User Equipment Capability Signaling Enhancement

Abstract

The embodiment relates to a technique for implementing full power transmission in a user equipment (UE). The embodiment of the user equipment (UE) includes: an antenna array, the antenna array including a plurality of antenna elements; and a processor, the processor being configured to cause the UE to: establish a communication connection with a network entity; cause the UE to transmit to the network entity at least one of: a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) capability indicator, a beam switching timing capability indicator, or a cross-carrier scheduling capability indicator.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Various embodiments may generally relate to the field of wireless communications, including techniques for implementing user equipment capability signaling enhancements. Background Art

[0002] This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of the art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and / or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be understood that the statements made in this section are not intended to be admissions of prior art.

[0003] Various electrical devices use wireless communication systems to exchange data and / or form communication networks. For example, laptop computers, mobile phones, and other similar devices may have wireless network adapters that can connect to cellular networks, wireless Ethernet networks, Bluetooth networks, etc. In some devices, wireless communication systems may employ multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna configurations, which may include arrays of discrete antennas to access radio frequency (RF) channels. Astute management of antenna and device configurations may facilitate efficient signal transmission and power utilization. Summary of the invention

[0004] The embodiment relates to a technique for implementing full power transmission in a user equipment (UE). The embodiment of the user equipment (UE) includes: an antenna array, the antenna array including a plurality of antenna elements; and a processor, the processor being configured to cause the UE to: establish a communication connection with a network entity; and cause the UE to transmit to the network entity at least one of: a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) capability indicator, a beam switching timing capability indicator, or a cross-carrier scheduling capability indicator. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] The detailed description is provided with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0006] Figure 1 is a high-level schematic block diagram illustration of various components in a 3GPP NR (e.g., 5G) network environment that may be used to implement user equipment capability signaling enhancements in a communication network according to various examples discussed herein.

[0007] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of operations in a method of implementing user equipment capability signaling enhancements, in accordance with an embodiment.

[0008] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of parameter settings that may be used to implement user equipment capability signaling enhancements according to an implementation scheme.

[0009] Figure 4is a schematic diagram of parameter settings that may be used to implement user equipment capability signaling enhancements according to an implementation scheme.

[0010] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a network system that may be used to implement user equipment capability signaling enhancements according to an embodiment.

[0011] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a system that may be used to implement user equipment capability signaling enhancements according to an embodiment.

[0012] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a system that may be used to implement user equipment capability signaling enhancements according to an embodiment.

[0013] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of infrastructure equipment that may be used to implement user equipment capability signaling enhancements according to an embodiment.

[0014] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a platform that may be used to implement user equipment capability signaling enhancements according to an embodiment.

[0015] Fig.10 is a schematic diagram of baseband circuitry that may be used to implement user equipment capability signaling enhancements according to an embodiment.

[0016] Fig.11 is a schematic diagram of various protocol functions that may be used to implement user equipment capability signaling enhancements according to an embodiment.

[0017] Fig.12 is a schematic diagram of components capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium that may be used to implement user equipment capability signaling enhancements according to an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0018] The following specific embodiments relate to the accompanying drawings. The same figure numbers may be used to identify the same or similar elements in different drawings. In the following description, for the purpose of illustration and not limitation, specific details, such as specific structures, architectures, interfaces, technologies, etc., are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of various aspects of various embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art who benefit from the present disclosure that various aspects of various embodiments may be practiced in other examples that deviate from these specific details. In some cases, descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so that the description of various embodiments will not be obscured by unnecessary details. For the purposes of this document, the phrase "A or B" refers to (A), (B), or (A and B).

[0019] In addition, various means may be used to perform various aspects of the examples, such as integrated semiconductor circuits ("hardware"), computer-readable instructions organized into one or more programs ("software"), or some combination of hardware and software. For purposes of this disclosure, reference to "logic" shall mean hardware, software, or some combination thereof.

[0020] References throughout the specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" mean that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Therefore, the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in an embodiment" appearing throughout the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Additionally, the word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment described herein as "exemplary" is not to be construed as necessarily preferred or superior to other embodiments.

[0021] Various operations can be described in turn as multiple discrete operations in a manner that is most helpful for understanding the claimed subject matter. However, the order of description should not be understood to imply that these operations must rely on the order. Specifically, these operations are not necessarily performed in the order presented. The operations can be performed in an order different from the described embodiment. In additional embodiments, various additional operations can be performed and / or the described operations can be omitted.

[0022] Reference will be made to the following Figures 1 to 10 The described network architectures, devices, and methods describe additional details and techniques. Figure 1 is a high-level schematic block diagram illustration of components in a 3GPP NR (or 5G) network environment 100 that may be used to implement coordinated IP packet filtering in a communication network according to various examples discussed herein.

[0023] refer to Figure 1 In some examples, the network 100 includes one or more access and mobility management function / user plane function (AMF / UPF) devices 110A, 110B, one or more gNBs 120A, 120B, and one or more ng-eNBs 120C, 120D. The AMF / UPF devices 110A, 110B are communicatively coupled to the gNBs 120A, 120B and the ng-eNBs 120C, 120D via an NG interface. The gNBs 120A, 120B and the ng-eNBs 120C, 120D are communicatively coupled to each other via an Xn interface. One or more user equipments (UEs) 130A, 130B are capable of establishing a communication connection with one or more gNBs 120A, 120B or ng-eNBs 120C, 120D. A detailed description of the wireless network and the UE is provided below.

[0024] In some examples, the wireless network 100 may be implemented by establishing a radio frequency (RF) connection between electronic devices, which may include or be communicatively coupled to one or more cellular networks (e.g., 4G standards such as long term evolution or LTE, 5G standards such as new air interface or 5G NR) and / or connection networks (e.g., IEEE 802.3 or WiFi, Bluetooth). In order to establish a wireless RF connection, the UE 130A, 130B may include an RF communication system, which may include transmission and reception circuits, which are coupled to an antenna array including one or more antennas. The circuit may include a transceiver module, which may perform encoding / decoding and modulation / demodulation tasks, as well as digital-to-analog and analog-to-digital conversion. The transceiver module may be coupled to the antenna through a front end module (FEM) or an RF head, which may provide filtering and / or power amplification capabilities to the RF communication system. The RF head circuit may be coupled to the antenna array. The transceiver circuit and / or the RF head circuit may generate RF signals that drive the antenna array and / or decode signals received by the antenna array. Examples of UEs are discussed in more detail below.

[0025] The subject matter described herein relates to capability signaling enhancements for user equipment (UE). In some examples, the subject matter described herein provides UE capability signaling enhancements in the following areas: (1) multi-user (MU) CSI enhancement capability reporting; (2) aperiodic (AP) CSI-RS beam switching timing capability reporting; and cross-carrier scheduling (CCS) related capability signaling.

[0026] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of operations in a method of implementing user equipment capability signaling enhancement according to an implementation scheme. In some examples, operations may be implemented between a UE (e.g., UE 130A, 130B) and a network element (e.g., gNB 120A, 120B or ng-eNB 120C, 120D). Figure 2 The operations depicted in the above enable a UE to provide enhanced capability signaling for features including multi-user (MU) channel state information (CSI) capability, aperiodic channel state information reference signal (AP-CSI-RS) capability, and cross-carrier scheduling (CCS) capability reporting. The network element may transmit these instructions to the EU, and the EU may use the reports to configure the EU and one or more network elements.

[0027] refer to Figure 2, at operations 210 and 215, the UE and the network element establish a communication connection, respectively. At operation 220, the UE transmits a CSI-RS capability indicator, a beam switching capability indicator, and a CCS capability indicator to the network element. At operation 225, the network element receives the CSI-RS capability indicator, the beam switching capability indicator, and the CCS capability indicator transmitted by the UE. Subsequently, the network element may configure the UE and / or one or more network elements using one or more of the CSI-RS capability indicator, the beam switching capability indicator, and the CCS capability indicator. Various indicators are described in more detail below.

[0028] In a first set of examples, MU-CSI enhanced capability reporting is provided. For each codebook type used to configure the UE, the UE may indicate a list of triplets (e.g., supportedCSI-RS-ResourceList) to the network entity. Each triplet SupportedCSI-RS-Resource contains a set of three parameters: (1) the maximum number of ports per CSI-RS resource, (2) the maximum total number of CSI-RS resources, and (3) the maximum total number of ports, as shown below. In some examples, a maximum list of 7 triplets may be reported.

[0029]

[0030] refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 In some examples, eight different parameter settings are defined for CSI feedback. UE support of parameter settings 1-6 may be mandatory, while parameter settings 7 and 8 are optional. In some examples, for each triplet, the UE is allowed to indicate a list of supported parameter settings. The UE must indicate parameter settings 1-6 at least once for each parameter setting in all signaled triplets.

[0031] In some examples, for each triplet, the UE indicates the maximum number of beams (L) supported, which may be selected from the set {2, 4, 6}. The UE supports all parameter settings including the number of beams (L) less than or equal to the signaled maximum L. For example, referring to Figure 3 , L=2 in parameter settings 1 and 2, while L=4 in parameter settings 3, 4, 5 and 6, and L=6 in parameter settings 7 and 8.

[0032] In some examples, the UE indicates a list of supported parameter settings for each maximum number of ports per CSI resource. The number of ports may be selected from a port set consisting of {p2, p4, p8, p12, p16, p24, p32}.

[0033] In some examples, the UE indicates a maximum number of beams (L) supported selected from the set {2, 4, 6} for each maximum number of ports per CSI resource, and the UE is allowed to indicate. The UE supports all parameter settings including the number of beams (L) less than or equal to the signaled maximum number of beams (L). Figure 3 , L=2 in parameter settings 1 and 2, L=4 in parameter settings 3, 4, 5 and 6, and L=6 in parameter settings 7 and 8. In some examples, the UE reports a maximum L list, a one-to-one mapping to the number of possible ports for the CSI-RS resource, where the ports are selected from a port list including {p2, p4, p8, p12, p16, p24, p32}.

[0034] In another example, for triplet-related capability reporting, the UE may indicate a triplet per frequency band in the frequency bands that the UE transmits and / or receives, and / or may report a triplet per frequency band combination (BC). In another example, the UE may indicate a separate list of triplet for each codebook type, which may be indicated by the UE using a parameter of R=1 to indicate one PMI subband indication for each CSI subband, or using a parameter of R=2 to indicate two PMI subband indications for each CSI subband. For each triplet for which the UE indicates that it can support two PMI subbands per CSI subband (i.e., R=2), the UE must also support one PMI subband per CSI subband for the same triplet (i.e., R=1).

[0035] In another example, for a triplet list in which the UE reports that it can support one PMI subband for each CSI subband (i.e., R=1), the UE may transmit a bitmap to indicate whether the UE supports a corresponding triplet of two PMI subbands for each CSI subband (i.e., R=2). In some examples, the indicator may reside in a specific bit in the bitmap. For example, if the indicator at the nth bit in the bitmap is set to a value of 1, it means that for the nth triplet reported in the triplet list, the UE also supports two PMI subbands for each CSI subband (i.e., R=2). In contrast, if the indicator at the nth bit in the bitmap is set to a value of 0, it means that for the nth triplet reported in the triplet list, the UE does not support two PMI subbands for each CSI subband (i.e., R=2).

[0036] In the second set of examples, AP-CSI-RS beam switching timing capability reporting is provided. In some existing protocols, the UE may report the following capabilities:

[0037]

[0038] When a non-zero power (NZP) CSI-RS resource is configured with repetition on, for example for receive (Rx) beam scanning, the UE needs 224 symbols or 336 symbols for that AP-CSI-RS report. For all other NZP-CSI-RS resources, it is assumed that the UE needs 48 symbols.

[0039] In one example, the UE may indicate separate beamSwitchTiming values ​​based on the operating mode of the UE. For example, when operating in compliance with a first set of protocols (e.g., Release 15 NR), the UE may indicate a first beamSwitchTiming value, and when operating in compliance with a second set of protocols (e.g., Release 16 NR), the UE may indicate a second value. The second value should be greater than or equal to the first value.

[0040] In another example, when the UE indicates a beamSwitchTiming value of 224 symbols or 336 symbols, and when (e.g., for Rx beam scanning) the NZP-CSI-RS resource is configured with repetition on, the UE requires 224 symbols or 336 symbols reported for that AP-CSI-RS. For all other NZP-CSI-RS resources, the network assumes that the UE requires the capability as indicated by the first beamSwitchTiming value, which may be less than 48 symbols. If the UE does not transmit a beamSwitchTiming indicator, a value of 336 symbols or a value of 48 symbols should be assumed.

[0041] In a third set of examples, the UE report may transmit one or more indicators to report cross-carrier scheduling (CCS) related capabilities. In some examples, the indicator may have different solutions to provide different degrees of flexibility in reporting capabilities. In a first solution, the indicator may include a first subcarrier spacing (SCS) indicator indicating whether a first subcarrier spacing value associated with a first carrier and a second subcarrier spacing value associated with a second subcarrier are equal.

[0042] In a second solution, the indicator may include a first subcarrier spacing (SCS) indicator, which indicates whether a first subcarrier spacing value associated with a first carrier and a second subcarrier spacing value associated with a second subcarrier are equal; and a second SCS indicator, which is set to a first value for indicating that a small SCS cell will schedule a large SCS cell or a second value for indicating that a large SCS cell will schedule a small SCS cell.

[0043] In a third solution, the cross-carrier scheduling capability indicator includes a frequency range (FR) indicator, which can be set to one of the following: a first value indicating that the FR1 cell will schedule the FR1 cell, a second value indicating that the FR1 cell will schedule the FR2 cell, a third value indicating that the FR2 cell will schedule the FR1 cell, or a fourth value indicating that the FR2 cell will schedule the FR2 cell.

[0044] In a fourth solution, the cross-carrier scheduling capability indicator enables cross-carrier scheduling between frequency ranges including the following frequencies: 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz for FR1, 60 kHz for FR2, and 120 kHz.

[0045] In another example, for CCS with different parameter sets, the UE may indicate physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring related capabilities. In one example, the cross-carrier scheduling capability indicator includes a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring indicator, which may be set to one of the following: a first value indicating that PDCCH monitoring will be performed at the beginning of a timeslot, a second value indicating that PDCCH monitoring may be performed at any time. For example, the indicator may be set to a first value indicating basic PDCCH monitoring of a single PDCCH monitoring opportunity at the beginning of a timeslot. The indicator may be set to a second value indicating a PDCCH monitoring opportunity based on a time span (e.g., pdcch-MonitoringAnyOccasions=withDCI-gap). The indicator may be set to a third value for indicating PDCCH monitoring occasions based on a time span (eg, pdcch-MonitoringAnyOccasionsWithSpanGap=set1,set2,set3), where set1=(7,3), set2=(4,3) and (7,3), and set3=(2,2) and (4,3) and (7,3).

[0046] In another example, the cross-carrier scheduling capability indicator includes a downlink (DL) unicast downlink control information (DCI) indicator, which indicates the number of DCIs that the UE can decode during PDCCH monitoring. For CCSs with different parameter sets, for each PDCCH monitoring-related capability, the UE may indicate the number of unicast DCIs that the UE can decode in each monitoring opportunity. It may be indicated separately as the number of DL unicast DCIs and the number of UL unicast DLs. It may be indicated as the total number of DCI unicasts including DL unicast DCIs and UL unicast DLs. It may be indicated as a combined list of {DL unicast DCI number, UL unicast DCI number}.

[0047] System and implementation

[0048] Figure 5 An exemplary architecture of a system 500 of a network according to various embodiments is shown. The following description is provided for an exemplary system 500 operating in conjunction with LTE system standards and 5G or NR system standards provided by 3GPP technical specifications. However, the exemplary embodiments are not limited in this regard, and the embodiments may be applied to other networks that benefit from the principles described herein, such as future 3GPP systems (e.g., sixth generation (6G)) systems, IEEE 802.16 protocols (e.g., WMAN, WiMAX, etc.), and the like.

[0049] like Figure 5 As shown, system 500 includes UE 501a and UE 501b (collectively referred to as "multiple UEs 501" or "UE 501"). In this example, UE 501 is shown as a smart phone (e.g., a handheld touch screen mobile computing device that can connect to one or more cellular networks), but may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as a consumer electronic device, a mobile phone, a smart phone, a feature phone, a tablet computer, a wearable computer device, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a pager, a wireless handheld device, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, an in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), an in-vehicle entertainment (ICE) device, an instrument panel (IC), a head-up display (HUD) device, an on-board diagnostic (OBD) device, a dashtop mobile equipment (DME), a mobile data terminal (MDT), an electronic engine management system (EEMS), an electronic / engine electronic control unit (ECU), an electronic / engine electronic control module (ECM), an embedded system, a microcontroller, a control module, an engine management system (EMS), a networked or "smart" appliance, an MTC device, an M2M, an IoT device, etc.

