Method and apparatus for control signaling in a wireless communication system for multiple services

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a pre-5th-Generation (5G) or 5G communication system beyond 4th-Generation (4G) communication system (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE)) to support higher data rates. A method for a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system includes receiving, from a base station (BS), a downlink signal including position information of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols of a short physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), determining positions of the OFDM symbols of the short PUCCH included in a slot based on the position information, and transmitting, to the BS, the short PUCCH based on the determined positions using the OFDM symbols.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates generally to an advanced communication system. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to a variety of services in an advanced communication system. BACKGROUND

[0002] To meet the demand for wireless data traffic having increased since deployment of 4th generation (4G) communication systems, efforts have been made to develop an improved 5th generation (5G) or pre-5G communication system. Therefore, the 5G or pre-5G communication system is also called a 'Beyond 4G Network' or a 'Post LTE System'.

[0003] The 5G communication system is considered to be implemented in a frequency band of 6 GHz or more, e.g., a 60 GHz band, so as to accomplish a higher data rate. To reduce propagation loss of the radio waves and increase the transmission distance, the beamforming, massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO), full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antenna, analog beam forming, large scale antenna techniques are discussed in 5G communication systems.

[0004] In addition, in 5G communication systems, development for system network improvement is under way based on advanced small cells, cloud radio access networks (RANs), ultra-dense networks, a device to device (D2D) communication, wireless backhaul, a mobile network, a cooperative communication, coordinated multi-points (CoMP), reception-end interference cancellation and the like.

[0005] In the 5G system, hybrid FSK and QAM modulation (FQAM) and sliding window superposition coding (SWSC) as an advanced coding modulation (ACM), and filter bank multi carrier (FBMC), a non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), and a sparse code multiple access (SCMA) as an advanced access technology have been developed.

[0006] The preliminary commercialization of 5G mobile communications is expected around 2020, with recent momentum growing as industry and academia conduct all global technical activities on various candidate technologies. The candidate enablers of 5G mobile communications include massive antenna technologies from legacy cellular bands all the way to high frequencies, which are used to provide beamforming gain and support increased capacity; new waveforms (e.g., new Radio Access Technologies (RATs)) for flexible adaptation to various services / applications with different requirements; new multiple access schemes for supporting massive connectivity; and so on. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has classified the usage scenarios of International Mobile Telecommunications (IMT) 2020 and beyond into 3 broad categories, such as enhanced mobile broadband, massive Machine Type Communications (MTC), and ultra-reliable and low-latency communications. In addition, the ITC has specified target requirements, such as a peak data rate of 20 Giga bits per second (Gb / s), a user experienced data rate of 100 Mega bits per second (Mb / s), 3X improvement in spectral efficiency, support of mobility up to 500 kilometers per hour (km / h), 1 millisecond (ms) latency, 106 devices / km 2 of connection density, 100X improvement in network energy efficiency, and 10 Mb / s / m 2 of area communication capacity. While all of these requirements do not need to be met at the same time, the design of 5G networks can provide flexibility to support various applications that meet some of the above requirements depending on specific usage scenarios. SUMMARY

[0007] TECHNICAL PROBLEM

[0008] The present disclosure relates to a pre-5th-Generation (5G) or 5G communication system.

[0009] One aspect of the present disclosure provides support for higher data rates beyond 4th-Generation (4G) communication systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE).

[0010] Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a variety of services in an advanced communication system.

[0011] SOLUTION TO PROBLEM

[0012] In one embodiment, a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system is provided. The UE includes a transceiver configured to receive, from an eNodeB (eNB), a downlink signal including position information of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols of a short physical uplink control channel (PUCCH); and at least one processor configured to identify positions of the OFDM symbols of the short PUCCH included in a slot based on the position information. The UE further includes the transceiver configured to transmit, to the eNB, the short PUCCH based on the identified positions using the OFDM symbols.

[0013] In another embodiment, a base station (BS) in a wireless communication system is provided. The BS includes at least one processor configured to identify location information including locations of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols of a short physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) included in a slot; and a transceiver configured to transmit, to a user equipment (UE), a downlink signal including the location information including the locations of the OFDM symbols of the short PUCCH, and receive the short PUCCH from the UE using the OFDM symbols based on the identified locations.

[0014] In yet another embodiment, a method for a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system is provided. The method includes receiving, from an eNodeB (eNB), a downlink signal including location information of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols of a short physical uplink control channel (PUCCH); identifying locations of the OFDM symbols of the short PUCCH included in a slot based on the location information; and transmitting, to the eNB, the short PUCCH using the OFDM symbols based on the identified locations.

[0015] Other technical features can be readily apprehended from the above description and the accompanying drawings.

[0016] Advantages of the Invention

[0017] Various embodiments of the present invention provide higher data rates and low latency in a wireless communication system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and its advantages, reference is now made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference numerals represent like parts:

[0019] FIG. 1 An example wireless network is illustrated in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] FIG. 2 An exemplary eNB is illustrated in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] FIG. 3 An exemplary UE is illustrated in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] FIG. 4A A high level diagram of an orthogonal frequency division multiple access transmit path is illustrated in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] FIG. 4B A high level diagram of an orthogonal frequency division multiple access receive path is illustrated in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] FIG. 5Network slicing is shown in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0025] FIG. 6 A heavy downlink (DL) data type (DL data-heavy type) building block subframe (BBSF) structure is shown in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0026] FIG. 7 One aggregation of subframes is shown in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0027] FIG. 8 Another aggregation of subframes is shown in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0028] FIG. 9 Yet another aggregation of subframes is shown in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0029] FIG. 10 UE configuration with two slice configurations is shown in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0030] FIG. 11 Frame structure with 5 BBSFs per frame and value FrameComposition = 0 is shown in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0031] FIG. 12 Frame structure with 5 BBSFs per frame and value FrameComposition = 1 is shown in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0032] FIG. 13 Frame structure with 5 BBSFs per frame and value FrameComposition = 2 is shown in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0033] FIG. 14 Frame structure with 5 BBSFs per frame and value FrameComposition = 3 is shown in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0034] FIG. 15 Frame structure with 5 BBSFs per frame and value FrameComposition = 4 is shown in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0035] FIG. 16 A time division multiplexing (TDM) frame structure is shown in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure that allows dynamic frequency selective scheduling for enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and ultra-reliable low latency (URLL) with uplink control (UL control) always on;

[0036] FIG. 17A sequence of subframes is shown according to embodiments of the disclosure, including subframes n to n+3 for multiplexing eMBB and URLL traffic;

[0037] FIG. 18 A TDM frame structure is shown according to embodiments of the disclosure that allows dynamic frequency selective scheduling of eMBB and URLL with or without UL control;

[0038] FIG. 19 A frame structure is shown according to embodiments of the disclosure for dynamic URLL entries;

[0039] FIG. 20 Another frame structure is shown according to embodiments of the disclosure for dynamic URLL entries;

[0040] FIG. 21 A frame structure is shown according to embodiments of the disclosure for dynamic URLL entries with time division multiplexing (TDM);

[0041] FIG. 22 Another frame structure is shown according to embodiments of the disclosure for dynamic URLL entries with time division multiplexing (TDM);

[0042] FIG. 23 Yet another frame structure is shown according to embodiments of the disclosure for dynamic URLL entries;

[0043] FIG. 24 Yet another frame structure is shown according to embodiments of the disclosure for dynamic URLL entries;

[0044] FIG. 25 A subframe structure is shown according to embodiments of the disclosure for dynamic URLL entries;

[0045] FIG. 26 Another subframe structure is shown according to embodiments of the disclosure for dynamic URLL entries;

[0046] FIG. 27 A subframe structure is shown according to embodiments of the disclosure for dynamic URLL entries, where the URLL region occupies one full slot;

[0047] FIG. 28 Yet another frame structure is shown according to embodiments of the disclosure for dynamic URLL entries;

[0048] FIG. 29 Yet another frame structure is shown according to embodiments of the disclosure for dynamic URLL entries;

[0049] FIG. 30A flow diagram illustrating a UE transmitting a short physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) is shown in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0050] FIG. 31 A flow diagram illustrating an eNB receiving a short PUCCH is shown in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0051] Before undertaking the below implementation, it can be advantageous to set forth definitions of certain words and phrases used throughout this patent document: the term “couple” and its derivatives refer to any direct or indirect communication between two or more elements, whether or not those elements are in physical contact with one another. The terms “transmit,” “receive,” and “communicate,” as well as derivatives thereof, encompass both direct and indirect communication. The terms “include,” “comprise,” and “have,” and variations thereof, mean “including but not limited to.” The term “or” is inclusive, meaning and / or. The phrase “associated with,” as well as derivatives thereof, means to include, be included within, interconnect with, contain, be contained within, connect to or with, couple to or with, be capable of communication with, cooperate with, interleave, be proximate to, be bound to or with, have a property of, have relations with, or have relations to and the like. The term “controller” means any device, system or part thereof that controls at least one operation. Such a controller can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and software and / or firmware. The functionality associated with any particular controller can be centralized or distributed, whether locally or remotely. The phrase “at least one of” followed by a list of two or more items, means that any of the listed items can be employed by itself, as well as any combination of two or more of the listed items. For example, “at least one of A, B and C” includes A alone; B alone; C alone; A and B; A and C; B and C; and A, B and C.

[0052] Moreover, various functions described below can be implemented or supported by one or more computer programs, each of which is formed from computer readable program code and embodied in a computer readable medium. The terms "application" and "program" refer to one or more computer programs, software components, sets of instructions, procedures, functions, objects, classes, instances, related data, or a portion thereof applicable for implementation. The phrase "computer readable medium" includes any medium that can be accessed by a computer including, but not limited to, read only memory (ROM); random access memory (RAM); a hard disk drive; a compact disc (CD); a digital video disc (DVD); or any other medium that can be used to carry or store desired computer code in a manner that is appropriate for the intended application. The phrase "computer readable program code" includes any type of computer code, including source code, object code, and executable code. The term "non-transitory" as used herein to describe a computer readable medium does not encompass transitory signals per se transient signals require transitory media to exist for a short time while the signals are in transit, but do not require that the signals ultimately be embodied in any medium. The various embodiments described herein can be implemented in software and / or firmware, which can be embodied in any suitable computer readable medium. The computer readable medium can include, for example, RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disks, CD-ROMs, DVDs, or any other suitable medium known in the art. The computer readable medium can be tangible and non-transitory. The above memories and hard disk drives are non-transitory computer readable medium when the computer readable programs are loaded into or stored in the memories or hard disk drives. The computer readable program code can be executed by one or more processors.

[0053] Definitions for other certain words and phrases are provided throughout this patent document. Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that such definitions apply to this disclosure as freely as if such

[0054] The discussion below FIGS. 1-31 The principles of the disclosure described herein can be employed in any appropriate type of system or device.

[0055] As set forth completely herein, the following document is hereby incorporated by reference into the present disclosure: 3GPP TR 22.891 v1.2.0, "Study on New Service and Markets Technology Enablers."

[0056] To meet increasing demand with respect to wireless data traffic since deployment of 4G communication systems, efforts have been made to develop an improved 5G or pre-5G communication system. Therefore, the 5G or pre-5G communication system is also called a 'Beyond 4G Network' or a 'Post LTE System'.

[0057] A 5G communication system is considered to be implemented in higher frequency (mmWave) bands, such as 60 GHz bands, so as to accomplish higher data rates. To decrease propagation loss of the radio waves and increase the transmission distance, beamforming, massive Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO), Full Dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antenna, an analog beam forming, large scale antenna techniques and etc., are discussed in 5G communication systems.

[0058] In addition, in 5G communication systems, development for system network improvement is under way based on advanced small cells, cloud Radio Access Networks (RANs), ultra-dense networks, a device to device (D2D) communication, wireless backhaul communication, a moving network, cooperative communication, Coordinated Multi-Points (CoMP) transmission and reception, interference mitigation and cancellation and the like.

[0059] In 5G systems, Hybrid Frequency Shift Keying (FSK) and Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) (FQAM) and sliding window superposition coding (SWSC) as an adaptive modulation and coding (AMC) technique, and filter bank multi-carrier (FBMC), non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), and sparse code multiple access (SCMA) as an advanced access technology have been developed.

[0060] The following FIGS. 1-4B Various embodiments implemented in wireless communication system using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) communication techniques are described. FIGS. 1-3 The description of various embodiments is not intended to imply physical or architectural limitations to the manner in which various embodiments can be implemented. Each of the features could be implemented in any combination of hardware and / or software. A variety of communications systems can be employed in various embodiments.

[0061] FIG. 1 100 shows an example wireless network, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 Embodiments of the wireless network shown in 100 are for illustrative purposes only. Other embodiments of the wireless network 100 can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0062] As FIG. 1 As shown in 100, the wireless network includes an eNB 101, an eNB 102, and an eNB 103. The eNB 101 communicates with the eNB 102 and the eNB 103. The eNB 101 also communicates with at least one network 130, such as the Internet, a proprietary Internet Protocol (IP) network, or other data network.

[0063] The eNB 102 provides wireless broadband access to the network 130 for a first plurality of user equipment devices (UEs) located in a coverage area 120 of the eNB 102. The first plurality of UEs includes a UE 111, which can be located in a small business (SB); a UE 112, which can be located in an enterprise (E); a UE 113, which can be located in a WiFi hotspot (HS); a UE 114, which can be located in a first residence (R); a UE 115, which can be located in a second residence (R); and a UE 116, which can be a mobile device (M), such as a cell phone, a wireless laptop, a wireless PDA, or the like. The eNB 103 provides wireless broadband access to the network 130 for a second plurality of UEs located in a coverage area 125 of the eNB 103. The second plurality of UEs includes the UE 115 and the UE 116. In some embodiments, one or more of the eNBs 101-103 can communicate with each other and with the UEs 111-116 using 5G, LTE, LTE-A, WiMAX, WiFi, or other wireless communication techniques.

