Time domain resource allocation for configured grant transmission in new air interface systems

Abstract

The present application relates to wireless devices and components, including apparatus, systems and methods for time domain resource allocation for configured authorized transmissions in a new radio (NR) system operating on an unlicensed spectrum. In some embodiments, user equipment can be configured with periodicity, bitmap information, duration information or time slot offset information to facilitate time domain resource allocation.

Description

[0001] Related patent applications

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 870,263, filed on July 3, 2019, and entitled “NR TIME-DOMAIN RESOURCE ALLOCATION FOR CONFIGURED GRANT TRANSMISSIONS IN NR SYSTEMS OPERATING ON UNLICENSEDSPECTRUM”. The disclosure of said application is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to a wireless communication system, including an apparatus, system and method for allocating time domain resources for configured grant transmission in a New Radio (NR) system. Background Art

[0004] 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 change to be able to meet these demands. Three areas that can be enhanced to achieve this traffic increase are greater bandwidth, lower latency, and higher data rates.

[0005] One of the limiting factors in wireless innovation is the availability of spectrum. To alleviate this, unlicensed spectrum has been an area of ​​interest to extend the availability of Long Term Evolution (LTE). In this context, one of the major enhancements to LTE in the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Release 13 has been to enable it to operate in unlicensed spectrum via Licensed Assisted Access (LAA), which extends the system bandwidth by leveraging the flexible carrier aggregation (CA) framework introduced by the Advanced LTE system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0006] A better understanding of the present subject matter may be obtained when the following detailed description of various embodiments is considered in conjunction with the following drawings.

[0007] Figure 1 A network device according to some embodiments is shown.

[0008] Figure 2 Configured authorization allocations according to some embodiments are shown.

[0009] Figure 3 Configured authorization allocations according to some embodiments are shown.

[0010] Figure 4 Configured authorization allocations according to some embodiments are shown.

[0011] Figure 5 Configured authorization allocations according to some embodiments are shown.

[0012] Figure 6 A circular array that may be used to generate one or more bitmaps is shown according to some embodiments.

[0013] Figure 7 An example of using a base bitmap and one or more cyclic shift bitmaps according to some embodiments is shown.

[0014] Figure 8 Configured authorization allocations according to some embodiments are shown.

[0015] Fig. 9 A transmission sequence according to some embodiments is shown.

[0016] Fig.10 A transmission sequence according to some embodiments is shown.

[0017] Fig.11 A transmission sequence according to some embodiments is shown.

[0018] Fig.12 A transmission sequence according to some embodiments is shown.

[0019] Fig.13 An operational flow / algorithm structure according to some embodiments is shown.

[0020] Fig.14 An operational flow / algorithm structure according to some embodiments is shown.

[0021] Fig.15 An exemplary architecture of a system according to some embodiments is shown.

[0022] Fig.16 Examples of infrastructure equipment are shown according to some embodiments.

[0023] Fig.17 An example of a platform (or "device") according to some embodiments is shown.

[0024] Fig.18 is a block diagram illustrating components capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium and capable of performing any one or more of the methods described herein, according to some embodiments.

[0025] Although the features described herein are susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and detailed description thereof are not intended to limit this document to the specific forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the purpose is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives that fall within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The following specific embodiments relate to the accompanying drawings. The same figure numbers may be used to identify the same or similar elements in different drawings. In the following description, for the purpose of illustration and not limitation, specific details, such as specific structures, architectures, interfaces, technologies, etc., are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of various aspects of various embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art who benefit from the present disclosure that various aspects of various embodiments may be practiced in other examples that deviate from these specific details. In some cases, descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so that the description of various embodiments will not be obscured by unnecessary details. For the purposes of this document, the phrase "A or B" refers to (A), (B), or (A and B).

[0027] The following is a glossary of terms that may be used in this disclosure:

[0028] As used herein, the term "circuit" refers to, is part of, or includes a hardware component such as an electronic circuit, a logic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and / or a memory (shared, dedicated, or group) configured to provide the described functions, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable device (FPD) (e.g., a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device (PLD), a complex PLD (CPLD), a high capacity PLD (HCPLD), a structured ASIC, or a programmable SoC), a digital signal processor (DSP), etc. In some embodiments, the circuit may execute one or more software or firmware programs to provide at least some of the described functions. The term "circuit" may also refer to a combination of one or more hardware elements and a program code for performing the functions of the program code (or a combination of circuits used in an electrical or electronic system). In these embodiments, the combination of hardware elements and program code may be referred to as a specific type of circuit.

[0029] As used herein, the term "processor circuit" refers to, is part of, or includes a circuit capable of sequentially and automatically performing a series of arithmetic or logical operations or recording, storing, and / or transmitting digital data. The term "processor circuit" may refer to one or more application processors, one or more baseband processors, a physical central processing unit (CPU), a single-core processor, a dual-core processor, a triple-core processor, a quad-core processor, and / or any other device capable of executing or otherwise operating computer-executable instructions (such as program code, software modules, and / or functional processes). The terms "application circuit" and / or "baseband circuit" may be considered synonymous with "processor circuit" and may be referred to as "processor circuit".

[0030] As used herein, the term "interface circuit" refers to a circuit that enables, is a part of, or includes information exchange between two or more components or devices. The term "interface circuit" may refer to one or more hardware interfaces, such as a bus, an I / O interface, a peripheral component interface, a network interface card, etc.

[0031] As used herein, the term "user equipment" or "UE" refers to a device that has radio communication capabilities and can describe a remote user of network resources in a communication network. In addition, the terms "user equipment" or "UE" may be considered synonymous and may be referred to as a client, mobile phone, mobile device, mobile terminal, user terminal, mobile unit, mobile station, mobile user, subscriber, user, remote station, access agent, user agent, receiver, radio equipment, reconfigurable radio equipment, reconfigurable mobile device, etc. In addition, the term "user equipment" or "UE" may include any type of wireless / wired device or any computing device that includes a wireless communication interface.

[0032] As used herein, the term "network element" refers to physical or virtualized equipment and / or infrastructure for providing wired or wireless communication network services. The term "network element" may be considered synonymous with and / or referred to as a networked computer, networking hardware, network equipment, network node, router, switch, hub, bridge, radio network controller, RAN equipment, RAN node, gateway, server, virtualized VNF, NFVI, etc.

[0033] As used herein, the term "computer system" refers to any type of interconnected electronic devices, computer devices, or components thereof. Additionally, the terms "computer system" and / or "system" may refer to various components of a computer that are communicatively coupled to one another. Furthermore, the terms "computer system" and / or "system" may refer to multiple computer devices and / or multiple computing systems that are communicatively coupled to one another and configured to share computing and / or networking resources.

[0034] As used herein, the terms "appliance", "computer appliance", etc. refer to a computer device or computer system with program code (e.g., software or firmware) that is specifically designed to provide specific computing resources. A "virtual appliance" is a virtual machine image to be implemented by a device equipped with a hypervisor that virtualizes or emulates a computer appliance or is otherwise dedicated to providing specific computing resources.

[0035] As used herein, the term "resource" refers to a physical or virtual device, a physical or virtual component within a computing environment, and / or a physical or virtual component within a specific device, such as a computer device, a mechanical device, a memory space, a processor / CPU time and / or a processor / CPU usage rate, a processor and accelerator load, a hardware time or usage rate, a power supply, an input / output operation, a port or a network socket, a channel / link allocation, throughput, memory usage rate, storage, a network, a database and an application, a unit of work, etc. "Hardware resources" may refer to computing, storage and / or network resources provided by physical hardware elements. "Virtualized resources" may refer to computing, storage and / or network resources provided by a virtualized infrastructure to an application, a device, a system, etc. The term "network resources" or "communication resources" may refer to resources that a computer device / system can access via a communication network. The term "system resources" may refer to any kind of shared entity that provides a service, and may include computing resources and / or network resources. System resources may be considered as a set of coherent functions, network data objects or services that can be accessed through a server, wherein such system resources reside on a single host or multiple hosts and can be clearly identified.

[0036] As used herein, the term "channel" refers to any tangible or intangible transmission medium for transmitting data or data streams. The term "channel" may be synonymous and / or equivalent to "communication channel", "data communication channel", "transmission channel", "data transmission channel", "access channel", "data access channel", "link", "data link", "carrier", "radio frequency carrier" and / or any other similar terms representing a path or medium through which data is transmitted. In addition, the term "link" as used herein refers to a connection between two devices for transmitting and receiving information over a RAT.

[0037] As used herein, the terms "instantiate," "instantiate," and the like refer to the creation of an instance. "Instance" also refers to a specific occurrence of an object, which may occur, for example, during the execution of program code.

[0038] The terms "coupled," "communicatively coupled," and their derivatives are used herein. The term "coupled" may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other, may mean that two or more elements are in indirect contact with each other but still cooperate or interact with each other, and / or may mean that one or more other elements are coupled or connected between the elements said to be coupled to each other. The term "directly coupled" may mean that two or more elements are in direct contact with each other. The term "communicatively coupled" may mean that two or more elements may be in contact with each other by means of communication, including through a wire or other interconnect connection, through a wireless communication channel or link, etc.

[0039] The term "information element" refers to a structural element that contains one or more fields. The term "field" refers to the individual contents of an information element, or a data element that contains the contents.

[0040] 3GPP fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR) systems can improve LTE and LTE-A operations on unlicensed spectrum. Objectives for utilizing shared / unlicensed spectrum in 5G NR may include: physical layer aspects handled by Radio Access Network (RAN) Working Group 1 (WG1), and physical layer procedures handled by RAN WG1 and RAN Working Group 2 (WG2).

[0041] The physical layer aspects may include a framework structure including single and multiple downlink (DL) to uplink (UL) and UL to DL switching points within a shared channel occupancy time (COT) with associated identified listen-before-talk (LBT) requirements. See, for example, Technical Report (TR) 38.889, v16.0.0 (2018-12-19), Section 7.2.1.3.1. The physical layer aspects may also include: an UL data channel including an extension of a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) to support frequency block interleaved transmission based on physical resource blocks (PRBs); support for multiple PUSCH starting positions in one or more time slots, depending on the LBT results, and understanding that the end position can be indicated by a UL grant; a design that does not require the user equipment (UE) to change the authorized transport block size (TBS) for PUSCH transmission based on the LBT results. Various PUSCH enhancements based on cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CP-OFDM) may also be considered. The applicability of sub-PRB frequency block interleaved transmission to 60 kHz may be determined by RAN WG1.

[0042] The physical layer procedures may include: a channel access mechanism for load-based equipment (LBE) in accordance with the protocol from the NR unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) study project (see, e.g., TR 38.889, Section 7.2.1.3.1). The physical layer procedures may also include a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) operation concept. For example, the NR HARQ feedback mechanism may be a baseline for NR-U operation with extensions in accordance with the protocol during the study phase (see, e.g., TR 38.889, Section 7.2.1.3.3), including the immediate transmission of HARQ acknowledgement / negative acknowledgement (A / N) for corresponding data in the same shared COT and the transmission of the HARQ A / N in a subsequent COT. Support mechanisms for providing multiple supplementary time and / or frequency domain transmission opportunities may be possible. The physical layer procedures may also include aspects related to scheduling multiple transmission time intervals (TTIs) for PUSCH in accordance with the protocol from the study phase (see, e.g., TR 38.889, Section 7.2.1.3.3). The physical layer procedures may also include aspects related to configured authorized operation. For example, the NR Type 1 and Type 2 configured grant mechanisms may be a baseline for NR-U operation with modifications consistent with the protocol during the study phase (see, e.g., TR 38.889, Section 7.2.1.3.4). Still further, the physical layer procedures may include data multiplexing aspects (for both UL and DL) that take into account LBT and channel access priority.

[0043] One of the challenges of operating a device in an unlicensed spectrum is to ensure reasonable coexistence with other existing technologies. To do so, there may be some constraints to consider when designing the NR-U system, depending on the specific frequency band in which the device is operating. For example, if operating in the 5 gigahertz (GHz) band, the device may perform an LBT process to acquire the medium before transmission can occur.

[0044] One of the basic configurations of the configured grants in NR-U may be the configuration of the time domain resources allowed for the feature. If this type of configuration is performed through Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, then due to the periodicity value that the configured grants may assume, the RRC may have a variable length tuned to the value of the periodicity or be an integer multiple of the periodicity itself. In addition, the Rel-15 time domain allocation (which can be considered as a baseline for the time domain allocation for CG operation in NR-U) may provide only one uplink PUSCH transmission per periodicity period. However, given the LBT process of NR-U, the Rel-15 allocation method may not allow the UE to access the channel very efficiently, as the UE may not be able to access the channel in its single time slot opportunity during the periodicity period.

[0045] Thus, embodiments of the present disclosure describe methods that allow multiple channel access opportunities within a periodicity to improve channel efficiency. Various options are described herein to timely configure time domain resources for configured licensed transmissions in NR operating on unlicensed spectrum.

[0046] Figure 1 Devices of a radio access network (RAN) 100 are shown according to some embodiments. The RAN 100 may include a gNB 104 communicatively coupled to a UE 108 via an air interface. In some embodiments, at least a portion of the communications between the gNB 104 and the UE 108 may be performed in an unlicensed spectrum, and in these embodiments, the devices of the RAN 100 may be referred to as functioning as an NR-U system. The gNB 104 may include a protocol processing circuit 112 and a radio frequency front end (RFFE) circuit 116. Similarly, the UE 108 may include a protocol processing circuit 120 and an RFFE circuit 124. In general, the protocol processing circuits 112 and 120 may perform user and control plane operations at various layers of a protocol stack to enable wireless communications functioning through the RFFE circuits 116 and 124 via an air interface. The protocol operations may be compatible with those operations developed by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) for fifth generation (5G) and later systems. In some embodiments, protocol operations may be performed at one or more of the following layers: Layer 1 (L1 or physical (PHY) layer), media access control (MAC) layer; and radio link control (RLC) layer. Protocol processing circuits 112 and 120 may be used with reference to Fig.16 and Fig.17 The baseband circuits 1610 and 1710 shown and described correspond to each other. The RFFE circuits 116 and 124 may be similar to those shown and described with reference to FIG. Fig.16 and Fig.17 The radio front end modules 1615 and 1715 shown and described correspond.

