Enabling multiple start symbol opportunities for configuration authorization in New Radio (NR) systems operating in unlicensed spectrum

Abstract

A network device (e.g., a user equipment (UE), a new radio NB (gNB), or other network component) may process or generate a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) based on a configuration grant that enables different configurations with multiple start symbol opportunities for the configuration grant in new radio (NR) unlicensed communications. Based on the configuration grant, the PUSCH may be type A or type B. A number M of demodulation reference signals (DMRS) and a number N of start symbol opportunities may be configured in a time slot according to the configuration grant, where M and N each include integers greater than zero.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 825,649, filed on March 28, 2019, entitled “ENABLING MULTIPLE STARTING SYMBOL OCCASIONS FOR CONFIGURED GRANTS IN NEW RADIO (NR) SYSTEMS OPERATING ON UNLICENSED SPECTRUM,” the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to wireless technologies, and more particularly to multiple starting symbol opportunities for configuration grants (CGs) for New Radio (NR) unlicensed spectrum. Background Art

[0004] Mobile communications have evolved significantly from early voice systems to today's highly complex integrated communications platforms. The next generation of wireless communication systems, 5G or New Radio (NR), will provide access to information and data sharing anytime, anywhere for a variety of users and applications. NR is expected to be a unified network / system designed to meet very different and sometimes conflicting performance dimensions and services. Such different multi-dimensional requirements are driven by different services and applications. In general, NR will evolve based on 3GPP LTE-Advanced and additional potential new air access technologies (RATs), enriching people's lives with better simple and seamless wireless connectivity solutions. NR will enable everything to be connected wirelessly and provide fast, rich content and services.

[0005] Recently, the first version of the NR (5G) specification provides a set of baseline features and components for future cellular communication systems. Every year, the number of mobile devices connected to wireless networks increases significantly. In order to meet the demand for mobile data traffic, system requirements must be changed to be able to meet these demands. The three key areas that need to be enhanced to achieve this traffic increase are larger bandwidth, lower latency and higher data rates. One of the main limiting factors in wireless innovation is the availability of spectrum. To alleviate this situation, unlicensed spectrum has always been an area of ​​interest in extending the availability of long-term evolution (LTE). In this context, a major enhancement of LTE in the 13th version of the third generation partnership project (3GPP) has been to enable it to operate in unlicensed spectrum via licensed assisted access (LAA), which extends the system bandwidth by utilizing the flexible carrier aggregation (CA) framework introduced by the advanced LTE system. Since the main building blocks of the new air interface (NR) framework have been established, the natural enhancement is to allow the framework to operate on unlicensed spectrum, especially with respect to multiple starting symbol opportunities for configuring authorization in the NR system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] Figure 1 is an exemplary block diagram illustrating an example of a user equipment (UE) and a next generation Node B (gNB) or access node in a network with network components that can be used in conjunction with the various aspects described herein.

[0007] Figure 2 is another exemplary block diagram illustrating a system that can be employed at a UE or a gNB in ​​accordance with various aspects described herein.

[0008] Figure 3 is an exemplary simplified block diagram of a UE wireless communication device or other network device / component (e.g., gNB) according to the various aspects described.

[0009] Figure 4 is another block diagram illustrating a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) and uplink control information (UCI) for a time slot of a configuration grant (CG) physical uplink channel having one or more start occasions in accordance with various aspects described herein.

[0010] Figure 5 is another block diagram illustrating a control block group (CBG) time shifted into a second portion of a time slot when LBT succeeds in a second start symbol opportunity in accordance with various aspects described herein.

[0011] Figure 6 is an example of multiple start symbol opportunities using mini-slots in accordance with various aspects / implementations described herein.

[0012] Figure 7is an exemplary process flow according to various aspects / embodiments described herein.

[0013] Figure 8 is another exemplary process flow according to various aspects / embodiments described herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0014] The present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein throughout the text, similar figure numerals are used to refer to similar elements, and the structures and devices shown therein need not be drawn to scale. As used herein, the terms "component", "system", "interface", etc. are intended to refer to entities, hardware, software (e.g., in execution) and / or firmware related to a computer. For example, a component may be a processor (e.g., a microprocessor, a controller or other processing device), a process running on a processor, a controller, an object, an executable file, a program, a storage device, a computer, a tablet computer, and / or a user equipment (e.g., a mobile phone, etc.) with a processing device. By way of example, an application program and a server running on a server may also be a component. One or more components may reside in a process, and a component may be located on a computer and / or distributed between two or more computers. This article may describe a set of elements or other component sets, wherein the term "set" may be interpreted as "one or more".

[0015] In addition, the components can execute from various computer-readable storage media having various data structures stored thereon, such as using modules, for example. The components can communicate via local and / or remote processes, such as according to signals having one or more data packets (e.g., data from one component interacts with another component in a local system, a distributed system, and / or throughout a network, such as the Internet, a local area network, a wide area network, or a similar network with other systems via signals).

[0016] As another example, a component may be a device having a specific function provided by a mechanical component operated by electrical or electronic circuitry, wherein the electrical or electronic circuitry may be operated by a software application or firmware application executed by one or more processors. The one or more processors may be internal or external to the device and may execute at least a portion of the software or firmware application. As another example, a component may be a device that provides a specific function by an electronic component without the need for a mechanical component; the electronic component may include one or more processors therein to execute at least a portion of the software and / or firmware that imparts the function to the electronic component.

[0017] The use of the word "exemplary" is intended to present concepts in a specific way. As used in this application, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or". That is, unless otherwise specified or clear from the context, "X employs A or B" is intended to mean any natural inclusive arrangement. That is, if X employs A; X employs B; or X employs both A and B, then "X employs A or B" is satisfied in any of the foregoing cases. In addition, the articles "one" and "an" used in this application and the appended claims should generally be interpreted as meaning "one or more" unless otherwise specified or clear from the context to point to a singular form. In addition, to the extent that the terms "including", "comprising", "having", "having", "with" or variations thereof are used in the detailed description and claims, such terms are intended to be included in a manner similar to the term "comprising". In addition, in the case of discussing one or more numbered items (e.g., "first X", "second X", etc.), generally, one or more numbered items may be different or they may be the same, but in some cases, the context may indicate that they are different or that they are the same.

[0018] As used herein, the term "circuit" may refer to, may be a part of, or may include an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), electronic circuit, processor (shared, dedicated, or group), or associated memory (shared, dedicated, or group) operably coupled to the circuit that executes one or more software or firmware programs, combinational logic circuits, or other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality. In some embodiments, the circuit may be implemented in one or more software or firmware modules, or the functions associated with the circuit may be implemented by one or more software or firmware modules. In some embodiments, the circuit may include a logic component that is capable of operating at least partially in hardware.

[0019] Various issues of managing DRX active time are considered so as to configure a physical uplink channel at a user equipment (UE) based on a configuration grant with multiple starting symbol opportunities for NR unlicensed communications. Listen before talk (LBT) may be performed on an unlicensed channel based on a configuration alignment with one or more orthogonal sequence (OS) indices at a starting symbol opportunity. The uplink channel may be a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) as type A or type B based on a configuration grant and various configurations to account for both legacy and NR devices for unlicensed communications. Other aspects and details of the present disclosure are further described below with respect to the accompanying drawings.

[0020] The embodiments described herein may be implemented into a system or network device using any suitably configured hardware and / or software. Figure 1The architecture of a system 100 of a network according to some embodiments is shown. The system 100 is shown to include UE 101 and UE 102, which may further represent new radio (NR) devices (e.g., UE or gNB) as discussed herein.

[0021] Figure 1 An exemplary architecture of a system 100 of a network according to various embodiments is shown. The following description is provided for an exemplary system 100 operating in conjunction with LTE system standards and 5G or NR system standards provided by 2GPP technical specifications. 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 future 2GPP systems (e.g., sixth generation (6G)) systems, IEEE 802.16 protocols (e.g., WMAN, WiMAX, etc.), and the like.

[0022] like Figure 1 As shown, system 100 includes UE 101a and UE 101b (collectively referred to as "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 cellular 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-car 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, a machine type communication (MTC) device, a machine to machine (M2M) device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc.

[0023] In some embodiments, any of the UEs 101 may be an IoT UE, which may include a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications that utilize short-term UE connections. The IoT UE may utilize technologies such as M2M or MTC to exchange data with an MTC server or device via a public land mobile network (PLMN), a short-range service (ProSe) or a device-to-device (D2D) communication, a sensor network, or an IoT network. The M2M or MTC data exchange may be a machine-initiated data exchange. 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.

[0024] UE 101 may be configured to connect (e.g., be communicatively coupled) to a radio access network (RAN) 110. In an embodiment, RAN 110 may be a next generation (NG) RAN or 5G RAN, an evolved-UMTS terrestrial RAN (E-UTRAN), or a legacy RAN such as UTRAN or GERAN. As used herein, the term "NG 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. UE 101 utilizes connections (or channels) 102 and 104, respectively, each of which includes a physical communication interface or layer (discussed in further detail below).

[0025] In this example, connection 102 and connection 104 are shown as air interfaces to achieve communication coupling, and may be consistent with a cellular communication protocol, such as a global mobile communication (GSM) protocol, a code division multiple access (CDMA) network protocol, a push-to-talk (PTT) protocol, a cellular PTT (POC) protocol, a universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) protocol, a 2GPP LTE protocol, a 5G protocol, a NR protocol, and / or any of the other communication protocols discussed herein. In an embodiment, the UE 101 may directly exchange communication data via the ProSe interface 105. The ProSe interface 105 may alternatively be referred to as a SL interface 105 and may include one or more logical channels, including, but not limited to, a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), and a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH).

