Systems, methods, and apparatus for cross- split duplex operation in wireless communications

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatuses for cross-split duplex (XDD) operation in wireless communication systems are described herein. A user equipment (UE) is configured with one or more sub-bands (SBs) within a larger total bandwidth (BW) (e.g., represented by component carriers (CCs), bandwidth parts (BWPs), etc.) and its usage can be different from uplink (UL) / downlink (DL) resource allocation for the larger BW. Configuration of such SB-specific (SBS) arrangements using guard bands (GBs) between SBs is discussed. Mechanisms for slot format indication (SFI) within such SBs using SBS DCI or cross-SB DCI are discussed. Mechanisms for using at least one initial UL BWP to provide SBS uplink resources for initial access (e.g., random access) are discussed, which initial UL BWP is configured with respect to one or more SBs and can be used by a XDD capable UE.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates in its entirety to wireless communication systems, including the use of cross split-duplex (XDD) operation in such wireless communication systems. Background Technology

[0002] Wireless mobile communication technologies use various standards and protocols to transmit data between base stations and wireless communication devices. Wireless communication system standards and protocols can include, for example, 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) (such as 4G), 3GPP New Radio (NR) (such as 5G), and the IEEE 802.11 standard for Wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs) (often referred to as Wi-Fi within industry organizations). ® ).

[0003] As envisioned by 3GPP, different wireless communication system standards and protocols can use various radio access networks (RANs) to enable RAN (which may sometimes be called RAN nodes, network nodes, or simply nodes) base stations to communicate with wireless communication equipment called user equipment (UEs). 3GPP RANs may include, for example, Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data Rate GSM Evolution (EDGE) RAN (GERAN), Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), and / or Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN).

[0004] Each RAN can use one or more Radio Access Technologies (RATs) for communication between the base station and the UE. For example, GERAN implements the GSM and / or EDGE RAT, UTRAN implements the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) RAT or other 3GPP RATs, E-UTRAN implements the LTE RAT (sometimes simply referred to as LTE), and NG-RAN implements the NR RAT (sometimes also referred to herein as the 5G RAT, 5G NR RAT, or simply NR). In some deployments, E-UTRAN may also implement the NR RAT. In some deployments, NG-RAN may also implement the LTE RAT.

[0005] The base stations used by a RAN can correspond to that RAN. An example of an E-UTRAN base station is an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (also commonly referred to as Evolved Node B, Enhanced Node B, eNodeB, or eNB). An example of an NG-RAN base station is a Next Generation Node B (sometimes also called gNodeB or gNB).

[0006] The RAN provides communication services to external entities through its connection with the core network (CN). For example, E-UTRAN can utilize the evolved packet core network (EPC), while NG-RAN can utilize the 5G core network (5GC).

[0007] 5G NR frequency bands can be divided into two or more distinct frequency ranges. For example, Frequency Range 1 (FR1) may include bands operating below 6 GHz, some of which are available for previous standards and can potentially be extended to cover new spectrum offerings from 410 MHz to 7125 MHz. Frequency Range 2 (FR2) may include bands from 24.25 GHz to 52.6 GHz. It should be noted that in some systems, FR2 may also include bands from 52.6 GHz to 71 GHz (or higher). Bands in the millimeter-wave (mmWave) range of FR2 may have smaller coverage areas but potentially higher available bandwidth than bands in FR1. Those skilled in the art will recognize that these frequency ranges, presented by way of example, may vary over time or in different regions. Summary of the Invention

[0008] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a method for equipping a user (UE) is provided, comprising: identifying a plurality of subband (SB) configuration information of a serving cell of the UE using subband (SB) configuration information received from a network, wherein adjacent SBs among the plurality of SBs are separated by one or more guard bands (GBs); sending a UE capability report to the network, the UE capability report indicating whether the UE is capable of determining, based on the use of dynamic SB direction information, whether any one of the one or more GBs is valid for resource allocation; determining, using the SB direction information received from the network, the communication direction of the plurality of SBs during a first time slot; and communicating with the network on the serving cell using the resources of the plurality of SBs during the first time slot, based on the communication direction of the plurality of SBs during the first time slot.

[0009] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a method for a radio access network (RAN) is provided, comprising: sending SB configuration information to a user equipment (UE) indicating a plurality of subbands (SBs) of a serving cell of the UE, wherein adjacent SBs among the plurality of SBs are separated by one or more guard bands (GBs); receiving a UE capability report from the UE, the UE capability report indicating that the UE can determine, based on the dynamic SB direction information, whether any one of the one or more GBs is valid for resource allocation; sending SB direction information to the UE during a first time slot indicating the communication direction of the plurality of SBs; and communicating with the UE on the serving cell during the first time slot using the resources of the plurality of SBs according to the communication direction of the plurality of SBs during the first time slot.

[0010] According to another aspect of this disclosure, an electronic device is provided, including components for performing the above-described method.

[0011] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a computer-readable medium is provided, including instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the methods described above.

[0012] According to another aspect of this disclosure, an electronic device is provided, including a logic component, module, or circuit for performing the above-described method. Attached Figure Description

[0013] To facilitate identification of any particular element or action being discussed, one or more of the most significant digits in the reference numerals refer to the drawing number in which the element was first introduced.

[0014] Figure 1 A diagram of a TDD arrangement is shown, illustrating the advantages of using XDD operation in the unpaired spectrum over conventional TDD UL / DL RA methods.

[0015] Figure 2 A diagram showing the SB layout corresponding to the SB configuration information is provided.

[0016] Figure 3 A diagram illustrating the use of the GB type within CC is shown according to the implementation scheme.

[0017] Figure 4 A diagram is shown illustrating a conflict between each of the first and second RBGs, which are candidates for Type 0 RA, and the Type 2 GB, which should not be considered valid for RA.

[0018] Figure 5 A method for a UE according to an implementation scheme is shown.

[0019] Figure 6 The RAN method according to the implementation scheme is shown.

[0020] Figure 7 Figure 700 shows an example of using SBS DCI for XDD operations.

[0021] Figure 8 A method for a UE according to an implementation scheme is shown.

[0022] Figure 9 The RAN method according to the implementation scheme is shown.

[0023] Figure 10 A diagram showing an example of bitmap-based signaling for CORESET is provided.

[0024] Figure 11 A visual arrangement of information that can be provided to the UE by the network is shown, enabling the UE to use cross-SBDCI.

[0025] Figure 12 A diagram of the cross-SB DCI that can be used according to the implementation scheme based on the slot format indication mechanism of Method 2 is shown.

[0026] Figure 13 A method for a UE according to an implementation scheme is shown.

[0027] Figure 14 The RAN method according to the implementation scheme is shown.

[0028] Figure 15 A diagram showing an example of the initial UL BWP configuration for a serving cell corresponding to XDD operation is presented.

[0029] Figure 16 A diagram illustrating an example of configuring XDD-specific PRACH resources by configuring additional PRACH / PUCCH resources for use by a UE with XDD capability.

[0030] Figure 17 A method for a UE according to an implementation scheme is shown.

[0031] Figure 18 The RAN method according to the implementation scheme is shown.

[0032] Figure 19 An exemplary architecture of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment disclosed herein is shown.

[0033] Figure 20 A system for performing signaling between a wireless device and a network device according to an embodiment disclosed herein is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0034] Various embodiments are described with respect to the UE. However, references to the UE are provided for illustrative purposes only. Exemplary embodiments may be used with any electronic component capable of establishing a connection to a network and configured with hardware, software, and / or firmware for exchanging information and data with the network. Therefore, the UE described herein is used to represent any suitable electronic component.

[0035] Cross-split duplex (XDD) involves a device simultaneously transmitting (Tx) and receiving (Rx) on the same carrier. XDD can be used in a variety of communication systems (e.g., including but not limited to wireless communication systems defined by 3GPP). One candidate for XDD technology is subband full-duplex (SBFD) technology, in which simultaneous Tx / Rx of downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) at the base station (e.g., gNB) occurs using non-overlapping frequency resources referred to herein as subband (SB), even when the UE is nominally configured for half-duplex operation in that time instance (e.g., for half-duplex operation for Tx or Rx but not both).

[0036] Figure 1 Figure 100 shows a TDD arrangement that illustrates the benefits of using XDD operation in unpaired spectrum compared to conventional TDD UL / DL resource allocation (RA) methods.

[0037] The first TDD arrangement 102 includes a first SB 104 configured for UL transmission. While the first TDD arrangement 102 can be seen as configured for a first UL duty cycle, for example, in a UL time slot after every four DL time slots, the first SB 104 can be used to provide a higher UL duty cycle than the UL duty cycle corresponding to the resources in the first SB 104. This can allow, for example, additional repetition of a set of UL data in the first SB 104 during the illustrated DL time slot (which would likely be impossible without the first SB 104). In the first TDD arrangement 102, this can result in some UL signaling being transmitted over the additional four time slots, resulting in 400% more energy than in a conventional TDD scenario, thereby improving UL coverage.

[0038] The second TDD arrangement 106 includes a second SB 108, which is configured to use 20 MHz of the total 100 MHz bandwidth within the second TDD arrangement 106 for UL transmissions as shown. This provides more UL resources than other available UL resources, which can lead to improved / more efficient use of overall system capacity, for example, in situations where more UL resources relative to DL resources are needed / used than in the second TDD arrangement 106 without the second SB 108. It should be noted that the subbands can be flexibly and dynamically configured in this manner to provide robust UL / DL resource adaptation schemes as UL / DL service demands change over time.