[0047] In operation, the gNB 104 may generate and send one or more configuration messages 128 to the UE 108. In various embodiments, the configuration message 128 may be RRC signaling, downlink control information, a system information block (SIB) message, etc. Among other information, the configuration message 128 may configure uplink and downlink resource allocations to the UE 108. The uplink resource allocation may be a dynamic allocation or a configured grant (CG) allocation.

[0048] A CG allocation can be a set of resources allocated to one or more UEs that do not require a PDCCH transmission before every PUSCH transmission. In some embodiments, the gNB 104 can configure the UE 108 with a type 1 CG allocation or a type 2 CG allocation. A type 1 CG allocation can be fully configured and released using RRC signaling. Once configured, the UE can have a set of periodic opportunities for PUSCH transmission. When a retransmission is requested, only a PDCCH is required. With a type 2 CG allocation, the resource allocation can be partially configured using RRC signaling, but the resource allocation can then be activated or deactivated using PDCCH transmissions.

[0049] In some embodiments, the configuration message 128 can configure the UE 108 with time domain allocations using parameters similar to those used in the NR Release 15 CG design. These parameters include: the periodicity of the CG; the time domain offset of the resource (e.g., slot offset); the start symbol and length indicator value (SLIV) for deriving both the resource allocation start symbol (S) and the number of consecutive symbols (L) belonging to the resource allocation; and repK, which indicates the number of transmissions of transport blocks (TBs) within a combined packet of the configured uplink grant. However, some embodiments can enhance or replace the Release 15 time domain allocation aspects to improve the time domain allocation for CGs in NR-U. The enhancements described herein can include: reinterpreting the Release 15 parameters such that they are more useful for unlicensed operation; adding new parameters on top of the Release 15 parameters; or replacing / disabling some of the current parameters. In some embodiments, enhancing or replacing the Release 15 time domain allocation can include the use of a bitmap. The bitmap can be designed to retain the functionality of the Release 15 time domain allocation while improving the efficiency of the UE 108's ability to use time resources. Embodiment descriptions can show how to interpret the bitmap when the PUSCH repetition is greater than or equal to the length of the bitmap. Another problem addressed by various embodiments is that if a fixed-length bitmap is defined for any desired CG periodicity for P units, the bitmap length for X units may have to be an integer multiple of P, e.g., when X > P, X may need to satisfy the equation X mod P = 0, or vice versa when X < P. This may mean that the selection of a fixed-length bitmap of length X may need to be further enhanced to support the allocation of periodic time domain resources for the supported Release 15 P values.

[0050] Based on NR Release 15, the allowed configured grant periodicity can be based on the following subcarrier spacing (SCS): 15kHz SCS: 2, 7, n*14 symbols, where n={1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 16, 20, 32, 40, 64, 80, 128, 160, 320, 640}; 30kHz SCS: 2, 7, n*14 symbols, where n={1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 16, 20, 32, 40, 64, 80, 128, 160, 256, 320, 640, 1280}; and 60kHz SCS: 2, 7, n*14 symbols, where n={1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 16, 20, 32, 40, 64, 80, 128, 160, 256, 320, 640, 1280}. SCS, with normal CP: 2, 7, n*14 symbols, where n={1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 16, 20, 32, 40, 64, 80, 128, 160, 256, 320, 512, 640, 1280, 2560}. Embodiments described herein may include those and other CG periodicities.

[0051] In some embodiments, the configuration message 128 may include information for configuring a bitmap to replace the version 15 time domain allocation for the CG in NR-U.

[0052] The configuration message 128 may include RRC signaling to provide a bitmap to the UE 108 to configure the time domain resources. The bitmap may consist of X bits, where each bit corresponds to a symbol / time slot / subframe or radio frame. For example, X=40, where each bit corresponds to a time slot. In an embodiment, the value of X may be the same regardless of the SCS used. In an embodiment, the value of X may be scaled based on the SCS: for example, X=40 bits for a 15KHz SCS, X=80 bits for a 30KHz SCS, or X=160 bits for a 60KHz SCS.

[0053] In an embodiment, X may be constant and independent of the SCS, and the granularity of the time resources for signal transmission may be indicated by a parameter G, where G may take several granularities to accommodate different service / traffic types. For example, G∈{2 orthogonal frequency domain multiplexing (OFDM) symbols (OS), 7 OS, 1 time slot, 2 time slots, 4 time slots}. In other embodiments, X may be variable, and X and G may be independent of each other and the SCS, and configurable in CG activation.

[0054] Figure 2 CG allocations 200 and 204 are shown according to some embodiments using a bitmap that repeats over time that is independent of CG periodicity.

[0055] CG allocation 200 includes: CG uplink resources 208, which have a CG periodicity (P) defined as 16 time resource units (e.g., symbols); and a bitmap 210 of size (X) 40. Uplink resources 208 are shown as having five resource allocation periods (RAPs): RAP 212, RAP 216, RAP 220, RAP 224, and RAP 228. Each of the RAPs may include 16 time resource units as defined by the CG periodicity.

[0056] The bitmap 210 may be repeated over time, and all values ​​of the bitmap (B(0)–B(39)) may be used to determine the availability of uplink resources 208 for CG transmissions. For example, the first sixteen values ​​(B(0)–B(15)) can be used to determine the availability of sixteen time resource units of RAP 212; the next sixteen values ​​(B(16)–B(31)) can be used to determine the availability of sixteen time resource units of RAP 216; the last eight values ​​(B(32)–B(39)) can be used to determine the availability of the first eight time resource units of RAP 220; the first eight values ​​(B(0)–B(7)) can be used to determine the availability of the last eight time resource units of RAP 220; the next sixteen values ​​(B(8)–B(23)) can be used to determine the availability of sixteen time resource units of RAP 224; and the next sixteen values ​​(B(24)–B(39)) can be used to determine the availability of sixteen time resource units of RAP 228.

[0057] CG allocation 204 includes: CG uplink resources 232, which has a CG periodicity (P) defined as 64 time resource units (e.g., symbols); and the same bitmap 210 of size (X) of 40 that can be used. Uplink resources 232 are shown as having two RAPs: RAP 236 and RAP 240. Each of the RAPs may include 64 time resource units as defined by the CG periodicity.

[0058] The bitmap 210 may be repeated over time, and all values ​​of the bitmap (B(0)-B(39)) may be used to determine the availability of uplink resources 232 for CG transmissions. For example, forty values ​​(B(0)-B(39)) may be used to determine the availability of the first forty time resource units of RAP 236; the first twenty-four values ​​(B(0)-B(23)) may be used to determine the availability of the next twenty-four values ​​of RAP 236; the next sixteen values ​​(B(24)-B(39)) may be used to determine the availability of the first sixteen time resource units of RAP 232; the forty values ​​(B(0)-B(39)) may be used to determine the availability of the next forty time resource units of RAP 232; and the first eight values ​​(B(0)-B(7)) may be used to determine the availability of the last eight time resource units of RAP 232.

[0059] Therefore, if Figure 2 As shown, regardless of the CG periodicity used, the bitmap can be repeated and its values ​​can be interpreted accordingly.

[0060] Figure 3 A CG allocation 300 is shown in which only a portion of a bitmap 304 is used according to some embodiments. The CG allocation 300 shows that for each period, P time-domain resource elements may be configured based on the first P elements of the bitmap 304 of length X.

[0061] CG allocation 300 may include CG uplink resources 308 having a CG periodicity (P) defined as 16 time resource units (e.g., symbols), and bitmap 304 may have a size (X) of 40. Uplink resources 308 are shown as having four RAPs: RAP 312, RAP 316, RAP 320, and RAP 324. Each of the RAPs may include 16 time resource units.

[0062] As can be seen, the length in time resource units of each periodic value (P) is less than the length (X) of the bitmap 304. Therefore, according to some embodiments, only the first P values ​​of the bitmap 304 may be used. For example, the same first sixteen values ​​(B(0)-B(15)) may be used to determine the availability of sixteen resource units for all RAPs 312, 316, 320, and 324.

[0063] In some embodiments, for each set of time domain resources covered by n periods, if the length of the time resource unit for each periodic value is less than the corresponding length of the bitmap (X) using the same time resource unit, where n is such that n×P = X or (n×P>X and (n - 1)×P<X), then the bitmap (X) can be used, and the first (nP–X) values of the bitmap are used to configure the spare resources not covered by the length of the bitmap in the last period. This concept is shown in Figure 4 which shows a CG allocation 400 in which the bitmap 404 is at least partially repeated according to some embodiments.

[0064] The CG allocation 400 may include a CG uplink resource 408 having a CG periodicity (P) defined as 16 time resource units (e.g., symbols), and the bitmap 404 may have a size (X) of 40. The uplink resource 408 is shown to have three RAPs: RAP 412, RAP 416, and RAP 420. Each RAP in the RAPs may include 16 time resource units.

[0065] The CG allocation 400 shows that for each set of n periods, the resource allocation follows X. If a resource unit is not covered by the bitmap 404 in the last period of each set, then the first (nP - X) time resource units of the bitmap 404 (where n = 3) can be used. So, for example, the first sixteen values (B(0)–B(15)) can be used to determine the availability of the sixteen resource units of RAP 412; the next sixteen values (B(16)–B(31)) can be used to determine the availability of the sixteen resource units of RAP 416; the last eight values (B(32)–B(39)) can be used to determine the availability of the first eight resource units of RAP 420; and the first eight values (B(0)–B(7)) can be used to determine the availability of the last eight resource units of RAP420.

[0066] According to some embodiments, when P<X and X mod P≠0, generally, resource allocation can be used to design a bitmap of length X such that the allocation pattern repeats every P time resources, regardless of the bitmap length. However, if the periodic allocation will occur a total of N times such that NP>X, then let n be the largest integer such that X–nP>0. Additionally, assume M is the smallest integer such that NP<MX, then the bitmap can be applied M times in succession. After the first X bits, then the bitmap can be applied a second time, where it is circularly shifted L time slots to the left, where L = X–nP. Similarly, for m = 1,…,M, the mth bitmap can be circularly shifted (m - 1)L mod P / Q time slots.

[0067] In an embodiment, the greatest common factor between P and X can be used to reduce the indication information of the cyclic shift. Let the greatest common factor between P and X be Q. Then, the cyclic shift can be indicated in multiples of Q slots. The second X bits will cause the bitmap to be applied with L times of Q cyclic shift to the left, where LQ = X-nP. Then, for the mth bitmap application, for m = 1, ..., M, the bitmap can be cyclically shifted by (m-1)L mod P / Q slots.

[0068] Figure 5 A CG allocation 500 is shown in which a bitmap 504 is at least partially repeated according to some embodiments.

[0069] CG allocation 500 may include CG uplink resources 508 having a CG periodicity (P) defined as 64 time resource units (e.g., symbols), and bitmap 504 may have a size (X) of 40. Uplink resources 508 are shown as having one RAP 516 including 64 time resource units.

[0070] CG allocation 500 illustrates an embodiment in which, if the length of the time resource unit of each cycle (e.g., 64 as shown) is greater than the corresponding length X of the bitmap 504 using the same time resource unit (e.g., 40 as shown), the first time domain resource of each cycle can be configured as indicated by the bitmap 504, and the remaining resource units of the cycle can be configured by repeating the bitmap 504 in time until the end of the cycle. So, for example, forty values ​​(B(0)-B(39)) can be used to determine the availability of the first forty resource units of the RAP 516; the first twenty-four values ​​(B(0)-B(23)) can then be used to determine the availability of the last twenty-four resource units of the RAP 516. This process can be repeated for subsequent RAs, for example, the next RAP can start again with the first value of the bitmap 504.

[0071] In some embodiments, if the length of each period value of the time resource unit is greater than the bit length using the same time resource unit, Figure X If the corresponding length is , the first X resource units in the cycle can be configured after the bitmap, and the remaining resources in the cycle may not be used for the configured grant transmission.

[0072] In some embodiments, the Figure X and repetition Y, where X resource units are repeated Y times for allocating the configured granted resources at the beginning of the cycle, and the remaining resources in the cycle may not be used for the configured granted transmission.

[0073] Figure 6A circular array 600 is shown that can be used to generate one or more bitmaps according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, the circular array 600 can be used to generate different iterations or repetitions of the bitmap using circular shifts with different offsets L. This can increase the flexibility of configuring time domain resources when the bitmap is smaller than the period (e.g., P>X).

[0074] In some embodiments, for each repetition / iteration, the bitmap may be reinterpreted and the X bits may be cyclically shifted by a value equal to the offset L. Note that this operation is similar to cyclically shifting the array as follows: Y=circshift(B,L), where B is the original bitmap, L is the offset, and Y is a cyclically shifted version of B.

[0075] So, for example, circular array 600 with an offset of zero (eg, L=0) will provide bitmap 604. Bitmap 604 may be referred to as a base bitmap. Circular array 600 may be used to generate bitmap 608 using an offset of 5. Bitmap 608 may be referred to as a circularly shifted bitmap.

[0076] Figure 7 An example of using a CG allocation 700 according to some embodiments is shown, which uses a base bitmap and one or more cyclically shifted bitmaps. The CG allocation 700 shows a RAP 704 with a CG periodicity (P) of 128 time resource units. The base bitmap 708 has a length of 40 (e.g., X=40) and an offset of zero (e.g., L=0), which can be used to determine the availability of the first forty resource units of the RAP 704. The cyclically shifted bitmap 712 has a length of 40 and an offset of 8 (e.g., L=8), which can be used for the next forty resource units of the RAP 704. In the case of an offset of 8, the first value of the bitmap 712 will correspond to the ninth value of the bitmap 708, and the last value of the bitmap 712 will correspond to the eighth value of the bitmap 708. The cyclically shifted bitmap 716 has a length of 40 and an offset of 5 (e.g., L=5) can be used for the next forty resource units of the RAP 704. In the case of an offset of 5, the first value of bitmap 716 will correspond to the sixth value of bitmap 708, and the last value of bitmap 712 will correspond to the fourth value of bitmap 708. The cyclically shifted bitmap 716 has a length of 40 and an offset of 2 (e.g., L=2) and can be used for the last eight resource units of RAP 704. In the case of an offset of 2, the first value of bitmap 716 will correspond to the third value of bitmap 708.