[0026] UE 101b is shown configured to access AP 106 (also referred to as "WLAN node 106," "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, AP 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 AP 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 a radio resource control RRC_CONNECTED state being configured by RAN nodes 111a-111b 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.

[0027] The RAN 110 includes one or more access nodes (ANs) or RAN nodes 111a and 111b (collectively referred to as "RAN nodes 111") that enable connections 102 and 104. As used herein, the terms "access node," "access point," and the like may describe equipment that provides radio baseband functionality for data and / or voice connections between a network and one or more users. These access nodes may be referred to as BSs, gNBs, RAN nodes, eNBs, Node Bs, RSUs, transmit receive points (TRxPs), or TRPs, 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 "NG 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 a dedicated physical device 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.

[0028] In some embodiments, all or part of the plurality of RAN nodes 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 centralized RAN (CRAN) and / or a virtual baseband unit pool (vBBUP). In these embodiments, the CRAN or vBBUP may implement RAN functional partitioning such as a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) partitioning, where the radio resource control (RRC) and PDCP layers are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, while other L2 protocol entities are operated by individual RAN nodes 111; a media access control (MAC) / physical (PHY) layer partitioning, 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 a "lower PHY" partitioning, where the RRC, PDCP, RLC, MAC layer, and upper portions of the PHY layer are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, and the lower portions of the PHY layer are operated by individual RAN nodes 111. This virtualization framework allows idle processor cores of the plurality of RAN nodes 111 to execute other virtualized applications. In some implementations, the individual RAN nodes 111 may represent individual gNB distributed units (DUs) connected to a gNB central unit (CU) via respective F1 interfaces. In these implementations, the gNB-DU may include one or more remote radio heads or RF front end modules (RFEMs) (not shown), and the gNB-CU may be operated by a server (not shown) located in the RAN 110 or by a server pool in a manner similar to CRAN / vBBUP. In addition or alternatively, one or more of the multiple RAN nodes 111 may be a next generation eNB (ng-eNB), which is a RAN node that provides E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol terminals to the UE 101 and is connected to the 5GC via an NG interface.

[0029] In a V2X scenario, one or more of the RAN nodes 111 may be or act as an RSU. The term "roadside 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", etc. 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 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.

[0030] 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.

[0031] In an embodiment, UE 101 may be configured to communicate with each other or with any of RAN nodes 111 over a multi-carrier communication channel using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals according to various communication techniques, such as, but not limited to, OFDMA communication techniques (e.g., for downlink communications) or single carrier frequency division multiple access (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.

[0032] 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.

[0033] According to various embodiments, UE 101 and 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 frequency band") and an unlicensed shared medium (also referred to as an "unlicensed spectrum" and / or an "unlicensed frequency band"). The licensed spectrum may include channels operating in a frequency range of approximately 400 MHz to approximately 2.8 GHz, while the unlicensed spectrum may include a 5 GHz frequency band.

[0034] To operate in the unlicensed spectrum, the UE 101 and the RAN node 111 may operate using license assisted access (LAA), eLAA, and / or feLAA 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.

[0035] 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 networks to coexist with existing systems in unlicensed spectrum and with other LAA networks. ED may include sensing RF energy over a period of time on an intended transmission band and comparing the sensed RF energy to a predefined or configured threshold.

[0036] Typically, existing systems in the 5 GHz band are WLANs based on IEEE 802.11 technology. WLAN adopts a contention-based channel access mechanism called CSMA / CA. Here, when a WLAN node (e.g., a mobile station (MS) such as UE 101, AP 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 can be a counter randomly introduced within the CWS, which 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 CSMA / CA for WLAN. In some implementations, the LBT process for a downlink (DL) or uplink (UL) transmission burst (including a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) or physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission) may have a variable length LAA contention window between X extended CCA (ECCA) slots and Y extended CCA (ECCA) slots, respectively, where X and Y are the minimum and maximum values ​​of the contention window size (CWS) for LAA. In one example, the minimum CWS for LAA transmissions may be 9 microseconds (μs); however, the size of the CWS and the maximum channel occupancy time (MCOT) (e.g., a transmission burst) may be based on government regulatory requirements.

[0037] 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 may have a bandwidth of 1.4MHz, 2MHz, 5MHz, 10MHz, 15MHz, or 20MHz, and up to about five or other numbers of CCs may be aggregated, so the maximum aggregate bandwidth may be, for example, about 100MHz. In a frequency division duplex (FDD) system, the number of aggregated carriers may 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 time division duplex (TDD) system, the number of CCs and the bandwidth of each CC are typically the same for DL ​​and UL.

[0038] 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 primary component carrier for both UL and DL, and may handle radio resource control (RRC) and non-access layer (NAS) related activities. Other serving cells are called SCells, and each SCell may provide a single secondary component carrier (SCC) for both UL and DL. SCCs may be added and removed as needed, and changing PCCs may require 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 PCells operating in a 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.

[0039] The PDSCH carries user data and higher layer signaling to multiple UEs 101. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries information about the transport format and resource allocation related to the PDSCH channel, among other things. It may also inform the UE 101 about the transport format, resource allocation, and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) information related to the uplink shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling (allocation of control and shared channel resource blocks to UE 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.

[0040] 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).

[0041] 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 an extended (E)-PDCCH 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.

[0042] The RAN nodes 111 may be configured to communicate with each other via an interface 112. In an embodiment where the system 100 is an LTE system, 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 an evolved packet core (EPC) or core network 120, and / or between two eNBs connected to the EPC 120. In some implementations, the X2 interface may include an X2 user plane interface (X2-U) and an X2 control plane interface (X2-C). The X2-U provides 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, X2-U may provide specific sequence number information about user data transmitted from the master eNB (MeNB) to the secondary eNB (SeNB); information about successful in-sequence delivery of PDCP packet 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; etc. The X2-C may provide intra-LTE access mobility functions, including context transfer from the source eNB to the target eNB, user plane transmission control, etc.; load management functions; and inter-cell interference coordination functions.

[0043] 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 user plane GPRS tunneling protocol (GTP-U) layer on top of a user datagram protocol (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 a stream control transmission protocol (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.

[0044] RAN 110 is shown as being communicatively coupled to a core network—in this embodiment, 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 UE 101) connected to CN 120 via RAN 110. The components of CN 120 may be implemented in one physical node or 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 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. Network Function Virtualization (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 Evolved Packet Core (EPC) components / functions.

[0045] In general, the application server 130 may be an element that provides applications that use IP bearer resources with the core network (e.g., Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Packet Service (UMTS PS) domain, LTE PS data service, etc.). The application server 130 may also be configured to support one or more communication services for the UE 101 via the EPC 120 (e.g., VoIP sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social network services, etc.).

[0046] In an embodiment, CN 120 may be a 5GC (referred to as “5GC 120”, etc.), and RAN 110 may be connected to CN 120 via an NG interface 112. In an embodiment, NG interface 112 may be divided into two parts: a next generation (NG) user plane (NG-U) interface 114, which carries traffic data between RAN node 111 and user plane function (UPF); and an S1 control plane (NG-C) interface 115, which is a signaling interface between RAN node 111 and access and mobility management function (AMF). Core network CN 120 may also be 5GC 120.

[0047] 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 EPC (referred to as "EPC 120", etc.), RAN 110 may be connected to CN 120 via an S1 interface 112. In an embodiment, S1 interface 112 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.

[0048] Figure 2 Exemplary components of a device 200 according to some embodiments are shown. In some embodiments, the device 200 may include at least an application circuit 202, a baseband circuit 204, a radio frequency (RF) circuit 206, a front-end module (FEM) circuit 208, one or more antennas 210, and a power management circuit (PMC) 212 coupled together as shown. The components of the illustrated device 200 may be included in a UE or a RAN node, such as a UE 101 / 102 or an eNB / gNB 111 / 112. In some embodiments, the device 200 may include fewer elements (e.g., the RAN node cannot utilize the application circuit 202, but includes a processor / controller to process IP data received from the EPC). In some embodiments, the device 200 may include additional elements, such as a memory / storage device, a display, a camera, a sensor, or an input / output (I / O) interface. In other embodiments, the following components may be included in more than one device (e.g., the circuit may be included separately in more than one device for a cloud-RAN (C-RAN) implementation).

[0049] The application circuit 202 may include one or more application processors. For example, the application circuit 202 may include circuits such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor may include any combination of general-purpose processors and special-purpose processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processor may be coupled to or may include a memory / storage device and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage device to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the device 200. In some embodiments, the processor of the application circuit 202 may process IP data packets received from the EPC.

[0050] The baseband circuit 204 may include circuits such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The baseband circuit 204 may include one or more baseband processors or control logic components to process baseband signals received from the receive signal path of the RF circuit 206 and generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path of the RF circuit 206. The baseband processing circuit 204 may interact with the application circuit 202 to generate and process baseband signals and control the operation of the RF circuit 206. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuit 204 may include a third generation (3G) baseband processor 204A, a fourth generation (4G) baseband processor 204B, a fifth generation (5G) baseband processor 204C, or other baseband processors 204D of other existing generations, under development, or to be developed in the future (e.g., second generation (2G), sixth generation (6G), etc.). The baseband circuit 204 (e.g., one or more baseband processors 204A-D) may handle various radio control functions, which may communicate with one or more radio networks via the RF circuit 206. In other embodiments, some or all of the functions of the baseband processors 204A-D may be included in a module stored in the memory 204G and executed via the central processing unit (CPU) 204E. 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 circuitry of the baseband circuitry 204 may include fast Fourier transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping / demapping functions. In some embodiments, the encoding / decoding circuitry of the baseband circuitry 204 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.