[0050] In some embodiments, any one of the UEs 501 may be an IoT UE, which may include a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications that utilize short-term UE connections. The IoT UE may utilize technologies such as M2M or MTC to exchange data with an MTC server or device via PLMN, ProSe or D2D communication, a sensor network, or an IoT network. M2M or MTC data exchange may be a machine-initiated data exchange. The IoT network describes interconnected IoT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure) with short-term connections. The IoT UE may execute background applications (e.g., keep active messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate the connection of the IoT network. In some of these embodiments, the UE 501 may be a NB-IoT UE 501. NB-IoT uses a physical layer optimized for extremely low power consumption (e.g., a full carrier BW of 180kHz, and a subcarrier spacing of 3.75kHz or 15kHz) to provide access to network services. Multiple E-UTRA functions are not used for NB-IoT, and do not require support by the RAN node 511 and UE 501 that only uses NB-IoT. Examples of such E-UTRA functions may include inter-RAT mobility, handover, measurement reporting, common warning function, GBR, CSG, support of HeNB, relay, carrier aggregation, dual connectivity, NAICS, MBMS, real-time services, interference avoidance for in-device coexistence, RAN-assisted WLAN interworking, sidelink communication / discovery, MDT, emergency calls, CS fallback, self-configuration / self-optimization, etc. For NB-IoT operation, UE 501 operates in DL using 12 subcarriers with a subcarrier BW of 15 kHz and operates in UL using a single subcarrier with a subcarrier BW of 3.75 kHz or 15 kHz, or operates in DL using 3, 6, or 12 subcarriers with a subcarrier BW of 15 kHz.

[0051] In various embodiments, the UE 501 may be a MF UE 501. The MF UE 501 is an LTE-based UE 501 that operates (exclusively) in an unlicensed spectrum. The unlicensed spectrum is defined in the MF specifications provided by the MulteFire Forum and may include, for example, 1.9 GHz (Japan), 3.5 GHz, and 5 GHz. MulteFire is closely aligned with the 3GPP standards and builds on elements of the 3GPP specifications for LAA / eLAA, thereby enhancing standard LTE to operate in a global unlicensed spectrum. In some embodiments, LBT may be implemented to coexist with other unlicensed spectrum networks (such as WiFi, other LAA networks, etc.). In various embodiments, some or all UEs 501 may be NB-IoT UEs 501 operating according to MF. In such embodiments, these UEs 501 may be referred to as "MF NB-IoT UE 501", however, unless otherwise specified, the term "NB-IoT UE 501" may refer to "MF UE 501" or "MF and NB-IoT UE 501". Therefore, the terms "NB-IoT UE 501", "MF UE 501" and "MFNB-IoT UE 501" may be used interchangeably throughout the present disclosure.

[0052] UE 501 may be configured to be communicatively coupled, for example, to RAN 510. In an embodiment, RAN 510 may be an NGRAN or 5G RAN, an E-UTRAN, an MF RAN, or a traditional RAN, such as UTRAN or GERAN. As used herein, the term "NG RAN" or the like may refer to a RAN 510 operating in an NR or 5G system 500, while the term "E-UTRAN" or the like may refer to a RAN 510 operating in an LTE or 4G system 500, and the term "MF RAN" or the like may refer to a RAN 510 operating in an MF system 100. UE 501 utilizes connections (or channels) 503 and 504, respectively, each connection including a physical communication interface or layer (discussed in further detail below). Connections 103 and 104 may include several different physical DL channels and several different physical UL channels. As an example, the physical DL channel includes PDSCH, PMCH, PDCCH, EPDCCH, MPDCCH, R-PDCCH, SPDCCH, PBCH, PCFICH, PHICH, NPBCH, NPDCCH, NPDSCH and / or any other physical DL channel mentioned herein. For example, the physical UL channel includes PRACH, PUSCH, PUCCH, SPUCCH, NPRACH, NPUSCH and / or any other physical UL channel mentioned herein.

[0053] In this example, connections 503 and 504 are shown as air interfaces to achieve communication coupling, and may be consistent with a cellular communication protocol, such as a GSM protocol, a CDMA network protocol, a PTT protocol, a POC protocol, a UMTS protocol, a 3GPP LTE protocol, a 5G protocol, a NR protocol, and / or any other communication protocol discussed herein. In an embodiment, the UE 501 may directly exchange communication data via the ProSe interface 505. The ProSe interface 505 may alternatively be referred to as a SL interface 505, and may include one or more physical and / or logical channels, including but not limited to PSCCH, PSSCH, PSDCH, and PSBCH.

[0054] UE 501b is shown as being configured to access AP 506 (also referred to as "WLAN node 506", "WLAN 506", "WLAN terminal 506", "WT 506", etc.) via connection 507. Connection 507 may include a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, wherein AP 506 will include wireless fidelity Router. In this example, the AP 506 shown is connected to the Internet without being connected to the core network of the wireless system (described in further detail below). In various embodiments, the UE 501b, the RAN 510, and the AP 506 may be configured to utilize LWA operation and / or LWIP operation. The LWA operation may involve the UE 501b in the RRC_CONNECTED state being configured by the RAN nodes 511a-b to utilize the radio resources of LTE and WLAN. The LWIP operation may involve the UE 501b using the WLAN radio resources (e.g., connection 507) via an IPsec protocol tunnel to authenticate and encrypt packets (e.g., IP packets) sent through the connection 507. IPsec tunneling may include encapsulating the entire original IP packet and adding a new packet header, thereby protecting the original header of the IP packet.

[0055] The RAN 510 includes one or more AN nodes or RAN nodes 511a and 511b (collectively referred to as "multiple RAN nodes 511" or "RAN node 511") that enable connections 503 and 504. As used herein, the terms "access node", "access point", etc. may describe equipment that provides radio baseband functions for data and / or voice connections between a network and one or more users. These access nodes may be referred to as BS, gNB, RAN node, eNB, NodeB, RSU, MF-AP, TRxP or TRP, etc., and may include ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations that provide coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). As used herein, the terms "NGRAN node" and the like may refer to a RAN node 511 (e.g., a gNB) operating in an NR or 5G system 500, while the terms "E-UTRAN node" and the like may refer to a RAN node 511 (e.g., an eNB) operating in an LTE or 4G system 500. According to various embodiments, the RAN node 511 may be implemented as one or more of a dedicated physical device such as a macrocell base station and / or a low power (LP) base station for providing a femtocell, picocell or other similar cell with a smaller coverage area, smaller user capacity or higher BW than a macrocell.

[0056] In some embodiments, all or part of the multiple RAN nodes 511 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network that may be referred to as a CRAN and / or a virtual baseband unit pool (vBBUP). In these embodiments, the CRAN or vBBUP may implement RAN functional partitioning such as PDCP partitioning, where the RRC and PDCP layers are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, while other L2 protocol entities are operated by individual RAN nodes 511; MAC / PHY partitioning, where the RRC, PDCP, RLC, and MAC layers are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, and the PHY layer is operated by individual RAN nodes 511; or "lower PHY" partitioning, where the RRC, PDCP, RLC, MAC layer, and upper portions of the PHY layer are operated by the CRAN / vBBUP, and the lower portions of the PHY layer are operated by individual RAN nodes 511. This virtualization framework allows idle processor cores of multiple RAN nodes 511 to execute other virtualized applications. In some specific implementations, separate RAN nodes 511 may represent a single RAN node 511 connected to the network via a separate F1 interface ( Figure 5 In these embodiments, the gNB-DU may include one or more remote radio heads or RFEMs (see, e.g., Figure 8), and the gNB-CU may be operated by a server (not shown) located in the RAN 510 or by a server pool in a manner similar to CRAN / vBBUP. In addition or alternatively, one or more of the RAN nodes 511 may be a next generation eNB (ng-eNB), which is a next generation eNB that provides E-UTRA user plane and control plane protocol terminals to the UE 501 and is connected to the 5GC (e.g., Figure 7 In the MF implementation, the MF-AP 511 is an entity that provides MulteFire radio services and may be similar to the eNB 511 in the 3GPP architecture. Each MF-AP 511 includes or provides one or more MF cells.

[0057] In a V2X scenario, one or more of the RAN nodes 511 may be an RSU or act as an RSU. The term "roadside unit" or "RSU" may refer to any traffic infrastructure entity used for V2X communication. The RSU may be implemented in or by a suitable RAN node or a stationary (or relatively stationary) UE, wherein an RSU implemented in or by a UE may be referred to as a "UE-type RSU", an RSU implemented in or by an eNB may be referred to as an "eNB-type RSU", an RSU implemented in or by a gNB may be referred to as a "gNB-type RSU", and so on. In one example, the RSU is a computing device coupled to a radio frequency circuit located on the road side that provides connectivity support to a passing vehicle UE 501 (vUE 501). The RSU may also include internal data storage circuitry for storing intersection map geometry, traffic statistics, media, and applications / software for sensing and controlling ongoing vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The RSU may operate on the 5.9 GHz Direct Short Range Communication (DSRC) band to provide extremely low latency communications required for high-speed events, such as collision avoidance, traffic warnings, etc. In addition or alternatively, the RSU may operate on the cellular V2X band to provide the aforementioned low latency communications as well as other cellular communication services. In addition or alternatively, the RSU may operate as a Wi-Fi hotspot (2.4 GHz band) and / or provide connectivity to one or more cellular networks to provide uplink and downlink communications. Some or all of the computing device and the RSU's RF circuitry may be packaged in a weather-resistant enclosure suitable for outdoor installation, and may include a network interface controller to provide a wired connection (e.g., Ethernet) to a traffic signal controller and / or backhaul network.

[0058] Any of the multiple RAN nodes 511 may serve as an endpoint for the air interface protocol and may be the first point of contact for multiple UEs 501. In some embodiments, any of the multiple RAN nodes 511 may perform various logical functions of the RAN 510, including but not limited to the functions of a radio network controller (RNC), such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management.

[0059] In an embodiment, UE 501 may be configured to communicate with each other or with any AN node in RAN node 511 using OFDM communication signals on a multi-carrier communication channel according to various communication techniques, such as but not limited to OFDMA communication techniques (e.g., for downlink communication) or SC-FDMA communication techniques (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communication), but the scope of the embodiment is not limited in this respect. OFDM signals may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0060] Downlink transmissions and uplink transmissions may be organized into frames with a duration of 10 ms, where each frame includes ten 1 ms subframes. The slot duration is 14 symbols with a normal CP and 12 symbols with an extended CP, and is time-scaled as a function of the subcarrier spacing used so that there is always an integer number of slots in a subframe. In a specific LTE implementation, a DL resource grid may be used for DL ​​transmissions from any RAN node 511 to a UE 501, while UL transmissions from a UE 501 to a RAN node 511 may utilize a suitable UL resource grid in a similar manner. These resource grids may refer to time-frequency grids and indicate physical resources in the DL or UL in each slot. Each column and row of the DL resource grid corresponds to an OFDM symbol and an OFDM subcarrier, respectively, and each column and row of the UL resource grid corresponds to an SC-FDMA symbol and an SC-FDMA subcarrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to one slot in a radio frame. The resource grid includes a plurality of RBs that describe the mapping of certain physical channels to REs. In the frequency domain, this can represent the minimum amount of resources that can be currently allocated. Each RB includes a set of REs. RE is the smallest time-frequency unit in the resource grid. Each RE is uniquely identified by an index pair (k, l) in a time slot, where and are indices in the frequency domain and time domain, respectively. RE(k, l) on antenna port p corresponds to the complex value The antenna ports are defined so that the channel on which a symbol on the antenna port is transmitted can be inferred from the channel on which another symbol on the same antenna port is transmitted. There is one resource grid per antenna port. The set of antenna ports supported depends on the reference signal configuration in the cell, and these aspects are discussed in more detail in 3GPP TS 36.211.

[0061] In the NR / 5G implementation, DL and UL transmissions are organized into frames with 10ms duration, each of which consists of ten 1ms subframes. The number of consecutive OFDM symbols per subframe is Each frame is divided into two equally sized half-frames of five subframes, each subframe having half-frame 0 including subframes 0-4 and half-frame 1 including subframes 5-9. There is one set of frames in UL and one set of frames in DL on a carrier. The uplink frame number i for transmission from a UE shall be in N TA,offset T starts before the start of the corresponding downlink frame at the UE given by 3GPP TS 38.213 TA =(N TA +N TA,offset )T c For a subcarrier spacing configuration μ, the time slots are numbered in increasing order within a subframe. and are numbered in increasing order within the frame as Existing in the time slot Consecutive OFDM symbols, where Depends on the cyclic prefix given in Tables 4.3.2-1 and 4.3.2-2 of 3GPP TS38.211. Slots in a subframe The start of the OFDM symbol in the same subframe in time OFDM symbols in a time slot may be classified as "downlink", "flexible", or "uplink", where downlink transmissions occur only in "downlink" or "flexible" symbols and UE 501 transmits only in "uplink" or "flexible" symbols.

[0062] For each parameter and carrier, define subcarriers and The resource grid of symbols starts at the common There is a set of resource grids per transmission direction (i.e., uplink or downlink), where the subscript x is set to DL for downlink and x is set to UL for uplink. For a given antenna port p, subcarrier spacing configuration μ, and transmission direction (i.e., downlink or uplink), there is one resource grid.

[0063] RB is defined as contiguous subcarriers. In the frequency domain with subcarrier spacing μ, common RBs are numbered from 0 upwards. The center of subcarrier 0 of common resource block 0 with subcarrier spacing μ coincides with "point A". Common resource block numbering in the frequency domain The relationship between the resource element (k, l) and the subcarrier spacing configuration μ is given by is given by, where k is defined relative to point A such that k=0 corresponds to a subcarrier centered at point A. Point A is used as a common reference point for the resource block grid and is obtained from offsetToPointA for the PCell downlink, where offsetToPointA represents the frequency offset between point A and the lowest subcarrier of the lowest resource block with subcarrier spacing provided by the higher layer parameter subCarrierSpacingCommon and overlaps with the SS / PBCH block used for initial cell selection by the UE, expressed in units of resource blocks, assuming a subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz for FR1 and 60 kHz for FR2; and absoluteFrequencyPointA for all other cases, where absoluteFrequencyPointA represents the frequency position of point A as expressed in the ARFCN.

[0064] The PRBs of subcarrier configuration μ are defined within a BWP and are numbered from 0 to Where i is the number of BWPs. The physical resource blocks in BWPi With the public The relationship between Given, where is a common RB, where BWP starts relative to common RB 0. VRBs are defined within BWP and are numbered from 0 to Where i is the number of BWPs.

[0065] Each element in the resource grid for antenna port p and subcarrier spacing configuration μ is called RE and is represented by (k, l) p,μ Uniquely identifies a resource element (k, l), where k is an index in the frequency domain and l refers to the symbol position in the time domain relative to some reference point. p,μ Corresponding to physical resources and complex values The antenna ports are defined such that the channel on which a symbol on the antenna port is transmitted can be inferred from the channel on which another symbol on the same antenna port is transmitted. The two antenna ports are considered to be quasi-co-located if the large-scale properties of the channel on which the symbol on one antenna port is transmitted can be inferred from the channel on which the symbol on the other antenna port is transmitted. The large-scale properties include one or more of delay spread, Doppler spread, Doppler shift, average gain, average delay, and spatial Rx parameters.

[0066] BWP is μ on a given carrier. i A subset of contiguous common resource blocks as defined in subclause 4.4.4.3 of 3GPP TS 38.211 for a given parameter set in BWPi. Starting position and resource blocks in BWP The number of and The configuration of the BWP is described in clause 12 of 3GPP TS 38.213. The UE 501 may be configured with up to four BWPs in the DL, with a single DL BWP being active at a given time. The UE 501 is not expected to receive PDSCH, PDCCH, or CSI-RS (except RRM) outside of the active BWP. The UE 501 may be configured with up to four BWPs in the UL, with a single UL BWP being active at a given time. If the UE 501 is configured with a supplementary UL, the UE 501 may be configured with up to four additional BWPs in the supplementary UL, with a single supplementary UL BWP being active at a given time. The UE 501 does not transmit PUSCH or PUCCH outside of the active BWP, and for active cells, the UE does not transmit SRS outside of the active BWP.

[0067] A NB is defined as six non-overlapping consecutive PRBs in the frequency domain. The total number of DL NBs in the configured DL transmission BW in a cell is given by In the narrow band n NB Including PRB index (in ), the NBs are numbered in the order of increasing number of PRBs.

[0068] if The broadband is defined as four non-overlapping narrowbands in the frequency domain. The total number of uplink broadbands in the uplink transmission bandwidth configured in the cell is given by Given, and the broadbands are numbered in the order of increasing narrowband numbers Among them, the bandwidth n WB By narrowband index 4n WB +i, where i=0,1,...,3. If but and a single broadband One or more non-overlapping narrow bands.

[0069] There are several different physical channels and physical signals that are transmitted using RBs and / or individual REs. A physical channel corresponds to a set of REs that carry information originating from higher layers. Physical UL channels may include PUSCH, PUCCH, PRACH, and / or any other physical UL channels discussed herein, and physical DL channels may include PDSCH, PBCH, PDCCH, and / or any other physical DL channels discussed herein. Physical signals are transmitted by the physical layer (e.g., Fig.11 The physical UL signal may include DMRS, PTRS, SRS, and / or any other physical UL signal discussed herein, and the physical DL signal may include DMRS, PTRS, CSI-RS, PSS, SSS, and / or any other physical DL signal discussed herein.