[0064] Depending on the network type, the term "base station" or "BS" can refer to any component (or collection of components) configured to provide wireless access to a network, such as a transmit point (TP), transmit-receive point (TRP), an enhanced base station (eNodeB or eNB), a 5G base station (gNB), a macrocell, a femtocell, a WiFi access point (AP), or other wirelessly enabled devices. Base stations may

[0065] Dotted lines show the approximate extents of the coverage areas 120 and 125 as roughly circular for purposes of illustration and explanation only. It is understood that coverage areas associated with eNBs, such as coverage areas 120 and 125, can have other shapes, including irregular shapes, depending upon the configuration of the eNBs and variations in the radio environment associated with natural and man-made obstructions.

[0066] As described in more detail below, one or more of the UEs 111-116 include circuitry, programing or a combination thereof, for efficient CSI reporting for PUCCH in an advanced wireless communication system. In certain embodiments, one or more of the eNBs 101-103 includes circuitry, programing or a combination thereof, for receiving efficient CSI reporting for PUCCH in an advanced wireless communication system.

[0067] Although FIG. 1 100 shows one example of a wireless network, but various changes can be made FIG. 1 100. For example, the wireless network could include any number of eNBs in any suitable arrangement, and any number of UEs. In addition, eNB 101 could communicate directly with any number of UEs and provide those UEs access to network 130. Similarly, each eNB 102-103 could communicate directly with network 130 and provide UEs access to network 130. Further, eNBs 101, 102, and / or 103 could provide access to other or additional external networks, such as external telephone networks or other types of data networks.

[0068] FIG. 2 An example eNB 102 according to embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated in FIG. 1 B. FIG. 2 The embodiment of the eNB 102 illustrated in FIG. 1 B is for illustrative purposes only, FIG. 1 eNBs 101 and 103 of 100 can have the same or similar configuration. However, eNBs come in a wide variety of configurations, and FIG. 2 The scope of the present disclosure is not limited to any particular implementation of an eNB.

[0069] As FIG. 2 As shown in FIG. 1 B, the eNB 102 includes multiple antennas 205a-205n, multiple RF transceivers 210a-210n, transmit (TX) processing circuitry 215, and receive (RX) processing circuitry 220. The eNB 102 also includes a controller / processor 225, a memory 230, and a backhaul or network interface 235.

[0070] The RF transceivers 210a-210n receive, from the antennas 205a-205n, incoming RF signals such as signals transmitted by UEs in the network 100. The RF transceivers 210a-210n down-convert the incoming RF signals to generate IF or baseband signals. The IF or baseband signals are sent to the RX processing circuitry 220, which generates processed baseband signals by filtering, decoding, and / or digitizing the baseband or IF signals. The RX processing circuitry 220 transmits the processed baseband signals to the controller / processor 225 for further processing.

[0071] In some embodiments, the RF transceivers 210a-210n are further capable of transmitting, to a user equipment (UE), a downlink signal including location information of locations of OFDM symbols of a PUCCH; and receiving, from the UE, a short PUCCH based on the identified locations using the OFDM symbols.

[0072] In some embodiments, the RF transceivers 210a-210n are further capable of receiving, from the eNB, a high layer signaling to dynamically or semi-statically allocate the locations of the OFDM symbols. l l In some embodiments, the RF transceivers 210a-210n are further capable of receiving, from the eNB, a high layer signaling to dynamically or semi-statically allocate the locations of the OFDM symbols.

[0073] In some embodiments, the RF transceivers 210a-210n are further capable of receiving, from the eNB, a high layer signaling to dynamically or semi-statically allocate the locations of the OFDM symbols.

[0074] In some embodiments, the RF transceivers 210a-210n are further capable of transmitting a group common physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) including format information of a slot, wherein the format information includes at least one of a downlink duration, an uplink duration, or a blank duration.

[0075] In some embodiments, the RF transceivers 210a-210n are further capable of transmitting, to a user equipment (UE), a downlink signal including location information of locations of OFDM symbols of a PUCCH; and receiving, from the UE, a short PUCCH based on the identified locations using the OFDM symbols.

[0076] In such embodiments, the at least one control resource set includes a set of physical resource blocks (PRBs) for blindly searching for the downlink control information, the PRBs being contiguous or non-contiguous in the frequency domain, the control resource set including at least one downlink control information (DCI) message.

[0077] ​The TX processing circuitry 215 receives analog or digital data (such as voice data, web data, e-mail, or interactive video game data) from the controller / processor 225. The TX processing circuitry 215 encodes, multiplexes, and / or digitizes the outgoing baseband data to generate processed baseband or IF signals. The RF transceivers 210a-210n receive the processed outgoing baseband or IF signals from the TX processing circuitry 215 and up-convert the signals to RF signals that are transmitted via the antennas 205a-205n.

[0078] The controller / processor 225 can include one or more processors or other processing devices to manage the overall operation of the eNB 102. For example, the controller / processor 225 could control the reception of forward channel signals and the transmission of reverse channel signals by the RF transceivers 210a-210n, the RX processing circuitry 220, and the TX processing circuitry 215 in accordance with well-known principles. The controller / processor 225 could support additional functions as well, such as more advanced wireless communication functions. For instance, the controller / processor 225 could support beam forming or directional routing operations in which outgoing signals from multiple antennas 205a-205n are weighted and combined to effectively steer the outgoing signals in a desired direction. The controller / processor 225 could also support any of a wide variety of other functions.

[0079] In some embodiments, the controller / processor 225 can include at least one microprocessor or microcontroller. As described in greater detail below, the eNB 102 can include circuitry, programming, or a combination thereof for processing CSI reporting for PUCCH. For example, the controller / processor 225 can be configured to execute one or more instructions stored in the memory 230 that are configured to cause the controller / processor 225 to process vector quantized feedback components, such as channel coefficients.

[0080] The controller / processor 225 can further execute programs and other processes resident in the memory 230, such as an OS. The controller / processor 225 can move data into or out of memory 230 as required by the processes executing under the controller / processor 225.

[0081] The controller / processor 225 is also coupled to the backhaul or network interface 235. The backhaul or network interface 235 allows the eNB 102 to communicate with other devices or systems over a backhaul connection or over a network. The interface 235 could support communications via any suitable wired or wireless connection, such as an Ethernet connection, a digital subscriber line connection, a cable modem, a wireless Earth-bound link, a satellite link, or other suitable connection. For example, when the eNB 102 is implemented as part of a cellular communication system (such as a 5G, LTE, or LTE-A cellular communication system), the interface 235 could allow the eNB 102 to communicate with other eNBs via a wired or wireless backhaul connection. When the eNB 102 is implemented as an access point, the interface 235 could allow the eNB 102 to communicate with other devices via a wired or wireless local area network or via a wired or wireless connection to a larger network (such as the Internet). The interface 235 includes any suitable structure supporting communications via a wired or wireless connection, such as an Ethernet or RF transceiver.

[0082] In some embodiments, the controller / processor 225 can identify location information including a location of an OFDM symbol of a short physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) included in a slot.

[0083] In some embodiments, the controller / processor 225 can identify, based on the location information, that the location of the OFDM symbol of the short PUCCH included in the slot is on a l th OFDM symbol from a last OFDM symbol of the slot, wherein l is selected from zero and positive integers.

[0084] In some embodiments, the controller / processor 225 can identify, based on the location information, that the location of the OFDM symbol of the short PUCCH included in the slot spans a number of OFDM symbols from a last OFDM symbol of the slot. In such embodiments, the number of OFDM symbols is dynamically or semi-statically allocated by higher layer signaling transmitted to the UE, and the number of OFDM symbols is determined by a positive integer.

[0085] In some embodiments, the controller / processor 225 can determine, based on the format information, an OFDM symbol included in the slot.

[0086] In some embodiments, the controller / processor 225 can identify downlink control information included in each of a plurality of subbands, wherein each of the plurality of subbands includes different control information for different data groups. In such embodiments, at least one control resource set includes a set of physical resource blocks (PRBs) for blind searching for the downlink control information, the PRBs being contiguous or non-contiguous in a frequency domain, the control resource set including at least one downlink control information (DCI) message.

[0087] Memory 230 is coupled to controller / processor 225. Part of memory 230 could include RAM, and another part of memory 230 could include flash memory or other ROM.

[0088] Although FIG. 2 various changes can be made to FIG. 2 eNB 102. For example, eNB 102 could include any number of FIG. 2 various components shown in FIG. 10. As a particular example, an access point could include multiple instances of interface 235, and controller / processor 225 could support routing FIG. 2 functions for routing data between different network addresses. As another particular example, although shown as including a single instance of TX processing circuitry 215 and a single instance of RX processing circuitry 220, eNB 102 could include multiple instances of each (such as one per RF transceiver). Also, various components in FIG. 10 could be combined, further subdivided, or omitted and additional components could be added according to particular needs.

[0089] FIG. 3 An exemplary UE 116 according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. FIG. 3 Embodiments of UE 116 shown in FIG. 11 are for illustrative purposes only, and FIG. 1 UEs 111-115 of 100 could have the same or similar configuration. However, UEs come in a variety of configurations, and FIG. 3 the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to any particular implementation of a UE.

[0090] As FIG. 3 shown in FIG. 11, UE 116 includes antenna 305, radio frequency (RF) transceiver 310, TX processing circuitry 315, microphone 320, and receive (RX) processing circuitry 325. UE 116 also includes speaker 330, processor 340, input / output (I / O) interface (IF) 345, touchscreen 350, display 355, and memory 360. Memory 360 includes operating system (OS) 361 and one or more applications 362.

[0091] The RF transceiver 310 receives, from the antenna 305, an incoming RF signal transmitted by an eNB of the network 100. The RF transceiver 310 down-converts the incoming RF signal to generate an intermediate frequency (IF) or baseband signal. The IF or baseband signal is sent to the RX processing circuitry 325, which generates a processed baseband signal by filtering, decoding, and / or digitizing the baseband or IF signal. The RX processing circuitry 325 transmits the processed baseband signal to the speaker 330 (such as for voice data) or to the processor 340 for further processing (such as for web browsing data).

[0092] In some embodiments, the RF transceiver 310 is capable of: receiving, from an eNodeB (eNB), a downlink signal including position information of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols of a short physical uplink control channel (PUCCH); and transmitting, to the eNB, the short PUCCH using the OFDM symbols based on the identified position.

[0093] In some embodiments, the RF transceiver 310 is capable of transmitting the short PUCCH using a number of OFDM symbols based on the identified position, wherein the number of OFDM symbols is dynamically or semi-statically allocated by higher layer signaling received from the eNB. l l In some embodiments, the RF transceiver 310 is capable of transmitting the short PUCCH using a number of OFDM symbols based on the identified position, wherein the number of OFDM symbols is dynamically or semi-statically allocated by higher layer signaling received from the eNB.

[0094] In some embodiments, the RF transceiver 310 is capable of transmitting the short PUCCH using a number of OFDM symbols based on the identified position, wherein the number of OFDM symbols is dynamically or semi-statically allocated by higher layer signaling received from the eNB.

[0095] In some embodiments, the RF transceiver 310 is capable of receiving a group common physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) including format information of a slot, wherein the format information includes at least one of a downlink duration, an uplink duration, or a blank duration.

[0096] In some embodiments, the RF transceiver 310 is capable of receiving, from an eNodeB (eNB), at least one control resource set including downlink control information including a plurality of sub-bands, using higher layer signaling received from the eNB. In such embodiments, the at least one control resource set includes a set of physical resource blocks (PRBs) for blind searching of the downlink control information, the PRBs being contiguous or non-contiguous in a frequency domain, the control resource set including at least one downlink control information (DCI) message.

[0097] ​The TX processing circuitry 315 receives analog or digital voice data from the microphone 320 or other outgoing baseband data (such as web data, e-mail, or interactive video game data) from the processor 340. The TX processing circuitry 315 encodes, multiplexes, and / or digitizes the outgoing baseband data to generate a processed baseband or IF signal. The RF transceiver 310 receives the processed outgoing baseband or IF signal from the TX processing circuitry 315 and up-converts the signal to RF frequencies and emits a corresponding RF signal via the antenna 305.

[0098] The processor 340 can include one or more processors or other processing devices and execute the OS 361 stored in the memory 360 in order to control the overall operation of the UE 116. For example, the processor 340 can control the reception of forward channel signals and the transmission of reverse channel signals by the RF transceiver 310, the RX processing circuitry 325, and the TX processing circuitry 315 in accordance with well-known principles. In some embodiments, the processor 340 includes at least one microprocessor or microcontroller.

[0099] The processor 340 can also execute other processes and programs resident in the memory 360, such as processes for CSI reporting for PUCCH. The processor 340 can move data into or out of the memory 360 as required by the processes executing on the processor 340. In some embodiments, the processor 340 is configured to execute the applications 362 based on the OS 361 or in response to signals received from eNBs or an operator. The processor 340 is also coupled to the I / O interface 345, which provides the UE 116 with the ability to connect to other devices such as laptop computers and handheld computers. The I / O interface 345 is the communication path between these accessories and the processor 340.

[0100] In some embodiments, the processor 340 can also identify, based on the location information, a location of the OFDM symbol of the short PUCCH included in the slot.

[0101] In some embodiments, the processor 340 can also identify, based on the location information, that the location of the OFDM symbol of the short PUCCH included in the slot is located on the l th OFDM symbol from a last OFDM symbol of the slot, wherein l is selected from zero and positive integers.

[0102] In some embodiments, the processor 340 is further capable of identifying a location of OFDM symbols included in the slot, the short PUCCH spanning a number of OFDM symbols from a last OFDM symbol of the slot, based on the location information. In such embodiments, the number of OFDM symbols is dynamically or semi-statically allocated by higher layer signaling received from the eNB, the number of OFDM symbols being determined by a positive integer.

[0103] In some embodiments, the processor 340 is further capable of determining the OFDM symbols included in the slot based on the format information.

[0104] In some embodiments, the processor 340 is further capable of blindly searching for downlink control information included in each of a plurality of subbands, wherein each of the plurality of subbands includes different control information for different data groups. In such embodiments, the at least one control resource set includes a set of physical resource blocks (PRBs) for blindly searching for the downlink control information, the PRBs being contiguous or non-contiguous in the frequency domain, the control resource set including at least one downlink control information (DCI) message.

