Method and apparatus for coordinating user equipment with data aggregation

Abstract

A base station (BS) supporting a protocol stack may implement a method for improving network efficiency. The method includes sending (202) a group identity of a group of two or more UEs including a first UE to at least a first user equipment (UE). The method further includes using the group identity to generate (302) a data signal including aggregated downlink data by processing hardware of the base station. The aggregated downlink data includes (i) UE-specific identities of at least two target UEs within the group; and (ii) for each of the at least two target UEs, a corresponding UE-specific identity at an upper layer of the protocol stack, the corresponding UE-specific identity indicating a location within the aggregated downlink data of UE-specific downlink data intended for the target UE. The method further includes sending (306) a data signal to at least a portion of the group via a downlink data channel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to grouping strategies for coordinating user equipment in a wireless communication system. Background Art

[0002] In wireless communication systems, such as fifth generation (5G) radio access ("NR") networks, a base station (e.g., gNB) must configure downlink and uplink transmissions to and from user equipment within the base station's coverage area. To perform such configuration, the base station sends control information indicating random access channel information, scheduling grants, power control commands, coding information, etc. via a control channel. However, handling the configuration of a large number of user equipment may require a large amount of control channel overhead (e.g., time and frequency resources), resulting in reduced network efficiency.

[0003] Further, the signal strength at the location of a particular user device (commonly referred to as user equipment ("UE")) and / or the reception capability of a particular UE may be poor. For example, the UE may be located at a cell edge or experience fading effects due to Doppler shift, multipath propagation, or shadowing. The base station may have difficulty establishing communication with the UE, further reducing overall network efficiency.

[0004] To address some of these issues, various schemes for coordination (or "grouping") between different UEs have been proposed. Despite these different schemes, there are still other opportunities to capture more network efficiency improvements that UE grouping can provide and flexibly extend the coordination scheme to support arbitrarily large UE group sizes. Summary of the invention

[0005] According to the techniques of the present disclosure, several UEs form a group (referred to herein as a "UE coordination set" or "UECS") that a base station considers to be a single UE at least in some aspects and at some protocol stack layers. The base station sends a group identity (referred to herein as a UECS-RNTI) to a coordination or "master" UE of the UECS, which can assign the UECS-RNTI to one or more other UEs in the UECS via a local wireless network. The UECS-RNTI provides a physical (PHY) layer identity for the UECS, which can be used by the UECS to process information within control and data signals intended for the UE group.

[0006] The base station generates a control signal for the UECS and sends the control signal to the UECS on a single control channel, such as a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). The control signal contains downlink control information (DCI), which specifies the time and frequency resources that the UECS can use to send data on an uplink data channel and receive data on a downlink data channel. When generating the control signal, the base station scrambles a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) using the UECS-RNTI and includes the scrambled CRC in the DCI.

[0007] Different UEs in a UECS receive the same control signal, where the UECS effectively operates as a distributed antenna receiver (i.e., where one or more antennas of a distributed antenna arrangement reside at each UE). Each UE receiving the control signal demodulates the control signal to generate I / Q samples and sends the I / Q samples to a designated UE of the UECS, which acts as a "joint receiver" UE.

[0008] A joint receiver UE (e.g., a master UE, or another UE assigned to the joint receiver role by the master UE) receives and jointly processes the I / Q samples. In particular, the joint receiver UE time-aligns and combines the I / Q samples to obtain a stronger combined signal. The processing performed by the joint receiver UE may include decoding the DCI using the UECS-RNTI (e.g., by descrambling the CRC using the UECS-RNTI). In some embodiments, the joint receiver UE then sends the decoded DCI to other UEs in the UECS. In other embodiments, the joint receiver UE sends the decoded DCI to the master UE, which then distributes the decoded DCI to other UEs in the UECS.

[0009] When the base station has data to be sent to one or more UEs in the UECS, the base station aggregates the individual downlink data streams of the UEs to form an aggregated downlink data stream of the UECS. The base station uses the specific identity of the UE to distinguish the downlink data of each UE in the UECS. Each such UE identity is specific to the layer above the PHY layer in the protocol stack, and the base station aggregates the data stream at the upper layer. For example, the upper layer may be a radio link control (RLC) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, or a media access control (MAC) layer. The base station may also scramble the CRC using the UECS-RNTI at the lower layer, and include the scrambled CRC in the aggregated data stream.

[0010] After aggregating the UE-specific downlink data streams, the base station sends a data signal containing the aggregated downlink data (and possibly a scrambled CRC) to the UECS. The UECS, still operating as a distributed antenna receiver, jointly receives the data signal in a similar manner as the control signal, e.g., where one or more UEs of the UECS forward their I / Q samples to the joint receiver UE. After receiving, time-aligning and combining the I / Q samples, the joint receiver UE decodes the aggregated downlink data (e.g., including descrambling the CRC using the UECS-RNTI).

[0011] Depending on the implementation and / or scenario, the downlink data for each individual UE can be extracted in various ways. The joint receiver UE can coordinate the allocation of downlink data, or conversely, the joint receiver UE can forward the aggregated downlink data to the master UE for allocation. In some embodiments, the allocation UE (whether it is a joint receiver UE or a master UE) extracts downlink data for each UE at the upper layer using the corresponding upper layer UE identity of the UE, and then sends the extracted data to the UE using the local wireless network. In other embodiments, the allocation UE uses its own upper layer UE identity to extract only its own data, and then forwards the remaining aggregated data to other UEs, which use their own corresponding upper layer UE identities to extract their own data. In one embodiment, the allocation UE extracts its own data and forwards the remaining aggregated data to only one other UE, which extracts its own data and forwards the remaining aggregated data to another UE, etc., until there is no data remaining. Other techniques are also possible, such as assigning a UE to forward all aggregated data to other UEs (without first removing its own data), or assigning a UE to forward a specific subset of UE-specific data to certain (e.g., within close range) UEs, while sending the remainder of the aggregated downlink data as a whole to the UECS (e.g., to any UE of the UECS that is currently within the local wireless range of the assigned UE).

[0012] Further, the base station may configure the UECS to share the same state with respect to a radio resource control (RRC) layer and to share the same discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle, semi-persistent scheduling, and / or bandwidth portion.

[0013] As mentioned above, the UECS can act as a distributed antenna and therefore have multiple antenna ports. In some embodiments, the control signal contains antenna port definitions determined by the base station. The base station can determine a first antenna port for a first UE in the UECS and a second antenna port for a second UE in the UECS, for example, by distinguishing the antenna ports from the upper layer, UE-specific identities discussed above. For example, using these antenna port definitions, the base station can send its own power control and / or timing advance commands to each UE, and / or configure each UE to have its own channel sounding process.

[0014] In some embodiments, the base station schedules both aggregated downlink data and aggregated uplink data via a control channel (e.g., PDCCH) of the UECS. For uplink transmission, a separate UE in the UECS can send a separate uplink data stream of a separate UE with a corresponding UE-specific identity of the separate UE to the master UE via a local wireless network. The master UE can aggregate data containing a UE-specific identity at the upper layer with its corresponding data. In some embodiments, before sending to the base station, the master UE prioritizes the aggregation of uplink data from each UE according to the quality of service (QoS) level associated with the data. The master UE can then send an uplink data signal containing aggregated uplink data to the base station (e.g., via a PUSCH opportunity granted by the base station to the UECS, or obtained via a random access process), or can first send an uplink data signal to other UEs in the UECS to facilitate joint transmission of uplink data to the base station, where the UECS operates as a distributed antenna transmitter.

[0015] An example embodiment of these techniques is a method for improving network efficiency in a base station supporting a protocol stack. The method includes sending a group identity of a group of two or more UEs including the first UE to at least a first UE. The method also includes using the group identity to generate, by processing hardware of the base station, a data signal including aggregated downlink data. The aggregated downlink data includes (i) UE-specific downlink data for at least two target UEs within the group; and (ii) for each of the at least two target UEs, a corresponding UE-specific identity at an upper layer of the protocol stack, the corresponding UE-specific identity indicating a location within the aggregated downlink data of the UE-specific downlink data intended for the target UE. The method further includes sending a data signal to at least a portion of the group via a downlink data channel.

[0016] Another example embodiment of the techniques is a base station comprising hardware and configured to implement the above method.