[0070] The PDSCH carries user data and higher layer signaling to multiple UEs 501. Typically, DL scheduling (allocation of control and shared channel resource blocks to UEs 501 within a cell) may be performed on any of the RAN nodes 511 based on channel quality information fed back from any of the multiple UEs 501. Downlink resource allocation information may be sent on a PDCCH used for (e.g., allocated to) each of the multiple UEs 501. The PDCCH uses CCEs to transmit control information (e.g., DCI), and a group of CCEs may be referred to as a "control region." A control channel is formed by an aggregation of one or more CCEs, where different coding rates for the control channel are achieved by aggregating different numbers of CCEs. The CCEs are numbered from 0 to N. CCE,k -1, where N CCE,k-1 is the number of CCEs in the control region of subframe k. Before being mapped to REs, the PDCCH complex-valued symbols may first be organized into quadruplets, which may then be arranged using a subblock interleaver for rate matching. Each PDCCH may be transmitted using one or more of these CCEs, where each CCE may correspond to nine sets of four physical REs, referred to as REGs. Four QoS symbols may be mapped to each REG. Depending on the size of the DCI and the channel conditions, one or more CCEs may be used to transmit the PDCCH. There may be four or more different PDCCH formats defined with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation levels, L=1, 2, 4, or 8 in LTE, and L=1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 in NR). UE 501 monitors a set of PDCCH candidates on one or more activated serving cells as configured by high-layer signaling for control information (e.g., DCI), where monitoring means attempting to decode each of the PDCCHs (or PDCCH candidates) in the set according to all monitored DCI formats (e.g., DCI formats 0 to 6-2, as discussed in Section 5.3.3 of 3GPP TS 38.212, DCI formats 0_0 to 2_3, as discussed in Section 7.3 of 3GPP TS 38.212, etc.). UE 501 monitors (or attempts to decode) the corresponding PDCCH candidate set in one or more configured monitoring occasions according to the corresponding search space configuration. DCI transmits DL, UL or SL scheduling information, request for aperiodic CQI reporting, LAA common information, notification of MCCH changes, UL power control commands for one cell and / or one RNTI, notification of a group of UEs 501 about the timeslot format, notification of a group of UEs about PRBs and OFDM symbols (where the UE can assume that no transmission is intended for the UE), TPC commands for PUCCH and PUSCH, and / or TPC commands for PUCCH and PUSCH. The DCI encoding steps are discussed in 3GPP TS 38.212.

[0071] Some embodiments may use the concept of resource allocation for control channel information, which is an extension of the above concept. For example, some embodiments may utilize EPDCCH that uses PDSCH resources for control information transmission. One or more ECCEs may be used to transmit EPDCCH. Similar to the above, each ECCE may correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements, referred to as EREG. In some cases, ECCE may have other numbers of EREGs.

[0072] As previously mentioned, the PDCCH may be used to schedule DL transmissions on the PDSCH and UL transmissions on the PUSCH, wherein the DCI on the PDCCH specifically includes a downlink assignment containing at least a modulation and coding format, resource allocation, and HARQ information associated with the DL-SCH; and / or an uplink scheduling grant containing at least a modulation and coding format, resource allocation, and HARQ information associated with the UL-SCH. In addition to scheduling, the PDCCH may be used to activate and deactivate configured PUSCH transmissions with configured grants; activate and deactivate PDSCH semi-persistent transmissions; notify one or more UEs 501 of the time slot format; notify one or more UEs 501 of PRBs and OFDM symbols, wherein the UE 501 may assume that no transmission is intended for the UE; transmit TPC commands for PUCCH and PUSCH; transmit one or more TPC commands for SRS transmission by one or more UEs 501; switch the active BWP of the UE 501; and initiate a random access procedure.

[0073] In a NR specific implementation, the UE 501 monitors (or attempts to decode) the corresponding PDCCH candidate set in one or more configured CORESETs in one or more configured monitoring opportunities according to the corresponding search space configuration. A CORESET may include a PRB set with a duration of 1 to 3 OFDM symbols. A CORESET may additionally or alternatively include a PRB in the frequency domain. and in the time domain symbol. A CORESET includes six REGs numbered in ascending order in a time-first manner, where a REG is equal to one RB during one OFDM symbol. UE 501 can be configured with multiple CORESETs, where each CORESET is associated with only one CCE to REG mapping. Interleaved and non-interleaved CCE to REG mappings are supported in a CORESET. Each REG carrying a PDCCH carries its own DMRS.

[0074] According to various embodiments, UE 501 and RAN node 511 communicate data (e.g., transmit data and receive data) through a licensed medium (also referred to as "licensed spectrum" and / or "licensed frequency band") and an unlicensed shared medium (also referred to as "unlicensed spectrum" and / or "unlicensed frequency band"). The licensed spectrum may include channels operating in a frequency range of approximately 400 MHz to approximately 3.8 GHz, and the unlicensed spectrum may include a 5 GHz frequency band.

[0075] To operate in the unlicensed spectrum, the UE 501 and the RAN node 511 may operate using LAA, eLAA, and / or feLAA mechanisms. In these implementations, the UE 501 and the RAN node 511 may perform one or more known medium sensing operations and / or carrier sensing operations to determine whether one or more channels in the unlicensed spectrum are unavailable or otherwise occupied before transmitting in the unlicensed spectrum. The medium / carrier sensing operations may be performed according to a listen-before-talk (LBT) protocol.

[0076] LBT is a mechanism by which equipment (e.g., UE 501, RAN node 511, etc.) senses a medium (e.g., a channel or carrier frequency) and transmits when the medium is sensed to be idle (or when a particular channel in the medium is sensed to be unoccupied). The medium sensing operation may include a CCA that utilizes at least an ED to determine whether other signals are present on the channel in order to determine whether the channel is occupied or idle. The LBT mechanism allows cellular / LAA networks to coexist with existing systems in unlicensed spectrum and with other LAA networks. ED may include sensing RF energy over a period of time on an expected transmission band and comparing the sensed RF energy to a predefined or configured threshold.

[0077] Typically, existing systems in the 5 GHz band are WLANs based on IEEE 802.11 technology. WLANs use a contention-based channel access mechanism called CSMA / CA. Here, when a WLAN node (e.g., a mobile station (MS) such as UE 501, AP 506, etc.) intends to transmit, the WLAN node may first perform CCA before transmission. In addition, in the case where more than one WLAN node senses the channel as idle and transmits at the same time, a backoff mechanism is used to avoid conflicts. The backoff mechanism may be a counter randomly introduced within the CWS that increases exponentially when a conflict occurs and is reset to a minimum value when the transmission is successful. The LBT mechanism designed for LAA is somewhat similar to the CSMA / CA of WLAN. In some specific implementations, the LBT process for a DL or UL transmission burst (including PDSCH or PUSCH transmission) may have a LAA contention window of variable length between X and Y ECCA slots, where X and Y are the minimum and maximum values ​​of the CWS of LAA. In one example, the minimum CWS for LAA transmissions may be 9 microseconds (μs); however, the size of the CWS and MCOT (eg, transmission burst) may be based on government regulatory requirements.

[0078] The LAA mechanism is built on the CA technology of the LTE-Advanced system. In CA, each aggregated carrier is called a CC. A CC can have a bandwidth of 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, or 20 MHz, and up to five CCs can be aggregated, so the maximum aggregated bandwidth is 100 MHz. In an FDD system, the number of aggregated carriers can be different for DL ​​and UL, where the number of UL CCs is equal to or lower than the number of DL component carriers. In some cases, each CC may have a different bandwidth from other CCs. In a TDD system, the number of CCs and the BW of each CC are typically the same for DL ​​and UL.

[0079] CA also includes individual serving cells to provide individual CCs. The coverage of the serving cells may be different, for example, because CCs on different frequency bands will experience different path losses. The primary serving cell or PCell may provide the PCC for both UL and DL, and may handle activities related to RRC and NAS. Other serving cells are called SCells, and each SCell may provide individual SCCs for both UL and DL. SCCs may be added and removed as needed, and changing PCCs may require the UE 501 to undergo a handover. In LAA, eLAA, and feLAA, some or all of the SCells may operate in an unlicensed spectrum (referred to as "LAA SCells"), and the LAA SCells are assisted by the PCells operating in the licensed spectrum. When a UE is configured with more than one LAA SCell, the UE may receive UL grants on the configured LAA SCells, indicating different PUSCH start positions within the same subframe.

[0080] RAN nodes 511 may be configured to communicate with each other via interface 512. In embodiments where system 500 is an LTE system (eg, when CN 520 is a Figure 6), the interface 512 may be an X2 interface 512. The X2 interface may be defined between two or more RAN nodes 511 (e.g., two or more eNBs, etc.) connected to the EPC 520, and / or between two eNBs connected to the EPC 520. In some specific implementations, the X2 interface may include an X2 user plane interface (X2-U) and an X2 control plane interface (X2-C). The X2-U may provide a flow control mechanism for user packets transmitted over the X2 interface, and may be used to transmit information about the delivery of user data between eNBs. For example, the X2-U may provide specific sequence number information about user data transmitted from the MeNB to the SeNB; information about the successful in-sequence delivery of PDCP PDUs from the SeNB to the UE 501 for user data; information about PDCP PDUs that were not delivered to the UE 501; information about the current minimum expected buffer size at the SeNB for transmitting user data to the UE; and the like. X2-C may provide intra-LTE access mobility functions, including context transfer from source eNB to target eNB, user plane transmission control, etc.; load management functions; and inter-cell interference coordination functions. In an embodiment where the system 100 is a MF system (e.g., when the CN 520 is a NHCN 520), the interface 512 may be an X2 interface 512. The X2 interface may be defined between two or more RAN nodes 511 (e.g., two or more MF-APs, etc.) connected to the NHCN 520, and / or between two MF-APs connected to the NHCN 520. In these embodiments, the X2 interface may operate in the same or similar manner as previously discussed.

[0081] When system 500 is a 5G or NR system (e.g., when CN 520 is Figure 7In an implementation scheme of the 5GC 720 in the 5GC 520, the interface 512 may be an Xn interface 512. The Xn interface is defined between two or more RAN nodes 511 (e.g., two or more gNBs, etc.) connected to the 5GC 520, between a RAN node 511 (e.g., a gNB) and an eNB connected to the 5GC 520, and / or between two eNBs connected to the 5GC 520. In some specific implementations, the Xn interface may include an Xn user plane (Xn-U) interface and an Xn control plane (Xn-C) interface. The Xn-U may provide non-guaranteed delivery of user plane PDUs and support / provide data forwarding and flow control functions. The Xn-C may provide management and error handling functions for managing the functions of the Xn-C interface; mobility support for the UE 501 in a connected mode (e.g., CM-CONNECTED) includes functions for managing UE mobility in a connected mode between one or more RAN nodes 511. The mobility support may include context transfer from the old (source) serving RAN node 511 to the new (target) serving RAN node 511; and control of the user plane tunnel between the old (source) serving RAN node 511 and the new (target) serving RAN node 511. The protocol stack of Xn-U may include a transport network layer built on an Internet Protocol (IP) transport layer, and a GTP-U layer on top of a UDP and / or IP layer for carrying user plane PDUs. The Xn-C protocol stack may include an application layer signaling protocol (referred to as the Xn Application Protocol (Xn-AP)) and a transport network layer built on SCTP. SCTP may be on top of the IP layer and may provide guaranteed delivery of application layer messages. In the transport IP layer, point-to-point transport is used to deliver signaling PDUs. In other specific implementations, the Xn-U protocol stack and / or the Xn-C protocol stack may be the same or similar to the user plane and / or control plane protocol stacks shown and described herein.

[0082] RAN 510 is shown as being communicatively coupled to a core network—in this embodiment, communicatively coupled to CN 520. CN 520 may include a plurality of network elements 522 configured to provide various data and telecommunication services to customers / users (e.g., users of UE 501) connected to CN 520 via RAN 510. The components of CN 520 may be implemented in one physical node or in separate physical nodes, including components for reading and executing instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium). In some embodiments, NFV may be used to virtualize any or all of the above-mentioned network node functions via executable instructions stored in one or more computer-readable storage media (described in further detail below). A logical instance of CN 520 may be referred to as a network slice, and a logical instance of a portion of CN 520 may be referred to as a network sub-slice. NFV architecture and infrastructure may be used to virtualize one or more network functions onto physical resources comprising a combination of industry-standard server hardware, storage hardware, or switches (alternatively performed by proprietary hardware). In other words, the NFV system may be used to perform a virtual or reconfigurable implementation of one or more EPC components / functions.

[0083] Generally speaking, the application server 530 may be an element that provides applications that use IP bearer resources with the core network (e.g., UMTS PS domain, LTE PS data services, etc.). The application server 530 may also be configured to support one or more communication services for the UE 501 via the EPC 520 (e.g., VoIP sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social network services, etc.).

[0084] In an embodiment, CN 520 may be a 5GC (referred to as "5GC 520" or the like), and RAN 510 may be connected to CN 520 via an NG interface 513. In an embodiment, NG interface 513 may be divided into two parts: an NG user plane (NG-U) interface 514, which carries traffic data between RAN node 511 and UPF; and an S1 control plane (NG-C) interface 515, which is a signaling interface between RAN node 511 and AMF. Figure 7 An implementation of CN 520 as 5GC 520 is discussed in more detail.

[0085] In an embodiment, CN 520 may be a 5G CN (referred to as "5GC 520", etc.), while in other embodiments, CN 520 may be an EPC. In the case where CN 520 is an EPC (referred to as "EPC 520", etc.), RAN 510 may be connected to CN 520 via an S1 interface 513. In an embodiment, S1 interface 513 may be divided into two parts: an S1 user plane (S1-U) interface 514, which carries traffic data between RAN node 511 and S-GW; and an S1-MME interface 515, which is a signaling interface between RAN node 511 and MME.

[0086] In an embodiment where CN 520 is a MF NHCN 520, one or more network elements 522 may include or operate one or more NH-MMEs, local AAA agents, NH-GWs, and / or other similar MF NHCN elements. The NH-MME provides functions similar to the MME in the EPC 520. The local AAA agent is an AAA agent that is part of the NHN, which provides the AAA functions required for interworking with the PSP AAA and 3GPP AAA. The PSP AAA is an AAA server (or server pool) that uses non-USIM credentials associated with the PSP, and may be inside or outside the NHN, and the 3GPP AAA is discussed in more detail in 3GPP TS 23.402. The NH-GW provides functions similar to the combined S-GW / P-GW connected to the non-EPC routed PDN. For the EPC routed PDN connection, the NHN-GW provides functions similar to the S-GW previously discussed in the interaction with the MF-AP through the S1 interface 513, and is similar to the TWAG in the interaction with the PLMN PDN-GW through the S2a interface. In some embodiments, the MF AP 511 may be connected to the previously discussed EPC 520. In addition, the RAN 510 (referred to as "MF RAN 510", etc.) may be connected to the NHCN 520 via an S1 interface 513. In these embodiments, the S1 interface 513 may be divided into two parts: an S1 interface 514, which carries traffic data between the RAN node 511 (e.g., "MF-AP 511") and the NH-GW; and an S1-MME-N interface 515, which is a signaling interface between the RAN node 511 and the NH-MME. The S1-U interface 514 and the S1-MME-N interface 515 have the same or similar functions as the S1-U interface 514 and the S1-MME interface 515 of the EPC 520 discussed herein.

[0087] Figure 6FIG. 6 shows an exemplary architecture of a system 600 including a first CN 620 according to various embodiments. In this example, the system 600 may implement the LTE standard, where the CN 620 is a Figure 5 In addition, UE 601 can communicate with Figure 5 UE 501 is the same as or similar to UE 501, and E-UTRAN 610 may be Figure 5 The CN 620 may be a RAN that is the same as or similar to the RAN 510 of the mobile network, and may include the RAN node 511 discussed previously. The CN 620 may include an MME 621, an S-GW 622, a P-GW 623, an HSS 624, and an SGSN 625.

[0088] The MME 621 may be similar in function to the control plane of a conventional SGSN, and may implement MM functions to keep track of the current location of the UE 601. The MME 621 may perform various MM procedures to manage mobility aspects in access, such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. MM (also referred to as "EPS MM" or "EMM" in an E-UTRAN system) may refer to all applicable procedures, methods, data storage, etc. for maintaining knowledge of the current location of the UE 601, providing user identity confidentiality to users / subscribers, and / or performing other similar services. Each UE 601 and the MME 621 may include an MM or EMM sublayer, and when the attachment procedure is successfully completed, an MM context may be established in the UE 601 and the MME 621. The MM context may be a data structure or database object that stores MM-related information of the UE 601. The MME 621 may be coupled to the HSS 624 via an S6a reference point, to the SGSN 625 via an S3 reference point, and to the S-GW 622 via an S11 reference point.

[0089] SGSN 625 may be a node that serves UE 601 by tracking the location of individual UE 601 and performing security functions. In addition, SGSN 625 may perform inter-EPC node signaling for mobility between 2G / 3G and E-UTRAN 3GPP access networks; PDN and S-GW selection as specified by MME 621; handling of UE 601 time zone functions, as specified by MME 621; and MME selection for handover to E-UTRAN 3GPP access network. The S3 reference point between MME 621 and SGSN 625 may enable user and bearer information exchange for inter-3GPP access network mobility in an idle state and / or an active state.

[0090] The HSS 624 may include a database for network users, which includes subscription-related information for supporting network entities in handling communication sessions. The EPC 620 may include one or several HSSs 624, depending on the number of mobile subscribers, the capacity of the equipment, the organization of the network, etc. For example, the HSS 624 may provide support for routing / roaming, authentication, authorization, naming / addressing solutions, location dependencies, etc. The S6a reference point between the HSS 624 and the MME 621 may enable the transfer of subscription and authentication data for authenticating / authorizing users to access the EPC 620 between the HSS 624 and the MME 621.

