Method and apparatus for wireless communication

Abstract

Apparatus, systems and methods for fifth generation (5G) or new radio (NR) systems, including determining a configuration of an uplink (UL) transmission resource relative to a listen-before-talk (LBT) operation on an unlicensed spectrum, and transmitting uplink control information (UCI) on the UL transmission resource based on the configuration subject to the LBT operation.

Description

[0001] Priority claim

[0002] This disclosure claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Serial No. 62 / 840,047, filed on April 29, 2019, entitled “UPLINK (UL) TRANSMISSION IN WIDEBAND CARRIER AND CARRIER AGGREGATION IN NR SYSTEMS OPERATING ON UNLICENSED SPECTRUM,” the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0003] One of the major limiting factors in wireless innovation is the availability of spectrum. To mitigate this, unlicensed spectrum has been an area of ​​great interest to further extend the performance and range of LTE. In this context, one of the major enhancements to LTE in 3GPP Release 13 is to enable it to operate in unlicensed spectrum via Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), which extends the system bandwidth by leveraging the flexible carrier aggregation (CA) framework introduced by the Advanced LTE system.

[0004] Since the main building blocks of the NR framework are already established, a natural enhancement allows it to also operate on unlicensed spectrum (i.e. NR-U). One of the challenges with NR-U is that the system must maintain fair coexistence with other existing technologies, and for this, there are some regulatory restrictions that may be taken into account when designing the system, depending on the specific frequency band it may operate in. For example, if operating in the 5GHz band, a Listen Before Talk (LBT) procedure needs to be performed in certain areas of the world to acquire the medium before transmission can occur.

[0005] In wideband operation of a carrier, the wideband is divided into multiple LBT subbands (SBs), and LBT can be performed separately on each LBT SB. The interference level in different SBs in wideband operation may be different, so the channel occupancy status in different SBs may also be different. In addition, in carrier aggregation (CA), the interference level on each carrier may be different, so the channel occupancy status in different carriers may also be different. Uplink transmission including PUCCH, PUSCH and SRS must consider the above-mentioned impact of LBT for each LBT SB or each carrier. Summary of the invention

[0006] An exemplary embodiment relates to a method comprising: determining, at a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network including a next generation Node B (gNB), a configuration of uplink (UL) transmission resources relative to a listen before talk (LBT) operation on an unlicensed spectrum; and transmitting uplink control information (UCI) on the UL transmission resources based on the configuration subject to the LBT operation.

[0007] An exemplary embodiment also relates to a method comprising, at a next generation Node B (gNB) in a wireless network including a user equipment (UE), determining a configuration of uplink (UL) transmission resources of the UE relative to a listen before talk (LBT) operation performed by the gNB on an unlicensed spectrum; and indicating to the UE the configuration of the UL transmission resources subject to the LBT operation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 An exemplary architecture of a network system according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0009] Figure 2 Examples of infrastructure equipment are shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0010] Figure 3 Examples of platforms (or "devices") are shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0011] Figure 4 Exemplary components of a baseband circuit and a radio front end module (RFEM) are shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0012] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating components capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable medium or computer-readable medium (eg, a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and performing any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, according to some exemplary embodiments.

[0013] Figure 6 Various protocol functions that may be implemented in a wireless communication device according to various exemplary embodiments are shown.

[0014] Figure 7 An exemplary architecture of a system including a first core network according to various embodiments is shown.

[0015] Figure 8 The architecture of a system including a second core network according to various embodiments is shown.

[0016] Fig. 9 Components of a core network are shown according to various embodiments.

[0017] Fig.10is a block diagram illustrating components of a NFV-enabled system according to some example embodiments.

[0018] Fig.11a A first exemplary PUCCH resource configuration according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0019] Fig.11b A second exemplary PUCCH resource configuration according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0020] Fig.12 A third exemplary PUCCH resource configuration according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0021] Fig.13a A fourth exemplary PUCCH resource configuration according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0022] Fig.13b A fifth exemplary PUCCH resource configuration according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0023] Fig.14a A first exemplary PUCCH resource configuration in a carrier aggregation (CA) configuration according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0024] Fig.14b A second exemplary PUCCH resource configuration in a CA configuration according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0025] Fig.15 A third exemplary PUCCH resource configuration in a CA configuration according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0026] Fig.16a A fourth exemplary PUCCH resource configuration in a CA configuration according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0027] Fig.16b A fifth exemplary PUCCH resource configuration in a CA configuration according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0028] Fig.17 Path loss measurement for LBT SB on DL BWP according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0029] Fig.18 Path loss measurement of an LBT SB on a DL BWP in a UL BWP switching scenario according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0030] Fig.19A first exemplary listen-before-talk (LBT) operation for overlapping PUCCH and PUSCH is shown in accordance with various exemplary embodiments.

[0031] Fig. 20 A second exemplary listen-before-talk (LBT) operation for overlapping PUCCH and PUSCH is shown in accordance with various exemplary embodiments.

[0032] Fig.21 A third exemplary listen-before-talk (LBT) operation for overlapping PUCCH and PUSCH is shown in accordance with various exemplary embodiments.

[0033] Fig. 22 A method for transmitting uplink control information (UCI) on an unlicensed band in 5G NR-U according to various exemplary embodiments described herein is shown.

[0034] Fig.23 A method for indicating UL transmission resource configuration to a UE on an unlicensed band in 5G NR-U according to various exemplary embodiments described herein is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The following specific embodiments relate to the accompanying drawings. The same figure numbers may be used to identify the same or similar elements in different drawings. In the following description, for the purpose of illustration and not limitation, specific details, such as specific structures, architectures, interfaces, technologies, etc., are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of various aspects of various embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art who benefit from the present disclosure that various aspects of various embodiments may be practiced in other examples that deviate from these specific details. In some cases, descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so that the description of various embodiments will not be obscured by unnecessary details. For the purposes of this document, the phrase "A or B" refers to (A), (B), or (A and B).

[0036] The exemplary embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and the associated drawings and slides, wherein similar elements have the same reference numerals. The exemplary embodiments describe devices, systems, and methods for uplink (UL) transmissions in wideband carrier and carrier aggregation configurations in NR systems operating on unlicensed spectrum.

[0037] When operating a cellular system on unlicensed spectrum, PUCCH transmissions may be performed on LBT SBs (e.g., carriers where LBT was successful at the gNB) to share the gNB-initiated channel occupation time (COT). For power control of UL transmissions, path loss (PL) measurements are defined based on certain DL signals in BWP switching. Closed-loop transmit power control (TPC) accumulation may run continuously for active UL BWPs regardless of the LBT SB used for UL transmissions and PL measurements. Exemplary embodiments will be described below with respect to FIGS. 11 to 12. Fig.23 Described in further detail.

[0038] System Architecture

[0039] Figure 1 An exemplary architecture of a network system 100 according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. The following description is provided for an exemplary system 100 operating in conjunction with a 5G NR system standard provided by a 3GPP technical specification. However, the exemplary embodiments are not limited in this regard, and the embodiments may be applied to other networks that benefit from the principles described herein, such as legacy (e.g., LTE) 3GPP systems, future 3GPP systems (e.g., sixth generation (6G) systems), IEEE 802.16 protocols (e.g., WMAN, WiMAX, etc.), and the like.

[0040] like Figure 1 As shown, system 100 includes UE 101a and UE 101b (collectively referred to as "multiple UEs 101" or "UE 101"). In this example, UE 101 is shown as a smart phone (e.g., a handheld touch screen mobile computing device that can connect to one or more cellular networks), but may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as a consumer electronic device, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a feature phone, a tablet computer, a wearable computer device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a pager, a wireless handheld device, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), an in-vehicle entertainment (ICE) device, an instrument panel (IC), a head-up display (HUD) device, an on-board diagnostic (OBD) device, a dashtop mobile equipment (DME), a mobile data terminal (MDT), an electronic engine management system (EEMS), an electronic / engine electronic control unit (ECU), an electronic / engine electronic control module (ECM), an embedded system, a microcontroller, a control module, an engine management system (EMS), a networked or "smart" appliance, an MTC device, an M2M, an IoT device, etc.

[0041] In some embodiments, any of the UEs 101 may include 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 via PLMN, ProSe or D2D communications, sensor networks, or IoT networks. 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-lived connections. The IoT UE may execute background applications (e.g., keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate connectivity to the IoT network.

[0042] UE 101 may be configured to connect, e.g., be communicatively coupled, to a radio access network (RAN) 110. In some embodiments, RAN 110 may be a 5G NR RAN, while in other embodiments, RAN 110 may be an E-UTRAN or a legacy RAN, such as a UTRAN or GERAN. As used herein, the term "5G NR RAN" or the like may refer to a RAN 110 operating in an NR or 5G system 100, while the term "E-UTRAN" or the like may refer to a RAN 110 operating in an LTE or 4G system 100. Multiple UEs 101 utilize connections (or channels) 103 and 104, respectively, each connection comprising a physical communication interface or layer (discussed in further detail below).

[0043] 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 GSM protocol, a CDMA network protocol, a PTT protocol, a POC protocol, a UMTS protocol, a 3GPP LTE protocol, a 5G protocol, a NR protocol, and / or any other communication protocol discussed herein. In an embodiment, UE 101 may directly exchange communication data via a proximity service (ProSe) interface 105. ProSe interface 105 may alternatively be referred to as SL interface 105, and may include one or more logical channels, including but not limited to PSCCH, PSSCH, PSDCH, and PSBCH.

[0044] UE 101b is further configured to access WLAN node 106 (also referred to as "WLAN 106", "WLAN terminal 106", "WT 106", etc.) via connection 107. Connection 107 may include a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, wherein AP 106 will include Wireless Fidelity. Router. In this example, WLAN node 106 is shown connected to the Internet without being connected to the core network of the wireless system (described in further detail below). In various embodiments, UE 101b, RAN 110 and WLAN node 106 may be configured to utilize LTE-WLAN aggregation (LWA) operation and / or LTE / WLAN radio level operation integrated with IPsec tunnel (LWIP). LWA operation may involve UE 101b in RRC_CONNECTED state being configured by RAN nodes 111a-b to utilize radio resources of LTE and WLAN. LWIP operation may involve UE 101b using WLAN radio resources (e.g., connection 107) via an IPsec protocol tunnel to authenticate and encrypt packets (e.g., IP packets) sent through 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.

[0045] The RAN 110 includes one or more RAN nodes 111a and 111b (collectively referred to as "multiple RAN nodes 111" or "RAN node 111") that enable connections 103 and 104. As used herein, the terms "access node", "access point", etc. may describe equipment that provides radio baseband functions for data and / or voice connections between a network and one or more users. These access nodes may be referred to as base stations (BS), next generation Node Bs (gNBs), RAN nodes, eNBs, NodeBs, RSUs, TRxPs, or TRPs, etc., 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 terms "5G NR RAN nodes" and the like may refer to RAN nodes 111 (e.g., gNBs) operating in NR or 5G systems 100, while the terms "E-UTRAN nodes" and the like may refer to RAN nodes 111 (e.g., eNBs) operating in LTE or 4G systems 100. According to various embodiments, the RAN node 111 may be implemented as one or more of dedicated physical devices such as a macrocell base station and / 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.

[0046] In some embodiments, all or part of the RAN node 111 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network that may be referred to as a CRAN and / or a virtual baseband unit pool (vBBUP). In these embodiments, the CRAN or vBBUP may implement RAN functional splits, such as PDCP splits, where the RRC and PDCP layers are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, while other L2 protocol entities are operated by individual RAN nodes 111; MAC / PHY splits, where the RRC, PDCP, RLC, and MAC layers are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, and the PHY layer is operated by individual RAN nodes 111; or "lower PHY" splits, where the RRC, PDCP, RLC, MAC layers, and upper portions of the PHY layers are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, and the lower portions of the PHY layers are operated by individual RAN nodes 111. This virtualization framework allows idle processor cores of multiple RAN nodes 111 to execute other virtualized applications. In some specific implementations, individual RAN nodes 111 may represent a plurality of RAN nodes 111 connected to the RAN via individual F1 interfaces ( Figure 1 In these embodiments, the gNB-DU may include one or more remote radio heads or RFEMs (see, e.g., Figure 2 RFEM 215), and the gNB-CU may be operated by a server (not shown) located in RAN 110 or by a server pool in a manner similar to CRAN / vBBUP. In addition or alternatively, one or more of the RAN nodes 111 may be a next generation eNB (ng-eNB), which is a terminal that provides E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocols to UE 101 and is connected to 5GC via a 5G NR interface (e.g., Figure 8 CN 820) RAN node.

[0047] In a V2X scenario, one or more of the RAN nodes 111 may be a road side unit (RSU) or act as an RSU. The term "road side unit" or "RSU" may refer to any traffic infrastructure entity used for V2X communication. The RSU may be implemented in or by a suitable RAN node or a stationary (or relatively stationary) UE, wherein 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 one example, the RSU is a computing device coupled to a radio frequency circuit located on the road side that provides connectivity support to a passing vehicle UE 101 (vUE 101). The RSU may also include internal data storage circuitry for storing intersection map geometry, traffic statistics, media, and applications / 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, etc. In addition 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. In addition or alternatively, the RSU may operate as a Wi-Fi hotspot (2.4 GHz band) and / or provide connectivity to one or more cellular networks to provide uplink and downlink communications. Some or all of the computing device and the RSU's RF circuitry may be packaged in a weather-resistant 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 and / or backhaul network.

[0048] Any of the RAN nodes 111 may serve as a termination point 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 the functions of a radio network controller (RNC), such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management.

[0049] In some exemplary embodiments, UE 101 may be configured to communicate with each other or any of RAN nodes 111 over a multi-carrier communication channel using OFDM communication signals according to 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 and ProSe or sidelink communications), although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. OFDM signals may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0050] In some embodiments, a downlink resource grid may be used for downlink transmissions from any of the RAN nodes 111 to the UE 101, while uplink transmissions may utilize similar techniques. The grid may be a time-frequency grid, referred to as a resource grid or a time-frequency resource grid, which is a physical resource in the downlink in each time slot. For OFDM systems, such a time-frequency plane representation is common practice, which makes wireless resource allocation intuitive. Each column and each 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 a plurality of resource blocks, which describe the mapping of certain physical channels to resource elements. Each resource block includes a set of resource elements; in the frequency domain, this may represent the minimum amount of resources that can currently be allocated. Such resource blocks are used to transmit several different physical downlink channels.

[0051] According to various embodiments, the UE 101 and the RAN node 111 communicate data (e.g., transmit data and receive data) through a licensed medium (also referred to as a "licensed spectrum" and / or a "licensed band") and an unlicensed shared medium (also referred to as an "unlicensed spectrum" and / or an "unlicensed band"). The licensed spectrum may include channels operating in a frequency range of about 400 MHz to about 3.8 GHz, and the unlicensed spectrum may include a 5 GHz band or other unlicensed spectrum.

[0052] To operate in the unlicensed spectrum, the UE 101 and the RAN node 111 may operate using LAA, eLAA, feLAA, or NR-U mechanisms. In these implementations, the UE 101 and the RAN node 111 may perform one or more known medium sensing operations and / or carrier sensing operations to determine whether one or more channels in the unlicensed spectrum are unavailable or otherwise occupied before transmitting in the unlicensed spectrum. The medium / carrier sensing operations may be performed according to a Listen Before Talk (LBT) protocol.

[0053] Listen before talk (LBT) is a mechanism by which equipment (e.g., UE 101, RAN node 111, etc.) senses the medium (e.g., a channel or carrier frequency) and transmits when the medium is sensed to be idle (or when a particular channel in the medium is sensed to be unoccupied). The medium sensing operation may include a clear channel assessment (CCA) that utilizes at least energy detection (ED) to determine whether other signals are present on the channel in order to determine whether the channel is occupied or clear. The LBT mechanism allows cellular / LAA (licensed assisted access) networks to coexist with existing systems in unlicensed spectrum and with other LAA networks. ED may include sensing RF energy on an expected transmission band over a period of time and comparing the sensed RF energy to a predefined or configured threshold.

[0054] Typically, existing systems in the 5 GHz band are WLANs based on IEEE 802.11 technology. WLANs use a contention-based channel access mechanism called CSMA / CA. Here, when a WLAN node (e.g., a mobile station (MS) such as UE 101, WLAN node 106, etc.) intends to transmit, the WLAN node may first perform CCA before transmission. In addition, in the case where more than one WLAN node senses the channel as idle and transmits at the same time, a backoff mechanism is used to avoid conflicts. The backoff mechanism may be a counter randomly introduced within the CWS that increases exponentially when a conflict occurs and is reset to a minimum value when the transmission is successful. The LBT mechanism designed for LAA is somewhat similar to the CSMA / CA of WLAN. In some specific implementations, the LBT process for a DL or UL transmission burst (including PDSCH or PUSCH transmission) may have a LAA contention window of variable length between X and Y ECCA slots, where X and Y are the minimum and maximum values ​​of the CWS of LAA. In one example, the minimum CWS for LAA transmissions may be 9 microseconds (μs); however, the size of the CWS and MCOT (eg, transmission burst) may be based on government regulatory requirements.