[0105] The processor 340 is further coupled to the touchscreen 350 and the display 355. The operator of the UE 116 can use the touchscreen 350 to enter data into the UE 116. The display 355 can be a liquid crystal display, a light-emitting diode display, or other display capable of rendering text and / or at least limited graphics, such as from web sites.

[0106] The memory 360 is coupled to the processor 340. Part of the memory 360 can include random access memory (RAM), and another part of the memory 360 can include a flash memory or other read-only memory (ROM).

[0107] Although FIG. 3 various changes can be made to FIG. 3 For example, FIG. 3 various components in the UE 116 can be combined, further subdivided, or omitted and additional components can be added according to specific needs. As a particular example, the processor 340 can be divided into multiple processors, such as one or more central processing units (CPUs) and one or more graphics processing units (GPUs). Also, while FIG. 3 Although the UE 116 is illustrated as a mobile phone or a smartphone, the UE can be configured to operate as other types of mobile or stationary devices.

[0108] FIG. 4A400 is a high-level diagram of transmit path circuitry. The transmit path circuitry can be used to implement a orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication, for example. FIG. 4B 450 is a high-level diagram of receive path circuitry. The receive path circuitry can be used to implement an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication, for example. FIG. 4A 400 and FIG. 4B In 400 and FIG. 1 450, for downlink communications, the transmit path circuitry can be implemented in a base station (eNB) 102 or a relay, and the receive path circuitry can be implemented in a user device (e.g., user device 116 of 100). In other examples, for uplink communications, the receive path circuitry 450 can be implemented in a base station (e.g., eNB 102 of 100) or a relay, and the transmit path circuitry can be implemented in a user device (e.g., user device 116 of 100). FIG. 1 FIG. 1

[0109] The transmit path circuitry includes channel coding and modulation block 405, serial-to-parallel (S-to-P) block 410, size N inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) block 415, parallel-to-serial (P-to-S) block 420, add cyclic prefix block 425, and up-converter (UC) 430. The receive path circuitry 450 includes down-converter (DC) 455, remove cyclic prefix block 460, serial-to-parallel (S-to-P) block 465, size N fast Fourier transform (FFT) block 470, parallel-to-serial (P-to-S) block 475, and channel decoding and demodulation block 480.

[0110] FIG. 4A At least some of the components in 400 and FIG. 4B 450 can be implemented in software, while others can be implemented by configurable hardware or a mixture of software and configurable hardware. Specifically, it is noted that the FFT and IFFT blocks described in this disclosure can be implemented as configurable software algorithms, where the value of size N can be modified according to a particular implementation.

[0111] Further, while this disclosure refers to embodiments implementing fast Fourier transforms and inverse fast Fourier transforms, this is used for illustration only and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of this disclosure. It will be appreciated that in alternative embodiments of this disclosure, the fast Fourier transform function and the inverse fast Fourier transform function can be readily replaced by a discrete Fourier transform (DFT) function and an inverse discrete Fourier transform (IDFT) function, respectively. It will be appreciated that for the DFT and IDFT functions, the value of the N variable can be any integer (i.e., 1, 4, 3, 4, etc.), while for the FFT and IFFT functions, the value of the N variable can be any integer that is a power of two (i.e., 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, etc.).​​

[0112] In transmit path circuitry 400, channel coding and modulation block 405 receives a set of information bits, applies coding (e.g., LDPC coding) and modulates (e.g., quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM)) the input bits to produce a series of frequency domain modulation symbols. A serial-to-parallel block 410 converts (i.e., de-multiplexes) the serial modulated symbols to parallel data to produce N parallel symbol streams where N is the IFFT / FFT size used in the BS 102 and the UE 116. An N-point IFFT block 415 then performs an IFFT operation on the N parallel symbol streams to produce a time domain output signal. A parallel-to-serial block 420 converts (i.e., multiplexes) the parallel time domain output symbols from the N-point IFFT block 415 to produce a serial time domain signal. An add cyclic prefix block 425 then inserts a cyclic prefix to the time domain signal. Finally, a frequency up-converter 430 modulates (i.e., up-converts) the output of the add cyclic prefix block 425 to an RF frequency for transmission via a wireless channel. The signal can also be filtered at baseband before conversion to the RF frequency.

[0113] The transmitted RF signal arrives at the UE 116 after passing through the wireless channel, and reverse operations to those at the BS 102 are performed. A frequency down-converter 455 down-converts the received signal to baseband frequency and a remove cyclic prefix block 460 removes the cyclic prefix to produce a serial time domain baseband signal. A serial-to-parallel block 465 converts the time domain baseband signal to parallel time domain signals. An N- point FFT block 470 then performs an FFT algorithm to produce N parallel frequency domain signals. A parallel-to-serial block 475 converts the parallel frequency domain signals to a series of modulated data symbols. Channel decoding and demodulation block 480 demodulates and then decodes the modulated symbols to recover the original input data stream.

[0114] Each of the eNBs 101-103 can implement a transmit path that is analogous to transmitting in the downlink to user equipment 111-116 and can implement a receive path that is analogous to receiving in the uplink from user equipment 111-116. Similarly, each of user equipment 111-116 can implement a transmit path corresponding to the architecture for transmitting in the uplink to the eNBs 101-103 and can implement a receive path corresponding to the architecture for receiving in the downlink from the eNBs 101-103.

[0115] When supporting FD-MIMO with large 2D antenna arrays, various embodiments of the present disclosure provide high performance, scalability with respect to the number and geometry of transmit antennas, and flexible CSI feedback (e.g., reporting) framework and structure for LTE enhancements. To achieve high performance, more accurate CSI in terms of MIMO channel is needed at the eNB, especially for FDD scenarios. In this case, embodiments of the present disclosure recognize that the previous LTE (e.g., Release 12) precoding framework (PMI-based feedback) can need to be replaced. In the present disclosure, properties of FD-MIMO are considered for the present disclosure. For example, dense large 2D antenna arrays are used with a main focus on high beamforming gain rather than spatial multiplexing, along with relatively small angular spread for each UE. Thus, compression or dimensionality reduction of channel feedback can be achieved according to a fixed set of basis functions and vectors. In another example, UE-specific higher layer signaling can be used to obtain updated channel feedback parameters (e.g., channel angular spread) at low mobility. In addition, CSI reporting (feedback) can also be performed cumulatively.

[0116] Another embodiment of the present disclosure merges the CSI reporting method and procedure with reduced PMI feedback. Such PMI reporting with lower rate is suitable for long-term DL channel statistics and represents the selection of a set of precoding vectors recommended by the UE to the eNB. The present disclosure also includes a DL transmission method in which the eNB transmits data to the UE via multiple beamforming vectors while utilizing an open-loop diversity scheme. Thus, using long-term precoding ensures that open-loop transmit diversity is applied across only a limited number of ports (rather than all ports available for FD-MIMO, e.g., 64 ports). This avoids having to support an excessively high dimensionality of open-loop transmit diversity for reduced CSI feedback overhead and improved robustness when the quality of CSI measurement is problematic.

[0117] 5G communication system use cases have been identified and described. These use cases can be broadly categorized into three different groups. In one example, enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) is determined to handle high bit / s requirements as well as less stringent latency and reliability requirements. In another example, ultra-reliable low latency (URLL) is determined to have less stringent bit / s requirements. In yet another example, massive machine type communication (mMTC) is determined as follows: the number of devices can be up to 100,000 to 1,000,000, but the reliability / throughput / latency requirements can be less stringent. This case can also involve power efficiency requirements, as battery consumption should be minimized as much as possible. 2 2

[0118] In LTE technology, time interval X can include one or more of the following: DL (Downlink Transmit) portion, protection portion, UL (Uplink Transmit) portion, and combinations thereof, regardless of whether they are indicated dynamically and / or semi-statically. Furthermore, in one example, the DL (Downlink Transmit) portion of time interval X includes downlink control information and / or downlink data transmission and / or reference signals. In another example, the UL (Uplink Transmit) portion of time interval X includes uplink control information and / or uplink data transmission and / or reference signals. Additionally, the use of DL and UL does not exclude other deployment scenarios such as sidelinks, backhaul, and relays. In some embodiments of this disclosure, "subframe" is another name used to refer to "time interval X," and vice versa. These diverse services supported by 5G networks are referred to as network slices.

[0119] In some embodiments, "subframe" and "time slot" can be used interchangeably. In some embodiments, "subframe" refers to a transmission time interval (TTI), which may include an aggregation of "time slots" for data transmission / reception by the UE.

[0120] FIG. 5 500 illustrates a network slice according to an embodiment of this disclosure. FIG. 5 The network slicing examples shown in 500 are for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 5 One or more of the components shown in 500 can be implemented in a dedicated circuit configured to perform the mentioned functions, or one or more of the components can be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions for implementing the mentioned functions. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure. FIG. 5 As shown in 500, the network slice includes the operator's network 510, multiple RANs 520, multiple eNBs 530a, 530b, multiple small cell base stations 535a, 535b, URLL slice 540a, smartwatch 545a, car 545b, truck 545c, smart glasses 545d, power supply 555a, temperature 555b, mMTC slice 550a, eMBB slice 560a, smartphone (e.g., cellular phone) 565a, laptop computer 565b, and tablet computer 565c (e.g., tablet PC).

[0121] The operator's network 510 includes a plurality of radio access networks (RANs) 520 associated with network devices such as eNBs 530a and 530b, small cell base stations (femto / pico eNBs or Wi-Fi access points) 535a and 535b, and the like. The operator's network 510 is capable of supporting various services that rely on the slice concept. In one example, the network supports four slices 540a, 550a, 550b, and 560a. The URLL slice 540a serves UEs that require URLL services such as a car 545b, a truck 545c, a smart watch 545a, smart glasses 545d, and the like. The two mMTC slices 550a and 550b serve UEs that require mMTC services such as a power meter and a temperature control (e.g., 555b), while the eMBB slice 560a serves UEs that require eMBB services such as a cell phone 565a, a laptop 565b, a tablet 565c.

[0122] In short, a network slice is a method for handling various different quality of service (QoS) in the network hierarchy. To efficiently support these various QoS, slice-specific PHY optimizations can also be needed. The devices 545a / b / c / d, 555a / b are examples of different types of user equipment (UE) 565a / b / c. FIG. 5 The different types of user equipment (UE) shown in 500 are not necessarily associated with a particular type of slice. For example, the cell phone 565a, the laptop 565b, and the tablet 565c are associated with the eMBB slice 560a, but this is merely for illustrative purposes and these devices can be associated with any type of slice.

[0123] In some embodiments, one device is configured with more than one slice. In one embodiment, a UE (e.g., 565a / b / c) is associated with two slices (the URLL slice 540a and the eMBB slice 560a). This is useful to support an online gaming application, in which case graphics information is transmitted through the eMBB slice 560a and information related to user interaction is exchanged through the URLL slice 540a.

[0124] In the current LTE standard, no slice-level PHY is available and most of the PHY functions utilized are slice-agnostic. A UE is typically configured with a single set of PHY parameters (including transmission time interval (TTI) length, OFDM symbol length, subcarrier spacing, and the like), which likely prevents the network from: (1) quickly adapting to dynamically changing QoS; and (2) simultaneously supporting various QoS.

[0125] In some embodiments, respective PHY designs for handling different QoSs with the network slicing concept are disclosed. It should be noted that "slicing" is a term introduced for convenience only to refer to logical entities associated with common characteristics, such as numerology, upper layers (including medium access control / radio resource control (MAC / RRC)), and shared UL / DL time-frequency resources. Alternative names for "slicing" include virtual cell, hyper cell, cell, and the like.

[0126] FIG. 6 600 shows a heavy downlink (DL) data type building block subframe (BBSF) structure according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 The embodiment of the heavy DL data type BBSF structure shown in 600 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 6 One or more of the components shown in 600 can be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform the functions described, or one or more of the components can be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform the functions described. Other embodiments can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0127] FIG. 6 600 shows a subframe structure referred to as a building block subframe. In FIG. 6 In, the horizontal dimension represents time, while the vertical dimension represents frequency. The frequency occupancy of the SF can or can not be equal to the bandwidth of the system. Furthermore, the frequency occupancy of different parts of the BBSF can also be different. In one example, in FIG. 6 In BBSF Type 1 in, the frequency occupancy of the "DL Control (DL Ctrl)" part can be different from the frequency occupancy of the "DL Data" part, and the frequency occupancy of the "DL Control" part occurring at different times can be different. All of these BBSFs have the same duration, which is measured in absolute time or in orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols. As an example, each BBSF can include 14 OFDM symbols in time, and span a duration of 0.2 milliseconds (ms).

[0128] It can be noted that FIG. 6 More than one BBSF in can occupy the same frequency resources in the same duration. In one example, FIG. 6Type 1 and Type 2 BBSFs in a SF include a complete transmission from an eNodeB to a UE on a certain set of frequency resources for a certain duration of time. An eNodeB (eNB) can be equipped with multiple sets of antenna arrays that have the ability to transmit simultaneously in several spatial directions. Such an eNodeB can simultaneously transmit a Type 1 BBSF occupying a first set of frequency resources to a first set of UEs in a certain first direction, and a Type 2 BBSF occupying the same first set of frequency resources to a second set of UEs in a second direction.

[0129] In this disclosure, "DL" denotes a downlink transmission (eNodeB to UE, eNodeB transmits and UE receives), and "UL" denotes an uplink transmission (UE to eNodeB, UE transmits and eNodeB receives). "Ctrl" denotes a control channel; "DL Ctrl" 610 denotes a control channel transmitted from an eNodeB to a UE that informs the UE of details of data or of a subsequent other control transmission, such as duration, modulation and coding scheme (MCS) used for the transmission, etc. Similarly, "UL Ctrl" 640 denotes a control channel transmitted from a UE to an eNodeB that informs the eNodeB of details of data or of a subsequent other control transmission, such as duration, modulation and coding scheme (MCS) used for the transmission.