[0091] The S-GW 622 may terminate the S1 interface 513 ( Figure 6 The S-GW 622 may be a local mobility anchor for inter-RAN node handovers and may also provide an anchor for inter-3GPP mobility. Other responsibilities may include lawful interception, charging, and enforcement of certain policies. The S11 reference point between the S-GW 622 and the MME 621 may provide a control plane between the MME 621 and the S-GW 622. The S-GW 622 may be coupled to the P-GW 623 via the S5 reference point.

[0092] The P-GW 623 may terminate the SGi interface toward the PDN 630. The P-GW 623 may communicate with the PDN 630 via the IP interface 525 (see, e.g., Figure 5 ) routes data packets between EPC 620 and external networks such as a network including application server 530 (alternatively referred to as "AF"). In an embodiment, P-GW 623 can communicate with the EPC 620 via IP communication interface 525 (see, e.g., Figure 5 ) is communicatively coupled to an application server ( Figure 5 Application server 530 or Figure 6The S5 reference point between the P-GW 623 and the S-GW 622 may provide user plane tunneling and tunnel management between the P-GW 623 and the S-GW 622. Due to the mobility of the UE 601 and whether the S-GW 622 needs to be connected to a non-colocated P-GW 623 for the required PDN connectivity, the S5 reference point may also be used for S-GW 622 relocation. The P-GW 623 may also include nodes for policy implementation and charging data collection, such as a PCEF (not shown). In addition, the SGi reference point between the P-GW 623 and the packet data network (PDN) 630 may be an operator-external public, private PDN, or an internal operator packet data network, such as for providing IMS services. The P-GW 623 may be coupled to the PCRF 626 via a Gx reference point.

[0093] PCRF 626 is a policy and charging control element of EPC 620. In a non-roaming scenario, there may be a single PCRF 626 in a domestic public land mobile network (HPLMN) associated with an Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session of UE 601. In a roaming scenario with local traffic breakout, there may be two PCRFs associated with the IP-CAN session of UE 601: a home PCRF (H-PCRF) in the HPLMN and a visited PCRF (V-PCRF) in a visited public land mobile network (VPLMN). PCRF 626 may be communicatively coupled to application server 630 via P-GW 623. Application server 630 may signal PCRF 626 to indicate a new service flow and select appropriate QoS and charging parameters. PCRF 626 may configure the rule to a PCEF (not shown) with the appropriate TFT and QCI, which function starts QoS and charging as specified by application server 630. The Gx reference point between PCRF 626 and P-GW 623 may allow for the transfer of QoS policies and charging rules from PCRF 626 to PCEF in P-GW 623. The Rx reference point may reside between PDN 630 (or "AF 630") and PCRF 626.

[0094] Figure 7The architecture of a system 700 including a second CN 720 according to various embodiments is shown. The system 700 is shown to include a UE 701, which may be the same or similar to the previously discussed UE 501 and UE 601; a (R) AN 710, which may be the same or similar to the previously discussed RAN 510 and RAN 610, and which may include the previously discussed RAN node 511; and a DN 703, which may be, for example, an operator service, Internet access, or a 3rd party service; and a 5GC 720. The 5GC 720 may include an AUSF 722; an AMF 721; an SMF 724; an NEF 723; a PCF 726; an NRF 725; an UDM 727; an AF 728; an UPF 702; and an NSSF 729.

[0095] UPF 702 may act as an anchor point for intra-RAT and inter-RAT mobility, an external PDU session point interconnected with DN 703, and a branch point to support multi-host PDU sessions. UPF 702 may also perform packet routing and forwarding, perform packet inspection, perform the user plane portion of policy rules, lawful interception of packets (UP collection), perform traffic usage reporting, perform QoS processing (e.g., packet filtering, gating, UL / DL rate enforcement) on the user plane, perform uplink traffic verification (e.g., SDF to QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in uplink and downlink, and perform downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering. UPF 702 may include an uplink classifier for supporting routing of traffic flows to data networks. DN 703 may represent various network operator services, Internet access, or third-party services. DN 703 may include or be similar to the application server 530 discussed previously. UPF 702 may interact with SMF 724 via the N4 reference point between SMF 724 and UPF 702.

[0096] AUSF 722 may store data for authentication of UE 701 and handle authentication-related functions. AUSF 722 may facilitate a common authentication framework for various access types. AUSF 722 may communicate with AMF 721 via an N12 reference point between AMF 721 and AUSF 722; and may communicate with UDM 727 via an N13 reference point between UDM 727 and AUSF 722. In addition, AUSF 722 may present an interface based on Nausf services.

[0097] AMF 721 may be responsible for registration management (e.g., responsible for registering UE 701, etc.), connection management, reachability management, mobility management, and lawful interception of AMF-related events, and access authentication and authorization. AMF 721 may be the termination point of the N11 reference point between AMF 721 and SMF 724. AMF 721 may provide transport for SM messages between UE 701 and SMF 724, and act as a transparent proxy for routing SM messages. AMF 721 may also provide a transport mechanism for UE 701 and SMSF ( Figure 7 721 provides transmission for SMS messages between (R)AN 710 and AMF 721). AMF 721 may act as a SEAF, which may include interaction with AUSF 722 and UE 701, receiving intermediate keys established as a result of the UE 701 authentication process. In the case of using USIM-based authentication, AMF 721 may retrieve security material from AUSF 722. AMF 721 may also include an SCM function that receives keys from SEA for deriving access network-specific keys. In addition, AMF 721 may be a termination point for the RAN CP interface, which may include or be an N2 reference point between (R)AN 710 and AMF 721; and AMF 721 may be a termination point for NAS (N1) signaling, and perform NAS encryption and integrity protection.

[0098] The AMF 721 may also support NAS signaling with the UE 701 over the N3 IWF interface. The N3 IWF may be used to provide access to untrusted entities. The N3 IWF may be the termination point for the N2 interface between the (R) AN 710 and the AMF 721 for the control plane, and may be the termination point for the N3 reference point between the (R) AN 710 and the UPF 702 for the user plane. Thus, the AMF 721 may process N2 signaling for PDU sessions and QoS from the SMF 724 and the AMF 721, encapsulate / decapsulate packets for IPSec and N3 tunnels, mark N3 user plane packets in the uplink, and perform QoS corresponding to N3 packet markings, taking into account QoS requirements associated with such markings received over N2. N3IWF may also relay uplink and downlink control plane NAS signaling between UE 701 and AMF 721 via the N1 reference point between UE 701 and AMF 721, and relay uplink and downlink user plane packets between UE 701 and UPF 702. N3IWF also provides a mechanism for establishing an IPsec tunnel with UE 701. AMF 721 may present an interface based on Namf services, and may be an N14 reference point between two AMF 721 and an N14 reference point between AMF 721 and 5G-EIR ( Figure 7 The termination point of the N17 reference point between the two (not shown).

[0099] UE 701 may need to register with AMF 721 in order to receive network services. RM is used to register UE 701 with the network (e.g., AMF 721) or deregister UE, and establish a UE context in the network (e.g., AMF 721). UE 701 may operate in the RM-REGISTERED state or the RM-DEREGISTERED state. In the RM-DEREGISTERED state, UE 701 is not registered with the network, and the UE context in AMF 721 does not maintain the valid location or routing information of UE 701, so AMF 721 cannot reach UE 701. In the RM-REGISTERED state, UE 701 is registered with the network, and the UE context in AMF 721 may maintain the valid location or routing information of UE 701, so AMF 721 can reach UE 701. In the RM-REGISTERED state, UE 701 may perform a mobility registration update procedure, perform a periodic registration update procedure triggered by the expiration of a periodic update timer (e.g., to notify the network that UE 701 is still active), and perform a registration update procedure to update UE capability information or renegotiate protocol parameters with the network, etc.

[0100] AMF 721 may store one or more RM contexts for UE 701, each RM context being associated with a specific access to the network. An RM context may be a data structure, a database object, or the like, which indicates or stores, among other things, a registration status and a periodic update timer for each access type. AMF 721 may also store a 5GC MM context which may be the same or similar to the (E)MM context discussed previously. In various embodiments, AMF 721 may store CE mode B restriction parameters for UE 701 in an associated MM context or RM context. AMF 721 may also derive values ​​from usage setting parameters of the UE already stored in the UE context (and / or MM / RM context) when necessary.

[0101] The CM may be used to establish and release a signaling connection between the UE 701 and the AMF 721 over the N1 interface. The signaling connection is used to enable NAS signaling exchange between the UE 701 and the CN 720, and includes a signaling connection between the UE and the AN (e.g., an RRC connection or a UE-N3IWF connection for non-3GPP access) and an N2 connection of the UE 701 between the AN (e.g., the RAN 710) and the AMF 721. The UE 701 may operate in one of two CM states (CM-IDLE mode or CM-CONNECTED mode). When the UE 701 operates in the CM-IDLE state / mode, the UE 701 may not have a NAS signaling connection established with the AMF 721 over the N1 interface, and there may be a (R)AN 710 signaling connection (e.g., N2 and / or N3 connection) for the UE 701. When the UE 701 operates in the CM-CONNECTED state / mode, the UE 701 may have a NAS signaling connection established with the AMF 721 through the N1 interface, and there may be a (R) AN 710 signaling connection (e.g., N2 and / or N3 connection) for the UE 701. Establishing an N2 connection between the (R) AN 710 and the AMF 721 may cause the UE 701 to transition from the CM-IDLE mode to the CM-CONNECTED mode, and when the N2 signaling between the (R) AN 710 and the AMF 721 is released, the UE 701 may transition from the CM-CONNECTED mode to the CM-IDLE mode.

[0102] SMF 724 may be responsible for SM (e.g., session establishment, modification, and release, including tunnel maintenance between UPF and AN nodes); UE IP address allocation and management (including optional authorization); selection and control of UP functions; configuring traffic steering of UPF to route traffic to the correct destination; terminating the interface toward the policy control function; control portion of policy enforcement and QoS; lawful interception (for SM events and interface with LI system); terminating the SM portion of NAS messages; downlink data notification; initiating AN-specific SM information sent to AN via AMF over N2; and determining the SSC mode of the session. SM may refer to the management of a PDU session, and a PDU session or "session" may refer to a PDU connectivity service that provides or enables the exchange of PDUs between a UE 701 and a data network (DN) 703 identified by a data network name (DNN). The PDU session may be established upon request by UE 701, modified upon request by UE 701 and 5GC 720, and released upon request by UE 701 and 5GC 720 using NAS SM signaling exchanged between UE 701 and SMF 724 over the N1 reference point. Upon request from an application server, 5GC 720 may trigger a specific application in UE 701. In response to receiving the trigger message, UE 701 may deliver the trigger message (or relevant parts / information of the trigger message) to one or more identified applications in UE 701. The identified applications in UE 701 may establish a PDU session to a specific DNN. SMF 724 may check whether the UE 701 request complies with user subscription information associated with UE 701. In this regard, SMF 724 may retrieve and / or request to receive update notifications about SMF 724 level subscription data from UDM 727.

[0103] SMF 724 may include the following roaming functions: handling local execution to apply QoS SLA (VPLMN); charging data collection and charging interface (VPLMN); lawful interception (for SM events and interface with LI system, in VPLMN); and support interaction with external DN to transmit signaling for PDU session authorization / authentication through external DN. In a roaming scenario, an N16 reference point between two SMFs 724 may be included in the system 700, which may be located between another SMF 724 in the visited network and the SMF 724 in the home network. In addition, SMF 724 may present an interface based on Nsmf services.

[0104] NEF 723 may provide a device for securely exposing services and capabilities provided by 3GPP network functions for third parties, internal exposure / re-exposure, application functions (e.g., AF 728), edge computing or fog computing systems, etc. In such embodiments, NEF 723 may authenticate, authorize and / or restrict AF. NEF 723 may also convert information exchanged with AF 728 and information exchanged with internal network functions. For example, NEF 723 may convert between AF service identifiers and internal 5GC information. NEF 723 may also receive information from other network functions (NFs) based on the exposure capabilities of other network functions. The information may be stored at NEF 723 as structured data, or stored at a data storage NF using a standardized interface. The stored information may then be re-exposed to other NFs and AFs by NEF 723, and / or used for other purposes such as analysis. In addition, NEF 723 may present an interface based on Nnef services.

[0105] NRF 725 may support service discovery functionality, receive NF discovery requests from NF instances, and provide information of discovered NF instances to NF instances. NRF 725 also maintains information of available NF instances and the services they support. As used herein, the term "instantiation" and the like may refer to the creation of an instance, and "instance" may refer to the specific occurrence of an object, which may occur, for example, during the execution of a program code. In addition, NRF 725 may present an interface based on Nnrf services.

[0106] PCF 726 may provide for control plane functions to enforce their policy rules, and may also support a unified policy framework for managing network behavior. PCF 726 may also implement FE to access subscription information related to policy decisions in the UDR of UDM 727. PCF 726 may communicate with AMF 721 via the N15 reference point between PCF 726 and AMF 721, which may include PCF 726 in a visited network and AMF 721 in a roaming scenario. PCF 726 may communicate with AF 728 via the N5 reference point between PCF 726 and AF 728; and communicate with SMF 724 via the N7 reference point between PCF 726 and SMF 724. System 700 and / or CN 720 may also include an N24 reference point between PCF 726 (in the home network) and PCF 726 in the visited network. In addition, PCF 726 may present an interface based on Npcf services.

[0107] UDM 727 may process subscription-related information to support the handling of communication sessions by network entities, and may store subscription data of UE 701. For example, subscription data may be transmitted between UDM 727 and AMF 721 via an N8 reference point between UDM 727 and AMF 721. UDM 727 may include two parts: application FE and UDR ( Figure 7 FE and UDR are not shown). UDR can store subscription data and policy data of UDM 727 and PCF 726, and / or structured data for exposure and application data of NEF 723 (including PFD for application detection, application request information of multiple UE 701). Nudr service-based interface can be presented by UDR 221 to allow UDM 727, PCF 726 and NEF 723 to access specific sets of stored data, as well as read, update (e.g., add, modify), delete and subscribe to notifications of related data changes in UDR. UDM may include UDM-FE, which is responsible for handling credentials, location management, subscription management, etc. In different transactions, several different front ends may serve the same user. UDM-FE accesses subscription information stored in UDR, and performs authentication credential processing, user identification processing, access authorization, registration / mobility management and subscription management. UDR can interact with SMF 724 via the N10 reference point between UDM 727 and SMF 724. UDM 727 may also support SMS management, where SMS-FE implements similar application logic discussed previously. In addition, UDM 727 may present an interface based on Nudm services.

[0108] AF 728 can provide the influence of applications on traffic routing, provide access to NCE, and interact with the policy framework for policy control. NCE can be a mechanism that allows 5GC 720 and AF 728 to provide information to each other via NEF 723, which can be used for edge computing implementation. In such implementations, network operators and third-party services can be hosted near the UE 701 access point of the attachment to achieve effective service delivery through reduced end-to-end delay and load on the transmission network. For edge computing implementation, 5GC can select UPF 702 near UE 701 and perform traffic steering from UPF 702 to DN 703 via N6 interface. This can be based on UE subscription data, UE location and information provided by AF 728. In this way, AF 728 can affect UPF (re) selection and traffic routing. Based on operator deployment, when AF 728 is considered a trusted entity, the network operator can allow AF 728 to interact directly with the relevant NF. In addition, AF 728 can present an interface based on Naf services.

[0109] NSSF 729 may select a set of network slice instances to serve UE 701. If necessary, NSSF 729 may also determine the allowed NSSAI and the mapping to the subscribed S-NSSAI. NSSF 729 may also determine the AMF set, or a list of candidate AMFs 721, to serve UE 701 based on appropriate configuration and possibly by querying NRF 725. The selection of a set of network slice instances for UE 701 may be triggered by AMF 721, where UE 701 registers by interacting with NSSF 729, which may cause AMF 721 to change. NSSF 729 may interact with AMF 721 via the N22 reference point between AMF 721 and NSSF 729; and may communicate with AMF 721 via the N31 reference point ( Figure 7 The NSSF 729 may communicate with another NSSF 729 in the visited network (not shown). In addition, the NSSF 729 may present an interface based on the Nnssf service.

[0110] As discussed previously, CN 720 may include SMSF, which may be responsible for SMS subscription checking and verification, and relaying SM messages from / to other entities, such as SMS-GMSC / IWMSC / SMS routers, to / from UE 701. SMS may also interact with AMF 721 and UDM 727 for notification procedures that UE 701 is available for SMS transmission (e.g., setting a UE unreachable flag and notifying UDM 727 when UE 701 is available for SMS).

[0111] CN 520 may also include Figure 7 Other elements not shown, such as data storage system / architecture, 5G-EIR, SEPP, etc. The data storage system may include SDSF, UDSF, etc. Any NF may communicate with any NF and UDSF ( Figure 7 The N18 reference point between the NF and the NF (not shown) stores or retrieves unstructured data in or from the UDSF (e.g., UE context). Individual NFs may share a UDSF for storing their respective unstructured data, or individual NFs may each have their own UDSF located at or near a single NF. In addition, the UDSF may present an interface based on the Nudsf service ( Figure 7 (not shown). The 5G-EIR may be a NF that checks the status of the PEI to determine whether to blacklist a specific equipment / entity from the network; and the SEPP may be a non-transparent proxy that performs topology hiding, message filtering, and policing on the inter-PLMN control plane interface.