[0055] The LAA mechanism is built on the carrier aggregation (CA) technology of the LTE-Advanced system. In CA, each aggregated carrier is called a component carrier (CC). A CC can have a bandwidth of 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, or 20 MHz, and up to five CCs can be aggregated, so the maximum aggregate bandwidth is 100 MHz. In an FDD system, the number of aggregated carriers can be different for DL ​​and UL, where the number of UL CCs is equal to or lower than the number of DL component carriers. In some cases, each CC may have a different bandwidth from other CCs. In a TDD system, the number of CCs and the bandwidth of each CC are typically the same for DL ​​and UL.

[0056] CA also includes individual serving cells to provide individual CCs. The coverage of the serving cells may be different, for example, because CCs on different frequency bands will experience different path losses. The primary serving cell or PCell may provide the PCC for both UL and DL, and may handle activities related to RRC and NAS. Other serving cells are referred to as SCells, and each SCell may provide individual SCCs for both UL and DL. SCCs may be added and removed as needed, and changing PCCs may require the UE 101 to undergo switching. In LAA, eLAA, and feLAA, some or all of the SCells may operate in an unlicensed spectrum (referred to as "LAA SCells"), and the LAA SCells are assisted by the PCells operating in the licensed spectrum. When a UE is configured with more than one LAA SCell, the UE may receive UL grants on the configured LAA SCells, indicating different PUSCH start positions within the same subframe.

[0057] 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 related to the PDSCH channel. It may also inform multiple UEs 101 about the transport format, resource allocation, and HARQ information related to the uplink shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling (allocation of control and shared channel resource blocks to UEs 101b within a cell) may be performed at any one of the RAN nodes 111 based on channel quality information fed back from any one of the UEs 101. Downlink resource allocation information may be sent on the PDCCH for (e.g., allocated to) each of the UEs 101.

[0058] PDCCH uses control channel elements (CCE) to transmit control information. Before being mapped to resource elements, the PDCCH complex-valued symbols can first be organized into quadruplets, which can then be arranged using a sub-block interleaver for rate matching. 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, respectively, called REGs. Four quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) symbols can be mapped to each REG. Depending on the size of the DCI and channel conditions, one or more CCEs can be used to transmit the PDCCH. There may be four or more different PDCCH formats defined in LTE with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation levels, L=1, 2, 4, or 8).

[0059] Some embodiments may use the concept of resource allocation for control channel information, which is an extension of the above concept. For example, some embodiments may utilize EPDCCH that uses PDSCH resources for control information transmission. One or more ECCEs may be used to transmit EPDCCH. Similar to the above, each ECCE may correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements, referred to as EREG. In some cases, ECCE may have other numbers of EREGs.

[0060] RAN nodes 111 may be configured to communicate with each other via interface 112. In embodiments where system 100 is an LTE system (eg, when CN 120 is a Figure 7 720 in the EPC 120), the 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, and / or between two eNBs connected to the EPC 120. In some specific implementations, 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 transmit information about the delivery of user data between eNBs. For example, the X2-U may provide specific sequence number information about user data transmitted from the MeNB to the SeNB; information about the successful in-sequence delivery of PDCP protocol data units (PDUs) from the SeNB to the UE 101 for user data; information about PDCP PDUs that were not delivered to the UE 101; information about the current minimum expected buffer size at the SeNB for transmitting user data to the UE; and the like. X2-C can provide intra-LTE access mobility functions, including context transfer from source eNB to target eNB, user plane transmission control, etc.; load management functions; and inter-cell interference coordination functions.

[0061] In an embodiment where the system 100 is a 5G or NR system, the interface 112 may be an Xn interface 112. The Xn interface is defined between two or more RAN nodes 111 (e.g., two or more gNBs, etc.) connected to the 5GC 120, between a RAN node 111 (e.g., a gNB) and an eNB connected to the 5GC 120, and / or between two eNBs connected to the 5GC 120. In some specific implementations, 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; mobility support for UE 101 in a connected mode (e.g., CM-CONNECTED) includes functions for managing UE mobility in a connected mode between one or more RAN nodes 111. The mobility support may include context transfer from the old (source) serving RAN node 111 to the new (target) serving RAN node 111; and control of the user plane tunnel between the old (source) serving RAN node 111 and the new (target) serving RAN node 111. The protocol stack of Xn-U may include a transport network layer built on an Internet Protocol (IP) transport layer, and a GTP-U layer on top of a UDP and / or IP layer for carrying user plane PDUs. The Xn-C protocol stack may include an application layer signaling protocol (referred to as the Xn Application Protocol (Xn-AP)) and a transport network layer built on SCTP. SCTP may be on top of the IP layer and may provide guaranteed delivery of application layer messages. In the transport IP layer, point-to-point transport is used to deliver signaling PDUs. In other specific implementations, the Xn-U protocol stack and / or the Xn-C protocol stack may be the same or similar to the user plane and / or control plane protocol stacks shown and described herein.

[0062] RAN 110 is shown as being communicatively coupled to a core network (CN) 120. CN 120 may include a plurality of network elements 122 configured to provide various data and telecommunication services to customers / subscribers (e.g., users of a plurality of UEs 101) connected to CN 120 via RAN 110. The components of CN 120 may be implemented in one physical node or separate physical nodes, which 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, NFV may be used to virtualize any or all of the above-mentioned network node functions via executable instructions stored in one or more computer-readable storage media (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, the NFV system may be used to perform a virtual or reconfigurable implementation of one or more EPC components / functions.

[0063] Generally speaking, the application server 130 may be an element that provides applications that use IP bearer resources with the core network (e.g., UMTS PS domain, LTE PS data services, etc.). The application server 130 may also be configured to support one or more communication services for the UE 101 via the CN 120 (e.g., VoIP sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social network services, etc.).

[0064] In an embodiment, CN 120 may be a 5GC (referred to as "5GC 120" or the like), and RAN 110 may be connected to CN 120 via a 5G NR interface 113. In an embodiment, 5G NR interface 113 may be divided into two parts: a 5G NR user plane (NG-U) interface 114, which carries traffic data between RAN node 111 and UPF; and an S1 control plane (NG-C) interface 115, which is a signaling interface between RAN node 111 and AMF 821. Figure 8 Discussed in more detail, CN 120 is an implementation of 5GC 120.

[0065] In an embodiment, CN 120 may be a 5G CN (referred to as "5GC 120", etc.), while in other embodiments, CN 120 may be an EPC. In the case where CN 120 is an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) (referred to as "EPC 120", etc.), RAN 110 may be connected to CN 120 via an S1 interface 113. In an embodiment, S1 interface 113 may be divided into two parts: an S1 user plane (S1-U) interface 114, which carries traffic data between RAN node 111 and S-GW; and an S1-MME interface 115, which is a signaling interface between RAN node 111 and MME.

[0066] Figure 7 FIG. 7 shows an exemplary architecture of a system 700 including a first CN 720 according to various embodiments. In this example, the system 700 may implement the LTE standard, wherein the CN 720 is a Figure 1 In addition, UE 701 may communicate with Figure 1 The UE 101 is the same as or similar to the UE 101, and the E-UTRAN 710 may be Figure 1 The CN 720 may be a RAN that is the same as or similar to the RAN 110 of the present invention and may include the RAN node 111 discussed previously. The CN 720 may include a mobile management entity (MME) 721, a serving gateway (S-GW) 722, a PDN gateway (P-GW) 723, a home subscriber server (HSS) 724 and a serving GPRS support node (SGSN) 725.

[0067] The MME 721 may be similar in function to the control plane of a conventional SGSN, and may implement MM functions to keep track of the current location of the UE 701. The MME 721 may perform various MM procedures to manage mobility aspects in access, such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. MM (also referred to as "EPS MM" or "EMM" in an E-UTRAN system) may refer to all applicable procedures, methods, data stores, etc. for maintaining knowledge of the current location of the UE 701, providing user identity confidentiality to users / subscribers, and / or performing other similar services. Each UE 701 and MME 721 may include an MM or EMM sublayer, and when the attachment procedure is successfully completed, an MM context may be established in the UE 701 and the MME 721. The MM context may be a data structure or database object that stores MM-related information of the UE 701. The MME 721 may be coupled to the HSS 724 via an S6a reference point, to the SGSN 725 via an S3 reference point, and to the S-GW 722 via an S11 reference point.

[0068] SGSN 725 may be a node that serves UE 701 by tracking the location of individual UE 701 and performing security functions. In addition, SGSN 725 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 721; handling of UE 701 time zone functions, as specified by MME 721; and MME selection for handover to E-UTRAN 3GPP access network. The S3 reference point between MME 721 and SGSN 725 may enable user and bearer information exchange for inter-3GPP access network mobility in an idle state and / or an active state.

[0069] The HSS 724 may include a database for network users, which includes subscription-related information for supporting network entities in handling communication sessions. The EPC 720 may include one or several HSSs 724, depending on the number of mobile subscribers, the capacity of the equipment, the organization of the network, etc. For example, the HSS 724 may provide support for routing / roaming, authentication, authorization, naming / addressing solutions, location dependencies, etc. The S6a reference point between the HSS 724 and the MME 721 may enable the transfer of subscription and authentication data for authenticating / authorizing users to access the EPC 720 between the HSS 724 and the MME 721.

[0070] The S-GW 722 may terminate the S1 interface 113 towards the RAN 710 (at Figure 7 The S-GW 722 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 enforcement of certain policies. The S11 reference point between the S-GW 722 and the MME 721 may provide a control plane between the MME 721 and the S-GW 722. The S-GW 722 may be coupled to the P-GW 723 via the S5 reference point.

[0071] The P-GW 723 may terminate the SGi interface toward the PDN 730. The P-GW 723 may communicate with the PDN 730 via the IP interface 125 (see, e.g., Figure 1 ) routes data packets between EPC 720 and external networks such as a network including application server 130 (alternatively referred to as "AF"). In an embodiment, P-GW 723 can communicate with the network via IP communication interface 125 (see, e.g., Figure 1 ) is communicatively coupled to an application server ( Figure 1 Application server 130 or Figure 7The S5 reference point between the P-GW 723 and the S-GW 722 may provide user plane tunneling and tunnel management between the P-GW 723 and the S-GW 722. The S5 reference point may also be used for S-GW 722 relocation due to the mobility of the UE 701 and whether the S-GW 722 needs to be connected to a non-colocated P-GW 723 for the required PDN connectivity. The P-GW 723 may also include nodes for policy implementation and charging data collection (e.g., PCEF (not shown)). In addition, the SGi reference point between the P-GW 723 and the packet data network (PDN) 730 may be an operator-external public, private PDN, or an internal operator packet data network, for example, for providing IMS services. The P-GW 723 may be coupled to the PCRF 726 via a Gx reference point.

[0072] PCRF 726 is a policy and charging control element of EPC 720. In a non-roaming scenario, there may be a single PCRF 726 in a domestic public land mobile network (HPLMN) associated with an Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session of UE 701. In a roaming scenario with local traffic breakout, there may be two PCRFs associated with the IP-CAN session of UE 701: a domestic PCRF (H-PCRF) in the HPLMN and a visited PCRF (V-PCRF) in a visited public land mobile network (VPLMN). PCRF 726 may be communicatively coupled to application server 730 via P-GW 723. Application server 730 may signal PCRF 726 to indicate a new service flow and select appropriate QoS and charging parameters. PCRF 726 may configure the rule to a PCEF (not shown) with the appropriate TFT and QCI, which function starts QoS and charging as specified by application server 730. The Gx reference point between PCRF 726 and P-GW 723 may allow for the transfer of QoS policies and charging rules from PCRF 726 to PCEF in P-GW 723. The Rx reference point may reside between PDN 730 (or "AF 730") and PCRF 726.

[0073] Figure 8The architecture of a system 800 including a second CN 820 is shown according to various embodiments. System 800 is shown as including: UE 801, which may be the same as or similar to UE 101 and UE 701 discussed previously; (R)AN 810, which may be the same as or similar to RAN 110 and RAN 710 discussed previously, and which may include the RAN node 111 discussed previously; and data network (DN) 803, which may be, for example, an operator service, Internet access, or a 3rd party service; and 5GC 820. 5GC 820 may include an authentication server function (AUSF) 822; an access and mobility management function (AMF) 821; a session management function (SMF) 824; a network exposure function (NEF) 823; a policy control function (PCF) 826; an NF repository function (NRF) 825; a unified data management (UDM) 827; an application function (AF) 828; a user plane function (UPF) 802; and a network slice selection function (NSSF) 829.

[0074] UPF 802 may act as an anchor point for intra-RAT and inter-RAT mobility, an external PDU session point interconnected with DN 803, and a branch point to support multi-host PDU sessions. UPF 802 may also perform packet routing and forwarding, perform packet inspection, perform the user plane portion of policy rules, lawful interception of packets (UP collection), perform traffic usage reporting, perform QoS processing (e.g., packet filtering, gating, UL / DL rate enforcement) on the user plane, perform uplink traffic verification (e.g., SDF to QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in uplink and downlink, and perform downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering. UPF 802 may include an uplink classifier for supporting routing of traffic flows to data networks. DN 803 may represent various network operator services, Internet access, or third-party services. DN 803 may include or be similar to the application server 130 discussed previously. UPF 802 may interact with SMF 824 via the N4 reference point between SMF 824 and UPF 802.

[0075] The AUSF 822 may store data for authentication of the UE 801 and handle authentication-related functions. The AUSF 822 may facilitate a common authentication framework for various access types. The AUSF 822 may communicate with the AMF 821 via the N12 reference point between the AMF 821 and the AUSF 822; and may communicate with the UDM 827 via the N13 reference point between the UDM 827 and the AUSF 822. In addition, the AUSF 822 may present an interface based on the Nausf service.

[0076] AMF 821 may be responsible for registration management (e.g., responsible for registering UE 801, etc.), connection management, reachability management, mobility management, and lawful interception of AMF-related events, and access authentication and authorization. AMF 821 may be the termination point of the N11 reference point between AMF 821 and SMF 824. AMF 821 may provide transport for SM messages between UE 801 and SMF 824, and act as a transparent proxy for routing SM messages. AMF 821 may also provide a transport mechanism for UE 801 and SMSF ( Figure 8 801). AMF 821 may act as a SEAF, which may include interaction with AUSF 822 and UE 801, receiving intermediate keys established as a result of the UE 801 authentication process. In the case of USIM-based authentication, AMF 821 may retrieve security material from AUSF822. AMF 821 may also include an SCM function that receives keys from SEA for deriving access network-specific keys. In addition, AMF 821 may be a termination point for the RAN CP interface, which may include or be an N2 reference point between (R)AN 810 and AMF821; and AMF 821 may be a termination point for NAS (N1) signaling, and perform NAS encryption and integrity protection.

[0077] AMF 821 may also support NAS signaling with UE 801 over the N3 IWF interface. N3IWF may be used to provide access to untrusted entities. N3IWF may be the termination point for the N2 interface between (R)AN 810 and AMF 821 for the control plane, and may be the termination point for the N3 reference point between (R)AN 810 and UPF 802 for the user plane. Thus, AMF 821 may process N2 signaling for PDU sessions and QoS from SMF 824 and AMF 821, 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 801 and the AMF 821 via the N1 reference point between the UE 801 and the AMF 821, and relay uplink and downlink user plane packets between the UE 801 and the UPF 802. The N3IWF also provides a mechanism for establishing an IPsec tunnel with the UE 801. The AMF 821 may present an interface based on the Namf service, and may be an N14 reference point between the two AMF 821 and the AMF 821 and the 5G-EIR ( Figure 8 The termination point of the N17 reference point between the two (not shown).

[0078] UE 801 may need to register with AMF 821 in order to receive network services. RM is used to register UE 801 with the network (e.g., AMF 821) or deregister the UE, and establish a UE context in the network (e.g., AMF 821). UE 801 may operate in the RM-REGISTERED state or the RM-DEREGISTERED state. In the RM-DEREGISTERED state, UE 801 is not registered with the network, and the UE context in AMF 821 does not maintain the valid location or routing information of UE 801, so AMF 821 cannot reach UE 801. In the RM-REGISTERED state, UE 801 is registered with the network, and the UE context in AMF 821 may maintain the valid location or routing information of UE 801, so AMF 821 can reach UE 801. In the RM-REGISTERED state, UE 801 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 notify the network that UE 801 is still active), and perform a registration update procedure to update UE capability information or renegotiate protocol parameters with the network, etc.