[0017] An additional embodiment of these techniques is a method for improving network efficiency in a first UE supporting a protocol stack. The method includes receiving a group identity corresponding to a group of two or more UEs including a first UE and a second UE from a wireless transmitter. The method also includes receiving a data signal including aggregated downlink data from a base station on a downlink data channel. The aggregated downlink data includes (i) UE-specific downlink data for at least two target UEs within the group; and (ii) for each of the at least two target UEs, a corresponding UE-specific identity at an upper layer of the protocol stack, the corresponding UE-specific identity indicating a location within the aggregated downlink data of the UE-specific downlink data intended for the target UE. The method further includes generating a first I / O sample by demodulating the received data signal by processing hardware of the first UE and receiving a second I / Q sample corresponding to the data signal as received by the second UE via a local wireless network from the second UE. Further, the method includes decoding the aggregated downlink data by processing at least the first I / Q sample and the second I / Q sample using the group identity by the processing hardware.

[0018] Another example embodiment of the techniques is a UE comprising hardware and configured to implement the above method. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 An example communication system is illustrated in which the aggregation and de-aggregation techniques of a User Equipment Coordination Set (UECS) of the present disclosure may be implemented;

[0020] Figure 2 is a message transmission diagram for an example scenario in which a base station sends a control signal to a UECS on a single downlink control channel;

[0021] Figure 3 is a message transmission diagram for an example scenario in which a base station sends a data signal containing aggregated downlink data to a UECS on a single downlink data channel and the UECS allocates the aggregated downlink data on its own;

[0022] Figure 4 is a message transmission diagram for an alternative implementation and / or alternative scenario in which a base station sends a data signal containing aggregated downlink data to a UECS on a single downlink data channel and the UECS allocates the aggregated downlink data on its own;

[0023] Figure 5 is a message transmission diagram for an example scenario in which a UE of a UECS aggregates UE-specific uplink data and sends a data signal containing the aggregated uplink data to a base station;

[0024] Figure 6is a flow chart of an example method for sending a data signal containing aggregated downlink data to a UECS, which example method may be used in Figure 1 is implemented in a base station; and

[0025] Figure 7 is a flow chart of an example method for receiving and decoding a data signal containing aggregated downlink data of different UEs of a UECS, which example method may be used in Figure 1 implemented in the UE. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Figure 1 An example communication system 100 is illustrated in which the data aggregation and deaggregation techniques of a user equipment coordination set (UECS) of the present disclosure and related control processes may be implemented. Communication system 100 includes several user equipments (UEs), including UE 102, UE 104, and UE 106. Each of UE 102, 104, and 106 may be any suitable device capable of wireless communication (e.g., any of the exemplary user equipments discussed below after the various figures are described). In the depicted scenario, UE 102, 104, and 106 form a UE group 108, also referred to herein as UECS 108. Although Figure 1 Three UEs are depicted, but UECS 108 may include any number (more than one) of UEs.UECS 108 may locally coordinate uplink (UL) transmissions and downlink (DL) receptions to and from base station 114 using techniques described in more detail below.

[0027] For example, the base station 114 is communicatively connected to the core network (CN) 110 via an NG interface. In some embodiments, the base station 114 is a 5G new radio (NR) base station operating as a g Node B (gNB), and the CN 110 is a 5G core network (5GC). However, in other embodiments, the communication system 100 may include one or more base stations that operate according to a type of radio access technology (RAT) other than NR, and these base stations may be connected to other types of CNs. The CN 110 may be, for example, a 5G core network (5GC), a less advanced core network (e.g., an evolved packet core (EPC)), or conversely, a more advanced core network.

[0028] Base station 114 is associated with RAN 112 and provides coverage for cell 116. Figure 1 Base station 114 is depicted as being associated with only one cell 116, but it is understood that base station 114 may also cover Figure 1One or more additional cells not shown in the figure. Further, the RAN 112 may include any suitable number of base stations that jointly support one or more RATs. When operating in the cell 116, each UE (such as UE 102) can be connected to the RAN 112 via the base station 114, and can then be connected to the CN 110 via the RAN 112.

[0029] UE 102 is equipped with at least processing hardware 130, a UE group management unit 136, at least one antenna 140, and a local wireless network interface 150. Figure 1 Only UE 102 is depicted as including processing hardware 130, UE group management unit 136, antenna 140, and local wireless network interface 150, but it should be understood that each of UEs 104 and 106 also includes the same or similar elements. Processing hardware 130 may include one or more general-purpose processors (e.g., CPUs) and at least one non-transitory computer-readable memory that stores instructions that can be executed on one or more general-purpose processors and / or special-purpose processing units (such as wireless communication chipsets).

[0030] The processing hardware 130 includes a physical (PHY) layer controller 132. The PHY layer controller 132 is responsible for internal processes at the PHY layer 182 of the wireless communication protocol stack 180, such as demodulating and decoding downlink control and data signals received from a base station (e.g., base station 114), encoding and modulating uplink control and data signals, etc.

[0031] The processing hardware 130 also includes an upper layer controller 134. The upper layer controller 134 is responsible for internal processes at a corresponding upper layer 184 located above the PHY layer 182 of the protocol stack 180, such as aggregating uplink data and deaggregating downlink data for the UECS 108. The upper layer 184 can be, for example, a media access control (MAC) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, or a radio link control (RLC) layer. For example, the upper layer controller 134 can support channel access, addressing, quality of service (QoS), and other functions of the MAC layer, user plane data delivery, control plane data delivery, integrity protection, and other functions of the PDCP layer, or segmentation and other functions of the RLC layer. Although in Figure 1 Not shown, the processing hardware 130 may also include controllers for each of several other layers, such as a radio resource control (RRC) controller and a mobility management (MM) controller associated with the RRC and MM layers of the protocol stack 180, respectively.

[0032] The UE group management unit 136 of UE 102 is generally responsible for functions related to UE grouping functions, such as sharing signals with other UEs (e.g., UEs 104 and 106) of UECS 108, as discussed further below. UEs of UECS 108 can be managed by Figure 1 At least one local wireless network not depicted in the figure communicates with each other. The local wireless network can communicate with a personal area network (PAN), near field communication (NFC), Bluetooth TM , wireless local area network (WLAN), or any other suitable communication standard or protocol. The local wireless network interface 150 of the UE 102 generally facilitates communication with other UEs of the UECS 108 on the local wireless network. The UE group management unit 136 can be implemented by the processing hardware 130 and the local wireless network interface 150 in combination, or can be implemented by Figure 1 Another controller implementation of UE 102 not shown in FIG.

[0033] The base station 114 includes at least one antenna 170 to communicate with other elements of the communication system 100. The base station 114 also includes processing hardware 160, which may include one or more general-purpose processors (e.g., CPUs) and at least one non-transitory computer-readable memory that stores instructions that can be executed on one or more general-purpose processors and / or special-purpose processing units (such as wireless communication chipsets). Similar to the processing hardware 130 of the UE 102, the processing hardware 160 may include a PHY layer controller 162 and an upper layer controller 164 of the protocol stack 180 corresponding to the PHY layer 182 and the upper layer 184, respectively. The controllers 162 and 164 may perform functions similar to or corresponding to the controllers 132 and 134, but from the perspective of the base station 114 instead of the UE 102. For example, the PHY layer controller 162 may encode and modulate downlink control and data signals sent to the UECS 108 , and the upper layer controller 164 may aggregate downlink data for the UECS 108 and deaggregate uplink data received from the UECS 108 .

[0034] The upper layer controllers 134 and 164, the PHY layer controllers 132 and 162, and the UE group management unit 136 may be implemented using any suitable combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware. In an example embodiment, the controllers 132, 162, 134 and 164 and / or the UE group management unit 136 are sets of instructions that the corresponding processing hardware 130 or 160 executes to perform the various functions described herein.

[0035] As mentioned above, the UE 102 includes at least one antenna 140 for receiving signals transmitted to and from the UE 102. The UE 102 may be equipped with multiple antennas 140 to support multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications, or may be equipped with only a single antenna 140. For example, the UE 102 may have two transmit-receive antennas to support two simultaneous transmit / receive paths, or may have separate transmit and receive antennas, etc. As discussed further below, the base station 114 (e.g., the PHY controller 162) may determine an antenna port at the PHY layer 182 for each physical antenna 140 of the UE 102.