[0039] The third TDD arrangement 110 includes a second SB 112 configured for UL transmission. As shown, the UE can receive DL signaling 116 in the first downlink time slot. Due to the presence of the second SB 112, the UE can transmit acknowledgment 114 (e.g., Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) bits) in the second SB 112 much earlier than it could otherwise (e.g., by waiting for a later UL time slot 118 as shown in the third TDD arrangement 110). This improves uplink latency / reduces feedback delay within the wireless communication system.

[0040] This document provides methods and arrangements for achieving resource-efficient XDD operation and / or supporting faster initial access and / or random access channel (RACH) procedures. For example, this disclosure discusses systems and methods for configuring sub-band specific (SBS) UL / DL operation in the context of a component carrier (CC) / bandwidth portion (BWP) architecture, systems and methods for constructing and transmitting slot format indications (SFI) for XDD operation, and systems and methods for configuring and using SBS uplink resources for faster initial access and / or random access procedures between the UE and the network.

[0041] SBS UL / DL Configuration

[0042] For a given CC with shared spectrum channel access, several methods can be considered for SB configuration.

[0043] In the first alternative (Alt. 1): For a given CC, a set of one or more SBs can be configured based on each CC (e.g., in a cell-specific manner). In this case, SB configuration information can be provided from the network to the UE, which configures and / or defines the set of SBs relative to the bandwidth of the serving cell.

[0044] According to Alt. 1, a set of SB direction information can also be sent to the UE. This SB direction information may include semi-static SB direction information for each configured SB. This semi-static SB direction information may be delivered to the UE in one or more System Information Blocks (SIBs). Alternatively or otherwise, the semi-static SB direction information may be delivered to the UE in Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling (e.g., in the SBS UL / DL configuration information found in the RRC signaling). This RRC signaling may be directed to a common set of UEs using CC (in this case, tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon-r18 Information Elements (IEs) can be used for SBS UL / DL configuration information. In other cases, this RRC signaling can be dedicated to a specific UE (in which case, tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationDedicated-r18 IE can be used for SBS UL / DL configuration information.

[0045] In some implementations, it is also envisioned that, according to Alt. 1, SB direction information may include dynamic SB direction information (e.g., in addition to semi-static SB direction information) of one or more SBs received from the network in the downlink control information (DCI).

[0046] According to Alt. 1, the XDD UE is configured with a set of BWPs that aggregate as CC-specific subbands.

[0047] In the second alternative (Alt. 2): The XDD UE is initially configured with one or more BWPs. Within each BWP, one or more subbands can be additionally configured for the UE (e.g., a set of BWPs corresponding to a specific UE configuration on a UE-specific basis). This SB configuration information can be provided to the UE by the network on a UE-specific basis.

[0048] According to Alt.2, a set of SB direction information can also be sent to the UE. This SB direction information may include semi-static SB direction information for each configured SB. This semi-static SB direction information can be delivered to the UE in radio resource control (RRC) signaling specific to the UE (e.g., in the SBS UL / DL configuration information found in the RRC signaling). tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationDedicated-r18 IE can be used for SBS UL / DL configuration information.

[0049] In some implementations, it is also envisioned that, according to Alt. 2, SB direction information may include dynamic SB direction information (e.g., in addition to semi-static SB direction information) of one or more SBs received from the network in the downlink control information (DCI).

[0050] It should be noted that for each of Alt.1 and Alt.2, the provided SB direction information can be understood as a flexible symbol covering each time slot on an applicable number of time slots, as configured by higher-level signaling from the network.

[0051] Figure 2 Figure 200 shows the SB arrangements corresponding to the SB configuration information. The first arrangement 202 shows the cell-specific subband configuration (e.g., corresponding to Alt. 1), and the second arrangement 204 shows the BWP-specific subband configuration (e.g., corresponding to Alt. 2).

[0052] Referring to the first arrangement 202 (corresponding to Alt. 1), the entire CC BW 206 is first divided into four SBs (SB #0 208, SB #1 210, SB #2 212, and SB #3 214) in a cell-specific manner. Then, BWP #1 216 is configured by aggregating SB #0 208 and SB #1 210, while BWP #2 218 is configured by aggregating SB #2 212 and SB #3 214.

[0053] Referring to the second arrangement 204 (corresponding to Alt. 2), the UE is first configured using BWP #1 222 within CC BW 220. Then, for that BWP #1 222 at that specific UE, SB #0 224 and SB #1 226 are configured.

[0054] In some implementations of XDD operation discussed herein, guard bands (GBs) may be used between adjacent SBs. In this document, “adjacent SBs” include SBs that are not separated by other intervening SBs (but may have zero or more GBs between them in the manner discussed herein).

[0055] In some implementations, an intra-cell GB list can be provided for cells operating with XDD, which has a one-to-one mapping between any two adjacent SBs starting from the adjacent pair of SB #0 and SB #1 and continuing through the remaining adjacent SB pairs in the SB configuration. In some cases, if no such intra-cell GB list is configured, the values ​​(e.g., sizes) of the GBs between adjacent SBs can be pre-established according to the definition for a specific type of wireless communication system (e.g., in the case of a 3GPP wireless communication system, the values ​​can be set according to the 3GPP specifications).

[0056] In some designs, to improve resource utilization / efficiency when using GBs, one or more intra-cell GBs between adjacent SBs can be analyzed to determine whether a particular GB is valid for the RA at a given time (e.g., even if it is nominally a GB). In this case, several options can be considered to semi-statically or dynamically determine whether intra-cell GBs are valid for the RA in the manner discussed herein. It should be noted that in alternative designs, it can be simply assumed that all GBs are unavailable for the RA (simplifying UE implementation at the cost of reduced throughput compared to designs where GBs can be used).

[0057] Two types of in-CC guard bands can be defined to facilitate the discussion of the embodiments herein. A “Type 1” in-CC guard band refers to a guard band located between two adjacent SBs using the same communication direction (e.g., both using UL or both using DL) during a given time period (e.g., during a given time slot). The Type 1 designation for this guard band is applicable during that given time period, where this corresponding directional arrangement of the SBs is the case. A “Type 2” in-CC guard band refers to a guard band located between two adjacent SBs using different communication directions (e.g., one using UL, one using DL) during a given time period, or where one or more of the two adjacent SBs use an unknown communication direction during a given time period (e.g., the direction of at least one of the two consecutive SBs is unknown or “flexible” for a given UE). The Type 2 designation for this guard band is applicable during that given time period, where this non-corresponding directional arrangement of the SBs is the case.

[0058] In some cases, the Type 1 / Type 2 of a GB within a CC between SBs during a given time period can be determined / identified in a semi-static manner. For example, this determination / identification can be based on the analysis of semi-static SB direction information (e.g., semi-static SB direction information received in SIB or RRC messages).

[0059] Alternatively or otherwise, the Type 1 / Type 2 of GBs within CCs between SBs during a given time period can be determined / identified dynamically. For example, this determination can be based on dynamic SB direction information from dynamic DCIs, including DCI2_0 and / or scheduling DCIs. It is envisioned that in some implementations, semi-static SB direction information, such as that further modified or detailed by the dynamic SB direction information, can control the determination / identification of Type 1 / Type 2 of GBs within CCs between SBs during a given time period.

[0060] Once the Type 1 / Type 2 GBs within the CC between SBs during a given time period are identified / identified, it is possible to use the Type 1 GBs within the CC for the RA in order to maximize spectral efficiency. This use is acceptable because GBs are not actually needed at the physical layer between two SBs with the same communication direction during a given time period. On the other hand, any Type 2 GBs within the CC are kept out of use for the RA so that they can properly prevent cross-link interference between their corresponding SBs with (potentially) different communication directions during a given time period.

[0061] Based on the foregoing discussion, it should be understood that, as described for some embodiments herein, using dynamic SB direction information to determine / identify Type 1 / Type 2 GBs within a CC between SBs during a given time period can further improve resource efficiency compared to embodiments that do not use dynamic SB direction information (by implementing the identification of (e.g., additional) Type 1 GBs within a CC established based on dynamic SB direction information). For such embodiments, it may be necessary to have UEs capable of dynamically adjusting applicable RF filters based on DCI content, corresponding to additional functional complexity at that UE, rather than being present by default in all UEs that can operate with applicable wireless communication systems. Therefore, in some designs, support for dynamic in-CC GB utilization methods (e.g., using dynamic SB direction information) between the network as described herein and any particular UE may be influenced by UE capability reports from that UE to the network, which indicate to the network that the UE has the capability to determine whether a GB is valid (or invalid) for a RA based on the use of dynamic SB direction information.

[0062] Figure 3 Figure 300 illustrates the use of GB types within a CC according to an implementation scheme. Figure 300 shows the communication directions of various SBs (SB #0 302, SB #1 304, SB #2 306, and SB #3 308) of a CC (e.g., configured within a CC BW 310) during a pair of time slots (first time slot 314 (labeled "time slot n" in Figure 300) and second time slot 316 (labeled "time slot n+1" in Figure 300")). Figure 300 also shows a first GB 318 between SB #0 302 and SB #1 304, a second GB 320 between SB #1 304 and SB #2 306, and a third GB 322 between SB #2 306 and SB #3 308.