[0051] In addition, memory 204G (and other memory components discussed herein, such as memory, data storage device, etc.) may include one or more machine-readable media, including instructions, which when executed by the machine or component herein, cause the machine to perform the method or device or system for concurrent communication using multiple communication technologies according to the embodiments and examples described herein. It should be understood that the aspects described herein can be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, the function can be stored as one or more instructions or codes on a computer-readable medium (e.g., a memory or other storage device described herein) or transmitted by a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include both computer storage media and communication media, and the communication media include any media that helps to transfer a computer program from one place to another. Storage media or computer-readable storage devices can be any available media that can be accessed by a general or special-purpose computer. By way of example only and not limitation, such computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage devices, disk storage devices or other magnetic storage devices or other tangible and / or non-transient media, which can be used to carry or store required information or executable instructions. Moreover, any connection may also be referred to as a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium.

[0052] In some embodiments, the baseband circuit 204 may include one or more audio digital signal processors (DSPs) 204F. The audio DSP 204F may include elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation, and may include other suitable processing elements in other embodiments. In some embodiments, the components of the baseband circuit may be appropriately combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on the same circuit board. In some embodiments, some or all of the components of the baseband circuit 204 and the application circuit 202 may be implemented together, such as, for example, on a system on a chip (SOC).

[0053] In some embodiments, baseband circuitry 204 may provide communications compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, baseband circuitry 204 may support communications with an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN) or other wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), wireless personal area network (WPAN). Embodiments in which baseband circuitry 204 is configured to support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

[0054] RF circuit 206 can communicate with a wireless network through a non-solid medium using modulated electromagnetic radiation. In various embodiments, RF circuit 206 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate communication with a wireless network. RF circuit 206 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuits that down-convert RF signals received from FEM circuit 208 and provide baseband signals to baseband circuit 204. RF circuit 206 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuits that up-convert baseband signals provided by baseband circuit 204 and provide RF output signals to FEM circuit 208 for transmission.

[0055] In some embodiments, the receive signal path of the RF circuit 206 may include a mixer circuit 206a, an amplifier circuit 206b, and a filter circuit 206c. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of the RF circuit 206 may include a filter circuit 206c and a mixer circuit 206a. The RF circuit 206 may also include a synthesizer circuit 206d for synthesizing the frequencies used by the mixer circuit 206a of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 206a of the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert the RF signal received from the FEM circuit 208 based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 206d. The amplifier circuit 206b may be configured to amplify the down-converted signal, and the filter circuit 206c may be a low pass filter (LPF) or a band pass filter (BPF) 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 204 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 206a of the receive signal path may include a passive mixer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0056] In some embodiments, mixer circuit 206a of the transmit signal path can be configured to upconvert an input baseband signal based on a synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuit 206d to generate an RF output signal for FEM circuit 208. The baseband signal can be provided by baseband circuit 204 and can be filtered by filter circuit 206c.

[0057] In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 206a of the receiving signal path and the mixer circuit 206a of the transmission signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for orthogonal down-conversion and up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 206a of the receiving signal path and the mixer circuit 206a of the transmission 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 206a of the receiving signal path and the mixer circuit 206a of the transmission signal path may be arranged for direct down-conversion and direct up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 206a of the receiving signal path and the mixer circuit 206a of the transmission signal path may be configured for superheterodyne operation.

[0058] 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 206 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuits, and baseband circuit 204 may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with RF circuit 206.

[0059] 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.

[0060] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 206d may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect, as other types of frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 206d may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0061] Synthesizer circuit 206d may be configured to synthesize an output frequency based on the frequency input and the divider control input for use by mixer circuit 206a of RF circuit 206. In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 206d may be a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer.

[0062] 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 baseband circuitry 204 or application processor 202 depending on 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 application processor 202.

[0063] The synthesizer circuit 206d of the RF circuit 206 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 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 D-type flip-flop set. 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.

[0064] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuit 206d can be configured to generate a carrier frequency as an output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency can be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and used 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 206 can include an IQ / polarity converter.

[0065] The FEM circuitry 208 may include a receive signal path that may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from the one or more antennas 210, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to the RF circuitry 206 for further processing. The FEM circuitry 208 may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry configured to amplify transmit signals provided by the RF circuitry 206 for transmission via one or more of the one or more antennas 210. In various embodiments, amplification by either the transmit or receive signal path may be accomplished only in the RF circuitry 206, only in the FEM 208, or in both the RF circuitry 206 and the FEM 208.

[0066] In some embodiments, the FEM circuit 208 may include a TX / RX switch to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEM circuit may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuit may include an LNA to amplify a received RF signal and provide the amplified received RF signal as an output (e.g., to the RF circuit 206). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuit 208 may include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify an input RF signal (e.g., provided by the RF circuit 206), and one or more filters to generate an RF signal for subsequent transmission (e.g., through one or more of the one or more antennas 210).

[0067] In some embodiments, PMC 212 can manage the power provided to baseband circuit 204. Specifically, PMC 212 can control power selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion. When device 200 is capable of being powered by a battery, for example, when the device is included in a UE, PMC 212 can generally be included. PMC 212 can improve power conversion efficiency while providing a desired implementation size and heat dissipation characteristics.

[0068] and Figure 2 PMC 212 is shown coupled only to baseband circuitry 204. However, in other embodiments, PMC 212 may additionally or alternatively be coupled to other components (such as, but not limited to, application circuitry 202, RF circuitry 206, or FEM 208) and perform similar power management operations.

[0069] In some embodiments, the PMC 212 may control or otherwise be part of various power saving mechanisms of the device 200. For example, if the device 200 is in the RRC_Connected state, where it is still connected to the RAN node as expected to receive traffic soon, then after a period of inactivity, it may enter a state known as discontinuous reception mode (DRX). During this state, the device 200 may be powered off for short time intervals, thereby saving power.

[0070] If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, the device 200 may transition to the RRC_Idle state, in which it is disconnected from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback, handover, etc. The device 200 enters a very low power state, and it performs paging, in which it wakes up periodically again to listen to the network, and then powers down again. The device 200 cannot receive data in this state, and in order to receive data, it must transition back to the RRC_Connected state.

[0071] An additional power saving mode can keep a device from using the network for longer than the paging interval (which can range from a few seconds to several hours). During this time, the device is completely unable to connect to the network and can be completely powered down. Any data sent during this time will be significantly delayed, and it is assumed that the delay is acceptable.

[0072] The processor of the application circuit 202 and the processor of the baseband circuit 204 can be used to execute elements of one or more instances of the protocol stack. For example, the processor of the baseband circuit 204 can be used alone or in combination to perform the functions of Layer 3, Layer 2, or Layer 1, and the processor of the application circuit 204 can utilize data received from these layers (e.g., packet data) and further perform the functions of Layer 4 (e.g., Transport Communication Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) layers). As mentioned herein, Layer 3 may include a radio resource control (RRC) layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, Layer 2 may include a medium access control (MAC) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, Layer 1 may include a physical (PHY) layer of a UE / RAN node, which will be described in further detail below.

[0073] refer to Figure 3 , a block diagram of a user equipment wireless communication device (UE) or other network device / component (e.g., a gNB, eNB, or other participating entity) is shown. The UE device 300 includes: one or more processors 310 (e.g., one or more baseband processors), the one or more processors including processing circuits and associated interfaces; transceiver circuits 320 (e.g., including RF circuits, the RF circuits may include transmitter circuits (e.g., associated with one or more transmit chains) and / or receiver circuits (e.g., associated with one or more receive chains), the transmitter circuits and receiver circuits may use common circuit elements, different circuit elements, or a combination thereof); and a memory 330 (which may include any of a variety of storage media and may store instructions and / or data associated with one or more of the processors 310 or the transceiver circuits 320).

[0074] In various embodiments (aspects) discussed herein, a signal or message may be generated and output for transmission, and / or a transmitted message may be received and processed. Depending on the type of signal or message generated, output for transmission (e.g., by processor 310, processor 310, etc.) may include one or more of the following operations: generating a set of associated bits encoding the content of the signal or message; encoding (e.g., may include adding a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) and / or encoding via a turbo code, a low-density parity check (LDPC) code, a tail-biting convolutional code (TBCC), etc.); scrambling (e.g., based on a scrambling seed); modulation (e.g., via one of binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), or some form of quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM), etc.); and / or resource mapping (e.g., mapping to a scheduled resource set, mapping to a time and frequency resource set authorized for uplink transmission, etc.). Depending on the type of signal or message received, processing (e.g., by processor 310) may include one or more of the following operations: identifying physical resources associated with the signal / message, detecting the signal / message, resource element group deinterleaving, demodulating, descrambling and / or decoding.

[0075] According to various embodiments, various types of PUSCH can be performed in two ways: Type A, slot-based repetition, that is, the same time domain allocation can be used for repeated time slots, in particular, the starting symbol in each time slot in the aggregation, the duration of the PUSCH and the PUSCH mapping type are the same and are derived from the time domain resource allocation field of the DCI that schedules the PUSCH or activates the type 2CG-PUSCH; Type B, back-to-back repetition (or minimum repetition, tiny repetition), that is, the start symbol of the repetition different from the initial repetition is derived based on the end symbol of the previous repetition or based on other rules / indications, so that the repetition can be performed even within one time slot, or with minimum gaps / no gaps in different time slots.

[0076] Basically, type B may be a mechanism to repeat the time domain resource allocation on a back-to-back (or continuous) basis rather than on a slot basis, such that the time domain resource allocation gives the starting symbol and the duration of the initial transmission, and the repetition begins with the next available symbol (e.g., symbol 0 in slot n+1 with repetition, in the next slot, or in other examples within the slot), even if it can be done in the same slot, such that the duration is given by the duration of the initial transmission; however, the starting symbol of the repetition is given by finding the next available symbol of the previous repetition. Thus, type B repetition may be different from type A repetition.