[0036] Initially, as mentioned above, UEs 102, 104, and 106 and possibly Figure 1 108. The UECS 108 may be formed in various ways depending on the implementation and / or scenario. In some implementations, for example, the UEs may locally coordinate with each other to form the UECS 108 with little or no input from the base station 114. The UEs 102, 104, and 106 may select to coordinate with each other based on, for example, their respective distances from each other and / or based on other suitable factors. The UEs 102, 104, and 106 may jointly select a coordination or "master" UE from the UEs 102, 104, and 106, for example, based on the relative processing capabilities of the UEs 102, 104, and 106 and / or other factors (e.g., proximity to the base station 114).

[0037] In other embodiments, the base station 114 directs or partially directs the formation of the UECS 108. For example, the base station 114 detects the UEs 102, 104, and 106 within the cell 116 and assigns each UE to the UECS 108. The base station 114 may also request the UEs 102, 104, and 106 to form the UECS 108, and assign a particular UE to the UECS 108 only if the UE responds with a confirmation and / or approval of the request. The base station 114 may select UEs for the UECS 108 based on the location of each UE relative to the base station 114 and relative to other UEs and / or other factors. The base station 114 may also select certain UEs for the UECS 108 according to beam scheduling, for example, where the base station 114 only selects UEs located in the same beam. The base station 114 may also select which single UE will serve as the master UE of the UECS 108.

[0038] In any of these cases (i.e., UEs coordinate locally to form the UECS 108, base stations 114 form the UECS 108, or a mixture thereof), the base station 114 generates a group identity and sends the group identity to the UECS 108. The UECS 108 may use the group identity to decode control and data signals directed to the UECS 108 by the base station 114, as discussed in more detail below. In some embodiments, the group identity is a PHY layer 182 identity of the UECS 108. The group identity is referred to herein as a UECS-RNTI, where "RNTI" refers to a radio network temporary identifier.

[0039] Conventionally, a base station may use an RNTI, such as a cell RNTI (c-RNTI), to identify an individual UE. In contrast, the techniques disclosed herein specify a UECS-RNTI that the base station 114 and the UECS 108 may use in some embodiments in the same manner as the c-RNTI, but for the UECS 108 as a whole rather than for any individual UE. Through the UECS-RNTI, and regardless of whether the UECS-RNTI operates as a c-RNTI for the UECS 108, operates similarly to some other conventional RNTI, or is not similar to any conventional RNTI, the base station may treat the UECS 108 as a single UE (e.g., communicate with the UECS 108 as a single UE, configure the UECS 108 as a single UE, etc.).

[0040] Allowing the base station to treat the UECS 108 as a single UE has many technical advantages. For example, the base station 114 can send control signals to the UECS 108 on a single control channel, send data signals to the UECS 108 on a single downlink data channel, and receive data signals from the UECS on a single uplink data channel. In addition, because the base station 114 treats the UECS 108 as a single UE, the base station 114 can aggregate the downlink data streams of the separate UEs into a single downlink data stream for the UECS 108, thereby reducing channel overhead (e.g., scheduling and other control functions). The base station 114 can also associate the aggregated downlink data with only one data radio bearer (DRB) of the UECS 108.

[0041] The base station 114 can further reduce channel overhead by configuring the UECS 108 (and therefore the individual UEs of the UECS 108) to have a single RRC layer state, which can reduce the amount of control signaling at the RRC layer (i.e., fewer RRC messages exchanged between the base station 114 and the individual UEs). Additionally or alternatively, the base station 114 can reduce channel overhead by configuring the UECS 108 to have a single discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle, a single semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) configuration, and / or a single bandwidth part (BWP) for uplink and / or downlink communications. Thus, the UEs of the UECS 108 can all share the same RRC layer state, DRX cycle, SPS configuration, and / or BWP (uplink and / or downlink).

[0042] In addition to reduced channel / signaling overhead, grouping UEs into the UECS 108 may also yield other advantages. In some embodiments, for example, the UECS 108 may jointly receive downlink control and data signals from the base station 114 and jointly send uplink control and data signals to the base station 114. Because each UE of the UECS 108 is equipped with at least one antenna (e.g., antenna 140 of UE 102), the UECS 108 may utilize the antennas of individual UEs as a distributed antenna arrangement for reception and transmission. Thus, the UECS 108 may have reception and transmission capabilities that exceed the reception and transmission capabilities of individual UEs 102, 104, and 106. In addition, if one UE of the UECS 108 experiences poor reception, the UE may rely on other UEs of the UECS 108 to receive information from the base station 114 and forward the information to the UE with poor reception. Further, the UECS 108 may utilize the combined processing capabilities of the UEs 102 , 104 , and 106 to demodulate data and control signals, thereby improving reception at the UECS 108 as a whole.

[0043] The master UE may act as a "joint receiver" UE to perform the functions required to facilitate joint reception, or the master UE may delegate that responsibility by assigning another UE as the joint receiver UE. In some embodiments, the base station 114 instructs the master UE to select the joint receiver UE, or directly assigns the joint receiver UE. In other embodiments, the master UE selects the joint receiver UE with little or no input from the base station. The master UE may change which UE acts as the joint receiver UE based on changes in power and reception conditions and / or capabilities of the UEs in the UECS 108. Regardless of how the joint receiver UE is selected or reassigned, the joint receiver UE may use the following information regarding Figures 2 to 4 Any of the various techniques described may be used to facilitate joint reception.

[0044] As mentioned above, the base station 114 can aggregate downlink data to send the UECS 108 using a data signal on a single downlink data channel. To achieve this, the base station 114 aggregates the downlink data at the upper layers 184 of the protocol stack 180 using UE-specific identities. After jointly receiving (e.g., decoding) the aggregated downlink data, the UECS 108 utilizes these UE-specific identities to de-aggregate the aggregated downlink data. The UECS 108 can also aggregate UE-specific uplink data intended for the base station 114 using the same UE-specific identity. Figures 2 to 5 Different techniques that the UECS 108 may use to deaggregate and distribute downlink data, and aggregate and transmit uplink data are discussed.

[0045] Next, refer to Figures 2 to 7 Various example implementations and scenarios reflecting the above techniques are discussed. Figures 2 to 7 and the accompanying description specifically relates to Figure 1 UE 102, 104, 106, UECS 108 and base station 114, but it is understood that the following technology can be implemented by other components and / or in addition to Figure 1 The communication system 100 is implemented in a system other than the communication system 100.

[0046] Figure 2 1 is a message transmission diagram of a first example scenario 200 in which a base station 114 sends a control signal containing downlink control information (DCI) to a UECS 108 on a single control channel (e.g., PDCCH). In the example scenario 200, UE 102 acts as a master UE of the UECS 108, UE 104 acts as a joint receiver UE 104 of the UECS 108, and UE 106 is another UE in the UECS 108 that is neither a master nor a joint receiver. It should be understood that in other scenarios, UEs 102, 104, and / or 106 may have other roles within the UECS 108. In addition, in some scenarios and / or embodiments, the master UE 102 does not assign a joint receiver UE, but performs the joint reception function itself.

[0047] The example scenario 200 begins after the UECS 108 has been formed and when the base station 114 sends 202 a group identity (UECS-RNTI) to the primary UE 102. In other embodiments, the base station 114 triggers the formation of the UECS 108 by sending 202 the UECS-RNTI to the UE 102. After receiving the UECS-RNTI, the primary UE 102 connects to the local wireless network (e.g., the base station 114 sends 202 a group identity (UECS-RNTI) to the primary UE 102. Figure 1106). In some embodiments and / or scenarios where the joint receiver UE 104 is the only UE of the UECS 108 responsible for decoding downlink data and control information using the UECS-RNTI (as discussed below), the master UE 102 only sends the UECS-RNTI to the joint receiver UE 104. However, as mentioned above, the master UE 102 may reassign the joint receiver role to another UE over time (e.g., to share the processing load in view of the fact that the joint reception responsibility of the joint receiver UE may be power intensive). Therefore, it may be advantageous for the master UE 102 to also send the UECS-RNTI to the UE 106. Alternatively, the master UE 102 may only send the UECS-RNTI to the new UE (e.g., UE 106) when the joint receiver role is assigned to the new UE at a later time.

