown.

[0021] Figure 10 A flow chart illustrating an exemplary process for deriving the PRG size is shown.

[0022] Figure 11 An example of multi-TRP operation is shown.

[0023] Figure 12 A flowchart illustrating an example of a decoding process associated with multi-TRP operation.

[0024] Like reference symbols in the various drawings indicate like elements. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In addition to transmitting user data, a base station may also provide control signaling to a user device. Various types of control signals include scheduling information and decoding information. The user device may use the scheduling information and decoding information to receive and decode user data. In some embodiments, multiple base stations may transmit data to the same user device. The user's data may be multiplexed in time, space, frequency, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, each base station corresponds to a transmit receive point (TRP). In some embodiments, a base station may have two or more TRPs.

[0026] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication system 100 is shown. For convenience and not limitation, the exemplary system 100 is described in the context of LTE and 5G NR communication standards defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) technical specifications. However, other types of communication standards are also possible.

[0027] System 100 includes UE 101a and UE 101b (collectively, "UE 101"). In this example, UE 101 is shown as a smartphone (eg, a handheld, touchscreen mobile computing device capable of connecting to one or more cellular networks). In other examples, any of the UEs 101 may include other mobile or non-mobile computing devices, such as consumer electronic devices, cellular phones, smart phones, feature phones, tablet computers, wearable computer devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), pagers, wireless handheld devices, desktop computers, laptop computers, in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), in-car entertainment (ICE) devices, instrument clusters (ICs), heads-up display (HUD) devices, on-board diagnostic (OBD) devices, on-board mobile equipment (DME), mobile data terminals (MDTs), electronic engine management systems (EEMS), electronic / engine control units (ECUs), electronic / engine control modules (ECMs), embedded systems, microcontrollers, control modules, engine management systems (EMS), connected or “smart” appliances, machine type communication (MTC) devices, machine-to-machine (M2M) devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, or combinations thereof.

[0028] In some embodiments, any of the UEs 101 may be an IoT UE, which may include a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications that utilize short-term UE connections. The IoT UE may utilize technologies such as M2M or MTC to exchange data with an MTC server or device using, for example, a public land mobile network (PLMN), proximity services (ProSe), device-to-device (D2D) communications, sensor networks, IoT networks, and combinations thereof. M2M or MTC data exchanges may be machine-initiated data exchanges. The IoT network describes interconnected IoT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure) with short-term connections. The IoT UE may execute background applications (e.g., keep-alive messages or status updates) to facilitate connectivity to the IoT network.

[0029] The UE 101 is configured to connect (e.g., be communicatively coupled) to an access network (AN) or radio access network (RAN) 110. In some embodiments, the RAN 110 may be a next-generation RAN (NG RAN), an evolved UMTS terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN), or a legacy RAN, such as a UMTS terrestrial radio access network (UTRAN) or a GSM EDGE radio access network (GERAN). As used herein, the term "NG RAN" may refer to the RAN 110 operating in a 5G NR system 100, and the term "E-UTRAN" may refer to the RAN 110 operating in an LTE or 4G system 100.

[0030] To connect to the RAN 110, the UE 101 utilizes connections (or channels) 103 and 104, respectively, each of which may include a physical communication interface or layer, as described below. In this example, connections 103 and 104 are shown as air interfaces to achieve communication coupling and may be consistent with a cellular communication protocol, such as a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) protocol, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network protocol, a Push-to-Talk (PTT) protocol, a PTT over Cellular (POC) protocol, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) protocol, a 3GPP LTE protocol, a 5G NR protocol, or a combination thereof, among other communication protocols.

[0031] The RAN 110 includes one or more AN nodes or RAN nodes 111a and 111b (collectively, “RAN nodes 111”) that enable connections 103 and 104. As used herein, the terms “access node,” “access point,” and the like may describe equipment that provides radio baseband functionality for data or voice connections, or both, between a network and one or more users. These access nodes may be referred to as base stations (BSs), gNodeBs, gNBs, eNodeBs, eNBs, NodeBs, RAN nodes, roadside units (RSUs), and the like, and may include ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations that provide coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). As used herein, the term “NG RAN node” may refer to a RAN node 111 (e.g., a gNB) operating in a 5G NR system 100, and the term “E-UTRAN node” may refer to a RAN node 111 (e.g., an eNB) operating in an LTE or 4G system 100. In some embodiments, the RAN node 111 may be implemented as one or more of the following: a dedicated physical device (such as a macrocell base station) or a low power (LP) base station for providing a femtocell, picocell or other similar cell with a smaller coverage area, smaller user capacity or higher bandwidth than a macrocell.

[0032] Any of the RAN nodes 111 may serve as the endpoint for the air interface protocol and may be the first point of contact for the UE 101. In some embodiments, any of the RAN nodes 111 may perform various logical functions of 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.

[0033] In some embodiments, UEs 101 may be configured to communicate with each other or with any of RAN nodes 111 using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals over multi-carrier communication channels in accordance with various communication techniques, such as, but not limited to, OFDMA communication techniques (e.g., for downlink communications) or SC-FDMA communication techniques (e.g., for uplink communications), although the scope of the techniques described herein is not limited in this respect. OFDM signals may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0034] RAN node 111 may transmit to UE 101 via various channels. Examples of downlink communication channels include the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH), the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), and the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH). Other types of downlink channels are also possible. UE 101 may transmit to RAN node 111 via various channels. Examples of uplink communication channels include the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), and the Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH). Other types of uplink channels are also possible.

[0035] In some embodiments, a downlink resource grid can be used for downlink transmissions from any of the RAN nodes 111 to the UE 101, while similar techniques can be used for uplink transmissions. This grid can be a frequency grid or a time-frequency grid, representing the physical resources in the downlink per time slot. This time-frequency representation is common in OFDM systems and makes radio resource allocation intuitive. Each column and row of the resource grid corresponds to an OFDM symbol and an OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to a time slot in a radio frame. The smallest time-frequency unit in the resource grid is represented as a resource element. Each resource grid includes multiple resource blocks, which describe the mapping of certain physical channels to resource elements. Each resource block consists of a collection of resource elements; in the frequency domain, this can represent the minimum amount of resources that can be currently allocated. These resource blocks are used to transmit several different physical downlink channels. In some embodiments, a physical resource block (PRB) can include multiple resource blocks. A PRB can be used as a unit in frequency-domain resource allocation for channels such as the PDSCH.

[0036] The PDSCH carries user data and higher layer signaling to multiple UEs 101. The PDCCH carries, among other information, information about the transport format and resource allocation associated with the PDSCH channel. It may also inform UE 101 about the transport format, resource allocation, and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) information associated with the uplink shared channel. Downlink scheduling (e.g., allocating control and shared channel resource blocks to UE 101b within a cell) may be performed at any of the RAN nodes 111 based on channel quality information fed back from any of the UEs 101. Downlink resource allocation information may be sent on the PDCCH for (e.g., allocated to) each of the UEs 101.

[0037] The PDCCH may convey different types of scheduling information. Scheduling information may include downlink resource scheduling, uplink power control commands, uplink resource grants, and indications for paging or system information. RAN node 111 may transmit one or more downlink control information (DCI) messages on the PDCCH to provide scheduling information, such as the allocation of one or more PRBs.

[0038] In some embodiments, the PDCCH uses control channel elements (CCEs) to transmit control information. Before being mapped to resource elements, the PDCCH complex-valued symbols can first be organized into quadruples, which can then be arranged using a sub-block interleaver for rate matching. In some embodiments, one or more of these CCEs can be used to transmit each PDCCH, where each CCE can correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements (collectively referred to as resource element groups (REGs)). Four quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) symbols can be mapped to each REG. Depending on the size of the DCI and the channel conditions, one or more CCEs can be used to transmit the PDCCH. In some embodiments, there may be four or more different PDCCH formats defined using different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation levels, L=1, 2, 4, or 8).

[0039] The RAN nodes 111 are configured to communicate with each other using the interface 112. In an example, such as where the system 100 is an LTE system (eg, when the core network 120 is a LTE system) Figure 2 In the case of an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network as shown, interface 112 may be an X2 interface 112. The X2 interface may be defined between two or more RAN nodes 111 (e.g., two or more eNBs, etc.) connected to the EPC 120, or between two eNBs connected to the EPC 120, or both. In some embodiments, the X2 interface may include an X2 user plane interface (X2-U) and an X2 control plane interface (X2-C). The X2-U may provide a flow control mechanism for user packets transmitted over the X2 interface and may be used to convey information regarding the delivery of user data between eNBs. For example, the X2-U may provide specific sequence number information for user data transmitted from a primary eNB to a secondary eNB; information regarding successful in-sequence delivery of PDCP protocol data units (PDUs) for user data from the secondary eNB to the UE 101; information regarding PDCP PDUs that were not delivered to the UE 101; information regarding the current minimum expected buffer size at the secondary eNB for transmitting user data to the UE; and other information. X2-C can provide intra-LTE access mobility functions, including context transfer or user plane transmission control from the source eNB to the target eNB; load management functions; inter-cell interference coordination functions and other functions.

[0040] In some embodiments, such as where system 100 is a 5G NR system (e.g., when core network 120 is such as Figure 3 When the 5G core network is shown, the interface 112 may be an Xn interface 112. The Xn interface may be defined between two or more RAN nodes 111 (e.g., two or more gNBs, etc.) connected to the 5G core network 120, between a RAN node 111 (e.g., a gNB) and an eNB connected to the 5G core network 120, or between two eNBs connected to the 5G core network 120, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the Xn interface may include an Xn user plane (Xn-U) interface and an Xn control plane (Xn-C) interface. The Xn-U may provide non-guaranteed delivery of user plane PDUs and support / provide data forwarding and flow control functions. The Xn-C may provide management and error handling functions for managing the functions of the Xn-C interface; support for mobility of the UE 101 in connected mode (e.g., CM-CONNECTED), including functions for managing UE mobility in connected mode between one or more RAN nodes 111, and other functions. Mobility support may include context transfer from the old (source) serving RAN node 111 to the new (target) serving RAN node 111, as well as control of the user plane tunnel between the old (source) serving RAN node 111 and the new (target) serving RAN node 111. The Xn-U protocol stack may include a transport network layer built on the Internet Protocol (IP) transport layer and a user plane GPRS Tunneling Protocol (GTP-U) layer built on top of the User Datagram Protocol (UDP) or IP layer, or both, to carry user plane PDUs. The Xn-C protocol stack may include an application layer signaling protocol (referred to as the Xn Application Protocol (Xn-AP or XnAP)) and a transport network layer built on top of the Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP). SCTP may be built on top of the IP layer and provide guaranteed delivery of application layer messages. Within the transport IP layer, signaling PDUs are delivered using point-to-point transport. In other embodiments, the Xn-U protocol stack, the Xn-C protocol stack, or both, may be the same as or similar to the user plane and / or control plane protocol stacks shown and described herein.

[0041] RAN 110 is shown as being communicatively coupled to a core network 120 (referred to as "CN 120"). CN 120 includes one or more network elements 122 configured to provide various data and telecommunication services to customers / subscribers (e.g., users of UE 101) connected to CN 120 using RAN 110. Components of CN 120 may be implemented in one physical node or separate physical nodes and may include components for reading and executing instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium). In some embodiments, network function virtualization (NFV) may be used to virtualize some or all of the network node functions described herein using executable instructions stored in one or more computer-readable storage media, as described in further detail below. A logical instance of CN 120 may be referred to as a network slice, and a logical instance of a portion of CN 120 may be referred to as a network sub-slice. NFV architecture and infrastructure may be used to virtualize one or more network functions onto physical resources comprising a combination of industry-standard server hardware, storage hardware, or switches (alternatively, performed by proprietary hardware). In other words, an NFV system may be used to perform a virtual or reconfigurable implementation of one or more network components or functions, or both.

[0042] Application server 130 may be an element that provides applications that use IP bearer resources with the core network (e.g., UMTS packet service (PS) domain, LTE PS data services, etc.). Application server 130 may also be configured to use CN 120 to support one or more communication services for UE 101 (e.g., VoIP sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social networking services, etc.). Application server 130 may use IP communication interface 125 to communicate with one or more network elements 112.

[0043] In some embodiments, CN 120 may be a 5G core network (referred to as "5GC 120" or "5G core network 120"), and RAN 110 may be connected to CN 120 using a next generation interface 113. In some embodiments, next generation interface 113 may be divided into two parts: a next generation user plane (NG-U) interface 114, which carries traffic data between RAN node 111 and user plane function (UPF); and an S1 control plane (NG-C) interface 115, which is a signaling interface between RAN node 111 and access and mobility management function (AMF). Figure 3 Discussing in More Detail CN 120 is an example of a 5G core network.

[0044] In some embodiments, the CN 120 may be an EPC (referred to as "EPC 120" or the like), and the RAN 110 may be connected to the CN 120 using an S1 interface 113. In some embodiments, the S1 interface 113 may be divided into two parts: an S1-user plane (S1-U) interface 114, which carries traffic data between the RAN node 111 and a serving gateway (S-GW); and an S1-MME interface 115, which is a signaling interface between the RAN node 111 and a mobility management entity (MME).

[0045] In some embodiments, the UE 101 may directly exchange communication data using an interface 105 (such as a ProSe interface). The interface 105 may alternatively be referred to as a sidelink interface 105 and may include one or more logical channels, such as a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), a physical sidelink downlink channel (PSDCH), or a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), or a combination thereof.

[0046] 106 ). UE 101b is shown as being configured to access an access point (AP) 106 (also referred to as "WLAN node 106," "WLAN 106," "WLAN terminal 106," or "WT 106," etc.) using a connection 107. Connection 107 may comprise a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, wherein AP 106 would comprise a Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) router. In this example, AP 106 is shown connected to the Internet without being connected to a core network of a wireless system, as described in further detail below. In various examples, UE 101b, RAN 110, and AP 106 may be configured to operate using LTE-WLAN aggregation (LWA) or LTE / WLAN radio level (LWIP) operation integrated with IPsec tunneling. LWA operation may involve UE 101b, in an RRC_CONNECTED state, being configured by RAN nodes 111a, 111b to utilize radio resources of both LTE and WLAN. LWIP operation may involve UE 101b using IPsec protocol tunneling to use WLAN radio resources (e.g., connection 107) to authenticate and encrypt packets (e.g., IP packets) sent over connection 107. IPsec tunneling may include encapsulating the entire original IP packet and adding a new packet header, thereby protecting the original header of the IP packet.

[0047] In some embodiments, some or all of the RAN nodes 111 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network, which may be referred to as a cloud-based RAN (CRAN) or a virtual baseband unit pool (vBBUP). The CRAN or vBBUP may implement a RAN functional split, such as a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) split, where the radio resource control (RRC) layer and the PDCP layer are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, and other layer 2 (e.g., data link layer) protocol entities are operated by individual RAN nodes 111; a medium access control (MAC) / physical layer (PHY) split, where the RRC layer, PDCP layer, MAC layer, and radio link control (RLC) layer are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, and the PHY layer is operated by individual RAN nodes 111; or a "lower PHY" split, where the RRC layer, PDCP layer, RLC layer, and MAC layer, as well as the upper portion of the PHY layer, are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, and the lower portion of the PHY layer is operated by individual RAN nodes 111. This virtualization framework allows idle processor cores of the RAN node 111 to execute, for example, other virtualized applications. In some embodiments, a single RAN node 111 may represent a processor core that uses various F1 interfaces ( Figure 1 In some embodiments, the gNB-DU may include one or more remote radio heads or RFEMs (see, e.g., Figure 4 ), and the gNB-CU may be operated by a server (not shown) located in the RAN 110 or by a server pool in a manner similar to CRAN / vBBUP. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the RAN nodes 111 may be a next-generation eNB (ng-eNB), which includes a RAN node that provides E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol terminations to the UE 101 and connects to a 5G core network (e.g., the core network 120) using a next-generation interface.