[0079] AMF 821 may store one or more RM contexts for UE 801, each RM context being associated with a specific access to the network. An RM context may be a data structure, a database object, or the like, which indicates or stores, among other things, a registration status and a periodic update timer for each access type. AMF 821 may also store a 5GC MM context which may be the same or similar to the (E)MM context discussed previously. In various embodiments, AMF 821 may store CE mode B restriction parameters for UE 801 in an associated MM context or RM context. AMF 821 may also derive values ​​from usage setting parameters of the UE already stored in the UE context (and / or MM / RM context) when necessary.

[0080] Connection Management (CM) may be used to establish and release a signaling connection between the UE 801 and the AMF 821 through the N1 interface. The signaling connection is used to enable NAS signaling exchange between the UE 801 and the CN 820, and includes a signaling connection between the UE and the AN (e.g., an RRC connection or a UE-N3IWF connection for non-3GPP access) and an N2 connection of the UE 801 between the AN (e.g., the RAN 810) and the AMF 821. The UE 801 may operate in one of two CM states (CM-IDLE mode or CM-CONNECTED mode). When the UE 801 operates in the CM-IDLE state / mode, the UE 801 may not have a NAS signaling connection established with the AMF 821 through the N1 interface, and there may be a (R)AN 810 signaling connection (e.g., N2 and / or N3 connection) for the UE 801. When the UE 801 operates in the CM-CONNECTED state / mode, the UE 801 may have a NAS signaling connection established with the AMF 821 through the N1 interface, and there may be a (R)AN 810 signaling connection (e.g., N2 and / or N3 connection) for the UE 801. Establishing an N2 connection between the (R)AN 810 and the AMF 821 may cause the UE 801 to transition from the CM-IDLE mode to the CM-CONNECTED mode, and when the N2 signaling between the (R)AN 810 and the AMF 821 is released, the UE 801 may transition from the CM-CONNECTED mode to the CM-IDLE mode.

[0081] SMF 824 may be responsible for SM (e.g., session establishment, modification, and release, including tunnel maintenance between UPF and AN nodes); UE IP address allocation and management (including optional authorization); selection and control of UP functions; configuring traffic steering of UPF to route traffic to the correct destination; terminating the interface toward the policy control function; control portion of policy enforcement and QoS; lawful interception (for SM events and interface with LI system); terminating the SM portion of NAS messages; downlink data notification; initiating AN-specific SM information sent to AN via AMF over N2; and determining the SSC mode of 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 a UE 801 and a data network (DN) 803 identified by a data network name (DNN). A PDU session may be established upon request by UE 801, modified upon request by UE 801 and 5GC 820, and released upon request by UE 801 and 5GC 820 using NAS SM signaling exchanged over the N1 reference point between UE 801 and SMF 824. Upon request from an application server, 5GC 820 may trigger a specific application in UE 801. In response to receiving a trigger message, UE 801 may deliver the trigger message (or relevant parts / information of the trigger message) to one or more identified applications in UE 801. The identified applications in UE 801 may establish a PDU session to a specific DNN. SMF 824 may check whether the UE 801 request complies with user subscription information associated with UE 801. In this regard, SMF 824 may retrieve and / or request to receive update notifications about SMF 824 level subscription data from UDM 827.

[0082] SMF 824 may include the following roaming functions: handling local execution to apply QoS SLA (VPLMN); charging data collection and charging interface (VPLMN); lawful interception (for SM events and interface with LI system, in VPLMN); and support interaction with external DN to transmit signaling for PDU session authorization / authentication through external DN. In a roaming scenario, an N16 reference point between two SMFs 824 may be included in the system 800, which may be located between an SMF 824 in a visited network and another SMF 824 in a home network. In addition, SMF 824 may present an interface based on Nsmf services.

[0083] NEF 823 may provide a device for securely exposing services and capabilities provided by 3GPP network functions for third parties, internal exposure / re-exposure, application functions (e.g., AF 828), edge computing or fog computing systems, etc. In such embodiments, NEF 823 may authenticate, authorize and / or restrict AF. NEF 823 may also convert information exchanged with AF 828 and information exchanged with internal network functions. For example, NEF 823 may convert between AF service identifiers and internal 5GC information. NEF 823 may also receive information from other network functions (NFs) based on the exposure capabilities of other network functions. The information may be stored at NEF 823 as structured data, or stored at a data storage NF using a standardized interface. The stored information may then be re-exposed to other NFs and AFs by NEF 823, and / or used for other purposes such as analysis. In addition, NEF 823 may present an interface based on Nnef services.

[0084] NRF 825 may support service discovery functionality, receive NF discovery requests from NF instances, and provide information of discovered NF instances to NF instances. NRF 825 also maintains information of available NF instances and the services they support. As used herein, the term "instantiation" and the like may refer to the creation of an instance, and "instance" may refer to the specific occurrence of an object, which may occur, for example, during the execution of a program code. In addition, NRF 825 may present an interface based on Nnrf services.

[0085] The PCF 826 may provide for control plane functions to enforce their policy rules, and may also support a unified policy framework for managing network behavior. The PCF 826 may also implement a FE to access subscription information related to policy decisions in the UDR of the UDM 827. The PCF 826 may communicate with the AMF 821 via the N15 reference point between the PCF 826 and the AMF 821, which may include the PCF 826 in the visited network and the AMF 821 in the case of a roaming scenario. The PCF 826 may communicate with the AF 828 via the N5 reference point between the PCF 826 and the AF 828; and communicate with the SMF 824 via the N7 reference point between the PCF 826 and the SMF 824. The system 800 and / or the CN 820 may also include an N24 reference point between the PCF 826 (in the home network) and the PCF 826 in the visited network. In addition, the PCF 826 may present an interface based on Npcf services.

[0086] UDM 827 may process subscription-related information to support the processing of communication sessions by network entities, and may store subscription data of UE 801. For example, subscription data may be transmitted between UDM 827 and AMF 821 via an N8 reference point between UDM 827 and AMF 821. UDM 827 may include two parts: application FE and UDR ( Figure 8 FE and UDR are not shown). UDR can store subscription data and policy data of UDM 827 and PCF 826, and / or structured data for exposure and application data of NEF 823 (including PFD for application detection, application request information of multiple UE 801). Nudr service-based interface can be presented by UDR 221 to allow UDM 827, PCF 826 and NEF 823 to access specific sets of stored data, as well as read, update (e.g., add, modify), delete and subscribe to notifications of related data changes in UDR. UDM may include UDM-FE, which is responsible for handling credentials, location management, subscription management, etc. In different transactions, several different front ends may serve the same user. UDM-FE accesses subscription information stored in UDR, and performs authentication credential processing, user identification processing, access authorization, registration / mobility management and subscription management. UDR can interact with SMF824 via the N10 reference point between UDM 827 and SMF 824. UDM 827 may also support SMS management, where SMS-FE implements similar application logic as described above. In addition, UDM 827 may present an interface based on Nudm services.

[0087] AF 828 can provide the influence of applications on traffic routing, provide access to NCE, and interact with the policy framework for policy control. NCE can be a mechanism that allows 5GC 820 and AF 828 to provide information to each other via NEF 823, which can be used for edge computing implementation. In such implementations, network operators and third-party services can be hosted near the UE 801 access point of the attachment to achieve effective service delivery through reduced end-to-end delay and load on the transmission network. For edge computing implementation, 5GC can select UPF 802 near UE 801 and perform traffic steering from UPF 802 to DN 803 via N6 interface. This can be based on UE subscription data, UE location and information provided by AF 828. In this way, AF 828 can affect UPF (re) selection and traffic routing. Based on operator deployment, when AF 828 is considered a trusted entity, the network operator can allow AF 828 to interact directly with the relevant NF. In addition, AF 828 can present an interface based on Naf services.

[0088] NSSF 829 may select a set of network slice instances to serve UE 801. If necessary, NSSF 829 may also determine the allowed NSSAI and the mapping to the subscribed S-NSSAI. NSSF 829 may also determine the AMF set, or a list of candidate AMF 821, to serve UE 801 based on appropriate configuration and possibly by querying NRF 825. The selection of a set of network slice instances for UE 801 may be triggered by AMF 821, where UE 801 registers by interacting with NSSF 829, which may cause AMF 821 to change. NSSF 829 may interact with AMF 821 via the N22 reference point between AMF 821 and NSSF 829; and may communicate with AMF 821 via the N31 reference point ( Figure 8 The NSSF 829 may communicate with another NSSF 829 in the visited network (not shown). In addition, the NSSF 829 may present an interface based on the Nnssf service.

[0089] As discussed previously, CN 820 may include SMSF, which may be responsible for SMS subscription checking and verification, and relaying SM messages from / to other entities, such as SMS-GMSC / IWMSC / SMS routers, to / from UE 801. SMS may also interact with AMF 821 and UDM 827 for notification procedures that UE 801 is available for SMS transmission (e.g., setting a UE unreachable flag and notifying UDM 827 when UE 801 is available for SMS).

[0090] CN 120 may also include Figure 8 Other elements not shown, such as data storage system / architecture, 5G-EIR, SEPP, etc. The data storage system may include SDSF, UDSF, etc. Any NF may communicate with any NF and UDSF ( Figure 8 The N18 reference point between the NF and the NF (not shown) stores or retrieves unstructured data in or from the UDSF (e.g., UE context). Individual NFs may share a UDSF for storing their respective unstructured data, or individual NFs may each have their own UDSF located at or near a single NF. In addition, the UDSF may present an interface based on the Nudsf service ( Figure 8 (not shown). The 5G-EIR may be a NF that checks the status of the PEI to determine whether to blacklist a specific equipment / entity from the network; and the SEPP may be a non-transparent proxy that performs topology hiding, message filtering, and policing on the inter-PLMN control plane interface.

[0091] Additionally, there may be more reference points and / or service-based interfaces between NF services in a NF; however, for clarity, Figure 8These interfaces and reference points are omitted. In one example, CN 820 may include an Nx interface, which is an inter-CN interface between an MME (e.g., MME 721) and AMF 821 to enable intercommunication between CN 820 and CN 720. Other example interfaces / reference points may include an interface based on N5g-EIR services presented by 5G-EIR, an N27 reference point between an NRF in a visited network and an NRF in a home network; and an N31 reference point between an NSSF in a visited network and an NSSF in a home network.

[0092] Fig. 9 Components of a core network according to various embodiments are shown. The components of CN 720 may be implemented in one physical node or in separate physical nodes, including components for reading and executing instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium). In an embodiment, the components of CN 820 may be implemented in the same or similar manner as discussed herein with respect to the components of CN 720. In some embodiments, NFV is used to virtualize any or all of the above-mentioned network node functions via executable instructions stored in one or more computer-readable storage media (described in further detail below). A logical instance of CN 720 may be referred to as a network slice 901, and each logical instance of CN 720 may provide specific network functions and network characteristics. A logical instance of a portion of CN 720 may be referred to as a network sub-slice 902 (e.g., a network sub-slice 902 is shown as including a P-GW 723 and a PCRF 726).

[0093] 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 (e.g., computing, storage, and network resources) required to deploy a network slice.

[0094] Regarding 5G systems (see e.g. Figure 8 ), a network slice always includes a RAN part and a CN part. 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 by scheduling and also by providing different L1 / L2 configurations. If NAS has provided an RRC message, UE 801 provides auxiliary information for network slice selection in an appropriate RRC message. Although the network can support a large number of slices, the UE does not need to support more than 8 slices at the same time.

[0095] The network slice may include the CN 820 control plane and user plane NF, the NG-RAN 810 in the serving PLMN, and the N3IWF function in the serving PLMN. Each network slice may have a different S-NSSAI and / or may have a different SST. The NSSAI includes one or more S-NSSAIs, and each network slice is uniquely identified by the S-NSSAI. The network slice may differ in terms of supported features and network function optimizations, and / or multiple network slice instances may deliver the same service / feature, but differ for different groups of UE 801 (e.g., enterprise users). For example, each network slice may deliver different committed services and / or may be dedicated to a specific customer or enterprise. In this example, each network slice may have a different S-NSSAI with the same SST but with a different slice differentiator. In addition, a single UE may be served simultaneously by one or more network slice instances via a 5G AN and be associated with eight different S-NSSAIs. In addition, an AMF 821 instance serving a single UE 801 may belong to each network slice instance serving the UE.

[0096] Network slicing in NG-RAN 810 involves RAN slice awareness. RAN slice awareness includes differentiated processing for traffic of different network slices that have been pre-configured. Slice awareness in NG-RAN 810 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 NG-RAN 810 supports enabling slices in terms of NG-RAN functions (e.g., a set of network functions including each slice) depends on the specific implementation. NG-RAN810 selects the RAN part of the network slice using auxiliary information provided by UE 801 or 5GC 820, which explicitly identifies one or more network slices in the pre-configured network slices in the PLMN. NG-RAN 810 also supports resource management and policy enforcement between slices according to SLA. A single NG-RAN node can support multiple slices, and NG-RAN810 can also appropriately apply appropriate RRM policies for SLA to each supported slice. NG-RAN 810 can also support QoS differentiation within a slice.

[0097] The NG-RAN 810 may also use the UE assistance information to select an AMF 821 during the initial attach, if available. The NG-RAN 810 routes the initial NAS to the AMF 821 using the assistance information. If the NG-RAN 810 cannot select the AMF 821 using the assistance information, or the UE 801 does not provide any such information, the NG-RAN 810 sends the NAS signaling to the default AMF 821, which may be in the AMF 821 pool. For subsequent access, the UE 801 provides the temporary ID assigned to the UE 801 by the 5GC 820 to enable the NG-RAN 810 to route the NAS message to the appropriate AMF 821, as long as the temporary ID is valid. The NG-RAN 810 knows and can reach the AMF 821 associated with the temporary ID. Otherwise, the method for initial attach applies.

[0098] The NG-RAN 810 supports resource isolation between slices. NG-RAN 810 resource isolation can be achieved with the help of RRM policies and protection mechanisms that should avoid starvation of shared resources if one slice breaks the service level agreement for another slice. In some implementations, NG-RAN 810 resources can be fully assigned to a slice. How the NG-RAN 810 supports resource isolation depends on the specific implementation.

[0099] Some slices may be only partially available in the network. Awareness in the NG-RAN 810 of the slices supported in its neighboring cells may be beneficial for inter-frequency mobility in connected mode. Slice availability may not change within the registration area of ​​the UE. The NG-RAN 810 and 5GC 820 are responsible for handling 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, availability of resources, and support of the requested service by the NG-RAN 810.

[0100] The UE 801 may be associated with multiple network slices simultaneously. In the case where the UE 801 is associated with multiple slices simultaneously, only one signaling connection is maintained and for intra-frequency cell reselection, the UE 801 attempts to camp on the best cell. For inter-frequency cell reselection, dedicated priorities may be used to control the frequency that the UE 801 camps on. The 5GC 820 will verify that the UE 801 has the right to access the network slice. Prior to receiving the Initial Context Setup Request message, the NG-RAN 810 may be allowed to apply some temporary / local policies based on the awareness of the specific slice that the UE 801 is requesting access to. During the Initial Context Setup, the NG-RAN 810 is informed of the slice whose resources are being requested.

[0101] 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 performed by proprietary hardware). In other words, the NFV system can be used to perform a virtual or reconfigurable implementation of one or more EPC components / functions.

[0102] Fig.10 1000 is a block diagram illustrating components of a NFV-enabled system 1000 according to some exemplary embodiments. System 1000 is shown to include VIM 1002, NFVI 1004, VNFM 1006, VNF 1008, EM 1010, NFVO 1012, and NM 1014.

[0103] The VIM 1002 manages resources of the NFVI 1004. The NFVI 1004 may include physical or virtual resources and applications (including a hypervisor) for executing the system 1000. The VIM 1002 may utilize the NFVI 1004 to manage the lifecycle of virtual resources (e.g., creation, maintenance, and teardown of VMs associated with one or more physical resources), track VM instances, track performance, failures, and security of VM instances and associated physical resources, and expose VM instances and associated physical resources to other management systems.

[0104] The VNFM 1006 may manage the VNF 1008. The VNF 1008 may be used to perform EPC components / functions. The VNFM 1006 may manage the lifecycle of the VNF 1008 and track the performance, failures, and security of the virtual aspects of the VNF 1008. The EM 1010 may track the performance, failures, and security of the functional aspects of the VNF 1008. The tracking data from the VNFM 1006 and the EM 1010 may include, for example, PM data used by the VIM 1002 or the NFVI 1004. The VNFM 1006 and the EM 1010 may both scale up / down the number of VNFs of the system 1000.