[0063] It should be noted that although SB #0 302, SB #1 304, SB #2 306 and SB #3 308 are shown here with a single uniform SBBW 312, this is not required (in other cases, SB may have different and / or unique BWs).

[0064] During the first time slot 314, the Type 1 CC inner protective strip includes a first GB 318 and a third GB 322. For the first GB 318, this is because SB #0 302 and SB #1 304 each operate in the DL communication direction during the first time slot 314. For the third GB 322, this is because SB #2 306 and SB #3 308 each operate in the UL communication direction during the first time slot 314. Therefore, both the first GB 318 and the second GB 322 are valid (e.g., addressable) for the RA during the first time slot 314, wherein the first GB 318 is available in the DL communication direction corresponding to the DL communication directions of SB #0 302 and SB #1 304 during the first time slot 314, and wherein the third GB 322 is available in the UL communication direction corresponding to the UL communication directions of SB #2 306 and SB #3 308 during the first time slot 314. Note that... Figure 3 The shading difference between the first GB 318 and the third GB 322 is due to the different corresponding communication directions of the associated SB (but each type of shading used in the first GB 318 and the third GB 322 corresponds to the Type 1 CC inner protective band).

[0065] During the first time slot 314, the second GB 320 is a Type 2 CC in-cell GB because it is located between SB #1 304 and SB #2 306, which operate in different communication directions during the first time slot 314. Therefore, the third GB 322 is invalid (e.g., addressable) for the RA during the first time slot 314.

[0066] For the second time slot 316, the UL / DL orientation of SB #1 304 and SB #3 308 (e.g., by a higher layer or DCI) is switched.

[0067] As a result of this change, during the second time slot 316, the second GB 320 is a Type 1 CC inner protection band because it is located between SB #1 304 and SB #2 306, each of which operates in the UL direction during the second time slot 316. Therefore, the second GB 320 is valid (e.g., addressable) for the RA in the UL direction corresponding to the UL communication directions of SB #1 304 and SB #2 306 during the second time slot 316.

[0068] During the second time slot 316, the first GB 318 and the third GB 322 are Type 2 CC in-cell GBs because each is located between SBs operating in different communication directions during the second time slot 316. Therefore, the first GB 318 and the third GB 322 are invalid (e.g., addressable) for the RA during the second time slot 316.

[0069] Therefore, as Figure 3 As shown in Figure 300, it should be understood that the GB type within the CC corresponding to the GB between two adjacent SBs varies across time slots depending on the UL / DL configuration of the SB.

[0070] It should be noted that a determination similar to that described herein can be made by either the UE or a network element (e.g., the RAN's base station). As a result of such determination by the network element, the network knows whether or not it may perform GB for the RA. As a result of such determination by the UE, the UE knows that it may or may not expect the network to perform GB for a valid RA.

[0071] Some wireless communication systems (e.g., 3GPP wireless communication systems using NR RAT) support Type 0 and Type 1 frequency domain RA methods. Type 0 RA is a bitmap-based scheme that performs RA at the granularity of resource block groups (RBGs). In this case, the RBG size can be, for example, one of 2, 4, 8, or 16 physical resource blocks (PRBs). This value can be determined based on the current BWP size. Furthermore, the UE can assume that the precoding granularity of the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) (e.g., the precoder resource group (PRG) size) is equal to one of the 2 or 4 PRBs in the RBG, or assume that wideband is used for this purpose.

[0072] One potential issue is whether and / or how to handle the situation where there is a (partial) conflict between RBG and Type2 GB as candidates for Type0 RA, and for the reasons discussed herein, the Type2 GB should not be considered valid for RA.

[0073] Figure 4Figure 400 illustrates a conflict between each of the first RBG 402 and the second RBG 404, which are candidates for Type 0 RA, and Type 2 GB 406, which should not be considered valid for the RA. In Figure 400, for visual emphasis, the specific RBs that conflict with GB 406 are shaded (there are three such PRBs in the first RBG 402 and two such PRBs in the second RBG 404, as shown). GB 406 is a Type 2 GB because, as shown, it lies between SB #1 408, which operates in the DL communication direction at the time of illustration, and SB #2 410, which operates in the UL communication direction at the time of illustration.

[0074] Figure 4 Figure 400 corresponds to the case where the RBG size is 16 PRBs. Therefore, each of the first RBG 402 and the second RBG 404 is shown as having 16 PRBs. Furthermore, Figure 4 Figure 400 corresponds to the case where the PRG size is equal to 4 PRBs. Therefore, the first RBG 402 includes PRG #0 412, PRG #1 414, PRG #2 416, and PRG #3 418, each with four PRBs, and the second RBG 404 includes PRG #4 420, PRG #5 422, PRG #6 424, and PRG #7 426, each with four PRBs. This arrangement is given by way of example and not as a limitation (because other arrangements using PRB sizes / values ​​for RBGs and / or PRGs as described herein may alternatively apply).

[0075] about Figure 4 Figure 400 in the figure can explain the various options for resolving the conflict between RBG as a candidate for Type 0 RA and Type 2 GB, which should not be considered valid for RA.

[0076] In the first option (Opt.1), any partially overlapping RBGs are not used for Type 0 RA. According to Opt.1, the entire first RBG 402 and the entire second RBG 404 are not available for Type 0 RA. The removal of the two complete RBGs of 16 PRBs can each represent a relatively significant degradation in throughput performance for a UE using Type 0 RA compared to the other options discussed herein.

[0077] In the second option (Opt.2), any PRBs overlapping with the Type 2 CC intra-GB are unavailable for the Type 0 RA. According to Opt.2, only overlapping PRBs (the five shaded PRBs across the first RBG 402 and the second RBG 404) are rate-matched (and therefore unavailable). Therefore, Opt.2 can provide better resource utilization and throughput performance compared to the other options discussed herein. On the other hand, Opt.2 can increase UE complexity because it requires processing more smaller / shortened PRGs that are punctured by the Type 2 CC intra-GB (e.g., PRG #3 418 with only one available PRB and PRG #4 420 with only two available PRBs).

[0078] In the third option (Opt.3), any PRG that overlaps or partially overlaps with a GB within Type 2 CC is not used for Type-0 RA. Opt.3 may represent a trade-off between other options discussed herein regarding UE complexity and resource utilization. According to this option, PRGs #0 412, #1 414, and #2 416 of the first RBG 402, and PRGs #5 422, #6 424, and #7 426 of the second RBG 404 remain addressable (available) for Type 0 RA.

[0079] Figure 5 A method 500 for a UE according to an implementation scheme is shown. Method 500 includes identifying multiple SBs of the serving cell of the UE 502 using SB configuration information received from the network, wherein adjacent SBs of the multiple SBs are separated by one or more GBs.

[0080] Method 500 also includes using SB direction information received from the network to determine the communication direction of multiple SBs during the first time slot of 504.

[0081] Method 500 further includes using the resources of the multiple SBs to communicate with the network on the serving cell during the first time slot, based on the communication directions of the multiple SBs during the first time slot 506.

[0082] In some implementations of method 500, SB configuration information defines multiple SBs relative to the bandwidth of the serving cell. In some such implementations, SB direction information includes semi-static SB direction information received from the network in the SIB. In some such implementations, SB direction information includes semi-static direction information received from the network in RRC signaling. In some such instances using RRC signaling, the RRC signaling is dedicated RRC signaling for the UE. In some such implementations, SB direction information includes dynamic SB direction information received from the network in the DCI.

[0083] In some embodiments of method 500, SB configuration information defines multiple SBs relative to one or more BWPs configured for the UE in the serving cell. In some such embodiments, SB direction information includes semi-static direction information received from the network in dedicated RRC signaling for the UE. In some such embodiments, SB direction information includes dynamic SB direction information received from the network in DCI.

[0084] In some implementations, method 500 further includes sending a UE capability report to the network, the UE capability report indicating whether the UE is able to determine, based on the use of dynamic SB direction information, whether any one of one or more GBs is valid for resource allocation.

[0085] In some embodiments of method 500, a first SB of a plurality of SBs and a second SB adjacent to the first SB of a plurality of SBs use different communication directions during a first time slot, and method 500 further includes determining that the resources of the first GB of one or more GBs separating the first SB and the second SB are invalid for network resource allocation during the first time slot because the first SB and the second SB use different communication directions during the first time slot. In some such embodiments, method 500 further includes using SB direction information to determine the communication directions of the plurality of SBs during a second time slot, wherein the first SB and the second SB use the same communication direction during the second time slot; and determining that the resources of the first GB are valid for network resource allocation during the second time slot because the first SB and the second SB use the same communication direction during the second time slot.

[0086] In some embodiments of method 500, a first SB of a plurality of SBs and a second SB adjacent to the first SB of a plurality of SBs use the same communication direction during a first time slot, and further includes determining that the resources of the first GB of one or more GBs separating the first SB and the second SB are valid for network resource allocation during the first time slot because the first SB and the second SB use the same communication direction during the first time slot. In some such embodiments, method 500 further includes: using SB direction information to determine the communication direction of the plurality of SBs during a second time slot, wherein the first SB and the second SB use different communication directions during the second time slot; and determining that the resources of the first GB are invalid for network resource allocation during the second time slot because the first SB and the second SB use different communication directions during the second time slot.

[0087] In some embodiments of method 500, a first SB of a plurality of SBs and a second SB of a plurality of SBs adjacent to the first SB are separated by a first GB of one or more GBs and use different communication directions during a first time slot, and method 500 further includes determining that RBGs overlapping with the first SB and the first GB are invalid for Type 0 RAs carried out over the network in the first time slot.