[0048] In a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) scenario, one or more of the RAN nodes 111 may be or function as an RSU. The term "roadside unit" or "RSU" refers to any traffic infrastructure entity used for V2X communications. The RSU may be implemented in or by a suitable RAN node or a stationary (or relatively stationary) UE, where an RSU implemented in or by a UE may be referred to as a "UE-type RSU," an RSU implemented in or by an eNB may be referred to as an "eNB-type RSU," an RSU implemented in or by a gNB may be referred to as a "gNB-type RSU," and so on. In some embodiments, the RSU is a computing device coupled to RF circuitry located on the roadside that provides connectivity support to passing vehicle UEs 101 (vUEs 101). The RSU may also include internal data storage circuitry for storing intersection map geometry, traffic statistics, media, and applications or other software for sensing and controlling ongoing vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The RSU may operate on the 5.9 GHz Direct Short Range Communication (DSRC) band to provide extremely low latency communications required for high-speed events, such as collision avoidance, traffic warnings, and the like. Additionally or alternatively, the RSU may operate on the cellular V2X band to provide the aforementioned low latency communications as well as other cellular communication services. Additionally or alternatively, the RSU may operate as a Wi-Fi hotspot (2.4 GHz band) or provide connectivity to one or more cellular networks to provide uplink and downlink communications or both. The computing device and some or all of the RF circuitry of the RSU may be packaged in a weatherproof enclosure suitable for outdoor installation and may include a network interface controller to provide a wired connection (e.g., Ethernet) to a traffic signal controller or a backhaul network or both.

[0049] Figure 2 FIG2 shows an exemplary architecture of a system 200 including a first CN 220. In this example, the system 200 may implement the LTE standard such that the CN 220 is a Figure 1 In addition, UE 201 can communicate with the EPC 220 corresponding to the CN 120. Figure 1 The UE 101 is the same as or similar to the UE 101, and the E-UTRAN 210 may be the same as Figure 1 The CN 220 may be a RAN that is the same as or similar to the RAN 110 of the mobile network and may include the RAN node 111 discussed previously. The CN 220 may include an MEE 221, an S-GW 222, a PDN Gateway (P-GW) 223, a High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSS) function 224, and a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) 225.

[0050] The MME 221 may be similar in functionality to the control plane of a traditional SGSN and may implement mobility management (MM) functions to keep track of the current location of the UE 201. The MME 221 may perform various mobility management (MM) procedures to manage mobility aspects of the access, such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. Mobility management (also referred to as "EPS MM" or "EMM" in the E-UTRAN system) may refer to all applicable procedures, methods, data storage, and other aspects used to maintain knowledge of the current location of the UE 201, provide user identity confidentiality, or perform other similar services for users / subscribers, or a combination thereof. Each UE 201 and the MME 221 may include an EMM sublayer, and upon successful completion of the attach procedure, a mobility management context may be established in the UE 201 and the MME 221. The mobility management context may be a data structure or database object used to store mobility management-related information for the UE 201. The MME 221 may be coupled to the HSS 224 using an S6a reference point, to the SGSN 225 using an S3 reference point, and to the S-GW 222 using an S11 reference point.

[0051] SGSN 225 may be a node that serves UE 201 by tracking the location of individual UE 201 and performing security functions. Furthermore, SGSN 225 may perform inter-EPC node signaling for mobility between 2G / 3G and E-UTRAN 3GPP access networks; PDN and S-GW selection, as specified by MME 221; handling of UE 201 time zone capabilities, as specified by MME 221; and MME selection for handover to E-UTRAN 3GPP access networks, among other functions. The S3 reference point between MME 221 and SGSN 225 may enable the exchange of user and bearer information for inter-3GPP access network mobility in either the idle or active state, or both.

[0052] HSS 224 may include a database for network users, including subscription-related information used to support network entities handling communication sessions. EPC 220 may include one or more HSSs 224, depending on other characteristics such as the number of mobile subscribers, equipment capacity, network organization, or a combination thereof. For example, HSS 224 may provide support for routing, roaming, authentication, authorization, naming / addressing solutions, location dependencies, and the like. The S6a reference point between HSS 224 and MEE 221 enables the transmission of subscription and authentication data for authenticating or authorizing user access to EPC 220 between HSS 224 and MEE 221.

[0053] The S-GW 222 may terminate the S1 interface 113 towards the RAN 210 ( Figure 2 The S-GW 222 may be a local mobility anchor for inter-RAN node handovers and may also provide an anchor for inter-3GPP mobility. Other responsibilities may include lawful interception, charging, and policy enforcement. The S11 reference point between the S-GW 222 and the MME 221 may provide a control plane between the MME 221 and the S-GW 222. The S-GW 222 may couple to the P-GW 223 using the S5 reference point.

[0054] The P-GW 223 may terminate the SGi interface towards the PDN 230. The P-GW 223 may use the IP communication interface 125 (see, e.g., Figure 1 ) to route data packets between EPC 220 and external networks, such as a network including application server 130 (sometimes referred to as "AF"). In some embodiments, P-GW 223 may use IP communication interface 125 (see, e.g., Figure 1 ) to communicatively couple to an application server (e.g., Figure 1 Application server 130 or Figure 2 The S5 reference point between the P-GW 223 and the S-GW 222 may provide user plane tunneling and tunnel management between the P-GW 223 and the S-GW 222. The S5 reference point may also be used for S-GW 222 relocation due to the mobility of the UE 201 and whether the S-GW 222 needs to connect to a non-collocated P-GW 223 for the required PDN connectivity. The P-GW 223 may also include nodes for policy enforcement and charging data collection, such as a PCEF (not shown). In addition, the SGi reference point between the P-GW 223 and the packet data network (PDN) 230 may be an operator external public, private PDN, or an intra-operator packet data network, for example, for providing IMS services. The P-GW 223 may use the Gx reference point to couple with a policy control and charging rules function (PCRF) 226.

[0055] PCRF 226 is the policy and charging control element of EPC 220. In a non-roaming scenario, a single PCRF 226 may exist in the Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) associated with UE 201's Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session. In a roaming scenario with local traffic breakout, two PCRFs may be associated with UE 201's IP-CAN session: a Home PCRF (H-PCRF) in the HPLMN and a Visited PCRF (V-PCRF) in the Visited Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMN). PCRF 226 may be communicatively coupled to application server 230 using P-GW 223. Application server 230 may signal PCRF 226 to indicate a new service flow and select appropriate quality of service (QoS) and charging parameters. PCRF 226 may configure the rules with a PCEF (not shown) with the appropriate Traffic Flow Template (TFT) and QoS Class Identifier (QCI), which then initiates the QoS and charging specified by application server 230. The Gx reference point between PCRF 226 and P-GW 223 may allow for the transfer of QoS policies and charging rules from PCRF 226 to PCEF in P-GW 223. The Rx reference point may reside between PDN 230 (or "AF 230") and PCRF 226.

[0056] Figure 3 The architecture of a system 300 including a second CN 320 is shown. The system 300 is shown to include a UE 301, which may be the same as or similar to the previously discussed UE 101 and UE 201; a (R)AN 310, which may be the same as or similar to the previously discussed RAN 110 and RAN 210, and which may include the previously discussed RAN node 111; and a data network (DN) 303, which may be, for example, an operator service, internet access, or a third-party service; and a 5GC 320. The 5GC 320 may include an authentication server function (AUSF) 322; an access and mobility management function (AMF) 321; a session management function (SMF) 324; a network exposure function (NEF) 323; a policy control function (PCF) 326; a network repository function (NRF) 325; a unified data management (UDM) function 327; an AF 328; a user plane function (UPF) 302; and a network slice selection function (NSSF) 329.

[0057] The UPF 302 can serve as an anchor point for intra-RAT and inter-RAT mobility, an external PDU session point interconnecting with the DN 303, and a branching point supporting multi-homed PDU sessions. The UPF 302 can also perform packet routing and forwarding, perform packet inspection, enforce the user plane portion of policy rules, perform lawful interception of packets (UP collection), perform traffic usage reporting, perform QoS processing for the user plane (e.g., packet filtering, gating, UL / DL rate enforcement), perform uplink traffic validation (e.g., SDF to QoS flow mapping), transport-level packet marking in the uplink and downlink, and perform downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering. The UPF 302 can include an uplink classifier to support routing traffic flows to the data network. The DN 303 can represent various network operator services, internet access, or third-party services. The DN 303 can include or be similar to the application server 130 discussed previously. The UPF 302 can interact with the SMF 324 using the N4 reference point between the SMF 324 and the UPF 302.

[0058] The AUSF 322 stores data used for authentication of the UE 301 and handles authentication-related functions. The AUSF 322 can facilitate a common authentication framework for various access types. The AUSF 322 can communicate with the AMF 321 using the N12 reference point between the AMF 321 and the AUSF 322, and can communicate with the UDM 327 using the N13 reference point between the UDM 327 and the AUSF 322. In addition, the AUSF 322 can present an interface based on the NAUSF service.

[0059] AMF 321 is responsible for registration management (e.g., responsible for registering UE 301), connection management, reachability management, mobility management, and lawful interception of AMF-related events, as well as access authentication and authorization. AMF 321 can be the termination point of the N11 reference point between AMF 321 and SMF 324. AMF 321 can provide transport for SM messages between UE 301 and SMF 324 and act as a transparent proxy for routing SM messages. AMF 321 can also provide communication between UE 301 and SMSF ( Figure 3301). The AMF 321 may act as a Security Anchor Function (SEAF), which may include interactions with the AUSF 322 and the UE 301, for example, to receive intermediate keys established as a result of the UE 301 authentication process. In the case of authentication based on the Universal Subscriber Identity Module (USIM), the AMF 321 may retrieve security material from the AUSF 322. The AMF 321 may also include a Secure Content Management (SCM) function that receives keys for deriving access network specific keys from the SEAF. In addition, the AMF 321 may be a termination point for the RAN control plane interface, which may include or be the N2 reference point between the (R)AN 310 and the AMF 321. In some embodiments, the AMF 321 may be a termination point for NAS (N1) signaling and perform NAS encryption and integrity protection.

[0060] The AMF 321 may also support NAS signaling with the UE 301 over the N3 interworking function (IWF) interface (referred to as "N3IWF"). The N3IWF may be used to provide access to untrusted entities. The N3IWF may be the termination point for the N2 interface between the (R)AN 310 and the AMF 321 for the control plane, and may be the termination point for the N3 reference point between the (R)AN 310 and the UPF 302 for the user plane. Thus, the AMF 321 may process N2 signaling for PDU sessions and QoS from the SMF 324 and the AMF 321, encapsulate / decapsulate packets for IPsec and N3 tunnels, mark N3 user plane packets in the uplink, and perform QoS corresponding to N3 packet markings, taking into account QoS requirements associated with such markings received over N2. The N3IWF may also relay uplink and downlink control plane NAS signaling between the UE 301 and the AMF 321 using the N1 reference point between the UE 301 and the AMF 321, and relay uplink and downlink user plane packets between the UE 301 and the UPF 302. The N3IWF also provides a mechanism for establishing an IPsec tunnel with the UE 301. The AMF 321 may present an interface based on Namf services and may be an N14 reference point between two AMFs 321 and an N14 reference point between the AMF 321 and the 5G Equipment Identity Register (EIR) ( Figure 3 The termination point of the N17 reference point between the two reference points (not shown).

[0061] UE 301 can register with AMF 321 to receive network services. Registration Management (RM) is used to register UE 301 with the network (e.g., AMF 321) or deregister the UE and establish a UE context in the network (e.g., AMF 321). UE 301 can operate in the RM-REGISTERED state or the RM-DEREGISTERED state. In the RM-DEREGISTERED state, UE 301 is not registered with the network, and the UE context in AMF 321 does not hold valid location or routing information of UE 301, so AMF 321 cannot reach UE 301. In the RM-REGISTERED state, UE 301 is registered with the network, and the UE context in AMF 321 can hold valid location or routing information of UE 301, so AMF 321 can reach UE 301. In the RM-REGISTERED state, UE 301 may perform a mobility registration update procedure, perform a periodic registration update procedure triggered by the expiration of a periodic update timer (e.g., to inform the network that UE 301 is still active), and perform a registration update procedure to update UE capability information or renegotiate protocol parameters with the network, etc.

[0062] The AMF 321 may store one or more RM contexts for the UE 301, where each RM context is associated with a specific access to the network. The RM context may be, for example, a data structure or a database object that indicates or stores the registration status and periodic update timer for each access type. The AMF 321 may also store a 5GC mobility management (MM) context that may be the same as or similar to the (E)MM context discussed previously. In some embodiments, the AMF 321 may store the coverage enhancement mode B restriction parameters of the UE 301 in the associated MM context or RM context. The AMF 321 may also derive values ​​from the UE's usage setting parameters already stored in the UE context (and / or MM / RM context) when needed.

[0063] Connection Management (CM) can be used to establish and release signaling connections between the UE 301 and the AMF 321 over the N1 interface. Signaling connections are used to enable NAS signaling exchanges between the UE 301 and the CN 320, and include signaling connections between the UE and the AN (e.g., an RRC connection for non-3GPP access or a UE-N3IWF connection) and the UE 301's N2 connection between the AN (e.g., the RAN 310) and the AMF 321. In some embodiments, the UE 301 may operate in one of two CM modes: CM-IDLE mode or CM-CONNECTED mode. When the UE 301 operates in CM-IDLE mode, the UE 301 may not have a NAS signaling connection established with the AMF 321 over the N1 interface, and a (R)AN 310 signaling connection (e.g., an N2 connection or an N3 connection or both) may exist for the UE 301. When the UE 301 operates in the CM-CONNECTED mode, the UE 301 may have a NAS signaling connection established with the AMF 321 through the N1 interface, and there may be a (R)AN 310 signaling connection (e.g., N2 connection and / or N3 connection) for the UE 301. Establishing the N2 connection between the (R)AN 310 and the AMF 321 may cause the UE 301 to transition from the CM-IDLE mode to the CM-CONNECTED mode, and when the N2 signaling between the (R)AN 310 and the AMF 321 is released, the UE 301 may transition from the CM-CONNECTED mode to the CM-IDLE mode.

[0064] The SMF 324 may be responsible for session management (SM), such as session establishment, modification, and release, including tunnel maintenance between the UPF and AN nodes; UE IP address allocation and management (including optional authorization); selection and control of UP functions; configuring traffic steering at the UPF to route traffic to the correct destination; terminating the interface towards the policy control function; control portion of policy enforcement and QoS; lawful interception (for SM events and interface with the LI system); terminating the SM portion of NAS messages; downlink data notification; initiating AN-specific SM information sent to the AN via N2 using the AMF; and determining the SSC mode for the session. SM may refer to the management of a PDU session, and a PDU session (or "session") may refer to a PDU connectivity service that provides or enables the exchange of PDUs between the UE 301 and the data network (DN) 303 identified by the data network name (DNN). A PDU session may be established upon request by UE 301, modified upon request by UE 301 and 5GC 320, and released upon request by UE 301 and 5GC 320 using NAS SM signaling exchanged between UE 301 and SMF 324 over the N1 reference point. Upon request from an application server, 5GC 320 may trigger a specific application in UE 301. In response to receiving the trigger message, UE 301 may deliver the trigger message (or relevant parts / information of the trigger message) to one or more identified applications in UE 301. The identified applications in UE 301 may establish a PDU session to a specific DNN. SMF 324 may check whether the UE 301 request complies with user subscription information associated with UE 301. In this regard, SMF 324 may retrieve and / or request to receive update notifications regarding SMF 324-level subscription data from UDM 327.