[0105] The NFVO 1012 may coordinate, authorize, release, and engage the resources of the NFVI 1004 in order to provide the requested service (e.g., to execute an EPC function, component, or slice). The NM 1014 may provide an end-user functional package responsible for network management, which may include network elements with VNFs, non-virtualized network functions, or both (management of the VNFs may occur via the EM 1010).

[0106] Equipment / Parts

[0107] Figure 2An example of infrastructure equipment 200 according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. Infrastructure equipment 200 (or "system 200") can be implemented as a base station, a radio head, a RAN node (such as the RAN node 111 and / or the WLAN node 106 shown and described previously), an application server 130, and / or any other element / device discussed herein. In other examples, system 200 can be implemented in or by a UE.

[0108] System 200 includes: application circuit 205, baseband circuit 210, one or more radio front end modules (RFEM) 215, memory circuit 220, power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 225, power tee circuit 230, network controller circuit 235, network interface connector 240, satellite positioning circuit 245 and user interface 250. In some embodiments, device 200 may include additional elements, such as, for example, memory / storage, display, camera, sensor, or input / output (I / O) interface. In other embodiments, the following components may be included in more than one device. For example, the circuit may be included separately in more than one device for CRAN, vBBU or other similar implementations.

[0109] The application circuit 205 may include circuits such as, but not limited to, one or more processors (or processor cores), cache memory, and one or more of the following: a low dropout regulator (LDO), an interrupt controller, a serial interface such as SPI, I2C or a general programmable serial interface module, a real-time clock (RTC), a timer (including an interval timer and a watchdog timer), a general input / output (I / O or IO), a memory card controller such as a secure digital (SD) multimedia card (MMC) or similar products, 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 the application circuit 205 may be coupled to or may include a memory / storage element, and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage element to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the system 200. In some implementations, the memory / storage element can be an on-chip memory circuit that can include any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state memory, and / or any other type of memory device technology, such as those discussed herein.

[0110] The processor of the application circuit 205 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 any suitable combination thereof. In some embodiments, the application circuit 205 may include or may be a dedicated processor / controller for operating according to various embodiments herein. As an example, the processor of the application circuit 205 may include one or more Intel or Processor: Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Processor, Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) or processors; ARM-based processors licensed by ARM Holdings, Ltd., 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 embodiments, system 200 may not utilize application circuit 205, and instead may include a dedicated processor / controller to process IP data received, for example, from an EPC or 5GC.

[0111] In some specific implementations, the application circuit 205 may include one or more hardware accelerators, which may be microprocessors, programmable processing devices, etc. The one or more hardware accelerators may include, for example, computer vision (CV) and / or deep learning (DL) accelerators. For example, the programmable processing device may be one or more field programmable devices (FPDs), such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.; programmable logic devices (PLDs), such as complex PLDs (CPLDs), high capacity PLDs (HCPLDs), etc.; ASICs, such as structured ASICs, etc.; programmable SoCs (PSoCs); etc. In such embodiments, the circuitry of the application circuit 205 may include logic blocks or logic structures, and other interconnected resources that may be programmed to perform various functions such as the processes, methods, functions, etc. of the various embodiments discussed herein. In such embodiments, the circuitry of the application circuit 205 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), anti-fuse, etc.)) for storing logic blocks, logic structures, data, etc. in a lookup table (LUT), etc.

[0112] The baseband circuit 210 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 4 The various hardware electronic components of baseband circuitry 210 are discussed further.

[0113] The user interface circuit 250 may include one or more user interfaces designed to enable a user to interact with the system 200 or a peripheral component interface designed to enable a peripheral component to interact with the system 200. 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 touch pad, a touch screen, a speaker or other audio transmitting device, a microphone, a printer, a scanner, a headset, a display screen or display device, etc. 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 interface, etc.

[0114] The radio front end module (RFEM) 215 may include a millimeter wave (mmWave) RFEM and one or more sub-millimeter wave radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). In some implementations, the one or more sub-millimeter wave RFICs may be physically separated from the mmWave RFEM. The RFIC may include connections to one or more antennas or antenna arrays (see, e.g., Figure 4Antenna array 411), and the RFEM can be connected to multiple antennas. In an alternative implementation, both millimeter wave and sub-millimeter wave radio functions can be implemented in the same physical RFEM 215 that combines both millimeter wave antennas and sub-millimeter waves.

[0115] The memory circuit 220 may include one or more of the following: a volatile memory including a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and / or a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), a non-volatile memory (NVM) including a high-speed electrically erasable memory (commonly referred to as a "flash memory"), a phase change random access memory (PRAM), a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), etc., and may be combined with and The memory circuit 220 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.

[0116] PMIC 225 may include a voltage regulator, a surge protector, a power alarm detection circuit, and one or more backup power sources, such as a battery or capacitor. The power alarm detection circuit may detect one or more of a brownout (undervoltage) and a surge (overvoltage) condition. Power tee circuit 230 may provide power extracted from a network cable to provide both power and data connections for infrastructure equipment 200 using a single cable.

[0117] The network controller circuit 235 may provide connectivity to the network using a standard network interface protocol such as Ethernet, Ethernet based on a GRE tunnel, Ethernet based on a multi-protocol label switching (MPLS), or some other suitable protocol. A physical connection may be used to provide a network connection to / from the infrastructure equipment 200 via a network interface connector 240, which may be an electrical connection (commonly referred to as a "copper interconnect"), an optical connection, or a wireless connection. The network controller circuit 235 may include one or more dedicated processors and / or FPGAs for communicating using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, the network controller circuit 235 may include multiple controllers for providing connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0118] The positioning circuit 245 includes a circuit for receiving and decoding signals transmitted / broadcasted by a positioning network of a global satellite navigation system (or GNSS). Examples of navigation satellite constellations (or 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., using the Indian constellation (NAVIC), Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), France's Doppler Orbit Chart and Satellite Integrated Radio Positioning (DORIS), etc. for navigation), etc. The positioning circuit 245 includes 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 245 may include a micro technology (micro PNT) IC for positioning, navigation, and timing that uses a master timing clock to perform position tracking / estimation without GNSS assistance. The positioning circuit 245 may also be part of or interact with the baseband circuit 210 and / or the RFEM 215 to communicate with nodes and components of the positioning network. The positioning circuit 245 may also provide location data and / or time data to the application circuit 205, which may use the data to synchronize operations with various infrastructure (e.g., RAN node 111, etc.), etc.

[0119] Figure 2 The components shown can communicate with each other using interface circuits that can include any number of bus and / 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 / IX can be a proprietary bus, for example, used in a SoC-based system. Other bus / IX systems can be included, such as an I2C interface, an SPI interface, a point-to-point interface, and a power bus, etc.

[0120] Figure 3 An example of a platform 300 (or "device 300") according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. In an embodiment, the computer platform 300 may be suitable for use as a UE 101, an application server 130, and / or any other element / device discussed herein. The platform 300 may include any combination of components shown in the example. The components of the platform 300 may be implemented as an integrated circuit (IC), a portion of an IC, a discrete electronic device, or other modules, logic, hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof adapted in the computer platform 300, or as components otherwise incorporated within a chassis of a larger system. Figure 3The block diagram is intended to show a high-level view of the components of computer platform 300. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may be present, and different arrangements of the components shown may occur in other implementations.

[0121] The application circuit 305 includes circuits such as, but not limited to, one or more processors (or processor cores), cache memory, and one or more of an LDO, an interrupt controller, a serial interface (such as SPI), I2C or a general programmable serial interface module, an RTC, a timer (including an interval timer and a watchdog timer), a general 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 the application circuit 305 may be coupled to or may include a memory / storage element and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage device to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the system 300. In some specific implementations, the memory / storage element may be an on-chip memory circuit that may include any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state memory, and / or any other type of memory device technology, such as those discussed herein.

[0122] The processor of the application circuit 305 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, multi-threaded processors, ultra-low voltage processors, embedded processors, some other known processing elements, or any suitable combination thereof. In some embodiments, the application circuit 305 may include or may be a dedicated processor / controller for operating according to various embodiments herein.

[0123] As an example, the processor of the application circuit 305 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 305 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 Processor, 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 implementations, the application circuit 305 can be part of a system on a chip (SoC), in which the application circuit 305 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.

[0124] Additionally or alternatively, the application circuit 305 may include circuits such as, but not limited to, one or more field programmable devices (FPDs) such as FPGAs, etc.; programmable logic devices (PLDs) such as complex PLDs (CPLDs), high capacity PLDs (HCPLDs), etc.; ASICs such as structured ASICs, etc.; programmable SoCs (PSoCs); etc. In such embodiments, the circuits of the application circuit 305 may include logic blocks or logic structures, and other interconnected resources that may be programmed to perform various functions such as the processes, methods, functions, etc. of the various embodiments discussed herein. In such embodiments, the circuits of the application circuit 305 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), anti-fuse, etc.)) for storing logic blocks, logic structures, data, etc. in a lookup table (LUT), etc.

[0125] The baseband circuit 310 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 4 The various hardware electronic components of baseband circuit 310 are discussed.

[0126] The RFEM 315 may include a millimeter wave (mm Wave) RFEM and one or more sub-millimeter wave radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). In some implementations, the one or more sub-millimeter wave RFICs may be physically separated from the mm Wave RFEM. The RFIC may include connections to one or more antennas or antenna arrays (see, e.g., Figure 4 Antenna array 411), and the RFEM can be connected to multiple antennas. In an alternative implementation, both millimeter wave and sub-millimeter wave radio functions can be implemented in the same physical RFEM 315 that combines both millimeter wave antennas and sub-millimeter waves.

[0127] The memory circuit 320 may include any number and type of memory devices for providing a quantitative system memory. For example, the memory circuit 320 may include one or more of the following: volatile memory, including random access memory (RAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM) and / or synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM); and non-volatile memory (NVM), including high-speed electrically erasable memory (commonly referred to as flash memory), phase change random access memory (PRAM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), etc. The memory circuit 320 may be developed according to the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) based low power double data rate (LPDDR) design such as LPDDR2, LPDDR3, LPDDR4, etc. The memory circuit 320 may be implemented as one or more of 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 a micro DIMM or a mini DIMM, and / or soldered to a motherboard via a ball grid array (BGA). In a low-power implementation, the memory circuit 320 may be an on-chip memory or register associated with the application circuit 305. In order to provide persistent storage of information such as data, applications, operating systems, etc., the memory circuit 320 may include one or more mass storage devices, which may include, among others, 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. For example, the computer platform 300 may be combined with a computer system obtained from and Three-dimensional (3D) cross-point (XPOINT) memory.

[0128] Removable memory circuitry 323 may include devices, circuitry, housings / casings, ports or receptacles, etc., for coupling portable data storage devices to platform 300. 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, etc.), as well as USB flash drives, optical disks, external HDDs, etc.

[0129] The platform 300 may further include an interface circuit (not shown) for connecting external devices to the platform 300. External devices connected to the platform 300 via the interface circuit include a sensor circuit 321 and an electromechanical component (EMC) 322, and a removable memory device coupled to a removable memory circuit 323.

[0130] Sensor circuitry 321 comprises a device, module, or subsystem that is intended to detect events or changes in its environment, and to send information about the detected events (sensor data) to some other device, module, subsystem, etc. Examples of such sensors include, among others: an inertial measurement unit (IMU) including an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and / or a magnetometer; a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) or a nanoelectromechanical system (NEMS) including a three-axis accelerometer, a three-axis gyroscope, and / or a magnetometer; a 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 similar audio capture device; etc.

[0131] The EMC 322 includes devices, modules or subsystems that are intended to enable the platform 300 to change its state, position and / or orientation or to move or control a mechanism or (sub) system. In addition, the EMC 322 may be configured to generate messages / signaling and send messages / signaling to other components of the platform 300 to indicate the current state of the EMC 322. Examples of EMC 322 include one or more power switches, relays (including electromechanical relays (EMRs) and / or solid-state relays (SSRs)), actuators (e.g., valve actuators, etc.), audible sound generators, visual warning devices, motors (e.g., DC motors, stepper motors, etc.), wheels, thrusters, propellers, claws, clamps, hooks and / or other similar electromechanical components. In an embodiment, the platform 300 is configured to operate one or more EMCs 322 based on one or more capture events and / or instructions or control signals received from a service provider and / or various clients.

[0132] In some specific implementations, the interface circuit may connect the platform 300 to the positioning circuit 345. The positioning circuit 345 includes a circuit for receiving and decoding signals transmitted / broadcasted by the positioning network of the GNSS. Examples of navigation satellite constellations (or GNSS) may include the GPS of the United States, the GLONASS of Russia, the Galileo system of the European Union, the Beidou navigation satellite system of China, regional navigation systems or GNSS augmentation systems (e.g., NAVIC, QZSS of Japan, DORIS of France, etc.), etc. The positioning circuit 345 includes various hardware elements (e.g., including hardware devices such as switches, filters, amplifiers, antenna elements, etc. for facilitating OTA communication) to communicate with components of the positioning network such as navigation satellite constellation nodes. In some embodiments, the positioning circuit 345 may include a micro PNT IC that uses a master timing clock to perform position tracking / estimation without GNSS assistance. The positioning circuit 345 may also be part of or interact with the baseband circuit 310 and / or RFEM 315 to communicate with nodes and components of the positioning network. Positioning circuitry 345 may also provide position data and / or time data to application circuitry 305 , which may use the data to synchronize operations with various infrastructures (eg, radio base stations) for use in turn-by-turn navigation applications, and the like.

[0133] In some implementations, the interface circuit may connect the platform 300 with a near field communication (NFC) circuit 340. The NFC circuit 340 is configured to provide contactless short-range communication based on the radio frequency identification (RFID) standard, wherein magnetic field induction is used to enable communication between the NFC circuit 340 and an NFC-enabled device (e.g., an "NFC touch point") external to the platform 300. The NFC circuit 340 includes an NFC controller coupled to an antenna element and a processor coupled to the NFC controller. The NFC controller may be a chip / IC that provides NFC functionality to the NFC circuit 340 by executing an 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 a short-range RF signal. The RF signal may power a passive NFC tag (e.g., a microchip embedded in a sticker or wristband) to transfer stored data to the NFC circuit 340, or initiate data transfer between the NFC circuit 340 and another active NFC device (e.g., a smartphone or an NFC-enabled POS terminal) proximate to the platform 300.

[0134] The driver circuit 346 may include software and hardware elements for controlling specific devices embedded in, attached to, or otherwise communicatively coupled to the platform 300. The driver circuit 346 may include various drivers to allow other components of the platform 300 to interact with or control various input / output (I / O) devices that may be present in or connected to the platform 300. For example, the driver circuit 346 may include: a display driver for controlling and allowing access to a display device, a touch screen driver for controlling and allowing access to a touch screen interface of the platform 300, a sensor driver for obtaining sensor readings of the sensor circuit 321 and controlling and allowing access to the sensor circuit 321, an EMC driver for obtaining actuator positions of the EMC 322 and / or controlling and allowing access to the EMC 322, a camera driver for controlling and allowing access to an embedded image capture device, and an audio driver for controlling and allowing access to one or more audio devices.

[0135] A power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 325 (also referred to as “power management circuit 325”) may manage power provided to various components of platform 300. Specifically, PMIC 325 may control power source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion with respect to baseband circuit 310. PMIC 325 may be typically included when platform 300 is capable of being powered by battery 330, such as when the device is included in UE 101, 701, or 801.

[0136] In some embodiments, the PMIC 325 may control or otherwise be part of various power saving mechanisms of the platform 300. For example, if the platform 300 is in the RRC_Connected state, in which the platform is still connected to the RAN node because it expects to receive traffic soon, then after a period of inactivity, the platform may enter a state known as discontinuous reception mode (DRX). During this state, the platform 300 may be powered off for short time intervals, thereby saving power. If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, the platform 300 may transition to the RRC_Idle state, in which the device is disconnected from the network and no operations such as channel quality feedback, handovers, etc. are performed. The platform 300 enters a very low power state and performs paging, in which the device wakes up periodically again to listen to the network and then powers off again. The platform 300 may not receive data in this state; in order to receive data, the platform must transition back to the RRC_Connected state. Additional power saving modes may prevent the device from using the network for longer than the paging interval (ranging from a few seconds to a few hours). During this time, the device is completely unable to connect to the network and can be completely powered off. Any data sent during this time will be significantly delayed, and it is assumed that the delay is acceptable.

[0137] The battery 330 can power the platform 300, but in some examples, the platform 300 can be mounted in a fixed location and can have a power source coupled to a power grid. The battery 330 can be a lithium-ion battery, a metal-air battery such as a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, a lithium-air battery, etc. In some implementations, such as in V2X applications, the battery 330 can be a typical lead-acid car battery.