[0088] In some embodiments of method 500, a first SB of a plurality of SBs and a second SB of a plurality of SBs adjacent to the first SB are separated by a first GB of one or more GBs and use different communication directions during a first time slot, and method 500 further includes determining that the PRB of the RBG located in the first GB is invalid for the Type 0 RA carried over the network in the first time slot.

[0089] In some embodiments of method 500, a first SB of a plurality of SBs and a second SB of a plurality of SBs adjacent to the first SB are separated by a first GB of one or more GBs and use different communication directions during a first time slot, and method 500 further includes determining that the PRG of the RBG of the Type 0 RA overlapping with the first GB is invalid for the Type 0 RA carried out over the network in the first time slot.

[0090] Figure 6 A method 600 for a RAN according to an implementation scheme is shown. Method 600 includes sending 602 to a UE indicating SB configuration information of multiple SBs of the UE's serving cell, wherein adjacent SBs of the multiple SBs are separated by one or more GBs.

[0091] Method 600 further includes sending 604 SB direction information indicating the communication directions of the plurality of SBs to the UE during the first time slot.

[0092] Method 600 further includes using the resources of the multiple SBs to communicate with the UE on the serving cell during the first time slot, based on the communication directions of the multiple SBs during the first time slot 606.

[0093] In some embodiments of method 600, the SB configuration information defines multiple SBs relative to the bandwidth of the serving cell. In some such embodiments, the SB direction information includes semi-static SB direction information sent to the UE in the SIB. In some such embodiments, the SB direction information includes semi-static direction information sent to the UE in RRC signaling. In some such instances using RRC signaling, the RRC signaling is dedicated RRC signaling for the UE. In some such embodiments, the SB direction information includes dynamic SB direction information sent to the UE in the DCI.

[0094] In some embodiments of method 600, SB configuration information defines multiple SBs relative to one or more BWPs configured for the UE in the serving cell. In some such embodiments, SB direction information includes semi-static direction information sent to the UE in dedicated RRC signaling for the UE. In some such embodiments, SB direction information includes dynamic SB direction information sent to the UE in the DCI. In some such instances using the DCI, method 600 further includes receiving a UE capability report from the UE indicating that the UE can determine, based on the dynamic SB direction information, whether any one of one or more GBs is valid for resource allocation, wherein, in response to receiving the UE capability report, the dynamic SB direction information is sent to the UE in the DCI.

[0095] In some embodiments of method 600, a first SB of a plurality of SBs and a second SB adjacent to the first SB of a plurality of SBs use different communication directions during a first time slot, and method 600 further includes determining that resources of one or more GBs separating the first SB and the second SB are not allocated for use during the first time slot because the first SB and the second SB use different communication directions during the first time slot. In some such embodiments, the first SB and the second SB use the same communication direction during a second time slot, and method 600 further includes allocating resources of the first GB for use during the second time slot in the same communication direction as the first SB and the second SB.

[0096] In some embodiments of method 600, a first SB of a plurality of SBs and a second SB adjacent to the first SB of a plurality of SBs use the same communication direction during a first time slot, and method 600 further includes allocating resources of a first GB of one or more GBs separating the first SB and the second SB for use in the same communication direction as the first SB and the second SB during the first time slot. In some such embodiments, the first SB and the second SB use different communication directions during a second time slot, and method 600 further includes determining that resources of the first GB are not allocated for use during the second time slot because the first SB and the second SB use different communication directions during the second time slot.

[0097] In some embodiments of method 600, a first SB of a plurality of SBs and a second SB of a plurality of SBs adjacent to the first SB are separated by a first GB of one or more GBs and use different communication directions during a first time slot, and method 600 further includes determining that RBGs overlapping with the first SB and the first GB are unavailable for Type 0 RA of the first time slot.

[0098] In some embodiments of method 600, a first SB of a plurality of SBs and a second SB of a plurality of SBs adjacent to the first SB are separated by a first GB of one or more GBs and use different communication directions during a first time slot, and method 600 further includes performing a Type 0 RA of the first time slot on an RBG that overlaps with the first SB and the first GB during the first time slot, wherein the PRB of the RBG located in the first GB is not used for the Type 0 RA.

[0099] In some embodiments of method 600, a first SB of a plurality of SBs and a second SB of a plurality of SBs adjacent to the first SB are separated by a first GB of one or more GBs and use different communication directions during a first time slot, and method 600 further includes performing a Type 0 RA of the first time slot on an RBG that overlaps with the first SB and the first GB during the first time slot, wherein a PRG of an RBG that overlaps with the first GB is not used in the Type 0 RA.

[0100] Slot format indication for XDD operations

[0101] The embodiments described herein relate to a method of using a DCI (e.g., DCI format 2_0) transmitted between the network and the UE to indicate a slot format (e.g., to indicate the UL / DL orientation of symbols in a slot). Information in the DCI used to indicate and / or notify about the slot format can be understood as examples of slot format information.

[0102] In the first method (method 1) of using a DCI to indicate the slot format, an SBS DCI (e.g., DCI format 2_0) can be used to notify the UE of the slot format of the corresponding SB. In some implementations, for each SB used by the UE, the UE may be configured with a separate control resource set (CORESET) and a corresponding Type 3 Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) common search space (CSS) set for monitoring such a DCI, and / or such a DCI may have cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits scrambled by a dedicated slot format indicator radio network temporary identifier (SFI-RNTI).

[0103] Figure 7Figure 700 illustrates an example of using an SBS DCI for XDD operation. Figure 700 may correspond to Method 1 described herein. As can be understood with reference to Figure 700, the UE may monitor multiple subband-specific Type 3 PDCCH CSSs for a DCI (e.g., DCI format 2_0), where each DCI received in a given SB can then provide a slot format for that SB. Figure 700 illustrates SB #0 702, SB #1 704, and SB #2 706 used by the UE to communicate with the network. SB #0 702 is configured with a first CORESET 708, SB #1 704 is configured with a second CORESET 710, and SB #2 706 is configured with a third CORESET 712.

[0104] Then, each of these SBs is searched in its corresponding CORESET within the Type3 PDCCH CSS to find a DCI (e.g., DCI 2_0) that provides the slot format to be used on that SB. As shown, the DCI in the first CORESET 708 provides the slot format for the two DL symbols followed by UL symbols (etc.) in SB #0 702, the DCI in the second CORESET 710 provides the slot format for the DL symbol followed by two UL symbols (etc.) in SB #1 704, and the DCI in the third CORESET 712 provides the slot format for the DL symbol followed by UL symbols and DL symbols (etc.) in SB #2 706.

[0105] Figure 8 A method 800 for a UE according to an implementation scheme is shown. Method 800 includes receiving 802 SB configuration information from a network that identifies multiple SBs of a serving cell that the UE can use to communicate with the network.

[0106] Method 800 further includes receiving from the network a first DCI in a first CORESET of a first SB of a plurality of 804 SBs, wherein the first DCI provides first time slot format information of the first SB.

[0107] Method 800 further includes receiving from the network a second DCI in a second CORESET of a second SB of a plurality of 806 SBs, wherein the second DCI provides second time slot format information of the second SB.

[0108] Method 800 further includes communicating with the network 808 on the first SB according to the first time slot format information and on the second SB according to the second time slot format information.

[0109] In some implementations of method 800, the first SB and the second SB are located on the same BWP.

[0110] In some implementations, method 800 further includes monitoring a first Type 3 PDCCH CSS for a first DCI in a first SB, wherein the first DCI is received in the first Type 3 PDCCH CSS, and monitoring a second Type 3 PDCCH CSS for a second DCI in a second SB, wherein the second DCI is received in the second Type 3 PDCCH CSS.

[0111] In some embodiments of method 800, the first DCI has a DCI format 2_0 for notifying the UE of the first SB in a time slot format.

[0112] In some implementations of method 800, the first DCI includes CRC bits scrambled by a dedicated SFI-RNTI.

[0113] Figure 9 A method 900 for a RAN according to an implementation scheme is shown. Method 900 includes sending 902 SB configuration information to a UE that identifies multiple SBs of a serving cell that the UE can use to communicate with the network.

[0114] Method 900 further includes sending to the UE a first DCI in the first CORESET of the first SB of a plurality of SBs, wherein the first DCI provides first slot format information of the first SB.

[0115] Method 900 further includes sending to the UE a second DCI in a second CORESET of a second SB of a plurality of SBs, wherein the second DCI provides second time slot format information of the second SB.

[0116] Method 900 further includes communicating with the UE on a first SB according to a first time slot format information and on a second SB according to a second time slot format information 908.

[0117] In some embodiments of method 900, the first SB and the second SB are located on the same BWP.

[0118] In some implementations of method 900, a first DCI is sent in a first Type3 PDCCH common search space (CSS) in a first SB, and a second DCI is sent in a second Type3 PDCCH CSS in a second SB.

[0119] In some embodiments of method 900, the first DCI has a DCI format 2_0 for notifying the UE of the time slot format of the first SB.

[0120] In some implementations, method 900 further includes scrambling the CRC bits of the first DCI using a dedicated SFI-RNTI before transmitting the first DCI.