[0130] The control region (610 for DL or 640 for UL) of a SF can include several control channels. The DL control channels in a particular SF can include acknowledgement-negation (Ack-Nack) feedback for UL data transmissions in previous or current SF(s). The DL control region in a particular SF can include a channel with pilot or reference samples to help UEs obtain system timing and correct for hardware impairments, such as mismatches between the oscillator frequencies of the UE and the eNodeB.

[0131] The term PDCCH (Physical Downlink Control Channel) will be used to refer to a particular DL control channel. In one example, the DL control 610 can at least partially include a first set of Physical Downlink Control Channels (PDCCHs), where each PDCCH in the set contains information relevant (i.e., recoverable (capable of being demodulated, decoded, and interpreted)) to a particular UE among a first set of UEs. In addition, the DL control 610 can at least partially consist of a second set of PDCCHs, each PDCCH in the set relevant to each UE in a second set of UEs, which can or can not overlap with the first set of UEs. The first and second sets of PDCCHs are referred to as unicast PDCCHs and multicast PDCCHs, respectively.

[0132] The location of a PDCCH in the SF time grid can be communicated to the UEs served by the PDCCH via semi-static RRC signaling. Alternatively, the PDCCH can recur at a known frequency location according to a time schedule defined in the system specification. Similarly and additionally, the MCS used to encode and modulate the PDCCH and the mapping of the modulated samples of the control information portion related to a UE to the SF time grid are also known to the UE.

[0133] The set of subframes carrying PDCCH and the set of UEs related to the control information carried in the PDCCH can be a function of time and spatial or eNodeB transmission direction. In one embodiment, an eNodeB can transmit a first BBSF in a certain first direction, the first BBSF occupying a certain set of frequency resources and containing a first PDCCH occupying a first set of locations in the SF time grid. During the same time period as the first BBSF and on the same set of frequency resources, the eNodeB can transmit a second BBSF in a certain second direction, the second BBSF containing a second PDCCH occupying the first set of locations or a second set of locations in the SF time grid. In such an embodiment, the eNodeB can communicate the locations of the first and second PDCCHs to a first and second set of UEs, which can or can not be overlapping. Furthermore, in such an embodiment, the control information carried in the PDCCHs is related to the first and second sets of UEs simultaneously.

[0134] In some embodiments, the set of subframes used to transmit PDCCH or other DL control 610 also contains "common reference signals (CRS)" or "common reference symbols," which refer to a set of pilot reference samples having locations known to all UEs and used to demodulate the corresponding control channels.

[0135] On the uplink, A / N or CSI feedback can be configured to be transmitted in UL control 640 instead of in the UL data channel. A / N refers to Ack-Nack feedback from a UE regarding the successful or failed reception of a downlink data packet; the SF time grid used to transmit A / N also contains pilot reference samples known to all UEs and used to demodulate the control channel.

[0136] In this embodiment, "data" denotes a channel that contains application information conveyed in the SF; "DL / UL" denotes the direction (eNodeB to UE / UE to eNodeB). This can be used as follows: the term Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) is referred to as the data channel on the DL 620. The SF time-frequency grid used to transmit the DL 620 (e.g., PDSCH) also contains "UE-RS," which refers to a set of pilot reference samples specific to the UE for which the data channel / PDSCH 620 is intended.

[0137] A data packet (or transport block) carried by an RE in a data channel refers to a set of modulation symbols that are the result of modulation and encoding operations on a set of bits that consists of a set of information bits and a set of cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits appended to the set of information bits. Each CRC bit is a certain linear combination of information bits. After a decoding operation is performed at the UE, the UE can determine whether the packet was received correctly by computing CRC bits from the decoded information bits and comparing them to the transmitted CRC bits. A match between the transmitted CRC bits and the computed CRC bits from the received information bits causes the data packet to be declared as correctly received.

[0138] A data packet (or transport block) can be transmitted within one SF or a set of SFs. On the DL, both the eNodeB and the UE for which the data packet is intended have knowledge about the mapping between the data packet bits and the SFs.

[0139] Gap 1 630 denotes a gap (or first duration) of a first number of OFDM symbols, while gap 2 650 denotes a gap (or second duration) of a second number of OFDM symbols. During the gap, the UE is not expected to receive DL signals. In some embodiments, gap 2 650 is longer than gap 1 630. In some embodiments, gap 1 630 partitions the DL and UL portions of the SF. This gap allows the UE to switch from a receive (DL) to a transmit mode (UL). In some embodiments, the length of gap 2 650 is equal to the sum of the length of gap 1 630 and the length of the UL control 640.

[0140] FIG. 7 The type of BBSF in is referred to as a DL data-heavy type because they are primarily intended to transmit DL data; nominally, the "DL data" portion 620 of these BBSFs will be the major portion in terms of SF time-frequency resources occupied.

[0141] Ultra-reliable low latency (URLL) traffic can arrive at any time, in any direction (DL or UL). One possible requirement for URLL is that after URLL traffic arrives, it needs to be served within 1 ms in the physical layer (PHY). In addition, another requirement is that the PHY block error rate (BLER) can be as low as 10 -4 .

[0142] In this disclosure, novel frame structures are disclosed that are structured to meet these URLL requirements while also ensuring high data rates for eMBB traffic. Such frame structures include subframe time-varying type BBSFs. The BBSF type of each subframe is indicated to the UE through DL control signaling. In one embodiment, the BBSF type is dynamically indicated in the DL control 610. In another embodiment, the BBSF type is semi-statically indicated to each UE via RRC signaling. In yet another embodiment, a candidate set of BBSF types is semi-statically indicated to each UE via RRC signaling, and the BBSF type within this candidate set is dynamically indicated in the DL control 610.

[0143] In some embodiments, the UE is configured with type 1 subframes (DL control + DL data) as DL URLL subframes, and in addition, the UE is not configured with PHY hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) A / N and not configured with HARQ retransmission. This alternative is meaningful when the first round BLER target is 10 -4 In this case, as long as the packet size of the DL data 620 transmitted in a single subframe is as large as the arrived URLL packet size, and the subframe duration is less than 1 msec, the URLL latency target can be met.

[0144] In some embodiments, the UE is configured with type 3 subframes (DL control + DL data + UL control) as DL URLL subframes, and in addition, the UE is configured to feedback HARQ A / N for the DL data 620 in the subsequent UL control region 640. This alternative is meaningful when the first round BLER target is not as low as 10 -4 However, similar to the UL control target BLER (e.g., 10 -2 ). To meet the reliability target, the UE can need to request HARQ retransmission. Assuming the data BLER target is around 10 -2 ; then if one retransmission is allowed, the resulting BLER can be around 10 -4Left and right. If the duration of two subframes is less than 1 msec, and UL control 640 can contain A / N for UL data 620 in the same subframe, or if the duration of three subframes is less than 1 msec, and UL control 640 can contain A / N for UL data 620 in the preceding one subframe, the delay target can be met.

[0145] In some embodiments, a UE can be configured to receive Type 1 subframes or Type 3 subframes as URLL subframes in higher layers such as medium access control (MAC) or radio resource control (RRC).

[0146] In some embodiments, a UE is configured with a set of subframe indices (e.g., in terms of slot number or subframe number) in higher layers (e.g., RRC or MAC) that are designated for URLL packet reception. The UE is then configured to decode PDCCH scheduling assignments related to URLL PDSCH only in those subframes indicated by the set of subframe indices. This approach allows eNodeB to flexibly provide resources in time domain that can be used for URLL. In one example, the resources that can be used for URLL can also be used for eMBB. If the UE is also configured for eMBB traffic reception, the UE is configured to receive PDCCH scheduling assignments related to eMBB PDSCH in all subframes containing DL control 610.

[0147] In some embodiments, a UE can be configured with a set of subframe indices in higher layers (e.g., RRC or MAC) for which the UE will assume the presence of DL control 610. When configured with the set of subframe indices, the UE is not required to decode PDCCH in other subframes.

[0148] In some embodiments, UL control 640 comprises a number of OFDM symbols, and the UE is configured to transmit A / N for DL data 620 in subframe x in the l th symbol from the last OFDM symbol of subframe x+k, where k = 0, 1, 2,... can be dynamically / semi-statically indicated or a constant.

[0149] A few schemes are designed for configuring an integer l = 0, 1, 2, 3,... that represents the number of OFDM symbols of UL control 640. In one embodiment, the integer l is a constant (e.g., 1 or 2). In another embodiment, the integer l is semi-statically configured for each UE. In yet another approach, the integer l is dynamically signaled in DL control 610 in subframe x or subframe x+k, and the possible values of l are integer m times of another integer (say L).

[0150] In one example, l = mL, where L (e.g., equal to 1, 2, or 3, or any other positive integer) is fixed in the standard specification, and m = 0, 1, 2, 3… is signaled dynamically. One benefit of this approach is that the eNB is able to dynamically and UE-specifically configure the length of the UL control 640, e.g., according to the link strength. For UEs with strong links, the eNB is able to configure a small m, while for UEs with weak links, the eNB is able to configure a large m. In this way, the eNB is able to flexibly guarantee UL control coverage.

[0151] In some embodiments, a frame is defined as a concatenation of a certain number of BBSFs in the time dimension. The number of BBSFs in a frame can be as low as 1, in which case the frame is equal to a subframe or transmission time interval (TTI). The number and type of BBSFs in a frame can be determined by different embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0152] According to the above embodiments, a frame can consist of N BBSFs numbered n (current subframe) to n + N-1, the determination of the value of N is described below.

[0153] As an example, these BBSFs (where each BBSF consists of 14 OFDM symbols spanning 0.2 ms) can be organized in time in frames, where each frame consists of 5 BBSFs spanning 70 OFDM symbols and 1 ms in time.

[0154] In some embodiments, the first BBSF in a frame of a certain type, in time order, belongs to the type containing DL control 610. In some embodiments, the DL control 610 can contain a multicast and unicast region. The multicast region includes multicast PDCCH(s), each of which is related to a first group of UEs. The unicast region includes unicast PDCCHs, each of which is able to convey control information related to a particular UE in a second group of UEs, where the second group of UEs can or can not overlap with the first group of UEs.

[0155] In some embodiments, a UE is configured with a Type 3 subframe (DL control + DL data + UL control) as a DL eMBB subframe, and in addition, the UE is configured to feedback HARQ A / N for the DL data 620 in the subsequent UL control region 640. This alternative can be used when eMBB traffic is multiplexed in the same subframe as URLL traffic. However, in this case, the eMBB UE suffers from large overhead due to frequent DL / UL transitions and gap 1 630 as well as the UL control region 640 (e.g., overhead).

[0156] FIG. 7700 illustrates one aggregation of subframes according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 The embodiment of the aggregation of subframes illustrated in 700 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 7 One or more of the components illustrated in 700 can be implemented in specialized circuitry configured for performing the recited functions, or one or more of the components can be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform the recited functions. Other embodiments can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0157] In some embodiments of the eMBB frame type A illustrated in 700, the UE is configured with the subframe sequence 700 as an aggregation of subframes for DLeMBB traffic: one type 1 subframe (DL control + DL data), followed by a number N0 of type 2 subframes (DL data only), followed by a type 6 subframe (DL data + gap 1 + UL control). In such embodiments, this aggregation of subframes can be used when eMBB is TDMed with URLL or eMBB is FDMed with URLL but no HARQ transmission is configured for URLL traffic. FIG. 8

[0158] FIG. 8 800 illustrates another aggregation of subframes according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 The embodiment of the another aggregation of subframes illustrated in 800 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 8 One or more of the components illustrated in 800 can be implemented in specialized circuitry configured for performing the recited functions, or one or more of the components can be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform the recited functions. Other embodiments can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0159] In some embodiments of the eMBB frame type B illustrated in 800, the UE is configured with the subframe sequence 800 as an aggregation of subframes for DLeMBB traffic: one type 4 subframe, followed by a number N0 of type 5 subframes, followed by a type 6 subframe. In such embodiments, this aggregation of subframes can be used when eMBB is FDMed with URLL and is configured with HARQ transmission for URLL traffic. FIG. 9

[0160] FIG. 9 900 illustrates yet another aggregation of subframes according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 The embodiment of the yet another aggregation of subframes illustrated in 900 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 9 ​​One or more of the components shown in 900 can be implemented in a dedicated circuit configured to perform the mentioned functions, or one or more of the components can be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions for implementing the mentioned functions. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0161] In such FIG. 9 In some embodiments of eMBB frame type C shown, the UE is configured with a subframe sequence 900 as an aggregation of subframes of DLeMBB traffic: a type 1 subframe (DL control + DL data), followed by a type 2 subframe of number N0 (DL data only), followed by a type U1 subframe containing (gap 1 630 and UL control or data 680). FIG. 7 The diagram illustrates this aggregation of subframes according to these embodiments. In this embodiment, this aggregation of subframes can be used when the eMBB is TDM-ized with URLL or when the eMBB is FDM-ized with URLL but without HARQ transmission configured for URLL traffic. In this embodiment, good UL control coverage can be achieved, and UL multiple access in SF n+N0+1 can be allowed. DL control 610 can carry a PDCCH for a first UE for DL ​​allocation on subframes n to n+N0; and also carries a PDCCH for a second UE for UL granting on subframe n+N0+1. UL control or data 680 can be used by multiple UEs. The first UE can report the A / N of DL data 620 transmitted in subframes preceding subframe n+N0+1. The second UE can transmit UL data according to UL granting. In this embodiment, the overhead channel can be reduced compared to using type 3 subframes for DL ​​eMBB traffic, thereby increasing DL throughput for eMBB.

[0162] In some embodiments, the UE can be configured to receive Type 3 subframes or subframe sequences for eMBB traffic at a higher layer (e.g., MAC or RRC). The subframe sequence constructed in these embodiments can also be referred to as a frame of subframes in other embodiments.

[0163] In some embodiments, the UE can be configured to receive an indication of the subframe type (which may include frames) of the current and subsequent subframes in the DCI of the multicast or unicast PDCCH transmitted in DL control 260, also referred to as a frame composition indication.