[0065] The SMF 324 may include some or all of the following roaming functions: handling local execution to apply QoS service level agreements (SLAs) (e.g., in a VPLMN); charging data collection and charging interfaces (e.g., in a VPLMN); lawful interception (e.g., for SM events and interfaces with LI systems in a VPLMN); and support for interaction with external DNs to transport signaling for PDU session authorization / authentication over external DNs. In a roaming scenario, an N16 reference point between two SMFs 324 may be included in the system 300, which may be located between an SMF 324 in a visited network and another SMF 324 in a home network. In addition, the SMF 324 may present an interface based on Nsmf services.

[0066] NEF 323 provides a means for securely exposing services and capabilities provided by 3GPP network functions to third parties, internal exposure / re-exposure, application functions (e.g., AF 328), edge computing or fog computing systems, and the like. In some embodiments, NEF 323 may authenticate, authorize, and / or restrict the AF. NEF 323 may also convert information exchanged with AF 328 and information exchanged with internal network functions. For example, NEF 323 may convert between AF service identifiers and internal 5GC information. NEF 323 may also receive information from other network functions (NFs) based on their exposed capabilities. This information may be stored as structured data in NEF 323 or in a data storage NF using standardized interfaces. The stored information may then be re-exposed by NEF 323 to other NFs and AFs, used for other purposes (such as analysis), or both. Furthermore, NEF 323 may present an NNEF service-based interface.

[0067] NRF 325 can support service discovery functionality, receiving NF discovery requests from NF instances and providing information about discovered NF instances to NF instances. NRF 325 also maintains information about available NF instances and the services supported by these instances. As used herein, the term "instantiation" and the like can refer to the creation of an instance, and "instance" can refer to the specific occurrence of an object, which can occur, for example, during the execution of program code. In addition, NRF 325 can present an interface based on Nnrf services.

[0068] The PCF 326 can provide control plane functions for enforcing their policy rules and can also support a unified policy framework for managing network behavior. The PCF 326 can also implement a front end for accessing subscription information related to policy decisions in the Unified Data Repository (UDR) of the UDM 327. The PCF 326 can communicate with the AMF 321 using the N15 reference point between the PCF 326 and the AMF 321, which can include the PCF 326 in the visited network and the AMF 321 in roaming scenarios. The PCF 326 can communicate with the AF 328 using the N5 reference point between the PCF 326 and the AF; and with the SMF 324 using the N7 reference point between the PCF 326 and the SMF 324. The system 300 or the CN 320, or both, can also include an N24 reference point between the PCF 326 (in the home network) and the PCF 326 in the visited network. Additionally, PCF 326 may present an interface based on Npcf services.

[0069] The UDM 327 may process subscription-related information to support network entities in handling communication sessions and may store subscription data for the UE 301. For example, the N8 reference point between the UDM 327 and the AMF may be used to transfer subscription data between the UDM 327 and the AMF 321. The UDM 327 may include two parts: an application front end and a UDR ( Figure 3 (The front end and UDR are not shown). The UDR may store subscription data and policy data of the UDM 327 and PCF 326, or structured data and application data for exposure of the NEF 323 (including PFD for application detection, application request information of multiple UEs 301), or both. An interface based on Nudr services may be presented by the UDR 221 to allow the UDM 327, PCF 326, and NEF 323 to access specific sets of stored data, as well as read, update (e.g., add, modify), delete, and subscribe to notifications of changes to relevant data in the UDR. The UDM may include a UDM front end that is responsible for handling credentials, location management, subscription management, etc. In different transactions, several different front ends may serve the same user. The UDM front end accesses subscription information stored in the UDR and performs authentication credential processing, user identification processing, access authorization, registration / mobility management, and subscription management. The UDR may interact with the SMF 324 using the N10 reference point between the UDM 327 and the SMF 324. The UDM 327 may also support SMS management, where the SMS front end implements similar application logic as previously discussed. Additionally, the UDM 327 may present an interface based on the Nudm service.

[0070] AF 328 can provide application influence on traffic routing, provide access to Network Capability Exposure (NCE), and interact with the policy framework for policy control. NCE can be a mechanism that allows 5GC 320 and AF 328 to provide information to each other using NEF 323, which can be used in edge computing implementations. In such implementations, network operators and third-party services can be hosted near the UE 301 access point to achieve efficient service delivery with reduced end-to-end latency and load on the transport network. For edge computing implementations, the 5GC can select a UPF 302 near the UE 301 and use the N6 interface to perform traffic steering from the UPF 302 to the DN 303. This can be based on UE subscription data, UE location, and information provided by AF 328. In this way, AF 328 can influence UPF (re)selection and traffic routing. Based on operator deployment, when AF 328 is considered a trusted entity, the network operator may allow AF 328 to interact directly with relevant NFs. In addition, AF 328 can present an interface based on NAF services.

[0071] The NSSF 329 may select a set of network slice instances to serve the UE 301. If required, the NSSF 329 may also determine the allowed NSSAIs and the mapping to the subscribed single network slice selection assistance information (S-NSSAI). The NSSF 329 may also determine the set of AMFs to serve the UE 301, or a list of candidate AMFs 321, based on appropriate configuration and possibly by querying the NRF 325. The selection of a set of network slice instances for the UE 301 may be triggered by the AMF 321, where the UE 301 registers by interacting with the NSSF 329, which may result in a change in the AMF 321. The NSSF 329 may interact with the AMF 321 using the N22 reference point between the AMF 321 and the NSSF 329; and may use the N31 reference point ( Figure 3 (not shown) to communicate with another NSSF 329 in the visited network. In addition, the NSSF 329 may present an interface based on the Nnssf service.

[0072] As previously discussed, CN 320 may include an SMSF that may be responsible for SMS subscription checking and verification, and relaying SM messages to or from UE 301 to or from other entities, such as SMS-GMSC / IWMSC / SMS routers. The SMS may also interact with AMF 321 and UDM 327 for notification procedures that UE 301 is available for SMS transmission (e.g., setting a UE unreachable flag and notifying UDM 327 when UE 301 is available for SMS).

[0073] CN 120 may also include Figure 3 Other elements not shown include data storage system, 5G-EIR, security edge protection pro10 (SEPP), etc. The data storage system may include structured data storage function (SDSF), unstructured data storage function (UDSF), or both. Any network function can use any NF and UDSF ( Figure 3 The N18 reference point between the UE and UE context is used to store or retrieve unstructured data in or from the UDSF (e.g., UE context). Each network function may share a UDSF for storing its respective unstructured data, or each network function may have its own UDSF located at or near the network function. In addition, the UDSF may present an interface based on the Nudsf service ( Figure 3(not shown). The 5G-EIR may be a network function that checks the status of the Permanent Equipment Identifier (PEI) to determine if a particular equipment or entity is blacklisted in the network; and the SEPP may be a non-transparent pro10 that performs topology hiding, message filtering, and policing on the inter-PLMN control plane interface.

[0074] In some embodiments, there may be additional or alternative reference points or service-based interfaces, or both, between network function services in a network function. However, for clarity, Figure 3 These interfaces and reference points are omitted. In one example, the CN 320 may include an Nx interface, which is an inter-CN interface between an MME (e.g., MME 221) and an AMF 321, so as to achieve intercommunication between the CN 320 and the CN 220. Other exemplary interfaces or reference points may include an N5g-eir service-based interface presented by the 5G-EIR, an N27 reference point between an NRF in a visited network and an NRF in a home network, or an N31 reference point between an NSSF in a visited network and an NSSF in a home network.

[0075] In some embodiments, the components of CN 220 may be implemented in one physical node or in separate physical nodes and may include components for reading and executing instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium). In some embodiments, the components of CN 320 may be implemented in the same or similar manner as discussed herein with respect to the components of CN 220. In some embodiments, NFV is used to virtualize any or all of the above-described network node functions using executable instructions stored in one or more computer-readable storage media, as described in further detail below. A logical instance of CN 220 may be referred to as a network slice, and each logical instance of CN 220 may provide specific network capabilities and network characteristics. A logical instance of a portion of CN 220 may be referred to as a network sub-slice, which may include a P-GW 223 and a PCRF 226.

[0076] As used herein, the terms "instantiation" and the like may refer to the creation of an instance, and "instance" may refer to the concrete occurrence of an object, which may occur, for example, during the execution of program code. A network instance may refer to information identifying a domain, which may be used for traffic detection and routing in different IP domains or in the case of overlapping IP addresses. A network slice instance may refer to a set of network function (NF) instances and the resources required to deploy a network slice (e.g., computing, storage, and networking resources).

[0077] Regarding 5G systems (see e.g. Figure 3), a network slice may include a RAN portion and a CN portion. Support for network slicing relies on the principle that traffic for different slices is handled by different PDU sessions. The network can implement different network slices through scheduling or by providing different L1 / L2 configurations, or both. If the NAS has provided network slice selection, the UE 301 provides assistance information for network slice selection in an appropriate RRC message. In some embodiments, although the network can support a large number of slices, the UE does not need to support more than 8 slices simultaneously.

[0078] A network slice may include the CN 320 control plane and user plane NFs, the NG-RAN 310 in the serving PLMN, and the N3IWF functionality in the serving PLMN. Each network slice may have a different S-NSSAI, a different SST, or both. The NSSAI includes one or more S-NSSAIs, and each network slice is uniquely identified by an S-NSSAI. Network slices may differ in the features supported and network function optimizations. In some embodiments, multiple network slice instances may deliver the same services or features, but for different groups of UEs 301 (e.g., enterprise users). For example, each network slice may deliver different committed services or may be dedicated to a specific customer or enterprise, or both. In this example, each network slice may have a different S-NSSAI with the same SST but a different slice differentiator. In addition, a single UE may be served simultaneously by one or more network slice instances using a 5G AN, and the UE may be associated with eight different S-NSSAIs. Furthermore, an AMF 321 instance serving a single UE 301 may belong to each network slice instance serving that UE.

[0079] Network slicing in the NG-RAN 310 involves RAN slice awareness. RAN slice awareness involves differentiated handling of traffic for different pre-configured network slices. Slice awareness in the NG-RAN 310 is introduced at the PDU session level by indicating the S-NSSAI corresponding to the PDU session in all signaling, including PDU session resource information. How the NG-RAN 310 supports slicing in terms of NG-RAN functionality (e.g., a set of network functions per slice) depends on the implementation. The NG-RAN 310 selects the RAN portion of the network slice using assistance information provided by the UE 301 or 5GC 320. This assistance information explicitly identifies one or more of the pre-configured network slices in the PLMN. The NG-RAN 310 also supports resource management and policy enforcement between slices according to SLAs. A single NG-RAN node can support multiple slices, and the NG-RAN 310 can also apply the appropriate RRM policy for the SLA to each supported slice. The NG-RAN 310 also supports QoS differentiation within a slice.

[0080] NG-RAN 310 can also use UE assistance information to select an AMF 321 during the initial attach, if available. NG-RAN 310 uses the assistance information to route the initial NAS to AMF 321. If NG-RAN 310 cannot select an AMF 321 using the assistance information, or if UE 301 does not provide any such information, NG-RAN 310 sends NAS signaling to a default AMF 321, which may be in the AMF 321 pool. For subsequent access, UE 301 provides the temporary ID assigned to UE 301 by 5GC 320 to enable NG-RAN 310 to route NAS messages to the appropriate AMF 321, as long as the temporary ID is valid. NG-RAN 310 is aware of and can reach the AMF 321 associated with the temporary ID. Otherwise, the method used for initial attach applies.

[0081] The NG-RAN 310 supports resource isolation between slices. This isolation is achieved through RRM policies and protection mechanisms that prevent shared resource starvation in situations where one slice disrupts the service-level agreement of another slice. In some implementations, NG-RAN 310 resources can be fully dedicated to a slice. How the NG-RAN 310 supports resource isolation depends on the implementation.

[0082] Some slices may only be partially available in the network. The NG-RAN 310 is aware of the slices supported in its neighboring cells that may be beneficial for inter-frequency mobility in connected mode. Slice availability may not change within the UE's registration area. The NG-RAN 310 and 5GC 320 are responsible for processing service requests for slices that may or may not be available in a given area. Granting or denying access to a slice may depend on factors such as support for the slice, resource availability, and NG-RAN 310 support for the requested service.

[0083] UE 301 can be associated with multiple network slices simultaneously. In the event that UE 301 is associated with multiple slices simultaneously, only one signaling connection is maintained, and for intra-frequency cell reselection, UE 301 attempts to camp on the best cell. For inter-frequency cell reselection, dedicated priorities can be used to control the frequency that UE 301 camps on. 5GC 320 will verify that UE 301 has the right to access the network slice. Before receiving the Initial Context Setup Request message, knowledge of the specific slice that UE 301 is requesting access to can allow NG-RAN 310 to apply temporary or local policies. During Initial Context Setup, NG-RAN 310 is informed of the slice whose resources are being requested.

[0084] Figure 4 An example of infrastructure equipment 400 is shown. Infrastructure equipment 400 (or "system 400") can be implemented as a base station, a radio head, a RAN node (such as the RAN node 111 or AP 106 shown and described previously), an application server 130, or any other component or device described herein. In other examples, system 400 can be implemented in or by a UE.

[0085] System 400 includes application circuitry 405, baseband circuitry 410, one or more radio front-end modules (RFEMs) 415, memory circuitry 420, a power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 425, power tee circuitry 430, network controller circuitry 435, a network interface connector 440, satellite positioning circuitry 445, and user interface circuitry 450. In some embodiments, system 400 may include additional components such as, for example, memory, storage, a display, a camera, one or more sensors, or input / output (I / O) interfaces, or a combination thereof. In other examples, the components described with reference to system 400 may be included in more than one device. For example, various circuits may be separately included in more than one device for a CRAN, vBBU, or other embodiments.

[0086] Application circuit 405 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more processors (or processor cores), cache memory, one or more of the following: a low dropout regulator (LDO), an interrupt controller, a serial interface (such as SPI, I2C, or a general-purpose programmable serial interface module), a real-time clock (RTC), a timer-counter including an interval timer and a watchdog timer, general-purpose input / output (I / O or IO), a memory card controller (such as a secure digital (SD) multimedia card (MMC) or similar product), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI) interface, and a joint test access group (JTAG) test access port. The processor (or core) of application circuit 405 may be coupled to or include a memory or storage element and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory or storage element to enable various applications or operating systems to run on system 400. In some embodiments, the memory or storage element may include on-chip memory circuitry, which may include any suitable volatile or non-volatile memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state memory, or combinations thereof, among other types of memory.

[0087] The processor of the application circuit 405 may include, for example, one or more processor cores (CPUs), one or more application processors, one or more graphics processing units (GPUs), one or more reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, one or more Acorn RISC Machine (ARM) processors, one or more complex instruction set computing (CISC) processors, one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), one or more FPGAs, one or more PLDs, one or more ASICs, one or more microprocessors or controllers, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the application circuit 405 may include or may be a dedicated processor or controller configured to perform the various techniques described herein. As an example, the processor of the application circuit 405 may include one or more Intel or Processor; Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Processor, Accelerated Processing Unit (APU), or processors; ARM Holdings, Ltd. licensed ARM-based processors, such as the ARM Cortex-A series processors provided by Cavium (TM), Inc. and MIPS-based designs from MIPS Technologies, Inc., such as the MIPS Warrior P-class processor; etc. In some implementations, system 400 may not utilize application circuitry 405 and instead may include a dedicated processor or controller to process IP data received, for example, from an EPC or 5GC.