[0077] Although Figure 7The offset is shown to be different for each repetition / iteration of the bitmap, but other embodiments may use the same offset for some or all repetitions / iterations. For example, in some embodiments, L=0 for the first bitmap, and a common offset is used for the following repetitions / iterations.

[0078] In various embodiments, one or more offset values ​​may be transmitted to the UE 108 via the configuration message 128. The offset values ​​may be transmitted using a bitmap, for example by enhancing the bitmap from X bits to X+M bits, where M may be used to signal the offset and may be the most significant bit or the least significant bit of the bitmap. In one embodiment, 2 or 3 bits may be used to signal the common offset or each offset.

[0079] In other embodiments, the UE 108 may be configured with a table such that each entry in the table contains a bitmap allocation configuration including a bitmap, cyclic shift, granularity, and any other parameters that help to accomplish the allocation. The UE 108 may be assigned an index to the allocation entry, where the index is indicated in the RRC for CG type 1 or in the activation DCI in CG type 2. In one embodiment, multiple bitmaps may be configured for each UE based on traffic / service, and the UE may decide to select one of them. In one embodiment, once the UE 108 has selected one among the available bitmaps, the bitmap used may be signaled back to the 104gNB. This may be accomplished by providing an indication of the bitmap allocation index within the CG uplink control information (CG-UCI).

[0080] Note that the options provided above are not mutually exclusive, and multiples of them may be supported in various implementations.

[0081] As briefly discussed above, according to some embodiments, the parameters {periodicity, slot offset, SLIV and repK} of the Release 15 time domain allocation method may be enhanced by reinterpreting some of these parameters or enabling new parameters to provide more efficient time domain allocation for CG in NR-U operation. In order to address the lack of continuous time domain allocation and multiple enabled channel access opportunities within the periodicity when using Release 15 allocation, the implementation may provide UE 108 with access to the channel at multiple slot offsets. In addition, for each offset, the configuration may implement multiple continuous time slots, depending on the available resources and periodicity.

[0082] In some embodiments, the UE 108 may be configured with multiple slot offsets in the same manner as used in the Release 15 allocation. There may be a maximum number of slot offsets N, and the UE 108 may be configured with n slot offsets (K 2,1 ,…,K 2,n), n = 1, …, N, where K 2,i ∈ {0, …, 5119}, i = 1, … n. The value of K 2,i may be no greater than the period P (in time slots). The duration of each offset-configured consecutive resource (e.g., time slot / micro time slot) may be given by the parameter z, where z < Z, where Z is the maximum allowable resource (e.g., time slot / micro time slot) transmission duration; for example, Z ≤ 8 to allow for the maximum configurable TB repetition or to allow 8 TB transmissions. In some embodiments, if the configured offset in the period is n and each configured offset has a resource (e.g., time slot / micro time slot) duration z, then nz < P, such that there is always a resource (e.g., time slot / micro time slot) gap between transmissions within the period. In one embodiment, n and z may be defined as new parameters or may be accommodated by reinterpreting existing fields. In one embodiment, when the system operates on an unlicensed band, n or z may be signaled by reinterpreting one or more of the following parameters: period, time slot offset, SLIV, and repK. When the system operates on a licensed band, then these parameters may be reinterpreted as in Release 15.

[0083] In an embodiment, the UE 108 may be configured by using two sequences, which are essentially a pair of sequences of the same length n: One of these sequences indicates n time slot offsets (K 2,1 , …, K 2,n ), n = 1, …, N, where K 2,i ∈ {0, …, 5119}, i = 1, … n, and the other sequence indicates the consecutive number of resources allocated for the configured grant after the corresponding offset. In one embodiment, the number of resources may have a fixed granularity, or the granularity may be configured: for example, the granularity may be G ∈ {2 OS, 7 OS, 1 time slot, 2 time slots, 4 time slots}. In one embodiment, the indication of the offset and the consecutive resources may be jointly indicated by providing a direct indication of the resource set configured for the configured grant operation, without decoupling the information into the offset and the consecutive resource set.

[0084] In an embodiment, the offsets (K 2,1 , …, K 2,n ), K 2,i ≠ K 2,j if i ≠ j are each configured such that they may indicate any time slot offset within the period and indicate the time slot offset relative to the system frame number (SFN) when using CG type 1 and relative to the active DCI when using CG type 2. If the reference time slot is time slot m, then the UE108 may be in time slot m + K 2,i, i=1,…,n, which will occur in the first periodicity of CG activation. This allocation can be repeated in every periodicity thereafter until the CG is deactivated, so UE 108 can perform LBT to 2,i +lP, l=1,…,L access channel, where L is the number of periodicities until the CG is deactivated.

[0085] In an embodiment, given a parameter z, which indicates the number of continuous resources allocated for CG operation, whose value and granularity can be fixed or configured by RRC signaling, 5120-Z+1 resource sets can be formed. In one embodiment, 13 bits of DCI can be used to indicate a collection from these resource sets. In an embodiment, multiple resource sets can be used, and the multiple resource sets can be configured via a bitmap, which can be configured by RRC signaling and can indicate N elements in the resource set. In one embodiment, given a bitmap indicating multiple resource sets, T bits can be used in DCI to indicate how many configured resource sets are used (the first or last 2^T can be used). In one embodiment, the slot duration z is applied to the slot offset only when the UE successfully passes LBT in the configured slot offset opportunity. In an embodiment, the slot duration is applied to all slot offsets so that the UE can perform LBT on all continuous LBT opportunities at the slot duration for each slot offset. In one embodiment, the UE can attempt LBT access to the channel for each slot offset, but once LBT is successful, each periodicity is transmitted with only one slot offset. In an embodiment, regardless of the periodicity, a UE may use as many slot offsets as its traffic needs.

[0086] In an embodiment, the n slot offsets may be individually configured in the same manner as the Release 15 signaling for a single slot offset. For CG Type 1, the n slot offsets may be configured via RRC, and for CG Type 2, the slot offsets may each be configured via DCI via 13 bits, such that the slot offset may take any value integer from 0 to 5119. In one embodiment, candidate slot offset positions with periodicity may be constrained to a smaller set of slots such that the signaling required for each offset is reduced. The reduced set may be a function of the periodicity P such that if the maximum slot / microslot duration for each offset is Z, the slot offsets are from a total of M≤[5120 / Z] total possible slot offsets.

[0087] Figure 8Shows the CG allocation 800 according to some embodiments. The CG allocation 800 may include an eight-slot CG periodicity and may include a plurality (e.g., two) of slot offsets configured within the CG periodicity. The resource allocation may include a length of two. Thus, UE 108 may continuously perform its transmissions over two slots after slot offset 1, e.g., transmit in the second and third slots, or after slot offset 2, e.g., in the fifth and sixth slots. The slot offset position may be signaled fully flexibly using the legacy Release 15 method of offsets from 0 to 5119, or may be from a subset of the Release 15 offset set.

[0088] In some embodiments, given a reference starting slot m, z to indicate the number of consecutive resources to be used for CG operations and a fixed offset value n, the resources within a period P may be configured such that m + n(I – 1) + {0, …, z – 1} are for the configured authorized transmissions, where i = 2, 3, …, K, and K is chosen such that m + n(K – 1) + z – 1 < P. In one embodiment, m, z, and n may be RRC configured by adding new fields or reinterpreting existing fields or indicated by DCI.

[0089] In an embodiment, the slot offset position may be deterministically derived (or fixed) from the legacy Release 15 offset (referred to herein as K2) indicated in the CG activation, the periodicity P, and the new parameters n and z, where n is the number of configured total slot offsets and z is the transmission resource (e.g., slot / micro-slot) duration. For example, if the Release 15 slot offset indicates the slot K2 from the start of the periodicity, a possible function may be derived, and then the slot offset may be such that there is a gap of at least K2 + z between each slot offset, such that the periodicity, the initial slot offset, and the number of offsets of the transmission duration z may be configured such that However, since the gap of K2 + z may be too short given a large periodicity and the maximum number of slot offsets per periodicity, there may be an additional slot gap g that can be added at the end of the resource (e.g., slot / micro-slot) transmission duration. Thus, the slot offset may occur at slots {K2, (i - 1)(K2 + z + g)}, i = 2, …, n, and the gap may be determined by to be determined. In the Figure 8 example, K2 = 1, z = 2, n = 2, and g = 1.

[0090] In an embodiment, the time slot offset can be simulated via a bitmap, which can configure certain time slots via a bitmap of length X within the periodicity and a bitmap time granularity of y. For example, a bitmap can enable or disable resources (e.g., time slots / microslots) with a granularity of z, where the granularity y can be determined by X and P. For short periodicities (e.g., 2 OS, 7 OS, 1 time slot, etc.), the bitmap granularity can be constrained so that it is suitable for the service / traffic type, and only the first X1 bits of the bitmap are used for the offset, while the remaining X-X1 bits are set to zero. For long periodicities, the bitmap signaling duration is made shorter than the periodicity, and the bitmap indication simply repeats until it covers the entire duration of the periodicity.

[0091] In an embodiment, the offset and duration are provided by two different bitmaps / sequences, which have the same length and can be configured by RRC. In an embodiment, an X bit can be introduced in the DCI to signal a specific element included in the RRC sequence, either before or after 2 X – 1 element or group of elements to use for the configured grant transmission in period P. In an embodiment, the value of X determines the specific element of the RRC sequence used. Some signaling examples of various embodiments are provided below.

[0092] Some implementations may use one-element signaling: given an RRC sequence consisting of the following elements: n = [3, 9, 24, 36, 96, 107, 156, 200]; z = [2, 3, 5, 2, 9, 10, 2, 8], and given 3 bits in the DCI, these three bits may indicate which value of n or z to use.

[0093] Some implementations may use the first 2 X - Signaling of 1 element: Given an RRC sequence consisting of the following elements: n = [3, 9, 24, 36, 96, 107, 156, 200]; z = [2, 3, 5, 2, 9, 10, 2, 8], and given 3 bits in the DCI, these three bits can indicate the first m elements to be used. For example, if X = 001, only n = {3} and m = {2} are used; if X = 011, n = {3, 9, 24} and m = {2, 3, 5} can be used.

[0094] Some embodiments may use signaling of element groups. In this case, a lookup table may be formed, and each element of X corresponds to a specific element group of n and z.

[0095] In an embodiment, the CG UE may have a table, wherein each entry in the table is associated with an offset configuration, wherein the slot offset configuration table may contain an offset format, such as the format from any of the various embodiments mentioned in this document. For example, in the entry of the table with index j, the UE is configured with n(j) slot offsets and slot / mini-slot durations z(j), and these offsets and slot durations may be configured by higher layers. For example, an entry in index j of the table may have a slot offset {K 2,1 (j),…,K 2,n(j) (j)}, where the total number of slot offsets n(j) may be different in each entry j. In one embodiment, each slot offset configuration in the table may have a sequence of slot offsets and an associated sequence of slot / minimum slot durations {z1(j), ..., z2(j), ..., z3(j), ..., z4(j), ..., z5(j), ..., z6(j), ..., z7(j), ..., z8(j), ..., z9(j), ..., z10(j), ..., z11(j), ..., z12(j), ..., z13(j), ..., z14(j), ..., z15(j), ..., z16(j), ..., z17(j), ..., z18(j), ..., z19(j), ..., z21(j), ..., z22(j), ..., z31(j), ..., z41(j), ..., z5 n(j) (j)}. In one embodiment, the table may be configured with a slot bitmap and a bitmap granularity parameter, the slot bitmap indicating enabled or disabled slots / mini-slots. For example, the bitmap in table index j may be a vector x(j) of length X(j), and the granularity may be y(j). In one embodiment, the total number of entries in the table may be M, e.g., M=16, and CG activation may use The bit signals one of the offset configurations. In one embodiment, the UE 108 may be configured in its CG activation with an index from its table to indicate the timeslot offset to be used, which is configured by RRC for CG Type 1 and by the gNB 104 in DCI activation for CG Type 2. In an embodiment, the UE 108 may autonomously select an index from the table based on its current traffic requirements and may indicate the timeslot offset configuration used in the CG-UCI.

[0096] In one embodiment, multiple legacy Rel-15 configurations are supported and replicated, each supporting specific services / traffic, and for each of them independent activation and deactivation can be used.

[0097] In some embodiments, a UE 108 operating in NR-U using a configured grant may have its time domain allocation for mini-slotted transmissions utilizing a PUSCH starting at symbol S and having a length of L. Since configured grant transmissions in NR-U may occur in continuous opportunities without gaps, the PUSCH format for the remaining transmissions may also be described.

[0098] Based on the periodicity and slot offset configured by the configured grant, the UE 108 can derive the first time slot for the configured grant transmission with a configured period. The first configured / indicated mini-slot for the configured grant transmission in the first time slot can be represented as an initial mini-slot and can be indicated by the SLIV start symbol and length parameter. The UE 108 can also be configured with a slot duration parameter Z so that the UE 108 can access the channel during any configured time slot among these configured time slots and transmit its first PUSCH according to its SLIV. In this way, given the initial configured PUSCH opportunity indicated by the slot offset and SLIV, and given the slot duration configured for the UE 108, the initial PUSCH transmission of the UE 108 can occur at or after the initial configured opportunity and at any configured transmission opportunity within the slot duration, depending on the time of UE traffic demand and depending on successful channel access via LBT. The UE may be configured with a mini-slot start symbol S and length L such that the remaining symbols in the slot are R = 14-SL, S = 0, ..., 13, L = 1, ..., 14. Possible PUSCH formats for transmitting consecutive mini-slots on consecutive OFDM symbols are outlined, including the behavior when R>0.