[0121] In a second method (method 2) using DCI to indicate the slot format, a cross-SB DCI can be used. The cross-SB DCI may have a DCI format 2_0 for notifying the UE of the slot formats of multiple SBs. In some implementations, a bitmap may be provided to the UE for the CORESET associated with monitoring such DCI. The bits of the bitmap may have a one-to-one mapping with the configured SBs at the UE, ordered in ascending order of the SB indices in the DL BWP.

[0122] Figure 10 Figure 1000 illustrates an example of bitmap-based signaling for CORESET. This bitmap-based signaling can increase the probability of successful DCI / SFI transmissions for SB #0 1002, SB #1 1004, and SB #2 1006. Figure 1000 shows SB #0 1002, SB #1 1004, and SB #2 1006 configured within BWP 1010 used by the UE. The UE can also be configured with a bitmap 1008 containing bit "101," which indicates the CORESET (with Type 3 CSS) for a specific SB, for which cross-SB DCI is monitored. Note that the DCI may be transmitted in Type 3 CSS and / or have CRC bits scrambled by SFI-RNTI.

[0123] Corresponding to the "101" indication in bitmap 1008, the UE determines to monitor the cross SB DCI in the CORESET of each of SB #0 1002 and SB #2 1006 (because the first and third bits of the bitmap are "1" bits, and SB #0 1002 and SB #2 1006 are the first-order SB and third-order SB in the configuration, respectively), and further determines not to monitor the cross SB DCI in SB #1 1004 (because the second bit of the bitmap is "0" bit, and SB #1 1004 is the second-order SB in the configuration). Therefore, the UE monitors the cross SB DCI in each of the first CORESET 1012 found in SB #0 1002 and the second CORESET 1014 found in the second CORESET 1014.

[0124] Compared to method 1, method 2 is advantageous from a signaling flexibility perspective because it increases the probability of successfully transmitting the slot format information of each SB within the XDD operation. As shown in Figure 1000, this could be the case, for example, measurement timing 1016 on SB #0 (corresponding to...) Figure 10The “slot n” marked in the figure is used for UL instead of DL (and therefore, during measurement timing 1016, the UE does not monitor the first CORESET 1012 of SB #0 1002, as indicated by “X”). In this case, due to the cross-SB nature of the DCI for the slot format of multiple SBs (e.g., each / all of SB #0 1002, SB #1 1004, and SB #2 1006) that informs the UE, the base station can still successfully transmit the slot format information for SB #0 1002 during measurement timing 1016, because this information is present in the cross-SB DCI detected in the second CORESET 1014 in SB #2 during measurement timing 1016.

[0125] We will now discuss the use of formatting this cross-SB DCI according to Method 2. For each SB in each serving cell, the location of the SFI index field in the cross-SB DCI can be provided to the UE (e.g., using...). positionInDCI (In IE format). It can also provide the UE with a set of one or more time slot format combinations of this SB (e.g., in one or more...). slotFormatCombinations (In IE). Each time slot format combination in the time slot format combination set may include a corresponding [configuration] for the time slot format combination. slotFormats One or more time slot formats indicated by IE, and by slotFormats The mapping provided by IE to the corresponding SFI index field value allows the use of this SFI index field value in DCI to indicate a specific time slot format combination (and this mapping can be...). slotFormatCombinationId (Provided by IE).

[0126] Figure 11 A visual arrangement 1100 of information that can be provided to the UE by the network is shown, enabling the UE to use cross-SB DCI. As shown, information can be provided relative to multiple SBs (e.g., SB #1 1102 and SB #2 1104, but in other embodiments there may be more or fewer SB #1 1102 and SB #2 1104). For each SB, the position of the SFI index field corresponding to the SB in the DCI can be provided. For example, the DCI may include values ​​from 0 to... X -1 indexed X Each SFI index field. In this case, the network uses SB. positionInDCI IE 1106 indicates the location of the SFI index field associated with SB in DCI (and therefore) positionInDCI The possible values ​​for IE 1106 range from 0 to... X (between -1). For example, in arrangement 1100, SB #1 1102 positionInDCIIE 1106 indicates that SB #1 1102 corresponds to the SFI index field position in the DCI (indicated by using index 0). Furthermore, for each SB, one or more time slot format combinations may be provided (e.g., SB #1 1102 is provided with a first time slot format combination 1108 and a second time slot format combination 1110, but in other embodiments, more or fewer of these time slot format combinations may exist).

[0127] For each time slot format combination, one or more time slot formats can be provided (e.g., the first time slot format combination 1108). slotFormats IE 1112 provides a single timeslot format (according to the DL symbol "D", UL symbol "U", and flexible symbol "F"), while the second timeslot format combines 1110. slotFormats IE 1114 provides two time slot formats. Furthermore, for each time slot combination, there is a mapping to / for the values ​​of that time slot format combination (e.g., the first time slot format combination 1108). slotFormatCombinationID IE 1116 indicates that the first time slot format combination 1108 is associated with the value "0000", while the second... slotFormatCombinationID IE 1118 indicates that the second time slot format combination 1110 is associated with the value "0001". When this value is found in the SFI index field of the SB in the DCI received at the UE, this value identifies the corresponding time slot format combination of the SB to the UE.

[0128] Figure 12 Figure 1200 illustrates a cross-SB DCI 1202 (e.g., DCI format 2_0) that can be used according to an implementation based on the SFI mechanism of Method 2. Figure 1200 shows that the UE can communicate with the network using three CCs (CC11204, CC21206, and CC31208), and each CC corresponds to an SB configured within the BWP used by the UE on the corresponding CC. It should be noted that although each pair of SBs for the corresponding CCs is labeled "0" and "1" in Figure 1200, these should be understood as SB indices relative to the individual supporting BWP / CC rather than relative to the "global" frequency BW (therefore, the same index does not necessarily represent the same physical BW).

[0129] refer to Figure 12 For each subband in CC, a corresponding structure can be established as shown by the arrows in Figure 1200 corresponding to Table 1, for example, with... positionInDCI The relationship between the SB and SFI index fields in DCI 1202 related to the location of the SFI index field in IE:

[0130]

[0131] In this case, the UE can be configured for SFI index field #4. positionInDCI The value is used to generate the slot format indication for SB #1 in CC#2 (this correspondence is shown in shaded in Figure 1200). Then, when the UE receives DCI 1202, the value at this location (e.g., the SFI index field value at SFI index field #4) can be matched with the slot format combination of SB #1 in CC#2 (e.g., with one of the slot format combinations of SB #1 in CC#2). slotFormatCombinationID (IE value matching). The time slot format combination of this combination can be used accordingly for SB #1 in CC #2.

[0132] Based on the above discussion, the SFI index field value found in the SFI index field of DCI can be understood as an example of slot format information.

[0133] Figure 13 A method 1300 for a UE according to an implementation scheme is shown. Method 1300 includes receiving 1302 SB configuration information from a network to identify a plurality of SBs that the UE can use to communicate with the network.

[0134] Method 1300 also includes receiving a DCI in the CORESET of a first SB among 1304 plurality of SBs from the network, wherein the DCI provides time slot format information for the plurality of SBs.

[0135] Method 1300 also includes using the time slot format information of multiple SBs to determine the time slot format for communication with the network on multiple SBs 1306.

[0136] In some embodiments of method 1300, at least two of the multiple SBs are located on the same BWP.

[0137] In some implementations of method 1300, multiple SBs are located on multiple BWPs.

[0138] In some implementations of method 1300, multiple SBs are located on multiple carriers of multiple serving cells.

[0139] In some implementations, method 1300 further includes receiving from the network a bitmap comprising bits corresponding to a plurality of SBs, wherein each bit of the bitmap indicates whether a corresponding SB among the plurality of SBs will be monitored, the SB indicated for monitoring including a first SB in which DCI is received, and monitoring DCI on the indicated corresponding SB.

[0140] In some embodiments of method 1300, the DCI provides time slot format information for a plurality of SBs in an SFI index field corresponding to a plurality of SBs, each SFI index field having an SFI index field value indicating the time slot format information of the corresponding SB among the plurality of SBs. In some such embodiments, method 1300 further includes, for each of the plurality of SBs, receiving from the network: the position of the SFI index field corresponding to the respective SB and one or more time slot format combinations, according to the DCI format of the DCI, each including: one or more representative time slot formats and a representative SFI index field value associated with the time slot format combination. In some cases where an SFI index field is used, method 1300 further includes using the position of the SFI index field of the selected SB to locate the SF index field of the selected SB among a plurality of SBs in the DCI, obtaining a first SFI index field value corresponding to the selected SB from the SFI index field of the selected SB, identifying a first time slot format combination of one or more time slot format combinations of the selected SB by matching a representative SFI index field value with the first SFI index field value from the SFI index field of the selected SB, and determining one or more time slot formats among the time slot formats of the selected SB based on the representative time slot format of the first time slot format combination.

[0141] In some implementations, method 1300 further includes monitoring the Type 3 PDCCH CSS for DCI in the first SB, wherein the DCI is received in the Type 3 PDCCH CSS.

[0142] In some implementations of method 1300, DCI is DCI format 2_0 used to notify the UE of multiple SBs in a slot format.

[0143] In some implementations of method 1300, the DCI includes cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits scrambled by a time slot format indicating a temporary radio network identifier (SFI-RNTI).

[0144] Figure 14 A method 1400 for a RAN according to an implementation scheme is shown. Method 1400 includes sending 1402 SB configuration information to a UE that identifies multiple SBs of a serving cell that the UE can use to communicate with the network.