[0048] In a scenario where the primary UE 102 (and possibly all UEs of the UECS 108) cannot receive the UECS-RNTI individually due to poor channel conditions, the base station 114 may not send (or fail to send) the UECS-RNTI to the primary UE 102. In this scenario, the base station 114 does not use the UECS-RNTI to aggregate UE-specific downlink data (as will be referred to below). Figure 3 to Figure 4 However, the UECS 108 may still operate as a distributed antenna to jointly receive control signals and non-aggregated data signals from and to the base station 114. In addition, the base station 114 may send the UECS-RNTI to the primary UE 102 later when channel conditions improve to enable the data aggregation techniques described herein.

[0049] In scenario 200, after sending 202 the UECS-RNTI to the primary UE 102, the base station 114 generates 206 a control signal for the UECS 108. The control signal contains downlink control information (DCI), which specifies time and frequency resources that the UECS 108 can use to send data on an uplink data channel and receive data on a downlink data channel. As part of generating 206 the control signal, the base station 114 scrambles a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) of the DCI using the UECS-RNTI and includes the scrambled CRC in the control signal along with the DCI. Therefore, only a UE that knows the UECS-RNTI can "descramble" the CRC and, therefore, decode the DCI.

[0050] After generating 206 the control signal, the base station 114 transmits 210 the control signal including the DCI and the scrambled CRC to the UECS 108 via a single control channel (e.g., PDCCH). Each UE of the UECS 108, including the master UE 102, the joint receiver UE 104, and the UE 106, can receive the same control signal (channel conditions permitting), where the UECS 108 effectively operates as a distributed antenna receiver (i.e., where one or more antennas of the distributed antenna arrangement reside at each UE). If a particular UE encounters problems receiving signals from the base station 114, but can still communicate with one or more other UEs in the UECS 108, the other UEs of the UECS 108 can receive the control signal, process the control signal in a manner discussed below, and forward the control information to the UE.

[0051] In the example scenario 200, all UEs 102, 104, and 106 receive a control signal transmitted 210 by a base station 114. Thus, each of the UE 106, the joint receiver UE 104, and the master UE 102 generates (respectively 212, 214, and 216) corresponding I / Q samples by demodulating the received control signal. The I / Q samples represent the radio frequency control signal after being down-converted and demodulated into its in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) components. The UE 106 transmits 218 its I / Q samples to the joint receiver UE 104 via a local wireless network, and the master UE 102 transmits 220 its I / Q samples to the joint receiver UE 104 via a local wireless network.

[0052] After the joint receiver UE 104 receives the I / Q samples from the other UEs 102, 106, the joint receiver UE 104 decodes 222 the DCI by jointly processing the I / Q samples received from the UEs 102, 106 and the I / Q samples generated 214 by the joint receiver UE 104 itself. In order to decode 222 the DCI, the joint receiver UE 104 first time-aligns and combines the I / Q samples of the UEs 102, 104, and 106. By combining the I / Q samples, the joint receiver UE produces a linear power gain and can obtain a stronger signal than the signal received by any individual UE. The joint receiver UE 104 can then decode 222 the DCI by descrambling the CRC using the UECS-RNTI.

[0053] exist Figure 2In the embodiment shown in , the joint receiver UE 104 then distributes the decoded DCI by sending (224, 226) the DCI to other UEs (106, 102) in the UECS 108 via the local wireless network. In other embodiments and / or scenarios, the joint receiver UE 104 sends 226 the DCI to the master UE 102 instead of the UE 106, and the master UE 102 then sends the DCI to each UE in the UECS 108 (possibly excluding the joint receiver 104) or to at least one other UE in the UECS 108, which then further distributes the DCI (e.g., forming part of a transmit chain within the local wireless network). After receiving the DCI, each of the UEs (102, 104, 106) can configure itself (228, 230, 232) based on the information in the DCI to be ready to receive downlink transmissions from the base station and / or send uplink data via the channel specified in the DCI.

[0054] In addition to the DCI, the control signal (or an additional control signal generated by base station 104 and sent on the downlink control channel) may contain other information, such as antenna port definitions determined by base station 114. Base station 114 may, for example, identify the antenna port by using an upper layer, UE-specific identity (e.g., as described below with respect to Figure 3 to Figure 4 The base station 114 may determine a unique antenna port for each UE in the UECS 108 by associating different antenna ports with different UEs (the same identity discussed above). In addition, if the UE has multiple antennas, the base station may optionally determine a unique antenna port for each antenna of the UE, or determine a single antenna port for some or all antennas of the UE. Thus, the UECS 108 may collectively act as a distributed antenna that may support spatial diversity of a relatively large number of unique antenna ports. For example, if the UEs 102, 104, and 106 each have two antennas, the base station 114 may potentially assign up to six antenna ports to the UECS 108.

[0055] In the control signal sent 210 to the UECS 108, or in another control signal sent by the base station 114 to the UECS 108 at a different time, the base station 114 may include various commands specific to each antenna port. These commands may include, for example, a transmit power command (for setting uplink transmit power) and / or a timing advance command (for adjusting uplink transmit timing to achieve system synchronization). When the UE receives such a command associated with an antenna port mapped to one or more physical antennas of the UE, the UE responds accordingly (e.g., by changing or maintaining its transmit power and / or uplink transmit timing according to the received command). Further, the base station 114 may define a channel sounding process configuration specific to each antenna port and cause the UE associated with the specific antenna port to perform the corresponding channel sounding process. When sending a control signal to the UECS 108, the base station 114 may indicate which command (e.g., power command, timing advance command) or configuration (e.g., channel sounding process configuration) applies to which UE by including the appropriate upper layer, UE-specific identity (and / or identifier of the corresponding antenna port) and these commands or configurations.

[0056] Figure 3 1 is a message transmission diagram of an example scenario 300 in which the base station 114 sends a data signal containing aggregated downlink data to the UECS 108 on a single downlink data channel and the UECS 108 allocates the aggregated downlink data on its own. The example scenario 300 may be performed by the UECS 108 and the base station 114 in Figure 2 Scenario 300 is performed after the scenario 200 depicted in 1 (i.e., after the base station 114 sends 210 a control signal containing DCI to the UECS 108 and the UE of the UECS 108 configures itself according to the DCI). Scenario 300 begins when the base station 114 generates 302 a data signal containing aggregated downlink data of the UECS 108. In order to generate 302 the aggregated downlink data of the UECS 108, the base station 114 aggregates the downlink data streams of at least two target UEs (in scenario 300, at least UEs 104 and 106) in the UECS 108 at the upper layer 184. The upper layer 184 can be a PDCP layer or an RLC layer, and the data signal can contain a PDCP protocol data unit (PDCP PDU) or an RLC PDU containing the aggregated downlink data, respectively. In other embodiments, the upper layer 184 is a MAC layer, and the data signal contains a MAC PDU containing the aggregated downlink data.

[0057] The base station 114 indicates the location of the downlink data of each target UE within the aggregated downlink data using the UE-specific identity of the target UE. For example, the base station 114 may include each UE-specific identity immediately before the data expected for the target UE associated with the UE-specific identity. The UE-specific identity may be an identity dedicated to distinguishing UEs at the upper layer 184 (i.e., the layer where the base station 114 aggregates the downlink data). In some embodiments, the base station 114 generates a UE-specific identity. In other embodiments, a separate UE determines its own UE-specific identity and sends these identities to the base station 114 or the master UE 102, which then forwards the identity to the base station 114. In some further embodiments, the master UE 102 assigns a UE-specific identity to each UE and sends these assigned UE-specific identities to the base station 114. The UE-specific identity may be long enough to provide a unique identity for a suitable number of UEs (e.g., 4, 8, 16, etc.) in the UECS 108 or may have a variable length, thereby allowing an extensible method of identifying UE-specific data within the aggregated data of the UECS 108.