[0138] In some implementations, the battery 330 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 300 to track the state of charge (SoCh) of the battery 330. The BMS may be used to monitor other parameters of the battery 330, such as the state of health (SoH) and state of function (SoF) of the battery 330 to provide fault prediction. The BMS may transmit information about the battery 330 to the application circuit 305 or other components of the platform 300. The BMS may also include an analog-to-digital (ADC) converter that allows the application circuit 305 to directly monitor the voltage of the battery 330 or the current from the battery 330. The battery parameters may be used to determine actions that the platform 300 may perform, such as transmission frequency, network operation, sensing frequency, etc.

[0139] A power block or other power source coupled to the grid can be coupled to the BMS to charge the battery 330. In some examples, the power block can be replaced with a wireless power receiver to obtain power wirelessly, for example, through a loop antenna in the computer platform 300. In these examples, a wireless battery charging circuit can be included in the BMS. The specific charging circuit selected can depend on the size of the battery 330 and therefore the current required. 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 Alliance, or the Rezence charging standard published by the Wireless Power Alliance.

[0140] The user interface circuit 350 includes various input / output (I / O) devices present in or connected to the platform 300, and includes one or more user interfaces designed to implement user interaction with the platform 300 and / or a peripheral component interface designed to implement interaction with the peripheral components of the platform 300. The user interface circuit 350 includes input device circuits and output device circuits. The input device circuit includes any physical or virtual means for accepting input, including, in particular, one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), a physical keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a touchpad, a touch screen, a microphone, a scanner, a headset, etc. The output device circuit includes any physical or virtual means for displaying information or otherwise conveying information (such as sensor readings, actuator positions, or other similar information). The output device circuitry may include any number and / or combination of audio or visual displays, including, in particular, one or more simple visual outputs / indicators (e.g., binary status indicators (e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs)) and multi-character visual outputs, or more complex outputs, such as display devices or touch screens (e.g., liquid crystal displays (LCDs), LED displays, quantum dot displays, projectors, etc.), where outputs of characters, graphics, multimedia objects, etc. are generated or produced by the operation of the platform 300. The output device circuitry may also include speakers or other audio emitting devices, printers, etc. In some embodiments, the sensor circuitry 321 may be used as an input device circuitry (e.g., an image capture device, a motion capture device, etc.) and one or more EMCs may be used as output device circuitry (e.g., an actuator for providing tactile feedback, etc.). In another example, an NFC circuit may be included to read an electronic tag and / or connect to another NFC-enabled device, the NFC circuitry including an NFC controller and a processing device coupled to an antenna element. The peripheral component interface may include, but is not limited to, a non-volatile memory port, a USB port, an audio jack, a power interface, etc.

[0141] Although not shown, the components of platform 300 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 / IX can be a proprietary bus / IX, such as used in a SoC-based system. Other bus / IX systems can be included, such as an I2C interface, an SPI interface, a point-to-point interface, and a power bus, etc.

[0142] Figure 4 Exemplary components of a baseband circuit 410 and a radio front end module (RFEM) 415 are illustrated according to various exemplary embodiments. The baseband circuit 410 corresponds to Figure 2 The baseband circuit 210 and Figure 3Baseband circuit 310. RFEM 415 corresponds to Figure 2 RFEM 215 and Figure 3 RFEM 315. As shown, RFEM 415 may include radio frequency (RF) circuitry 406, front end module (FEM) circuitry 408, and at least an antenna array 411 coupled together as shown.

[0143] The baseband circuit 410 includes circuits and / or control logic components that are configured to execute various radio / network protocols and radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuit 406. The radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some embodiments, the modulation / demodulation circuit of the baseband circuit 410 may include fast Fourier transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping / demapping functions. In some embodiments, the encoding / decoding circuit of the baseband circuit 410 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or low-density parity check (LDPC) encoder / decoder functions. The implementation of the modulation / demodulation and encoder / decoder functions is not limited to these examples and may include other suitable functions in other embodiments. The baseband circuit 410 is configured to process baseband signals received from the receive signal path of the RF circuit 406 and generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path of the RF circuit 406. The baseband circuit 410 is configured to communicate with the application circuit 205 / 305 (see Figure 2 and Figure 3 ) to generate and process baseband signals and control the operation of RF circuitry 406. Baseband circuitry 410 may handle various radio control functions.

[0144] The aforementioned circuits and / or control logic components of the baseband circuit 410 may include one or more single-core or multi-core processors. For example, the one or more processors may include a 3G baseband processor 404A, a 4G / LTE baseband processor 404B, a 5G / NR baseband processor 404C, or some other baseband processors 404D for other existing generations, generations under development or generations to be developed in the future (e.g., the sixth generation (6G), etc.). In other embodiments, part or all of the functions of the baseband processors 404A-404D may be included in a module stored in the memory 404G and executed via a central processing unit (CPU) 404E. In other embodiments, some or all of the functions of the baseband processors 404A to 404D may be provided as a hardware accelerator (e.g., FPGA, ASIC, etc.) loaded with an appropriate bitstream or logic block stored in a corresponding memory unit. In various embodiments, the memory 404G may store program code of a real-time OS (RTOS), which, when executed by the CPU 404E (or other baseband processor), will enable the CPU 404E (or other baseband processor) to manage resources of the baseband circuit 410, schedule tasks, etc. Examples of RTOS may include: Operating System Embedded (OSE) provided TM , by Mentor Nucleus RTOS provided TM , by Mentor Versatile Real-TimeExecutive (VRTX) provided by Express Provided by 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 addition, the baseband circuit 410 includes one or more audio digital signal processors (DSPs) 404F. The audio DSP 404F includes elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation, and may include other suitable processing elements in other embodiments.

[0145] In some embodiments, each of processors 404A-404E includes a corresponding memory interface to send data to / receive data from memory 404G. Baseband circuit 410 may also include one or more interfaces for communicatively coupling to other circuits / devices, such as an interface for sending data to / receiving data from a memory external to baseband circuit 410; an interface for sending data to / receiving data from a memory external to the baseband circuit; Figures 2 to 3An application circuit interface for sending data to / receiving data from the application circuit 205 / 305; Figure 4 RF circuit 406 to send data / receive data from the RF circuit RF circuit interface; for receiving data from one or more wireless hardware elements (e.g., near field communication (NFC) components, Low power consumption components, components, etc.) to send data / receive data from these wireless hardware elements; and a power management interface for sending power or control signals to / receiving power or control signals from the PMIC 325.

[0146] In an alternative embodiment (which can be combined with the above embodiment), the baseband circuit 410 includes one or more digital baseband systems, which are coupled to each other and to the CPU subsystem, the audio subsystem and the interface subsystem via an interconnect subsystem. The digital baseband subsystem can also be coupled to the digital baseband interface and the mixed signal baseband subsystem via another interconnect subsystem. Each of the interconnect subsystems may include a bus system, a point-to-point connector, a network on chip (NOC) structure and / or some other suitable bus or interconnect technology, such as those discussed herein. The audio subsystem may include a DSP circuit, a buffer memory, a program memory, a voice processing accelerator circuit, a data converter circuit such as an analog-to-digital converter circuit and a digital-to-analog converter circuit, an analog circuit including one or more of an amplifier and a filter, and / or other similar components. In one aspect of the present disclosure, the baseband circuit 410 may include a protocol processing circuit with one or more control circuit instances (not shown) to provide control functions for the digital baseband circuit and / or the radio frequency circuit (e.g., the radio front end module 415).

[0147] although Figure 4Not shown, but in some embodiments, the baseband circuit 410 includes various processing devices (e.g., a "multi-protocol baseband processor" or "protocol processing circuit") to operate one or more wireless communication protocols and various processing devices to implement PHY layer functions. In these embodiments, the PHY layer functions include the aforementioned radio control functions. In these embodiments, the protocol processing circuit operates or implements various protocol layers / entities of one or more wireless communication protocols. In a first example, when the baseband circuit 410 and / or the RF circuit 406 are part of a millimeter wave communication circuit or some other suitable cellular communication circuit, the protocol processing circuit may operate LTE protocol entities and / or 5G / NR protocol entities. In the first example, the protocol processing circuit will operate MAC, RLC, PDCP, SDAP, RRC, and NAS functions. In a second example, when the baseband circuit 410 and / or the RF circuit 406 are part of a Wi-Fi communication system, the protocol processing circuit may operate one or more IEEE-based protocols. In the second example, the protocol processing circuit will operate Wi-Fi MAC and logical link control (LLC) functions. The protocol processing circuitry may include one or more memory structures (e.g., 404G) 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 410 may also support radio communications for more than one wireless protocol.

[0148] The various hardware elements of the baseband circuit 410 discussed herein may be implemented as, for example, a solder-in substrate including one or more integrated circuits (ICs), a single packaged integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board, or a multi-chip module containing two or more ICs. In one example, the components of the baseband circuit 410 may be appropriately combined in a single chip or a single chipset, or disposed on the same circuit board. In another example, some or all of the components of the baseband circuit 410 and the RF circuit 406 may be implemented together, such as, for example, a system on a chip (SOC) or a system-level package (SiP). In another example, some or all of the components of the baseband circuit 410 may be implemented as a separate SoC communicatively coupled to the RF circuit 406 (or multiple instances of the RF circuit 406). In yet another example, some or all of the components of the baseband circuit 410 and the application circuit 205 / 305 may be implemented together as a separate SoC mounted to the same circuit board (e.g., a "multi-chip package").

[0149] In some embodiments, baseband circuitry 410 may provide communications compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, baseband circuitry 410 may support communications with E-UTRAN or other WMANs, WLANs, WPANs. Embodiments in which baseband circuitry 410 is configured to support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

[0150] RF circuit 406 can communicate with a wireless network through a non-solid medium using modulated electromagnetic radiation. In various embodiments, RF circuit 406 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate communication with a wireless network. RF circuit 406 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuits for down-converting an RF signal received from FEM circuit 408 and providing a baseband signal to baseband circuit 410. RF circuit 406 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuits for up-converting a baseband signal provided by baseband circuit 410 and providing an RF output signal for transmission to FEM circuit 408.

[0151] In some embodiments, the receive signal path of the RF circuit 406 may include a mixer circuit 406a, an amplifier circuit 406b, and a filter circuit 406c. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of the RF circuit 406 may include a filter circuit 406c and a mixer circuit 406a. The RF circuit 406 may also include a synthesizer circuit 406d, which is used to synthesize the frequencies used by the mixer circuit 406a of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 406a of the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert the RF signal received from the FEM circuit 408 based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 406d. The amplifier circuit 406b may be configured to amplify the down-converted signal, and the filter circuit 406c may be a low pass filter (LPF) or a band pass filter (BPF), which is configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signal to generate an output baseband signal. The output baseband signal may be provided to the baseband circuit 410 for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signal may be a zero frequency baseband signal, although this is not required.In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 406a of the receive signal path may include a passive mixer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0152] In some embodiments, mixer circuit 406a of the transmit signal path may be configured to up-convert an input baseband signal based on a synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuit 406d to generate an RF output signal for FEM circuit 408. The baseband signal may be provided by baseband circuit 410 and may be filtered by filter circuit 406c.

[0153] In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 406a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 406a 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 406a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 406a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image suppression (e.g., Hartley image suppression). In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 406a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 406a of the transmit signal path may be arranged for direct down-conversion and direct up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 406a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 406a of the transmit signal path may be configured for superheterodyne operation.

[0154] In some embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, RF circuit 406 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuits, and baseband circuit 410 may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with RF circuit 406.

[0155] In some dual-mode embodiments, separate radio IC circuits may be provided to process signals for each spectrum, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0156] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 406d may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect, as other types of frequency synthesizers may also be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 406d may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0157] Synthesizer circuit 406d may be configured to synthesize an output frequency based on the frequency input and the divider control input for use by mixer circuit 406a of RF circuit 406. In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 406d may be a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer.

[0158] In some embodiments, the frequency input may be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), although this is not required. The divider control input may be provided by the baseband circuit 410 or the application circuit 205 / 305 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 205 / 305.

[0159] The synthesizer circuit 406d of the RF circuit 406 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-mode 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 example embodiments, the DLL may include a cascaded, tunable, delay element, a phase detector, a charge pump, and a set of D-type flip-flops. In these embodiments, the delay element 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.

[0160] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuit 406d can be configured to generate a carrier frequency as an output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency can be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and can be used with a quadrature generator and divider circuit to generate multiple signals with multiple different phases relative to each other at the carrier frequency. In some embodiments, the output frequency can be the LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, the RF circuit 406 can include an IQ / polarity converter.

[0161] FEM circuitry 408 may include a receive signal path that may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from antenna array 411, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to RF circuitry 406 for further processing. FEM circuitry 408 may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry configured to amplify signals for transmission provided by RF circuitry 406 for transmission by one or more antenna elements in antenna array 411. In various embodiments, amplification by either the transmit signal path or the receive signal path may be accomplished only in RF circuitry 406, only in FEM circuitry 408, or in both RF circuitry 406 and FEM circuitry 408.

[0162] In some embodiments, FEM circuit 408 may include a TX / RX switch to switch between transmission mode and reception mode operation. FEM circuit 408 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of FEM circuit 408 may include an LNA to amplify a received RF signal and provide the amplified received RF signal as an output (e.g., to RF circuit 406). The transmit signal path of FEM circuit 408 may include a power amplifier (PA) for amplifying an input RF signal (e.g., provided by RF circuit 406), and one or more filters for generating an RF signal for subsequent transmission by one or more antenna elements of antenna array 411.

[0163] The antenna array 411 includes one or more antenna elements, each of which is configured to convert an electrical signal into a radio wave to travel through the air and convert the received radio wave into an electrical signal. For example, a digital baseband signal provided by the baseband circuit 410 is converted into an analog RF signal (e.g., a modulated waveform), which is amplified and transmitted via the antenna elements of the antenna array 411 including one or more antenna elements (not shown). The antenna elements may be omnidirectional, directional, or a combination thereof. The antenna elements may be formed into a variety of arrangements as known and / or discussed herein. The antenna array 411 may include a microstrip antenna or a printed antenna fabricated on the surface of one or more printed circuit boards. The antenna array 411 may be formed as a patch of metal foil of various shapes (e.g., a patch antenna) and may be coupled to the RF circuit 406 and / or the FEM circuit 408 using a metal transmission line or the like.

[0164] The processor of the application circuit 205 / 305 and the processor of the baseband circuit 410 can be used to execute elements of one or more instances of the protocol stack. For example, the processor of the baseband circuit 410 can be used alone or in combination to perform layer 3, layer 2, or layer 1 functions, while the processor of the application circuit 205 / 305 can utilize data received from these layers (e.g., packet data) and further perform layer 4 functions (e.g., TCP and UDP layers). As mentioned herein, layer 3 may include an RRC layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 2 may include a MAC layer, an RLC layer, and a PDCP layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 1 may include a PHY layer of a UE / RAN node, which will be described in further detail below.

[0165] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating components capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable medium or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and performing any one or more of the methods discussed herein, according to some exemplary embodiments. Specifically, Figure 5A schematic diagram of hardware resources 500 is shown, including one or more processors (or processor cores) 510, one or more memory / storage devices 520, and one or more communication resources 530, each of which may be communicatively coupled via a bus 540. For embodiments in which node virtualization (e.g., NFV) is utilized, a hypervisor 502 may be executed to provide an execution environment for one or more network slices / sub-slices to utilize the hardware resources 500.

[0166] Processor 510 may include, for example, processor 512 and processor 514. Processor 510 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.

[0167] The memory / storage device 520 may include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. The memory / storage device 520 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, solid-state storage, etc.

[0168] The communication resources 530 may include an interconnect or network interface component or other suitable device to communicate with one or more peripheral devices 504 or one or more databases 506 via the network 508. For example, the communication resources 530 may include a wired communication component (e.g., for coupling via USB), a cellular communication component, an NFC component, (or Low power consumption) components, components and other communication components.

[0169] The instructions 550 may include software, programs, applications, applet, applications, or other executable code for causing at least any one of the processors 510 to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. The instructions 550 may reside completely or partially in at least one of the processors 510 (e.g., in a cache memory of the processor), the memory / storage device 520, or any suitable combination thereof. In addition, any portion of the instructions 550 may be transferred to the hardware resources 500 from any combination of the peripheral device 504 or the database 506. Thus, the memory of the processor 510, the memory / storage device 520, the peripheral device 504, and the database 506 are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media.