[0088] In some embodiments, the application circuit 405 may include one or more hardware accelerators, which may be microprocessors, programmable processing devices, or the like. The one or more hardware accelerators may include, for example, computer vision (CV) or deep learning (DL) accelerators, or both. In some embodiments, the programmable processing device may be one or more field programmable devices (FPDs), such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs); programmable logic devices (PLDs), such as complex PLDs (CPLDs) or high-capacity PLDs (HCPLDs); ASICs, such as structured ASICs; programmable SoCs (PSoCs), or combinations thereof. In such embodiments, the circuitry of the application circuit 405 may include logic blocks or logic fabrics, as well as other interconnected resources that can be programmed to perform various functions, such as the processes, methods, and functions described herein. In some embodiments, the circuitry of application circuit 405 may include a memory unit (e.g., an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a flash memory, a static memory (e.g., a static random access memory (SRAM) or an antifuse)) for storing logic blocks, logic structures, data, or other data in a lookup table (LUT) or the like.

[0089] Baseband circuitry 410 may be implemented, for example, as a solder-in substrate including one or more integrated circuits, a single packaged integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board, or a multi-chip module containing two or more integrated circuits.

[0090] The user interface circuit 450 may include one or more user interfaces designed to enable a user to interact with the system 400, or peripheral component interfaces designed to enable peripheral components to interact with the system 400. The user interface may include, but is 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 touch screen, a speaker or other audio transmitting device, a microphone, a printer, a scanner, a headset, a display screen or display device, or a combination thereof. The peripheral component interface may include, but is not limited to, a non-volatile memory port, a universal serial bus (USB) port, an audio jack, a power port, etc.

[0091] The radio front end module (RFEM) 415 may include a millimeter wave (mm wave) RFEM and one or more sub-mm wave radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). In some embodiments, the one or more sub-mm wave RFICs may be physically separate from the mm wave RFEM. The RFIC may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays (see, e.g., Figure 6The RFEM can be connected to multiple antennas (e.g., an antenna array 611). In some embodiments, both mmWave and sub-millimeter-wave radio functionality can be implemented in the same physical RFEM 415, combining both mmWave and sub-millimeter-wave antennas.

[0092] The memory circuit 420 may include one or more of the following: volatile memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM); and non-volatile memory (NVM), such as high-speed electrically erasable memory (commonly referred to as "flash memory"), phase change random access memory (PRAM) or magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the memory circuit 420 may include a memory from and For example, the memory circuit 420 may be implemented as one or more of the following: a solder-in package integrated circuit, a socket memory module, and a plug-in memory card.

[0093] The PMIC 425 may include a voltage regulator, a surge protector, a power alarm detection circuit, and one or more backup power sources (such as batteries or capacitors). The power alarm detection circuit may detect one or more of a brownout (brownout) and a surge (overvoltage). The power tee circuit 430 may provide power drawn from the network cable to provide both power and data connectivity for the infrastructure equipment 400 using a single cable.

[0094] The network controller circuit 435 can provide connectivity to the network using a standard network interface protocol such as Ethernet, Ethernet based on GRE tunnels, Ethernet based on Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS), or some other suitable protocol. A network interface connector 440 can be used to provide network connectivity to or from the infrastructure equipment 400 using a physical connection, which can be an electrical connection (commonly referred to as a "copper interconnect"), an optical connection, or a wireless connection. The network controller circuit 435 may include one or more dedicated processors or FPGAs, or both, for communicating using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some embodiments, the network controller circuit 435 may include multiple controllers for providing connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0095] The positioning circuit 445 includes circuits for receiving and decoding signals transmitted or broadcast by a positioning network of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS). Examples of GNSS include the United States' Global Positioning System (GPS), Russia's Global Navigation System (GLONASS), the European Union's Galileo system, China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, regional navigation systems, or GNSS augmentation systems (e.g., navigation using the Indian constellation (NAVIC), Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), France's Doppler Orbit Chart and Satellite Integrated Radiolocation (DORIS), and other systems). The positioning circuit 445 may include various hardware elements (e.g., including hardware devices such as switches, filters, amplifiers, antenna elements, etc. for facilitating OTA communications) to communicate with components of the positioning network (such as navigation satellite constellation nodes). In some embodiments, the positioning circuit 445 may include a micro-technology (micro-PNT) IC for positioning, navigation, and timing that uses a master timing clock to perform position tracking and estimation without GNSS assistance. The positioning circuit 445 may also be part of or interact with the baseband circuit 410 or the RFEM 415 or both to communicate with nodes and components of the positioning network. The positioning circuit 445 may also provide data (e.g., location data, time data) to the application circuit 405, which may use the data to synchronize operations with various infrastructure (e.g., the RAN node 111).

[0096] Figure 4 The components shown can communicate with each other using interface circuitry that can include any number of bus or interconnect (IX) technologies, such as 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 or IX can be a proprietary bus, such as used in SoC-based systems. Other bus or IX systems can be included, such as an I2C interface, an SPI interface, a point-to-point interface, and a power bus.

[0097] Figure 5 An example of a platform 500 (or "device 500") is shown. In some embodiments, computer platform 500 may be suitable for use as UE 101, UE 201, UE 301, application server 130, or any other component or device discussed herein. Platform 500 may include any combination of the components shown in the examples. The components (or portions thereof) of platform 500 may be implemented as integrated circuits (ICs), discrete electronic devices, or other modules, logic, hardware, software, firmware, or combinations thereof adapted within computer platform 500, or as components otherwise incorporated within the chassis of a larger system. Figure 5The block diagram is intended to show a high-level view of the components of platform 500. However, in some implementations, platform 500 may include fewer, additional, or alternative components, or Figure 5 Different arrangements of components are shown.

[0098] Application circuitry 505 includes circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more processors (or processor cores), cache memory, and one or more of the following: an LDO, an interrupt controller, a serial interface (such as SPI, I2C, or a general-purpose programmable serial interface module), an RTC, a timer (including an interval timer and a watchdog timer), general-purpose I / O, a memory card controller (such as an SD MMC or similar controller), a USB interface, a MIPI interface, and a JTAG test access port. The processor (or core) of application circuitry 505 may be coupled to or include a memory / storage element and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory or storage device to enable various applications or operating systems to run on system 500. In some embodiments, the memory or storage element may be an on-chip memory circuit that may include any suitable volatile or non-volatile memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state memory, or a combination thereof, among other types of memory.

[0099] The processor of application circuit 405 may include, for example, one or more processor cores, one or more application processors, one or more GPUs, one or more RISC processors, one or more ARM processors, one or more CISC processors, one or more DSPs, one or more FPGAs, one or more PLDs, one or more ASICs, one or more microprocessors or controllers, a multi-threaded processor, an ultra-low voltage processor, an embedded processor, some other known processing element, or any suitable combination thereof. In some embodiments, application circuit 405 may include or may be a dedicated processor / controller for performing the techniques described herein.

[0100] As an example, the processor of the application circuit 505 may include a processor based on Architecture TM Processors such as Quark TM 、Atom TM , i3, i5, i7 or MCU class processors, or available from Santa Clara, CA The processor of application circuit 505 may also be one or more of the following: Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Processor or Accelerated Processing Unit (APU); from Inc.'s A5-A9 processors, Snapdragon by Technologies, Inc. TM processors, Texas Instruments, Open Multimedia Applications Platform(OMAP) TM processors; MIPS-based designs from MIPS Technologies, Inc., such as the MIPS Warrior M-class, Warrior I-class, and Warrior P-class processors; ARM-based designs licensed from ARM Holdings, Ltd., such as the ARM Cortex-A, Cortex-R, and Cortex-M series processors; etc. In some embodiments, the application circuit 505 can be part of a system on a chip (SoC), in which the application circuit 505 and other components are formed as a single integrated circuit or a single package, such as company( Edison Corporation TM or Galileo TM SoC board.

[0101] Additionally or alternatively, the application circuit 505 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more field programmable devices (FPDs), such as FPGAs; programmable logic devices (PLDs), such as complex PLDs (CPLDs), high-capacity PLDs (HCPLDs); ASICs, such as structured ASICs; programmable SoCs (PSoCs), or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, the application circuit 505 may include logic blocks or logic fabrics, as well as other interconnect resources that can be programmed to perform various functions, such as the processes, methods, and functions described herein. In some embodiments, the application circuit 505 may include memory cells (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, static memory (e.g., static random access memory (SRAM), or antifuse)) for storing the logic blocks, logic fabrics, data, or other data in a lookup table (LUT) or the like.

[0102] The baseband circuit 510 may be implemented, for example, as a solder-in substrate including one or more integrated circuits, a single packaged integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board, or a multi-chip module containing two or more integrated circuits. Figure 6 The various hardware electronic components of the baseband circuit 510 are discussed.

[0103] The RFEM 515 may include a millimeter wave (mmWave) RFEM and one or more sub-millimeter wave radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). In some embodiments, the one or more sub-millimeter wave RFICs may be physically separated from the mmWave RFEM. The RFIC may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays (see, e.g., Figure 6 The RFEM can be connected to multiple antennas using a connector for an antenna array 611. In an alternative embodiment, both millimeter-wave and sub-millimeter-wave radio functionality can be implemented in the same physical RFEM 515, combining both millimeter-wave antennas and sub-millimeter-wave antennas.

[0104] The memory circuit 520 may include any number and type of memory devices for providing a fixed amount of system memory. By way of example, the memory circuit 520 may include one or more of the following: volatile memory, such as random access memory (RAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), and / or synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM); non-volatile memory (NVM), such as high-speed electrically erasable memory (commonly referred to as "flash memory"), phase-change random access memory (PRAM), or magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM); or combinations thereof. The memory circuit 520 may be developed according to a Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) low-power double data rate (LPDDR)-based design (such as LPDDR2, LPDDR3, LPDDR4, etc.). The memory circuit 520 may be implemented as one or more of the following: a solder-in package integrated circuit, a single die package (SDP), a dual die package (DDP), or a quad die package (Q17P), a socketed memory module, a dual in-line memory module (DIMM) (including micro DIMM or mini DIMM), or soldered to a motherboard using a ball grid array (BGA). In a low-power embodiment, the memory circuit 520 may be an on-chip memory or register associated with the application circuit 505. In order to provide persistent storage of information (such as data, applications, operating systems, etc.), the memory circuit 520 may include one or more mass storage devices, which may include, for example, a solid-state disk drive (SSDD), a hard disk drive (HDD), a micro HDD, a resistive change memory, a phase change memory, a holographic memory, or a chemical memory. In some embodiments, the computer platform 500 may be combined with a computer obtained from and Three-dimensional (3D) cross-point (XPOINT) memory.

[0105] Removable memory circuitry 523 may include devices, circuitry, housings, casings, ports or receptacles, etc., for coupling portable data storage devices to platform 500. These portable data storage devices may be used for mass storage and may include, for example, flash memory cards (e.g., Secure Digital (SD) cards, micro SD cards, xD picture cards), as well as USB flash drives, optical disks, external HDDs, or combinations thereof.

[0106] Platform 500 may also include an interface circuit (not shown) for connecting external devices to platform 500. External devices connected to platform 500 using the interface circuit include sensor circuit 521 and electromechanical components (EMC) 522, as well as a removable memory device coupled to removable memory circuit 523.

[0107] Sensor circuitry 521 includes devices, modules, or subsystems designed to detect events or changes in their environment and send information about the detected events (e.g., sensor data) to one or more other devices, modules, or subsystems, etc. Examples of such sensors include an inertial measurement unit (IMU), such as an accelerometer, gyroscope, or magnetometer; a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) or nanoelectromechanical system (NEMS) including a three-axis accelerometer, a three-axis gyroscope, or a magnetometer; a liquid level sensor; a flow sensor; a temperature sensor (e.g., a thermistor); a pressure sensor; a barometric pressure sensor; a gravity meter; an altimeter; an image capture device (e.g., a camera or a lensless aperture); a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor; a proximity sensor (e.g., an infrared radiation detector, etc.), a depth sensor, an ambient light sensor, an ultrasonic transceiver; a microphone or other audio capture device, or a combination thereof, etc.

[0108] The EMC 522 includes devices, modules, or subsystems designed to enable the platform 500 to change its state, position, or orientation, or to move or control mechanisms, systems, or subsystems. Furthermore, the EMC 522 can be configured to generate and send messages or signals to other components of the platform 500 indicating the current state of the EMC 522. Examples of EMCs 522 include one or more power switches, relays (such as electromechanical relays (EMRs) or solid-state relays (SSRs)), actuators (e.g., valve actuators), audible sound generators, visual warning devices, motors (e.g., DC motors or stepper motors), wheels, thrusters, propellers, claws, clamps, hooks, or combinations thereof, among other electromechanical components. In some embodiments, the platform 500 is configured to operate one or more EMCs 522 based on one or more capture events, commands, or control signals received from a service provider, a client, or both.

[0109] In some embodiments, the interface circuitry may connect the platform 500 to the positioning circuitry 545. The positioning circuitry 545 includes circuitry for receiving and decoding signals transmitted or broadcast by a GNSS positioning network. Examples of GNSS include the United States' GPS, Russia's GLONASS, the European Union's Galileo system, China's BeiDou Navigation Satellite System, regional navigation systems or GNSS augmentation systems (e.g., NAVIC), Japan's QZSS, France's DORIS, and other systems. The positioning circuitry 545 includes various hardware components (e.g., including hardware devices for facilitating OTA communication such as switches, filters, amplifiers, antenna elements, etc.) to communicate with components of the positioning network, such as navigation satellite constellation nodes. In some embodiments, the positioning circuitry 545 may include a micro PNT IC that uses a master timing clock to perform position tracking or estimation without GNSS assistance. The positioning circuitry 545 may also be part of or interact with the baseband circuitry 410 or RFEM 515, or both, to communicate with nodes and components of the positioning network. Positioning circuitry 545 may also provide data (eg, position data, time data) to application circuitry 505 , which may use the data to synchronize operations with various infrastructure (eg, radio base stations) for turn-by-turn navigation applications, and the like.

[0110] In some embodiments, the interface circuitry may connect the platform 500 to a near-field communication (NFC) circuitry 540. The NFC circuitry 540 is configured to provide contactless, short-range communication based on the radio frequency identification (RFID) standard, where magnetic field induction is used to enable communication between the NFC circuitry 540 and an NFC-enabled device (e.g., an "NFC touchpoint") external to the platform 500. The NFC circuitry 540 includes an NFC controller coupled to an antenna element and a processor coupled to the NFC controller. The NFC controller may be a chip or IC that provides NFC functionality to the NFC circuitry 540 by executing NFC controller firmware and an NFC stack. The NFC stack may be executed by the processor to control the NFC controller, and the NFC controller firmware may be executed by the NFC controller to control the antenna element to transmit short-range RF signals. The RF signals may power a passive NFC tag (e.g., a microchip embedded in a sticker or wristband) to transfer stored data to the NFC circuitry 540, or initiate data transfer between the NFC circuitry 540 and another active NFC device (e.g., a smartphone or an NFC-enabled POS terminal) in close proximity to the platform 500.

[0111] Driver circuitry 546 may include software and hardware components for controlling specific devices embedded in, attached to, or otherwise communicatively coupled to platform 500. Driver circuitry 546 may include various drivers to allow other components of platform 500 to interact with or control various input / output (I / O) devices that may be present within or connected to platform 500. For example, driver circuitry 546 may include a display driver for controlling and enabling access to a display device, a touch screen driver for controlling and enabling access to a touch screen interface of platform 500, a sensor driver for acquiring sensor readings from sensor circuitry 521 and controlling and enabling access to sensor circuitry 521, an EMC driver for acquiring actuator positions of EMC 522 or controlling and enabling access to EMC 522, a camera driver for controlling and enabling access to an embedded image capture device, and an audio driver for controlling and enabling access to one or more audio devices.