[0145] Method 1400 also includes sending to the UE the DCI in the CORESET of the first of 1404 plurality of SBs, wherein the DCI provides slot format information of the plurality of SBs.

[0146] Method 1400 also includes communicating with the UE on multiple SBs using the time slot format of the multiple SBs corresponding to the time slot format information of the multiple SBs 1406.

[0147] In some embodiments of method 1400, at least two of the multiple SBs are located on the same BWP.

[0148] In some implementations of method 1400, multiple SBs are located on multiple BWPs.

[0149] In some implementations of method 1400, multiple SBs are located on multiple carriers of multiple serving cells.

[0150] In some implementations, method 1400 further includes sending a bitmap to the UE comprising bits corresponding to a plurality of SBs, wherein each bit of the bitmap indicates whether the UE will monitor a corresponding SB among the plurality of SBs, and wherein the SB indicated for monitoring includes the first SB in which DCI is transmitted.

[0151] In some embodiments of method 1400, the DCI provides slot format information for a plurality of SBs in an SFI index field corresponding to a plurality of SBs, each SFI index field having an SFI index field value indicating the slot format information of the corresponding SB among the plurality of SBs. In some such embodiments, method 1400 further includes, for each of the plurality of SBs, sending to the UE: the position of the SFI index field corresponding to the respective SB and one or more slot format combinations, according to the DCI format of the DCI, each including: one or more representative slot formats and a representative SFI index field value associated with the slot format combination.

[0152] In some implementations of method 1400, DCI is sent in Type 3 PDCCH CSS in the first SB.

[0153] In some implementations of method 1400, DCI is DCI format 2_0, which is used to notify the UE of multiple SBs in a slot format.

[0154] In some implementations, method 1400 also includes scrambling the CRC bits of the DCI using SFI-RNTI before transmitting the DCI.

[0155] SBS UL resources for initial access

[0156] The embodiments described herein relate to methods for using SBS UL resources for initial access. In some embodiments, multiple Random Access Channel (RACH) configurations may be provided to the UE. In some such cases, the UE may also have SB configuration information and corresponding SB direction information in the SIB (e.g., SIB1), consistent with other disclosures herein. In this case, the RACH configuration may provide a separate initial UL BWP for random access in SIB1. For example, a first initial UL BWP with a first bandwidth may be configured and used by a first group of UEs (e.g., for use by UEs regardless of their support for XDD functionality). At least one additional / separate initial UL BWP may then be configured for use by a second group of UEs (additionally), corresponding to the XDD capabilities of these UEs.

[0157] Any such additional initial UL BWP for an XDD UE can be configured by aggregating one or more SBs. Furthermore, such additional initial UL BWPs may have a BW that is less than, equal to, or greater than the BW of the first initial UL BWP, and may be co-located within / co-located with the BW of the first initial UL BWP, or may be outside or partially overlapping the BW of the first initial UL BWP.

[0158] Figure 15 Figure 1500 shows an example of the initial UL BWP configuration corresponding to the serving cell in XDD operation. Two initial UL BWPs, namely initial UL BWP #1 1502 and initial UL BWP #2 1504, can be provided in SIB1 as separate UL / DL configurations. Initial UL BWP #1 1502 can be provided by… tdd-UL-DLConfigurationCommon The IE is provided and used by UEs without XDD capability and UEs with XDD capability to perform random access procedures. As shown in the figure, the initial UL BWP #1 1502 can be configured with a first offset value 1506 and a first BW 1508 relative to the common reference block (CRB) #0 1514 configured by the network.

[0159] The initial UL BWP #2 1504 is configured with a second offset value of 1510 and a second BW of 1512, and is composed of... tdd-UL- DLConfigurationCommonXDD The UL / DL configuration provided by the IE (e.g., in the form of semi-static SB orientation information relative to one or more SBs of the initial UL BWP #2 1504). The UL / DL configuration associated with the initial UL BWP #2 1504 is overridden by... tdd-UL-DLConfigurationCommonThe provided UL / DL configuration offers flexible notation (e.g., due to the fact that the initial ULBWP #2 1504 occupies the second BW 1512, which overlaps (in this case, completely) with the first BW 1508 of the initial UL BWP #1 1502).

[0160] UEs with XDD capability can use the initial UL BWP #2 1504 to perform a random access procedure. It should be noted that the initial UL BWP #2 1504 cannot be used by UEs without XDD capability, at least from a system perspective, some of its resources can be used as DL resources for such UEs without XDD capability.

[0161] According to certain implementations, the UE can be provided with all or a subset of the configurations for each XDD-specific initial UL BWP (e.g., initial UL BWP #2 1504) via SIB1. A separate RACH configuration can be provided for each XDD-specific initial UL BWP. These RACH configurations may include one or more of the following: a first parameter defining the number of PRACH resources of the initial UL BWP that are frequency-division multiplexed (FDM-enabled) in a single time instance of the RACH timing (RO) of the initial UL BWP; a second parameter defining the offset of the lowest PRACH resource in the frequency domain of the initial UL BWP's PRACH resources; and / or a third parameter defining the RO density in the time domain of the RO in the second initial UL BWP.

[0162] Because the number of ROs that may appear in an XDD-specific initial UL BWP in the time domain is relatively increased, the first parameter (the number of PRACH resources for an initial UL BWP that is FDMed in a single time instance of an RO in an XDD-specific initial UL BWP) can use a smaller value compared to a similar value used for a non-XDD-specific initial UL BWP (e.g., initial UL BWP #1 1502).

[0163] The second parameter (defined as the offset of the lowest PRACH resource in the frequency domain of the PRACH resource of the XDD-specific initial UL BWP) can be relative to the CRB #0 configured by the network, or relative to the lowest PRACH resource of the second initial UL BWP, and given as the offset of the lowest PRACH resource in the BW of the serving cell, where the initial UL BWP #2 1504 is located in the serving cell and is therefore used by the UE to communicate with the network.

[0164] The third parameter (defining the RO density in the time domain for the XDD-specific initial UL BWP) can be used to allow the network (e.g., an applicable base station) to configure a different RO density in the time domain compared to the RO density for non-XDD-specific initial UL BWPs. For example, the network can specify the RO density corresponding to a first periodicity of the non-XDD initial UL BWP, and can also (via the third parameter) specify the RO density corresponding to a second periodicity of the non-XDD initial UL BWP, where the first periodicity is greater than the second periodicity.

[0165] In some wireless communication systems, it is possible to msg1-FDM-XDD-18 Sending the first parameter in IE can be done msg1-FrequencyStart-XDD-r18 Sending the second parameter in IE, and it can be done in prach- ConfigurationIndex-XDD-r18 Sending a third parameter in Internet Explorer. Table 2 summarizes these uses:

[0166]

[0167] In addition, separate PUCCH resources can be configured for each XDD-specific initial UL BWP. These PUCCH resources can be used, for example, to send HARQ-ACK feedback to the network corresponding to Msg4 in the random access procedure.

[0168] The configured parameters may include a first parameter defining the location of the PUCCH resource within a specific initial UL BWP in the XDD and / or a second parameter providing an indication of the location of the PUCCH resource in the frequency domain within a specific initial UL BWP in the XDD according to the intra-slot frequency hopping mechanism.

[0169] For the first parameter (defining the location of the PUCCH resource within the XDD-specific initial UL BWP), an entry can be selected from the predefined PUCCH resource table used for the XDD-specific initial UL BWP.

[0170] The second parameter (which provides an indication of the location of the PUCCH resource within a specific initial UL BWP in the frequency domain according to the intra-slot frequency hopping mechanism) can be used to enable / disable frequency hopping (e.g., to avoid PUSCH resource splitting in certain situations).

[0171] In some wireless communication systems, the first parameter can be... pucch-ResourceCommon-XDD-r18 Send in IE, and the second parameter can be... msg1-intra-slot frequency-hopping-r18 Sending via Internet Explorer. Table 3 summarizes these uses:

[0172]

[0173] Figure 16Figure 1600 illustrates an example of configuring XDD-specific PRACH resources by configuring additional PRACH / PUCCH resources for use by XDD-capable UEs. Figure 1600 corresponds to a pair of PRACH configurations, one for a first initial UL BWP 1602 with a first PRACH resource 1608 available for use by both XDD-capable and non-XDD-capable UEs, and the other for a second initial UL BWP 1604 with a second PRACH resource 1610 available for use by XDD-capable UEs.

[0174] As can be seen, the second initial UL BWP 1604 is used / configured on SB #2 1606. Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1600, this second initial UL BWP 1604 provides a second PRACH resource 1610 as an additional PRACH resource that can be used by a UE with XDD capability (e.g., in addition to the first PRACH resource 1608 provided in the first initial UL BWP 1602).

[0175] Referring to Figure 1600, it can be seen that different RACH configurations can provide different numbers of FDM-processed PRACH resources within their corresponding ROs. In the RACH configuration corresponding to the first initial UL BWP 1602, the parameter for the number of FDM-processed initial UL BWP PRACH resources in a single time instance of the RO (e.g., in some wireless communication systems, this can be...) msg1- FDM (Found in IE) is 8, as shown in the column of the first PRACH resource 1608 in the first initial UL BWP 1602 with a column height of 8. In the RACH configuration corresponding to the second initial UL BWP 1604, the parameter for the number of PRACH resources of the initial ULBWP of FDM in a single time instance of RO (e.g., can be found in IE) is 8, as shown in the column of the first PRACH resource 1608 in the first initial UL BWP 1602 with a column height of 8. msg1-FDM-XDD-r18 (Found in IE) is 2, as shown in the column of the second PRACH resource 1610 in the second initial UL BWP 1604 with a column height of 2.