[0164] In one example, a one-bit indicator (a series of N0 subframes (a frame of N0 subframes), or a single subframe) (i.e., a frame composition indicator) indicates the following information: 1) State 1: A certain frame type (e.g., FIG. 8 Frame type A in 700FIG. 9 700 of Figure 7 in 800 of Figure 8 and FIG. 7 900 of Figure 9) are configured by PDCCH; and 2) State 0: a single subframe (e.g., belonging to Type 1 or Type 3) is configured by PDCCH.

[0165] In another example, a one-bit indication (subframe sequence pair, or single subframe) (i.e., frame composition indication) indicates the following information: 1) State 1: a certain frame type (e.g., FIG. 8 frame type A of 700 in FIG. 9 frame type B of 800 in FIG. 7 frame type C of 900 in

[0166] In yet another example of (N0+1) state indication, the number of subframes (possibly N0) and the subframe type of a subframe sequence are jointly indicated. The frame composition indication has N0+1 states (i.e., ceil(log2(N0+1)) bits), and indicates the following information. In this case, effectively, N0 is dynamically signaled: 1) State 2, …, N0+1: a certain frame type (e.g., FIG. 8 frame type A of 700 in FIG. 9 frame type B of 800 in FIG. 7 frame type C of 900 in FIG. 8 frame type A of 700 in FIG. 9 frame type B of 800 in FIG. 7 frame type C of 900 in

[0167] For the frame composition indication in these embodiments, some additional information can be necessary: the indication of one of 700 in FIG. 8 FIG. 9 FIG. 10 These additional information can each be configured by higher layers, or fixed in the standard specification.

[0168] ​​In some embodiments, there is an indicator field in both unicast and multicast PDCCH, namely FrameComposition. Each value of FrameComposition indicates a certain frame structure according to a mapping table, which includes the number of subframes in a frame and the BBSF type of these subframes. FrameComposition, consisting of N bits, is able to indicate 2Npossible frame structures via the 2Npossible values that the N bits can represent. For example, when N = 10, FrameComposition indicates one of 2N= 1024frame structures. In such embodiments, FrameComposition jointly indicates some or all of the following information: 1) frame structure; 2) A / N resources for each transport block scheduled in a frame (including the subframe indices for mapping A / N); and 3) SRS trigger (and SRS resources in some embodiments). N N 10

[0169] For the mapping from the value of FrameComposition to the frame structure, the corresponding A / N resources and SRS mapping can be defined according to a lookup table, which can be indicated as follows: 1) via a part of the system specification, and thus known to all eNodeBs and UEs; 2) via semi-static higher layer (RRC) signaling from eNodeB to UE; and 3) via PDCCH signaling. The PDCCH related to a UE can carry an indicator field called FrameStructureMappingUpdateInd, where a particular first value of this field indicates to the UE that the PDCCH contains an update to the lookup table mapping values of FrameComposition to frame structure. Values of FrameStructureMappingUpdateInd other than the first value can indicate the absence of a lookup table update.

[0170] Alternatively, instead of signaling a lookup table, the eNodeB can explicitly indicate the frame structure as: (1) a set of frequency partitions; (2) a time sequence of the number of BBSF types occupying each of the set of frequency partitions. The FrameStructureMappingUpdateInd indicator field can also be used in this alternative. The occurrence of the first value of the FrameStructureMappingUpdateInd indicator field will indicate an update to the frame structure.

[0171] ​​​In some embodiments, a frame is configured to include, in time order, a first subframe belonging to a subframe type containing a DL control region 210. The first subframe is referred to as an indicator subframe in these embodiments, and the frame is referred to as an indicator frame. A frame configured to include a first subframe belonging to a subframe type not containing a DL control 610 is referred to as a non-indicator frame.

[0172] In such embodiments: there is an indicator frame / subframe with number 1, followed by (M-1) number of non-indicator frames / subframes numbered 2 to M (M>1) in time order; the PDCCH in the first indicator frame / subframe contains a number P of FrameComposition indicator fields numbered 1 to P, together with another set of P indicator fields (referred to as FrameCompositionDuration) also numbered 1 to P, where the FrameCompositionDuration field numbered k (where 1 <= k <= P) indicates a number M k of frames / subframes for which the FrameComposition field also numbered k is applicable, where the number M P 1 to M P is equal to M, i.e. ; then the FrameComposition field numbered 1 is applicable from frame / SF #1 to frame / SF #(M1-1). The FrameComposition field numbered k (where 2 <= k <= P) is applicable from frame / SF to frame / SF .

[0173] In some embodiments, the frame composition indication is included in DCI transmitted in a multicast PDCCH; and the PDSCH allocation indication is included in DCI transmitted in a unicast PDCCH. In one example, the UE is further configured to receive P PDSCHs in the configured frame according to the indicated state of the frame composition indication, where P ∈{1, …, N0+1}: when the indicated frame type is a single subframe (i.e. when the state of the frame composition is 0), the UE is configured to receive PDSCH only in the current subframe n. In this case, P=1; and when the indicated frame type is (N0 + 2) subframes, where N0 ∈{0,1,2,…} (i.e. when the state of the subframe composition indication is non-zero according to some embodiments), the UE is configured to receive PDSCH in these (N0 + 2) subframes: i.e. subframes n+k, k ∈{1, …, N0+1}. In this case, P = N0+1.

[0174] In another example, the UE is further configured to receive P PDSCHs in the configured frame through a DCI (DL assignment DCI) in the unicast PDCCH, where P e {1,..., N0+1}, the DCI indicates a set of P subframe offset numbers {k}.

[0175] In some embodiments, when the frame type 3C 900 is configured, the UE is further configured to receive a PUSCH in subframe n+N0+1 through a DCI (UL grant DCI) in the unicast PDCCH.

[0176] In some embodiments, the DCI including the PDSCH assignment can also include additional information to the UE. In one example, the UE is further configured to receive one TB per subframe of the assigned PDSCHs, the DCI in the unicast PDCCH further indicates P HARQ process numbers of the TBs in the subframes of the scheduled PDSCHs. Several methods are considered for the subframes for the UE to report the A / N for the P TBs.

[0177] In another example, the P subframe offset numbers {m} are also indicated in the DCI, which are used to report the A / N for the p-th scheduled TB. In this case, the A / N for the p-th scheduled TB is reported in subframe n+m (m e {0, 1, 2,...}).

[0178] In yet another example, the A / N for all P TBs is reported in subframe n+N0+1 (if >1 subframes are configured in the frame) or n (if 1 subframe is configured in the frame). In yet another example, if >1 subframes are configured in the frame, the A / N for the TBs in the subframes other than n+N0+1 is reported in subframe n+N0+1, and the A / N for the TB in subframe n+N0+1 is scheduled to be reported in the next scheduled UL control 640 indicated in the next frame composition indication. If one subframe is configured in the frame, the A / N for the TB in the subframe is scheduled to be reported in the next scheduled UL control 640 indicated in the next frame composition indication. In yet another example, the UE is further configured to receive a single TB in the configured frame. In this case, the DCI in the unicast PDCCH further indicates a single HARQ process number of the TB in the subframes of the scheduled PDSCHs. Several methods are considered for the subframes for the UE to report the A / N for the P TBs.

[0179] In some examples, a single subframe offset number m is also indicated in the DCI, which is used for reporting the A / N for the scheduled TB. In this case, the A / N for the TB is reported in subframe n+m (m e {0, 1, 2,...}). In another example, the A / N for the scheduled TB is reported in subframe n+N0+1 (if >1 subframe is configured in a frame) or n (if 1 subframe is configured in a frame). In yet another example, if >1 subframe is configured in a frame and if no PDSCH is scheduled in subframe n+N0+1, the A / N for the TB is reported in subframe n+N0+1; and if PDSCH is scheduled in subframe n+N0+1, the A / N for the TB is scheduled to be reported in the next scheduled UL control 640 indicated in the next frame composition indication. If one subframe is configured in a frame, the A / N for the TB in this subframe is scheduled to be reported in the next scheduled UL control 640 indicated in the next frame composition indication.

[0180] In this embodiment, the payload and parsing of the DCI transmitted in the unicast PDCCH can change according to the frame composition indicated in the DCI transmitted in the multicast PDCCH. This is because different frame compositions include different number of subframes, which can also result in different amount of information and different parsing in the DCI in the unicast PDCCH.

[0181] FIG. 10 1000 shows a UE configuration with two slice configurations according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the UE configuration with two slice configurations shown in FIG. 1000 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 10 One or more of the components shown in 1000 can be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform the recited functions, or one or more of the components can be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform the recited functions. Other embodiments can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0182] In some embodiments, the UE can be configured with one or more slice (service) configurations in higher layers. When the UE is configured with more than one slice configuration, for each slice configuration, a separate MAC and a separate RRC are configured, as shown in FIG. 7

[0183] ​In such embodiments, the slice configuration can include at least some of the following according to some embodiments of the present disclosure: 1) time-frequency resources for DL control 610, where the configuration can include a set of subframe indices (e.g., in terms of periodicity and subframe offset), allocated frequency resources (e.g., in terms of PRBs), and time resources allocated for DL control 610 (i.e., in terms of OFDM symbols); a set of DCIs for monitoring in DL control 610; a DL transmission mode; a set of frame types that can be configured via a frame composition indication or static frame types, where for a slice configured for eMBB service, the frame type can be selected from FIG. 8 frame type A of 700 in FIG. 9 frame type B of 800 in FIGS. 11-15 frame type C of 900 in

[0184] FIGS. 11-15 An example frame structure is shown, which exemplarily has 5 component BBSFs. FIG. 14 Each of FIG. 15 and FIGS. 11-15 “B1” and “B2” refer to two consecutive parts of the system bandwidth, such that B1 + B2 = BW. In addition, in each of FIG. 6 , the frame starts with the first BBSF, which has a DL control 610 as shown in FIG. 11 .

[0185] FIG. 11 1100 shows a frame structure according to embodiments of the present disclosure, which has 5 BBSFs per frame and value FrameComposition = 0. FIG. 11 The embodiment of the frame structure shown in 1100, which has 5 BBSFs per frame and value FrameComposition = 0, is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 11 One or more of the components shown in 1100 can be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform the recited functions, or one or more of the components can be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform the recited functions. Other embodiments can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0186] In a frame with N BBSFs, the FrameComposition value 0 can imply a frame that is composed in time order by: a BBSF of type 1, followed by N-2 BBSFs of type 2, followed by lastly a BBSF of type 6.FIG. 12 This case is shown for an example value of N = 5, which shows a frame composed of BBSFs of types 1, 2, 2, 2, and 6 in time order.

[0187] In one instance of this type of frame (denoted as operation la), the UE can be instructed to transmit Ack / Nack for all data packets transmitted in the frame during the UL control portion in the last BBSF. This would make the frame self-contained in nature, as both the DL data transmission and all associated Ack / Nack feedback occur within the frame.

[0188] In one instance of this type of frame (denoted as operation lb), the UE can be instructed to transmit SRS in the UL control portion of the last BBSF. In addition, the eNodeB can indicate that the SRS will be transmitted in the UL control region before the first Ack / Nack is transmitted, thus providing additional time for the UE to complete packet decoding and Ack / Nack processing.

[0189] This type of frame has low control overhead, as only the 1st BBSF and the last BBSF have control regions. In addition, in the DL control region in the 1st BBSF, resource allocation can be indicated to the UE only once. Thus, it can be suitable for eMBB (high throughput) services that are relatively tolerant of latency.

[0190] FIG. 12 1200 shows a frame structure with 5 BBSFs per frame and value FrameComposition = 1, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 12 The embodiment of the frame structure with 5 BBSFs per frame and value FrameComposition = 1 shown in 1200 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 12 One or more of the components shown in 1200 can be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform the recited functions, or one or more of the components can be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform the recited functions. Other embodiments can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0191] In a frame with N BBSFs, a FrameComposition value of 1 can imply a frame composed of N BBSFs all belonging to type 3. FIG. 12 This case is shown for an example value of N = 5, which shows a frame composed of 5 BBSFs all belonging to type 3.

[0192] In one example of this type of frame (denoted as operation 2a): SFs correspond to data packets, and the UE can be instructed to send Ack / Nack feedback for each data packet transmitted in the same SF in the UL control region of the SF. Referring to FIG. 12 , the UE can be instructed to send Ack / Nack for DL data packets transmitted in SF n in the UL control portion of SF n, and similarly for each of SFs (n+1) to (n+4). The eNodeB can provide a duration of gap 1 to provide the UE with sufficient processing time so that decoding and Ack / Nack generation for transmission can be accomplished in time.

[0193] In one example of this type of frame (denoted as operation 2b): SFs correspond to data packets, and in some cases, the UE can be instructed to send Ack / Nack feedback in the UL control region of a SF that is subsequent to the SF in which the data packet is transmitted. Referring to FIG. 11 , the UE can be instructed to send Ack / Nack for DL data packets transmitted in SF n, (n+1), (n+2), (n+3) in the UL control portion of SFs (n+1), (n+2), (n+3), respectively, and for the data packet transmitted in SF (n+4) in the UL control portion of the subsequent BBSF. Alternatively, the eNodeB can provide a gap 1 between "DL data" and "UL control" of SF (n+4), and / or instruct SRS transmission immediately following gap 1 to provide the UE with additional time to complete Ack / Nack processing related to the DL packet transmitted in SF (n+4), thus enabling Ack / Nack for that packet and maintaining a self-contained frame structure (e.g., operation 4).

[0194] This type of frame structure has higher overhead compared to the frame structure as in FIG. 13 , but provides greater flexibility with respect to UEs to be scheduled and resources to be allocated to them. In addition, it provides the possibility of a large number of retransmissions in case of data packet failure, and thus enables transmission with high reliability while maintaining low latency. As such, this type of frame structure is more suitable for URLL services.