[0112] A power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 525 (also referred to as "power management circuit 525") can manage the power provided to various components of the platform 500. Specifically, the PMIC 525 can control power source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion with respect to the baseband circuit 510. When the platform 500 is capable of being powered by a battery 530, for example, when the device is included in UE 101, UE 201, or UE 301, the PMIC 525 can be included.

[0113] In some embodiments, the PMIC 525 may control or otherwise be part of various power-saving mechanisms of the platform 500. For example, if the platform 500 is in the RRC_Connected state, in which it remains connected to a RAN node because it expects to receive traffic soon, after a period of inactivity, the platform may enter a state known as discontinuous reception mode (DRX). During this state, the platform 500 may power down for short intervals, thereby saving power. If there is no data communication activity for a longer period of time, the device 500 may transition to the RRC_Idle state, in which the device is disconnected from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback or handovers. This may allow the platform 500 to enter a very low-power state, in which it periodically wakes up to listen to the network and then powers down again. In some embodiments, the platform 500 may not receive data in the RRC_Idle state and must transition back to the RRC_Connected state to receive data. Additional power-saving modes may prevent the device from using the network for periods exceeding the paging interval (ranging from a few seconds to several hours). During this time, the device may be unable to connect to the network and may be completely powered down. Any data sent during this time will incur significant latency, assuming that latency is acceptable.

[0114] Battery 530 can power platform 500, but in some embodiments, platform 500 can be deployed in a fixed location and can have a power source coupled to the power grid. Battery 530 can be a lithium-ion battery, a metal-air battery (such as a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, or a lithium-air battery), etc. In some embodiments, such as in V2X applications, battery 530 can be a typical lead-acid automobile battery.

[0115] In some embodiments, the battery 530 may be a "smart battery" that includes or is coupled to a battery management system (BMS) or a battery monitoring integrated circuit. The BMS may be included in the platform 500 to track the state of charge (SoCh) of the battery 530. The BMS may be used to monitor other parameters of the battery 530, such as the state of health (SoH) and state of function (SoF) of the battery 530 to provide fault prediction. The BMS may transmit information about the battery 530 to the application circuit 505 or other components of the platform 500. The BMS may also include an analog-to-digital (ADC) converter that allows the application circuit 505 to directly monitor the voltage of the battery 530 or the current from the battery 530. The battery parameters may be used to determine actions that the platform 500 may perform, such as transmission frequency, network operation, or sensing frequency.

[0116] A power block or other power source coupled to the grid can be coupled to the BMS to charge the battery 530. In some embodiments, the power block 530 can be replaced with a wireless power receiver to wirelessly obtain power, for example, via a loop antenna in the computer platform 500. In these examples, wireless battery charging circuitry can be included in the BMS. The specific charging circuit selected can depend on the size of the battery 530 and, therefore, the required current. Charging can be performed using the aviation fuel standard published by the Aviation Fuel Alliance, the Qi wireless charging standard published by the Wireless Power Consortium, or the Rezence charging standard published by the Wireless Power Consortium.

[0117] The user interface circuit 550 includes various input / output (I / O) devices present within or connected to the platform 500, and includes one or more user interfaces designed to implement user interaction with the platform 500 or peripheral component interfaces designed to implement interaction with peripheral components of the platform 500. The user interface circuit 550 includes input device circuits and output device circuits. The input device circuit includes any physical or virtual means for accepting input, including one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), a physical keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a trackpad, a touch screen, a microphone, a scanner, or a headset, or a combination thereof. The output device circuit includes any physical or virtual means for displaying information or otherwise communicating information (such as sensor readings, actuator positions, or other information). The output device circuitry may include any number or combination of audio or visual displays, including one or more simple visual outputs or indicators (e.g., binary state indicators (e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs)), multi-character visual outputs) or more complex outputs (such as a display device or touch screen (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), an LED display, a quantum dot display, or a projector)), where the output of characters, graphics, or multimedia objects, etc., is generated or produced by the operation of the platform 500. The output device circuitry may also include a speaker or other audio emitting device or a printer. In some embodiments, the sensor circuitry 521 may function as an input device circuitry (e.g., an image capture device or motion capture device, etc.), and one or more EMCs may function as output device circuitry (e.g., an actuator for providing tactile feedback). In another example, an NFC circuit may be included to read an electronic tag or connect to another NFC-enabled device, the NFC circuitry including an NFC controller and a processing device coupled to an antenna element. Peripheral component interfaces may include, but are not limited to, a non-volatile memory port, a USB port, an audio jack, or a power port.

[0118] Although not shown, the components of the platform 500 can communicate with each other using a suitable bus or interconnect (IX) technology, which can include any number of technologies, including ISA, EISA, PCI, PCIx, PCIe, a time-triggered protocol (TTP) system, a FlexRay system, or any number of other technologies. The bus or IX can be a proprietary bus or IX, such as used in a SoC-based system. Other bus or IX systems can be included, such as an I2C interface, an SPI interface, a point-to-point interface, and a power bus.

[0119] Figure 6 Exemplary components of a baseband circuit 610 and a radio front end module (RFEM) 615 are shown. The baseband circuit 610 may correspond to Figure 4 The baseband circuit 410 and Figure 5 The baseband circuit 510. RFEM 615 may correspond to Figure 4 RFEM415 and Figure 5 RFEM 515. As shown, RFEM 615 may include radio frequency (RF) circuitry 606, front end module (FEM) circuitry 608, and an antenna array 611 coupled together.

[0120] The baseband circuitry 610 includes circuitry configured to perform various radio or network protocols and control functions that enable the use of the RF circuitry 606 to communicate with one or more radio networks. The radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation and demodulation, encoding and decoding, and radio frequency shifting. In some embodiments, the modulation and demodulation circuitry of the baseband circuitry 610 may include fast Fourier transform (FFT), precoding or constellation mapping and demapping functions. In some embodiments, the encoding and decoding circuitry of the baseband circuitry 610 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or low-density parity check (LDPC) encoder and decoder functions. The modulation and demodulation functions and the encoder and decoder functions are not limited to these examples and may include other suitable functions in other examples. The baseband circuitry 610 is configured to process baseband signals received from the receive signal path of the RF circuitry 606 and to generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 606. The baseband circuitry 610 is configured to communicate with application circuitry (e.g., Figure 4 and Figure 5 Application circuitry 405, 505) is shown connected to generate and process baseband signals and control the operation of RF circuitry 606. Baseband circuitry 610 may handle various radio control functions.

[0121] The aforementioned circuits and control logic components of the baseband circuitry 610 may include one or more single-core or multi-core processors. For example, the one or more processors may include a 3G baseband processor 604A, a 4G or LTE baseband processor 604B, a 5G or NR baseband processor 604C, or some other baseband processor 604D for other existing, developing, or future generations (e.g., the sixth generation (6G)). In some embodiments, some or all of the functionality of the baseband processors 604A-604D may be included in modules stored in the memory 604G and executed using one or more processors (such as a central processing unit (CPU) 604E). In some embodiments, some or all of the functionality of the baseband processors 604A-604D may be provided as a hardware accelerator (e.g., an FPGA or ASIC, etc.) loaded with appropriate bitstreams or logic blocks stored in corresponding memory units. In some embodiments, the memory 604G may store program code of a real-time operating system (RTOS), which, when executed by the CPU 604E (or other processor), enables the CPU 604E (or other processor) to manage resources of the baseband circuit 610, schedule tasks, or perform other operations. Examples of RTOS may include Operating System Embedded (OSE) TM , by Mentor Nucleus RTOS provided TM , by Mentor Versatile Real-Time Executive (VRTX) provided by Express ThreadX TM ,Depend on FreeRTOS and REX OS provided by Open Kernel (OK) OKL4 is provided, or any other suitable RTOS, such as those discussed herein. In some embodiments, the baseband circuit 610 includes one or more audio digital signal processors (DSPs) 604F. The audio DSPs 604F may include elements for compression and decompression and echo cancellation, and may include other suitable processing elements.

[0122] In some embodiments, each of the processors 604A-604E includes a corresponding memory interface to send data to and receive data from the memory 604G. The baseband circuit 610 may also include one or more interfaces for communicatively coupling to other circuits or devices, such as an interface for sending data to and receiving data from a memory external to the baseband circuit 610; an interface for sending data to and receiving data from a memory external to the baseband circuit; Figure 4and Figure X T) of the application circuit 405, 505 to send data or receive data from the application circuit application circuit interface; Figure 6 RF circuit 606 to send data and receive data from the RF circuit interface; for one or more wireless hardware elements (e.g., near field communication (NFC) components, Low power consumption components, components, etc.) to send data and receive data from these wireless hardware elements; and a power management interface for sending power or control signals to and receiving power or control signals from the PMIC 525.

[0123] In some embodiments (which may be combined with the above examples), the baseband circuit 610 includes one or more digital baseband systems that are coupled to each other and to the CPU subsystem, audio subsystem, and interface subsystem using an interconnect subsystem. The digital baseband subsystem may also be coupled to the digital baseband interface and mixed-signal baseband subsystem using another interconnect subsystem. Each interconnect subsystem in the interconnect subsystem may include a bus system, a point-to-point connection, a network-on-chip (NOC) structure, or some other suitable bus or interconnect technology, such as those discussed herein. The audio subsystem may include other components such as DSP circuits, buffer memory, program memory, voice processing accelerator circuits, data converter circuits (such as analog-to-digital converter circuits and digital-to-analog converter circuits, analog circuits including one or more of amplifiers and filters). In some embodiments, the baseband circuit 610 may include a protocol processing circuit having one or more control circuit instances (not shown) to provide control functions for the digital baseband circuit or radio frequency circuit (e.g., radio front-end module 615).

[0124] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 610 includes various processing devices (e.g., a "multi-protocol baseband processor" or "protocol processing circuitry") for operating one or more wireless communication protocols and various processing devices for implementing PHY layer functionality. In some embodiments, the PHY layer functionality includes the aforementioned radio control functionality. In some embodiments, the protocol processing circuitry operates or implements various protocol layers / entities of one or more wireless communication protocols. For example, when the baseband circuitry 610 or the RF circuitry 606, or both, are part of millimeter wave communication circuitry or some other suitable cellular communication circuitry, the protocol processing circuitry may operate LTE protocol entities or 5G NR protocol entities. In this example, the protocol processing circuitry may operate MAC, RLC, PDCP, SDAP, RRC, and NAS functionality. In some embodiments, when the baseband circuitry 610 or the RF circuitry 606, or both, are part of a Wi-Fi communication system, the protocol processing circuitry may operate one or more IEEE-based protocols. In this example, the protocol processing circuitry may operate Wi-Fi MAC and Logical Link Control (LLC) functionality. The protocol processing circuitry may include one or more memory structures (e.g., 604G) for storing program code and data for operating protocol functions, and one or more processing cores for executing program code and performing various operations using data. The baseband circuitry 610 may also support radio communications for more than one wireless protocol.

[0125] The various hardware elements of the baseband circuit 610 discussed herein may be implemented as, for example, a solder-in substrate comprising one or more integrated circuits (ICs), a single packaged integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board, or a multi-chip module comprising two or more ICs. In some embodiments, the components of the baseband circuit 610 may be appropriately combined in a single chip or a single chipset, or provided on the same circuit board. In some embodiments, some or all of the components of the baseband circuit 610 and the RF circuit 606 may be implemented together, such as, for example, a system on a chip (SoC) or a system-in-package (SiP). In some embodiments, some or all of the components of the baseband circuit 610 may be implemented as a separate SoC communicatively coupled to the RF circuit 606 (or multiple instances of the RF circuit 606). In some embodiments, some or all of the components of the baseband circuit 610 and the application circuits 405, 505 may be implemented together as a separate SoC mounted to the same circuit board (e.g., a "multi-chip package").

[0126] In some embodiments, the baseband circuit 610 can provide communications compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, the baseband circuit 610 can support communications with E-UTRAN or other WMANs, WLANs, or WPANs. Examples in which the baseband circuit 610 is configured to support radio communications for more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

[0127] RF circuitry 606 can communicate with a wireless network using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In some embodiments, RF circuitry 606 can include components such as switches, filters, or amplifiers to facilitate communication with the wireless network. RF circuitry 606 can include a receive signal path that can include circuitry for down-converting RF signals received from FEM circuitry 608 and providing baseband signals to baseband circuitry 610. RF circuitry 606 can also include a transmit signal path that can include circuitry for up-converting baseband signals provided by baseband circuitry 610 and providing an RF output signal to FEM circuitry 608 for transmission.

[0128] The receive signal path of RF circuitry 606 includes mixer circuitry 606a, amplifier circuitry 606b, and filter circuitry 606c. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of RF circuitry 606 may include filter circuitry 606c and mixer circuitry 606a. RF circuitry 606 also includes synthesizer circuitry 606d for synthesizing frequencies for use by mixer circuitry 606a in the receive and transmit signal paths. In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 606a in the receive signal path may be configured to downconvert the RF signal received from FEM circuitry 608 based on the synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuitry 606d. Amplifier circuitry 606b may be configured to amplify the downconverted signal, and filter circuitry 606c may be a low-pass filter (LPF) or a band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the downconverted signal to generate an output baseband signal. The output baseband signal may be provided to baseband circuitry 610 for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signal can be a zero-frequency baseband signal, although this is not required.In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 606a of the receive signal path can include a passive mixer.

[0129] In some embodiments, mixer circuit 606a of the transmit signal path can be configured to upconvert an input baseband signal based on a synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuit 606d to generate an RF output signal for FEM circuit 608. The baseband signal can be provided by baseband circuit 610 and can be filtered by filter circuit 606c.

[0130] In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 606a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 606a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature down-conversion and up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 606a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 606a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 606a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 606a of the transmit signal path may be arranged for direct down-conversion and direct up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 606a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 606a of the transmit signal path may be configured for superheterodyne operation.

[0131] In some embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be analog baseband signals. In some embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be digital baseband signals, and the RF circuit 606 may include an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) circuit and a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuit, and the baseband circuit 610 may include a digital baseband interface for communicating with the RF circuit 606.

[0132] In some dual-mode examples, separate radio IC circuitry may be provided to process signals for each spectrum, but the techniques described herein are not limited in this respect.

[0133] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 606d can be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer, although other types of frequency synthesizers can also be used. For example, synthesizer circuit 606d can be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0134] Synthesizer circuit 606d can be configured to synthesize an output frequency based on the frequency input and the divider control input for use by mixer circuit 606a of RF circuit 606. In some implementations, synthesizer circuit 606d can be a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer.

[0135] In some embodiments, the frequency input may be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), but this is not required. The divider control input may be provided by the baseband circuit 610 or the application circuit 405 / 505 according to the desired output frequency. In some embodiments, the divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a lookup table based on the channel indicated by the application circuit 405, 505.

[0136] The synthesizer circuit 606d of the RF circuit 606 may include a frequency divider, a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer, and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the frequency divider may be a dual-modulus frequency divider (DMD), and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by N or N+1 (e.g., based on a carry) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some embodiments, the DLL may include a set of cascaded tunable delay elements, a phase detector, a charge pump, and a D-type flip-flop. The delay elements may be configured to divide the VCO cycle into Nd equal phase groups, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this way, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

[0137] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuit 606d can be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in other examples, the output frequency can be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and used with a quadrature generator and divider circuit to generate multiple signals at the carrier frequency with multiple different phases relative to each other. In some embodiments, the output frequency can be the LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, the RF circuit 606 can include an IQ or polarity converter.

[0138] FEM circuitry 608 may include a receive signal path that may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from antenna array 611, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to RF circuitry 606 for further processing. FEM circuitry 608 may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry configured to amplify transmit signals provided by RF circuitry 606 for transmission by one or more antenna elements in antenna array 611. Amplification by either the transmit signal path or the receive signal path may be performed solely in RF circuitry 606, solely in FEM circuitry 608, or in both RF circuitry 606 and FEM circuitry 608.