[0058] When generating 302 the data signal at the PHY layer 182, the base station scrambles the CRC of the aggregated downlink data using the UECS-RNTI and includes the scrambled CRC in the data signal together with the aggregated downlink data. The base station 114 then sends 306 the data signal including the aggregated downlink data and the scrambled CRC to the UECS 108 on a downlink data channel (e.g., a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)). Similar to the control signal discussed previously with respect to 210, each UE of the UECS 108, including the master UE 102, the joint receiver UE 104, and the UE 106, can receive the same data signal (channel conditions permitting), wherein the UECS 108 effectively operates as a distributed antenna receiver. Each of the UE 106, the joint receiver UE 104, and the master UE 102 generates (respectively 308, 310, and 312) I / Q samples by demodulating the data signal. Even if a specific UE in the UECS 108 is not a target UE (ie, data is not present in the aggregated downlink data intended for the specific UE), the specific UE may still help the UECS 108 receive data signals.

[0059] Continue to refer Figure 3, the UE 106 sends 314 its I / Q samples to the joint receiver UE 104 via the local wireless network, and the master UE 102 sends 316 its I / Q samples to the joint receiver UE 104 via the local wireless network. After the joint receiver UE 104 receives the I / Q samples from the other UEs 102, 106, the joint receiver UE 104 decodes 318 the aggregate downlink data by jointly processing the I / Q samples received from the UEs 102, 106 and the I / Q samples generated by the joint receiver UE 104 itself at 310. Similar to 222, in order to decode 318 the aggregate downlink data, the joint receiver UE 104 first time-aligns and combines the I / Q samples to obtain a stronger combined signal. The joint receiver UE 104 can then decode the aggregate downlink data by descrambling the CRC using the UECS-RNTI.

[0060] After the joint receiver UE 104 decodes 318 the aggregated downlink data, the UEs of the UECS 108 may extract and / or distribute the downlink data to each UE in various ways depending on the implementation or scenario. Figure 3 In the embodiment shown in , the joint receiver UE 104 sends 320 aggregated downlink data to the master UE 102 via the local wireless network, and the master UE 102 acts as an allocated UE. In other scenarios, the joint receiver UE 104 does not send aggregated downlink data to the master UE 102, and the joint receiver UE 104 itself acts as an allocated UE. Depending on power, processing capabilities, and / or other suitable considerations, the master UE 102 may designate the joint receiver UE 104 as the allocated UE, or the master UE 102 may designate a different UE of the UECS 108 (such as UE 106) as the allocated UE. Events 308 to 320 are performed in Figure 3 These are collectively referred to as Event 325.

[0061] In the example scenario 300 where the master UE 102 acts as an allocation UE, the master UE 102 extracts 326 data for each target UE using the UE-specific identities at the upper layer 184 corresponding to those UE-specific identities (i.e., the upper layer 184). For example, when extracting 326 data for the joint receiver UE 104, the master UE 102 utilizes the UE-specific identity corresponding to the joint receiver UE 104 to identify the location of the data for the joint receiver UE 104 within the aggregated downlink data. Similarly, when extracting 326 data for the UE 106, the master UE 102 utilizes the UE-specific identity corresponding to the UE 106 to identify the location of the data for the UE 106 within the aggregated downlink data. The master UE 102 then sends (328, 330) the extracted data for each of the joint receiver UE 104 and the UE 106 to the joint receiver UE 104 and the UE 106, respectively. As mentioned previously, the joint receiver UE 104 may be an assigned UE instead of the master UE 102, in which case the joint receiver UE 104 extracts data for each of the master UE 102 and UE 106 and transmits the extracted data to the master UE 102 and UE 106, respectively.

[0062] Figure 4 is with Figure 3 100 . The message transmission diagram of another scenario 400 corresponding to different embodiments and / or different situations, in which the UECS 108 self-allocates the aggregated downlink data in a different manner. In the scenario 400, the base station 114 generates 402 a data signal by aggregating downlink data of at least two target UEs in the UECS 108 using a UE-specific identity and scrambling the CRC of the aggregated downlink data using the UECS-RNTI. For example, event 402 can be related to Figure 3 Base station 114 then sends 406 a data signal including the aggregated downlink data and the scrambled CRC to UECS 108. For example, event 406 may be similar to event 306. The UEs of UECS 108 then jointly receive and process the data signal to decode the aggregated downlink data at event 425, which may be similar to event 426. Figure 3 Similar to event 325.

[0063] In scenario 400 and unlike scenario 300, the master UE 102 (acting as the allocation UE) extracts 426 data only for itself using its own UE-specific identity (at upper layers 184). The master UE 102 then sends 428 the remaining aggregated downlink data to the joint receiver UE 104 or any other UE in the UECS 108 via the local wireless network. The joint receiver UE 104 then extracts 430 data for itself using its own UE-specific identity. Next, the joint receiver UE 104 sends 432 the remaining aggregated downlink data to the UE 106 or any third UE in the UECS 108, which similarly extracts 434 its own data using its own UE-specific identity. If there are additional UEs in the UECS 108, then the UE 106 forwards any remaining aggregated downlink data to one of those additional UEs, and so on. Each UE extracting its own aggregated downlink data may use any suitable technique to determine which UE should receive the remaining data (e.g., sending to a UE in the UECS 108 known to be nearby or randomly selecting another UE in the UECS 108 that has data in the remaining aggregated downlink data, etc.).

[0064] Although Figure 3 and Figure 4 Two example distribution techniques are depicted that the UECS 108 may use to extract data and distribute the data to the UEs of the UECS 108, but other techniques are possible. For example, the assigned (master, joint receiver, or other) UE may forward all aggregate downlink data to other UEs without first removing its own data (as in event 426). As another example, the assigned UE may forward a specific subset of UE-specific data to certain (e.g., within close range) UEs while sending the remainder of the aggregate downlink data as a whole to the UECS 108 (e.g., to any UE of the UECS 108 that is currently within the local wireless range of the assigned UE).

[0065] In addition to acting as a distributed antenna receiver for receiving downlink transmissions, the UECS 108 also acts as a distributed antenna transmitter for uplink transmissions. Furthermore, in addition to scheduling aggregate downlink data for the UECS 108 via a single control channel (e.g., PDCCH), the base station 114 may schedule aggregate uplink data for the UECS 108 via a single control channel, as will now be referred to. Figure 5 discussed.

[0066] exist Figure 5In example scenario 500, UEs 104 and 106 transmit (502, 504) respective uplink data to primary UE 102 via a local wireless network. UEs 104 and 106 and any other UEs of UECS 108 that have uplink data to transmit to base station 114 may be referred to as “source” UEs. If a source UE of UECS 108 (e.g., UE 106) has poor connectivity with primary UE 102, but may be connected to another UE (e.g., UE 104) via a local wireless network, the source UE may instead transmit its uplink data to the other UE (e.g., UE 104), which in turn may forward the uplink data to primary UE 102. Although Figure 5 Scenario 500 is depicted where the master UE 102 collects uplink data from other UEs, but in other scenarios, the master UE 102 may assign another UE the role of collecting and aggregating uplink data from UEs of the UECS 108, such as a joint receiver UE.

[0067] After receiving the uplink data from the source UEs, the master UE 102 generates 506 aggregated uplink data by aggregating the uplink data streams at the upper layers 184 using the UE-specific identities. Similar to how the base station 114 aggregates (302, 402) downlink data, the master UE 102 includes the UE-specific identity of each respective source UE within the aggregated uplink data to indicate the respective location of the UE-specific uplink data within the aggregated data.

[0068] Although in Figure 5 102 , but in some embodiments, the master UE 102 aggregates uplink data streams based on the quality of service (QoS) level associated with each individual uplink data stream. For example, the master UE 102 can prioritize the aggregation of uplink data from each UE based on the QoS associated with the data (e.g., where the QoS is based on the UE from which the data originates and / or based on the type or characteristics of the data itself). The master UE 102 can aggregate uplink data streams associated with the same or similar QoS levels into different data subsets and place the subsets in different queues based on their QoS levels. The master UE 102 can then prioritize the transmission of different data subsets by, for example, aggregating and sending data from a high QoS queue before aggregating and sending data from a low QoS queue.