[0077] Since the main building blocks of the framework of the new radio (NR) have been established, the framework can also be configured to operate on unlicensed spectrum. Work on introducing shared / unlicensed spectrum in the fifth generation (5G) NR has become a goal. The goals of this new work plan can be as follows:

[0078] Physical layer aspects may include: 1) a frame structure including single and multiple downlink (DL) to uplink (UL) and UL to DL switching points within a shared channel occupation time (COT) with associated identified listen-before-talk (LBT) requirements (as referenced in Technical Report (TR) 38.889, Section 7.2.1.3.1); and 2) an UL data channel, which may include an extension of the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) to support frequency block interleaved transmission based on physical resource blocks (PRBs); it should be understood that the end position is indicated by a UL grant, and multiple PUSCH start positions in one or more time slots are supported based on the LBT results; the UE is not required to change the design of the authorized transport block size (TBS) for PUSCH transmission based on the LBT results. The necessary PUSCH enhancement may be based on cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CP-OFDM). The applicability of sub-PRB frequency block interleaved transmission of 60 kilohertz (kHz) may be further studied and determined.

[0079] The physical layer processes may include: 1) a channel access mechanism for load-based equipment (LBE) that complies with the protocol from the NR unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) study project (TR 38.889, Section 7.2.1.3.1); 2) Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ) operation: The NR HARQ feedback mechanism is a baseline of NR-U operation with extensions that comply with the protocol during the study phase (NR-U TR Section 7.2.1.3.3), including immediate transmission of HARQ acknowledgement / negative acknowledgement (A / N) for corresponding data in the same shared COT and transmission of HARQ A / N in a subsequent COT. Potentially supporting mechanisms may provide for multiple and / or complementary time domain and / or frequency domain transmission opportunities; 3) Scheduling multiple transmission time intervals (TTIs) for PUSCH in accordance with the protocol during the study phase (TR 38.889, Section 7.2.1.3.3); 4) Configuration authorization operation: NR Type 1 and Type 2 configuration authorization mechanisms are the baseline for NR-U operation with modifications in accordance with the protocol during the study phase (NR-U TR Section 7.2.1.3.4); and 5) Data multiplexing aspects (for both UL and DL) taking into account LBT and channel access priority.

[0080] In this case, one of the challenges is that the system can maintain fair coexistence with other existing technologies, and to this end, some restrictions may be considered when designing the NR unlicensed communication system, depending on the specific frequency band in which it can operate. For example, if operating in the 5 kilohertz (GHz) band, an LBT process may be performed to acquire the medium before transmission may occur. In the autonomous UL (AUL) operation of LTE LAA, the configuration grant (CG) user equipment (UE) may perform the LBT process only at the beginning of a subframe. In NR-U, this imposes restrictions on the channel access opportunities of the CG UE, which in turn leads to reduced spectral efficiency. Therefore, it is desirable that the CG channel access operation may be configured to allow multiple start symbol opportunities within a time slot. However, considering that the current CG operation in NR is considered to be the baseline for the CG operation in NR-U, the implementation of the starting point of multiple start symbol opportunities may be considered so that it does not have a significant regulatory impact. Therefore, the embodiments described herein provide details on the design of multiple start symbol opportunities for different possible configurations of the CG in NR-U operation.

[0081] In an NR system or NR device (e.g., UE 101 (such as 101a or 101b), gNB operation 110, UE / gNB 200, or UE / gNB 300) on unlicensed spectrum, the impact of the LBT process on PUSCH transmission can be minimized because the transmission can be a condition for the success of the LBT process. Multiple channel access opportunities within a time slot can be enabled to improve the utilization of the channel by the UE 101, 200, or 300 using CG operation in NR-U. The current NR CG specification will not be significantly affected and should also be used to obtain a solution.

[0082] Figure 4 An exemplary demodulation reference signal (DMRS) and UL control information (UCI) configuration mapping according to various embodiments is shown. For example, based on the results of the LBT operation in time slots 402 and 404, time slot 400 is configured to have at least two start symbol opportunities at orthogonal sequence (OS) index #s 0 and 7.

[0083] To facilitate the introduction of multiple start symbol opportunities within the slot 402 or 404 of the CG UE 101, 200, or 300 in NR-U operation, the PUSCH may be configured such that its detection and decoding performance at the gNB 110, 200, or 300 is not affected. In the event that the UE 101, 200, or 300 fails to access the channel via the LBT procedure at the beginning portion (or first half) 406 of the slot 404, if the UE 101, 200, or 300 performs a successful LBT procedure at a symbol later in the slot at the second portion 408 of the slot 404 (e.g., at OS#7 420), the PUSCH cannot be dynamically changed to fit the amount of available time resources in the slot. In addition, the demodulation reference signal (DMRS) cannot be freely dynamically mapped to any orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol (OS) by the UE 101, 200 or 300 based on the results of the LBT process, because the DMRS mapping follows the PUSCH type (e.g., type A or B) and the start symbol and length indicator value (SLIV) interpretation of the CG UE 101, 200 or 300 in the traditional NR-U operation. Finally, the DMRS and UCI 412 or 422 within the PUSCH can be mapped so that the DMRS and UCI 412 or 422 are detected and decoded with high reliability within the time slot 402 or 404 and are not punctured under any circumstances, otherwise, decoding of the data will be impossible or will be subject to hypothesis testing that may affect its decoding performance. Therefore, the implementation of multiple starting positions can take all of these factors into account.

[0084] In one embodiment, the configuration grant can be used to configure the start symbol opportunity, in particular, of PUSCH type A. In one embodiment, the CG UE 101, 200, or 300 can be configured with PUSCH type A. In one embodiment, N start symbol opportunities can be configured in a time slot (e.g., 402 or 404), where, for example, N is equal to 2, and the two start symbol opportunities are at OS#0 and OS#7. In this particular case, an additional DMRS can be configured for the first time slot 402 of the CG burst transmission. However, in the general case of N start symbol opportunities, M DMRS can be configured, where each of N and M can be an integer value in the range of 1 to 4. In one aspect, M can be equal to or not equal to N. The N start symbol indices in time slots 402 or 404 can be predefined, configured by radio resource control (RRC) signaling, or can be derived based on other parameters. In one embodiment, regardless of the number of start symbol opportunities, the number of configured DMRS is equal to 2. In one embodiment, regardless of the number of DMRS symbols, the number of configured start symbol opportunities is equal to 2. In one embodiment, one or more of the following start symbol opportunities may be used: OS#0, OS#3, OS#5, OS#7. In one embodiment, no additional start symbol opportunities are allowed after OS#7 because puncturing of UCI 412 or 422 may result.

[0085] In one embodiment, the length of the CG PUSCH in the first time slot 402 or 404 may be in the range of 1 symbol to 14 symbols and may be based on the starting symbol opportunity from which the UE 101, 200, or 300 may transmit. In one embodiment, if N=2, the DMRS may be mapped to OS#2 and OS#11. In the case of N=3, the DMRS may be mapped to OS#2, OS#7, and OS#11. In an embodiment of N=4, the DMRS may be mapped to OS#2, OS#5, OS#8, and OS#11. In one embodiment, regardless of N, if N is greater than or equal to 2, the DMRS may be mapped to OS#2 and OS#11.

[0086] In one embodiment, if N=2, the UE 101, 200, or 300 may perform an LBT procedure for the CG PUSCH. For example, for a 15kHz subcarrier spacing (SCS), the starting offset 410 may be within OS#0, and for 30kHz SCS and 60kHz SCS, randomly selected from OS#0 or OS#1. If the LBT procedure is unsuccessful at the beginning of the time slot 404, the UE 101, 200, or 300 may puncture the first half 406 of the PUSCH and use OS#7 for the 15kHz SCS to accommodate the random starting offset, or use OS#7 and possibly OS#8 for 30kHz and 60kHz SCS to accommodate the random starting offset (e.g., 420). The operation of this configuration can be extended to N>2 in a straightforward manner, and equivalent operations may similarly follow in response.

[0087] exist Figure 4 The operation of N=2 is shown as an example for the case of 15kHz SCS. Here, for example, if the LBT process fails at the beginning of time slot 404, the PUSCH may be punctured until OS#8, and the DMRS and UCI 422 mapping follows the above-mentioned embodiment and, as can be noted, may not be affected by the operation. In one embodiment, when N=2, the transport block (TB) for the above-mentioned case may utilize code block group (CBG) based transmission, where one CBG is mapped from the beginning (OS#0-6) of time slot 402 to OS#6, and the second CBG is mapped from OS#7 to the end (OS#7-13) of time slot 402. In one embodiment, the TB for the above-mentioned case uses CBG based transmission, where m CBGs are mapped from the beginning of time slot 402 to OS#6, and n CBGs are mapped from OS#7 to the end of time slot 402, such that m+n≤P, where P is the configured number of CBGs. In another embodiment, for example, the first m CBGs are mapped from the beginning of time slot 402 to OS#7, and the last n CBGs are mapped from OS#8 to the end of time slot 402.

[0088] In one embodiment, for example, for N start symbol opportunities, N CBGs may be configured and mapped such that the CBGs are mapped so that they are aligned with potential LBT opportunities prior to the start offsets 410 , 420 , and failure of the LBT process at any opportunity does not affect any later CBG within time slot 404 .