[0112] Additionally, there may be more reference points and / or service-based interfaces between NF services in a NF; however, for clarity, Figure 7These interfaces and reference points are omitted. In one example, CN 720 may include an Nx interface, which is an inter-CN interface between an MME (e.g., MME 621) and an AMF 721, to enable intercommunication between CN 720 and CN 620. Other example interfaces / reference points may include an interface based on N5g-EIR services presented by 5G-EIR, an N27 reference point between an NRF in a visited network and an NRF in a home network; and an N31 reference point between an NSSF in a visited network and an NSSF in a home network.

[0113] Figure 8 An example of infrastructure equipment 800 according to some embodiments is shown. Infrastructure equipment 800 (or "system 800") can be implemented as a base station, a radio head, a RAN node (such as the RAN node 511 and / or AP 506 shown and described previously), an application server 530, and / or any other element / device discussed herein. In other examples, system 800 can be implemented in or by a UE.

[0114] System 800 includes: application circuit 805, baseband circuit 810, one or more radio front end modules (RFEM) 815, memory circuit 820, power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 825, power tee circuit 830, network controller circuit 835, network interface connector 840, satellite positioning circuit 845 and user interface 850. In some embodiments, device 800 may include additional elements, such as, for example, memory / storage, display, camera, sensor, or input / output (I / O) interface. In other embodiments, the following components may be included in more than one device. For example, the circuit may be included separately in more than one device for CRAN, vBBU or other similar implementations.

[0115] The application circuit 805 includes the following circuits such as, but not limited to: one or more processors (processor cores), cache memory, and one or more of the following: a low dropout regulator (LDO), an interrupt controller, a serial interface such as SPI, I 2C or general programmable serial interface module, real-time clock (RTC), timer-counter including interval timer and watchdog timer, general input / output (I / O or IO), memory card controller such as secure digital (SD) multimedia card (MMC) or similar products, universal serial bus (USB) interface, mobile industry processor interface (MIPI) interface and joint test access group (JTAG) test access port. The processor (or core) of application circuit 805 can be coupled with memory / storage element or can include memory / storage element, and can be configured to execute instructions stored in memory / storage element to enable various applications or operating systems to run on system 800. In some specific implementations, the memory / storage element can be an on-chip memory circuit, which can include any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state memory and / or any other type of memory device technology, such as those discussed herein.

[0116] The processor of the application circuit 805 may include, for example, one or more processor cores (CPUs), one or more application processors, one or more graphics processing units (GPUs), one or more reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, one or more Acorn RISC Machine (ARM) processors, one or more complex instruction set computing (CISC) processors, one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), one or more FPGAs, one or more PLDs, one or more ASICs, one or more microprocessors or controllers, or any suitable combination thereof. In some embodiments, the application circuit 805 may include or may be a dedicated processor / controller for operating according to various embodiments herein. As an example, the processor of the application circuit 805 may include one or more Intel FPGAs. or Processor: Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Processor, Accelerated Processing Unit (APU) or Processor; ARM-based processors licensed by ARM Holdings, Ltd., such as the ARM Cortex-A series processors provided by Cavium (TM), Inc. and MIPS-based designs from MIPS Technologies, Inc., such as the MIPSWarrior P-class processor; etc. In some embodiments, the system 800 may not utilize the application circuit 805, and instead may include a dedicated processor / controller to process IP data received, for example, from the EPC or 5GC.

[0117] In some implementations, the application circuit 805 may include one or more hardware accelerators, which may be microprocessors, programmable processing devices, and the like. The one or more hardware accelerators may include, for example, computer vision (CV) and / or deep learning (DL) accelerators. For example, the programmable processing device may be one or more field programmable devices (FPDs), such as field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and the like; programmable logic devices (PLDs), such as complex PLDs (CPLDs), high capacity PLDs (HCPLDs), and the like; ASICs, such as structured ASICs, and the like; programmable SoCs (PSoCs); and the like. In such implementations, the circuitry of the application circuit 805 may include logic blocks or logic architectures, as well as other interconnected resources that may be programmed to perform various functions, such as the processes, methods, functions, and the like of the various embodiments discussed herein. In such an embodiment, the circuitry of the application circuit 805 may include a memory unit (e.g., an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a flash memory, a static memory (e.g., a static random access memory (SRAM), an anti-fuse, etc.)) for storing logic blocks, logic architectures, data, etc. in a look-up table (LUT), etc.

[0118] Baseband circuit 810 may be implemented, for example, as a solder-in substrate including one or more integrated circuits, a single packaged integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board, or a multi-chip module containing two or more integrated circuits. Fig.10 The various hardware electronic components of baseband circuit 810 are discussed.

[0119] The user interface circuit 850 may include one or more user interfaces designed to enable a user to interact with the system 800 or a peripheral component interface designed to enable a peripheral component to interact with the system 800. The user interface may include, but is not limited to, one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), one or more indicators (e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs)), a physical keyboard or keypad, a mouse, a touch pad, a touch screen, a speaker or other audio transmitting device, a microphone, a printer, a scanner, a headset, a display screen or display device, etc. The peripheral component interface may include, but is not limited to, a non-volatile memory port, a universal serial bus (USB) port, an audio jack, a power interface, etc.

[0120] The radio front end module (RFEM) 815 may include a millimeter wave (mmWave) RFEM and one or more sub-millimeter wave radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). In some implementations, the one or more sub-millimeter wave RFICs may be physically separated from the mmWave RFEM. The RFIC may include connections to one or more antennas or antenna arrays (see, e.g., below). Fig.10Antenna array 10111), and RFEM can be connected to multiple antennas. In an alternative embodiment, both millimeter wave and sub-millimeter wave radio functions can be implemented in the same physical RFEM 815 that combines both millimeter wave antennas and sub-millimeter waves.

[0121] The memory circuit 820 may include one or more of the following: a volatile memory including a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and / or a synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), a non-volatile memory (NVM) including a high-speed electrically erasable memory (commonly referred to as a "flash memory"), a phase change random access memory (PRAM), a magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), etc., and may be combined with and The memory circuit 820 may be implemented as one or more of: a solder-in package integrated circuit, a socket memory module, and a plug-in memory card.

[0122] The PMIC 825 may include a voltage regulator, a surge protector, a power alarm detection circuit, and one or more backup power sources, such as a battery or capacitor. The power alarm detection circuit may detect one or more of a brownout (undervoltage) and a surge (overvoltage) condition. The power tee circuit 830 may provide power extracted from a network cable to provide both power and data connections for the infrastructure equipment 800 using a single cable.

[0123] The network controller circuit 835 may provide connectivity to the network using a standard network interface protocol such as Ethernet, Ethernet based on a GRE tunnel, Ethernet based on a multi-protocol label switching (MPLS), or some other suitable protocol. A physical connection may be used to provide a network connection to / from the infrastructure equipment 800 via a network interface connector 840, which may be an electrical connection (commonly referred to as a "copper interconnect"), an optical connection, or a wireless connection. The network controller circuit 835 may include one or more dedicated processors and / or FPGAs for communicating using one or more of the aforementioned protocols. In some implementations, the network controller circuit 835 may include multiple controllers for providing connectivity to other networks using the same or different protocols.

[0124] The positioning circuit 845 includes a circuit for receiving and decoding signals transmitted / broadcasted by a positioning network of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS). Examples of navigation satellite constellations (or GNSS) include the United States' Global Positioning System (GPS), Russia's Global Navigation System (GLONASS), the European Union's Galileo system, China's Beidou Navigation Satellite System, regional navigation systems or GNSS augmentation systems (e.g., using the Indian constellation (NAVIC), Japan's Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS), France's Doppler Orbit Chart and Satellite Integrated Radio Positioning (DORIS), etc. for navigation), etc. The positioning circuit 845 may include various hardware elements (e.g., including hardware devices such as switches, filters, amplifiers, antenna elements, etc. for facilitating OTA communications) to communicate with components of the positioning network such as navigation satellite constellation nodes. In some embodiments, the positioning circuit 845 may include a micro technology (micro PNT) IC for positioning, navigation, and timing that uses a master timing clock to perform position tracking / estimation without GNSS assistance. The positioning circuit 845 may also be part of or interact with the baseband circuit 810 and / or RFEM 815 to communicate with nodes and components of the positioning network. The positioning circuit 845 may also provide location data and / or time data to the application circuit 805, which may use the data to synchronize operations with various infrastructures (e.g., RAN node 511, etc.).

[0125] Figure 8 The components shown may communicate with each other using interface circuitry that may include any number of bus and / or interconnect (IX) technologies, such as Industry Standard Architecture (ISA), Extended ISA (EISA), Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI), Peripheral Component Interconnect Extended (PCIx), PCI express (PCIe), or any number of other technologies. The bus / IX may be a proprietary bus, such as used in SoC-based systems. Other bus / IX systems may be included, such as I 2 C interface, SPI interface, point-to-point interface and power bus, etc.

[0126] Fig. 9 An example of a platform 900 (or "device 900") according to various embodiments is shown. In an embodiment, the computer platform 900 may be suitable for use as a UE 501, 601, 701, an application server 530, and / or any other element / device discussed herein. The platform 900 may include any combination of components shown in the example. The components of the platform 900 may be implemented as an integrated circuit (IC), part of an IC, a discrete electronic device, or other modules, logic, hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof adapted in the computer platform 900, or as components otherwise incorporated within a chassis of a larger system. Fig. 9The block diagram is intended to show a high-level view of the components of computer platform 900. However, some of the components shown may be omitted, additional components may be present, and different arrangements of the components shown may occur in other implementations.

[0127] The application circuit 905 includes circuits such as, but not limited to, one or more processors (or processor cores), cache memory, and LDO, interrupt controller, serial interface (such as SPI), I 2 C or general programmable serial interface module, RTC, timer (including interval timer and watchdog timer), general I / O, memory card controller (such as SD MMC or similar controller), USB interface, MIPI interface and JTAG test access port. The processor (or core) of the application circuit 905 can be coupled with or can include a memory / storage element, and can be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage element to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the system 900. In some specific implementations, the memory / storage element can be an on-chip memory circuit, which can include any suitable volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, EPROM, EEPROM, flash memory, solid-state memory and / or any other type of memory device technology, such as those discussed herein.

[0128] The processor 805 of the application circuit may include, for example, one or more processor cores, one or more application processors, one or more GPUs, one or more RISC processors, one or more ARM processors, one or more CISC processors, one or more DSPs, one or more FPGAs, one or more PLDs, one or more ASICs, one or more microprocessors or controllers, multi-threaded processors, ultra-low voltage processors, embedded processors, some other known processing elements, or any suitable combination thereof. In some embodiments, the application circuit 805 may include or may be a dedicated processor / controller for operating according to various embodiments herein.

[0129] As an example, the processor of the application circuit 905 may include a processor based on Architecture Core TM Processors such as Quark TM 、Atom TM , i3, i5, i7 or MCU class processors, or available from Santa Clara, CA The processor of application circuit 905 may also be one or more of the following: Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) Processor or Accelerated Processing Unit (APU); from Inc.'s A5-A9 processors, Snapdragon by Technologies, Inc. TM Processor, Texas Instruments, Open Multimedia Applications Platform(OMAP) TM processors; MIPS-based designs from MIPS Technologies, Inc., such as the MIPS Warrior M-class, Warrior I-class, and Warrior P-class processors; ARM-based designs licensed from ARM Holdings, Ltd., such as the ARM Cortex-A, Cortex-R, and Cortex-M series processors; etc. In some implementations, the application circuit 905 can be part of a system on a chip (SoC), in which the application circuit 905 and other components are formed as a single integrated circuit or a single package, such as company( Edison Corporation TM or Galileo TM SoC board.

[0130] Additionally or alternatively, the application circuit 905 may include circuits such as, but not limited to, one or more field programmable devices (FPDs) such as FPGAs, etc.; programmable logic devices (PLDs) such as complex PLDs (CPLDs), high capacity PLDs (HCPLDs), etc.; ASICs such as structured ASICs, etc.; programmable SoCs (PSoCs); etc. In such embodiments, the circuits of the application circuit 905 may include logic blocks or logic structures, and other interconnected resources that can be programmed to perform various functions such as the processes, methods, functions, etc. of the various embodiments discussed herein. In such embodiments, the circuits of the application circuit 905 may include memory cells (e.g., erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, static memory (e.g., static random access memory (SRAM), anti-fuse, etc.)) for storing logic blocks, logic structures, data, etc. in a lookup table (LUT), etc.

[0131] Baseband circuit 910 may be implemented, for example, as a solder-in substrate including one or more integrated circuits, a single packaged integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board, or a multi-chip module containing two or more integrated circuits. Fig.10 The various hardware electronic components of baseband circuit 910 are discussed.

[0132] The RFEM 915 may include a millimeter wave (mmWave) RFEM and one or more sub-millimeter wave radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs). In some implementations, the one or more sub-millimeter wave RFICs may be physically separated from the mmWave RFEM. The RFIC may include connections to one or more antennas or antenna arrays (see, e.g., below). Fig.10 Antenna array 1011), and the RFEM can be connected to multiple antennas. In an alternative embodiment, both millimeter wave and sub-millimeter wave radio functions can be implemented in the same physical RFEM 915 that combines both millimeter wave antennas and sub-millimeter waves.

[0133] The memory circuit 920 may include any number and type of memory devices for providing a quantitative system memory. For example, the memory circuit 920 may include one or more of the following: volatile memory, including random access memory (RAM), dynamic RAM (DRAM) and / or synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM); and non-volatile memory (NVM), including high-speed electrically erasable memory (commonly referred to as flash memory), phase change random access memory (PRAM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), etc. The memory circuit 920 may be developed according to the Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC) based low power double data rate (LPDDR) design such as LPDDR2, LPDDR3, LPDDR4, etc. The memory circuit 920 may be implemented as one or more of a solder-in package integrated circuit, a single die package (SDP), a dual die package (DDP), or a quad die package (Q17P), a socketed memory module, a dual in-line memory module (DIMM) including a micro DIMM or a mini DIMM, and / or soldered to a motherboard via a ball grid array (BGA). In a low-power implementation, the memory circuit 920 may be an on-chip memory or register associated with the application circuit 905. In order to provide persistent storage of information such as data, applications, operating systems, etc., the memory circuit 920 may include one or more mass storage devices, which may include, among others, a solid state disk drive (SSDD), a hard disk drive (HDD), a micro HDD, a resistive change memory, a phase change memory, a holographic memory, or a chemical memory. For example, the computer platform 900 may be combined with a computer system obtained from and Three-dimensional (3D) cross-point (XPOINT) memory.

[0134] Removable memory circuitry 923 may include devices, circuitry, housings / casings, ports or receptacles, etc., for coupling portable data storage devices to platform 900. These portable data storage devices may be used for mass storage, and may include, for example, flash memory cards (e.g., Secure Digital (SD) cards, micro SD cards, xD picture cards, etc.), as well as USB flash drives, optical disks, external HDDs, etc.

[0135] The platform 900 may further include an interface circuit (not shown) for connecting external devices to the platform 900. External devices connected to the platform 900 via the interface circuit include a sensor circuit 921 and an electromechanical component (EMC) 922, and a removable memory device coupled to a removable memory circuit 923.

[0136] Sensor circuitry 921 comprises a device, module, or subsystem that is intended to detect events or changes in its environment, and to send information about the detected events (sensor data) to some other device, module, subsystem, etc. Examples of such sensors include, among others: an inertial measurement unit (IMU) including an accelerometer, gyroscope, and / or magnetometer; a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) or nanoelectromechanical system (NEMS) including a 3-axis accelerometer, a 3-axis gyroscope, and / or a magnetometer; a level sensor; a flow sensor; a temperature sensor (e.g., a thermistor); a pressure sensor; a barometric pressure sensor; a gravity meter; an altimeter; an image capture device (e.g., a camera or lensless aperture); a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) sensor; a proximity sensor (e.g., an infrared radiation detector, etc.), a depth sensor, an ambient light sensor, an ultrasonic transceiver; a microphone or other similar audio capture device; etc.

[0137] The EMC 922 includes devices, modules or subsystems that are intended to enable the platform 900 to change its state, position and / or orientation or to move or control a mechanism or (sub) system. In addition, the EMC 922 may be configured to generate messages / signaling and send messages / signaling to other components of the platform 900 to indicate the current state of the EMC 922. Examples of the EMC 922 include one or more power switches, relays (including electromechanical relays (EMRs) and / or solid-state relays (SSRs)), actuators (e.g., valve actuators, etc.), audible sound generators, visual warning devices, motors (e.g., DC motors, stepper motors, etc.), wheels, thrusters, propellers, claws, clamps, hooks and / or other similar electromechanical components. In an embodiment, the platform 900 is configured to operate one or more EMCs 922 based on one or more capture events and / or instructions or control signals received from a service provider and / or various clients.