[0195] FIG. 13 1300 illustrates a frame structure with 5 BBSFs per frame and value FrameComposition = 2 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 The embodiment of the frame structure with 5 BBSFs per frame and value FrameComposition = 2 illustrated in 1300 is for illustrative purposes only.FIG. 13 One or more of the components shown in 1300 can be implemented in a dedicated circuit configured to perform the mentioned functions, or one or more of the components can be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions for implementing the mentioned functions. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0196] FIG. 12 The frame structure in the diagram shows FIG. 11 The specialization in this case involves replacing the first BBSF with a type that does not have a UL control area. This structure inherently allows the UE more Ack / Nack processing time because, while increasing the size of data that can be transmitted in a frame, Ack / Nack for data packets in SF #n can only be transmitted in SF (n+1). The UE can then be instructed to transmit Ack / Nack, as... FIG. 14 As described in [the text].

[0197] FIG. 14 1400 illustrates a frame structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where each frame has 5 BBSFs and a value FrameComposition = 3. FIG. 14 The example shown in 1400, with each frame having 5 BBSFs and a frameComposition value of 3, is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 15 One or more of the components shown in 1400 can be implemented in a dedicated circuit configured to perform the mentioned functions, or one or more of the components can be implemented by one or more processors that execute instructions for implementing the mentioned functions. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0198] FIG. 15 1500 illustrates a frame structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, where each frame has 5 BBSFs and a value FrameComposition = 4. FIG. 15 The example shown in 1500, with each frame having 5 BBSFs and a frameComposition value of 4, is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 14 One or more of the components shown in 1500 can be implemented in a dedicated circuit configured to perform the mentioned functions, or one or more of the components can be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions for implementing the mentioned functions. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0199] For the example where the total bandwidth BW is divided into two parts (denoted as B1 and B2), FIG. 11 The frame structure in the diagram shows FIG. 12 andFIG. 14 combination of the frame structures in

[0200] In one example of this type of frame, the frame structure for the component BBSF in FIG. 12 is the same as the frame structure for the component BBSF in FIG. 11 However, for the frame structure of bandwidth Bl, the 1st BBSF of type 1 is replaced by a BBSF of type 4, and the BBSF of type 2 is replaced by a BBSF of type 5. This replacement is to avoid UE transmission and reception at the same time.

[0201] In one example of this type of frame, each of the bandwidths Bl and B2 can function as a PHY slice, because DL control, DL data, SRS, and Ack / Nack from a UE can be indicated in one of the bandwidths. The Ack / Nack timing possibilities for each of the two bandwidths can follow the above embodiments (e.g., operations la, lb, and 2b).

[0202] Based on the above embodiments related to FIG. 12 and FIG. 16 This frame structure allows simultaneous support of delay-tolerant, high-throughput / eMBB, and URLL type of services.

[0203] FIG. 16 1600 illustrates a time division multiplexing (TDM) frame structure that allows dynamic frequency-selective scheduling of enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and ultra-reliable low latency (URLL) with uplink control (UL control) always enabled, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 16 1600 illustrates a time division multiplexing (TDM) frame structure that allows dynamic frequency-selective scheduling of enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) and ultra-reliable low latency (URLL) with uplink control (UL control) always enabled, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 16 One or more of the components shown in 1600 can be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform the recited functions, or one or more of the components can be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform the recited functions. Other embodiments can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0204] FIG. 16 A sequence of subframes (subframes n to n+3) multiplexing eMBB and URLL traffic is shown. In this figure, eMBB 1610 and URLL 1620 indicate any DL data 620 for eMBB and URLL traffic, respectively. In FIG. 6 In 1600, all subframes belong to FIG. 16Type 3 in FIG. 6. Type 3 subframe includes DL control 610, followed by DL data 620, followed by UL control 640. DL control 610 can schedule different types of DL data 620, including eMBB 1610 and URLL 1620. Assume that 2 URLL traffic arrives just before SF n+1 and n+2, and the network schedules them at SF n+1 and n+2. In this case, URLL latency requirement is met, as follows.

[0205] In some embodiments, A / N for DL data 620 can be generated during gap 1 630. In such cases, UL control 640 in SF x can contain A / N corresponding to DL data 620 in the same subframe x. Since URLL data transmission is acknowledged in every subframe, as long as subframe duration is less than 1 msec, URLL latency requirement is met in those subframe sequences in FIG. 6. FIG. 16

[0206] In some embodiments, A / N for DL data 620 can be generated after one subframe has elapsed. In such cases, UL control 640 in SF x can contain A / N corresponding to DL data 620 in the same subframe x+1. Since URLL data transmission is acknowledged in the following subframe, as long as subframe duration is less than 0.5 msec, URLL latency requirement is met in those subframe sequences in FIG. 6. FIG. 17

[0207] Therefore, in this frame structure, DL data 620 in subframe x is acknowledged in UL control 640 in subframe x+k (or A / N for DL data 620 in subframe x is configured to be transmitted in UL control 640 in subframe x+k). Several methods are designed for configuring the integer k. In one method, the integer k is a constant, e.g., 0 or 1. In another method, the integer k is configured semi-statically for each UE. In another method, the integer k is dynamically signaled in DL control 610 in subframe x.

[0208] FIG. 17 1700 shows a subframe sequence including subframes n to n+3 for multiplexing eMBB and URLL traffic, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 17 The embodiment of the subframe sequence including subframes n to n+3 for multiplexing eMBB and URLL traffic shown in 1700 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 17 ​​One or more of the components shown in 1700 can be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform the recited functions, or one or more of the components can be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform the recited functions. Other embodiments can be used without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

[0209] In some embodiments of the FDM frame structure for URLL and eMBB, the URLL SB can accommodate both URLL and eMBB, while the eMBB SB can only accommodate eMBB.

[0210] FIG. 17 A sequence of subframes (subframes n to n+3) multiplexing eMBB and URLL traffic is shown. In this figure, eMBB 1610 and URLL 1620 indicate any DL data 620 for eMBB and URLL traffic, respectively. In this example, the URLL SB is SB1 and the eMBB SB is SB2. FIG. 6 In, all subframes belong to Type 3, Type 4, Type 5, or Type 6 in. FIG. 17 Type 3 subframes include DL control 610, followed by DL data 620, followed by UL control 640. The DL control 610 can schedule different types of DL data 620, including eMBB 1610 and URLL 1620. Type 4 subframes include DL control 610, followed by DL data 620, followed by gap 2 650. Type 5 subframes include DL data 620, followed by gap 2 650. Type 6 subframes include DL data 620, followed by gap 1 630, followed by UL control 640. In addition, in, the system bandwidth is divided into two parts, SB1 and SB2. FIG. 17 In, the system bandwidth is divided into two parts, SB1 and SB2.

[0211] In SB1, the subframe composition during SF n to SF n+3 is in the order of Type 4, Type 5, Type 5, and Type 6. It can be seen that this subframe composition in SB1 is more overhead efficient than the subframe composition in, due to the lack of DL control in SF n+1, n+2, and n+3. In SB1, the DL data 620 in subframe n can be acknowledged as early as SF n+3, and thus this subframe composition is more suitable for eMBB type of traffic, which does not have stringent delay requirements. FIG. 17 In SB1, the subframe composition during SF n to SF n+3 is in the order of Type 4, Type 5, Type 5, and Type 6. It can be seen that this subframe composition in SB1 is more overhead efficient than the subframe composition in, due to the lack of DL control in SF n+1, n+2, and n+3. In SB1, the DL data 620 in subframe n can be acknowledged as early as SF n+3, and thus this subframe composition is more suitable for eMBB type of traffic, which does not have stringent delay requirements.

[0212] In SB1, the DCI (PDCCH) transmitted in the DL control 610 in subframe n can indicate the subframe type of the subsequent subframes (e.g., SF n to n+k); in the same way as in, the DCI can also indicate the URLL SB (e.g., SB1) in which the URLL traffic is to be transmitted. FIG. 17In related example embodiments, k = 3. In one example, the DCI is configured to be decoded by a group of UEs, in which case a group of UE-IDs (or RNTIs) can be used as part of the PDCCH generation. In another example, the subframe type indication is included in the DCI (PDCCH) transmitted for unicast DL allocation. In SB1, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the UE can be configured to receive the type 3 subframe or subframe sequence for eMBB traffic in dynamic signaling in the PHY (e.g., in PDCCH).

[0213] In some embodiments, the A / N generation for eMBB data 1610 transmitted in SF n, n+1, n+2, and n+3 is completed during the gap 1 in SF n+3. In this case, the UE is configured to generate A / N corresponding to PDSCH transmitted in SF n, n+1, n+2, and n+3, and is also configured to transmit A / N for UL control 640 in SF n+3.

[0214] In some embodiments, the A / N generation for eMBB data 1610 transmitted in SF n, n+1, and n+2 is completed prior to UL control 640 in SF n+3, but the A / N generation for eMBB data transmitted in SF n+3 cannot be completed by then. In this case, the UE is configured to generate A / N corresponding to PDSCH transmitted in at least SF n, n+1, and n+2; if the UE has been configured to receive PDSCH in SF n-1, the UE can also be configured to generate A / N corresponding to PDSCH transmitted in at least SF n-1. The UE is then also configured to transmit A / N for UL control 640 in SF n+3.

[0215] On the other hand, in SB2, all subframes during SF n to SF n+3 belong to type 3; and thus A / N can be transmitted in any of these subframes. Thus, a UE configured to receive DL control 610 in SB2 can receive URLL traffic, and can satisfy URLL latency requirement within SB2. In this figure, it is assumed that 2 URLL traffics arrive just before SF n+1 and n+2, and the network schedules these 2 URLL traffics at SF n+1 and n+2. In this case, the URLL latency requirement is satisfied.

[0216] In some embodiments, the A / N for DL data 620 can be generated during the gap 1 630. In such cases, the UL control 640 in SFx can contain A / N corresponding to DL data 620 in the same subframe x. Since URLL data transmission is acknowledged in every subframe, as long as the subframe duration is less than 1 msec, the URLL latency requirement is satisfied. FIG. 18URLL latency requirement is met in those subframe sequences in SB2 in

[0217] In some embodiments, the A / N for the DL data 620 can be generated after one subframe has elapsed. In such cases, the UL control 640 in SF x can contain the A / N for the DL data 620 in the same subframe x+1. Since the URLL data transmission is acknowledged in the following one subframe, as long as the subframe duration is less than 0.5 msec, the URLL latency requirement is met in those subframe sequences in SB2 in FIG. 18 URLL latency requirement is met in those subframe sequences in SB2 in

[0218] SB2 can also be used for both eMBB and URLL traffic. In one such embodiment, a UE configured to receive eMBB traffic can be configured to receive DL control 610 in both SB1 and SB2, so that the UE can receive DL data 620 in both SB1 and SB2. Another UE configured to receive URLL traffic only can be configured to receive DL control 610 in SB2 only. To enable such configuration, in some embodiments, the UE is semi-statically indicated by RRC the subband(s) for receiving DL control. In each subband configured to receive DL control 610, the UE is configured to search for valid DL control purposelessly in the DL control 610 in each subframe.

[0219] FIG. 18 A TDM frame structure 1800 that allows dynamic frequency-selective scheduling of eMBB and URLL with or without UL control enabled is shown, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 18 The embodiment of the TDM frame structure 1800 shown in FIG. 18, which allows dynamic frequency-selective scheduling of eMBB and URLL with or without UL control enabled, is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 18 One or more of the components shown in FIG. 18 can be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform the recited functions, or one or more of the components can be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform the recited functions. Other embodiments can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0220] FIG. 18 A subframe sequence (subframes n to n+3) multiplexing eMBB and URLL traffic is shown. In FIG. 18 In FIG. 18, eMBB 1610 and URLL 1620 indicate any DL data 620 for eMBB and URLL traffic, respectively. In FIG. 18In this case, all subframes are either Type 1, Type 3, or Type 6. Type 1 subframes include DL control 610 followed by DL data 620. Type 3 subframes include DL control 610 followed by DL data 620 followed by UL control 640. DL control 610 can schedule different types of DL data 620, including eMBB 1610 and URLL 1620. Type 6 subframes include DL data 620 followed by gap 1 630 followed by UL control 640.

[0221] In some embodiments, a UE can be configured to receive PDSCH (or DL data 620) across up to y (e.g., two) subsequent subframes, counted from the current subframe x in the allocated BW, according to a DL assignment in a single PDCCH (DCI) sent in DL control 610 in the current subframe x. As shown in FIG. 18 In one such example shown in FIG. 6B, in DL control 610 in subframe x = n, the UE is configured to receive DL data 620 across y = 2 subframes (subframes n and n+1). In DL control 610 in subframe n+2, the UE is configured to receive DL data 620 only in this subframe. To enable this operation, in some embodiments, the UE receives an indication of the number of consecutive subframes for which the PDSCH is allocated for the UE in the PDCCH (DCI) sent in DL control 610 in subframe x. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the UE can be configured to receive a Type 3 subframe or a sequence of subframes for eMBB traffic in dynamic signaling in the PHY (e.g., PDCCH).

[0222] In FIG. 19 In this case, assume that 2 URLL traffic arrives just before SF n+1 and n+2, and the network schedules the 2 URLL traffic in SF n+2, since subframe n+1 has been reserved for Type 6 subframe that does not include DL control 620. In this case, the URLL latency requirement is met as follows. In some embodiments, A / N for DL data 620 can be generated during gap 1 630. In such cases, UL control 640 in SF x+2 can contain A / N corresponding to DL data 620 in subframe x+2. Since URLL data transmission is acknowledged in every subframe, the URLL latency requirement is met for the 2 URLL traffic in FIG. 19 In this case, the URLL latency requirement is met for the 2 URLL traffic in

[0223] In some embodiments, A / N for DL data 620 can be generated after one subframe has passed. In such cases, UL control 640 in SF x+2 can contain A / N for DL data 620 in the same subframe x+3. Given the queuing delay due to using subframe type 6 in subframe n+1, the URLL delay requirement is met as long as the subframe duration is less than 0.33 msec, in those subframe sequences in FIG. 19 .