[0089] In another embodiment, the same method as described in the previous embodiment and Figure 4The same method as shown, except that the second start symbol opportunity occurs before OS#7. The starting offset of the second start symbol opportunity is located in OS#6 for 15kHz SCS and in OS#5 and OS#6 for 30kHz and 60kHz SCS. Alternatively or in addition, the starting offset of the second start symbol opportunity can be configured to be located in OS#6 for 15kHz, 30kHz, and 60kHz SCS. In one embodiment, the TB for the above case uses CBG-based transmission, where one CBG is mapped from the beginning of the time slot to OS#6, and the second CBG is mapped from OS#7 to the end of the time slot 402 or 404. In one embodiment, the TB for the above case uses CBG-based transmission, where m CBGs are mapped from the beginning of the time slot 402 or 404 to OS#6, and n CBGs are mapped from OS#7 to the end of the time slot, such that m+n≤P, where P is the configured number of CBGs. In one embodiment, if the time domain allocation allows, the punctured m CBGs of portion 406 may be automatically retransmitted at the end of the PUSCH burst 400, for example due to a successful LBT process in the second start symbol opportunity of portion 408 as described above.

[0090] In another embodiment, the TB uses CBG-based transmission such that the first m CBGs are mapped to OS#6 from the beginning 406 of the time slot, and the last n CBGs are mapped to the end 408 from OS#7 of the time slot 404, such that m+n≤P, where P is the configured number of CBGs. Similarly, the time slot 402 can also be configured to have a first portion or a second portion that can correspond to a half or other fractional portion of the time slot 402, for example, depending on the number of start symbol opportunities.

[0091] For example, when the LBT process fails at the first start symbol opportunity after offset 510 in time slot 402 or 404, or at Figure 5 When the LBT process is similar to the time slot 502 or 504 at the portion 506, the first m CBGs can be time-shifted to the second half 508 of the time slot 504, and the LBT process is attempted in OS#7 for 15kHz SCS or in OS#7 and OS#8 for 30kHz SCS and 60kHz SCS. The additional DMRS can be mapped to OS#11, and the UCI 512 or 522 can be mapped to the resource before the DMRS. In this case, if the LBT process is successful during the second start symbol opportunity at or after the offset 520, the second n CBGs 530 are punctured from the first time slot 502, as shown in FIG. Figure 5 In one embodiment, as described above, the second n CBGs 530 that are punctured due to a successful LBT process occurring at the second starting symbol opportunity may be automatically retransmitted at the end of the PUSCH burst if the time domain allocation allows.

[0092] In another embodiment, N start symbol opportunities are configured, and there is one CBG mapped to align with each start symbol opportunity and end in the symbol of the LBT process for the next start symbol opportunity, provided that the DMRS in the time slots 502, 504 and the UCI 512 and 520 are mapped so that there are a total of N CBGs in the time slot. Alternatively or in addition, for example, there may be more than N but no more than 8 CBGs, so that their aggregate alignment still conforms to the above description.

[0093] In one embodiment, if N=1, the UCI is mapped to the resource element / symbol following the DMRS symbol in OS#2, such as Figure 6 As shown. In one embodiment, if N≥2, UCI 522 may be mapped to resources before the last DMRS symbol (e.g., OS#11) to avoid puncturing UCI 522 in the event that the LBT process fails in the first starting symbol opportunity at 506 but succeeds in any starting symbol opportunity after the first one at portion 508 of slot 508. In one embodiment, UCI 522 may be mapped to resources near the first DMRS symbol after the last potential starting offset 520 of the CG PUSCH. If the first DMRS symbol after the last potential starting offset 520 of the CG PUSCH is the last DMRS symbol in the slot, UCI 522 may be mapped before the first DMRS symbol after the last potential starting offset 520 of the CG PUSCH. Otherwise, UCI 522 may be mapped after the first DMRS symbol after the last potential starting offset of the CG PUSCH, as shown. Figure 6 Time slots 602 and 604 with PUSCH transmission 600 are shown in FIG.

[0094] Figure 6Another example of a PUSCH transmission burst 600 with slots 602 and 604 according to PUSCH type B configured for NR unlicensed communication is shown. Each of the slots 602 and 604 includes, for example, at least two parts 632, 634, 606, 608 therein. In one embodiment, N LBT opportunities may be configured, where N is equal to 2, for example, and the two LBT opportunities may be OS#0 and OS#7 for 15kHz SCS and OS#0 or OS#1 at the beginning of the slot and OS#7 or OS#8 in the middle of the slot for 30kHz SCS and 60kHz SCS. In one embodiment, the DMRS may be mapped to the starting symbol SLIV configuration. In one embodiment, a mini-slot format may be used for the first slot 602, and UCI 612, 614 may be carried for each mini-slot (e.g., mini-slots OS#1-7 and mini-slots OS#8-13), for example, using resource units / symbols that follow the DMRS transmission. Before or at the beginning of the first mini-slot (mini-slot OS#1-7) in time slot 602, UE 101, 200, or 300 may perform an LBT procedure. For example, the starting offset 610 may be within OS#0 for 15kHz SCS and within OS#0 or OS#1 for 30kHz SCS and 60kHz SCS, where the OS#0 or OS#1 offset is selected based on the SLIV. The first mini-slot (mini-slot OS#1-7) may be mapped to the starting symbol S in the SLIV and have a length L indicated in the SLIV, and the second mini-slot (mini-slot OS#8-13) in time slot 602 may imply a SLIV so that it matches the remaining resources in time slot 602. The mini-slot format may be further extended to the case where N>2 starting symbol opportunities in time slots 602, 604.

[0095] In one embodiment, the mini-slot CG PUSCH 600 does not cross slot boundaries. In another embodiment, the mini-slot CG PUSCH is configured so that the mini-slot can span the last symbol of the slot 602 and the starting symbol of the next slot 604. The LBT symbol opportunity of the mini-slot based PUSCH type B can always be the symbol before the slot / mini-slot starting symbol S so as not to puncture the DMRS. In essence, if the slot / mini-slot has a starting symbol of S, the LBT gap is symbol X, where for 15kHz SCS, X=(S-2) mod 14, and for 30kHz and 60kHz SCS, X=(S-2) mod 14 or X=(S-1) mod 14, so that if X>S, the LBT gap is at the end of the previous slot. Once the UE has acquired the channel in the first slot, it can be assumed that the transmission in the remaining slots (e.g., 604, etc.) is based on the slot, where S=0 and L=14. Alternatively, transmissions in the remaining slots may be assumed to be mini-slot based, with the exception that the first mini-slot is implicitly started at OS#0 in these remaining slots.

[0096] In another embodiment, SLIV may be interpreted as indicating the start symbol of the first mini-slot (mini-slot OS#1-7), and the length of the final slot / mini-slot (mini-slot OS#8-13) in a potential multi-slot transmission. The length of the mini-slot in the first slot may be implicitly indicated to end at the symbol containing the subsequent LBT symbol opportunity, and the start symbol of each mini-slot may always be the symbol after the LBT symbol opportunity. Once the LBT process is performed, the UE 101, 200, or 300, for example, continues to transmit in an implicit mini-slot format only for the remainder of the first slot 602, and may then follow a full-slot transmission of the remainder of the UL burst (if necessary), or may continue to follow the implicit mini-slot format until the final slot / mini-slot having a length indicated by SLIV.

[0097] In one embodiment, at the beginning of the time slot, UE c101, 200 or 300 can perform the LBT process with a starting offset within OS#0 for 15kHz SCS and an offset within OS#0 or OS#1 for 30kHz SCS and 60kHz SCS, where the OS#0 or OS#1 offset is selected based on the SLIV configuration. For PUSCH type B based on the full time slot, the number of additional DMRS and starting symbol opportunities can be N=2, 3 or 4, and the DMRS can be mapped according to the current NR specification, which can be OS#10 for 1 additional DMRS, OS#5 and OS#10 for 2 additional DMRS, and OS#3, OS#6 and OS#9 for 3 additional DMRS. For the case of N=2, if the LBT procedure is not successful at the start of the timeslot, the UE may puncture the first half 606 of PUSCH and OS#7 for 15kHz SCS to accommodate the random start offset 620, or puncture OS#7 and possibly OS#8 for 30kHz SCS and 60kHz SCS to accommodate the random start offset 620. Alternatively, the LBT procedure may occur before the start of the second half 608 of the timeslot 404 in OS#6 for 15kHz SCS and in OS#5 and OS#6 for 30kHz SCS and 60kHz SCS. Note that the LBT procedure may be extended for N>2 in a simple manner and equivalent operations may follow.

[0098] In one embodiment, when N=2 and the PUSCH type is PUSCH type B, the TB in the case described for full slot allocation uses CBG-based transmission, where one CBG is mapped from the start 632 or 606 of the slot to OS#6, and the second CBG is mapped from OS#7 to the end 634 or 608 of the slot. In this embodiment, N is the number of start symbols. In one embodiment, the TB for the above case uses CBG-based transmission, where m CBGs are mapped from the start 632 or 606 of the slot to OS#6, and n CBGs are mapped from OS#7 to the end of the slot, such that m+n≤P, where P is the configured number of CBGs. In another embodiment, there are N start symbol opportunities, and there is a CBG mapped to align with each start symbol opportunity and end in the symbol of the LBT process for the next start symbol opportunity, provided that the DMRS and UCI 612, 618 in the slots 602, 604 are mapped respectively, so that there are a total of N CBGs in the slot. Alternatively, there may be more than N but no more than P CBGs such that their aggregate alignment still conforms to the above description.

[0099] refer to Figure 7, showing an exemplary processing flow 700 for a network device (e.g., user equipment (UE), new radio NB (gNB), 5GC component, etc.) that can process, generate or monitor new radio (NR) unlicensed communications via a 5G network system (5GS) to perform operations / configurations of physical uplink channels.