[0138] In some specific implementations, the interface circuit may connect the platform 900 to the positioning circuit 945. The positioning circuit 945 includes a circuit for receiving and decoding signals transmitted / broadcasted by the positioning network of the GNSS. Examples of navigation satellite constellations (or GNSS) may include the GPS of the United States, the GLONASS of Russia, the Galileo system of the European Union, the Beidou navigation satellite system of China, regional navigation systems or GNSS augmentation systems (e.g., NAVIC, QZSS of Japan, DORIS of France, etc.), etc. The positioning circuit 945 includes various hardware elements (e.g., including hardware devices such as switches, filters, amplifiers, antenna elements, etc. for facilitating OTA communication) to communicate with components of the positioning network such as navigation satellite constellation nodes. In some embodiments, the positioning circuit 945 may include a micro PNT IC that uses a master timing clock to perform position tracking / estimation without GNSS assistance. The positioning circuit 945 may also be part of the baseband circuit 810 and / or the RFEM 915 or interact with it to communicate with nodes and components of the positioning network. Positioning circuitry 945 may also provide position data and / or time data to application circuitry 905 , which may use the data to synchronize operations with various infrastructure (eg, radio base stations) for use in turn-by-turn navigation applications, and the like.

[0139] In some implementations, the interface circuit may connect the platform 900 with a near field communication (NFC) circuit 940. The NFC circuit 940 is configured to provide contactless short-range communication based on the radio frequency identification (RFID) standard, wherein magnetic field induction is used to enable communication between the NFC circuit 940 and an NFC-enabled device (e.g., an "NFC touch point") external to the platform 900. The NFC circuit 940 includes an NFC controller coupled to an antenna element and a processor coupled to the NFC controller. The NFC controller may be a chip / IC that provides NFC functionality to the NFC circuit 940 by executing NFC controller firmware and an NFC stack. The NFC stack may be executed by the processor to control the NFC controller, and the NFC controller firmware may be executed by the NFC controller to control the antenna element to transmit a short-range RF signal. The RF signal may power a passive NFC tag (e.g., a microchip embedded in a sticker or wristband) to transfer stored data to the NFC circuit 940, or initiate data transfer between the NFC circuit 940 and another active NFC device (e.g., a smartphone or an NFC-enabled POS terminal) proximate to the platform 900.

[0140] The driver circuit 946 may include software and hardware elements for controlling specific devices embedded in, attached to, or otherwise communicatively coupled to the platform 900. The driver circuit 946 may include various drivers to allow other components of the platform 900 to interact with or control various input / output (I / O) devices that may be present in or connected to the platform 900. For example, the driver circuit 946 may include: a display driver for controlling and allowing access to a display device, a touch screen driver for controlling and allowing access to a touch screen interface of the platform 900, a sensor driver for obtaining sensor readings of the sensor circuit 921 and controlling and allowing access to the sensor circuit 921, an EMC driver for obtaining an actuator position of the EMC 922 and / or controlling and allowing access to the EMC 922, a camera driver for controlling and allowing access to an embedded image capture device, and an audio driver for controlling and allowing access to one or more audio devices.

[0141] A power management integrated circuit (PMIC) 925 (also referred to as “power management circuit 925”) may manage power provided to various components of the platform 900. Specifically, the PMIC 925 may control power selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion relative to the baseband circuit 910. When the platform 900 is capable of being powered by a battery 930, for example, when the device is included in a UE 501, 601, 701, the PMIC 925 may be generally included.

[0142] In some embodiments, the PMIC 925 may control or otherwise be part of various power saving mechanisms of the platform 900. For example, if the platform 900 is in the RRC_Connected state, in which the platform is still connected to the RAN node because it expects to receive traffic soon, then after a period of inactivity, the platform may enter a state known as discontinuous reception mode (DRX). During this state, the platform 900 may be powered off for short time intervals, thereby saving power. If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, the platform 900 may transition to the RRC_Idle state, in which the device is disconnected from the network and no operations such as channel quality feedback, handover, etc. are performed. The platform 900 enters a very low power state and performs paging, in which the device wakes up periodically again to listen to the network and then powers off again. The platform 900 may not receive data in this state; in order to receive data, the platform must transition back to the RRC_Connected state. Additional power saving modes may prevent the device from using the network for longer than the paging interval (ranging from a few seconds to a few hours). During this time, the device is completely unable to connect to the network and can be completely powered off. Any data sent during this time will be significantly delayed, and it is assumed that the delay is acceptable.

[0143] The battery 930 can power the platform 900, but in some examples, the platform 900 can be mounted in a fixed location and can have a power source coupled to a power grid. The battery 930 can be a lithium-ion battery, a metal-air battery such as a zinc-air battery, an aluminum-air battery, a lithium-air battery, etc. In some implementations, such as in V2X applications, the battery 930 can be a typical lead-acid car battery.

[0144] In some implementations, the battery 930 may be a "smart battery" that includes or is coupled to a battery management system (BMS) or a battery monitoring integrated circuit. The BMS may be included in the platform 900 to track the state of charge (SoCh) of the battery 930. The BMS may be used to monitor other parameters of the battery 930, such as the state of health (SoH) and state of function (SoF) of the battery 930 to provide fault prediction. The BMS may transmit information about the battery 930 to the application circuit 905 or other components of the platform 900. The BMS may also include an analog-to-digital (ADC) converter that allows the application circuit 905 to directly monitor the voltage of the battery 930 or the current from the battery 930. The battery parameters may be used to determine actions that the platform 900 may perform, such as transmission frequency, network operation, sensing frequency, etc.

[0145] A power block or other power source coupled to the grid can be coupled to the BMS to charge the battery 930. In some examples, the power block XS30 can be replaced with a wireless power receiver to obtain power wirelessly, for example, through a loop antenna in the computer platform 900. In these examples, a wireless battery charging circuit can be included in the BMS. The specific charging circuit selected can depend on the size of the battery 930 and therefore on the required current. Charging can be performed using the aviation fuel standard published by the Aviation Fuel Alliance, the Qi wireless charging standard published by the Wireless Power Alliance, or the Rezence charging standard published by the Wireless Power Alliance.

[0146] The user interface circuit 950 includes various input / output (I / O) devices present in or connected to the platform 900, and includes one or more user interfaces designed to implement user interaction with the platform 900 and / or a peripheral component interface designed to implement interaction with the peripheral components of the platform 900. The user interface circuit 950 includes input device circuits and output device circuits. The input device circuit includes any physical or virtual means for accepting input, including, in particular, one or more physical or virtual buttons (e.g., a reset button), a physical keyboard, a keypad, a mouse, a touchpad, a touch screen, a microphone, a scanner, a headset, etc. The output device circuit includes any physical or virtual means for displaying information or otherwise conveying information (such as sensor readings, actuator positions, or other similar information). The output device circuitry may include any number and / or combination of audio or visual displays, including, in particular, one or more simple visual outputs / indicators (e.g., binary status indicators (e.g., light emitting diodes (LEDs)) and multi-character visual outputs, or more complex outputs, such as display devices or touch screens (e.g., liquid crystal displays (LCDs), LED displays, quantum dot displays, projectors, etc.), where outputs of characters, graphics, multimedia objects, etc. are generated or produced by the operation of the platform 900. The output device circuitry may also include speakers or other audio emitting devices, printers, etc. In some embodiments, the sensor circuitry 921 may be used as an input device circuitry (e.g., an image capture device, a motion capture device, etc.) and one or more EMCs may be used as output device circuitry (e.g., an actuator for providing tactile feedback, etc.). In another example, an NFC circuit may be included to read an electronic tag and / or connect to another NFC-enabled device, the NFC circuitry including an NFC controller and a processing device coupled to an antenna element. The peripheral component interface may include, but is not limited to, a non-volatile memory port, a USB port, an audio jack, a power interface, etc.

[0147] Although not shown, the components of platform 900 may communicate with each other using a suitable bus or interconnect (IX) technology, which may include any number of technologies, including ISA, EISA, PCI, PCIx, PCIe, a time-triggered protocol (TTP) system, a FlexRay system, or any number of other technologies. The bus / IX may be a proprietary bus / IX, such as used in SoC-based systems. Other bus / IX systems, such as I 2 C interface, SPI interface, point-to-point interface and power bus, etc.

[0148] Fig.10 1 and 10. Exemplary components of a baseband circuit 100 and a radio front end module (RFEM) 1015 are shown according to various embodiments. The baseband circuit 1010 corresponds to Figure 8 The baseband circuit 810 and Fig. 9 Baseband circuit 910. RFEM 1015 corresponds to Figure 8 RFEM 815 and Fig. 9 RFEM 915. As shown, RFEM 1015 may include radio frequency (RF) circuit 1006, front end module (FEM) circuit 1008, and antenna array 1011 coupled together at least as shown.

[0149] The baseband circuit 1010 includes circuits and / or control logic components that are configured to execute various radio / network protocols and radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuit 1006. The radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some embodiments, the modulation / demodulation circuit of the baseband circuit 1010 may include fast Fourier transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping / demapping functions. In some embodiments, the encoding / decoding circuit of the baseband circuit 1010 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or low-density parity check (LDPC) encoder / decoder functions. The implementation of the modulation / demodulation and encoder / decoder functions is not limited to these examples, and may include other suitable functions in other embodiments. The baseband circuit 1010 is configured to process baseband signals received from the receive signal path of the RF circuit 1006 and generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path of the RF circuit 1006. The baseband circuit 1010 is configured to communicate with the application circuit 805 / 905 (see Figure 8 and Fig. 9 ) to generate and process baseband signals and control the operation of RF circuit 1006. Baseband circuit 1010 can handle various radio control functions.

[0150] The aforementioned circuits and / or control logic components of the baseband circuit 1010 may include one or more single-core or multi-core processors. For example, the one or more processors may include a 3G baseband processor 1004A, a 4G / LTE baseband processor 1004B, a 5G / NR baseband processor 1004C, or some other baseband processors 1004D for other existing generations, generations under development or generations to be developed in the future (e.g., the sixth generation (6G), etc.). In other embodiments, some or all of the functions of the baseband processors 1004A-1004D may be included in a module stored in the memory 1004G and executed via a central processing unit (CPU) 1004E. In other embodiments, some or all of the functions of the baseband processors 1004A-1004D may be provided as a hardware accelerator (e.g., FPGA, ASIC, etc.) loaded with an appropriate bitstream or logic block stored in a corresponding memory unit. In various embodiments, the memory 1004G may store program code of a real-time OS (RTOS), which, when executed by the CPU 1004E (or other baseband processor), will enable the CPU 1004E (or other baseband processor) to manage resources of the baseband circuit 1010, schedule tasks, etc. Examples of RTOS may include: Operating System Embedded (OSE) provided TM , by Mentor Nucleus RTOS provided TM , by Mentor Versatile Real-Time Executive (VRTX) provided by Express Provided by ThreadX TM ,Depend on FreeRTOS and REX OS provided by Open OKL4 is provided, or any other suitable RTOS, such as those discussed herein. In addition, the baseband circuit 1010 includes one or more audio digital signal processors (DSPs) 1004F. The audio DSP 1004F includes elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation, and may include other suitable processing elements in other embodiments.

[0151] In some embodiments, each of processors 1004A-1004E includes a corresponding memory interface to send data to / receive data from memory 1004G. Baseband circuit 1010 may also include one or more interfaces for communicatively coupling to other circuits / devices, such as an interface for sending data to / receiving data from a memory external to baseband circuit 1010; an interface for sending data to / receiving data from a memory external to the baseband circuit; Figures 8 to 10 An application circuit interface for sending data to / receiving data from the application circuit 805 / 905; Fig.10 RF circuit 1006 to send data / receive data from the RF circuit RF circuit interface; for receiving data from one or more wireless hardware elements (e.g., near field communication (NFC) components, Low power consumption components, components, etc.) to send data / receive data from these wireless hardware elements; and a power management interface for sending power or control signals to / receiving power or control signals from the PMIC 925.

[0152] In an alternative embodiment (which can be combined with the above embodiment), the baseband circuit 1010 includes one or more digital baseband systems, which are coupled to each other and to the CPU subsystem, the audio subsystem and the interface subsystem via an interconnect subsystem. The digital baseband subsystem can also be coupled to the digital baseband interface and the mixed signal baseband subsystem via another interconnect subsystem. Each of the interconnect subsystems may include a bus system, a point-to-point connector, a network on chip (NOC) structure and / or some other suitable bus or interconnect technology, such as those discussed herein. The audio subsystem may include a DSP circuit, a buffer memory, a program memory, a voice processing accelerator circuit, a data converter circuit such as an analog-to-digital converter circuit and a digital-to-analog converter circuit, an analog circuit including one or more of an amplifier and a filter, and / or other similar components. In one aspect of the present disclosure, the baseband circuit 1010 may include a protocol processing circuit with one or more control circuit instances (not shown) to provide control functions for the digital baseband circuit and / or the radio frequency circuit (e.g., the radio front end module 1015).

[0153] although Fig.10Not shown, but in some embodiments, the baseband circuit 1010 includes various processing devices (e.g., "multi-protocol baseband processor" or "protocol processing circuit") to operate one or more wireless communication protocols and various processing devices to implement PHY layer functions. In these embodiments, the PHY layer functions include the aforementioned radio control functions. In these embodiments, the protocol processing circuit operates or implements various protocol layers / entities of one or more wireless communication protocols. In a first example, when the baseband circuit 1010 and / or the RF circuit 1006 are part of a millimeter wave communication circuit or some other suitable cellular communication circuit, the protocol processing circuit may operate LTE protocol entities and / or 5G / NR protocol entities. In a first example, the protocol processing circuit will operate MAC, RLC, PDCP, SDAP, RRC, and NAS functions. In a second example, when the baseband circuit 1010 and / or the RF circuit 1006 are part of a Wi-Fi communication system, the protocol processing circuit may operate one or more IEEE-based protocols. In a second example, the protocol processing circuit will operate Wi-Fi MAC and logical link control (LLC) functions. The protocol processing circuit may include one or more memory structures (e.g., 1004G) for storing program code and data for operating protocol functions, and one or more processing cores for executing program code and performing various operations using data. The baseband circuit 1010 may also support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol.

[0154] The various hardware elements of the baseband circuit 1010 discussed herein may be implemented as, for example, a solder-in substrate including one or more integrated circuits (ICs), a single packaged integrated circuit soldered to a main circuit board, or a multi-chip module containing two or more ICs. In one example, the components of the baseband circuit 1010 may be appropriately combined in a single chip or a single chipset, or disposed on the same circuit board. In another example, some or all of the components of the baseband circuit 1010 and the RF circuit 1006 may be implemented together, such as, for example, a system on a chip (SOC) or a system-in-package (SiP). In another example, some or all of the components of the baseband circuit 1010 may be implemented as a separate SoC communicatively coupled to the RF circuit 1006 (or multiple instances of the RF circuit 1006). In yet another example, some or all of the components of the baseband circuit 1010 and the application circuit 805 / 905 may be implemented together as a separate SoC mounted to the same circuit board (e.g., a "multi-chip package").

[0155] In some embodiments, the baseband circuit 1010 may provide communications compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuit 1010 may support communications with E-UTRAN or other WMANs, WLANs, WPANs. Embodiments in which the baseband circuit 1010 is configured to support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuits.

[0156] RF circuit 1006 may enable communication with a wireless network through a non-solid medium using modulated electromagnetic radiation. In various embodiments, RF circuit 1006 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate communication with a wireless network. RF circuit 1006 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuits for down-converting RF signals received from FEM circuit 1008 and providing baseband signals to baseband circuit 1010. RF circuit 1006 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuits for up-converting baseband signals provided by baseband circuit 1010 and providing RF output signals for transmission to FEM circuit 1008.

[0157] In some embodiments, the receive signal path of the RF circuit 1006 may include a mixer circuit 1006a, an amplifier circuit 1006b, and a filter circuit 1006c. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of the RF circuit 1006 may include a filter circuit 1006c and the mixer circuit 1006a. The RF circuit 1006 may also include a synthesizer circuit 1006d for synthesizing frequencies used by the mixer circuit 1006a of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1006a of the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert the RF signal received from the FEM circuit 1008 based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 1006d. The amplifier circuit 1006b may be configured to amplify the down-converted signal, and the filter circuit 1006c may be a low pass filter (LPF) or a band pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signal to generate an output baseband signal. The output baseband signal may be provided to baseband circuit 1010 for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signal may be a zero frequency baseband signal, although this is not required. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1006a of the receive signal path may include a passive mixer, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this regard.

[0158] In some embodiments, mixer circuit 1006a of the transmit signal path may be configured to upconvert an input baseband signal based on a synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuit 1006d to generate an RF output signal for FEM circuit 1008. The baseband signal may be provided by baseband circuit 1010 and may be filtered by filter circuit 1006c.

[0159] In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1006a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1006a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature down-conversion and quadrature up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1006a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1006a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1006a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1006a of the transmit signal path may be arranged for direct down-conversion and direct up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1006a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1006a of the transmit signal path may be configured for superheterodyne operation.

[0160] In some embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, RF circuit 1006 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuits, and baseband circuit 1010 may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with RF circuit 1006.

[0161] In some dual-mode embodiments, separate radio IC circuits may be provided to process signals for each spectrum, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

[0162] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 1006d may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect, as other types of frequency synthesizers may also be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 1006d may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0163] Synthesizer circuit 1006d may be configured to synthesize an output frequency based on a frequency input and a divider control input for use by mixer circuit 1006a of RF circuit 1006. In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 1006d may be a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer.

[0164] In some embodiments, the frequency input may be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), although this is not required. The divider control input may be provided by the baseband circuit 1010 or the application circuit 805 / 905 according to the desired output frequency. In some embodiments, the divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a lookup table based on the channel indicated by the application circuit 805 / 905.