[0224] FIG. 19 A frame structure 1900 for dynamic URLL entries is shown in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 The embodiment of frame structure 1900 for dynamic URLL entries shown in FIG. 6 One or more of the components shown in

[0225] FIG. 6 A frame structure to facilitate flexible ingress of URLL traffic is shown. In some embodiments, a UE is configured with a frame structure comprising N consecutive SFs. The value of N >= 1. As shown in FIG. 6 , SF n contains DL control 1910 (e.g., as shown in 610 of FIG. 20 ) and DL data 1930 (e.g., as shown in 620 of FIG. 20 , eMBB). SF n+N-1 contains DL data 1930, gap 1 1940 for DL and UL transmission (e.g., as shown in 630 of FIG. 20 ), and UL control 1950 (e.g., as shown in 640 of FIG. 20 ). SF n+1 ~ n+N-2 contains DL data 1930. In some embodiments, the frame structure is configured by DL control 1910 in SF n.

[0226] In some embodiments, if there is a first special control region 1920 in each of the SFs, a first multicast DCI (UE-group signaling) or field in the DCI of the eMBB traffic (unicast signaling) sent in the scheduling DL control 1910 is also configured. The multicast DCI can be decoded by all UEs, including UEs that expect eMBB service or URLL service or both. The special PDCCH is mapped onto the first special control region 1920. The special PDCCH in the SF conveys a second multicast DCI to indicate the presence of URLL in the SF. In one example, the second multicast DCI includes a 1-bit URLL_Flag field. URLL_Flag = 1 indicates the presence of URLL region in the SF. URLL_Flag = 0 indicates the absence of URLL region in a SF.

[0227] The second multicast DCI can be decoded by all UEs that have been scheduled traffic in the current subframe and any URLL UE that can receive URLL traffic in the current subframe. The location of the first special control region 1920 can be configured by the DL control 1910. The location of the first special control region 1920 can also be configured by upper layers (e.g., RRC message). In one example, the first special control region 1920 is located in the first OFDM symbol of the SF, and the frequency location can be configured by the special DCI in the DL control 1910 or one of the DCIs that schedule eMBB or some RRC message. In one example, the time and frequency location can be determined based on a static function of the physical cell ID.

[0228] In some embodiments, the eMBB PDSCH allocation DCI can use one transport block (TB) per SF. The DCI can also indicate one HARQ process number indication per SF. In some embodiments, the eMBB TB size per SF can be adapted based on the value information contained in the first special control region 1920. When the information in the first special control region 1920 indicates the presence of URLL region in the SF, the TB size of each eMBB allocation in the SF can be adapted accordingly. One method for adapting the TB size is that the TB size becomes S smaller than the originally scheduled TB size T in the SF. S can be a constant, or a variable determined according to subsequent control signaling (that occurs together with the information in the first special control region 1920 that indicates the presence of URLL region in the SF). In a special case, the eMBB TB can be adapted to 0, in which case no eMBB TB is sent or received in the SF. In another method, the TB size remains T unchanged.

[0229] FIG. 21Another frame structure 2000 for dynamic URLL entry is shown in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 21 The embodiment of the frame structure 2000 for dynamic URLL entry shown in FIG. 20 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 21 One or more of the components shown in FIG. 20 can be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform the functions described, or one or more of the components can be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform the functions described. Other embodiments can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0230] In some embodiments, when there is a URLL region in one SF, the URLL region preempts the entire SF. As shown in FIG. 21, if the information in a first special control region 1920 indicates that there is a URLL in a SF (e.g., SF n+1), a URLL region including URLL control 2010 and data 2020 occupies the entire SF. The first few OFDM symbols are configured to transmit URLL control 2010. The URLL control 2010 schedules URLL transmission into the following URLL data 2020. The TB size scheduled for eMBB UEs in SF n+1 can be adjusted accordingly. For example, the TB size in SF n+1 is adjusted to 0, and no scheduled TB is transmitted to eMBB UEs. FIG. 21

[0231] FIG. 22 A frame structure 2100 for dynamic URLL entry with time division multiplexing (TDM) is shown in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 22 The embodiment of the frame structure 2100 for dynamic URLL entry with TDM shown in FIG. 21 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 22 One or more of the components shown in FIG. 21 can be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform the functions described, or one or more of the components can be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform the functions described. Other embodiments can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0232] FIG. 22 A frame structure with URLL dynamic entry by TDM pattern is shown in FIG. 21. In some embodiments, a second special control region 2110 is configured in SF n+m when the information in the first special control region 1920 in SF n+m, e.g., URLL_Flag = 1. In the second special control region 2110, a special PDCCH is transmitted to indicate the number of OFDM symbols (N U ​The URLL region includes a URLL control 2010 and data 2020. The time and frequency location of the second special control region 2110 can be configured by a DCI in the DL control 1910 or some static configuration (e.g., determined based on a function of the physical cell ID).

[0233] The first N U OFDM symbols are configured for the URLL region 2120, and the remaining OFDM symbols are configured for the eMBB 1930. An eMBB UE scheduled into SF n+m can decode the value of N U and adapt the TB size accordingly. The TB size is reduced by S, and S is an increasing function of N U In the URLL region 2120, the first few OFDM symbols are URLL control 2010, and the later symbols in the URLL region 2120 are URLL data 2020. The URLL control 2010 schedules URLL transmissions in the URLL data 2020. A UE expecting URLL traffic can decode the value of N U A UE expecting URLL traffic can decode the URLL control 2010 and then decode the URLL data 2020 if scheduled by the URLL control.

[0234] FIG. 23 Another frame structure 2200 for dynamic URLL region with time division multiplexing (TDM) is shown in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 23 The embodiment of the frame structure 2200 for dynamic URLL region with TDM shown in FIG. 22 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 23 One or more of the components shown in FIG. 22 can be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform the recited functions, or one or more of the components can be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform the recited functions. Other embodiments can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0235] FIG. 23 A frame structure with dynamic URLL region by FDM pattern is shown in FIG. 23. In some embodiments, a second special control region 2110 is transmitted in SF n+m when information in the first special control region 1920 in SF n+m, e.g., URLL_Flag = 1. In the second special control region 2110, a special PDCCH is transmitted to indicate the number of frequency resources for the URLL region in SF n+m, e.g., the number of subcarriers, the number of RBs, or the number of RBGs (N U The time and frequency location of the second special control region 2110 can be configured by a DCI in the DL control 1910 or some static configuration (e.g., based on the cell ID).

[0236] URLL region 2120 includes N, counted from one edge of the transmission bandwidth. U A contiguous resource. The first N N starting from one edge of the bandwidth. U One frequency resource is used for URLL area 2120, and the remaining frequency resources are reserved for eMBB. An eMBB UE scheduled in SF n+m can decode N. U The value of S is adjusted accordingly to change the TB size. For UEs whose eMBB allocation does not overlap with URLL region 2120, the UE can maintain the same TB size as initially scheduled. For UEs whose eMBB allocation completely overlaps with URLL region 2120, the UE can adjust the eMBB TB size of SF n+m to 0, and the UE is not configured to send / receive eMBB TB in SFn+m. For UEs whose eMBB allocation partially overlaps with URLL region 2120, the UE is configured to send / receive eMBB PDSCH only in the non-overlapping portion, and the UE is configured to adjust the TB size S accordingly. S is an increasing function of the size of the overlapping portion of a UE.

[0237] UEs expecting URLL traffic to be decoded from the DCI transmitted in the second special control area 2110 U The value is then used to decode URLL region 2120. In URLL region 2120, the first few OFDM symbols are URLL control 2010, and the later symbols in the URLL region are URLL data 2020. URLL control 2010 schedules URLL transmissions within URLL data 2020. UEs expecting URLL traffic can decode N... U The value is expected to be . The UE expecting the URLL traffic to be able to decode URLL control 2010 and then decode URLL data 2020 (if scheduled by URLL control 2010).

[0238] In some embodiments, the mode of a URLL entry, TDM, or FDM can be configured by a higher layer via, for example, some RRC message.

[0239] FIG. 24 Another frame structure 2300 for dynamic URLL entries according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. FIG. 24 The embodiment of frame structure 2300 for dynamic URL entries shown is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 24 One or more of the components shown in 2300 can be implemented in a dedicated circuit configured to perform the mentioned functions, or one or more of the components can be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions for implementing the mentioned functions. Other embodiments may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0240] In some embodiments, the type SF is adapted to facilitate fast A / N feedback for URLL traffic. As shown in FIG. 25 The type of SF n+2 is adapted based on the value of URLL_Flag in the first special control region 1920 in SF n+1. URLL_Flag = 1 in the first special control region 1920 in SF n+m indicates the second special control region 2110 in SF n+m to indicate the size of URLL region 2120 in SF n+m, and there is URLL region 2120 in SF n+m. URLL_Flag = 1 in the first special control region 1920 in SF n+m also indicates the SF type of SF n+m+m' is adapted to the SF type of DL data 1930 + gap 1 1940 + UL control 1950, where m' is the HARQ A / N feedback delay requirement for URLL traffic. m' can be configured by DL control 1910 or higher layer (by, for example, RRC).

[0241] The eMBB UE scheduled in SF n~n+N-1 can decode the first special control region 1920 in SF n+m, and the UE can know the following based on the value of URLL_FLAG: decode the second special control region 2110, then know the size and location of URLL region 2120 in SF n+m; the SF type of SF n+m+m'. The new SF type of SF n+m+m' includes one DL data region 1930, one gap 1 1940, and one UL control 1950. The eMBB UE initially scheduled in SF n+m and / or SF n+m+m' can adapt the TB size in each of the two SFs accordingly. The TB size in SF SF n+m+m' can be reduced by S2, and the value of S2 is a function of the size of gap 1 1940 and the size of UL Ctrl in SF SF n+m+m'.

[0242] A UE interested in U RLL traffic can decode the first special control region 1920. If U RLL_Flag = 1, it further decodes the second special control region 2110 to obtain the size and location of the U RLL region 2120 in SF n+m. From decoding the first special control region 1920, the U RLL UE can also know the SF type of SF SF n+m+m'. The U RLL control in the U RLL region in SF n+m schedules U RLL traffic into U RLL data in SF n+m. The U RLL UE is configured to transmit HARQ A / N for U RLL transmission in SF n+m in UL control 1950 in SF SF n+m+m'. The transmission of HARQ A / N in SF n+m+m' can be configured by the U RLL control in SF n+m. The transmission of HARQ A / N in SF n+m+m' can be configured by higher layer (e.g., by some RRC message).

[0243] FIG. 25 Yet another kind of frame structure 2400 for dynamic U RLL entry is shown in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 25 The embodiment of the frame structure 2400 for dynamic U RLL entry shown in FIG. 24 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 26 One or more of the components shown in FIG. 24 can be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform the functions described, or one or more of the components can be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform those functions. Other embodiments can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0244] In some embodiments, the eMBB UE is indicated using the time-frequency resources (including subframe index, PRB number, OFDM symbol) for URLL control 2010. For example, the first 2 OFDM symbols in SF n+1 are configured as URLL control 2010. Then, the eMBB UE is also configured to detect energy in URLL control 2010. If the BS transmits DL control signaling in URLL control 2010 in SF n+m, the eMBB UE is able to detect the energy. When the eMBB detects the energy, the TB size for eMBB for SF n+m is adapted to 0, and the eMBB UE originally scheduled to receive the TB in SF n+m is configured to suspend receiving the originally scheduled TB in SF n+m. The UE expecting URLL traffic can decode URLL control 2010, and then decode URLL data 2020 if scheduled by URLL control 2010. It should be noted that the length of URLL data 2020 can span across the subframe boundary of SF n+1. When the eMBB does not detect the energy, the eMBB is configured to receive and decode the originally scheduled TB in subframe n+1. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, the expected TB size in subframe n+1 is adjusted considering the UL control region.

[0245] In some embodiments, for example, sub-6 GHz systems can use longer SF length, for example, 0.5 ms or 1 ms. The above design can still be applied in such systems. However, due to the longer SF length, it can be difficult to meet the latency requirement for URLL services when the URLL service duration requirement is stringent.

[0246] FIG. 26 A subframe structure 2500 for dynamic URLL entry according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. FIG. 26 The embodiment of the subframe structure 2500 for dynamic URLL entry shown in FIG. 25 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 25 One or more of the components shown in FIG. 25 can be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform the recited functions, or one or more of the components can be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform the recited functions. Other embodiments can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0247] FIG. 26 Another subframe structure 2600 for dynamic URLL entry according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. FIG. 25 The embodiment of the subframe structure 2600 for dynamic URLL entry shown in FIG. 26 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 26One or more of the components shown in the figures can be implemented in specialized circuitry configured for the functionality described, or one or more of the components can be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform the functionality described. Other embodiments can be used without departing from the scope of the disclosure.

[0248] FIG. 25 and FIG. 26 A subframe structure design is shown to facilitate the URLL entry within one SF. As shown in FIG. 27 and FIG. 27 One SF is divided into a positive integer L of slots, as shown in FIG. 27 and FIG. 27 In an example of

[0249] In some embodiments, a first multicast DCI (UE-group) signaling or field in the DCI that schedules the eMBB traffic transmitted in the DL control 1910 indicates the presence of a first special control region 1920 (and in some embodiments its location) in each slot in SF n except slot 1. Alternatively, the presence and location of the first special control region 1920 in each slot can be configured by higher layer (RRC) signaling. The information transmitted in the first special control region 1920 indicates the presence of a URLL region (including URLL control 2010 and URLL data 2020) in one slot. If the information in the first special control region 1920 indicates that a URLL region exists in one slot, some resources in the one slot are configured for the URLL region. One method to multiplex the URLL region in one slot is TDM, as shown in FIG. 28 and the first N U OFDM symbols are configured as the URLL region. Another method to multiplex the URLL region in one slot is FDM, as shown in FIG. 28 and the first N UOne frequency resource (e.g., RB) is configured as a URLL region. The size of the URLL region in one slot can be configured by the multicast DCI DL control 1910, or can be configured by higher layers, e.g., by RRC message.