[0069] After generating 506 the aggregated uplink data, the master UE 102 sends 508 the aggregated uplink data to other UEs (including UE 104 and UE 106) in the UECS 108 via the local wireless network so that the other UEs can assist in the joint transmission. The master UE 102 can send 508 the aggregated uplink data to all other UEs in the UECS 108 (including any UE that is not a source UE and does not have uplink data in the aggregated uplink data). In some scenarios, the master UE 102 can send the aggregated uplink data only to one other UE (such as a joint receiver UE), and the UE sends the aggregated uplink data to all other UEs or another UE in the UECS 108. In other scenarios, for example, if all other UEs in the UECS 108 are subject to highly degraded channel conditions, the master UE 102 can send an uplink data signal containing the aggregated uplink data directly to the base station 114 alone.

[0070] However, in scenario 500, UECS 108 acts as a distributed antenna transmitter to jointly transmit 510 an uplink data signal containing aggregated uplink data on an uplink data channel specified by DCI. For example, UECS 108 may transmit 510 the uplink data signal to base station 114 via a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) opportunity granted to UECS 108 by base station 114 or jointly obtained by UECS 108 via a random access procedure. In some embodiments, UECS 108 transmits 510 the uplink data signal to base station 114 via a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) opportunity granted to UECS 108 by base station 114 or jointly obtained by UECS 108 via a random access procedure. Figure 2 The uplink data signal is jointly transmitted 510 to the base station 114 on the uplink data channel specified by the DCI decoded at event 222. In this way, both aggregated downlink data and aggregated uplink data can be received / sent according to the DCI received on the downlink control channel.

[0071] Depending on the implementation and / or scenario, the joint transmission 510 may include all UEs in the UECS 108 transmitting copies of the same uplink data signal, may include different UEs transmitting different uplink data signals, or may include some combination thereof. For example, if multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology is used, different UEs in the UECS 108 may transmit different uplink data signals.

[0072] Although in Figure 55. Although not shown, in some embodiments, the UECS 108 also jointly sends uplink control signals to the base station 114. For example, the master UE 102 may send uplink control information of the UECS 108 to other UEs in the UECS 108 via the local wireless network (e.g., in a manner similar to event 508). The UECS 108 may then act as a distributed antenna transmitter to jointly send uplink control signals of the UECS 108 to the base station 114 (e.g., in a manner similar to event 510).

[0073] Figure 6 1 illustrates a flow chart of an example method 600 for transmitting a data signal containing aggregated downlink data to a group of UEs (eg, UECS 108), which example method may be performed in Figure 1 The method 600 begins at block 602, in which the base station 114 sends a group identity (eg, Figure 2 Event 202 in ). The group identity may be, for example, a UECS-RNTI, and may be a PHY layer 182 identity.

[0074] In block 604, base station 114 generates a data signal (eg, Figure 3 Event 302 or Figure 4 Event 402 in the protocol stack). The data signal includes at least aggregated downlink data. The aggregated downlink data includes (i) UE-specific downlink data for at least two target UEs in the UE group; and (ii) for each target UE, a corresponding UE-specific identity at an upper layer of the protocol stack (e.g., upper layer 184 of protocol stack 180), the corresponding UE-specific identity indicating a location within the aggregated downlink data of the UE-specific downlink data intended for the target UE.

[0075] In block 606, the base station 114 sends a data signal (eg, a data signal containing aggregated downlink data) to at least a portion of the UE group via a downlink data channel. Figure 3 Event 306 or Figure 4 406 in the event).

[0076] Figure 7 is a flow chart of an example method 700 for receiving and decoding a data signal containing aggregated downlink data of different UEs of a UE group (eg, UECS 108), which example method may be performed at Figure 1 The method 700 is implemented in a UE of the UECS 108, such as the UE 106, the UE 104, or the UE 102. For ease of explanation, the following paragraphs refer to the UE 102 as performing the method 700, but it should be understood that any UE of the UECS 108 can perform the method 700.

[0077] In block 702, UE 102 receives a group identity (eg, Figure 2 Event 202). The group identity may be, for example, a UECS-RNTI, and may be a PHY layer 182 identity. For example, UE 102 receives the group identity from a wireless transmitter, which may be a wireless transmitter of base station 114 or a wireless transmitter of a UE of UECS 108 acting as a master UE.

[0078] In block 704, UE 102 receives a data signal (eg, Figure 3 Event 306 or Figure 4 The data signal includes aggregated downlink data, which in turn includes (i) UE-specific downlink data for at least two target UEs in the UE group; and (ii) for each target UE, a respective UE-specific identity at an upper layer of the protocol stack (e.g., upper layer 184 of protocol stack 180), the respective UE-specific identity indicating a location within the aggregated downlink data of the UE-specific downlink data intended for the target UE.

[0079] In block 706, the UE 102 generates a first I / Q sample (eg, Figure 3 Event 308, 310, or 312, or Figure 4 In block 708, UE 102 receives second I / Q samples from a second UE, the I / Q samples corresponding to the data signal as received by the second UE (e.g., Figure 3 Event 314 or 316, or Figure 4 Further, in block 710, UE 102 decodes the aggregated downlink data by processing at least the first I / Q sample and the second I / Q sample using the group identity (eg, Figure 3 Event 318 or Figure 4 For example, UE 102 may descramble the CRC of the aggregated downlink data using the UECS-RNTI.

[0080] All aspects

[0081] By way of example and not limitation, the disclosure herein contemplates at least the following aspects:

[0082] Aspect 1 - A method for improving network efficiency in a base station supporting a protocol stack, the method comprising: sending a group identity of a group of two or more UEs including a first UE to at least a first user equipment (UE); using the group identity by processing hardware of the base station to generate a data signal including aggregated downlink data, wherein the aggregated downlink data includes (i) UE-specific downlink data of at least two target UEs within the group; and (ii) for each of the at least two target UEs, a corresponding UE-specific identity at an upper layer of the protocol stack, the corresponding UE-specific identity indicating a location within the aggregated downlink data of the UE-specific downlink data intended for the target UE; and sending the data signal to at least a portion of the group via a downlink data channel.

[0083] Aspect 2 - A method according to Aspect 1, wherein the upper layer is a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, and the data signal includes a PDCP protocol data unit (PDCP PDU) containing aggregated downlink data; or the upper layer is a radio link control (RLC) layer, and the data signal includes an RLC protocol data unit (RLC PDU) containing aggregated downlink data.

[0084] Aspect 3 - The method according to aspect 1, wherein the upper layer is a medium access control (MAC) layer, and the data signal comprises a MAC protocol data unit (MAC PDU) containing aggregated downlink data.

[0085] Aspect 4—The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 3, wherein generating the data signal comprises scrambling information within the data signal using the group identity.

[0086] Aspect 5—The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 4, wherein generating the data signal includes scrambling a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) associated with the aggregate downlink data using the group identity.

[0087] Aspect 6 - The method according to any one of Aspects 1 to 5 further includes, before sending the data signal: generating a control signal containing downlink control information of the group using the group identity by processing hardware, the downlink control information defining at least a portion of the downlink data channel; and sending the control signal to at least a portion of the group via the downlink control channel.

[0088] Aspect 7—The method of aspect 6, wherein generating the control signal comprises scrambling information within the control signal using the group identity.

[0089] Aspect 8 - The method according to any one of aspects 6 to 7, wherein generating the control signal includes scrambling a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) associated with the downlink control information using the group identity.

[0090] Aspect 9 - The method according to any one of aspects 6 to 8, further comprising: scheduling both uplink data and downlink data of the group via a downlink control channel.

[0091] Aspect 10 - The method according to any one of Aspects 6 to 9 further includes: receiving aggregate uplink data from one or more UEs of the group via an uplink data channel at least partially defined by downlink control information, the aggregate uplink data comprising (i) UE-specific uplink data of multiple source UEs of the group; and (ii) for each source UE among the multiple source UEs, a corresponding UE-specific identity at the upper layer, the corresponding UE-specific identity indicating the location of the UE-specific uplink data of the source UE within the aggregate uplink data.

[0092] Aspect 11 - The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 10, further comprising: associating the aggregated downlink data with only one data radio bearer.

[0093] Aspect 12 - The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 11, further comprising: configuring the group to share the same radio resource control (RRC) layer state.

[0094] Aspect 13 - The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 12, further comprising: configuring the group to share the same discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle.

[0095] Aspect 14 - The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 13, further comprising: configuring the group to share the same semi-persistent schedule.