[0100] The processing flow 700 may be initiated at 710, where a configuration grant for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) is received. At 720, a PUSCH may be generated for NR unlicensed communications based on the configuration grant. At 730, by configuring a first start symbol opportunity with a first listen-before-talk (LBT) operation and a second start symbol opportunity with a second LBT operation in a time slot of the PUSCH, M number of demodulation reference signals (DMRS) and N number of start symbol opportunities may be configured for the PUSCH, respectively, where M and N include integers greater than zero. M and N may be at least 2, and the operation of the processing flow 700 may also include, in response to the PUSCH being a PUSCH type A, mapping uplink control information (UCI) before the last configured demodulation reference signal (DMRS) in the time slot, and in response to the PUSCH being a PUSCH type B, using resource units / symbols after one or more DMRSs in the time slot, configuring the PUSCH based on a mini-slot format with UCI.

[0101] In response to the first LBT operation being unsuccessful, the first half of the PUSCH in the time slot may be truncated to accommodate a random start offset. In addition or alternatively, a first code block group (CBG) may be mapped at the first half of the time slot, and a second CBG may be mapped at the second half of the time slot, wherein at least one of the first CBG or the second CBG is aligned with the first start symbol opportunity or the second start symbol opportunity. In response to the first LBT operation failing at the first start symbol opportunity, the process flow 700 may include time-shifting at least one first CBG of the time slot from the first part of the time slot to the second part. In other aspects, a start symbol and length indicator value (SLIV) may be mapped to one or more DMRS in a time slot, wherein the time slot includes a first micro-slot associated with the first start symbol opportunity and a second micro-slot associated with the second start symbol opportunity.

[0102] refer to Figure 8 , showing an exemplary processing flow 800 for a network device (e.g., user equipment (UE), new radio NB (gNB), 5GC component, etc.) that can process, generate or monitor new radio (NR) unlicensed communications via a 5G network system (5GS) to perform operation / configuration of a physical uplink channel.

[0103] Process flow 800 may initiate at 810, where a configuration grant for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) is generated. At 820, the process flow may include configuring the PUSCH as type A or type B based on the configuration grant. At 830, the process flow includes configuring a number M of demodulation reference signals (DMRS) and a number N of start symbol opportunities for a time slot, where M and N each include an integer greater than zero, and the number N of start symbol opportunities is at least two and at most four.

[0104] The processing flow 800 may also include processing a first start symbol opportunity and a second start symbol opportunity in a time slot of the PUSCH, wherein the first start symbol opportunity and the second start symbol opportunity are associated with a first listen-before-talk (LBT) operation and a second LBT operation, respectively. In addition or alternatively, the processing flow 800 may include, in response to the PUSCH being a PUSCH type A, mapping uplink control information (UCI) before the last configured demodulation reference signal (DMRS) in the time slot and mapping the uplink control information (UCI) to resources located before the last DMRS in the time slot, and in response to the PUSCH being a PUSCH type, using resource elements / symbols after one or more DMRSs in the time slot, configuring the PUSCH and UCI to resources located after the last DMRS in the time slot based on a mini-slot format with UCI.

[0105] As used in this specification, the term "processor" may refer to substantially any computing processing unit or device, including but not limited to single-core processors; single processors with software multi-threaded execution capabilities; multi-core processors; multi-core processors with software multi-threaded execution capabilities; multi-core processors with hardware multi-threading technology; parallel platforms; and parallel platforms with distributed shared memory. In addition, a processor may refer to an integrated circuit, an application-specific integrated circuit, a digital signal processor, a field programmable gate array, a programmable logic controller, a complex programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions and / or processes described herein. The processor may utilize nanoscale architectures, such as but not limited to molecular and quantum dot-based transistors, switches, and gates, in order to optimize space usage or enhance the performance of mobile devices. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing processing units.

[0106] Examples may include subject matter, such as a method, an apparatus for performing the actions or blocks of the method, and at least one machine-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a machine (e.g., a processor with memory, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), etc.), cause the machine to perform the actions of a method or apparatus or system for concurrent communication using multiple communication technologies according to the embodiments and examples described herein.

[0107] An embodiment 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 in or related to any of the above-described embodiments or any other method or process described herein.

[0108] The following may be a first set of embodiments:

[0109] Embodiment 1 may include a method for implementing multiple starting symbol opportunities for a configured licensed (CG) user equipment (UE) operating in an unlicensed band of a new radio (NR).

[0110] Embodiment 2 may include a method according to embodiment 1 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the CG UE is configured with a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) type A or PUSCH type B.

[0111] Embodiment 3 may include a method according to any one of embodiments 1-2 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the CG UE is configured with M demodulation reference signals (DMRS) and N start times in the first time slot when attempting to access the channel, and wherein each of M and N is a number.

[0112] Embodiment 4 may include the method of any of embodiments 1-3 or some other embodiments herein, wherein each of M and N is in a range of 1-4.

[0113] Embodiment 5 may include the method of any one of Embodiments 1-4 or some other embodiments herein, wherein M and N are equal to each other.

[0114] Embodiment 6 may include the method according to any one of embodiments 1-5 or some other embodiments herein, wherein M and N are different from each other.

[0115] Embodiment 7 may include a method according to any of embodiments 1-6 or some other embodiments herein, wherein uplink (UL) control information (UCI) is mapped to resources preceding a most recently configured DMRS in a time slot.

[0116] Embodiment 8 may include a method according to any one of embodiments 1-7 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the M DMRSs are configured according to NR specifications.

[0117] Embodiment 9 may include a method according to any one of embodiments 1-8 or some other embodiments herein, wherein a latest start symbol opportunity occurs within a time slot such that a latest DMRS in the time slot is not punctured.

[0118] Embodiment 10 may include a method according to any one of embodiments 1-9 or some other embodiments herein, wherein: the first start symbol opportunity is before the second start symbol opportunity, and the CG UE performs a listen-before-talk (LBT) operation at the second start symbol opportunity in response to the failure of execution of the LBT process at the first start symbol opportunity.

[0119] Embodiment 11 may include a method according to any one of embodiments 1-10 or some other embodiments herein, wherein, in response to the CG UE being configured with PUSCH type B, a start symbol associated with a start and length indicator value (SLIV) is after a first LBT opportunity.

[0120] Embodiment 12 may include a method according to any of embodiments 1-11 or some other embodiments herein, wherein, in response to a time slot comprising multiple mini-slots, a start symbol of each mini-slot occurs after a configured LBT opportunity in the time slot.

[0121] Embodiment 13 may include a method according to any of embodiments 1-12 or some other embodiments herein, wherein a first listen-before-talk (LBT) opportunity precedes a second LBT opportunity, wherein the channel access priority is based on an offset in the second LBT opportunity, and wherein the offset in the second LBT opportunity is in the same format as the offset in the first LBT opportunity.

[0122] Embodiment 14 may include a method according to any of Embodiments 1-13 or some other embodiments herein, wherein one or more of the first offset and the second offset are determined by the CG UE.

[0123] Embodiment 15 may include a method according to any one of embodiments 1-14 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the CG UE punctures the PUSCH from the first symbol in the time slot until a successful LBT symbol timing.

[0124] Embodiment 16 may include a method according to any one of embodiments 1-15 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the PUSCH is based on one or more code block groups (CBGs).

[0125] Embodiment 17 may include a method according to any of embodiments 1-16 or some other embodiments herein, wherein one or more code block groups (CBGs) are mapped to align with a starting symbol opportunity in a time slot such that a CBG that starts before or during a configured LBT opportunity is not mapped in a symbol after the configured LBT opportunity.

[0126] Embodiment 18 may include a method according to any of embodiments 1-17 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the total number of code block groups (CBGs) is based on the NR specification.

[0127] Embodiment 19 may include a method according to any of embodiments 1-18 or some other embodiments herein, wherein one or more code block groups (CBGs) occurring before a successful LBT process are punctured in a time slot.

[0128] Embodiment 20 may include a method according to any one of embodiments 1-19 or some other embodiments herein, wherein one or more punctured code block groups (CBGs) in a time slot are retransmitted at the end of the PUSCH transmission when time resources are available.

[0129] Embodiment 21 may include a method according to any of embodiments 1-20 or some other embodiments herein, wherein at least one of the one or more CBGs at the beginning of a first time slot is time-shifted to start after a first successful LBT opportunity, and wherein any remaining CBGs in one or more CBGs that are not adapted within the remaining portion of the first time slot are deleted.

[0130] Embodiment 22 may include a method according to any one of embodiments 1-21 or some other embodiments herein, wherein any remaining CBGs that were punctured in the first time slot are retransmitted when time resources are available.

[0131] Embodiment 23 may include a method for accessing a configured grant (CG) channel associated with a listen-before-talk (LBT) process in a new radio (NR) telecommunications system operating on an unlicensed spectrum, the method comprising: associating or causing a configured grant (CG) user equipment (UE) to associate the CG UE with a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH); allocating or causing or allocating a first start symbol opportunity and a second start symbol opportunity to a time slot of the PUSCH by the CG UE, the first start symbol opportunity and the second start symbol opportunity being associated with an iteration of performing the LBT process; and performing or causing the CG UE to perform a first iteration of the LBT process at the first start symbol opportunity, wherein a first part of the time slot is associated with the first start symbol opportunity.

[0132] Embodiment 24 may include the method described in accordance with embodiment 23 or some other embodiments herein, further comprising: in response to a failure of a first iteration of the LBT process, the CG UE punctures or causes puncture of a first portion of a time slot; and the CG UE performs or causes a second iteration of the LBT process to be performed at a second start symbol opportunity, wherein a second portion of the time slot occurring after the first portion of the time slot is associated with the second start symbol opportunity.

[0133] Embodiment 25 may include a method according to any one of embodiments 23-24 or some other embodiments herein, further comprising: mapping, by the CG UE, a first code block group (CBG) associated with a transport block (TB) to a first part of a time slot, wherein the TB is associated with an LBT process; and mapping, by the CG UE, a second CBG associated with the TB to a second part of the time slot.