[0165] The synthesizer circuit 1006d of the RF circuit 1006 may include a frequency divider, a delay locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer, and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the frequency divider may be a dual-mode frequency divider (DMD), and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by N or N+1 (e.g., based on a carry) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, the DLL may include a cascaded, tunable, delay element, a phase detector, a charge pump, and a set of D-type flip-flops. In these embodiments, the delay element may be configured to divide the VCO cycle into Nd equal phase groups, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this way, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

[0166] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuit 1006d can be configured to generate a carrier frequency as an output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency can be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and can be used with a quadrature generator and divider circuit to generate multiple signals with multiple different phases relative to each other at the carrier frequency. In some embodiments, the output frequency can be the LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, the RF circuit 1006 can include an IQ / polarity converter.

[0167] FEM circuitry 1008 may include a receive signal path that may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from antenna array 1011, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to RF circuitry 1006 for further processing. FEM circuitry 1008 may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry configured to amplify transmit signals provided by RF circuitry 1006 for transmission by one or more antenna elements in antenna array 1011. In various embodiments, amplification by the transmit or receive signal paths may be accomplished only in RF circuitry 1006, only in FEM circuitry 1008, or in both RF circuitry 1006 and FEM circuitry 1008.

[0168] In some embodiments, the FEM circuit 1008 may include a TX / RX switch to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEM circuit 1008 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuit 1008 may include an LNA to amplify the received RF signal and provide the amplified received RF signal as an output (e.g., to the RF circuit 1006). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuit 1008 may include a power amplifier (PA) for amplifying the input RF signal (e.g., provided by the RF circuit 1006), and one or more filters for generating an RF signal for subsequent transmission by one or more antenna elements of the antenna array 1011.

[0169] The antenna array 1011 includes one or more antenna elements, each of which is configured to convert an electrical signal into a radio wave to travel through the air and convert the received radio wave into an electrical signal. For example, a digital baseband signal provided by the baseband circuit 1010 is converted into an analog RF signal (e.g., a modulated waveform), which is amplified and transmitted via the antenna elements of the antenna array 1011 including one or more antenna elements (not shown). The antenna elements may be omnidirectional, directional, or a combination thereof. The antenna elements may be formed into a variety of arrangements as known and / or discussed herein. The antenna array 1011 may include a microstrip antenna or a printed antenna fabricated on the surface of one or more printed circuit boards. The antenna array 1011 may be formed as a patch of metal foil of various shapes (e.g., a patch antenna) and may be coupled to the RF circuit 1006 and / or the FEM circuit 1008 using a metal transmission line or the like.

[0170] The processor of the application circuit 805 / 905 and the processor of the baseband circuit 1010 can be used to execute elements of one or more instances of the protocol stack. For example, the processor of the baseband circuit 1010 can be used alone or in combination to perform layer 3, layer 2, or layer 1 functions, while the processor of the application circuit 805 / 905 can utilize data received from these layers (e.g., packet data) and further perform layer 4 functions (e.g., TCP and UDP layers). As mentioned herein, layer 3 may include an RRC layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 2 may include a MAC layer, an RLC layer, and a PDCP layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 1 may include a PHY layer of a UE / RAN node, which will be described in further detail below.

[0171] Fig.11 Various protocol functions that can be implemented in a wireless communication device according to various embodiments are shown. Specifically, Fig.11The present invention includes an arrangement 1100 showing the interconnection between various protocol layers / entities. Various protocol layers / entities operating in conjunction with 5G / NR system standards and LTE system standards are provided. Fig.11 The following description, but Fig.11 Some or all aspects of the invention may also be applicable to other wireless communication network systems.

[0172] In addition to other higher layer functions not shown, the protocol layers of arrangement 1100 may also include one or more of PHY 1110, MAC 1120, RLC 1130, PDCP 1140, SDAP 1147, RRC 1155, and NAS layer 1157. These protocol layers may include one or more service access points (e.g., Fig.11 Items 1159, 1156, 1150, 1149, 1145, 1135, 1125 and 1115).

[0173] PHY 1110 can send and receive physical layer signals 1105, which can be received or sent from one or more other communication devices to one or more other communication devices. Physical layer signals 1105 may include one or more physical channels, such as those discussed herein. PHY 1110 may also perform link adaptation or adaptive modulation and coding (AMC), power control, cell search (e.g., for initial synchronization and handover purposes) and other measurements used by higher layers (e.g., RRC1155). PHY 1110 may also further perform error detection on transmission channels, forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding of transmission channels, modulation / demodulation of physical channels, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to physical channels and MIMO antenna processing. In an embodiment, an instance of PHY 1110 may process a request from an instance of MAC1120 via one or more PHY-SAP 1115 and provide an indication thereto. According to some embodiments, the request and indication transmitted via PHY-SAP 1115 may include one or more transmission channels.

[0174] An instance of MAC 1120 may process requests from and provide indications to an instance of RLC 1130 via one or more MAC-SAPs 1125. These requests and indications transmitted via MAC-SAP 1125 may include one or more logical channels. MAC 1120 may perform mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing MAC SDUs from one or more logical channels onto TBs to be delivered to PHY 1110 via transport channels, demultiplexing MAC SDUs from TBs delivered from PHY 1110 via transport channels to one or more logical channels, multiplexing MAC SDUs onto TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via HARQ, and logical channel prioritization.

[0175] An instance of RLC 1130 may process requests from an instance of PDCP 1140 and provide indications thereto via one or more radio link control service access points (RLC-SAPs) 1135. These requests and indications transmitted via RLC-SAPs 1135 may include one or more RLC channels. RLC 1130 may operate in a variety of operating modes, including: transparent mode (TM), unacknowledged mode (UM), and acknowledged mode (AM). RLC 1130 may perform transmission of upper layer protocol data units (PDUs), error correction through automatic repeat request (ARQ) for AM data transmission, and concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs for UM and AM data transmission. RLC 1130 may also perform resegmentation of RLC data PDUs for AM data transmission, reorder RLC data PDUs for UM and AM data transmission, detect duplicate data for UM and AM data transmission, discard RLC SDUs for UM and AM data transmission, detect protocol errors for AM data transmission, and perform RLC re-establishment.

[0176] An instance of PDCP 1140 may process requests from an instance of RRC 1155 and / or an instance of SDAP 1147 via one or more Packet Data Convergence Protocol Service Points (PDCP-SAP) 1145 and provide indications thereto. These requests and indications transmitted via PDCP-SAP 1145 may include one or more radio bearers. PDCP 1140 may perform header compression and decompression of IP data, maintain PDCP sequence numbers (SNs), perform in-order delivery of upper layer PDUs when lower layers are reestablished, eliminate duplication of lower layer SDUs when lower layers are reestablished for radio bearers mapped on RLC AM, encrypt and decrypt control plane data, perform integrity protection and integrity verification on control plane data, control timer-based data discard, and perform security operations (e.g., encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification, etc.).

[0177] An instance of SDAP 1147 may process requests from one or more higher layer protocol entities and provide instructions thereto via one or more SDAP-SAPs 1149. These requests and instructions transmitted via SDAP-SAPs 1149 may include one or more QoS flows. SDAP 1147 may map QoS flows to DRBs and vice versa, and may also mark QFIs in DL and UL packets. A single SDAP entity 1147 may be configured for a separate PDU session. In the UL direction, NG-RAN 510 may control the mapping of QoS flows to DRBs in two different ways (reflective mapping or explicit mapping). For reflective mapping, SDAP 1147 of UE 501 may monitor the QFI of the DL packets of each DRB, and may apply the same mapping to packets flowing in the UL direction. For DRBs, SDAP 1147 of UE 501 may map UL packets belonging to a QoS flow corresponding to the QoS flow ID and PDU session observed in the DL packets of the DRB. To implement the reflective mapping, the NG-RAN 710 may mark the DL packets with a QoS flow ID over the Uu interface. The explicit mapping may involve the RRC 1155 configuring the SDAP 1147 with explicit mapping rules of QoS flows to DRBs, which may be stored and followed by the SDAP 1147. In an embodiment, the SDAP 1147 may be used only in NR implementations and may not be used in LTE implementations.

[0178] The RRC 1155 may configure aspects of one or more protocol layers, which may include one or more instances of PHY 1110, MAC 1120, RLC 1130, PDCP 1140, and SDAP 1147, via one or more Management Service Access Points (M-SAPs). In an embodiment, an instance of the RRC 1155 may process requests from one or more NAS entities 1157 and provide instructions thereto via one or more RRC-SAPs 1156. The main services and functions of the RRC 1155 may include broadcasting of system information (e.g., included in a MIB or SIB related to NAS), broadcasting of system information related to the access stratum (AS), paging, establishment, maintenance, and release of an RRC connection between the UE 501 and the RAN 510 (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), establishment, configuration, maintenance, and release of point-to-point radio bearers, security functions including key management, inter-RAT mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting. These MIBs and SIBs may include one or more IEs, each of which may include a separate data field or data structure.

[0179] NAS 1157 may form the highest layer of the control plane between UE 501 and AMF 721. NAS 1157 may support mobility and session management procedures of UE 501 to establish and maintain an IP connection between UE 501 and P-GW in the LTE system.

[0180] According to various embodiments, one or more protocol entities of arrangement 1100 may be implemented in UE 501, RAN node 511, AMF 721 in NR implementation or MME 621 in LTE implementation, UPF 702 in NR implementation or S-GW 622 and P-GW 623 in LTE implementation, etc., for control plane or user plane communication protocol stacks between the aforementioned devices. In such embodiments, one or more protocol entities that may be implemented in one or more of UE 501, gNB 511, AMF 721, etc. may communicate with corresponding peer protocol entities that may be implemented in or on another device (using services of corresponding lower layer protocol entities to perform such communication). In some embodiments, the gNB-CU of gNB 511 may host the RRC 1155, SDAP 1147, and PDCP 1140 of the gNB that control operations of one or more gNB-DUs, and the gNB-DUs of gNB 511 may each host the RLC 1130, MAC 1120, and PHY 1110 of gNB 511.

[0181] In a first example, the control plane protocol stack may include, in order from the highest layer to the lowest layer, NAS 1157, RRC 1155, PDCP 1140, RLC 1130, MAC 1120, and PHY 1110. In this example, an upper layer 1160 may be built on top of NAS 1157, which includes an IP layer 1161, SCTP 1162, and an application layer signaling protocol (AP) 1163.

[0182] In a NR specific implementation, AP 1163 can be an NG application protocol layer (NGAP or NG-AP) 1163 for the NG interface 513 defined between the NG-RAN node 511 and the AMF 721, or AP 1163 can be an Xn application protocol layer (XnAP or Xn-AP) 1163 for the Xn interface 512 defined between two or more RAN nodes 511.

[0183] The NG-AP 1163 may support the functionality of the NG interface 513 and may include an elementary procedure (EP). The NG-AP EP may be an interaction unit between the NG-RAN node 511 and the AMF 721. The NG-AP 1163 services may include two groups: UE-associated services (e.g., services related to the UE 501) and non-UE-associated services (e.g., services related to the entire NG interface instance between the NG-RAN node 511 and the AMF 721). These services may include functions including, but not limited to: a paging function for sending a paging request to the NG-RAN node 511 involved in a specific paging area; a UE context management function for allowing the AMF 721 to establish, modify and / or release the UE context in the AMF 721 and the NG-RAN node 511; a mobility function for the UE 501 in ECM-CONNECTED mode, for intra-system HO to support mobility within the NG-RAN, and for inter-system HO to support mobility from / to the EPS system; a NAS signaling transport function for transmitting or rerouting NAS messages between the UE 501 and the AMF 721; a NAS node selection function for determining the association between the AMF 721 and the UE 501; an NG interface management function for setting up the NG interface and monitoring errors through the NG interface; a warning message sending function for providing a means to transmit a warning message via the NG interface or to cancel an ongoing warning message broadcast; a NAS signaling transport function for transmitting or rerouting NAS messages between the UE 501 and the AMF 721; a NAS node selection function for determining the association between the AMF 721 and the UE 501; a ... 520 Configuration transmission function of requesting and transmitting RAN configuration information (eg, SON information, performance measurement (PM) data, etc.) between two RAN nodes 511; and / or other similar functions.

[0184] The XnAP 1163 may support the functions of the Xn interface 512 and may include XnAP basic mobility procedures and XnAP global procedures. The XnAP basic mobility procedures may include procedures for handling UE mobility within the NG RAN 511 (or E-UTRAN 610), such as handover preparation and cancellation procedures, SN state transfer procedures, UE context retrieval and UE context release procedures, RAN paging procedures, procedures related to dual connectivity, etc. The XnAP global procedures may include procedures that are not related to a specific UE 501, such as Xn interface setup and reset procedures, NG-RAN update procedures, cell activation procedures, etc.

[0185] In an LTE specific implementation, AP 1163 can be an S1 application protocol layer (S1-AP) 1163 for an S1 interface 513 defined between an E-UTRAN node 511 and an MME, or AP 1163 can be an X2 application protocol layer (X2AP or X2-AP) 1163 for an X2 interface 512 defined between two or more E-UTRAN nodes 511.

[0186] The S1 application protocol layer (S1-AP) 1163 may support the functionality of the S1 interface, and similar to the NG-AP discussed previously, the S1-AP may include an S1-AP EP. The S1-AP EP may be an interaction unit between the E-UTRAN node 511 and the MME 621 within the LTE CN 520. The S1-AP 1163 services may include two groups: UE-associated services and non-UE-associated services. The functions performed by these services include, but are not limited to: E-UTRAN Radio Access Bearer (E-RAB) management, UE capability indication, mobility, NAS signaling transmission, RAN Information Management (RIM), and configuration transmission.

[0187] The X2AP 1163 may support the functions of the X2 interface 512 and may include an X2AP basic mobility procedure and an X2AP global procedure. The X2AP basic mobility procedure may include a procedure for handling UE mobility within the E-UTRAN 520, such as a handover preparation and cancellation procedure, an SN status transfer procedure, a UE context retrieval and a UE context release procedure, a RAN paging procedure, a procedure related to dual connectivity, etc. The X2AP global procedure may include a procedure that is not related to a specific UE 501, such as an X2 interface setup and reset procedure, a load indication procedure, an error indication procedure, a cell activation procedure, etc.

[0188] The SCTP layer (alternatively referred to as the SCTP / IP layer) 1162 may provide guaranteed delivery of application layer messages (e.g., NGAP or XnAP messages in NR implementations, or S1-AP or X2AP messages in LTE implementations). The SCTP 1162 may ensure reliable delivery of signaling messages between the RAN node 511 and the AMF 721 / MME 621 based in part on the IP protocol supported by the IP 1161. The Internet Protocol layer (IP) 1161 may be used to perform packet addressing and routing functions. In some implementations, the IP layer 1161 may deliver and transmit PDUs using point-to-point transport. In this regard, the RAN node 511 may include L2 and L1 layer communication links (e.g., wired or wireless) with the MME / AMF to exchange information.

[0189] In a second example, the user plane protocol stack may include SDAP 1147, PDCP 1140, RLC 1130, MAC 1120, and PHY 1110 in order from the highest layer to the lowest layer. The user plane protocol stack may be used for communication between UE 501, RAN node 511, and UPF 702 in NR implementation, or communication between S-GW 622 and P-GW 623 in LTE implementation. In this example, the upper layer 1151 may be built on top of SDAP 1147 and may include a user datagram protocol (UDP) and IP security layer (UDP / IP) 1152, a general packet radio service (GPRS) tunneling protocol for a user plane layer (GTP-U) 1153, and a user plane PDU layer (UPPDU) 1163.

[0190] The transport network layer 1154 (also referred to as the "transport layer") may be built on top of an IP transport, and a GTP-U 1153 may be used on top of a UDP / IP layer 1152 (including a UDP layer and an IP layer) to carry user plane PDUs (UP-PDUs). The IP layer (also referred to as the "Internet layer") may be used to perform packet addressing and routing functions. The IP layer may assign IP addresses to user data packets, for example, in any of the IPv4, IPv6, or PPP formats.

[0191] GTP-U 1153 may be used to carry user data within the GPRS core network and between the radio access network and the core network. For example, the transmitted user data may be packets in any of the IPv4, IPv6, or PPP formats. UDP / IP 1152 may provide checksums for data integrity, port numbers for addressing different functions at the source and destination, and encryption and authentication of selected data flows. The RAN node 511 and the S-GW 622 may utilize the S1-U interface to exchange user plane data via a protocol stack including an L1 layer (e.g., PHY 1110), an L2 layer (e.g., MAC 1120, RLC 1130, PDCP 1140, and / or SDAP 1147), a UDP / IP layer 1152, and a GTP-U 1153. S-GW 622 and P-GW 623 may utilize an S5 / S8a interface to exchange user plane data via a protocol stack including an L1 layer, an L2 layer, a UDP / IP layer 1152, and a GTP-U 1153. As previously discussed, the NAS protocol may support the mobility and session management procedures of UE 501 to establish and maintain an IP connection between UE 501 and P-GW 623.

[0192] In addition, despite Fig.11Not shown, but an application layer may exist above the AP 1163 and / or transport network layer 1154. The application layer may be a layer where a user of the UE 501, RAN node 511, or other network element interacts with a software application, for example, executed by the application circuit 805 or the application circuit 905, respectively. The application layer may also provide one or more interfaces for the software application to interact with the communication system (such as the baseband circuit 1010) of the UE 501 or RAN node 511. In some implementations, the IP layer and / or the application layer may provide the same or similar functionality as layers 5 to 7 of the Open Systems Interconnection (OSI) model, or portions thereof (e.g., OSI layer 7—application layer, OSI layer 6—presentation layer, and OSI layer 5—session layer).