[0139] In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry 608 may include a TX / RX switch to switch between transmit and receive modes of operation. The FEM circuitry 608 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuitry 608 may include an LNA to amplify a received RF signal and provide the amplified received RF signal as an output (e.g., to the RF circuitry 606). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuitry 608 may include a power amplifier (PA) for amplifying an input RF signal (e.g., provided by the RF circuitry 606), and one or more filters for generating an RF signal for subsequent transmission by one or more antenna elements of the antenna array 611.

[0140] Antenna array 611 includes one or more antenna elements, each configured to convert electrical signals into radio waves for travel through the air and to convert received radio waves into electrical signals. For example, a digital baseband signal provided by baseband circuitry 610 is converted into an analog RF signal (e.g., a modulated waveform), which is amplified and transmitted using antenna elements of antenna array 611, which includes one or more antenna elements (not shown). Antenna elements can be omnidirectional, directional, or a combination thereof. Antenna elements can be formed into various arrangements as known and / or discussed herein. Antenna array 611 can include microstrip antennas or printed antennas fabricated on the surface of one or more printed circuit boards. Antenna array 611 can be formed as metal foil patches (e.g., patch antennas) of various shapes and can be coupled to RF circuitry 606 and / or FEM circuitry 608 using metal transmission lines, etc.

[0141] The processors of the application circuitry 405 / 505 and the processor of the baseband circuitry 610 may be used to execute elements of one or more instances of the protocol stack. For example, the processor of the baseband circuitry 610 may perform layer 3, layer 2, or layer 1 functions, individually or in combination, while the processors of the application circuitry 405, 505 may utilize data received from these layers (e.g., packet data) and further perform layer 4 functions (e.g., TCP layer and UDP layer). As mentioned herein, layer 3 may include the RRC layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 2 may include the MAC layer, the RLC layer, and the PDCP layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 1 may include the PHY layer of the UE / RAN node, which will be described in further detail below.

[0142] Figure 7 1 shows exemplary components of the communication circuit 700. In some embodiments, the communication circuit 700 may be implemented as Figure 4 and Figure 5The communication circuit 700 is a portion of the system 400 or platform 500 shown. The communication circuit 700 can be communicatively coupled (e.g., directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 711A, 711B, 711C, and 711D. In some embodiments, the communication circuit 700 includes or is communicatively coupled to dedicated receive chains, processors, or radio components for multiple RATs, or a combination thereof (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR). For example, Figure 7 As shown, the communication circuit 700 includes a modem 710 and a modem 720, which can correspond to Figure 4 and Figure 5 The baseband circuits 410 and 510 of the LTE-A wireless communication system may be part of or may be part of the baseband circuits 410 and 510 of the LTE-A wireless communication system. The modem 710 may be configured to communicate according to a first RAT (such as LTE or LTE-A), and the modem 720 may be configured to communicate according to a second RAT (such as 5G NR). In some embodiments, the processor 705 (such as an application processor) may be connected to the modems 710 and 720.

[0143] The modem 710 includes one or more processors 712 and a memory 716 in communication with the processor 712. The modem 710 communicates with a radio frequency (RF) front end 730, which may correspond to Figure 4 and Figure 5 RFEM 415 and 515 may be part of or may be part of the RFEM. RF front end 730 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, RF front end 730 includes receive circuitry (RX) 732 and transmit circuitry (TX) 734. In some embodiments, receive circuitry 732 communicates with a downlink front end 752, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals from one or more antennas 711A. Transmit circuitry 734 communicates with a uplink front end 754, which is coupled to one or more antennas 711B.

[0144] Similarly, the modem 720 includes one or more processors 722 and a memory 726 in communication with the one or more processors 722. The modem 720 is in communication with the RF front end 740, which may correspond to Figure 4 and Figure 5RFEM 415 and 515 may be part of or may be part of the RFEM. The RF front end 740 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, the RF front end 740 includes a receive circuit 742 and a transmit circuit 744. In some embodiments, the receive circuit 742 may communicate with a DL front end 760, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals from one or more antennas 711C. The transmit circuit 744 may communicate with a UL front end 765, which is coupled to one or more antennas 711D. In some embodiments, one or more front ends may be combined. For example, an RF switch may selectively couple the modems 710 and 720 to a single UL front end 772 for transmitting radio signals using one or more antennas.

[0145] The processors 712, 722 may include one or more processing elements configured to implement the various features described herein, such as by executing program instructions stored on the memory 716, 726 (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium). In some embodiments, the processors 712, 722 may be configured as programmable hardware elements, such as FPGAs or ASICs. In some embodiments, the processors 712, 722 may include one or more ICs configured to perform the functions of the processors 712, 722.

[0146] Figure 8 The various protocol functions that can be implemented in a wireless communication device are shown. Specifically, Figure 8 The present invention includes an arrangement 800 showing the interconnection between various protocol layers / entities. The various protocol layers and entities operating in conjunction with the 5G NR system standard and the LTE system standard are provided. Figure 8 The following description, but Figure 8 Some or all aspects of the present invention may also be applicable to other wireless communication network systems.

[0147] In addition to other higher layer functions not shown, the protocol layers of arrangement 800 may include one or more of PHY 810, MAC 820, RLC 830, PDCP 840, SDAP 847, RRC 855, and NAS layer 857. These protocol layers may include one or more service access points (e.g., Figure 8 Items 859, 856, 850, 849, 845, 835, 825, and 815).

[0148] The PHY 810 can transmit and receive physical layer signals 805, which can be received from or transmitted to one or more other communication devices. The physical layer signals 805 may include one or more physical channels, such as those discussed herein. The PHY 810 may also perform link adaptation or adaptive modulation and coding (AMC), power control, cell search (e.g., for initial synchronization and handover purposes), and other measurements used by higher layers (e.g., RRC 855). The PHY 810 may further perform error detection on transport channels, forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding of transport channels, modulation and demodulation of physical channels, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to physical channels, and MIMO antenna processing. In some embodiments, an instance of the PHY 810 may use one or more PHY-SAPs 815 to process requests from an instance of the MAC 820 and provide instructions thereto. According to some embodiments, the requests and instructions transmitted using the PHY-SAP 815 may include one or more transport channels.

[0149] An instance of MAC 820 may use one or more MAC-SAPs 825 to process requests from and provide instructions to an instance of RLC 830. These requests and instructions communicated using MAC-SAPs 825 may include one or more logical channels. MAC 820 may perform mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplex MAC SDUs from one or more logical channels onto transport blocks (TBs) to be delivered to PHY 810 using transport channels, demultiplex MAC SDUs from TBs delivered from PHY 810 using transport channels onto one or more logical channels, multiplex MAC SDUs onto TBs, schedule information reporting, perform error correction via HARQ, and perform logical channel prioritization.

[0150] An instance of RLC 830 may use one or more Radio Link Control Service Access Points (RLC-SAPs) 835 to process requests from and provide indications to an instance of PDCP 840. These requests and indications conveyed using RLC-SAPs 835 may include one or more RLC channels. RLC 830 may operate in multiple modes of operation, including Transparent Mode (TM), Unacknowledged Mode (UM), and Acknowledged Mode (AM). RLC 830 may perform transmission of upper layer protocol data units (PDUs), error correction via Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) for AM data transmission, and concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs for UM and AM data transmission. RLC 830 may also resegment RLC data PDUs for AM data transmission, reorder RLC data PDUs for UM and AM data transmission, detect duplicate data for UM and AM data transmission, discard RLC SDUs for UM and AM data transmission, detect protocol errors for AM data transmission, and perform RLC re-establishment.

[0151] An instance of PDCP 840 may use one or more Packet Data Convergence Protocol Service Points (PDCP-SAPs) 845 to process requests from an instance of RRC 855 or an instance of SDAP 847, or both, and provide instructions thereto. These requests and instructions conveyed using PDCP-SAPs 845 may include one or more radio bearers. PDCP 840 may perform header compression and decompression of IP data, maintain PDCP sequence numbers (SNs), perform in-sequence delivery of upper layer PDUs upon lower layer re-establishment, eliminate duplication of lower layer SDUs upon lower layer re-establishment for radio bearers mapped on RLC AM, encrypt and decrypt control plane data, perform integrity protection and integrity verification on control plane data, control timer-based data discard, and perform security operations (e.g., encryption, decryption, integrity protection, or integrity verification, etc.).

[0152] An instance of SDAP 847 can use one or more SDAP-SAPs 849 to process requests from one or more higher layer protocol entities and provide instructions thereto. These requests and instructions transmitted using SDAP-SAPs 849 may include one or more QoS flows. SDAP 847 can map QoS flows to data radio bearers (DRBs) and vice versa, and can also mark QoS flow identifiers (QFIs) in DL and UL packets. A single SDAP entity 847 can be configured for a separate PDU session. In the UL direction, NG-RAN 110 can control the mapping of QoS flows to DRBs in two different ways: reflective mapping or explicit mapping. For reflective mapping, UE 101's SDAP 847 can monitor the QFI of the DL packets of each DRB and apply the same mapping to packets flowing in the UL direction. For a DRB, UE 101's SDAP 847 can map UL packets belonging to a QoS flow that corresponds to the QoS flow ID and PDU session observed in the DL packets of that DRB. To implement reflective mapping, the NG-RAN 310 may tag DL packets with a QoS flow ID over the Uu interface. Explicit mapping may involve RRC 855 configuring SDAP 847 with explicit mapping rules for QoS flows to DRBs, which may be stored and followed by SDAP 847. In some embodiments, SDAP 847 may only be used in NR implementations and may not be used in LTE implementations.

[0153] The RRC 855 may use one or more Management Service Access Points (M-SAPs) to configure various aspects of one or more protocol layers, which may include one or more instances of the PHY 810, MAC 820, RLC 830, PDCP 840, and SDAP 847. In some embodiments, an instance of the RRC 855 may use one or more RRC-SAPs 856 to process requests from and provide instructions to one or more NAS entities 857. Primary services and functions of the RRC 855 may include broadcasting of system information (e.g., included in a Master Information Block (MIB) or System Information Block (SIB) related to the NAS), broadcasting of system information related to the Access Stratum (AS), paging, establishment, maintenance, and release of the RRC connection between the UE 101 and the RAN 110 (e.g., RRC Connection Paging, RRC Connection Establishment, RRC Connection Modification, and RRC Connection Release), establishment, configuration, maintenance, and release of point-to-point radio bearers, security functions including key management, inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting. These MIBs and SIBs may include one or more information elements, each of which may include a separate data field or data structure.

[0154] NAS 857 may form the highest layer of the control plane between UE 101 and AMF 321. NAS 857 may support mobility and session management procedures of UE 101 to establish and maintain an IP connection between UE 101 and P-GW in the LTE system.

[0155] In some embodiments, one or more protocol entities of arrangement 800 may be implemented in UE 101, RAN node 111, AMF 321 in NR embodiments, MME 221 in LTE embodiments, UPF 302 in NR embodiments, S-GW 222 and P-GW 223 in LTE embodiments, etc., for control plane or user plane communication protocol stacks between the aforementioned devices. In some embodiments, one or more protocol entities implemented in one or more of UE 101, gNB 111, AMF 321, etc. may communicate with corresponding peer protocol entities implemented in or on another device (using services of corresponding lower layer protocol entities to perform such communication). In some embodiments, the gNB-CU of gNB 111 may host the RRC 855, SDAP 847, and PDCP 840 of the gNB that control the operation of one or more gNB-DUs, and the gNB-DUs of gNB 111 may each host the RLC 830, MAC 820, and PHY 810 of gNB 111.

[0156] In some embodiments, the control plane protocol stack may include, in order from highest layer to lowest layer, NAS 857, RRC 855, PDCP 840, RLC 830, MAC 820, and PHY 810. In this example, upper layers 860 may be built on top of NAS 857, which includes an IP layer 861, SCTP 862, and an application layer signaling protocol (AP) 863.

[0157] In some embodiments (such as NR embodiments), the AP 863 can be an NG application protocol layer (NGAP or NG-AP) 863 for the NG interface 113 defined between the NG-RAN node 111 and the AMF 321, or the AP 863 can be an Xn application protocol layer (XnAP or Xn-AP) 863 for the Xn interface 112 defined between two or more RAN nodes 111.

[0158] The NG-AP 863 may support the functionality of the NG interface 113 and may include an elementary procedure (EP). The NG-AP EP may be an interaction unit between the NG-RAN node 111 and the AMF 321. NG-AP 863 services may include two groups: UE-associated services (e.g., services related to the UE 101) and non-UE-associated services (e.g., services related to the entire NG interface instance between the NG-RAN node 111 and the AMF 321). These services may include functions such as, but not limited to: a paging function for sending a paging request to the NG-RAN node 111 involved in a specific paging area; a UE context management function for allowing the AMF 321 to establish, modify or release the UE context in the AMF 321 and the NG-RAN node 111; a mobility function for the UE 101 in ECM-CONNECTED mode, for intra-system HO to support mobility within the NG-RAN, and for inter-system HO to support mobility from / to the EPS system; a NAS signalling transport function for transferring or rerouting NAS messages between the UE 101 and the AMF 321; a NAS node selection function for determining the association between the AMF 321 and the UE 101; an NG interface management function for setting up the NG interface and monitoring errors over the NG interface; a warning message sending function for providing a means to transfer a warning message or cancel an ongoing warning message broadcast using the NG interface; a NAS signalling transport function for transferring or rerouting NAS messages between the UE 101 and the AMF 321; a NAS node selection function for determining the association between the AMF 321 and the UE 101; a NG interface management function for setting up the NG interface and monitoring errors over the NG interface; a warning message sending function for providing a means to use the NG interface to transfer a warning message or to cancel an ongoing warning message broadcast ... 120 is used to request and transmit RAN configuration information (eg, SON information or performance measurement (PM) data) between two RAN nodes 111, or a combination thereof.

[0159] The XnAP 863 may support the functionality of the Xn interface 112 and may include XnAP basic mobility procedures and XnAP global procedures. The XnAP basic mobility procedures may include procedures for handling UE mobility within the NG RAN 111 (or E-UTRAN 210), such as handover preparation and cancellation procedures, SN status transfer procedures, UE context retrieval and UE context release procedures, RAN paging procedures, or procedures related to dual connectivity. The XnAP global procedures may include procedures unrelated to a specific UE 101, such as Xn interface setup and reset procedures, NG-RAN update procedures, or cell activation procedures.

[0160] In an LTE embodiment, the AP 863 may be an S1 application protocol layer (S1-AP) 863 for the S1 interface 113 defined between the E-UTRAN node 111 and the MME, or the AP 863 may be an X2 application protocol layer (X2AP or X2-AP) 863 for the X2 interface 112 defined between two or more E-UTRAN nodes 111.

[0161] The S1 application protocol layer (S1-AP) 863 may support the functionality of the S1 interface, and similar to the NG-AP discussed previously, the S1-AP may include an S1-AP EP. The S1-AP EP may be the interaction unit between the E-UTRAN node 111 and the MME 221 within the LTE CN 120. S1-AP 863 services may include two groups: UE-associated services and non-UE-associated services. These services perform functions including, but not limited to, E-UTRAN Radio Access Bearer (E-RAB) management, UE capability indication, mobility, NAS signaling, RAN Information Management (RIM), and configuration transfer.

[0162] The X2AP 863 may support the functions of the X2 interface 112 and may include X2AP basic mobility procedures and X2AP global procedures. The X2AP basic mobility procedures may include procedures for handling UE mobility within the E-UTRAN 120, such as handover preparation and cancellation procedures, SN status transfer procedures, UE context retrieval and UE context release procedures, RAN paging procedures, or procedures related to dual connectivity. The X2AP global procedures may include procedures unrelated to a specific UE 101, such as X2 interface setup and reset procedures, load indication procedures, error indication procedures, or cell activation procedures.