[0176] Furthermore, different RACH configurations can use different values ​​to define the RO density in the time domain. For example, in the RACH configuration corresponding to the first initial UL BWP 1602, the RO density values ​​for all SBs in the arrangement of Figure 1600 can be used (e.g., in...). prach-ConfigurationIndex (Found in IE), and (also) can use the second PRACH configuration corresponding to the second initial UL BWP 1604, which can use the RO density (different from the first RO density) value for XDD operation of a UE with XDD capability in SB #2 1606 (e.g., can be found in IE). prach-ConfigurationIndex-XDD-r18 (Found in IE).

[0177] It can also be seen that in the RACH configuration corresponding to the first initial UL BWP 1602, PUCCH resource 1612 is configured for use (e.g., for HARQ-ACK feedback corresponding to Msg4 in the random access procedure).

[0178] It should be noted that multiple XDD-specific initial UL BWPs can be configured, each with its own PRACH resource for offloading purposes.

[0179] Using the second initial UL BWP 1604 in the manner described can reduce the random access latency of XDD-capable UEs using the second initial UL BWP 1604 compared to when the UE only uses / can access the first initial UL BWP 1602 (because ROs corresponding to the second PRACH resource 1610 occur more frequently).

[0180] Figure 17 A method 1700 for a UE according to an implementation scheme is shown. Method 1700 includes receiving 1702 from a network a first RACH configuration for a first initial UL BWP having a first BW, the first RACH configuration defining a first PRACH resource for the first initial UL BWP.

[0181] Method 1700 further includes receiving 1704 from the network a second RACH configuration for a second initial UL BWP having a second BW, the second RACH configuration defining a second PRACH resource available for the second initial UL BWP during a time instance where the first PRACH resource defined by the first RACH configuration is not available for random access to the UE.

[0182] Method 1700 also includes performing at least a portion of the 1706 random access procedure using one or more second PRACH resources and networks of the second initial UL BWP.

[0183] In some implementations of method 1700, the second RACH configuration includes a parameter that defines the number of second RACH resources of the second initial UL BWP for FDM in a single time instance of the RO of the second initial UL BWP.

[0184] In some embodiments of method 1700, the second RACH configuration includes a parameter defining an offset of the lowest PRACH resource in the frequency domain of the second PRACH resource of the second initial UL BWP. In some such embodiments, the offset is relative to the lowest PRB in the BW of the serving cell used by the UE to communicate with the network. In some such embodiments, the offset is relative to a common reference block (CRB) #0 configured by the network. In some such embodiments, the offset is relative to the lowest PRB of the second initial UL BWP.

[0185] In some embodiments of method 1700, the first RACH RO occurs corresponding to a first RACH configuration in a first initial UL BWP having a first RO density in the time domain, and wherein the second RACH configuration includes parameters defining a second RO density in the time domain for a second RO in a second initial UL BWP. In some such embodiments, the first RO density corresponds to a first periodicity, which is larger than a second periodicity corresponding to the second RO density.

[0186] In some embodiments, method 1700 further includes receiving a PUCCH configuration from the network for PUCCH resources of the second initial UL BWP, and sending a HARQ-ACK feedback corresponding to a random access procedure to the network on a first PUCCH resource of the PUCCH resources of the second initial UL BWP. In some such embodiments, the PUCCH configuration includes parameters defining the location of the PUCCH resources within the second initial UL BWP. In some such embodiments, the PUCCH configuration includes an indication of the location of the PUCCH resources in the frequency domain within the second initial UL BWP according to an in-slot frequency hopping mechanism.

[0187] In some implementations of method 1700, a second RACH configuration is received from the network in SIB1.

[0188] Figure 18 A method 1800 for the RAN according to an implementation scheme is shown. Method 1800 includes sending 1802 a first RACH configuration to the UE having a first initial UL BWP with a first BW, the first RACH configuration defining a first PRACH resource of the first initial UL BWP.

[0189] Method 1800 further includes sending to the UE 1804 a second RACH configuration of a second initial UL BWP having a second BW, the second RACH configuration defining a second PRACH resource of the second initial UL BWP that is available during a time instance when the first PRACH resource defined by the first RACH configuration is not available for random access by the UE.

[0190] Method 1800 also includes using one or more second PRACH resources of the second initial UL BWP to perform at least a portion of the 1806 random access procedure with the UE.

[0191] In some implementations of method 1800, the second RACH configuration includes a parameter that defines the number of second RACH resources of the second initial UL BWP for FDM in a single time instance of the RO of the second initial UL BWP.

[0192] In some embodiments of method 1800, the second RACH configuration includes a parameter defining an offset from the lowest PRACH resource in the frequency domain of the second PRACH resource of the second initial UL BWP. In some such embodiments, the offset is relative to the lowest PRB in the BW of the serving cell used by the RAN to communicate with the UE. In some such embodiments, the offset is relative to CRB #0 configured by the RAN. In some such embodiments, the offset is relative to the lowest PRB of the second initial UL BWP.

[0193] In some embodiments of method 1800, the first RO occurs corresponding to a first RACH configuration in a first initial UL BWP having a first RO density in the time domain, and wherein the second RACH configuration includes parameters defining a second RO density in the time domain for a second RO in a second initial UL BWP. In some such embodiments, the first RO density corresponds to a first periodicity, which is larger than a second periodicity corresponding to the second RO density.

[0194] In some implementations, method 1800 further includes sending a PUCCH configuration for the PUCCH resources of the second initial UL BWP to the UE, and receiving HARQ-ACK feedback from the UE on a first PUCCH resource of the PUCCH resources of the second initial UL BWP, corresponding to a random access procedure. In some such implementations, the PUCCH configuration includes parameters defining the location of the PUCCH resources within the second initial UL BWP. In some such implementations, the PUCCH configuration includes an indication of the location of the PUCCH resources in the frequency domain within the second initial UL BWP according to an in-slot frequency hopping mechanism.

[0195] In some implementations of method 1800, a second RACH configuration is sent to the UE in System Information Block 1 (SIB1).

[0196] Figure 19 An exemplary architecture of a wireless communication system 1900 according to an embodiment disclosed herein is shown. The description provided below is for an exemplary wireless communication system 1900 operating in conjunction with LTE system standards and / or 5G or NR system standards provided by 3GPP technical specifications.

[0197] like Figure 19 As shown, the wireless communication system 1900 includes UE 1902 and UE 1904 (but any number of UEs may be used). In this example, UE 1902 and UE 1904 are shown as smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices capable of connecting to one or more cellular networks), but may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device configured for wireless communication.

[0198] UE 1902 and UE 1904 can be configured to communicate with RAN 1906. In implementations, RAN 1906 can be NG-RAN, E-UTRAN, etc. UE 1902 and UE 1904 utilize connections (or channels) with RAN 1906 (shown as connection 1908 and connection 1910, respectively), where each connection (or channel) includes a physical communication interface. RAN 1906 may include one or more base stations, such as base station 1912 and base station 1914, that implement connection 1908 and connection 1910.

[0199] In this example, Connection 1908 and Connection 1910 are air interfaces that enable this type of communication coupling and are compatible with the RAT used by RAN 1906, such as LTE and / or NR.

[0200] In some implementations, UE 1902 and UE 1904 may also exchange communication data directly via sidelink interface 1916. UE 1904 is shown configured to access an access point (shown as AP 1918) via connection 1920. By way of example, connection 1920 may include a local wireless connection, such as a connection conforming to any IEEE 802.11 protocol, while AP 1918 may include Wi-Fi. ® Router. In this example, AP 1918 can connect to another network (e.g., the Internet) without going through CN 1924.

[0201] In the implementation scheme, UE 1902 and UE 1904 may be configured to communicate with each other or with base station 1912 and / or base station 1914 on a multi-carrier communication channel using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals according to various communication technologies, such as but not limited to orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) communication technology (e.g., for downlink communication) or single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) communication technology (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communication)). However, the scope of the implementation scheme is not limited in this respect. The OFDM signal may include multiple orthogonal subcarriers.

[0202] In some implementations, all or part of base station 1912 or base station 1914 may be implemented as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network. Furthermore, or in other implementations, base station 1912 or base station 1914 may be configured to communicate with each other via interface 1922. In implementations where wireless communication system 1900 is an LTE system (e.g., when CN 1924 is an EPC), interface 1922 may be an X2 interface. This X2 interface may be defined between two or more base stations (e.g., two or more eNBs, etc.) connected to the EPC and / or between two eNBs connected to the EPC. In implementations where wireless communication system 1900 is an NR system (e.g., when CN 1924 is a 5GC), interface 1922 may be an Xn interface. This Xn interface is defined between two or more base stations (e.g., two or more gNBs, etc.) connected to the 5GC, between base station 1912 (e.g., a gNB) and eNBs connected to the 5GC, and / or between two eNBs connected to the 5GC (e.g., CN 1924).

[0203] RAN 1906 is shown communicatively coupled to CN 1924. CN 1924 may include one or more network elements 1926 configured to provide various data and telecommunications services to customers / subscribers (e.g., users of UE 1902 and UE 1904) connected to CN 1924 via RAN 1906. Components of CN 1924 may be implemented in a single physical device or a separate physical device including components for reading and executing instructions from machine-readable or computer-readable media (e.g., non-transitory machine-readable storage media).