[0250] The eMBB UE scheduled in SF n can decode the first special control region 1920 and know the size of the URLL region 2010 and 2020 in each slot. The eMBB UE is configured to adapt the TB size for the slot p where the URLL region exists. In the TDM approach, the TB size can be reduced by S, S is an increasing function of the URLL region size. In the FDM approach, the eMBB UE is configured to change the TB size for the slot p according to the eMBB allocation and the URLL region location, and the TB size can be reduced by S, S is a function of the size of the region within one eMBB allocation that overlaps with the URLL region.

[0251] In the URLL region, the first few symbols are URLL control 2010 and the rest of the symbols are URLL data 2020. The URLL control 2010 schedules URLL traffic into the URLL data 2020. The UE expecting URLL is configured to decode the URLL control 2010 and then decode the URLL data 2020.

[0252] FIG. 28 2700 shows one subframe structure for dynamic URLL entry according to embodiments of the present disclosure, where the URLL region occupies one entire slot. FIG. 29 The embodiment of the subframe structure for URLL dynamic entry shown in 2700, where the URLL region occupies one entire slot, is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 29 One or more of the components shown in 2700 can be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform the recited functions, or one or more of the components can be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform the recited functions. Other embodiments can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0253] In some embodiments, when the information in the first special control region 1920 indicates that a URLL region exists in slot p, the URLL region occupies one entire slot, as FIG. 29In some of these embodiments, the eMBB UE scheduled to receive PDSCH in subframe n is configured to receive one TB per slot in subframe n. When the entire slot is occupied by the URLL region, the eMBB UE is configured to adapt the TB size for slot p to 0 and not transmit the eMBB TB in slot p. In such embodiments, the eMBB UE scheduled to receive PDSCH in subframe n is configured to receive one TB in subframe n. According to some embodiments, the eMBB UE is configured to reduce the expected TB size for slot p by S when the entire slot is occupied by the URLL region, taking into account the loss of eMBB resource elements.

[0254] FIG. 28 Another frame structure 2800 for dynamic URLL entries according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. FIG. 29 The embodiments of the frame structure 2800 for dynamic URLL entries shown in FIG. 28 are for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 28 One or more of the components shown in FIG. 28 can be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform the recited functions, or one or more of the components can be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform the recited functions. Other embodiments can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0255] FIG. 29 Another frame structure 2900 for dynamic URLL entries according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. FIG. 10 The embodiments of the frame structure 2900 for dynamic URLL entries shown in FIG. 29 are for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 10 One or more of the components shown in FIG. 29 can be implemented in specialized circuitry configured to perform the recited functions, or one or more of the components can be implemented by one or more processors executing instructions to perform the recited functions. Other embodiments can be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0256] In some embodiments, a second special control region 2110 is transmitted in one slot to convey information of the URLL region size in slot p, as shown in FIG. 30 and FIG. 30 The second special control region 2110 is configured in slot p when the information, e.g., URLL_Flag = 1, in the first special control region 1920 in slot p. In the second special control region 2110, a special PDCCH is transmitted to indicate the number (N U), the URLL region includes URLL control 2010 and data 2020. The time and frequency location of the second special control region 2110 (e.g., URLL control region, URLL control, URLL region, URLL control) can be configured by DCI in the DL control 1910 or some static configuration (e.g., determined based on a function of physical cell ID).

[0257] N U is the number of resources in slot p configured for URLL region. In the method of multiplexing URLL region by TDM (as shown in FIG. 31 ), the first N U OFDM symbols are configured as URLL region 2120, and the rest of the OFDM symbols are configured for eMBB 1930. In the method of multiplexing URLL region by FDM (as shown in FIG. 31 ), the first N U frequency resources (e.g., PRB) from one edge of the bandwidth are configured as URLL region 2120, and the rest of the frequency resources are eMBB 1930.

[0258] All UEs including eMBB UEs scheduled in slot p and URLL UEs expecting URLL traffic in slot p are configured to decode the second special control region 2110 to obtain the size of the URLL region 2120. The eMBB UEs are configured to adapt the TB size of slot p according to the decoding result of the second special control region 2110. According to the decoding result of the second special control region 2110, the URLL UEs decode the URLL control 2010 and then decode the URLL data 2020 in the URLL region 2120 in slot p.

[0259] In some embodiments, a UE can be configured with one or more slice (service) configurations in higher layer. For example, a UE is configured with two slice configurations, one slice for eMBB and another slice for URLL. When a UE is configured with more than one slice configuration, for each slice configuration, a separate MAC and a separate RRC are configured, as shown in ​ .

[0260] In some embodiments, the slice configuration can include at least some of the following: an operating point x for CQI index measurement; a PDSCH transport block corresponding to a CQI index can be received with a block error rate not exceeding x, the PDSCH transport block having a combination of modulation scheme and TB size; a number of REs or REGs (resource-element groups) that include CCEs (control channel elements) for PDCCH; a number of REs that include REGs for PDCCH; a DL transmission mode; and a HARQ retransmission configuration and UL A / N channel format. Different HARQ retransmission schemes can be applied for URLL and eMBB. For example, for URLL, there can be no HARQ retransmission.

[0261] In some embodiments, a UE can be configured with either a Category A or a Category B slice / service configuration, or both. Category A is for eMBB operation, and Category B is for URLL operation. Each slice configuration can have separate MAC and RRC, as shown in ​ In some embodiments, a number of REs or REGs include CCEs for PDCCH. In such embodiments, if Category A (eMBB) is configured, a first number of REs (or REGs) include CCEs, where an example value of the first number is 9 REGs (or 36 REs). In such embodiments, if Category B (URLL) is configured, a second number of REs (or REGs) include CCEs. In such an example, an example value of the second number is 18 REGs (or 72 REs). In such an example, the second number is an integer multiple of the first number, where examples of the integer are 2, 3, 4.

[0262]

[0263] ​In some embodiments, a subcarrier spacing is determined. In such embodiments, if Category A (eMBB) is configured, the subcarrier spacing is y kHz, where example values are 15. In such embodiments, if Category B (URLL) is configured, the subcarrier spacing is z kHz, where example values are 30, 45, 60, 75, etc.

[0264] In some embodiments, a TTI length is determined. In such embodiments, if Category A (eMBB) is configured, the TTI length is u msec, where example values are 1. In such embodiments, if Category B (URLL) is configured, the TTI length is v msec, where example values are 0.2, 0.5, where u is an integer multiple of v, where examples of the integer are 2, 3, 4, 5.

[0265] In some embodiments, a number of OFDM symbols of a PUCCH for A / N transmission is determined. In such embodiments, if Category A (eMBB) is configured, the PUCCH for A / N transmission includes a first number of OFDM symbols, where example values are the total number of OFDM symbols in a slot. In such embodiments, if Category B (URLL) is configured, the PUCCH for A / N transmission includes a second number of OFDM symbols, where example values are the total number of OFDM symbols in a subframe (or TTI).

[0266] In some embodiments, the configuration of the URLL region 2120 (including the existence, size and location information of the URLL region 2120) is signaled by one or more of the following schemes: the URLL region 2120 is configured by DL control 1910 or higher layer (RRC) signaling including the existence, size, multiplexing method and location in one SF or one slot; a special PDCCH including DCI in the first special control region 1920 indicates the existence of the URLL region 2120 in one SF or one slot. The DCI in the DL control 1910 or higher layer (RRC) signaling configures the size and location of the URLL region 2120 in one SF or one slot. In some embodiments, the multiplexing method (FDM, TDM, etc.) is also indicated by higher layer signaling; a special PDCCH including DCI in the first special control region 1920 indicates the existence and size of the URLL region 2120 in one SF or one slot. The DL control 1910 or higher layer (RRC) signaling configures the method (TDM or FDM) of multiplexing the URLL region 2120; and a special PDCCH including DCI in the first special control region 1920 indicates the existence of the URLL region 2120 in one SF or one slot. Another special PDCCH in the second special control region 2110 indicates the size of the URLL region 2120. The second special control region 2110 is transmitted when the PDCCH in the first special control region 1920 indicates the existence of the URLL region 2120 in one SF or one slot. The DL control 1910 or higher layer (RRC) signaling configures the multiplexing method of the URLL region 2120.

[0267] ​ A flowchart of a UE transmitting a short physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0268] At step 3010, the UE receives a downlink signal from a base station (BS), the downlink signal indicating a location of at least one symbol of a short PUCCH. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the UE can determine that the location of the at least one symbol of the short PUCCH included in a slot is located on the l th symbol from the last symbol of the slot. For example, lThe number of symbols can be selected from zero and positive integers. According to embodiments of this disclosure, the UE can also determine the location of at least one symbol of a short PUCCH included in the time slot. Herein, a short PUCCH can span multiple symbols starting from the last symbol of the time slot. The number of symbols can be dynamically or semi-statically allocated by higher-layer signaling received from the BS, and can be determined by a positive integer. According to embodiments of this disclosure, the UE can receive a Group General Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) including format information of the time slot. For example, the format information includes at least one of downlink duration, uplink duration, or blank duration. The UE can then determine at least one symbol included in the time slot based on the format information.

[0269] At step 3020, the UE uses at least one symbol to send a short PUCCH to the BS based on the location. According to embodiments of this disclosure, the UE is able to use the... l Each symbol sends a short PUCCH based on the location. For example, l The allocation is made dynamically or semi-statically by higher-level signaling received from the BS.

[0270] Although ​ Although not shown in the diagram, the UE can receive at least one control resource set using higher-layer signaling received from the BS. This control resource set includes downlink control information, which comprises multiple subbands. The UE can blindly search for the downlink control information included in each of the multiple subbands. In this document, each of the multiple subbands includes different control information for different data groups.

[0271] ​ A flowchart illustrating the process of an eNB (or base station BS) receiving a short PUCCH according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown.

[0272] At step 3110, the BS determines the position of at least one symbol of the short PUCCH. According to embodiments of this disclosure, the BS is able to determine that the position of at least one symbol of the short PUCCH included in the time slot is located at the [number missing]th symbol from the last symbol of the time slot. l On each symbol. For example, lThe number of symbols can be selected from zero and positive integers. According to embodiments of this disclosure, the BS can also determine the position of at least one symbol of a short PUCCH included in a time slot. Herein, a short PUCCH can span multiple symbols starting from the last symbol of the time slot. The number of symbols can be dynamically or semi-statically allocated by higher-layer signaling received from the BS, and can be determined by a positive integer. According to embodiments of this disclosure, the BS can transmit a Group General Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) including format information of the time slot. For example, the format information includes at least one of downlink duration, uplink duration, or blank duration. The BS can determine at least one symbol included in the time slot based on the format information.

[0273] At step 3120, the BS sends a downlink signal to the user equipment (UE), the downlink signal indicating the location of at least one symbol of the short PUCCH, and at step 3130, the BS uses the at least one symbol to receive the short PUCCH from the UE based on the location. According to embodiments of this disclosure, the BS is able to use the... l Each symbol receives a short PUCCH based on the stated position. For example, l The allocation is made dynamically or semi-statically by higher-layer signaling sent to the UE.

[0274] Although ​ Although not shown in the diagram, the BS can use higher-layer signaling sent to the UE to transmit at least one control resource set, which includes downlink control information comprising multiple subbands. For example, at least one control resource set includes a set of physical resource blocks (PRBs) for blindly searching for downlink control information. These PRBs can be continuous or discontinuous in the frequency domain, and the control resource set can include at least one downlink control information (DCI) message. The UE can identify the downlink control information included in each of the multiple subbands. In this document, each of the multiple subbands includes different control information for different data groups.

[0275] While this disclosure has been described using exemplary embodiments, various changes and modifications may be suggested to those skilled in the art. This disclosure is intended to cover such changes and modifications that fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: receiving, from a base station, radio resource control (RRC) signaling configuring a control region associated with ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC); and receiving, from the base station, a downlink control information (DCI) based on the control region, wherein the DCI is used to identify a region for the URLLC and is decoded by a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) of a UE group including the UE, and wherein the DCI identifies a size and a location of a resource region in resource blocks and symbols.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, the RRC signaling configures a multiplexing method of the resource region.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, the DCI indicates a presence of the resource region. 4.A user equipment (UE) comprising: at least one transceiver; at least one processor communicatively connected to the at least one transceiver, and at least one memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor, the at least one memory storing instructions executable by the at least one processor individually or in any combination to enable the UE to: receive, from a base station, radio resource control (RRC) signaling configuring a control region associated with ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC); and receive, from the base station, a downlink control information (DCI) based on the control region, wherein the DCI is used to identify a region for the URLLC and is decoded by a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) of a UE group including the UE, and wherein the DCI identifies a size and a location of a resource region in resource blocks and symbols.

5. The UE of claim 4, wherein, the RRC signaling configures a multiplexing method of the resource region.

6. The UE of claim 4, wherein, the DCI indicates a presence of the resource region. 7.A method performed by a base station (BS) in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: transmitting, to a user equipment (UE), radio resource control (RRC) signaling configuring a control region associated with ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC); and and transmitting, to the UE, a downlink control information (DCI) based on the control region, wherein the DCI is used to identify a region for the URLLC and is transmitted based on a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) of a UE group including the UE, and wherein the DCI identifies a size and a location of a resource region in resource blocks and symbols.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein, the RRC signaling configures a multiplexing method for identifying the resource region.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein, the DCI indicates a presence of the resource region. 10.A base station comprising: at least one transceiver; at least one processor communicatively connected to the at least one transceiver, and at least one memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor, the at least one memory storing instructions executable by the at least one processor individually or in any combination to enable the base station to: transmit, to a user equipment (UE), radio resource control (RRC) signaling configuring a control region associated with ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC); and based on the control region, transmitting downlink control information, DCI, to the UE, wherein the DCI is used to identify a region for the ultra-reliable and low latency communication and is transmitted based on a radio network temporary identifier, RNTI, of a UE group including the UE, and wherein the DCI identifies a size and a location of a resource region in a resource block and a symbol.

11. The base station of claim 10, wherein, The RRC signaling is used to identify a multiplexing method of the resource region.

12. The base station of claim 10, wherein, The DCI is used to identify a presence of the resource region.

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