[0163] The SCTP layer (alternatively referred to as the SCTP / IP layer) 862 can provide guaranteed delivery of application layer messages (e.g., NGAP or XnAP messages in NR implementations, or S1-AP or X2AP messages in LTE implementations). SCTP 862 can ensure reliable delivery of signaling messages between the RAN node 111 and the AMF 321 / MME 221 based in part on the IP protocol supported by IP 861. The Internet Protocol layer (IP) 861 can be used to perform packet addressing and routing functions. In some embodiments, the IP layer 861 can use point-to-point transport to deliver and transmit PDUs. In this regard, the RAN node 111 can include L2 and L1 layer communication links (e.g., wired or wireless) to communicate with the MME / AMF to exchange information.

[0164] In some embodiments, the user plane protocol stack may include, in order from highest layer to lowest layer, SDAP 847, PDCP 840, RLC 830, MAC 820, and PHY 810. The user plane protocol stack may be used for communication between UE 101, RAN node 111, and UPF 302 in NR implementations, or for communication between S-GW 222 and P-GW 223 in LTE implementations. In this example, upper layers 851 may be built on top of SDAP 847 and may include a user datagram protocol (UDP) and IP security layer (UDP / IP) 852, a general packet radio service (GPRS) tunneling protocol layer (GTP-U) for the user plane 853, and a user plane PDU layer (UP PDU) 863.

[0165] The transport network layer 854 (also known as the "transport layer") can be built on top of the IP transport, and GTP-U 853 can be used on top of the UDP / IP layer 852 (including the UDP layer and the IP layer) to carry user plane PDUs (UP-PDUs). The IP layer (also known as the "Internet layer") can be used to perform packet addressing and routing functions. The IP layer can assign IP addresses to user data packets in any of the formats, such as IPv4, IPv6, or PPP.

[0166] GTP-U 853 can be used to carry user data within the GPRS core network and between the radio access network and the core network. For example, the transmitted user data can be packets in any of the IPv4, IPv6, or PPP formats. UDP / IP 852 can provide checksums for data integrity, port numbers for addressing different functions at the source and destination, and encryption and authentication for selected data flows. The RAN node 111 and the S-GW 222 can exchange user plane data using a protocol stack comprising the L1 layer (e.g., PHY 810), the L2 layer (e.g., MAC 820, RLC 830, PDCP 840, and / or SDAP 847), the UDP / IP layer 852, and the GTP-U 853 using the S1-U interface. The S-GW 222 and the P-GW 223 can exchange user plane data using a protocol stack comprising the L1 layer, the L2 layer, the UDP / IP layer 852, and the GTP-U 853 using the S5 / S8a interface. As previously discussed, the NAS protocol may support mobility of UE 101 and session management procedures to establish and maintain IP connectivity between UE 101 and P-GW 223 .

[0167] In addition, despite Figure 8Not shown, but an application layer may exist above AP 863 and / or transport network layer 854. The application layer may be the layer where a user of UE 101, RAN node 111, or other network element interacts with, for example, software applications executed by application circuitry 405 or application circuitry 505, respectively. The application layer may also provide one or more interfaces for the software applications to interact with the communication system of UE 101 or RAN node 111, such as baseband circuitry 610. In some embodiments, the IP layer or the application layer, or both, may provide functionality that is the same as or similar to layers 5 through 7 of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model (e.g., OSI layer 7—application layer, OSI layer 6—presentation layer, and OSI layer 5—session layer), or portions thereof.

[0168] NFV architecture and infrastructure can be used to virtualize one or more NFs onto physical resources including a combination of industry-standard server hardware, storage hardware, or switches (alternatively executed by proprietary hardware). In other words, the NFV system can be used to perform virtual or reconfigurable implementations of one or more EPC components and functions.

[0169] Figure 9 A block diagram of an example of a computer system is shown that includes components for reading instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and performing any one or more of the techniques described herein. In this example, Figure 9 A schematic diagram of hardware resources 900 is shown, including one or more processors (or processor cores) 910, one or more memory or storage devices 920, and one or more communication resources 930, each of which may be communicatively coupled using a bus 940. For embodiments in which node virtualization (e.g., NFV) is utilized, a hypervisor 902 may be executed to provide an execution environment for one or more network slices or sub-slices to utilize the hardware resources 900.

[0170] Processor 910 may include processor 912 and processor 914. Processor 910 may be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a DSP such as a baseband processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor (including those discussed herein), or any suitable combination thereof.

[0171] The memory / storage device 920 may include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. The memory / storage device 920 may include, but is not limited to, any type of volatile or non-volatile 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, or solid-state storage, or a combination thereof.

[0172] The communication resources 930 may include an interconnect or network interface component or other suitable device to communicate with one or more peripheral devices 904 or one or more databases 906 using the network 908. For example, the communication resources 930 may include a wired communication component (e.g., for coupling using USB), a cellular communication component, an NFC component, (or low power consumption) components, Wi-Fi components and other communication components.

[0173] The instructions 950 may include software, a program, an application, an applet, an application, or other executable code for causing at least one of the processors 910 to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein. The instructions 950 may reside entirely or partially within at least one of the processors 910 (e.g., within a cache memory of the processor), the memory / storage device 920, or any suitable combination thereof. In addition, any portion of the instructions 950 may be transferred to the hardware resources 900 from any combination of the peripheral devices 904 or the database 906. Thus, the memory of the processor 910, the memory / storage device 920, the peripheral devices 904, and the database 906 are examples of computer-readable media and machine-readable media.

[0174] The UE may use the control information transmitted by the base station to decode downlink channels (such as PDSCH). In addition, the wireless network may use one or more precoding techniques for the PDSCH, including those based on PRB bundling. Precoding may be based on frequency domain granularity, where the precoding process is applied across multiple PRBs. The UE may assume that the same precoding technique is applied to a set of consecutive bundled PRBs. To decode the PDSCH, the UE should make an assumption about the precoder granularity in the frequency domain in order to determine the channel estimation granularity in the frequency domain.

[0175] Downlink transmissions, such as those on the PDSCH, may occur in one or more bandwidth parts (BWPs). A BWP may include a set of contiguous resource blocks, such as PRBs. A BWP may be divided into precoding resource block groups (PRGs). The UE may assume that the same precoder is applied to each PRG. In 3GPP Rel-15, PRB bundling is described as maintaining a common understanding of precoder granularity between the gNB and the UE. For example, the UE and gNB may operate based on using or deriving the same PRG size. The PRG size may also be referred to as the PRB bundling size. In some embodiments, candidate values ​​for the PRG size may include two resource blocks (2RBs), four resource blocks (4RBs), or a wideband value. In some embodiments, the PRG size may be configured in part via RRC or a combination of RRC and DCI, with candidate values ​​selected from the group consisting of 2RBs, 4RBs, and wideband values. Other and further types of values ​​are also possible. In some embodiments, a wideband value indicates a larger resource block group, for example, more than four blocks.

[0176] Figure 10 A flow chart of an exemplary process for deriving a PRG size is shown. At 1005, the UE receives control signal information. The control signal information may include DCI and one or more RRC parameters, such as prb-BundleType, bundleSize, bundleSizeSet1, or bundleSizeSet2. Other types of RRC parameters are also possible. At 1010, the UE determines whether the PDSCH is scheduled by DCI format 1_0. If so, the PRG size is set to two at 1015, and the process ends.

[0177] At 1020, the UE determines whether the RRC parameter prb-BundleType is configured. If not, the PRG size is set to two at 1015 and the process ends.

[0178] At 1025, the UE determines whether the value of the RRC parameter prb-BundleType is equal to dynamicBundling. If not, the PRG size is configured by the higher layer parameter bundleSize at 1030 and the process ends.

[0179] At 1035, the UE determines whether the value of the DCI field PRB bundle size indicator is equal to zero. If not, the PRG size is configured by the higher layer parameter bundleSizeSet2 at 1030 and the process ends.

[0180] At 1045, the UE determines whether a value is configured in the higher layer parameter bundleSizeSet1. If so, the PRG size is configured by the higher layer parameter bundleSizeSet1 at 1050 and the process ends.

[0181] At 1055, the UE determines whether the scheduled PRBs are contiguous and whether the number of scheduled PRBs exceeds half the bandwidth of the active BWP. If not, the PRG size is set to 2 or 4 as configured by the higher layer parameter bundleSizeSet1 at 1060 and the process ends. If it exceeds, the PRG size is set to wideband. In some embodiments, the PRG size may be modified. Figure 10 The process shown is to support PDSCH transmission from multiple TRPs.

[0182] 3GPP Rel-16 and above provide support for multiple TRPs. In multi-TRP operation, channels (such as PDSCH) can be transmitted from multiple TRPs. PDSCH transmission can be scheduled by a DCI message or multiple DCI messages. In the present disclosure, a control signaling technology for PRG size configuration for multi-TRP operation is proposed, which includes: a signaling technology for PRG size indication for operation based on a single DCI and a signaling technology for PRG size indication for operation based on multiple DCIs.

[0183] Figure 11 An example of multi-TRP operation 1101 is shown. Multi-TRP operation 1101 may include PDSCH transmissions 1121, 1122, 1123, and 1124 from multiple TRPs (labeled TRP1, TRP2, and TRP3) on one or more frequency resources, spatial resources, time, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, TRP 1, TRP 2, and TRP 3 correspond to different gNBs. In some embodiments, a gNB may be associated with more than one TRP. In some embodiments, a given group of PDSCH transmissions 1121, 1122, 1123, and 1124 may be scheduled by a single DCI. In some embodiments, a given group of PDSCH transmissions 1121, 1122, 1123, and 1124 may be scheduled by multiple DCIs.

[0184] PDSCH transmissions 1121, 1122, 1123, and 1124 may include one or more PRBs. The PRBs corresponding to PDSCH transmissions 1121, 1122, 1123, and 1124 may overlap. In this example, the PRBs corresponding to PDSCH transmissions 1121 and 1122 completely overlap each other in the frequency domain, but are in different spatial domain layers. The PRB corresponding to PDSCH transmission 1123 partially overlaps with some other PRBs (e.g., the PRBs corresponding to PDSCH transmissions 1121 and 1122) and does not overlap with other PRBs (e.g., the PRBs corresponding to PDSCH transmission 1124). Figure 11 The transmission arrangements given in are examples. Other arrangements are also possible.

[0185] Because the resource blocks for PDSCH transmission can be derived from different TRPs, such as Figure 11 As shown, the scheduled PRBs can be divided into two or more groups of PRBs associated with different transmission configuration indicator (TCI) states. Such TCI states can provide different quasi-co-location (QCL) information to the UE. The QCL information can help determine one or more channel properties. In 3GPP, two antenna ports are considered to be quasi-co-located if the properties of the channel transmitting symbols on one antenna port can be inferred from the channel transmitting symbols on the other antenna port.

[0186] The PRBs associated with one or more TCI states may be multiplexed in one or more ways, such as time division multiplexing (TDM), frequency division multiplexing (FDM), spatial division multiplexing (SDM), or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, when FDM or FDM / SDM multiplexing is used, the UE may be configured not to assume that the precoder is constant across all scheduled PRBs, because the equivalent channels for different groups of PRBs corresponding to different TRPs may be different due to different QCL information, such as, for example Figure 11 shown.

[0187] Figure 12 A flowchart illustrating an example of a decoding process associated with multi-TRP operation is shown. The process may be implemented by a UE. At 1205, the UE receives a DCI message that provides scheduling for a PDSCH. In some embodiments, the DCI message may provide a PRG size indication. In some embodiments, a base station (such as a gNB) may provide a PRG size indication for PDSCH transmissions from multiple TRPs in a single DCI-based operation (e.g., a single DCI message). In some embodiments, a base station (such as a gNB) may provide a PRG size indication for PDSCH transmissions from multiple TRPs in a multi-DCI-based operation (e.g., multiple DCI messages).

[0188] At 1210, the UE determines a PRG size based on the DCI message. Determining the PRG size may include determining whether a bundling type parameter specifies a dynamic bundling attribute. In some embodiments, determining the PRG size may include determining whether PRBs associated with different TCI states are non-overlapping or at least partially overlapping. Determining the PRG size may include determining whether a bundling size setting parameter includes two or more bundling size parameters. Determining the PRG size may include determining whether at least a portion of the PRBs are contiguous. Determining the PRG size may include determining whether at least a portion of the PDSCH transmission is multiplexed in frequency, space, or both frequency and space.

[0189] In some embodiments, determining the PRG size may include determining the number of TCI states in the codepoint indicated by the DCI field transmission configuration in the DCI message. Determining the PRG size may include determining whether the PRG size is wideband or non-wideband, for example, subband. PRBs may be assigned to different TCI states. In some embodiments, if the PRG size is determined to be wideband, the first PRB is assigned to the first TCI state and the remaining PRB is assigned to the second TCI state, where n PRB is the total number of PRBs allocated to the UE. In some embodiments, if the PRG size is determined as a subband, for example, 2 or 4 PRBs per PRG, then even-numbered PRGs within the allocated frequency domain resources are allocated to a first TCI state and odd-numbered PRGs within the allocated frequency domain resources are allocated to a second TCI state.

[0190] In some embodiments, if two or more DCI messages provide scheduling information for a group of PDSCH transmissions, the UE may determine that the PRG size is equal to the wideband based on the two or more DCI messages. Determining that the PRG size is equal to the wideband may include determining whether the bandwidth of the total number of PRBs scheduled by the two or more DCI messages exceeds half of the bandwidth of the active bandwidth portion.

[0191] At 1215, the UE receives a set of PDSCH transmissions from a plurality of TRPs transmitted according to the DCI message. Receiving the set of PDSCH transmissions may include receiving PRBs associated with different TCI states, the different TCI states being respectively associated with the plurality of TRPs. In some embodiments, receiving the PRBs associated with the different TCI states may include receiving a first set of PRBs associated with a first TCI state, and receiving a second set of PRBs associated with a second TCI state. The PRB set may include one or more PRBs.

[0192] At 1220, the UE decodes one or more of the PDSCH transmissions based on the PRG size. Decoding one or more of the PDSCH transmissions based on the PRG size may include applying a precoding technique based on the PRG size. In some embodiments, if PRBs associated with different TCI states are non-overlapping, the UE may determine whether a precoder used for at least one of the PDSCH transmissions is constant or wideband.

[0193] A base station (such as a gNB) may provide a PRG size indication for PDSCH transmissions from multiple TRPs in a single DCI based operation (e.g., a single DCI message). In some embodiments, the UE uses information from the DCI message and the RRC layer to determine the PRG size. For example, the UE may make a PRG size determination based on whether the scheduled PRBs corresponding to the PDSCH transmissions overlap. In some embodiments, if the UE is scheduled with PDSCH from multiple TRPs (e.g., more than one TCI state), where the PRBs associated with different TCI states are partially overlapping or non-overlapping, the UE should not expect the PRG size to be configured or indicated as wideband. If the UE does not expect the PRG size to be configured as wideband, the UE may configure the PRG size based on other factors, such as the bundle size setting specified by higher layers (such as RRC).

[0194] In some embodiments, if the PRG size is configured as wideband and the UE is scheduled with PDSCH from multiple TRPs (e.g., more than one TCI state is indicated for the scheduled PDSCH) and the PRB sets corresponding to different TCI states are non-overlapping, the UE shall assume that the precoder for PDSCH from one TRP (or from a PRB set) is constant or wideband. In some embodiments, the UE may assume wideband precoding for a PRB set corresponding to one TCI state only if the scheduled PRB set is contiguous and spans half the BW of the active BWP.