[0096] Aspect 15 - The method according to any one of aspects 1 to 14, further comprising: determining, by processing hardware, a first antenna port of a first UE and a second antenna port of a second UE of the group.

[0097] Aspect 16 - The method according to Aspect 15 further comprises: causing the first UE to perform one or more first operations by sending a first command associated with the first antenna port to the group; and causing the second UE to perform one or more second operations by sending a second command associated with the second antenna port to the group.

[0098] Aspect 17 - The method according to Aspect 16, wherein the first command and the second command are different transmit power control commands.

[0099] Aspect 18—The method according to Aspect 16, wherein the first command and the second command are different timing advance commands.

[0100] Aspect 19 - The method according to any one of Aspects 15 to 18 further includes: enabling the first UE to perform a first channel detection process by sending a first channel detection process configuration associated with the first antenna port to the group; and enabling the second UE to perform a second channel detection process by sending a second channel detection process configuration associated with the second antenna port to the group.

[0101] Aspect 20 - A base station comprising hardware and configured to perform a method according to any one of aspects 1 to 19.

[0102] Aspect 21 - A method for improving network efficiency in a first user equipment (UE) supporting a protocol stack, the method comprising: receiving a group identity corresponding to a group of two or more UEs including a first UE and a second UE from a wireless transmitter; receiving a data signal including aggregated downlink data from a base station on a downlink data channel, wherein the aggregated downlink data includes (i) UE-specific downlink data of at least two target UEs within the group; and (ii) for each of the at least two target UEs, a corresponding UE-specific identity at an upper layer of the protocol stack, the corresponding UE-specific identity indicating a location within the aggregated downlink data of the UE-specific downlink data intended for the target UE; generating a first I / Q sample by demodulating the received data signal by processing hardware of the first UE; receiving a second I / Q sample corresponding to the data signal as received by the second UE from the second UE via a local wireless network; and decoding the aggregated downlink data by processing at least the first I / Q sample and the second I / Q sample by the processing hardware using the group identity.

[0103] Aspect 22 - A method according to Aspect 21, wherein: the upper layer is a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, and the data signal includes a PDCP protocol data unit (PDCP PDU) containing aggregated downlink data; or the upper layer is a radio link control (RLC) layer, and the data signal includes an RLC protocol data unit (RLC PDU) containing aggregated downlink data.

[0104] Aspect 23 - The method according to Aspect 21, wherein the upper layer is a medium access control (MAC) layer, and the data signal comprises a MAC protocol data unit (MAC PDU) containing aggregated downlink data.

[0105] Aspect 24 - The method according to any one of Aspects 21 to 23, wherein decoding the aggregate downlink data comprises descrambling a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) associated with the aggregate downlink data using the group identity.

[0106] Aspect 25 - The method according to any one of Aspects 21 to 24 further includes, before receiving the data signal: receiving a control signal including downlink control information of a group from a base station via a downlink control channel; generating a third I / Q sample by demodulating the received control signal by processing hardware; receiving a fourth I / Q sample corresponding to the control signal as received by the second UE from a third UE via a local wireless network; and decoding the downlink control information by processing at least the third I / Q sample and the fourth I / Q sample using the group identity by processing by processing hardware, wherein receiving the data signal includes receiving the data signal via a downlink data channel at least partially defined by the downlink control information.

[0107] Aspect 26—The method according to Aspect 25, wherein the third UE is the second UE.

[0108] Aspect 27 - The method according to any one of Aspects 25 to 26, wherein decoding the downlink control information includes descrambling a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) associated with the downlink control information using the group identity.

[0109] Aspect 28 - A method according to any one of Aspects 25 to 27, wherein the first UE is a master UE of a group, and the method further includes: receiving uplink data from one or more other UEs of the group via a local wireless network; generating aggregated uplink data by processing hardware by aggregating uplink data from multiple source UEs within the group at an upper layer, wherein the aggregated uplink data includes (i) UE-specific uplink data of the multiple source UEs; and (ii) for each source UE in the multiple source UEs, a corresponding UE-specific identity at the upper layer to indicate the location of the UE-specific uplink data of the source UE within the aggregated uplink data; and sending the aggregated uplink data to a base station via an uplink data channel defined at least in part by downlink control information.

[0110] Aspect 29 - A method according to Aspect 28, wherein generating aggregated uplink data comprises: determining, by processing hardware, subsets of uplink data from multiple source UEs, the subsets of uplink data corresponding to the same quality of service level; and prioritizing the subsets of uplink data from multiple source UEs.

[0111] Aspect 30 - The method according to any one of aspects 28 to 29, further comprising: before sending the aggregate uplink data to the base station, sending the aggregate uplink data to at least one other UE in the group to achieve joint transmission of the aggregate uplink data.

[0112] Aspect 31 - The method according to any one of Aspects 25 to 27 further includes: receiving aggregated uplink data from a master UE of the group via a local wireless network, wherein the aggregated uplink data includes (i) UE-specific uplink data of one or more other source UEs of the group; and (ii) for each source UE in the one or more source UEs, a corresponding UE-specific identity at the upper layer to indicate the location of the UE-specific uplink data of the source UE within the aggregated uplink data; and sending the aggregated uplink data to a base station.

[0113] Aspect 32 - The method according to aspect 31 further comprises sending UE-specific uplink data of the first UE to the master UE via the local wireless network before receiving the aggregated uplink data from the master UE.

[0114] Aspect 33 - The method according to any one of aspects 21 to 27, 31 or 32, further comprising, after decoding the aggregate downlink data: sending the decoded aggregate downlink data to at least one other UE of the group via the local wireless network.

[0115] Aspect 34 - The method according to Aspect 33, wherein sending the decoded aggregated downlink data comprises: sending only to a master UE of the group to enable allocation of UE-specific downlink data of at least two target UEs by the master UE.

[0116] Aspect 35 - The method according to Aspect 33, wherein sending the decoded aggregated downlink data includes sending to at least two target UEs.

[0117] Aspect 36 - The method according to any one of Aspects 21 to 33 further includes, after decoding the aggregate downlink data: extracting UE-specific downlink data intended for the first UE from the decoded aggregate downlink data by processing hardware; and sending the remaining portion of the decoded aggregate downlink data to at least one other UE of the group via the local wireless network.

[0118] Aspect 37 - The method according to any one of Aspects 21 to 33 further includes, after decoding the aggregated downlink data: extracting UE-specific downlink data intended for the second UE from the decoded aggregated downlink data by processing hardware; and sending the UE-specific downlink data intended for the second UE to the second UE via the local wireless network.

[0119] Aspect 38—The method according to any one of Aspects 21 to 37, wherein the wireless transmitter is (i) a base station or (ii) a wireless transmitter of a master UE of a group.

[0120] Aspect 39—The method according to any one of aspects 21 to 38, wherein the aggregated downlink data is associated with only one data radio bearer.

[0121] Aspect 40 - The method according to any one of Aspects 21 to 39, further comprising: sharing the same radio resource control (RRC) layer state with all other UEs in the group.

[0122] Aspect 41 - The method according to any one of Aspects 21 to 40, further comprising: sharing the same discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle with all other UEs in the group.

[0123] Aspect 42 - The method according to any one of Aspects 21 to 41, further comprising: sharing the same semi-persistent scheduling with all other UEs in the group.

[0124] Aspect 43 - The method according to any one of Aspects 21 to 24 further includes: receiving a control signal including multiple commands for multiple corresponding antenna ports from a base station via a downlink control channel; generating a third I / Q sample by demodulating the received control signal by processing hardware; receiving a fourth I / Q sample corresponding to the control signal as received by the second UE from a third UE via a local wireless network; and decoding the multiple commands by processing at least the third I / Q sample and the fourth I / Q sample by the processing hardware using a group identity.

[0125] Aspect 44 - The method according to Aspect 43, wherein the third UE is the second UE.

[0126] Aspect 45 - The method according to any of Aspects 43 to 44, further comprising: identifying, by processing hardware, a first command for an antenna port associated with a first UE within the decoded plurality of commands; and performing one or more operations in response to the first command.

[0127] Aspect 46—A method according to Aspect 45, wherein: the plurality of commands are a plurality of transmit power control commands; the first command is a first power control command; and performing one or more operations comprises modifying or maintaining a transmit power level according to the first power control command.