[0134] Embodiment 26 may include a method according to any one of embodiments 23-25 ​​or some other embodiments herein, further comprising: mapping or causing mapping of one or more demodulation reference signals (DMRS) to one or more of a first starting symbol opportunity and a second starting symbol opportunity by the CG UE; and mapping or causing mapping of uplink (UL) control information (UCI) to one or more of a first starting symbol opportunity and a second starting symbol opportunity by the CG UE.

[0135] Embodiment 27 may include a method according to any one of embodiments 23-26 or some other embodiments herein, further comprising: the CG UE mapping or causing mapping of a start symbol and length indicator value (SLIV) to one or more DMRSs.

[0136] Embodiment 28 may include a method according to any of embodiments 23-27 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the time slot includes a first mini-time slot and a second mini-time slot, wherein the first start symbol opportunity is associated with the first mini-time slot, and wherein the second start symbol opportunity is associated with the second mini-time slot.

[0137] Embodiment 29 may include a method according to any of Embodiments 23-28 or some other embodiments herein, wherein a first UCI is associated with a first micro-slot and a second UCI different from the first UCI is associated with a second micro-slot, wherein the first UCI indicates information associated with the first micro-slot, and wherein the second UCI indicates information associated with the second micro-slot.

[0138] Embodiment 30 may include a method according to any of Embodiments 23-29 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the first portion of the time slot includes a start point of the time slot.

[0139] Embodiment 31 may include a method according to any of Embodiments 23-30 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the second portion of the time slot includes the middle of the time slot.

[0140] Example 32 may include an apparatus comprising means for performing one or more elements of the method described in or related to any of Examples 1-31, or any other method or process described herein.

[0141] Embodiment 33 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, which 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 in or related to any of Embodiments 1-31 or any other method or process described herein.

[0142] Embodiment 34 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 Embodiments 1-31, or any other method or process described herein.

[0143] Example 35 may include methods, techniques or processes described in or related to any one of Examples 1-31, or parts or components thereof.

[0144] Embodiment 36 may include a device comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media, wherein the one or more computer-readable media include 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 Embodiments 1-31.

[0145] Embodiment 37 may include a signal as described or associated with any of Embodiments 1-31, or a portion or component thereof.

[0146] Embodiment 38 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 Embodiments 1-31 or otherwise described in the present disclosure.

[0147] Embodiment 39 may include a signal encoded with data as described or related to any of Embodiments 1-31 or otherwise described in this disclosure, or a portion or component thereof.

[0148] Embodiment 40 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 in accordance with or in connection with any of Embodiments 1-31 or otherwise described in the present disclosure.

[0149] Embodiment 41 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 Embodiments 1-31.

[0150] Embodiment 42 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, or a portion thereof, described in or related to any one of Embodiments 1-31.

[0151] Embodiment 43 may include signals in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0152] Embodiment 44 may include a method of communicating in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0153] Embodiment 45 may include a system for providing wireless communications as shown and described herein.

[0154] Embodiment 46 may include an apparatus for providing wireless communications as shown and described herein.

[0155] Embodiment 47 may include an apparatus according to any one of embodiments 1-31, wherein the apparatus or any part thereof is implemented in or by a user equipment (UE).

[0156] Embodiment 48 may include a method according to any one of Embodiments 1-31, wherein the method or any part thereof is implemented in or by a user equipment (UE).

[0157] Embodiment 49 may include an apparatus according to any one of embodiments 1-31, wherein the apparatus or any part thereof is implemented in or by a base station (BS).

[0158] Embodiment 50 may include a method according to any one of embodiments 1-31, wherein the method or any part thereof is implemented in or by a base station (BS).

[0159] The following may be a second set of embodiments:

[0160] The first embodiment is an apparatus configured to be employed in a user equipment (UE) for new radio (NR) unlicensed communications, comprising: one or more processors configured to: process a configuration authorization of a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH); configure the PUSCH as type A or type B based on the configuration authorization; and in response to initiating access to the channel, configure the number of M demodulation reference signals (DMRS) and N start symbol opportunities in a time slot, wherein M and N respectively include integers greater than zero; and a radio frequency (RF) interface configured to provide data for transmitting NR unlicensed communications to the RF circuit based on the configuration authorization.

[0161] A second embodiment includes the subject matter of the first embodiment, wherein the number M and the number N include a range of one to four, wherein the number M and the number N are equal to or different from each other.

[0162] A third embodiment includes the subject matter of any one of the first to second embodiments, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to process a first start symbol timing and a second start symbol timing in a time slot of a PUSCH, wherein the first start symbol timing and the second start symbol timing are associated with a first listen-before-talk (LBT) operation and a second LBT operation, respectively.

[0163] A fourth embodiment includes the subject matter of any one of the first to third embodiments, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to generate a DMRS at a specific orthogonal sequence (OS) index in a time slot, wherein the specific OS index is based on a starting symbol opportunity preceding OS#9 in the time slot.

[0164] The fifth embodiment includes the subject matter of any one of the first to fourth embodiments, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to generate a first LBT operation at a first starting symbol opportunity, and to puncture a first portion of a time slot until a second LBT operation at a second starting symbol opportunity.

[0165] The sixth embodiment includes the subject matter of any one of the first to fifth embodiments, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: map a first code block group (CBG) to a first portion of a time slot; and map a second CBG associated with a transport block (TB) to a second portion of the time slot.

[0166] A seventh embodiment includes the subject matter of any one of the first to sixth embodiments, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to align the first CBG and the second CBG with a potential LBT opportunity in a time slot, wherein the PUSCH is based on the one or more CBGs, and the one or more CBGs are punctured before the first successful LBT opportunity.

[0167] The eighth embodiment includes the subject matter of any one of the first to seventh embodiments, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: at the end of PUSCH transmission, retransmit at least one of the one or more CBGs that were truncated in the time slot, and time-shift at least one of the one or more CBGs to start after the first successful LBT opportunity, wherein any remaining CBGs in one or more CGSs that are not adapted within the remaining part of the time slot are truncated.

[0168] A ninth embodiment includes the subject matter of any one of the first to eighth embodiments, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: map uplink control information (UCI) to resources located before the last DMRS in the slot.

[0169] The tenth embodiment includes the subject matter of any one of the first to ninth embodiments, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: in response to configuring the PUSCH as type B based on a configuration authorization, provide a start symbol opportunity associated with a start and length indicator value (SLIV) after a first LBT opportunity, and in response to the time slot including multiple mini-slots, the start symbol of a mini-slot in the multiple mini-slots occurs after a configured LGT opportunity in the time slot.

[0170] The eleventh embodiment includes the subject matter of any one of the first to tenth embodiments, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: after performing the LBT operation, continuously transmit in a mini-slot format for the remaining portion of the time slot, and configure the mini-slot format or the full-slot format until the last time slot / mini-slot for NR unlicensed communication.

[0171] The seventeenth embodiment includes a tangible computer-readable storage device storing executable instructions that, in response to execution, cause one or more processors of a user equipment (UE) for new radio (NR) unlicensed communication to perform operations, the operations comprising: receiving a configuration authorization for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH); generating a PUSCH for NR unlicensed communication based on the configuration authorization; and configuring a number M of demodulation reference signals (DMRS) and a number N of start symbol opportunities by configuring a first start symbol opportunity with a first listen-before-talk (LBT) operation and a second start symbol opportunity with a second LBT operation in a time slot of the PUSCH, wherein M and N respectively include integers greater than zero.

[0172] The thirteenth embodiment includes the subject matter of the twelfth embodiment, wherein M and N are at least 2, and the operation further includes, in response to the PUSCH being a PUSCH type A, mapping uplink control information (UCI) before a last configured demodulation reference signal (DMRS) in a time slot, and in response to the PUSCH being a PUSCH type B, configuring the PUSCH based on a micro-slot format with UCI using resource elements / symbols after one or more DMRS in the time slot.

[0173] The fourteenth embodiment includes the subject matter of any one of the twelfth to thirteenth embodiments, wherein the operation further includes: in response to the first LBT operation being unsuccessful, puncturing the first half of the PUSCH in the time slot to accommodate the random starting offset.

[0174] A fifteenth embodiment includes the subject matter of any one of the twelfth to fourteenth embodiments, wherein the operation further includes: mapping a first code block group (CBG) at a first half of a time slot and mapping a second CBG at a second half of a time slot, wherein at least one of the first CBG or the second CBG is aligned with a first start symbol opportunity or a second start symbol opportunity.

[0175] A sixteenth embodiment includes the subject matter of any one of the twelfth to fifteenth embodiments, wherein the operation further includes: in response to the first LBT operation failing at the first start symbol opportunity, time-shifting at least one first CBG of the time slot from the first part of the time slot to the second part.

[0176] The seventeenth embodiment includes the subject matter of any one of the twelfth to sixteenth embodiments, wherein the operation further includes: mapping a start symbol and a length indicator value (SLIV) to one or more DMRS in a time slot, wherein the time slot includes a first micro-slot associated with a first start symbol opportunity and a second micro-slot associated with a second start symbol opportunity.

[0177] The eighteenth embodiment is a device configured for new radio (NR) unlicensed communication in a 5G network system (5GS) at a next-generation node B (gNB), the device comprising: one or more processors, the one or more processors being configured to: generate a configuration authorization for a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH); configure the PUSCH as type A or type B based on the configuration authorization; and configure a number M of demodulation reference signals (DMRS) and a number N of start symbol opportunities in a configuration time slot, wherein M and N respectively include integers greater than zero, and the number N of start symbol opportunities is at least two and at most four; a radio frequency (RF) interface, the radio frequency (RF) interface being configured to provide data for transmitting NR unlicensed communication to the RF circuit based on the configuration authorization.