[0099] In one embodiment, after an initial mini-slot with a start symbol S and a length L, one or more mini-slots with a length R>0 may start at OS#S+L and end at OS#13, so that the PUSCH in the remaining slots may occupy the entire slot duration. Fig. 9 An example of this can be observed in .

[0100] Fig. 9 A transmission sequence 900 according to some embodiments is shown. The transmission sequence 900 may include a first time slot 904 followed by a second time slot 908. A first PUSCH 912 following the LBT gap 902 is to be transmitted in a first mini-time slot corresponding to S=x and L=7. A second PUSCH 916 may be transmitted in a second mini-time slot corresponding to S=x+7 and L=7-x. In this way, the length of the second mini-time slot may be based on the starting position of the first mini-time slot.

[0101] In an embodiment, after the initial mini-slot, the first PUSCH transmission may be mapped to all remaining OFDM symbols in the initial slot after the start symbol S, regardless of the configured length L of the PUSCH, and the remaining PUSCH transmissions may be mapped to the full slot. In an embodiment, after the initial mini-slot with the start symbol S and the length L, K mini-slots of combined length R>0 may be transmitted, so that the last slot may be mapped to all remaining OFDM symbols in the initial slot after the first K-1 mini-slots. In an embodiment, the previous cases may be implemented together, where a mini-slot PUSCH of length R may be transmitted after K initial mini-slots (if R>1), and the Kth initial mini-slot PUSCH extends to end at OS#13 (if R≤1), and the remaining PUSCH in subsequent slots are mapped to full slots.

[0102] In an embodiment, when UE 108 is configured with a PUSCH starting symbol S and length L, the UE may transmit mini-slots for the remainder of its uplink burst. In an embodiment, the UE may be configured with a mini-slot starting symbol and length such that the mini-slots uniformly occupy the full slot duration. In an embodiment, the mini-slots may have any starting symbol S and length L, and the remaining PUSCH is mapped to the exact same symbol in the subsequent slot, leaving gaps in the uplink transmission. In an embodiment, the mini-slots may be configured contiguously or non-contiguously, and have any starting symbol S and length L such that the mini-slots do not span two slots.

[0103] In some embodiments, a specific mini-slot for PUSCH may be allocated such that its starting symbol and length causes it to cross a slot boundary. In one embodiment, UE 108 may transmit its PUSCH mini-slots continuously in time without any gaps for the entire uplink burst. UE 108 may transmit all PUSCHs according to the configured S and L as long as they fit within the slot, and for the case where a mini-slot PUSCH (j) starting at slot T crosses a slot boundary, the UE may split the mini-slot PUSCH into two mini-slot PUSCH transmissions such that the first mini-slot PUSCH (j, 1) will end at OS#13 of slot T, and the second mini-slot PUSCH (j, 2) may appear in slot T+1. Both mini-slot PUSCHs may carry a front-loaded DMRS. In some embodiments, two mini-slots derived from a mini-slot that crosses a slot boundary may be referred to as derived mini-slots.

[0104] In one embodiment, mini-slot PUSCH(j+1) starts no later than OS#12. In one embodiment, the length of mini-slot PUSCH(j,1) is L1=R, and the length of mini-slot PUSCH(j,2) is L2=LR, such that L1+L2=L, such that the overall length of the two combined mini-slots is the same as the initial length of mini-slot PUSCH(j). Fig.10 An example of this implementation can be seen in .

[0105] Fig.10 A transmission sequence 1000 according to some embodiments is included. The transmission sequence 1000 may include a first time slot 1004 and a second time slot 1008. A plurality of consecutive mini-time slots, each having a length of 4, may be configured across the first time slot 1004 and the second time slot 1008. The mini-time slots may correspond to PUSCHs 1012, 1016, 1020, 1024, 1028, 1032, and 1036. PUSCH 1024 may be in a mini-time slot that crosses a time slot boundary. Thus, the mini-time slot may be divided into two derived mini-time slots, one at the end of the first time slot 1004 and one at the beginning of the second time slot 1008. DMRS 1040 may be included in the first symbol transmitted in the PUSCH of the first derived mini-time slot, and DMRS 1044 may be included in the first symbol transmitted in the PUSCH of the second derived mini-time slot.

[0106] In an embodiment, the length of the mini-slot PUSCH (j, 1) is L1=R, and the length of the mini-slot PUSCH (j, 2) is L2=L-R+1, such that L1+L2=L+1, so that the total length of the OS available for data and UCI remains L-1. In an embodiment, the length of the mini-slot PUSCH (j, 1) is L1=R, and the length of the mini-slot PUSCH (j, 2) is L2=L, so that the total length of the mini-slot PUSCH (j) increases to L1+L2=L+R. In an embodiment, if R>1, only the mini-slot PUSCH (j, 1) can be transmitted, where L1=R, and the next mini-slot PUSCH (j+1) can be transmitted in the time slot T+1 starting from OS#0, for example as Fig.11 as shown in .

[0107] Fig.11A transmission sequence 1100 according to some embodiments is shown. The transmission sequence 1100 may include a first time slot 1104 and a second time slot 1108. The LBT gap 1102 may occur before the PUSCH 1112 is transmitted in the initial mini-time slot with S=x and L=7. The boundary mini-time slot may be divided into two derived mini-time slots. The first derived mini-time slot may have S=x+7 and L=7-x, which carries the PUSCH 1116, and the second derived mini-time slot may have S=0 and L=7, which carries the PUSCH 1120 in the second time slot 1108. Another mini-time slot with S=7 and L=7 may be in the second time slot 1108 and carry the PUSCH 1124.

[0108] In one embodiment, mini-slot PUSCH(j,1) and mini-slot PUSCH(j,2) may be transmitted using the same redundancy version ID (RVID). For example, the RVIDs assigned for PUSCH(j,1) and PUSCH(j,2) may be the RVID assigned for PUSCH(j) when PUSCH(j) does not cross the slot boundary. In an embodiment, mini-slot PUSCH(j,1) may be transmitted using RVID-a and mini-slot PUSCH(j,2) may be transmitted using RVID-b, such that RVID-a and RVID-b∈{0,1,2,3} or a larger set, for example, {0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7}. In one embodiment, for the set {0,1,2,3}, one of the RVIDs may be equal to 0 or 3. If the set is different from {0,1,2,3}, one of the RVIDs should be selected to ensure self-decodability. If Otherwise RVID-b=0.

[0109] In some embodiments, the UE 108 may be configured with a mini-slotted PUSCH such that given the start slot offset, SLIV, and time duration parameters, the UE may transmit only one PUSCH in each slot and the transmissions may follow the SLIV regardless of whether there are gaps between transmissions.

[0110] In some embodiments, as by Fig.12 Given the example in , a UE 108 operating in NR-U using a configured grant can be configured to transmit repetitions of its TBs via parameter repK, such that the mini-slot PUSCH must be transmitted repK times.

[0111] Fig.12A transmission sequence 1200 according to some embodiments is shown. The transmission sequence 1200 may include a first time slot 1204 and a second time slot 1208. The UE 108 may be configured to transmit two repetitions in each TB. For example, the UE 108 may transmit Rep 1 and Rep 2 in TB 1 1204, and may transmit Rep 1 and Rep 2 in TB 2 1208. The LBT gap 1202 may occur before TB1.

[0112] UE 108 may be configured with a redundancy version sequence that is one of the following sequences: {0}, {0,3}, {0,2,3,1}. The repetition of the TB may follow any of the aforementioned embodiments for PUSCH, including full slot transmissions for each repetition of the remaining PUSCH transmissions after the initial PUSCH, or may follow a mini-slot PUSCH format indicated by the length L of the first mini-slot. In one embodiment, UE 108 may transmit all of its PUSCHs, including repetitions, using a mini-slot configuration, and the repetition RVIDs may follow those outlined in the aforementioned embodiments. In one embodiment, if the kth repetition of mini-slot PUSCH (j) (referred to as mini-slot PUSCH (j+k), k=1,…,repK) is configured to be transmitted using RVID-x, and such that it will cross a slot boundary, then mini-slot PUSCH (j+k) is divided into two additional repetitions, mini-slot PUSCH (j+k 1) and mini-slot PUSCH (j+k 2). In one embodiment, mini-slot PUSCH(j+k,1) and mini-slot PUSCH(j+k,2) are transmitted using the same RVID-x. In one embodiment, mini-slot PUSCH(j+k,1) is transmitted using RVID-a, and mini-slot PUSCH(j+k,2) is transmitted using RVID-b. For example, if And RVID-b=RVID-x, otherwise RVID-b=0 and RVID-a=RVID-x.

[0113] In various embodiments, the UE 108 may explicitly indicate an end symbol for its final PUSCH transmission. The end symbol may depend on the location of the LBT gap expected for the gNB 104 or other UEs. It is possible that all UEs with configured grants in a given bandwidth part (BWP) may be configured with the same SLIV so that the LBT gap between different UEs may be common, or it may be possible that the SLIV is not necessarily the same between UEs so that a potential LBT gap for one UE is located in a symbol that coincides with a potential PUSCH data symbol for another UE. In one embodiment, if the UEs share a common SLIV for all configured transmission opportunities, and the LBT gap occupies symbols before the SLIV indicated by the PUSCH, then for the UE's final PUSCH transmission, it may puncture the final symbol of the final PUSCH that coincides with the LBT gap of other UEs or gNBs. In one embodiment, if the UEs share a common SLIV and the LBT gap coincides with the first symbol of the PUSCH, then for the UE to transmit its final PUSCH in a burst, it may transmit a full-length PUSCH according to the SLIV. In an embodiment, if the UEs do not share a common SLIV such that the starting symbol and length vary from UE to UE, then the UE may transmit its final PUSCH for the full length according to its SLIV. In an embodiment, if the UE is configured with a SLIV such that the length indicates that the final symbol coincides with the LBT gap of the gNB, then it always punctures the final symbol of the PUSCH.

[0114] In an implementation scheme, the number of last symbols in the last time slot that are not available for the configured grant transmission derived from the periodicity, time slot offset and number of time slots of the configured grant transmission is configured in the configured grant configuration. In an implementation scheme, the number of last symbols in the last time slot that are not available for the configured grant transmission derived from the periodicity, time slot offset and number of time slots of the configured grant transmission may be indicated in the activation DCI. In an implementation scheme, the number of last symbols in the last time slot that are not available for the configured grant transmission derived from the periodicity, time slot offset and number of time slots of the configured grant transmission may be predefined. In the above implementation scheme, instead of the information about the number of last symbols in the last time slot that are not available for the configured grant transmission, it may be the last symbol in the last time slot that is available for the configured grant transmission.

[0115] According to the different embodiments above, the combination of the described features can be used to implement time domain allocation for CG UE using unlicensed operation of NR.

[0116] Aspects of the embodiments described herein may be implemented by devices or components that execute operational procedures / algorithm structures. Fig.13 and Fig.14 Some operational flows / algorithm structures according to some embodiments are shown. Fig.13 and Fig.14 Some or all of the details may be performed by: a UE, for example, Figure 1 UE 108, or Fig.15 UE 1501a or 1501b; gNB, for example, Figure 1 gNB104, or Fig.15 Access node 1511a or 1511b; components, for example, Figure 1 The protocol processing circuit 112 / 120 or the RFFE circuit 116 / 124, Fig.16 The baseband circuit 1610 or the radio front end module 1615, Fig.17 Baseband circuit 1710 or radio front end module 1715; or Fig.18 processor 1810 and memory / storage device 1820 .

[0117] Fig.13 An operational flow / algorithm structure 1300 is shown according to some embodiments.

[0118] The operational flow / algorithm structure 1300 may include, at 1304, generating or processing a configuration information message indicating the CG periodicity and bitmap. In various implementations, other parameters / information may be conveyed via the configuration information message, including but not limited to cyclic array information, offset values, granularity, repetition values, etc. In implementations where the operational flow / algorithm structure 1300 is implemented by a UE, 1304 may include processing the configuration information message received by the UE. In implementations where the operational flow / algorithm structure 1300 is implemented by a gNB, 1304 may include generating a configuration information message to be transmitted to the UE.

[0119] In various embodiments, the configuration message may be an RRC message, a DCI, or a system information broadcast (SIB) message. For different purposes, one or more configuration messages may be transmitted at different times by different signaling types. For example, in some embodiments, the initial configuration information may be semi-statically configured to the UE by an RRC message. Subsequently, the DCI may be used to select, indicate, or update one or more configuration parameters based on previously configured parameters. For example, RRC signaling may be used to configure a lookup table, as described elsewhere herein, and the DCI may be used to signal the selection of one or more resources by reference to a previously configured lookup table.

[0120] In various embodiments, the UE and gNB may use the CG periodicity and the bitmap to determine which time domain resources may be used for CG uplink transmissions. As described herein, the corresponding length of the bitmap and the CG periodicity may have bearing on how the bitmap values ​​are mapped to the resources of one or more RAPs defined by the CG periodicity. In some embodiments, only some of the bitmap values ​​will be used in this determination; however, in other embodiments, all bitmap values ​​may be used.

[0121] After the UE determines the time domain resources allocated for the CG uplink transmission, the UE may identify the information to be transmitted in the uplink transmission. The information may include data or control signals to be transmitted to the gNB in ​​one or more physical channels, such as but not limited to PUSCH, PUCCH, etc.

[0122] The operational flow / algorithm structure 1300 may also include, at 1308, decoding or encoding a CG uplink transmission based on the CG periodicity and the bitmap. In an embodiment where the operational flow / algorithm structure 1300 is implemented by the UE 1308, the CG uplink transmission may be encoded. In an embodiment where the operational flow / algorithm structure 1300 is implemented by the gNB 1308, the CG uplink transmission may be decoded.

[0123] Uplink transmissions may be encoded on uplink resources of different RAPs as indicated by the bitmap. Because both the UE and the gNB may have a consistent understanding of how the bitmap values ​​will be associated with the corresponding resource elements, both devices will know which resources may be used for uplink transmissions. In some embodiments, the gNB may blindly decode the available resources at least until an appropriate UCI is detected that provides an indication of which available resources are to be actually used for uplink transmissions by the UE.