[0128] Aspect 47—A method according to Aspect 45, wherein: the multiple commands are multiple timing advance commands; the first command is a first timing advance command; and performing one or more operations includes modifying or maintaining uplink transmission timing according to the first timing advance command.

[0129] Aspect 48 - The method according to any one of Aspects 21 to 24 further includes: receiving a control signal including multiple channel detection process configurations for multiple corresponding antenna ports from a base station via a downlink control channel; generating a third I / Q sample by demodulating the received control signal by processing hardware; receiving a fourth I / Q sample corresponding to the control signal as received by the second UE from a second UE via a local wireless network; and decoding the multiple channel detection process configurations by processing at least the third I / Q sample and the fourth I / Q sample by processing hardware using a group identity.

[0130] Aspect 49 - The method according to Aspect 48 further comprises: identifying, by processing hardware, a first channel sounding process configuration for an antenna port associated with the first UE within the decoded plurality of channel sounding process configurations; and performing a channel sounding process according to the first channel sounding process configuration.

[0131] Aspect 50 - The method according to aspect 21, wherein the first UE is a master UE of the group, and the method further comprises: after receiving the group identity and before receiving the data signal, sending the group identity to at least one other UE of the group via the local wireless network.

[0132] Aspect 51 - The method according to Aspect 21, wherein: the second UE is a master UE of the group; and the method includes receiving the group identity from the master UE via the local wireless network.

[0133] Aspect 52—A UE comprising hardware and configured to perform a method according to any one of aspects 21 to 51.

[0134] Additional considerations

[0135] The user equipment (e.g., UE 102) that can implement the technology of the present disclosure can be any suitable device capable of wireless communication, such as a smart phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a mobile game console, a point of sale (POS) terminal, a health monitoring device, a drone, a camera, a streaming media dongle or another personal media device, a wearable device (such as a smart watch), a wireless hotspot, a femtocell, or a broadband router. Further, in some cases, the user equipment can be embedded in an electronic system (such as a head unit of a vehicle or an advanced driver assistance system (ADAS)). Further, the user equipment can operate as an Internet of Things (IoT) device or a mobile Internet device (MID). Depending on the type, the user equipment can include one or more general-purpose processors, a computer-readable memory, a user interface, one or more network interfaces, one or more sensors, etc.

[0136] Certain embodiments are described in the present disclosure as including logic or several components or modules. A module may be a software module (e.g., a code or machine-readable instruction stored on a non-temporary machine-readable medium) or a hardware module. A hardware module is a tangible unit that is capable of performing certain operations and may be configured or arranged in a certain manner. A hardware module may include a dedicated circuit system or logic that is permanently configured to perform certain operations (e.g., as a dedicated processor, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a digital signal processor (DSP), etc.). A hardware module may also include a programmable logic or circuit system that is temporarily configured by software to perform certain operations (e.g., as included in a general-purpose processor or other programmable processor). The decision to implement a hardware module in a dedicated and permanently configured circuit system or in a temporarily configured circuit system (e.g., configured by software) may be driven by cost and time considerations.

[0137] When implemented in software, the techniques may be provided as part of an operating system, a library used by multiple applications, a specific software application, etc. The software may be executed by one or more general-purpose processors or one or more special-purpose processors.

Claims

1. A method in a base station supporting a protocol stack, the method comprising: sending, to at least a first user equipment (UE), a group identity of a group of two or more UEs including the first UE; The group identity is used by processing hardware of the base station to generate a data signal comprising aggregated downlink data, wherein The aggregated downlink data includes (i) UE-specific downlink data of at least two target UEs in the group; and (ii) for each of the at least two target UEs, a respective UE-specific identity at an upper layer of the protocol stack, the respective UE-specific identity indicating a location within the aggregated downlink data of the UE-specific downlink data intended for the target UE; as well as The data signal is sent to at least a portion of the group via a downlink data channel.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The upper layer is a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, and the data signal includes a PDCP Protocol Data Unit (PDCP PDU) containing the aggregated downlink data; or The upper layer is a radio link control (RLC) layer, and the data signal includes an RLC protocol data unit (RLC PDU) containing the aggregated downlink data.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the upper layer is a medium access control (MAC) layer, and the data signal comprises a MAC protocol data unit (MAC PDU) containing the aggregated downlink data. 4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein generating the data signal comprises scrambling information within the data signal using the group identity.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising before sending the data signal: generating, by the processing hardware, a control signal including downlink control information for the group using the group identity, the downlink control information defining at least a portion of the downlink data channel; and The control signal is sent to at least a portion of the group via a downlink control channel.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: receiving aggregate uplink data from one or more UEs of the group via an uplink data channel defined at least in part by the downlink control information, the aggregate uplink data comprising (i) UE-specific uplink data for a plurality of source UEs of the group; and (ii) for each source UE of the plurality of source UEs, the corresponding UE-specific identity at the upper layer, the corresponding UE-specific identity indicating a location of the UE-specific uplink data of the source UE within the aggregated uplink data.

7. A base station comprising hardware and configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. A method in a first user equipment (UE) supporting a protocol stack, the method comprising: receiving, from a wireless transmitter, a group identity corresponding to a group of two or more UEs including the first UE and the second UE; A data signal including aggregated downlink data is received from a base station on a downlink data channel, wherein The aggregated downlink data includes (i) UE-specific downlink data of at least two target UEs in the group; and (ii) for each of the at least two target UEs, a respective UE-specific identity at an upper layer of the protocol stack, the respective UE-specific identity indicating a location within the aggregated downlink data of the UE-specific downlink data intended for the target UE; generating, by processing hardware of the first UE, first I / Q samples by demodulating a received data signal; receiving, from the second UE via a local wireless network, second I / Q samples corresponding to the data signal as received by the second UE; as well as The aggregated downlink data is decoded by the processing hardware by processing at least the first I / Q samples and the second I / Q samples using the group identity.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The upper layer is a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, and the data signal comprises a PDCP Protocol Data Unit (PDCP PDU) containing the aggregated downlink data; The upper layer is a radio link control (RLC) layer, and the data signal comprises an RLC protocol data unit (RLC PDU) containing the aggregated downlink data; or The upper layer is a medium access control (MAC) layer, and the data signal includes a MAC protocol data unit (MAC PDU) containing the aggregated downlink data.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising before receiving the data signal: receiving a control signal including downlink control information of the group from the base station via a downlink control channel; generating, by the processing hardware, third I / Q samples by demodulating the received control signal; receiving, from a third UE via the local wireless network, fourth I / Q samples corresponding to the control signal as received by the second UE; as well as decoding, by the processing hardware, the downlink control information by processing at least the third I / Q sample and the fourth I / Q sample using the group identity, Wherein receiving the data signal comprises receiving the data signal via a downlink data channel defined at least in part by the downlink control information.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the first UE is a coordinating UE of the group, and the method further comprises: receiving uplink data from one or more other UEs of the group via the local wireless network; generating, by the processing hardware, aggregated uplink data by aggregating, at the upper layer, uplink data from a plurality of source UEs within the group, wherein the aggregated uplink data comprises (i) UE-specific uplink data for the plurality of source UEs; and (ii) for each source UE of the plurality of source UEs, the corresponding UE-specific identity at the upper layer to indicate a location of the UE-specific uplink data of the source UE within the aggregated uplink data; as well as The aggregate uplink data is sent to the base station via an uplink data channel defined at least in part by the downlink control information.

12. The method according to claim 10, further comprising: receiving aggregate uplink data from a coordinating UE of the group via the local wireless network, wherein the aggregate uplink data includes (i) UE-specific uplink data of one or more other source UEs of the group; and (ii) for each of the one or more source UEs, the corresponding UE-specific identity at the upper layer to indicate a location of the UE-specific uplink data of the source UE within the aggregated uplink data; as well as The aggregated uplink data is sent to the base station.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising, after decoding the aggregated downlink data: The decoded aggregated downlink data is sent to at least one other UE of the group via the local wireless network.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising, after decoding the aggregated downlink data: extracting, by the processing hardware, UE-specific downlink data intended for the first UE from the decoded aggregated downlink data; and A remaining portion of the decoded aggregated downlink data is sent to at least one other UE of the group via the local wireless network.

15. A UE comprising hardware and configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 8 to 14.

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