[0170] Protocol Layer

[0171] Figure 6 Various protocol functions that can be implemented in a wireless communication device according to various exemplary embodiments are shown. Specifically, Figure 6 An arrangement 600 is included to show the interconnection between various protocol layers / entities. Various protocol layers / entities operating in conjunction with 5G / NR system standards and LTE system standards are provided. Figure 6 The following description, but Figure 6 Some or all aspects of the invention may also be applicable to other wireless communication network systems.

[0172] The protocol layers of arrangement 600 may include one or more of PHY 610, MAC 620, RLC 630, PDCP 640, SDAP 647, RRC 655, and NAS layer 657, in addition to other higher layer functions not shown. These protocol layers may include one or more service access points (SAPs) (e.g., Figure 6 Items 659, 656, 650, 649, 645, 635, 625 and 615).

[0173] PHY 610 can transmit and receive physical layer signals 605, which can be received or transmitted from one or more other communication devices to one or more other communication devices. Physical layer signals 605 may include one or more physical channels, such as those discussed herein. PHY 610 may also perform link adaptation or adaptive modulation and coding (AMC), power control, cell search (e.g., for initial synchronization and switching purposes) and other measurements used by higher layers (e.g., RRC 655). PHY 610 may also further perform error detection on transmission channels, forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding of transmission channels, modulation / demodulation of physical channels, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to physical channels, and MIMO antenna processing. In an embodiment, an instance of PHY 610 may process a request from an instance of MAC 620 via one or more PHY-SAP 615, and provide an indication thereto. According to some embodiments, the request and indication transmitted via PHY-SAP 615 may include one or more transmission channels.

[0174] An instance of MAC 620 may process requests from an instance of RLC 630 via one or more MAC-SAPs 625 and provide indications thereto. These requests and indications transmitted via MAC-SAPs 625 may include one or more logical channels. MAC 620 may perform mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing MAC SDUs from one or more logical channels onto TBs to be delivered to PHY 610 via transport channels, demultiplexing MAC SDUs from TBs delivered from PHY 610 via transport channels to one or more logical channels, multiplexing MAC SDUs onto TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via HARQ, and logical channel prioritization.

[0175] An instance of RLC 630 may process requests from an instance of PDCP 640 and provide indications thereto via one or more radio link control service access points (RLC-SAPs) 635. These requests and indications transmitted via RLC-SAPs 635 may include one or more logical channels. RLC 630 may operate in a variety of operating modes, including: transparent mode (TM), unacknowledged mode (UM), and acknowledged mode (AM). RLC 630 may perform transmission of upper layer protocol data units (PDUs), error correction through automatic repeat request (ARQ) for AM data transmission, and concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs for UM and AM data transmission. RLC 630 may also perform resegmentation of 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.

[0176] An instance of PDCP 640 may process requests from an instance of RRC 655 and / or an instance of SDAP 647 via one or more Packet Data Convergence Protocol Service Points (PDCP-SAP) 645 and provide indications thereto. These requests and indications transmitted via PDCP-SAP 645 may include one or more radio bearers. PDCP 640 may perform header compression and decompression of IP data, maintain PDCP sequence numbers (SNs), perform in-order delivery of upper layer PDUs when lower layers are reestablished, eliminate duplication of lower layer SDUs when lower layers are reestablished 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, integrity verification, etc.).

[0177] An instance of SDAP 647 may process requests from one or more higher layer protocol entities via one or more SDAP-SAP 649 and provide instructions thereto. These requests and instructions transmitted via SDAP-SAP 649 may include one or more QoS flows. SDAP 647 may map QoS flows to DRBs and vice versa, and may also mark QFIs in DL packets and UL packets. A single SDAP entity 647 may be configured for a separate PDU session. In the UL direction, 5G NR-RAN 110 may control the mapping of QoS flows to DRBs in two different ways (reflective mapping or explicit mapping). For reflective mapping, the SDAP 647 of UE 101 may monitor the QFI of the DL packets of each DRB, and may apply the same mapping to packets flowing in the UL direction. For DRBs, the SDAP 647 of UE 101 may map UL packets belonging to a QoS flow corresponding to the QoS flow ID and PDU session observed in the DL packets of the DRB. To implement reflective mapping, 5G NR-RAN 110 may mark DL packets with a QoS flow ID over the Uu interface. Explicit mapping may involve RRC 655 configuring SDAP 647 with explicit mapping rules for QoS flows to DRBs, which may be stored and followed by SDAP 647. In an embodiment, SDAP 647 may be used only in NR implementations and may not be used in LTE implementations.

[0178] The RRC 655 may configure aspects of one or more protocol layers, which may include one or more instances of PHY 610, MAC 620, RLC 630, PDCP 640, and SDAP 647, via one or more Management Service Access Points (M-SAPs). In an embodiment, an instance of the RRC 655 may process requests from one or more NAS entities 657 and provide instructions thereto via one or more RRC-SAPs 656. The main services and functions of the RRC 655 may include broadcasting of system information (e.g., included in a MIB or SIB related to NAS), broadcasting of system information related to the access stratum (AS), paging, establishment, maintenance, and release of an 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 IEs, each of which may include a separate data field or data structure.

[0179] NAS 657 may form the highest layer of the control plane between UE 101 and AMF 821. NAS 657 may support the 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.

[0180] According to various embodiments, one or more protocol entities of arrangement 600 may be implemented in UE 101, RAN node 111, AMF in NR implementation or MME in LTE implementation, UPF in NR implementation or S-GW and P-GW in LTE implementation, etc., for control plane or user plane communication protocol stacks between the aforementioned devices. In such embodiments, one or more protocol entities that may be implemented in one or more of UE 101, gNB 111, AMF, etc. may communicate with corresponding peer protocol entities that may be implemented in or on another device (using the services of corresponding lower layer protocol entities to perform such communication). In some embodiments, the gNB-CU of gNB 111 may host the RRC 655, SDAP 647, and PDCP 640 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 630, MAC 620, and PHY 510 of gNB 111.

[0181] In a first example, the control plane protocol stack may include, in order from the highest layer to the lowest layer, NAS 557, RRC 555, PDCP 640, RLC 630, MAC 520, and PHY 510. In this example, an upper layer 660 may be built on top of NAS 557, which includes an IP layer 661, SCTP 662, and an application layer signaling protocol (AP) 663.

[0182] In an NR specific implementation, the AP 663 may be a 5G NR application protocol layer (5G NR AP or NG-AP) 663 for the 5GNR interface 113 defined between the 5G NR-RAN node 111 and the AMF, or the AP 663 may be an Xn application protocol layer (XnAP or Xn-AP) 663 for the Xn interface 112 defined between two or more RAN nodes 111.

[0183] The 5G NR-AP 663 may support the functionality of the 5G NR interface 113 and may include a primary procedure (EP). The 5G NR-AP EP may be an interaction unit between the 5G NR-RAN node 111 and the AMF. The 5G NR-AP 663 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 5G NR interface instance between the 5G NR-RAN node 111 and the AMF). These services may include functions including, but not limited to: a paging function for sending a paging request to a 5G NR-RAN node 111 involved in a specific paging area; a UE context management function for allowing the AMF to establish, modify and / or release the UE context in the AMF and the 5G NR-RAN node 111; a mobility function for the UE 101 in ECM-CONNECTED mode, for enabling intra-system HO to support mobility within the 5G NR-RAN and inter-system HO to support mobility from / to the EPS system; a NAS signaling transport function for transmitting or rerouting NAS messages between the UE 101 and the AMF; a NAS node selection function for determining the association between the AMF and the UE 101; a 5G NR interface management function for setting up the 5GNR interface and monitoring errors through the 5G NR interface; a warning message sending function for providing a means for transmitting a warning message via the 5G NR interface or cancelling an ongoing warning message broadcast ... 120 A configuration transmission function for requesting and transmitting RAN configuration information (eg, SON information, performance measurement (PM) data, etc.) between two RAN nodes 111; and / or other similar functions.

[0184] The XnAP 663 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 5G NR RAN 111 (or E-UTRAN 111), such as handover preparation and cancellation procedures, SN state transfer procedures, UE context retrieval and UE context release procedures, RAN paging procedures, procedures related to dual connectivity, etc. The XnAP global procedures may include procedures that are not related to a specific UE 101, such as Xn interface setup and reset procedures, 5G NR-RAN update procedures, cell activation procedures, etc.

[0185] In an LTE specific implementation, the AP 663 may be an S1 application protocol layer (S1-AP) 663 for the S1 interface 113 defined between the E-UTRAN node 111 and the MME, or the AP 663 may be an X2 application protocol layer (X2AP or X2-AP) 663 for the X2 interface 112 defined between two or more E-UTRAN nodes 111.

[0186] The S1 application protocol layer (S1-AP) 663 may support the functionality of the S1 interface, and similar to the 5G NR-AP discussed previously, the S1-AP may include an S1-AP EP. The S1-AP EP may be an interaction unit between the E-UTRAN node 111 and the MME within the LTE CN 120. The S1-AP 663 services may include two groups: UE-associated services and non-UE-associated services. The functions performed by these services include, but are not limited to: E-UTRAN Radio Access Bearer (E-RAB) management, UE capability indication, mobility, NAS signaling transmission, RAN Information Management (RIM), and configuration transmission.

[0187] The X2AP 663 may support the functions of the X2 interface 112 and may include an X2AP basic mobility procedure and an X2AP global procedure. The X2AP basic mobility procedure may include a procedure for handling UE mobility within the E-UTRAN 120, such as a handover preparation and cancellation procedure, an SN state transfer procedure, a UE context retrieval and a UE context release procedure, a RAN paging procedure, a procedure related to dual connectivity, etc. The X2AP global procedure may include a procedure that is not related to a specific UE 101, such as an X2 interface setup and reset procedure, a load indication procedure, an error indication procedure, a cell activation procedure, etc.

[0188] The SCTP layer (alternatively referred to as the SCTP / IP layer) 662 may provide guaranteed delivery of application layer messages (e.g., 5G NRAP or XnAP messages in NR implementations, or S1-AP or X2AP messages in LTE implementations). The SCTP 662 may ensure reliable delivery of signaling messages between the RAN node 111 and the AMF / MME based in part on the IP protocol supported by the IP 661. The Internet Protocol layer (IP) 661 may be used to perform packet addressing and routing functions. In some implementations, the IP layer 661 may deliver and transmit PDUs using point-to-point transport. In this regard, the RAN node 111 may include L2 and L1 layer communication links (e.g., wired or wireless) with the MME / AMF to exchange information.

[0189] In a second example, the user plane protocol stack may include SDAP 647, PDCP 640, RLC 630, MAC 520, and PHY 510 in order from the highest layer to the lowest layer. The user plane protocol stack may be used for communication between UE 101, RAN node 111, and UPF in NR implementation, or communication between S-GW and P-GW in LTE implementation. In this example, the upper layer 651 may be built on top of SDAP 647 and may include a user datagram protocol (UDP) and IP security layer (UDP / IP) 652, a general packet radio service (GPRS) tunneling protocol for a user plane layer (GTP-U) 653, and a user plane PDU layer (UPPDU) 663.

[0190] The transport network layer 654 (also referred to as the "transport layer") may be built on an IP transport, and the GTP-U 653 may be used on top of the UDP / IP layer 652 (including the UDP layer and the IP layer) to carry the user plane PDU (UP-PDU). The IP layer (also referred to as the "Internet layer") may be used to perform packet addressing and routing functions. The IP layer may assign IP addresses to user data packets, for example, in any of the IPv4, IPv6, or PPP formats.

[0191] GTP-U 653 may 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 may be packets in any of the IPv4, IPv6 or PPP formats. UDP / IP 652 may provide a checksum for data integrity, a port number for addressing different functions at the source and destination, and encryption and authentication of selected data flows. The RAN node 111 and the S-GW may utilize the S1-U interface via a protocol stack including an L1 layer (e.g., PHY 610), an L2 layer (e.g., MAC 620, RLC 630, PDCP 640 and / or SDAP 647), a UDP / IP layer 652, and a GTP-U 653 to exchange user plane data. The S-GW and the P-GW may utilize the S5 / S8a interface via a protocol stack including an L1 layer, an L2 layer, a UDP / IP layer 652, and a GTP-U 653 to exchange user plane data. As previously discussed, the NAS protocol may support the mobility of UE 101 and session management procedures to establish and maintain an IP connection between UE 101 and the P-GW.

[0192] In addition, despite Figure 6Not shown, but an application layer may exist above the AP 663 and / or transport network layer 654. The application layer may be a layer where a user of the UE 101, RAN node 111, or other network element interacts with a software application, for example, executed by the application circuitry 205 or the application circuitry 305, respectively. The application layer may also provide one or more interfaces for the software application to interact with the communication system (such as the baseband circuitry 410) of the UE 101 or RAN node 111. In some implementations, the IP layer and / or the application layer may provide functionality that is the same or similar to layers 5 to 7 of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model, or portions thereof (e.g., OSI layer 7—application layer, OSI layer 6—presentation layer, and OSI layer 5—session layer).

[0193] Dynamic LBTSB carrying PUCCH in broadband

[0194] NR-U supports broadband operation, such as operation in a frequency band of at least an integer multiple of 20 MHz. Broadband refers to the carrier bandwidth (BW) or bandwidth part (BWP) configured for the UE. The broadband can be divided into one or more LBT subbands (SBs), for example, a broadband of 80 MHz is divided into 4 SBs of 20 MHz each, so as to coexist with the channelization of WiFi. LBT SBs may also be referred to as LBT BWs. The gNB may perform LBT separately for each SB and then occupy the channel on the SB where the LBT is successful.

[0195] The PUCCH resources are configured within the UL BWP. If the UL BWP includes one or more LBT SBs, the PUCCH may span one or more LBT SBs. Alternatively, the PUCCH resources may be limited to a single LBT SB. The LBT SB carrying the PUCCH resources may be a fixed LBT SB within the UL BWP, such as the lowest LBT SB in the UL BWP. Alternatively, the LBT SB carrying the PUCCH resources in the UL BWP may be indicated by other means.

[0196] Fig.11a PUCCH resource configuration according to an exemplary embodiment is shown. In this embodiment, all configured PUCCH resources for a UE are within the same LBT SB in the UL BWP. The LBT SB is explicitly configured by the gNB, or the LBT SB is implicitly derived, such as the lowest LBT SB in the UL BWP. The UE can transmit uplink control information (UCI) on PUCCH resources in the LBT SB subject to LBT.

[0197] Fig.11bA PUCCH resource configuration according to another exemplary embodiment is shown. In this embodiment, the PUCCH resources for the UE may be configured on one, multiple or all LBT SBs, where one PUCCH resource is confined to one LBT SB. These LBT SBs in the UL BWP may be freely configured individually for each PUCCH resource. Alternatively, PUCCH resources carrying the same UCI type may be configured on the same LBT SB in the UL BWP. Alternatively, for each of N PUCCH resource sets (e.g., N=4), all PUCCH resources in the PUCCH resource set may be configured in the same LBT SB in the UL BWP. For example, based on the RRC configuration and / or dynamic indication represented by, for example, an ACK / NACK resource indicator (ARI) in the DCI, the UE derives the PUCCH resources, such as the PUCCH resources on LBT SB#2, as shown in FIG. Fig.11b As shown, and if necessary, UCI is transmitted on PUCCH resources subject to LBT.

[0198] Fig.12 FIG. 2 shows a PUCCH resource configuration according to another exemplary embodiment. In this embodiment, multiple or all LBT SBs may be configured to include PUCCH resources for a UE through RRC signaling, and one LBT SB among the multiple or all LBT SBs is derived for PUCCH transmission. RRC signaling may configure PUCCH resources that are repeatedly applied to multiple or all LBT SBs. Alternatively, RRC signaling may configure PUCCH resources on each LBT SB individually. Fig.12 As shown, the UE may derive an LBT SB (eg, LBT SB#2) by a predefined rule or by an indication, and then derive PUCCH resources on LBT SB#2 for UCI transmission.

[0199] In another embodiment, the LBT SB carrying the PUCCH resources (e.g., the lowest LBT SB) may be derived by a predefined rule or configured by RRC signaling. In yet another embodiment, the LBT SB carrying the PUCCH resources may be indicated by a MAC CE of a PDSCH or PUSCH. The MAC CE may change the LBT SB only for a single PUCCH resource. Alternatively, a single MAC CE may change the LBT SB for multiple PUCCH resources. Alternatively, a single MAC CE may change the LBT SB for all PUCCH resources.

[0200] Preferably, the gNB can select one of the available LBT SBs in which DL LBT is successful, and indicate the LBT SB for PUCCH transmission to a group of UEs. Therefore, the UE can start transmission on the PUCCH resources within the LBT SB using CAT-2 LBT.