[0124] Prior to transmitting the coded uplink transmission, some embodiments may include a UE performing one or more LBT procedures. In order to perform the LBT procedure, the UE may first perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) by listening to the operating channel for a time period corresponding to the CCA observation time. If the UE detects energy on the channel above a predetermined threshold, the UE may determine a backoff period based on a random value multiplied by the CCA observation time. After the backoff period, the UE may attempt the CCA again. If the channel is occupied for more than a predetermined number of CCAs, the LBT procedure may be considered unsuccessful. If the UE determines that the energy detected by the CCA observation time does not exceed a predetermined threshold, the LBT procedure may be considered successful.

[0125] In some embodiments, the LBT procedure may be performed only for the first transmission of a period. For example, if the LBT procedure is successfully performed on the first transmission, the UE can transmit both the first transmission and any subsequent transmissions.

[0126] Fig.14 An operational flow / algorithm structure 400 is shown according to some embodiments.

[0127] The operation flow / algorithm structure 1400 may include: At 1404, receiving time slot offset configuration information and duration information. The time slot offset configuration information may include information for configuring multiple time slot offsets within the CG periodicity. The duration information may indicate the number of continuous resources (e.g., time slots, mini-time slots, resource units, etc.) allocated for the CG after each time slot offset in the multiple time slot offsets. The duration may be the same or different for all time slot offsets.

[0128] In some embodiments, the slot offset configuration information and duration information may configure one or more sequences, bitmaps, or lookup tables that the UE may then use to determine a specific slot offset value and duration.

[0129] In some embodiments, when the UE is configured with CG type 1, the time slot offset may be relative to the system frame number; and when the UE is configured with CG type 2, the time slot offset may be relative to the activation DCI.

[0130] In some embodiments, the configuration information received at 1404 may additionally / alternatively include legacy offset indications, CG periodicity, cyclic array information, array offset values, redundant pattern information, repetition information, etc.

[0131] The operational flow / algorithm structure 1400 may also include selecting uplink resources based on the slot offset configuration information and the duration information, at 1408. In some embodiments, the selection of uplink resources may include the UE selecting a subset of resources indicated as available by the information received at 1404. This selection of a subset of resources may be based on an autonomous decision of the UE (based on, for example, traffic conditions) or based on subsequent configuration information transmitted to the UE by the gNB.

[0132] The operation flow / algorithm structure 1400 may also include: at 1412, encoding the CG uplink transmission using the selected uplink resource. Fig.13 As discussed, in some embodiments, the UE may perform an LBT operation before transmitting the encoded data to the gNB.

[0133] Now go to Fig.15, an exemplary architecture of a system 1500 of a network according to various embodiments is shown. The following description is provided for an exemplary system 1500 operating in conjunction with a 5G or NR system standard provided, for example, by a 3GPP technical specification. However, the exemplary embodiments are not limited in this regard, and the embodiments may be applied to other networks that benefit from the principles described herein, such as future 3GPP systems (e.g., sixth generation (6G)) systems or other wireless networks.

[0134] like Fig.15 As shown, system 1500 includes UE 1501a and UE 1501b (collectively referred to as "UE 1501"). In this example, UE 1501 is shown as a smart phone (e.g., a handheld touch screen mobile computing device capable of connecting to one or more cellular networks), but may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as a consumer electronic device, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a feature phone, a tablet computer, a wearable computer device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a pager, a wireless handheld device, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), an in-vehicle entertainment (ICE) device, an instrument panel (IC), a head-up display (HUD) device, an on-board diagnostic (OBD) device, a dashtop mobile equipment (DME), a mobile data terminal (MDT), an electronic engine management system (EEMS), an electronic / engine control unit (ECU), an electronic / engine control module (ECM), an embedded system, a microcontroller, a control module, an engine management system (EMS), a networked or "smart" appliance, an MTC device, an M2M, an IoT device, etc.

[0135] In some embodiments, any of the UEs 1501 may be an Internet of Things (IoT) UE, which may include a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications that utilize transient UE connections. The IoT UE may utilize technologies such as M2M or MTC to exchange data with an MTC server or device via PLMN, ProSe or D2D communications, sensor networks, or IoT networks. 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 transient connections. The IoT UE may execute background applications (e.g., keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate connectivity to the IoT network.

[0136] UE 1501 may be configured to connect, e.g., be communicatively coupled, to a radio access network (RAN) 1510. In an embodiment, RAN 1510 may be an NG RAN or a 5G RAN. As used herein, the term "NG RAN" or the like may refer to RAN 1510 operating in an NR or 5G system 1500. UE 1501 utilizes connections (or channels) 1503 and 1504, respectively, each of which includes a physical communication interface or layer.

[0137] In this example, connections 1503 and 1504 are shown as air interfaces to achieve communication coupling, and can be consistent with a cellular communication protocol, such as the 3GPP 5G / NR protocol or any other communication protocol discussed herein. In an embodiment, UE 1501 can directly exchange communication data via a ProSe interface 1505. The ProSe interface 1505 can alternatively be referred to as a sidelink (SL) interface 1505.

[0138] UE 1501b is shown as being configured to access AP 1506 (also referred to as "WLAN node 1506," "WLAN 1506," "WLAN terminal 1506," "WT 1506," etc.) via connection 1507. Connection 1507 may include a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, where AP 1506 would include Wireless Fidelity. router. In this example, AP 1506 is shown as being connected to the Internet without being connected to the core network of the wireless system (described in further detail below). In various embodiments, UE 1501b, RAN 1510, and AP 1506 may be configured to utilize LWA operation and / or LWIP operation. LWA operation may involve UE 1501b in an RRC_CONNECTED state being configured by RAN nodes 1511a-b to utilize radio resources of LTE and WLAN. LWIP operation may involve UE 1501b using WLAN radio resources (e.g., connection 1507) via IPsec protocol tunneling to authenticate and encrypt packets (e.g., IP packets) sent through connection 1507. 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.

[0139] The RAN 1510 may include one or more access nodes (ANs) or RAN nodes 1511a and 1511b (collectively referred to as "RAN nodes 1511") that enable connections 1503 and 1504. 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, NodeBs, RSUs, 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 1511 (e.g., gNBs) operating in NR or 5G systems 1500, while the terms "E-UTRAN nodes," and the like may refer to RAN nodes 1511 (e.g., eNBs) operating in LTE or 4G systems. According to various embodiments, the RAN node 1511 may be implemented as one or more of dedicated physical devices such as a macrocell base station and / or a low power (LP) base station for providing a femtocell, picocell or other similar cell having a smaller coverage area, smaller user capacity or higher bandwidth than a macrocell.

[0140] In a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) scenario, one or more of the RAN nodes 1511 may be or act as a roadside unit (RSU). RSU may refer to any transportation infrastructure entity used for V2X communication. RSU may be implemented in or by a suitable RAN node or a stationary (or relatively stationary) UE, wherein an RSU implemented in or by a UE may be referred to as a "UE-type RSU", an RSU implemented in or by an eNB may be referred to as an "eNB-type RSU", an RSU implemented in or by a gNB may be referred to as a "gNB-type RSU", and so on. In one example, an RSU is a computing device coupled to a radio frequency circuit located on the roadside that provides connectivity support to a passing vehicle UE 1501 (vUE). The RSU may also include internal data storage circuitry for storing intersection map geometry, traffic statistics, media, and applications / software for sensing and controlling ongoing vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The RSU may operate on the 5.9 GHz Direct Short Range Communication (DSRC) band to provide extremely low latency communications required for high-speed events, such as collision avoidance, traffic warnings, etc. In addition or alternatively, the RSU may operate on the cellular V2X band to provide the aforementioned low latency communications as well as other cellular communication services. In addition or alternatively, the RSU may operate as a Wi-Fi hotspot (2.4 GHz band) and / or provide connectivity to one or more cellular networks to provide uplink and downlink communications. Some or all of the computing device and the RSU's RF circuitry may be packaged in a weather-resistant enclosure suitable for outdoor installation, and may include a network interface controller to provide a wired connection (e.g., Ethernet) to a traffic signal controller and / or backhaul network.

[0141] Any of the RAN nodes 1511 may serve as the endpoint for the air interface protocol and may be the first point of contact for the UE 1501. In some embodiments, any of the RAN nodes 1511 may perform various logical functions of the RAN 1510, including but not limited to radio network controller (RNC) functions such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management.

[0142] In an embodiment, UE 1501 may be configured to communicate with each other or any node in RAN node 1511 using OFDM communication signals over a multi-carrier communication channel according to various communication techniques, such as but not limited to OFDMA communication techniques (e.g., for downlink communication) or SC-FDMA communication techniques (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communication), although the scope of the embodiment is not limited in this respect. OFDM signals may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0143] In some embodiments, the downlink resource grid can be used for downlink transmissions from any node in the RAN node 1511 to the UE 1501, while uplink transmissions can utilize similar techniques. The grid can be a time-frequency grid, called a resource grid or a time-frequency resource grid, which is the physical resource in the downlink in each time slot. For OFDM systems, such a time-frequency plane representation is a common practice, which makes the allocation of wireless resources 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 the radio frame. The smallest time-frequency unit in the resource grid is represented as a resource element. Each resource grid includes multiple resource blocks, which describe the mapping of certain physical channels to resource elements. Each resource block includes a set of resource elements; in the frequency domain, this can represent the minimum amount of resources that can currently be allocated. Such resource blocks are used to transmit several different physical downlink channels.

[0144] According to various embodiments, UE 1501 and RAN node 1511 communicate data (e.g., transmit data and receive data) through licensed media (also referred to as "licensed spectrum" and / or "licensed band") and unlicensed shared media (also referred to as "unlicensed spectrum" and / or "unlicensed band").

[0145] To operate in the unlicensed spectrum, the UE 1501 and the RAN node 1511 may operate using LAA, eLAA, and / or feLAA mechanisms. In these implementations, the UE 1501 and the RAN node 1511 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.

[0146] As discussed above, LBT is a mechanism by which equipment (e.g., UE 1501, RAN node 1511, etc.) senses a 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 CCA, which 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 idle. 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 expected transmission band, and comparing the sensed RF energy to a predefined or configured threshold.

[0147] The RAN nodes 1511 may be configured to communicate with each other via an interface 1512. The interface 1512 may be an Xn interface 1512. The Xn interface is defined between two or more RAN nodes 1511 (e.g., two or more gNBs, etc.) connected to the 5GC 1520, between a RAN node 1511 (e.g., a gNB) connected to the 5GC 1520 and an eNB, and / or between two eNBs connected to the 5GC 1520. In some 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 the UE 1501 in a connected mode (e.g., CM-CONNECTED) includes functions for managing UE mobility in a connected mode between one or more RAN nodes 1511. Mobility support may include context transfer from the old (source) service RAN node 1511 to the new (target) service RAN node 1511; and control of the user plane tunnel between the old (source) service RAN node 1511 and the new (target) service RAN node 1511. The protocol stack of Xn-U may include a transport network layer built on an Internet Protocol (IP) transport layer, and a GTP-U layer on top of a UDP and / or IP layer for carrying user plane PDUs. The Xn-C protocol stack may include an application layer signaling protocol (referred to as the Xn Application Protocol (Xn-AP)) and a transport network layer built on SCTP. SCTP may be on top of the IP layer and may provide guaranteed delivery of application layer messages. In the transport IP layer, point-to-point transport is used to deliver signaling PDUs. In other specific implementations, the Xn-U protocol stack and / or the Xn-C protocol stack may be the same or similar to the user plane and / or control plane protocol stacks shown and described herein.

[0148] RAN 1510 is shown as being communicatively coupled to a core network - in this embodiment, communicatively coupled to a core network (CN) 1520. The CN 1520 may include a plurality of network elements 1522 configured to provide various data and telecommunication services to customers / subscribers (e.g., users of UE 1501) connected to CN 1520 via RAN 1510. The components of CN 1520 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 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 1520 may be referred to as a network slice, and a logical instance of a portion of CN 1520 may be referred to as a network sub-slice. NFV architecture and infrastructure may be used to virtualize one or more network functions onto physical resources comprising a combination of industry-standard server hardware, storage hardware, or switches (alternatively performed by proprietary hardware). In other words, the NFV system may be used to perform a virtual or reconfigurable implementation of one or more EPC components / functions.

[0149] Generally speaking, the application server 1530 may be an element that provides applications that use IP bearer resources with the core network (e.g., UMTS PS domain, LTE PS data services, etc.). The application server 1530 may also be configured to support one or more communication services for the UE 1501 via the CN 1520 (e.g., VoIP sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social network services, etc.).

[0150] In an embodiment, CN 1520 may be a 5GC (referred to as "5GC 1520" or the like), and RAN 1510 may be connected to CN 1520 via an NG interface 1513. In an embodiment, NG interface 1513 may be divided into two parts: an NG user plane (NG-U) interface 1514, which carries traffic data between RAN node 1511 and UPF; and an S1 control plane (NG-C) interface 1515, which is a signaling interface between RAN node 611 and AMF.

[0151] Fig.16An example of infrastructure equipment 1600 according to various embodiments is shown. Infrastructure equipment 1600 (or "system 1600") can be implemented as a base station, a radio head, a RAN node (such as the RAN node 1511 and / or AP 1506 shown and described previously), an application server 1530, and / or any other element / device discussed herein. In other examples, system 1600 can be implemented in or by a UE.

[0152] System 1600 includes: application circuit 1605, baseband circuit 1610, one or more radio front end modules (RFEM) 1615, memory circuit 1620, power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 1625, power tee circuit 1630, network controller circuit 1635, network interface connector 1640, satellite positioning circuit 1645 and user interface 1650. In some embodiments, device 1600 may include additional elements such as memory / storage, display, camera, sensor or input / output (I / O) interface. In other embodiments, the following components may be included in more than one device. For example, the circuit may be included separately in more than one device for CRAN, vBBU or other similar implementations.