[0178] A nineteenth embodiment includes the subject matter of the eighteenth embodiment, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to process a first start symbol opportunity and a second start symbol opportunity in a time slot of a PUSCH, wherein the first start symbol opportunity and the second start symbol opportunity are associated with a first listen-before-talk (LBT) operation and a second LBT operation, respectively.

[0179] The twentieth embodiment includes the subject matter of the eighteenth embodiment or the nineteenth embodiment, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to, in response to the PUSCH being a PUSCH type A, map uplink control information (UCI) before the last configured demodulation reference signal (DMRS) in the time slot and map the uplink control information (UCI) to resources located before the last DMRS in the time slot, and, in response to the PUSCH being a PUSCH type, configure the PUSCH and UCI to resources located after the last DMRS in the time slot based on a mini-slot format with UCI using resource elements / symbols after one or more DMRS in the time slot.

[0180] In addition, various aspects or features described herein may be implemented as methods, devices or articles using standard programming and / or engineering techniques. As used herein, the term "article" is intended to cover a computer program accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier or medium. For example, a computer-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, a magnetic storage device (e.g., a hard disk, a floppy disk, a magnetic strip), an optical disk (e.g., a compact disk (CD), a digital versatile disk (DVD), etc.), a smart card, and a flash memory device (e.g., an EPROM, a card, a stick, a key drive, etc.). In addition, the various storage media described herein may represent one or more devices and / or other machine-readable media for storing information. The term "machine-readable medium" may include, but is not limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing and / or carrying instructions and / or data. In addition, a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium having one or more instructions or codes that are operable to cause a computer to perform the functions described herein.

[0181] Communication media embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other structured or unstructured data in a data signal such as a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or other transport mechanism, and includes any information delivery or transmission medium. The term "modulated data signal" or signal refers to a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in a manner that encodes information in one or more signals. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media include wired media such as a wired network or direct wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.

[0182] An exemplary storage medium may be coupled to a processor so that the processor can read information from the storage medium and write information to the storage medium. In an alternative, the storage medium may be integrated with the processor. In addition, in some aspects, the processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. In addition, the ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In an alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside in a user terminal as discrete components. In addition, in some aspects, the process and / or action of the method or algorithm may reside on a machine-readable medium and / or a computer-readable medium as one or any combination or set of codes and / or instructions, and may be incorporated into a computer program product.

[0183] In this regard, although the subject matter disclosed in the present invention has been described in conjunction with various embodiments and corresponding drawings, it should be understood that other similar embodiments may be used or modifications and additions may be made to the described embodiments to perform the same, similar, alternative or alternative functions of the disclosed subject matter without departing from the described embodiments. Therefore, the disclosed subject matter should not be limited to any single embodiment described herein, but should be interpreted according to the breadth and scope of the following claims.

[0184] In particular, with respect to the various functions performed by the above-mentioned components (assemblies, devices, circuits, systems, etc.), unless otherwise specified, the terms used to describe such components (including references to "means") are intended to correspond to any component or structure that performs the specified function of the component (e.g., functionally equivalent), even if not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure that performs the function in the exemplary implementation of the present disclosure shown herein. In addition, although specific features have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, for any given or specific application, such features may be combined with one or more other features of other implementations, which may be desirable and advantageous.

Claims

1. A baseband circuit, the baseband circuit comprising: One or more baseband processors, the one or more baseband processors configured to: Processing a configuration grant of a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) for unlicensed communication, the configuration grant indicating that the PUSCH is type A or type B; In response to initiating channel access for the PUSCH, determining a number M of demodulation reference signals DMRS and a number N of start symbol opportunities in a time slot, wherein M and N respectively include integers of at least two; In which, in response to the PUSCH being type A, uplink control information UCI is mapped to resources before the last DMRS in the time slot, and wherein, in response to the PUSCH being type B, mapping the UCI to resources after the last DMRS in the time slot; and A radio frequency (RF) interface is configured to provide data for transmitting the unlicensed communication to the RF circuit based on the configuration authorization. 2 . The baseband circuit according to claim 1 , wherein the number M and the number N include a range of two to four, wherein the number M and the number N are equal to each other or different from each other.

3. The baseband circuit according to any one of claims 1-2, wherein the one or more baseband processors are further configured to process a first start symbol timing and a second start symbol timing in the time slot of the PUSCH, wherein the first start symbol timing and the second start symbol timing are associated with a first listen-before-talk (LBT) operation and a second LBT operation, respectively.

4. The baseband circuit according to any one of claims 1-2, wherein the one or more baseband processors are further configured to generate a DMRS at a specific orthogonal sequence OS index of the time slot, wherein the specific OS index is based on a start symbol opportunity before OS#9 in the time slot.

5. The baseband circuit according to any one of claims 1-2, wherein the one or more baseband processors are further configured to generate a first listen-before-talk (LBT) operation at a first start symbol opportunity, and to perform redundancy on the first part of the time slot until a second LBT operation at a second start symbol opportunity.

6. The baseband circuit according to any one of claims 1-2, wherein the one or more baseband processors are further configured to: mapping a first code block group CBG to a first part of the time slot; and A second CBG associated with the transport block TB is mapped to the second part of the time slot.

7. The baseband circuit of claim 6, wherein the one or more baseband processors are further configured to align the first CBG and the second CBG with a potential listen-before-talk (LBT) opportunity in the time slot, wherein the PUSCH is based on one or more CBGs, and the one or more CBGs are punctured before a first successful LBT opportunity.

8. The baseband circuit of claim 7, wherein the one or more baseband processors are further configured to: Retransmit at least one of the one or more CBGs that was truncated in the time slot at the end of the PUSCH transmission, and time shift the at least one of the one or more CBGs to start after the first successful LBT opportunity, wherein any remaining CBGs of the one or more CBGs that are not adapted within the remaining portion of the time slot are truncated.

9. The baseband circuit according to any one of claims 1-2, wherein the one or more baseband processors are further configured to: In response to configuring the PUSCH as type B based on the configuration authorization, a start symbol opportunity associated with a start and length indicator value SLIV is provided after a first listen-before-talk LBT opportunity, and in response to the time slot including multiple mini-slots, a start symbol of a mini-slot in the multiple mini-slots occurs after the configured LBT opportunity in the time slot.

10. The baseband circuit according to any one of claims 1-2, wherein the one or more baseband processors are further configured to: F-EF197886(OA3) After performing the listen-before-talk LBT operation, transmission is continued in the mini-slot format for the remaining portion of the time slot, and the mini-slot format or the full-slot format is configured until the final time slot / mini-slot of the unlicensed communication.

11. A tangible computer-readable storage device storing executable instructions that, in response to being executed, cause one or more processors of a user equipment (UE) for unlicensed communications to perform operations comprising: receiving a configuration grant of a physical uplink shared channel PUSCH, the configuration grant indicating that the PUSCH is type A or type B; generating the PUSCH for the unlicensed communication based on the configuration grant; as well as By configuring a first start symbol opportunity with a first listen-before-talk (LBT) operation and a second start symbol opportunity with a second LBT operation in a time slot of the PUSCH, M number of demodulation reference signals DMRS and N number of start symbol opportunities are configured, wherein M and N respectively include integers of at least two; In which, in response to the PUSCH being type A, uplink control information UCI is mapped to resources before the last DMRS in the time slot, and In which, in response to the PUSCH being type B, the UCI is mapped to resources after the last DMRS in the time slot.

12. The tangible computer readable storage device of claim 11, wherein the operations further comprise: In response to the first LBT operation being unsuccessful, a first half of the PUSCH in the time slot is punctured to accommodate a random starting offset, wherein the first half of the PUSCH is located in the first half of the time slot.

13. The tangible computer readable storage device of any one of claims 11-12, wherein the operations further comprise: A first code block group CBG is mapped at a first half of the time slot and a second CBG is mapped at a second half of the time slot, wherein at least one of the first CBG or the second CBG is aligned with the first start symbol opportunity or the second start symbol opportunity.

14. The tangible computer readable storage device of any one of claims 11-12, wherein the operations further comprise: F-EF197886(OA3) In response to the first LBT operation failing at the first start symbol opportunity, at least one first code block group CBG of the time slot is time-shifted from a first part to a second part of the time slot.

15. The tangible computer readable storage device of any one of claims 11-12, wherein the operations further comprise: A start symbol and a length indicator value SLIV are mapped to one or more DMRSs in the time slot, wherein the time slot includes a first mini-slot associated with a first start symbol opportunity and a second mini-slot associated with a second start symbol opportunity.

16. A baseband circuit configured for unlicensed communications at a base station, the baseband circuit comprising: One or more baseband processors, the one or more baseband processors configured to: Generate a configuration grant for a physical uplink shared channel PUSCH; Configure the PUSCH as type A or type B based on the configuration grant; as well as Configure a number M of demodulation reference signals DMRS and a number N of start symbol opportunities for a time slot, wherein M and N respectively include integers greater than zero, and M and N are at least two and at most four; a radio frequency (RF) interface configured to provide data for transmitting the unlicensed communication to the RF circuit based on the configuration authorization; Wherein, the one or more baseband processors are further configured to: In response to the PUSCH being a PUSCH type A, uplink control information UCI is mapped to resources located before the last DMRS in the time slot, and In response to the PUSCH being a PUSCH type B, the PUSCH is configured based on a mini-slot format with the UCI, the UCI using resources located after a last DMRS in the slot.

17. The baseband circuit of claim 16, wherein the one or more baseband processors are further configured to process a first start symbol timing and a second start symbol timing in the time slot of the PUSCH, wherein the first start symbol timing and the second start symbol timing are associated with a first listen-before-talk (LBT) operation and a second LBT operation, respectively.

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