[0201] For example, Fig.13a As shown in FIG. 1 , if DL LBT on all four LBT SBs is successful, the LBT SB carrying the PUCCH may be LBT SB#1. Fig.13b As shown in FIG, if only LBT on the last two LBT SBs is successful, the LBT SB carrying PUCCH can be changed to LBT SB#3. In this way, the UE can use CAT-2 LBT to start PUCCH transmission in the COT initiated by the gNB. Fig.13b As shown, if the PUCCH is still allocated on LBT SB#1, the UE may rely on CAT-4 LBT to start PUCCH transmission, which may fail with a greater probability.

[0202] In one embodiment, the LBT SB carrying PUCCH resources may be indicated by a group common DCI (GC-DCI). The GC-DCI may be DCI 2_0 or other DCI formats. The PUCCH carrying the LBT SB may be explicitly signaled to a group of UEs via the GC-DCI. There may be only one field in the group common (GC)-DCI, which indicates the LBT SB carrying the PUCCH. Alternatively, there may be multiple fields in the GC-DCI, which respectively indicate the LBT SBs for multiple groups of UEs. The indication may be used to indicate an LBT SB within the full bandwidth of the carrier. Alternatively, the indication may be used to indicate an LBT SB within the UL BWP of the UE. Since different UEs may have different currently activated UL BWPs, different UEs may interpret the indication differently. Alternatively, the mapping between the indication in the GC-DCI and the LBT SB carrying the PUCCH for the UE may be configured by a high layer.

[0203] In one embodiment, the LBT SB carrying the PUCCH may be implicitly derived from other information. For example, if the GC-DCI (e.g., DCI 2_0) indicates all available LBT SBs in which DL LBT succeeds in the COT initiated by the current gNB, a rule may be defined to select one LBT SB from these available LBT SBs. For example, the lowest LBT SB among these available LBT SBs may be selected. Alternatively, the lowest LBT SB among these available LBT SBs and the UL BWP of the UE may be selected. If there is no overlap between these available LBT SBs and the UL BWP of the UE, the LBT SB carrying the PUCCH for the UE may remain unchanged.

[0204] In one embodiment, the LBT SB carrying PUCCH resources may be indicated to the UE via a UE-specific DCI. The UE-specific DCI may be a DCI for scheduling PDSCH or PUSCH. Alternatively, the UE-specific DCI may be a DCI for other purposes or dedicated to indicating a PUCCH carrying an LBT SB. The indication may indicate an LBT SB within the UL BWP of the UE, or the indication may indicate an LBT SB within the full bandwidth of the carrier.

[0205] In one embodiment, if the UE receives multiple indications on the LBT SB carrying the PUCCH, the UE may derive the LBT SB according to a priority order. For example, the UE-specific DCI may be prioritized as > GC-DCI > MAC CE > RRC configuration, where the UE-specific DCI is the highest priority.

[0206] Dynamic LBT carrier carrying PUCCH in carrier aggregation

[0207] NR-U supports carrier aggregation by configuring more than one component carrier. The gNB can perform LBT for each carrier separately and then occupy the carrier where the DL LBT is successful. On the UE side, if the UL LBT is successful on the LBT SB carrying PUCCH on the carrier, the carrier can be used to transmit UCI. Although PUCCH resources can also be configured on one LBTSB in the UL BWP in the carrier, only PUCCH resource allocation on the carrier level is addressed in the following description. Therefore, in the following, the carrier can be considered as the LBT bandwidth.

[0208] Fig.14aPUCCH resource configuration in a carrier aggregation (CA) configuration according to an exemplary embodiment is shown. In this embodiment, all configured PUCCH resources for a UE are within the same carrier. The carrier is explicitly configured by the gNB or the carrier is implicitly derived, such as the PCC in CA. The UE may transmit UCI on PUCCH resources in a carrier subject to LBT.

[0209] Fig.14b A PUCCH resource configuration in a CA configuration according to another exemplary embodiment is shown. In this embodiment, PUCCH resources for a UE may be configured on one, multiple or all carriers, with one PUCCH resource restricted to one carrier. The carrier may be freely configured individually for each PUCCH resource. Alternatively, PUCCH resources carrying the same UCI type may be configured on the same carrier. Alternatively, for each of N PUCCH resource sets (e.g., N=4), all PUCCH resources in the PUCCH resource set may be configured in the same carrier. Based on the RRC configuration and / or dynamic indication represented by, for example, ARI in the DCI, the UE derives the PUCCH resources, for example, the PUCCH resources on carrier #2, such as Fig.14b As shown, and if necessary, UCI is transmitted on PUCCH resources subject to LBT.

[0210] Fig.15 FIG. 2 shows a PUCCH resource configuration in a CA configuration according to another exemplary embodiment. In this embodiment, multiple or all carriers may be configured to contain PUCCH resources for a UE via RRC signaling, and one of the multiple or all carriers is derived for PUCCH transmission. RRC signaling may configure PUCCH resources applicable to multiple or all carriers. Alternatively, RRC signaling may configure PUCCH resources on each carrier individually. Fig.15 As shown, the UE may derive a carrier (eg, carrier #2) by a predefined rule or by an indication, and then derive PUCCH resources on the derived carrier #2 for UCI transmission.

[0211] In one embodiment, the carrier carrying the PUCCH resources (eg, the lowest carrier) may be derived through a predefined rule or configured through RRC signaling.

[0212] In one embodiment, the carrier carrying the PUCCH resources may be indicated by a MAC CE of the PDSCH or PUSCH. The MAC CE may change the carrier for a single PUCCH resource. Alternatively, a single MAC CE may change the carrier for multiple PUCCH resources. Alternatively, a single MAC CE may change the carrier for all PUCCH resources.

[0213] Fig.16a FIG. 4 shows a PUCCH resource configuration in a CA configuration according to another exemplary embodiment. In this embodiment, the gNB may select one of the available carriers where DL LBT succeeds and indicate the carrier for PUCCH transmission to a group of UEs. Thus, the UE may initiate transmission on PUCCH resources within the carrier using CAT-2 LBT. For example, Fig.16a As shown in FIG. 1 , if DL LBT on all 4 carriers is successful, the carrier carrying the PUCCH may be carrier #1. Fig.16b As shown in Figure 1, if LBT on only the last two carriers is successful, the carrier carrying the PUCCH can be changed to carrier #3. In this way, the UE can use CAT-2 LBT to start PUCCH transmission in the COT initiated by the gNB. Fig.16b As shown, if the PUCCH is still allocated on LBT SB#1, the UE may rely on CAT-4 LBT to start PUCCH transmission, which may fail with a greater probability.

[0214] In one embodiment, the carrier carrying the PUCCH resources may be indicated by a group common DCI (GC-DCI). The GC-DCI may be DCI 2_0 or another DCI format. The carrier carrying the PUCCH may be explicitly signaled to a group of UEs via the GC-DCI. There may be only one field in the GC-DCI for indicating the carrier carrying the PUCCH. Alternatively, there may be multiple fields in the GC-DCI for separately indicating the carriers for multiple groups of UEs. The indication may be used to indicate a carrier within a carrier of CA. Since different UEs may have different currently configured carriers for CA, different UEs may interpret the indication as different carriers carrying the PUCCH. Alternatively, the mapping between the indication in the GC-DCI and the carrier carrying the PUCCH for the UE may be configured by a higher layer.

[0215] In one embodiment, the carrier carrying the PUCCH may be implicitly derived from other information. For example, if the GC-DCI (e.g., DCI 2_0) indicates all available carriers in which DL LBT succeeded in the COT initiated by the current gNB, a rule may be defined to select one carrier from these available carriers. For example, the lowest carrier among these available carriers may be selected. Alternatively, the lowest carrier among these available carriers and the configured carriers of the UE's CA is selected. If there is no overlap between these available carriers and the carriers of the UE's CA, the carrier carrying the PUCCH for the UE may remain unchanged.

[0216] In one embodiment, the carrier carrying the PUCCH resources may be indicated to the UE via a UE-specific DCI. The UE-specific DCI may be a DCI for scheduling PDSCH or PUSCH. Alternatively, the UE-specific DCI may be a DCI for other purposes, such as for indicating the PUCCH carrying the carrier. The indication may be used to indicate one of the configured carriers for CA of the UE.

[0217] In one embodiment, if the UE receives multiple indications on a carrier carrying PUCCH, the UE derives the carriers according to a priority order. For example, UE-specific DCI may be prioritized as > GC-DCI > MAC CE > RRC configuration, where UE-specific DCI is the highest priority.

[0218] Power control for UL transmission

[0219] NR-U supports wideband operation of carriers. Multiple BWPs can be configured within a wideband. The wideband can be divided into multiple LBT subbands (SBs), for example, a wideband of 80 MHz is divided into 4 SBs of 20 MHz each, to coexist with the channelization of WiFi. The gNB can first perform LBT individually for each SB. The gNB can then occupy the channel on the SB where the LBT is successful. There is a one-to-one mapping between DL BWP and UL BWP. Power control for UL transmissions in the active UL BWP is controlled by the path loss (PL) measurement in the active DL BWP.

[0220] Fig.17 FIG. 4 shows a path loss measurement for LBT SBs on a DL BWP according to an exemplary embodiment. One possible scenario is that LBT operation is successful for only a portion of the LBT SBs in the active DL BWP. In this scenario, PL measurement values ​​can be derived based on the available LBT SBs on the active DL BWP where LBT is successful. PL measurement values ​​can be used for power control of UL transmissions in the active UL BWP. Fig.17 As shown, according to the LBT operation, all LBT SBs can be used for DL ​​transmission (1701), or only some LBT SBs can be used for DL ​​transmission (1702 LBT SB #3-4, 1703 LBT SB #1-2). In order to derive PL measurement values ​​for UL transmission, PL measurements can be performed on all LBT SBs (1701) or only on available LBT SBs (1702, 1703).

[0221] Fig.18FIG. 4 shows a path loss measurement of an LBT SB on a DL BWP in a UL BWP switching scenario according to an exemplary embodiment. When a UE needs to transmit an UL transmission in an active UL BWP, the UE may not have available PL measurement values ​​in the active DL BWP. For example, Figure 8 As shown, when the UE receives a UL grant for switching from UL BWP1 to UL BWP2, the DL BWP is also switched from DL BWP1 to DL BWP2. However, the UE may not have the opportunity to perform PL measurement on DL BWP2. In NR-U, due to LBT failure, the gNB may not be able to occupy the DL channel again. Therefore, the situation where there is no PL measurement value for DL ​​BWP2 may last for a long time. In this scenario, the UE does not perform PL measurement on DL BWP2 to perform UL power control on UL transmission in UL BWP2. In this article, the uplink transmission may be a PUSCH scheduled by a UL grant, or may be allocated by a configured grant, a semi-statically configured PUCCH resource, etc.

[0222] In one embodiment, if there are no available PL measurements for the active DL BWP after the BWP switch, the UL transmission on the active UL BWP is dropped.

[0223] In one embodiment, if there are no available PL measurements for the active DL BWP after a BWP switch, the most recent PL measurement in the DL BWP before the BWP switch may be used for power control of UL transmissions in the active UL BWP, such as Fig.18 shown.

[0224] In one embodiment, if there are no available PL measurements for the active DL BWP after the BWP switching, if there is at least one LBT SB (which is the intersection of the active DL BWP and the previous DL BWP before the BWP switching), then the PL measurements for the at least one LBT SB can be used for power control of UL transmissions in the active UL BWP.

[0225] In one embodiment, if there are no available PL measurements for the active DL BWP after BWP switching, PL measurements may be derived based on the latest discovered reference signal (DRS). The PL measurements may be used for power control of UL transmissions in the active UL BWP.

[0226] NR-U supports multiple beam operations. Once the gNB schedules the UE to transmit on a new beam, there may be no available PL measurements corresponding to the new uplink beam. Similarly, the gNB may not be able to occupy the channel again due to LBT failure. Therefore, the situation of no PL measurements may last for a long time.

[0227] In one embodiment, if there is no available PL measurement value corresponding to the new uplink beam, the UL transmission using the new beam is discarded.

[0228] In one embodiment, if there are no available PL measurements corresponding to a new uplink beam, the most recent PL measurement for a different beam may be used in power control of UL transmissions using the new beam.

[0229] In one embodiment, if there are no available PL measurements corresponding to the new uplink beam, the average of the most recent PL measurements of other beams may be used in power control of UL transmissions using the new beam.

[0230] In one embodiment, if there is no available PL measurement value corresponding to the new uplink beam, the PL measurement value may be derived based on the latest discovery signal (DRS). The PL measurement value may be used for power control of UL transmissions using the new beam.

[0231] It should be noted that the above-described embodiments may be used in any scenario where a UE is unable to measure a DL RS for path loss measurement before transmitting a corresponding uplink signal.

[0232] NR-U may support closed-loop transmit power control (TPC). When an active UL BWP has multiple LBT SBs, UL transmissions including PUCCH, PUSCH, and / or SRS may occupy only a portion of the LBT SBs of the active UL BWP. UL transmissions with different timings may also occupy different LBT SBs. In addition, PL measurements for power control may be measured on the entire active DL BWP, on only a portion of the LBT SBs of the active DL BWP, or even on different DL BWPs. In one embodiment, closed-loop TPC accumulation runs continuously for the active UL BWP regardless of the active UL BWP for UL transmission and the LBT SBs in the LBT SBs for PL measurements.

[0233] LBT operation for overlapping PUCCH / PUSCH

[0234] In NRRel-15, multiple PUCCHs and / or PUSCHs may overlap in a time slot. For example, a PUCCH carrying HARQ-ACK may overlap with a PUCCH carrying CSI. PUCCH resources may overlap with PUSCH resources. For scenarios where multiple PUCCHs overlap, PUCCH resources are derived to carry the corresponding UCI for multiple PUCCHs. The derived PUCCH resources may be new PUCCH resources, or may be one of multiple PUCCH resources. If there is a PUSCH that overlaps with the derived PUCCH, the UCI may be carried on that PUSCH. In all of the above overlapping scenarios, Section 9.2.5 in TS38.213 defines the timeline requirements so that the UE has enough time to process the multiplexing. If the timeline is not met, it will become an error case.

[0235] In NR-U, due to the LBT operation, the LBT for the above-mentioned derived PUCCH resources may fail, resulting in all UCI not being transmitted. In addition, if the LBT for PUSCH resources fails, the UL data and all UCI cannot be transmitted. Various information carried on multiple overlapping PUCCH / PUSCHs usually has different priorities. For example, HARQ-ACK is more important than CSI. However, if the LBT for the derived PUCCH resources or PUSCH fails, all information may be discarded.

[0236] In one embodiment, for NR-U, if the timeline requirements defined in Section 9.2.5 of TS38.213 are met, when PUCCH and PUSCH overlap in a timeslot within a PUCCH group, the UE first performs UCI multiplexing according to the procedure defined in Section 9.2.5 of TS38.213. Subsequently, the UE performs LBT for each determined PUCCH and / or PUSCH in the timeslot.

[0237] In one embodiment, if LBT for the derived PUCCH resources or PUSCH fails, one or more LBT attempts may be allocated to a higher priority UL transmission. It is assumed that multiple UL channels overlap, and a UL channel (i.e., UL X) is derived by, for example, the process in Section 9.2.5 in TS38.213 for multiplexing all UL information. UL X may be a new channel, or one of the multiple UL channels. For example, a higher priority UL channel may carry HARQ-ACK, while other UL channels may carry CSI or UL data.

[0238] Fig.19 FIG. 2 shows a listen-before-talk (LBT) operation for overlapping PUCCH and PUSCH according to an exemplary embodiment. Fig.19As shown, UL X may be started no later than a higher priority UL channel. In this scenario, the UE may first perform LBT for UL X. If LBT is successful, the UE may transmit all UL information on UL X. Otherwise, the UE may perform LBT for a higher priority UL channel. If LBT is successful, the UE may transmit higher priority UL information on the higher priority UL channel. Otherwise, the UE does not transmit any UL transmission.

[0239] Fig. 20 FIG. 2 shows a listen-before-talk (LBT) operation for overlapping PUCCH and PUSCH according to another exemplary embodiment. Fig. 20 As shown, if UL X starts later than a higher priority UL channel, the UE may perform LBT only for UL X. If LBT is successful, the UE may transmit all UL information on UL X. Otherwise, the UE does not transmit any UL transmission.