[0153] The application circuit 1605 includes circuits such as, but not limited to, one or more processors (or processor cores), cache memory, and one or more of the following: a low dropout regulator (LDO), an interrupt controller, a serial interface such as SPI, I2C or a general programmable serial interface module, a real-time clock (RTC), a timer-counter (including an interval timer and a watchdog timer), a general input / output (I / O or IO), a memory card controller such as a secure digital (SD) multimedia card (MMC), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a mobile industry processor interface, etc. The processor (or core) of the application circuit 1605 may be coupled to or may include a memory / storage element and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage device to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the system 1600. In some specific implementations, the memory / storage element may be an on-chip memory circuit that may include any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state memory, and / or any other type of memory device technology, such as those discussed herein.

[0154] The processor of application circuit 1605 may include, for example, one or more processor cores (CPUs), one or more application processors, one or more graphics processing units (GPUs), one or more reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, one or more Acorn RISC Machine (ARM) processors, one or more complex instruction set computing (CISC) processors, one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), one or more FPGAs, one or more PLDs, one or more ASICs, one or more microprocessors or controllers, or any suitable combination thereof. In some embodiments, application circuit 1605 may include or may be a dedicated processor / controller for operating according to various embodiments herein. As an example, the processor of application circuit 1605 may include one or more Intel FPGAs. or Processor: Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Processor, Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) or Processor; ARM-based processors licensed by ARM Holdings, Ltd., such as the ARM Cortex-A series processors provided by Cavium (TM), Inc. and MIPS-based designs from MIPS Technologies, Inc., such as the MIPSWarrior P-class processor; etc. In some embodiments, system 1600 may not utilize application circuit 1605, and instead may include a dedicated processor / controller to process IP data received, for example, from an EPC or 5GC.

[0155] In some implementations, the application circuit 1605 may include one or more hardware accelerators, which may be microprocessors, programmable processing devices, and the like. The one or more hardware accelerators may include, for example, computer vision (CV) and / or deep learning (DL) accelerators. For example, the programmable processing device may be one or more field programmable devices (FPDs), such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and the like; programmable logic devices (PLDs), such as complex PLDs (CPLDs), high capacity PLDs (HCPLDs), and the like; ASICs, such as structured ASICs, and the like; programmable SoCs (PSoCs); and the like. In such embodiments, the circuitry of the application circuit 1605 may include logic blocks or logic architectures, as well as other interconnected resources that may be programmed to perform various functions, such as the processes, methods, functions, and the like of the various embodiments discussed herein. In such an embodiment, the circuitry of application circuit 1605 may include memory cells (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, static memory (e.g., static random access memory (SRAM), anti-fuse, etc.)) for storing logic blocks, logic architectures, data, etc. in a lookup table (LUT), etc.

[0156] Baseband circuit 1610 may be implemented, for example, as a solder-in substrate including one or more integrated circuits, a single packaged integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board, or a multi-chip module containing two or more integrated circuits.

[0157] The user interface circuit 1650 may include one or more user interfaces designed to enable a user to interact with the system 1600, or one or more peripheral component interfaces designed to enable peripheral components to interact with the system 1600. The user interface may include, but is not limited to, one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), one or more indicators (e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs)), a physical keyboard or keypad, a mouse, a touch pad, a touch screen, a speaker or other audio transmitting device, a microphone, a printer, a scanner, a headset, a display screen or display device, etc. The peripheral component interface may include, but is not limited to, a non-volatile memory port, a universal serial bus (USB) port, an audio jack, a power interface, etc.

[0158] The radio front end module (RFEM) 1615 may include a millimeter wave (mmWave) RFEM and one or more sub-millimeter wave radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). In some implementations, the one or more sub-millimeter wave RFICs may be physically separated from the mmWave RFEM. The RFIC may include connections to one or more antennas or antenna arrays, and the RFEM may be connected to multiple antennas. In alternative implementations, both mmWave and sub-millimeter wave radio functionality may be implemented in the same physical RFEM 1615 incorporating both mmWave antennas and sub-millimeter waves.

[0159] The memory circuit 1620 may include one or more of the following: a volatile memory including a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and / or a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM); and a non-volatile memory (NVM) including a high-speed electrically erasable memory (commonly referred to as a flash memory), a phase change random access memory (PRAM), a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), etc., and may be combined with and The memory circuit 1620 may be implemented as one or more of: a solder-in package integrated circuit, a socket memory module, and a plug-in memory card.

[0160] The PMIC 1625 may include a voltage regulator, a surge protector, a power alarm detection circuit, and one or more backup power sources, such as a battery or capacitor. The power alarm detection circuit may detect one or more of a power outage (undervoltage) and a surge (overvoltage) condition. The power tee circuit 1630 may provide electrical power extracted from a network cable to provide both power and data connections for the infrastructure equipment 1600 using a single cable.

[0161] The network controller circuit 1635 may provide connectivity to the network using a standard network interface protocol such as Ethernet, Ethernet based on a GRE tunnel, Ethernet based on a multi-protocol label switching (MPLS), or some other suitable protocol. A physical connection may be used to provide a network connection to / from the infrastructure equipment 1600 via a network interface connector 1640, which may be an electrical connection (commonly referred to as a "copper interconnect"), an optical connection, or a wireless connection. The network controller circuit 1635 may include one or more dedicated processors and / or FPGAs that communicate using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, the network controller circuit 1635 may include multiple controllers that use the same or different protocols to provide connectivity to other networks.

[0162] The positioning circuit 1645 includes a circuit for receiving and decoding signals transmitted / broadcasted by a positioning network of a global satellite navigation system (GNSS). Examples of navigation satellite constellations (or GNSS) include the United States' Global Positioning System (GPS), Russia's Global Navigation System (GLONASS), the European Union's Galileo system, China's Beidou Navigation Satellite System, regional navigation systems or GNSS augmentation systems (e.g., using the Indian constellation (NAVIC), Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), France's Doppler Orbit Chart and Satellite Integrated Radio Positioning (DORIS), etc. for navigation), etc. The positioning circuit 1645 may include various hardware elements (e.g., including hardware devices that facilitate OTA communication such as switches, filters, amplifiers, antenna elements, etc.) to communicate with components of the positioning network such as navigation satellite constellation nodes. In some embodiments, the positioning circuit 1645 may include a micro technology (micro PNT) IC for positioning, navigation, and timing that uses a master timing clock to perform position tracking / estimation without GNSS assistance. The positioning circuit 1645 may also be part of or interact with the baseband circuit 1610 and / or RFEM 1615 to communicate with nodes and components of the positioning network. The positioning circuit 1645 may also provide location data and / or time data to the application circuit 1605, which may use the data to synchronize operations with various infrastructure (e.g., RAN nodes, etc.), etc.

[0163] Fig.16 The components shown can communicate with each other using interface circuits that can include any number of bus and / or interconnect (IX) technologies, such as industry standard architecture (ISA), extended ISA (EISA), peripheral component interconnect (PCI), peripheral component interconnect extended (PCIx), PCI express (PCIe), or any number of other technologies. The bus / IX can be a proprietary bus, for example, used in a SoC-based system. Other bus / IX systems can be included, such as an I2C interface, an SPI interface, a point-to-point interface, and a power bus, etc.

[0164] Fig.17 An example of a platform 1700 (or "device 1700") according to various embodiments is shown. In an embodiment, the computer platform 1700 may be suitable for use as a UE 601 and / or any other element / device discussed herein. The platform 1700 may include any combination of components shown in the example. The components of the platform 1700 may be implemented as an integrated circuit (IC), part of an IC, a discrete electronic device, or other modules, logic, hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof adapted in the computer platform 1700, or as components otherwise incorporated within a chassis of a larger system. Fig.17The block diagram is intended to show a high-level view of the components of computer platform 1700. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may be present, and different arrangements of the components shown may occur in other implementations.

[0165] The application circuit 1705 includes circuits such as, but not limited to, one or more processors (or processor cores), cache memory, and one or more of the following: LDO, interrupt controller, serial interface, general programmable serial interface module, RTC, timer-counter (including interval timer and watchdog timer), general I / O, memory card controller (such as SD MMC, etc.), USB interface, The processor (or core) of the application circuit 605 may be coupled to or may include a memory / storage element and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage device to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the system 600. In some specific implementations, the memory / storage element may be an on-chip memory circuit that may include any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as dynamic random access memory DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state memory, and / or any other type of memory device technology, such as those discussed herein.

[0166] The processor of the application circuit 1705 may include, for example, one or more processor cores, one or more application processors, one or more graphics processing units (GPUs), one or more reduced instruction set computer (RISC) processors, one or more ARM processors, one or more CISC processors, one or more DSPs, one or more FPGAs, one or more PLDs, one or more ASICs, one or more microprocessors or controllers, multi-threaded processors, ultra-low voltage processors, embedded processors, some other known processing elements, or any suitable combination thereof. In some embodiments, the application circuit 1705 may include or may be a dedicated processor / controller for operating according to various embodiments herein.

[0167] As an example, the processor of the application circuit 1705 may include a processor based on Architecture TM Processors such as Quark TM 、Atom TM , i3, i5, i7 or MCU class processors, or available from Santa Clara, CA The processor of application circuit 1705 may also be one or more of the following: Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Processor or Accelerated Processing Unit (APU); from Inc.'s A5-A9 processors, Snapdragon by Technologies, Inc. TM Processor, Texas Instruments, Open Multimedia Applications Platform(OMAP) TM processors; MIPS-based designs from MIPS Technologies, Inc., such as the MIPS Warrior M-class, Warrior I-class, and Warrior P-class processors; ARM-based designs licensed from ARM Holdings, Ltd., such as the ARM Cortex-A, Cortex-R, and Cortex-M series processors; etc. In some implementations, the application circuit 1705 can be part of a system on a chip (SoC), in which the application circuit 1705 and other components are formed as a single integrated circuit or a single package, such as company( Edison Corporation TM or Galileo TM SoC board.

[0168] Additionally or alternatively, the application circuit 1705 may include circuits such as, but not limited to, one or more field programmable devices (FPDs) such as FPGAs, etc.; PLDs such as complex PLDs (CPLDs), high capacity PLDs (HCPLDs), etc.; ASICs such as structured ASICs, etc.; programmable SoCs (PSoCs); etc. In such embodiments, the circuits of the application circuit 1705 may include logic blocks or logic structures, and other interconnected resources that may be programmed to perform various functions such as the processes, methods, functions, etc. of the various embodiments discussed herein. In such specific implementations, the circuits of the application circuit 1705 may include memory cells such as EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, static memory (e.g., SRAM or anti-fuse, etc.) for storing logic blocks, logic structures, data, etc. in LUTs, etc.

[0169] Baseband circuit 1710 may be implemented, for example, as a solder-in substrate including one or more integrated circuits, a single packaged integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board, or a multi-chip module containing two or more integrated circuits.

[0170] The RFEM 1715 (which may also be referred to as "radio front end circuitry") may include a mmWave RFEM and one or more sub-mmWave RFICs. In some implementations, the one or more sub-mmWave RFICs may be physically separated from the mmWave RFEM. The RFIC may include connections to one or more antennas or antenna arrays, and the RFEM may be connected to multiple antennas. In alternative implementations, both mmWave and sub-mmWave radio functionality may be implemented in the same physical RFEM 1715 incorporating both mmWave antennas and sub-mmWave.

[0171] The memory circuit 1720 may include any number and type of memory devices for providing a quantitative system memory. As an example, the memory circuit 620 may include one or more volatile memories, including RAM, DRAM and / or SDRAM, and the NVM includes high-speed electrically erasable memory (commonly referred to as flash memory), PRAM, MRAM, etc. The memory circuit 1720 may be developed according to a design based on JEDEC LPDDR, such as LPDDR2, LPDDR3, LPDDR4, etc. The memory circuit 1720 may be implemented as one or more of the following: a solder-in packaged integrated circuit, a single die package (SDP), a DDP or Q17P, a socketed memory module, a DIMM including a micro DIMM or a mini DIMM, and / or soldered to a motherboard via a ball grid array (BGA). In a low-power implementation, the memory circuit 1720 may be an on-chip memory or register associated with the application circuit 1705. To provide persistent storage of information such as data, applications, operating systems, etc., memory circuit 1720 may include one or more mass storage devices, which may include, among others, SSDD, HDD, micro HDD, resistive change memory, phase change memory, holographic memory, or chemical memory. For example, computer platform 1700 may be combined with a memory device obtained from and XPOINT memory.

[0172] Removable memory circuitry 1723 may include devices, circuitry, housings / casings, ports or receptacles, etc., for coupling portable data storage devices to platform 1700. These portable data storage devices may be used for mass storage purposes, and may include, for example, flash memory cards (e.g., SD cards, micro SD cards, xD picture cards, etc.), as well as USB flash drives, optical disks, external HDDs, etc.

[0173] The platform 1700 may further include an interface circuit (not shown) for connecting external devices to the platform 1700. External devices connected to the platform 600 via the interface circuit include a sensor circuit 1721 and an electromechanical component (EMC) 1722, and a removable memory device coupled to a removable memory circuit 1723.

[0174] Sensor circuitry 1721 comprises a device, module, or subsystem that is intended to detect events or changes in its environment, and to send information about the detected events (sensor data) to some other device, module, subsystem, etc. Examples of such sensors include, among others: an inertial measurement unit (IMU) including an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and / or a magnetometer; a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) or nanoelectromechanical system (NEMS) including a three-axis accelerometer, a three-axis gyroscope, and / or a magnetometer; a level sensor; a flow sensor; a temperature sensor (e.g., a thermistor); a pressure sensor; a barometric pressure sensor; a gravity meter; an altimeter; an image capture device (e.g., a camera or a lensless aperture); a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor; a proximity sensor (e.g., an infrared radiation detector, etc.), a depth sensor, an ambient light sensor, an ultrasonic transceiver; a microphone or other similar audio capture device; etc.