[0193] Fig.12 is a block diagram illustrating components capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable medium or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and performing any one or more of the methods discussed herein, according to some exemplary embodiments. Specifically, Fig.12 A schematic diagram of hardware resources 1200 is shown, including one or more processors (or processor cores) 1210, one or more memory / storage devices 1220, and one or more communication resources 1230, each of which can be communicatively coupled via a bus 1240. For embodiments in which node virtualization (e.g., NFV) is utilized, a hypervisor 1202 may be executed to provide an execution environment for one or more network slices / sub-slices to utilize the hardware resources 1200.

[0194] Processor 1210 may include, for example, processor 1212 and processor 1214. Processor 1210 may be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a DSP such as a baseband processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor (including those discussed herein), or any suitable combination thereof.

[0195] The memory / storage device 1220 may include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. The memory / storage device 1220 may include, but is not limited to, any type of volatile or non-volatile memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state storage, etc.

[0196] The communication resources 1230 may include an interconnect or network interface component or other suitable device to communicate with one or more peripheral devices 1204 or one or more databases 1206 via the network 1208. For example, the communication resources 1230 may include a wired communication component (e.g., for coupling via USB), a cellular communication component, an NFC component, (or Low power consumption) components, components and other communication components.

[0197] The instructions 1250 may include software, programs, applications, applet, applications, or other executable code for causing at least any one of the processors 1210 to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. The instructions 1250 may reside in whole or in part in at least one of the processor 1210 (e.g., in a cache memory of the processor), the memory / storage device 1220, or any suitable combination thereof. In addition, any portion of the instructions 1250 may be transmitted to the hardware resources 1200 from any combination of the peripheral device 1204 or the database 1206. Thus, the memory of the processor 1210, the memory / storage device 1220, the peripheral device 1204, and the database 1206 are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media.

[0198] For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes and / or methods described in the following example section. For example, the baseband circuit described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the following examples. For another example, the circuits associated with the UE, base station, network element, etc. described above in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples shown in the example section below.

[0199] the term

[0200] For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply to the examples and implementations discussed herein.

[0201] The term "circuit" refers to a circuit or a system of multiple circuits configured to perform a specific function in an electronic device. A circuit or circuit system may be part of or include one or more hardware components configured to provide the function, such as a logic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and / or a memory (shared, dedicated, or group), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a programmable logic device (PLD), a complex PLD (CPLD), a high-capacity PLD (HCPLD), a system on a chip (SoC), a system-level package (SiP), a multi-chip package (MCP), a digital signal processor (DSP), etc. In addition, the term "circuit" may also refer to a combination of one or more hardware elements and a program code for executing the function of the program code. Some types of circuits may execute one or more software or firmware programs to provide at least some of the functions. Such a combination of hardware elements and program codes may be referred to as a specific type of circuit.

[0202] As used herein, the term "processor circuit" refers to, is part of, or includes a circuit capable of sequentially and automatically performing a series of arithmetic or logical operations or recording, storing, and / or transmitting digital data. The term "processor circuit" may refer to one or more application processors, one or more baseband processors, a physical central processing unit (CPU), a single-core processor, a dual-core processor, a triple-core processor, a quad-core processor, and / or any other device capable of executing or otherwise operating computer-executable instructions (such as program code, software modules, and / or functional processes). The terms "application circuit" and / or "baseband circuit" may be considered synonymous with "processor circuit" and may be referred to as "processor circuit".

[0203] As used herein, the term "memory" and / or "memory circuit" refers to one or more hardware devices for storing data, including random access memory (RAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM), phase change random access memory (PRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and / or synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), core memory, read-only memory (ROM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash memory devices, or other machine-readable media for storing data. The term "computer-readable medium" may include, but is not limited to, memory, portable or fixed storage devices, optical storage devices, and various other media capable of storing, containing or carrying instructions or data.

[0204] As used herein, the term "interface circuit" refers to a circuit that enables, is a part of, or includes information exchange between two or more components or devices. The term "interface circuit" may refer to one or more hardware interfaces, such as a bus, an I / O interface, a peripheral component interface, a network interface card, etc.

[0205] As used herein, the term "user equipment" or "UE" refers to a device that has radio communication capabilities and can describe a remote user of network resources in a communication network. In addition, the terms "user equipment" or "UE" may be considered synonymous and may be referred to as a client, mobile phone, mobile device, mobile terminal, user terminal, mobile unit, mobile station, mobile user, subscriber, user, remote station, access agent, user agent, receiver, radio equipment, reconfigurable radio equipment, reconfigurable mobile device, etc. In addition, the term "user equipment" or "UE" may include any type of wireless / wired device or any computing device that includes a wireless communication interface.

[0206] As used herein, the term "network element" refers to physical or virtualized equipment and / or infrastructure for providing wired or wireless communication network services. The term "network element" may be considered synonymous with and / or referred to as a networked computer, networking hardware, network equipment, network node, router, switch, hub, bridge, radio network controller, RAN equipment, RAN node, gateway, server, virtualized VNF, NFVI, etc.

[0207] As used herein, the term "computer system" refers to any type of interconnected electronic devices, computer devices, or components thereof. Additionally, the terms "computer system" and / or "system" may refer to various components of a computer that are communicatively coupled to one another. Furthermore, the terms "computer system" and / or "system" may refer to multiple computer devices and / or multiple computing systems that are communicatively coupled to one another and configured to share computing and / or networking resources.

[0208] As used herein, the terms "appliance", "computer appliance", etc. refer to a computer device or computer system with program code (e.g., software or firmware) that is specifically designed to provide specific computing resources. A "virtual appliance" is a virtual machine image to be implemented by a device equipped with a hypervisor that virtualizes or emulates a computer appliance or is otherwise dedicated to providing specific computing resources.

[0209] The term "element" refers to an indivisible unit with well-defined boundaries at a given level of abstraction, where an element may be any type of entity including, for example, one or more devices, systems, controllers, network elements, modules, etc., or a combination thereof.

[0210] The term "device" refers to a physical entity that is embedded within or attached to another physical entity in its vicinity that has the capability to transfer digital information to or from that physical entity.

[0211] The term "entity" refers to the different components of an architecture or device, or the information passed as a payload.

[0212] The term "controller" refers to an element or entity that has the ability to affect a physical entity, such as by changing its state or causing the physical entity to move.

[0213] As used herein, the term "resource" refers to a physical or virtual device, a physical or virtual component within a computing environment, and / or a physical or virtual component within a specific device, such as a computer device, a mechanical device, a memory space, a processor / CPU time and / or a processor / CPU usage rate, a processor and accelerator load, a hardware time or usage rate, a power supply, an input / output operation, a port or a network socket, a channel / link allocation, throughput, memory usage rate, storage, a network, a database and an application, a unit of work, etc. "Hardware resources" may refer to computing, storage and / or network resources provided by physical hardware elements. "Virtualized resources" may refer to computing, storage and / or network resources provided by a virtualized infrastructure to an application, a device, a system, etc. The term "network resources" or "communication resources" may refer to resources that a computer device / system can access via a communication network. The term "system resources" may refer to any kind of shared entity that provides a service, and may include computing resources and / or network resources. System resources may be considered as a set of coherent functions, network data objects or services that can be accessed through a server, wherein such system resources reside on a single host or multiple hosts and can be clearly identified.

[0214] As used herein, the term "channel" refers to any tangible or intangible transmission medium for transmitting data or data streams. The term "channel" may be synonymous and / or equivalent to "communication channel", "data communication channel", "transmission channel", "data transmission channel", "access channel", "data access channel", "link", "data link", "carrier", "radio frequency carrier" and / or any other similar terms representing a path or medium through which data is transmitted. In addition, the term "link" as used herein refers to a connection between two devices for transmitting and receiving information over a RAT.

[0215] As used herein, the term "communication protocol" (wired or wireless) refers to a set of standardized rules or instructions implemented by communication devices and / or systems to communicate with other devices and / or systems, including instructions for packetizing / unpacking data, modulating / demodulating signals, implementing protocol stacks, etc.

[0216] As used herein, the terms "instantiate," "instantiate," and the like refer to the creation of an instance. "Instance" also refers to a specific occurrence of an object, which may occur, for example, during the execution of program code.

[0217] The terms "coupled," "communicatively coupled," and their derivatives are used herein. The term "coupled" may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other, may mean that two or more elements are in indirect contact with each other but still cooperate or interact with each other, and / or may mean that one or more other elements are coupled or connected between the elements said to be coupled to each other. The term "directly coupled" may mean that two or more elements are in direct contact with each other. The term "communicatively coupled" may mean that two or more elements may be in contact with each other by means of communication, including through a wire or other interconnect connection, through a wireless communication channel or link, etc.

[0218] The term "information element" refers to a structural element that contains one or more fields. The term "field" refers to the individual contents of an information element, or a data element that contains the contents.

[0219] The term "admission control" refers to a verification process in a communication system where a check is performed before a connection is established to see if current resources are sufficient for the proposed connection.

[0220] The term "SMTC" refers to the SSB-based measurement timing configuration configured by SSB-MeasurementTimingConfiguration.

[0221] The term "SSB" refers to SS / PBCH block.

[0222] The term "primary cell" refers to an MCG cell operating on a primary frequency, where the UE either performs an initial connection establishment procedure or initiates a connection re-establishment procedure.

[0223] The term "primary SCG cell" refers to an SCG cell in which a UE performs random access when reconfiguration is performed using a synchronization procedure for DC operation.

[0224] The term "secondary cell" refers to a cell that provides additional radio resources on top of a special cell for a UE configured with CA.

[0225] The term "secondary cell group" refers to a subset of serving cells including a PSCell for a UE configured with DC and zero or more secondary cells.

[0226] The term "serving cell" refers to a primary cell for a UE in RRC_CONNECTED without CA / DC configured, where there is only one serving cell including the primary cell.

[0227] The term "serving cell" refers to a cell group including a special cell for a UE configured with CA and in RRC_CONNECTED and all secondary cells.

[0228] The term "special cell" refers to the PCell of the MCG or the PSCell of the SCG for DC operation; otherwise, the term "special cell" refers to the PCell.

[0229] In the above description, the present invention has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments of the present invention. However, it is obvious that various modifications and changes may be made to it without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the description and the drawings should be regarded as having illustrative rather than restrictive meanings. The specific details in the provided description and examples can be used anywhere in one or more embodiments. The various features of different embodiments or examples can be combined differently with some of the included features and other features excluded to adapt to a variety of different applications. Examples may include subjects, such as methods, devices for performing the behavior of the method, at least one machine-readable medium including instructions, which, when executed by a machine, causes the machine to perform the behavior of the method, or the actions of the device or system according to the embodiments and examples described herein. In addition, the various components described herein may be devices for performing the operations or functions described according to the embodiments.

[0230] An embodiment described herein provides a user equipment (UE) comprising a processor configured to: configure the UE to receive one or more repetitions of a transport block (TB) using a first physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) beam; obtain downlink control information (DCI) including one or more transmission configuration indicator (TCI) states; and configure the UE to switch from the first PDSCH beam to a second PDSCH beam different from the first PDSCH beam based at least in part on the one or more TCI states.

[0231] Other embodiments described herein provide a computer-implemented method comprising configuring a UE to receive one or more repetitions of a transport block (TB) using a first physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) beam, obtaining downlink control information (DCI) including one or more transmission configuration indicator (TCI) states, and configuring the UE to switch from the first PDSCH beam to a second PDSCH beam different from the first PDSCH beam based at least in part on the one or more TCI states.

[0232] Other embodiments described herein provide a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor, configure the processor to: configure the UE to receive one or more repetitions of a transport block (TB) using a first physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) beam, obtain downlink control information (DCI) including one or more transmission configuration indicator (TCI) states, and configure the UE to switch from the first PDSCH beam to a second PDSCH beam different from the first PDSCH beam based at least in part on the one or more TCI states.

[0233] In some examples, the UE may be configured to receive one or more repetitions of a transport block (TB) using a second physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) beam. In some examples, the processor may determine a first PDSCH target coding rate and a first PDSCH duration for a first set of repetitions of a transport block (TB), and a second PDSCH target coding rate and a second PDSCH duration for a second set of repetitions of a transport block (TB). In some examples, the method may determine a transmission configuration indicator (TCI) state sequence representing a downlink (DL) beam repetition based on received downlink control information (DCI), wherein one or more individual TCI states in the TCI state sequence represent corresponding downlink (DL) beams, and the UE is configured to receive one or more DL transmissions (Tx) through one or more DL channels according to the TCI state sequence.

[0234] In some examples, the processor may configure the UE to receive a first set of downlink transmissions (DL Tx) according to a default repetition, and configure the UE to receive a second set of DL Tx according to one or more repetitions of a TCI state sequence. In some examples, the processor may configure the UE to receive a first set of downlink transmissions (DL Tx) with a first modulation order, a first target coding rate, a first transport block (TB) size, and a first DL channel duration, and configure the UE to receive a second set of downlink transmissions (DL Tx) with a second modulation order, a second target coding rate, a second transport block (TB) size, and a second DL channel duration DL. Tx has a modulation order, n times the target coding rate, a TB size, and a DL channel duration of 1 / n. In some examples, the second target coding rate is a multiple of the first target coding rate, and the second DL channel duration is a fraction of the first DL channel duration.

[0235] Other features of the present embodiments will become apparent from the accompanying drawings and from the above detailed description. Therefore, the true scope of these embodiments will become apparent to the skilled practitioner upon studying the drawings, the specification and the appended claims.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE), include: an antenna array, the antenna array comprising a plurality of antenna elements; and a processor coupled to the antenna array and configured to: Enable the UE to establish a communication connection with a network entity; as well as causing the UE to transmit a triplet-related capability report to the network entity via the antenna array to indicate supported triplet for a frequency band combination, The supported triplets include: a first parameter for indicating the number of supported transmit antenna ports per channel state information (CSI) resource in the frequency band combination; a second parameter for indicating the number of CSI resources supported in the frequency band combination; and a third parameter for indicating the total number of supported transmit antenna ports in the frequency band combination. 2 . The UE according to claim 1 , wherein the triplet-related capability report is used to indicate a plurality of supported triplets for the frequency band combination.

3. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the number of supported transmit antenna ports per CSI resource is the maximum number of supported transmit antenna ports per CSI resource, the number of supported CSI resources is the maximum number of supported CSI resources, and the total number of supported transmit antenna ports is the maximum total number of supported transmit antenna ports. The UE of claim 1 , wherein the supported triplet is for a first codebook type. 5 . The UE of claim 4 , wherein the supported triplet is a first supported triplet, and the triplet-related capability report further comprises a second supported triplet for a second codebook type.

6. The UE according to claim 5, wherein the triplet-related capability report further indicates that the UE supports one precoding matrix indicator (PMI) subband per channel state information (CSI) subband for the first supported triplet, and supports two PMI subbands per CSI subband for the second supported triplet.

7. A wireless communication method, the method include: establishing a communication connection with a network entity; as well as generating a triplet-related capability report to be transmitted to the network entity to indicate supported triplets for the frequency band combination, The supported triplets include: a first parameter for indicating the number of supported transmit antenna ports per channel state information (CSI) resource in the frequency band combination; a second parameter for indicating the number of CSI resources supported in the frequency band combination; and a third parameter for indicating the total number of supported transmit antenna ports in the frequency band combination.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the triplet-related capability report is used to indicate a plurality of supported triplets for the frequency band combination.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the number of supported transmit antenna ports per CSI resource is the maximum number of supported transmit antenna ports per CSI resource, the number of supported CSI resources is the maximum number of supported CSI resources, and the total number of supported transmit antenna ports is the maximum total number of supported transmit antenna ports.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the supported triplets are for a first codebook type.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the supported triplet is a first supported triplet, and the triplet-related capability report further comprises a second supported triplet for a second codebook type.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the triplet-related capability report further indicates that one precoding matrix indicator (PMI) subband per channel state information (CSI) subband is supported for the first supported triplet, and two PMI subbands per CSI subband are supported for the second supported triplet.

13. A method for wireless communication, the method comprising: include: Establishing a communication connection with a user equipment (UE); as well as receiving a triplet-related capability report from the UE to indicate supported triplets for a frequency band combination, The supported triplets include: a first parameter for indicating the number of supported transmit antenna ports per channel state information (CSI) resource in the frequency band combination; a second parameter for indicating the number of CSI resources supported in the frequency band combination; and a third parameter for indicating the total number of supported transmit antenna ports in the frequency band combination.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the triplet-related capability report is used to indicate a plurality of supported triplets for the frequency band combination.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the number of supported transmit antenna ports per CSI resource is the maximum number of supported transmit antenna ports per CSI resource, the number of supported CSI resources is the maximum number of supported CSI resources, and the total number of supported transmit antenna ports is the maximum total number of supported transmit antenna ports. The method of claim 13 , wherein the supported triplets are for a first codebook type.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the supported triplet is a first supported triplet, and the triplet-related capability report further comprises a second supported triplet for a second codebook type.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the triplet-related capability report further indicates that one precoding matrix indicator (PMI) subband per channel state information (CSI) subband is supported for the first supported triplet, and two PMI subbands per CSI subband are supported for the second supported triplet.

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