[0240] Fig.21 FIG. 1 shows a listen-before-talk (LBT) operation for overlapping PUCCH and PUSCH according to another exemplary embodiment. In this embodiment, assuming that multiple UL channels overlap, PUCCH Y can be derived for multiple overlapping PUCCHs by, for example, the process in Section 9.2.5 in TS38.213, and PUCCH Y can overlap with two or more PUSCHs. PUCCH Y can be a new PUCCH or one of the multiple PUCCHs. The UCI of PUCCH Y can be carried on the first PUSCH in which LBT succeeds. Fig.21 As shown, the UE may perform LBT for PUSCH 1. If LBT is successful, the UE transmits all UL data and UCI on PUSCH 1. Otherwise, the UE may perform LBT for PUSCH 2. If LBT is successful, the UE may transmit UL data and UCI on PUSCH 2. Otherwise, the UE does not transmit any UL transmission.

[0241] method

[0242] Figures 1 to 10 The electronic device, network, system, chip or component or part thereof or specific implementation in some other figures of this document may be configured to perform one or more processes, techniques or methods described herein or part thereof.

[0243] Fig. 22A method 2200 for transmitting uplink control information (UCI) on an unlicensed band in 5G NR-U according to various exemplary embodiments described herein is shown. In 2205, a UE (e.g., UE 101) determines a configuration of uplink (UL) transmission resources based on a listen-before-talk (LBT) operation on an unlicensed spectrum. In 2210, the UE transmits UCI on the UL transmission resources based on the configuration subject to the LBT operation.

[0244] The above operation can also be performed in a baseband circuit (for example, Figure 4 Baseband circuit 410) shown or at Figure 5 The hardware resources 500 are shown as being executed.

[0245] Fig.23 A method 2300 for indicating UL transmission resource configuration to a UE on an unlicensed band in 5G NR-U according to various exemplary embodiments described herein is shown. In 2305, a network cell (e.g., RAN node 111) determines a configuration of uplink (UL) transmission resources for the UE based on a listen before talk (LBT) operation performed by the network cell on the unlicensed spectrum. In 2310, the network cell indicates to the UE the configuration of the UL transmission resources subject to the LBT operation.

[0246] Example

[0247] Example 1 may include details regarding a UL transmission mechanism that takes into account the impact of LBT operation.

[0248] Example 2 may include a method according to Example 1 or some other example herein, wherein multiple or all LBT bandwidths are configured via RRC signaling to include PUCCH resources for the UE, and one LBT bandwidth among the multiple or all LBT bandwidths is derived for PUCCH transmission.

[0249] Example 3 may include a method according to Example 2 or some other example herein, wherein the LBT bandwidth carrying PUCCH resources is derived through predefined rules or configured through RRC signaling.

[0250] Example 4 may include a method according to Example 2 or some other example herein, wherein the LBT bandwidth carrying PUCCH resources is indicated by a MAC CE of a PDSCH or PUSCH.

[0251] Example 5 may include a method according to Example 2 or some other example herein, wherein the LBT bandwidth carrying the PUCCH resources is explicitly or implicitly indicated by a group-common DCI.

[0252] Example 6 may include a method according to Example 2 or some other example herein, wherein the LBT bandwidth carrying the PUCCH resources is indicated by a UE-specific DCI.

[0253] Example 7 may include a method as described in Example 1 or some other example herein, wherein a PL measurement value for power control of UL transmission is measured on an available LBT SB on an active DL BWP where LBT is successful.

[0254] Example 8 may include a method according to Example 1 or some other example herein, wherein if there is no available PL measurement value for the active DL BWP after the BWP switch, the PL measurement value is derived through one of the following options: the most recent PL measurement value in the DL BWP before the BWP switch; the PL measurement value of at least one LBT SB, which is the intersection of the active DLBWP and the previous DL BWP before the BWP switch; or the PL measurement value derived based on the latest discovered reference signal (DRS).

[0255] Example 9 may include a method according to Example 1 or some other example herein, wherein if there is no available PL measurement value corresponding to a new uplink beam, the PL measurement value is derived via one of the following options: the most recent PL measurement value of a different beam; the average of the most recent PL measurement values ​​of other beams; or a PL measurement value based on the latest DRS.

[0256] Example 10 may include a method as described in Example 8 or 9 or some other example herein, wherein the closed-loop TPC accumulation runs continuously for the active UL BWP.

[0257] Example 11 may include a method according to Example 1 or some other example herein, wherein additional LBT attempts are allocated to higher priority UL transmissions.

[0258] Example 12 may include a method according to Example 1 or some other example herein, wherein the UCI is carried on the first PUSCH in which LBT is successful.

[0259] Example 13 may include a method for a UE in a wireless network including a next generation Node B (gNB) and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: determining a configuration of an uplink (UL) transmission resource relative to a listen-before-talk (LBT) operation on an unlicensed spectrum; and transmitting uplink control information (UCI) on the UL transmission resource based on the configuration subject to the LBT operation.

[0260] Example 14 may include a method according to Example 13 and / or some other example herein, wherein the UL transmission resource is a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource in a wideband subband for LBT operation.

[0261] Example 15 may include a method according to Example 13 and / or some other example herein, wherein the UL transmission resource is a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource in a carrier of carrier aggregation (CA) for LBT operation.

[0262] Example 16 may include a method according to Example 13 and / or some other example herein, wherein transmitting the UCI on the UL transmission resource includes transmitting the UCI in an LBT subband of a wideband for LBT operation or in an LBT carrier of a carrier aggregation (CA) for LBT operation during a shared channel occupancy time (COT) initiated by the gNB.

[0263] Example 17 may include a method according to Example 16 or some other example herein, wherein the broadband includes multiple LBT subbands (SBs), the CA includes multiple LBT carriers, and multiple or all LBT subbands or LBT carriers for UL transmission resources are configured via radio resource control (RRC) signaling to include configuration of UL transmission resources for the UE.

[0264] Example 18 may include a method according to Example 16 or some other example herein, wherein the broadband includes multiple LBT subbands, the CA includes multiple LBT carriers, and the configuration of multiple or all LBT subbands or LBT carriers for UL transmission resources is derived by predefined rules.

[0265] Example 19 may include a method according to Example 16 or some other example herein, wherein the broadband includes multiple LBT subbands, the CA includes multiple LBT carriers, and the configuration of multiple or all LBT subbands or LBT carriers for UL transmission resources is indicated by a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) of a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

[0266] Example 20 may include a method according to Example 16 or some other example herein, wherein the broadband includes multiple LBT subbands, the CA includes multiple LBT carriers, and the configuration of multiple or all LBT subbands or LBT carriers for UL transmission resources is explicitly or implicitly indicated by group common downlink control information (DCI).

[0267] Example 21 may include a method according to Example 16 or some other example herein, wherein the broadband includes multiple LBT subbands, the CA includes multiple LBT carriers, and the configuration of multiple or all LBT subbands or LBT carriers for UL transmission resources is indicated by UE-specific downlink control information (DCI).

[0268] Example 22 may include a method according to Example 16 or some other example herein, wherein the UE receives multiple indications of configurations for multiple or all LBT subbands or LBT carriers for UL transmission resources, and the UE derives the configuration to be used for the UL transmission resources based on a priority order.

[0269] Example 23 may include a method according to Example 16 or some other example herein, wherein a path loss (PL) measurement value for power control of UL transmissions is measured on an available LBT SB on an active downlink (DL) bandwidth part (BWP).

[0270] Example 24 may include a method according to any one of Examples 13 to 23 and / or some other example herein, wherein the method is performed by a device implemented in or employed by a UE.

[0271] Example 25 may include a method for a next generation Node B (gNB) in a wireless network including a gNB and a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: determining a configuration of uplink (UL) transmission resources of the UE relative to a listen before talk (LBT) operation performed by the gNB on an unlicensed spectrum; and indicating to the UE the configuration of the UL transmission resources subject to the LBT operation.

[0272] Example 26 may include a method according to Example 25 and / or some other example herein, wherein the UL transmission resource is a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource in a wideband subband for LBT operation.

[0273] Example 27 may include a method according to Example 25 and / or some other example herein, wherein the UL transmission resource is a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource in a carrier of a carrier aggregation (CA) for LBT operation.

[0274] Example 28 may include a method according to Example 25 and / or some other example herein, further comprising: initiating an LBT operation; and determining a shared channel occupancy time (COT) for the LBT operation.

[0275] Example 29 may include a method according to Example 28 and / or some other example herein, further comprising: based on the configuration of the UL transmission resources subject to LBT operation, receiving uplink control information (UCI) during the COT on the UL transmission resources, wherein the UCI is received in an LBT subband of a broadband used for the LBT operation, or in an LBT carrier of a carrier aggregation (CA) used for the LBT operation.

[0276] Example 30 may include a method according to Example 29 or some other example herein, wherein the broadband includes multiple LBT subbands (SBs), the CA includes multiple LBT carriers, and indicating the configuration of UL transmission resources to the UE includes indicating the configuration of multiple or all LBT subbands or LBT carriers for UL transmission resources via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0277] Example 31 may include a method according to Example 29 or some other example herein, wherein the broadband includes multiple LBT subbands (SBs), the CA includes multiple LBT carriers, and indicating the configuration of UL transmission resources to the UE includes indicating the configuration of multiple or all LBT subbands or LBT carriers for UL transmission resources by a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) of a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH).

[0278] Example 32 may include a method according to Example 29 or some other example herein, wherein the broadband includes multiple LBT subbands (SBs), the CA includes multiple LBT carriers, and indicating the configuration of UL transmission resources to the UE includes explicitly or implicitly indicating the configuration of multiple or all LBT subbands or LBT carriers for UL transmission resources through group common downlink control information (DCI).

[0279] Example 33 may include a method according to Example 29 or some other example herein, wherein the broadband includes multiple LBT subbands (SBs), the CA includes multiple LBT carriers, and indicating the configuration of UL transmission resources to the UE includes indicating the configuration of multiple or all LBT subbands or LBT carriers for UL transmission resources by UE-specific downlink control information (DCI).

[0280] Example 34 may include a method according to Example 29 or some other example herein, wherein the broadband includes multiple LBT subbands (SBs), the CA includes multiple LBT carriers, and the gNB performs LBT operations separately for each carrier or LBT SB.

[0281] Example 35 may include a method according to Examples 25 to 34 and / or some other example herein, wherein the method is performed by a device implemented in or employed by a gNB.

[0282] Example 36 may include an apparatus comprising means for performing one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of Examples 1 to 35, or any other method or process described herein.

[0283] Example 37 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media that include instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of a method described or related to any of Examples 1 to 35 or any other method or process described herein.

[0284] Example 38 may include an apparatus comprising logic components, modules, or circuits for performing one or more elements of the method described in or related to any of Examples 1 to 35 or any other method or process described herein.

[0285] Example 39 may include a method, technique, or process described in or related to any one of Examples 1 to 35, or a portion or component thereof.

[0286] Example 40 may include a device comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media, the one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method, technique, or process, or portion thereof, described in or related to any one of Examples 1 to 35.

[0287] Example 41 may include a signal as described or related to any one of Examples 1 to 35, or a portion or component thereof.

[0288] Example 42 may include a datagram, packet, frame, segment, protocol data unit (PDU) or message, or a portion or component thereof, as described or related to any of Examples 1 to 35, or otherwise described in the present disclosure.

[0289] Example 43 may include a signal encoded with data as described or related to any of Examples 1 to 35, or a portion or component thereof, or otherwise described in the present disclosure.

[0290] Example 44 may include a signal encoded with a datagram, packet, frame, segment, protocol data unit (PDU) or message, or a portion or component thereof, as described or associated with any of Examples 1 to 35, or otherwise described in the present disclosure.

[0291] Example 45 may include an electromagnetic signal carrying computer-readable instructions, wherein execution of the computer-readable instructions by one or more processors will cause the one or more processors to perform a method, technique, or process, or a portion thereof, described in or related to any one of Examples 1 to 35.

[0292] Example 46 may include a computer program comprising instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processing element causes the processing element to perform a method, technique, or process described in or related to any one of Examples 1 to 35, or a portion thereof.

[0293] Example 47 may include signals in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0294] Example 48 may include a method of communicating in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0295] Example 49 may include a system for providing wireless communications as shown and described herein.

[0296] Example 50 may include an apparatus for providing wireless communications as shown and described herein.

[0297] Unless explicitly stated otherwise, any of the above examples may be combined with any other example (or combination of examples). The foregoing description of one or more specific implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings or may be obtained from the practice of the various embodiments.

[0298] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0299] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is intended to cover modifications and variations of the present disclosure, provided that these modifications and variations are within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising: At a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network including a next generation Node B (gNB): determining a configuration of uplink (UL) transmission resources with respect to a listen before talk (LBT) operation on an unlicensed spectrum; as well as transmitting uplink control information (UCI) on the UL transmission resource based on the configuration subject to the LBT operation, The method is characterized in that: wherein transmitting the UCI on the UL transmission resource comprises transmitting the UCI in an LBT subband of a wideband for the LBT operation or in an LBT carrier of a carrier aggregation (CA) for the LBT operation during a shared channel occupation time (COT) initiated by the gNB; as well as The UE initiates transmission via CAT-4 LBT.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the UL transmission resource is (i) a subband in a broadband used for the LBT operation, or (ii) a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource in one of the carriers of a carrier aggregation (CA) used for the LBT operation.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the broadband comprises a plurality of LBT subbands (SBs), the CA comprises a plurality of LBT carriers, and the plurality of or all LBT subbands or LBT carriers used for the UL transmission resources are configured by one of: (i) radio resource control (RRC) signaling to include the configuration of the UL transmission resources for the UE, or (ii) a predefined rule.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the broadband includes multiple LBT subbands, the CA includes multiple LBT carriers, and the configuration of the multiple or all LBT subbands or LBT carriers for the UL transmission resources is indicated by one of: (i) a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) of a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), (ii) group common downlink control information (DCI), or (iii) UE-specific DCI.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: receiving a plurality of indications of the configuration of a plurality or all of the LBT subbands or LBT carriers for the UL transmission resources; as well as A configuration to be used for the UL transmission resources is derived based on the priority order.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: measuring a path loss (PL) measurement for power control of the UL transmission on one or more available LBT SBs on an active downlink (DL) bandwidth part (BWP); and Transmitting the PL measurement value to the gNB.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein if there is no available PL measurement value for the active DL BWP after BWP switching, the PL measurement value is derived by one of the following options: using the most recent PL measurement in the DL BWP before said BWP switching; using a PL measurement value for at least one LBT SB, the LBT SB being an intersection of the active DL BWP and a previous DL BWP before the BWP switching; or Use PL measurements derived based on the latest discovered reference signal (DRS).

8. The method of claim 6, wherein if there is no available PL measurement value corresponding to the new uplink beam, the PL measurement value is derived by one of the following options: Use the most recent PL measurements from different beams; Use an average of recent PL measurements from different beams; or The PL measurements are based on the latest DRS.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein for an active UL BWP, a closed loop transmit power control (TPC) accumulation runs continuously.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein additional LBT attempts are allocated to higher priority UL transmissions.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the UCI is carried on a first PUSCH in which LBT is successful.

12. An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus being implemented in a UE or employed by the UE and configured to perform any one of the methods according to claims 1 to 11.

13. A method for wireless communication, comprising: At a next generation Node B (gNB) in a wireless network including a user equipment (UE): determining a configuration of uplink (UL) transmission resources for the UE with respect to a listen before talk (LBT) operation performed by the gNB on an unlicensed spectrum; as well as indicating, to the UE, the configuration of the UL transmission resources subject to the LBT operation; as well as Receiving uplink control information (UCI) on the UL transmission resource, wherein receiving the UCI on the UL transmission resource includes: receiving the UCI in an LBT subband of a broadband for the LBT operation or in an LBT carrier of a carrier aggregation (CA) for the LBT operation during a shared channel occupation time (COT) initiated by the gNB, and wherein the gNB receives a transmission initiated by the UE via CAT4 LBT.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the UL transmission resource is a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource in a subband of a broadband for the LBT operation.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the UL transmission resource is a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) resource in a carrier of carrier aggregation (CA) used for the LBT operation.

16. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: Initiating the LBT operation; as well as A shared channel occupation time (COT) for the LBT operation is determined.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the broadband comprises a plurality of LBT subbands (SBs), the CA comprises a plurality of LBT carriers, and the configuration of indicating the UL transmission resources to the UE comprises indicating the configuration of a plurality of or all LBT subbands or LBT carriers for the UL transmission resources by one of: (i) radio resource control (RRC) signaling, (ii) a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) of a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), (iii) group common downlink control information (DCI), or (iv) UE-specific DCI.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the broadband includes a plurality of LBT subbands (SBs), the CA includes a plurality of LBT carriers, and the gNB performs the LBT operation separately for each carrier or the LBT SB.

19. An apparatus for wireless communication, the apparatus being implemented in a gNB or employed by the gNB and configured to perform any one of the methods according to claims 13 to 18.

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