[0175] EMC 1722 includes devices, modules or subsystems that are intended to enable platform 1700 to change its state, position and / or orientation or to move or control mechanisms or (sub) systems. In addition, EMC 1722 can be configured to generate messages / signaling and send messages / signaling to other components of platform 1700 to indicate the current state of EMC 1722. Examples of EMC 1722 include one or more power switches, relays (including electromechanical relays (EMR) and / or solid-state relays (SSR)), actuators (e.g., valve actuators, etc.), audible sound generators, visual warning devices, motors (e.g., DC motors, stepper motors, etc.), wheels, thrusters, propellers, claws, clamps, hooks and / or other similar electromechanical components. In an embodiment, platform 1700 is configured to operate one or more EMC 1722 based on one or more capture events and / or instructions or control signals received from service providers and / or various clients.

[0176] In some specific implementations, the interface circuit may connect the platform 1700 to the positioning circuit 1745. The positioning circuit 1745 includes circuits for receiving and decoding signals transmitted / broadcasted by the positioning network of the GNSS. Examples of navigation satellite constellations (or GNSS) may include the GPS of the United States, the GLONASS of Russia, the Galileo system of the European Union, the Beidou navigation satellite system of China, regional navigation systems or GNSS augmentation systems (e.g., NAVIC, QZSS of Japan, DORIS of France, etc.), etc. The positioning circuit 1745 may include various hardware elements (e.g., including hardware devices such as switches, filters, amplifiers, antenna elements, etc. for facilitating OTA communication) to communicate with components of the positioning network such as navigation satellite constellation nodes. In some embodiments, the positioning circuit 1745 may include a micro PNT IC that uses a master timing clock to perform position tracking / estimation without GNSS assistance. The positioning circuit 1745 may also be part of or interact with the baseband circuit 1710 and / or RFEM 1715 to communicate with nodes and components of the positioning network. Positioning circuitry 1745 may also provide location data and / or time data to application circuitry 1705, which may use the data to synchronize operations with various infrastructure (e.g., radio base stations) for use in turn-by-turn navigation applications, etc.

[0177] In some implementations, the interface circuit may connect the platform 1700 with a near field communication (NFC) circuit 1740. The NFC circuit 1740 is configured to provide contactless short-range communication based on the radio frequency identification (RFID) standard, where a magnetic field is sensed to enable communication between the NFC circuit 1740 and an NFC-enabled device (e.g., an "NFC touch point") external to the platform 1700. The NFC circuit 1740 includes an NFC controller coupled to an antenna element and a processor coupled to the NFC controller. The NFC controller may be a chip / IC that provides NFC functionality to the NFC circuit 1740 by executing an NFC controller firmware and an NFC stack. The NFC stack may be executed by the processor to control the NFC controller, and the NFC controller firmware may be executed by the NFC controller to control the antenna element to transmit a short-range RF signal. The RF signal may power a passive NFC tag (e.g., a microchip embedded in a sticker or wristband) to transfer stored data to the NFC circuit 640, or initiate data transfer between the NFC circuit 640 and another active NFC device (e.g., a smartphone or an NFC-enabled POS terminal) proximate to the platform 1700.

[0178] The driver circuit 1746 may include software and hardware elements for controlling specific devices embedded in, attached to, or otherwise communicatively coupled to the platform 1700. The driver circuit 1746 may include various drivers to allow other components of the platform 1700 to interact with or control various input / output (I / O) devices that may be present in or connected to the platform 1700. For example, the driver circuit 1746 may include: a display driver for controlling and allowing access to a display device, a touch screen driver for controlling and allowing access to a touch screen interface of the platform 1700, a sensor driver for obtaining sensor readings of the sensor circuit 1721 and controlling and allowing access to the sensor circuit 1721, an EMC driver for obtaining an actuator position of the EMC 1722 and / or controlling and allowing access to the EMC 1722, a camera driver for controlling and allowing access to an embedded image capture device, and an audio driver for controlling and allowing access to one or more audio devices.

[0179] The PMIC 1725 (also referred to as “power management circuit 1725”) can manage the power provided to various components of the platform 1700. Specifically, the PMIC 1725 can control power selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion relative to the baseband circuit 1710. When the platform 1700 is capable of being powered by a battery 1730, for example, when the device is included in the UE 601, the PMIC 1725 can generally be included.

[0180] In some embodiments, the PMIC 1725 may control or otherwise be part of various power saving mechanisms of the platform 1700. For example, if the platform 1700 is in the RRC_Connected state, in which the platform is still connected to the RAN node because it expects to receive traffic soon, then after a period of inactivity, the platform may enter a state known as DRX. During this state, the platform 1700 may be powered off for short time intervals, thereby saving power. If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, the platform 1700 may transition to the RRC_Idle state, in which the platform is disconnected from the network and no operations such as channel quality feedback, handovers, etc. are performed. The platform 1700 enters an extremely low power state and performs paging, in which the platform wakes up periodically again to listen to the network and then powers off again. The platform 1700 may not receive data in this state; in order to receive data, the platform must transition back to the RRC_Connected state. Additional power saving modes may prevent the device from using the network for longer than the paging interval (ranging from a few seconds to several hours). During this time, the device is completely unable to connect to the network and can be completely powered off. Any data sent during this time will be significantly delayed, and it is assumed that the delay is acceptable.

[0181] The battery 1730 can power the platform 1700, but in some examples, the platform 1700 can be mounted in a fixed location and can have a power source coupled to a power grid. The battery 1730 can be a lithium-ion battery, a metal-air battery such as a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, a lithium-air battery, etc. In some implementations, such as in V2X applications, the battery 1730 can be a typical lead-acid car battery.

[0182] In some implementations, the battery 1730 may be a "smart battery" that includes or is coupled to a BMS or battery monitoring integrated circuit. The BMS may be included in the platform 600 to track the state of charge (SoCh) of the battery 1730. The BMS may be used to monitor other parameters of the battery 1730, such as the state of health (SoH) and state of function (SoF) of the battery 1730 to provide fault prediction. The BMS may transmit information about the battery 1730 to the application circuit 1705 or other components of the platform 1700. The BMS may also include an analog-to-digital (ADC) converter that allows the application circuit 1705 to directly monitor the voltage of the battery 1730 or the current from the battery 1730. The battery parameters may be used to determine actions that the platform 1700 may perform, such as transmission frequency, network operation, sensing frequency, etc.

[0183] A power block or other power source coupled to the grid may be coupled to the BMS to charge the battery 1730. In some examples, the power block may be replaced with a wireless power receiver to wirelessly obtain power, for example, through a loop antenna in the computer platform 1700. In these examples, a wireless battery charging circuit may be included in the BMS. The specific charging circuit selected may depend on the size of the battery 1730 and, therefore, the current required. Charging may be performed using the aviation fuel standard published by the Aviation Fuel Alliance, the Qi wireless charging standard published by the Wireless Power Alliance, or the Rezence charging standard published by the Wireless Power Alliance.

[0184] The user interface circuit 1750 includes various input / output (I / O) devices present in or connected to the platform 1700, and includes one or more user interfaces designed to implement user interaction with the platform 1700 and / or a peripheral component interface designed to implement interaction with the peripheral components of the platform 1700. The user interface circuit 1750 includes input device circuits and output device circuits. The input device circuit includes any physical or virtual means for accepting input, including, in particular, one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), a physical keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a touchpad, a touch screen, a microphone, a scanner, a headset, etc. The output device circuit includes any physical or virtual means for displaying information or otherwise conveying information (such as sensor readings, actuator positions, or other similar information). The output device circuitry may include any number and / or combination of audio or visual displays, including, in particular, one or more simple visual outputs / indicators (e.g., binary status indicators (e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs)) and multi-character visual outputs, or more complex outputs, such as display devices or touch screens (e.g., liquid crystal displays (LCDs), LED displays, quantum dot displays, projectors, etc.), where outputs of characters, graphics, multimedia objects, etc. are generated or produced by the operation of platform 1700. The output device circuitry may also include speakers or other audio emitting devices, printers, etc. In some embodiments, sensor circuitry 1721 may be used as an input device circuit (e.g., an image capture device, a motion capture device, etc.) and one or more EMCs may be used as output device circuits (e.g., an actuator for providing tactile feedback, etc.). In another example, an NFC circuit may be included to read an electronic tag and / or connect to another NFC-enabled device, the NFC circuitry including an NFC controller and a processing device coupled to an antenna element. Peripheral component interfaces may include, but are not limited to, non-volatile memory ports, USB ports, audio jacks, power interfaces, etc.

[0185] Although not shown, the components of platform 1700 can communicate with each other using a suitable bus or interconnect (IX) technology, which can include any number of technologies, including ISA, EISA, PCI, PCIx, PCIe, time-triggered protocol (TTP) systems, FlexRay systems, or any number of other technologies. The bus / IX can be a proprietary bus / IX, for example, used in a SoC-based system. Other bus / IX systems can be included, such as an I2C interface, an SPI interface, a point-to-point interface, and a power bus, etc.

[0186] Fig.18 is a block diagram illustrating components capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable medium or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and performing any one or more of the methods discussed herein, according to some exemplary embodiments. Specifically, Fig.18 A schematic diagram of hardware resources 1800 is shown, including one or more processors (or processor cores) 1810, one or more memory / storage devices 1820, and one or more communication resources 1830, each of which can be communicatively coupled via a bus 1840. For embodiments in which node virtualization (e.g., NFV) is utilized, a hypervisor 1802 may be executed to provide an execution environment for one or more network slices / sub-slices to utilize the hardware resources 1800.

[0187] Processor 1810 may include, for example, processor 1812 and processor 1814. Processor 1810 may be, for example, a CPU, a RISC processor, a CISC processor, a GPU, a DSP such as a baseband processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, an RFIC, another processor (including those discussed herein), or any suitable combination thereof.

[0188] Memory / storage device 1820 may include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. Memory / storage device 1820 may include, but is not limited to, any type of volatile or non-volatile memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state memory, etc.

[0189] The communication resources 1830 may include an interconnect or network interface component or other suitable device to communicate with one or more peripheral devices 1804 or one or more databases 1806 via the network 1808. For example, the communication resources 1830 may include a wired communication component (e.g., for coupling via USB), a cellular communication component, an NFC component, (or Low power consumption) components, components and other communication components.

[0190] The instructions 1850 may include software, programs, applications, applet, applications, or other executable code for causing at least any one of the processors 1810 to perform any one or more of the methods discussed herein. The instructions 1850 may reside in whole or in part in at least one of the processors 1810 (e.g., in a cache memory of the processor), the memory / storage device 1820, or any suitable combination thereof. In addition, any portion of the instructions 1850 may be transmitted to the hardware resources 1800 from any combination of the peripheral device 1804 or the database 1806. Therefore, the memory of the processor 1810, the memory / storage device 1820, the peripheral device 1804, and the database 1806 are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media.

[0191] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0192] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes and / or methods described in the following example section. For example, the baseband circuit described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the following examples. For another example, the circuits associated with the UE, base station, network element, etc. described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples shown in the example section below.

[0193] Example

[0194] In the following sections, additional exemplary embodiments are provided.

[0195] Embodiment 1 includes a method of operating a UE, the method comprising: processing one or more configuration messages from a gNB to determine a configured authorized "CG" periodicity and a bitmap, the bitmap being used to indicate a plurality of time domain resources of an unlicensed spectrum that can be used for CG uplink transmissions to the gNB; and encoding a CG uplink transmission to be transmitted to the gNB in ​​one or more time domain resources of the plurality of time domain resources based on the CG periodicity and the bitmap.

[0196] Embodiment 2 includes the method according to embodiment 1 or some other embodiments herein, further comprising: determining the availability of time domain resources for CG uplink transmission based on all values ​​of a bitmap that repeats over time independent of the CG periodicity.

[0197] Embodiment 3 includes the method according to Embodiment 1 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the CG periodicity defines a resource allocation period "RAP" having a first length in time resource units, the bitmap includes a second length in time resource units greater than the first length, and the method further includes: determining the availability of time domain resources for CG uplink transmission based on values of a first number of the bitmap for each RAP in the RAP, wherein the first number corresponds to the first length.

[0198] Embodiment 4 includes the method according to Embodiment 1 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the CG periodicity defines a resource allocation period "RAP" to include a first length "P" in time resource units, the bitmap includes a second length "X" in time resource units greater than the first length, and the method further includes: determining the availability of time domain resources for CG uplink transmission for a plurality of "n" consecutive RAPs based on all values of the bitmap, wherein n×P = X or (n×P>X and (n–1)×P<X).

[0199] Embodiment 5 includes the method according to Embodiment 4 or some other embodiments herein, wherein if (n×P>X and (n–1)×P<X), then the method includes: determining the availability of a first number of time resource units in the last RAP of the plurality of consecutive RAPs based on values of a corresponding number at the end of the bitmap; and determining the availability of a second number of time resource units in the last RAP based on values of a corresponding number at the start of the bitmap.

[0200] Embodiment 6 includes the method according to Embodiment 1 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the CG periodicity includes a first length in time resource units, the bitmap includes a second length in time resource units less than the first length, and the method further includes: determining the availability of a first number of time domain resources for CG uplink transmission in a first period based on all values of the bitmap; and determining the availability of a second number of time domain resources for CG uplink transmission at the end of the first period based on one or more values at the start of the bitmap.

[0201] Embodiment 7 includes the method according to Embodiment 1 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the CG periodicity includes a first length in time resource units, the bitmap includes a second length in time resource units less than the first length, and the method further includes: determining the availability of a first number of time domain resources for CG uplink transmission in a first period based on all values of the bitmap; and discarding a second number of time domain resources for CG uplink transmission at the end of the first period.

[0202] Embodiment 8 includes a method according to embodiment 1 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the CG periodicity includes a first length measured in time resource units, the bitmap includes a second length measured in time resource units that is smaller than the first length, and the method further includes: determining the availability of a first number of time domain resources for CG uplink transmission in a first period based on all values ​​of the bitmap; and discarding a second number of time domain resources for CG uplink transmission at the end of the first period.