[0195] In some embodiments, for a PRB bundling type set to dynamic bundling and when two values ​​are configured in bundleSizeSet1, whether the PRG size is wideband is determined by one or more of the following conditions: whether the PDSCH is scheduled from a single TRP or multiple TRPs, the type of multiplexing operation of the PRB set (e.g., SDM, FDM, TDM, or a combination thereof), whether the scheduled PRBs in the PRB set are contiguous, the number of scheduled PRBs for PDSCH from one TRP or all TRPs, the bandwidth of the active bandwidth portion, or a combination thereof.

[0196] In one option, for PRB bundling type set to dynamic bundling and when two values ​​are configured in bundleSizeSet1, if the scheduled PDSCH is from one TRP (e.g., associated with one TCI state) and the scheduled PRBs are contiguous and the number of scheduled PRBs exceeds half of the bandwidth of the active bandwidth part, the UE shall assume that the PRG size is equal to wideband; otherwise, the UE shall assume that the PRG size is equal to 2 or 4 configured by bundleSizeSet1.

[0197] In another option, for the PRB bundling type set to dynamic bundling and when two values ​​are configured in bundleSizeSet1, if the scheduled PDSCH is from one TRP (e.g., associated with one TCI state) or from multiple TRPs (e.g., associated with two or more TCI states), and the scheduled PDSCH is multiplexed in completely overlapping PRBs, and the scheduled PRBs are consecutive and the number of scheduled PRBs exceeds half of the bandwidth of the active bandwidth part, the UE shall assume that the PRG size is equal to wideband; otherwise, the UE shall assume that the PRG size is equal to 2 or 4 configured by bundleSizeSet1.

[0198] In another option, for the PRB bundling type set to dynamic bundling and when two values ​​are configured in bundleSizeSet1, if the scheduled PDSCH is from one TRP (e.g., associated with one TCI state) or from multiple TRPs (e.g., associated with two or more TCI states), and the scheduled PDSCH is multiplexed in completely overlapping PRBs or the scheduled PDSCH is multiplexed in non-overlapping PRBs, and the scheduled PRBs of each PRB set are consecutive, the number of total scheduled PRBs or the maximum / minimum scheduled PRBs in the PRB set of the PDSCH from the TRP exceeds half of the bandwidth of the active bandwidth part, the UE shall assume that the PRG size is equal to wideband; otherwise, the UE shall assume that the PRG size is equal to 2 or 4 configured by the bundling size setting parameter (such as bundleSizeSet1).

[0199] One or more base stations may provide a PRG size indication for PDSCH transmissions from multiple TRPs in multi-DCI based operation. For multi-DCI based operation, PDSCH transmissions from different TRPs may be scheduled by different DCIs. If PDSCH is received from the same UE antenna port, some restrictions may need to be placed on the PRG size indication. In some embodiments, the UE shall expect that the PRG size of PDSCHs scheduled by multiple DCIs shall be the same. The UE shall expect that the value of the PRB bundling size indicator in each DCI shall be configured to be the same (if present).

[0200] In some embodiments, the UE may make PRG size determinations based on all DCIs associated with multi-DCI based operation. In some embodiments, for PRB bundling type set to dynamic bundling and when two values ​​are configured in bundleSizeSet1, whether the PRG size is wideband is determined by the number of scheduled PRBs indicated by all DCIs and the bandwidth of the bandwidth part.

[0201] In one option, for PRB bundling type set to dynamic bundling and when two values ​​are configured in bundleSizeSet1, the UE shall assume that the PRG size is equal to wideband if the scheduled PRBs from all DCIs are contiguous and the total number of scheduled PRBs from all DCIs exceeds half of the bandwidth of the active bandwidth part; otherwise, the UE shall assume that the PRG size is equal to 2 or 4 configured by bundleSizeSet1.

[0202] In another option, for PRB bundling type set to dynamic bundling and when two values ​​are configured in bundleSizeSet1, if the minimum or maximum value of scheduled PRBs from all DCIs are consecutive and the minimum or maximum number of scheduled PRBs from all DCIs exceeds half of the bandwidth of the active bandwidth part, the UE shall assume that the PRG size is equal to wideband; otherwise, the UE shall assume that the PRG size is equal to 2 or 4 configured by bundleSizeSet1. In some embodiments, for PRB bundling type set to dynamic bundling and there is multi-DCI operation, the UE shall only expect one value to be configured in the bundle size setting parameter (such as bundleSizeSet1).

[0203] Techniques for operating a UE may include determining a PRB bundling size when scheduling with PDSCH from multiple TRPs, which may be referred to as a PRG size. Multiple TRPs may be indicated by more than one transmission configuration indicator. In some embodiments, PDSCH from multiple TRPs may be scheduled by one DCI. Decoding the PDSCH may include decoding a signal based on one or more PRB bundling sizes.

[0204] In some embodiments, if a UE is scheduled with PDSCH from multiple TRPs (e.g., more than one TCI state), where the PRBs associated with different TCI states are partially overlapping or non-overlapping, the UE should not expect the PRG size to be configured or indicated as wideband. In some embodiments, if the PRG size is configured as wideband and the UE is scheduled with PDSCH from multiple TRPs (e.g., more than one TCI state is indicated for the scheduled PDSCH) and the PRB sets corresponding to different TCI states are non-overlapping, the UE should assume that the precoder for PDSCH from one TRP (or from a PRB set) is constant or wideband. In some embodiments, the UE may assume wideband precoding for the PRB set corresponding to one TCI state only if the scheduled PRB set is contiguous and spans half of the BW of the active bandwidth portion.

[0205] In some embodiments, when the PRB bundling type is set to dynamic bundling and when two values ​​are configured in bundleSizeSet1, whether the PRG size is wideband is determined by at least one of the following conditions: whether the PDSCH is scheduled from a single TRP or multiple TRPs (e.g., associated with one or more TCI states), the type of multiplexing operation of the PRB set (e.g., SDM, FDM, TDM, etc.), whether the scheduled PRBs in the PRB set are contiguous, the number of scheduled PRBs for PDSCH from one TRP or all TRPs, and the bandwidth of the active bandwidth portion.

[0206] In some embodiments, for when the PRB bundling type is set to dynamic bundling and when two values ​​are configured in bundleSizeSet1, if the scheduled PDSCH is from one TRP (e.g., associated with one TCI state) and the scheduled PRBs are contiguous and the number of scheduled PRBs exceeds half of the bandwidth of the active bandwidth part, the UE shall assume that the PRG size is equal to wideband; otherwise, the UE shall assume that the PRG size is equal to 2 or 4 configured by bundleSizeSet1.

[0207] In some embodiments, for when the PRB bundling type is set to dynamic bundling and when two values ​​are configured in bundleSizeSet1, if the scheduled PDSCH is from one TRP (e.g., associated with one TCI state) or from multiple TRPs (e.g., associated with two or more TCI states), and the scheduled PDSCH is multiplexed in completely overlapping PRBs, and the scheduled PRBs are contiguous, and the number of scheduled PRBs exceeds half of the bandwidth of the active bandwidth portion, then the UE shall assume that the PRG size is equal to wideband; otherwise, the UE shall assume that the PRG size is equal to 2 or 4 as configured by bundleSizeSet1.

[0208] In some embodiments, for when PRB bundling type is set to dynamic bundling and when two values ​​are configured in bundleSizeSet1, if the scheduled PDSCH is from one TRP (e.g., associated with one TCI state) or from multiple TRPs (e.g., associated with two or more TCI states), and the scheduled PDSCH is multiplexed in completely overlapping PRBs or the scheduled PDSCH is multiplexed in non-overlapping PRBs, and the scheduled PRBs of each PRB set are contiguous, the number of total scheduled PRBs or the number of maximum / minimum scheduled PRBs in the PRB set for the PDSCH from the TRP exceeds half of the bandwidth of the active bandwidth part, then the UE shall assume that the PRG size is equal to wideband; otherwise, the UE shall assume that the PRG size is equal to 2 or 4 as configured by bundleSizeSet1. In some embodiments, the scheduled PRBs may include a scheduled PRB corresponding to the smallest PRB in the set and a scheduled PRB corresponding to the largest PRB in the set.

[0209] In some embodiments, PDSCHs from multiple TRPs may be scheduled by multiple DCIs. In some embodiments, the UE shall expect that the PRG size for PDSCHs scheduled by multiple DCIs shall be the same. In some embodiments, the UE shall expect that the value of the PRB bundling size indicator in each DCI shall be configured to be the same (if present). In some embodiments, for when the PRB bundling type is set to dynamic bundling and when two values ​​are configured in bundleSizeSet1, whether the PRG size is wideband is determined by the scheduled PRBs indicated by all DCIs and the bandwidth of the bandwidth part. In some embodiments, for when the PRB bundling type is set to dynamic bundling and when two values ​​are configured in bundleSizeSet1, if the scheduled PRBs from all DCIs are contiguous and the total number of scheduled PRBs from all DCIs exceeds half the bandwidth of the active bandwidth part, the UE shall assume that the PRG size is equal to wideband; otherwise, the UE shall assume that the PRG size is equal to 2 or 4 configured by bundleSizeSet1.

[0210] In some embodiments, for when PRB bundling type is set to dynamic bundling and when two values ​​are configured in bundleSizeSet1, if the minimum or maximum value of scheduled PRBs from all DCIs are consecutive and the minimum or maximum number of scheduled PRBs from all DCIs exceeds half of the bandwidth of the active bandwidth part, the UE shall assume that the PRG size is equal to wideband; otherwise, the UE shall assume that the PRG size is equal to 2 or 4 configured by bundleSizeSet1. In some embodiments, for when PRB bundling type is set to dynamic bundling and multi-DCI operation occurs, the UE shall expect only one value to be configured in bundleSizeSet1.

[0211] Another UE technique includes decoding one or more signals to determine a PRG size for single DCI or multi-DCI based operation; and decoding a PDSCH based on the PRG size. In some embodiments, the PDSCH is transmitted from multiple TRPs and scheduled by a single DCI. The technique may include determining that the PRG size is not wideband if the PRBs associated with different TCI states are partially overlapping or non-overlapping. The technique may include determining that the precoding of the PDSCH from one TRP (or PRB set) is constant or wideband if the UE is scheduled with PDSCH from multiple TRPs and the PRB sets corresponding to different TCI states are non-overlapping. In some embodiments, the PDSCH is transmitted from different TRPs and scheduled by different DCIs. The technique may include determining that the PRG size of the PDSCH scheduled by different TCIs is the same.

[0212] These and other techniques may be performed by an apparatus that is implemented or employed by one or more types of network components, user equipment, or both. In some embodiments, one or more non-transitory computer-readable media include instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more of the described techniques. The apparatus may include one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media that include instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more of the described techniques.

[0213] In different embodiments, the methods described herein can be implemented in software, hardware, or a combination thereof. In addition, the order of the method blocks can be changed, and various elements can be added, reordered, combined, omitted, modified, etc. Various modifications and changes can be made, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art who benefit from this disclosure. The various embodiments described herein are intended to be illustrative and not restrictive. Many variations, modifications, additions, and improvements are possible. Therefore, multiple examples can be provided for the components described herein as a single example. The boundaries between the various components, operations, and data repositories are arbitrary to a certain extent, and specific operations are shown in the context of a specific exemplary configuration. Other allocations of functions are contemplated and may fall within the scope of the appended claims. Finally, the structures and functions presented as discrete components in the exemplary configuration may be implemented as combined structures or components.

[0214] The methods described herein may be implemented in a circuit such as one or more of an integrated circuit, a logic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or grouped) and / or memory (shared, dedicated, or grouped), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable device (FPD) (e.g., 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 SoC), a digital signal processor (DSP), or some combination thereof. In some embodiments, the circuit may execute one or more software or firmware programs to provide at least some of the functions described. The term "circuit" may also refer to a combination of one or more hardware elements and program code for performing the functions of the program code (or a combination of circuits used in an electrical or electronic system). In these embodiments, the combination of hardware elements and program code may be referred to as a specific type of circuit. The circuit may also include radio circuits, such as a transmitter, receiver, or transceiver.

[0215] A number of embodiments have been described. However, it should be understood that various modifications may be made. Elements in one or more embodiments may be combined, deleted, modified, or supplemented to form additional embodiments. As another example, the logic flows shown in the accompanying drawings do not require the specific order or sequential order shown to achieve the desired results. In addition, other steps may be provided or steps may be eliminated from the described flow, and other components may be added to or removed from the described system. Therefore, other embodiments are within the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A method for decoding a PDSCH transmission, comprising: The precoding resource block group (PRG) size is determined based on a downlink control information (DCI) message that provides scheduling information for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), wherein: Determining the PRG size includes determining whether the PRG size is wideband, and if the PRG size is wideband, assigning one of the physical resource blocks (PRBs) in a plurality of PDSCH transmissions to the PRG. PRBs are allocated to the first transmission configuration indicator TCI state and the remaining PRBs in the plurality of PDSCH transmission ... PRBs are allocated to the second TCI state, and n PRB is the total number of PRBs allocated to the user equipment UE; receiving a set of PDSCH transmissions from a plurality of transmit-receive points (TRPs) transmitting according to the DCI message; and decoding one or more of the PDSCH transmissions based on the determination of whether the PRG size is wideband, wherein the plurality of TRPs are respectively associated with the TCI states, wherein determining the PRG size comprises determining whether the PRBs associated with different TCI states are non-overlapping or at least partially overlapping, and Wherein if PRBs associated with different TCI states are non-overlapping, determining a precoder for at least one of the PDSCH transmissions is constant or wideband.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the PRG size comprises determining that the PRG size is not wideband based on whether the PRBs associated with different TCI states are partially overlapping or non-overlapping.

3. A device comprising: circuitry configured to receive information comprising a downlink control information (DCI) message providing scheduling information for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) and a set of PDSCH transmissions from a plurality of transmit-receive points (TRPs) transmitting in accordance with the DCI message; and One or more processors configured to perform operations including: Determining a precoding resource block group (PRG) size based on the DCI message, wherein determining the PRG size includes determining whether the PRG size is wideband, and if the PRG size is wideband, assigning a plurality of physical resource blocks (PRBs) in a PDSCH transmission to the PRG. PRBs are allocated to the first transmission configuration indicator TCI state and the remaining PRBs in the plurality of PDSCH transmission ... PRBs are allocated to the second TCI state, and n PRB is the total number of PRBs allocated to the user equipment UE; as well as decoding one or more of the PDSCH transmissions based on the determination of whether the PRG size is wideband, wherein the plurality of TRPs are respectively associated with the TCI states, wherein determining the PRG size comprises determining whether the PRBs associated with different TCI states are non-overlapping or at least partially overlapping, or determining whether a bundling type parameter specifies a dynamic bundling attribute, and Wherein if PRBs associated with different TCI states are non-overlapping, determining a precoder for at least one of the PDSCH transmissions is constant or wideband.

4. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein determining the PRG size comprises determining that the PRG size is not wideband based on whether the PRBs associated with different TCI states are partially overlapping or non-overlapping. 5 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the DCI message is a single DCI message providing scheduling information for the set of PDSCH transmissions.

6. The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the TCI state comprises a first TCI state and a second TCI state, and if the PRG size is determined as a subband, even-numbered PRGs within the allocated frequency-domain resources are allocated to the first TCI state and odd-numbered PRGs within the allocated frequency-domain resources are allocated to the second TCI state. 7 . The apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the DCI message comprises two or more DCI messages providing scheduling information for the set of PDSCH transmissions.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the PDSCH transmission comprises physical resource blocks (PRBs) associated with different transmission configuration indicator (TCI) states.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein determining the PRG size comprises: Determining that the PRG size is equal to the broadband based on the two or more DCI messages includes determining whether a bandwidth of a total number of PRBs scheduled by the two or more DCI messages exceeds half a bandwidth of an active bandwidth portion.

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