[0203] Embodiment 9 includes a method according to embodiment 1 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the CG periodicity includes a first length measured in time resource units, the bitmap includes a second length measured in time resource units that is smaller than the first length, and the method further includes: determining the availability of multiple resource allocations of time domain resources for CG uplink transmission based on corresponding multiple iterations of the bitmap.

[0204] Embodiment 10 includes the method according to embodiment 9 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the plurality of iterations are based on a cyclic shifted version of a bitmap corresponding to a plurality of offsets.

[0205] Embodiment 11 includes the method according to embodiment 1 or some other embodiments herein, further comprising: receiving an index in a radio resource control signal or downlink control information; and accessing a bitmap allocation configuration table based on the index to determine a bitmap.

[0206] Embodiment 12 includes a method of operating a gNB, the method comprising: identifying bitmap information including information corresponding to a bitmap, the bitmap indicating whether time domain resources of an unlicensed spectrum are available for configured authorized uplink transmissions from a user equipment (UE) to the gNB; encoding the bitmap information in a radio resource control (RRC) message; and transmitting the bitmap information to the UE.

[0207] Embodiment 13 includes a method according to embodiment 12 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the bitmap information is used to configure the UE with a bitmap configuration table, which bitmap configuration table includes one or more bitmaps, cyclic shifts, or granularities to configure time domain resources for configured authorized uplink transmissions.

[0208] Embodiment 14 includes the method according to embodiment 13 or some other embodiments herein, further comprising: encoding an index for the bitmap configuration table in RRC signaling or downlink control information; and transmitting the index to the UE.

[0209] Embodiment 15 includes a method according to embodiment 12 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the bitmap information includes information corresponding to multiple bitmaps, and the method further includes: processing the configured authorized uplink control information to determine a first bitmap selected by the UE from the multiple bitmaps, the first bitmap to be used by the UE for a determined time domain resource that can be used for the configured authorized uplink transmission.

[0210] Embodiment 16 includes a method for performing a configured authorization transmission at a user equipment "UE", the method comprising: receiving time slot offset configuration information in one or more configuration messages to configure multiple time slot offsets and duration information within a configured authorization periodicity to indicate multiple continuous resources allocated for the configured authorization after each time slot offset in the multiple time slot offsets; and selecting uplink resources based on the time slot offset configuration information and duration information; and encoding the configured authorization uplink transmission using the selected uplink resources.

[0211] Embodiment 17 includes a method according to embodiment 16 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the time slot offset configuration information is used to provide a first sequence or bitmap to configure the multiple time slot offsets, and the duration information is used to provide a second sequence or bitmap to configure a duration value indicating a continuous number of resources allocated for the configured grant after a corresponding time slot offset in the multiple time slot offsets.

[0212] Embodiment 18 includes a method according to embodiment 16 or some other embodiments herein, wherein if a configured grant type 1 is used, the multiple time slot offsets are relative to a system frame number; and, if a configured grant type 2 is used, the multiple time slot offsets are relative to activation of downlink control information.

[0213] Embodiment 19 includes the method according to embodiment 16 or some other embodiments herein, further comprising: determining the value and granularity of the duration information based on radio resource control signaling.

[0214] Embodiment 20 includes a method according to embodiment 16 or some other embodiments herein, wherein time slot offset configuration information and duration information are used to configure multiple resource sets, and the method further includes: determining one or more resource sets of the multiple resource sets allocated for the configured authorization based on downlink control information.

[0215] Embodiment 21 includes a method according to embodiment 16 or some other embodiments herein, further comprising: performing a listen-before-talk "LBT" operation before selecting an uplink resource; and transmitting a configured authorized uplink transmission based on the performing of the LBT operation.

[0216] Embodiment 22 includes a method according to embodiment 16 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the time slot offset configuration information is used to include the total number "n" of configured time slot offsets, and the method further includes: determining the time slot offset position based on the total number of configured time slot offsets, the traditional offset indication "K2", the periodicity "P" and the duration information "z".

[0217] Embodiment 23 includes the method according to embodiment 22 or some other embodiments herein, further comprising: based on A gap value "g" is determined to be added to the end of the transmission duration.

[0218] Embodiment 24 includes a method according to embodiment 16 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the time slot offset configuration information is used to configure a bitmap to enable or disable resource allocation having a continuous number of resources, and the method further includes: selecting uplink resources based on the bitmap.

[0219] Embodiment 25 comprises a method according to embodiment 16 or some other embodiments herein, wherein receiving time slot offset configuration information and duration information comprises: receiving an indication of a first plurality of time slot offset values ​​and a second plurality of duration values ​​in RRC signaling.

[0220] Embodiment 26 includes a method according to embodiment 25 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the method further comprises: receiving in downlink control information an indication of one or more time slot offset values ​​from a first plurality of time slot offset values ​​and an indication of one or more duration values ​​from a second plurality of duration values.

[0221] Embodiment 27 includes a method according to embodiment 25 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the indication of a first plurality of time slot offset values ​​and a second plurality of duration values ​​in the RRC signaling are used to configure a lookup table having groups of time slot offset values ​​and duration values; and the indication of the one or more time slot offset values ​​and the indication of the one or more duration values ​​in the downlink control information include one or more pointers to the lookup table.

[0222] Embodiment 28 includes a method according to embodiment 25 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the method further comprises: autonomously selecting one or more time slot offset values ​​from a first plurality of time slot offset values ​​and one or more duration values ​​from a second plurality of duration values ​​based on traffic conditions at the UE.

[0223] Embodiment 29 includes a method for performing a configured authorization transmission at a user equipment "UE", the method comprising: receiving an indication of a start and length value "SLIV", which is used to identify an initial mini-slot in a configured authorization periodicity; determining one or more additional mini-slots in the configured authorization periodicity based on configuration information; and encoding the configured authorization uplink transmission on at least one mini-slot selected from the initial mini-slot or the one or more additional mini-slots.

[0224] Embodiment 30 includes a method according to embodiment 29 or some other embodiments herein, further comprising: receiving an indication of a duration parameter; and determining the one or more additional mini-slots based on the indication of the duration parameter.

[0225] Embodiment 31 includes the method according to embodiment 29 or some other embodiments herein, further comprising: selecting the at least one mini-time slot based on the traffic demand of the UE.

[0226] Embodiment 32 includes a method according to embodiment 29 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the one or more additional mini-slots have a length value that is less than the length value of the initial mini-slot.

[0227] Embodiment 33 includes a method according to embodiment 29 or some other embodiments herein, wherein a first micro-time slot of the at least one micro-time slot has a time allocation that spans a time slot boundary between the first time slot and the second time slot, and the method further includes: transmitting a first portion of a configured authorized physical uplink shared channel "PUSCH" in a first derived micro-time slot in the first time slot, and transmitting a second portion of a configured authorized PUSCH in a second derived micro-time slot in the second time slot.

[0228] Embodiment 34 comprises a method according to embodiment 33 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the combined length of the first derived mini-slot and the second derived mini-slot is equal to or greater than the length of the first mini-slot.

[0229] Embodiment 35 comprises a method according to embodiment 33 or some other embodiments herein, wherein the length of the first derived mini-slot is less than the length of the first mini-slot, and the length of the second derived mini-slot is equal to the length of the first mini-slot.

[0230] Embodiment 36 includes the method according to embodiment 33 or some other embodiments herein, further comprising: using the same redundancy pattern identifier to transmit the first part and the second part of the configuration grant PUSCH.

[0231] Embodiment 37 includes a method according to embodiment 29 or some other embodiments herein, further comprising: receiving an indication of a repetition parameter; and encoding a configured authorized uplink transmission based on the repetition parameter to include one or more repetitions of a transmission block.

[0232] Embodiment 38 includes the method according to embodiment 29 or some other embodiments herein, further comprising: encoding uplink control information to indicate an end symbol of a final physical uplink shared channel "PUSCH" for a certain period.

[0233] Embodiment 39 includes the method according to embodiment 38 or some other embodiments herein, further comprising: determining a listen-before-talk "LBT" gap for another UE; and puncturing a portion of the final PUSCH transmission corresponding to the LBT gap.

[0234] Embodiment 40 may include an apparatus comprising means for performing one or more elements of a method as described or associated with any of Embodiments 1 to 39, or any other method or process described herein.

[0235] Embodiment 41 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 one of Embodiments 1 to 39 or any other method or process described herein.

[0236] Embodiment 42 may include a device comprising a logic component, a module, or a circuit for executing one or more elements of a method described in or related to any one of Embodiments 1 to 39 or any other method or process described herein.

[0237] Embodiment 43 may include a method, technique or process as described or related to any one of Embodiments 1 to 39, or a portion or component thereof.

[0238] Embodiment 44 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, process, or portion thereof as described in or related to any one of Embodiments 1 to 39.

[0239] Embodiment 45 may include a signal according to or in connection with any one of Embodiments 1 to 39, or a portion or component thereof.

[0240] Embodiment 46 may include a datagram, information element, packet, frame, fragment, PDU or message, or a portion or component thereof, as described or associated with any of Embodiments 1 to 39 or otherwise described in the present disclosure.

[0241] Embodiment 47 may include a signal encoded with data as described or related to any one of Embodiments 1 to 39 or otherwise described in this disclosure, or a portion or component thereof.

[0242] Embodiment 48 may include a signal encoded with a datagram, IE, packet, frame, segment, PDU or message, or a portion or component thereof, as described in accordance with or in connection with any of Embodiments 1 to 64 or otherwise described in the present disclosure.

[0243] Embodiment 49 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, process, or portion thereof as described or related to any one of Embodiments 1 to 39.

[0244] Embodiment 50 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, as described or related to any one of Embodiments 1 to 39.

[0245] Embodiment 51 may include a signal in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0246] Embodiment 52 may include a method of communicating in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

[0247] Embodiment 53 may include a system for providing wireless communications as shown and described herein.

[0248] Embodiment 54 may include an apparatus for providing wireless communications as shown and described herein.

[0249] Unless explicitly stated otherwise, any of the above examples may be combined with any other example (or combination of examples). The foregoing description of one or more specific implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings or may be obtained from the practice of the various embodiments.

[0250] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be interpreted to encompass all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. A storage medium having instructions which, when executed, cause a processing circuit to: processing one or more configuration messages from a base station to determine a configured authorized CG periodicity and a bitmap for indicating a plurality of time domain resources of an unlicensed spectrum that can be used for CG uplink transmissions to the base station, wherein the CG periodicity defines a resource allocation period, RAP, having a first length in time resource units, and the bitmap includes a second length in time resource units, the second length being less than the first length; determining availability of a first number of time domain resources for CG uplink transmission in a first part of the RAP based on all values ​​of the bitmap; as well as A CG uplink transmission to be transmitted to the base station is encoded in one or more time domain resources of the first number of time domain resources based on the CG periodicity and the bitmap.

2. A storage medium according to claim 1, wherein the instruction, when executed, further causes the processing circuit to perform the following operations: determine the availability of time domain resources for CG uplink transmission based on all values ​​of the bitmap that repeats over time regardless of the CG periodicity.

3. The storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processing circuit to: determining availability of a second number of time domain resources for CG uplink transmission in a second portion of the RAP based on one or more values ​​at the beginning of the bitmap; and The CG uplink transmission is further encoded in at least one time domain resource of the second number of time domain resources.

4. The storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processing circuit to: A second number of time domain resources in the second part of the RAP used for CG uplink transmission are discarded.

5. The storage medium of claim 1 , wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processing circuit to: The availability of the first plurality of resource allocations of the time domain resources for CG uplink transmission is determined based on a second plurality of iterations of the bitmap.

6. The storage medium of claim 5, wherein the plurality of iterations are based on cyclic shifted versions of the bitmap corresponding to a plurality of offsets.

7. The storage medium according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the processing circuit to perform the following operations: receiving an index in a radio resource control signal or a downlink control information; and A bitmap allocation configuration table is accessed based on the index to determine the bitmap.

8. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: A protocol processing circuit, wherein the protocol processing circuit is used for: identifying bitmap information including information corresponding to a bitmap, the bitmap indicating whether time domain resources of an unlicensed spectrum can be used for a configured granted uplink transmission from a user equipment UE to a base station, wherein the bitmap information is used to configure the UE with a bitmap configuration table, the bitmap configuration table including one or more cyclic shifts to configure the time domain resources for the configured granted uplink transmission; encoding the bitmap information in a radio resource control (RRC) message; and Encoding an index to the bitmap configuration table in RRC signaling or downlink control information; as well as A radio frequency front end circuit is coupled to the protocol processing circuit to communicatively couple the protocol processing circuit to the base station.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the bitmap information is used to configure the UE using a bitmap configuration table, the bitmap configuration table further comprising one or more bitmaps or granularities.

10. An apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the bitmap information includes information corresponding to a plurality of bitmaps, and the protocol processing circuit is further used to: process the configured granted uplink control information to determine a first bitmap selected by the UE from the plurality of bitmaps, the first bitmap to be used by the UE to determine time domain resources that can be used for the configured granted uplink transmission.

11. A method for wireless communication, the method comprising: receiving, in one or more configuration messages, slot offset configuration information for configuring a plurality of slot offsets within a configured grant periodicity and duration information for indicating a plurality of consecutive resources allocated for a configured grant after a single slot offset in the plurality of slot offsets, wherein the slot offset configuration information is for providing a first sequence or bitmap for configuring the plurality of slot offsets and the duration information is for providing a second sequence or bitmap for configuring duration values ​​indicating a consecutive number of resources allocated for a configured grant after a corresponding slot offset in the plurality of slot offsets; selecting an uplink resource based on the time slot offset configuration information and the duration information; as well as The configured granted uplink transmission is encoded using the selected uplink resources.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein if a configured grant type 1 is used, the multiple time slot offsets are relative to a system frame number; and, if a configured grant type 2 is used, the multiple time slot offsets are relative to activation of downlink control information.

13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: The value and granularity of the duration information are determined based on radio resource control signaling.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the time slot offset configuration information and the duration information are used to configure a plurality of resource sets, and the method further comprises: One or more of the plurality of resource sets allocated for the configured grant are determined based on the downlink control information.

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