[0204] In the implementation scheme, CN 1924 may be an EPC, and RAN 1906 may be connected to CN 1924 via S1 interface 1928. In the implementation scheme, S1 interface 1928 may be divided into two parts: an S1 user plane (S1-U) interface carrying service data between base station 1912 or base station 1914 and the service gateway (S-GW); and an S1-MME interface, which is the signaling interface between base station 1912 or base station 1914 and the mobility management entity (MME).

[0205] In the implementation scheme, CN 1924 may be a 5GC, and RAN 1906 may be connected to CN 1924 via NG interface 1928. In the implementation scheme, NG interface 1928 may be divided into two parts: an NG user plane (NG-U) interface, which carries service data between base station 1912 or base station 1914 and the user plane function (UPF); and an S1 control plane (NG-C) interface, which is the signaling interface between base station 1912 or base station 1914 and the access and mobility management function (AMF).

[0206] Generally, application server 1930 can be a component that provides Internet Protocol (IP) carried resources (e.g., packet-switched data services) for use with CN 1924. Application server 1930 can also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., VoIP sessions, group communication sessions, etc.) for UE 1902 and UE 1904 via CN 1924. Application server 1930 can communicate with CN 1924 via IP communication interface 1932.

[0207] Figure 20 A system 2000 for executing signaling 2034 between a wireless device 2002 and a network device 2018 according to an embodiment disclosed herein is illustrated. System 2000 may be part of the wireless communication system described herein. Wireless device 2002 may be, for example, a UE of a wireless communication system. Network device 2018 may include, for example, one or more devices, including a base station (e.g., an eNB or gNB) and / or a CN of the wireless communication system.

[0208] Wireless device 2002 may include one or more processors 2004. Processor 2004 may execute instructions to cause wireless device 2002 to perform various operations as described herein. Processor 2004 may include one or more baseband processors, which may be implemented using, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), digital signal processor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), controller, field-programmable gate array (FPGA) device, another hardware device, firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0209] Wireless device 2002 may include memory 2006. Memory 2006 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 2008, which may include instructions executed, for example, by processor 2004. Instructions 2008 may also be referred to as program code or a computer program. Memory 2006 may also store data used by processor 2004 and results calculated by the processor.

[0210] Wireless device 2002 may include one or more transceivers 2010, which may include radio frequency (RF) transmitter and / or receiver circuitry that uses antenna 2012 of wireless device 2002 to facilitate the transmission or receipt of signaling (e.g., signaling 2034) between wireless device 2002 and other devices (e.g., network device 2018) in accordance with a corresponding RAT.

[0211] Wireless device 2002 may include one or more antennas 2012 (e.g., one, two, four or more). For implementations with multiple antennas 2012, wireless device 2002 can fully utilize the spatial diversity of such multiple antennas 2012 to transmit and / or receive multiple different data streams on the same time-frequency resources. This practice may be referred to, for example, as a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) approach (referring to multiple antennas used separately on the transmitting and receiving sides to implement this aspect). MIMO transmissions performed by wireless device 2002 can be achieved according to precoding (or digital beamforming) applied to wireless device 2002, whereby the wireless device multiplexes data streams among antennas 2012 based on known or assumed channel characteristics, such that each data stream is received with appropriate signal strength relative to the other streams and at a desired location in the spatial domain (e.g., the location of the receiver associated with that data stream). Some implementations may use a single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) approach (where the entire data stream is directed to a single receiver) and / or a multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) approach (where individual data streams may be directed to individual (different) receivers at different locations in the airspace).

[0212] In some implementations with multiple antennas, the wireless device 2002 can implement analog beamforming technology, whereby the phase of the signal transmitted by the antenna 2012 is relatively adjusted, making the (joint) transmission of the antenna 2012 directional (this is sometimes referred to as beam control).

[0213] Wireless device 2002 may include one or more interfaces 2014. Interfaces 2014 can be used to provide input to or output from wireless device 2002. For example, wireless device 2002 as a UE may include interfaces 2014, such as microphones, speakers, touchscreens, buttons, etc., to allow users of the UE to input to and / or output to the UE. Other interfaces of such UEs may consist of transmitters, receivers, and other circuitry that allow the UE to communicate with other devices (e.g., transceivers 2010 / antennas 2012 as described), and may be based on known protocols (e.g., Wi-Fi). ® Bluetooth ® (etc.) to perform the operation.

[0214] Wireless device 2002 may include an XDD module 2016. The XDD module 2016 may be implemented via hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, the XDD module 2016 may be implemented as a processor, circuitry, and / or instructions 2008 stored in memory 2006 and executed by processor 2004. In some examples, the XDD module 2016 may be integrated within processor 2004 and / or transceiver 2010. For example, the XDD module 2016 may be implemented via a combination of software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general-purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuitry) within processor 2004 or transceiver 2010.

[0215] The XDD module 2016 can be used in various aspects of this disclosure, for example, Figures 1 to 18 Various aspects. For example, the XDD module 2016 can be used to perform one or more aspects corresponding to any of method 500, method 800, method 1300, and / or method 1700.

[0216] Network device 2018 may include one or more processors 2020. Processor 2020 may execute instructions that cause network device 2018 to perform various operations as described herein. Processor 2020 may include one or more baseband processors, which may be implemented using, for example, a CPU, DSP, ASIC, controller, FPGA device, another hardware device, firmware device, or any combination thereof configured to perform the operations described herein.

[0217] Network device 2018 may include memory 2022. Memory 2022 may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium that stores instructions 2024, which may include instructions executed, for example, by processor 2020. Instructions 2024 may also be referred to as program code or computer program. Memory 2022 may also store data used by processor 2020 and results calculated by the processor.

[0218] Network device 2018 may include one or more transceivers 2026, which may include RF transmitter and / or receiver circuitry that uses the antenna 2028 of network device 2018 to facilitate the transmission or receipt of signaling (e.g., signaling 2034) between network device 2018 and other devices (e.g., wireless device 2002) in accordance with the corresponding RAT.

[0219] Network device 2018 may include one or more antennas 2028 (e.g., one, two, four or more). In embodiments with multiple antennas 2028, network device 2018 may perform MIMO, digital beamforming, analog beamforming, beam control, etc., as described above.

[0220] Network device 2018 may include one or more interfaces 2030. Interface 2030 can be used to provide input to or output to network device 2018. For example, network device 2018 as a base station may include interface 2030 consisting of transmitters, receivers and other circuitry (e.g., in addition to the transceiver 2026 / antenna 2028 already described), which enables the base station to communicate with other equipment in the core network and / or to communicate with external networks, computers, databases, etc., for the purpose of operating, managing and maintaining the base station or other equipment operable to be connected to the base station.

[0221] Network device 2018 may include XDD module 2032. XDD module 2032 may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, XDD module 2032 may be implemented as a processor, circuitry, and / or instructions 2024 stored in memory 2022 and executed by processor 2020. In some examples, XDD module 2032 may be integrated within processor 2020 and / or transceiver 2026. For example, XDD module 2032 may be implemented in combination with software components (e.g., executed by a DSP or general-purpose processor) and hardware components (e.g., logic gates and circuitry) within processor 2020 or transceiver 2026.

[0222] The XDD module 2032 can be used in various aspects of this disclosure, for example, Figures 1 to 18 Various aspects. For example, the XDD module 2032 can be used to execute one or more aspects corresponding to method 600, method 900, method 1400 and / or method 1800.

[0223] The embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising components for performing one or more elements of any of method 500, method 800, method 1300, and / or method 1700. This apparatus may be, for example, a device of a UE (such as a wireless device 2002 as a UE, as described herein).

[0224] The embodiments contemplated herein include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, which include instructions to cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of any of method 500, method 800, method 1300, and / or method 1700 when executed by one or more processors of the electronic device. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may be, for example, the memory of a UE (such as memory 2006 of a wireless device 2002 serving as a UE, as described herein).

[0225] The embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising logic components, modules, or circuitry for performing one or more elements of any of method 500, method 800, method 1300, and / or method 1700. This apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a UE (such as a wireless device 2002 as a UE, as described herein).

[0226] The embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors; and one or more computer-readable media including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of any of method 500, method 800, method 1300, and / or method 1700. The apparatus may be, for example, an apparatus of a UE (such as a wireless device 2002 as a UE, as described herein).

[0227] The implementation scheme envisioned herein includes a signal as described in or associated with one or more elements of any of method 500, method 800, method 1300, and / or method 1700.

[0228] The embodiments contemplated herein include a computer program or computer program product comprising instructions, wherein execution by a processor causes the processor to perform one or more elements of any of method 500, method 800, method 1300, and / or method 1700. The processor may be a processor of the UE (such as processor 2004 as a wireless device 2002 of the UE, as described herein). These instructions may, for example, reside in the processor of the UE and / or in memory (such as memory 2006 as a wireless device 2002 of the UE, as described herein).

[0229] The embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising components for performing one or more elements of any of method 600, method 900, method 1400, and / or method 1800. The apparatus may be, for example, an RAN and / or CN apparatus (including the network device 2018 described herein).

[0230] The embodiments contemplated herein include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media, which include instructions to cause the electronic device to perform one or more elements of any of method 600, method 900, method 1400, and / or method 1800 when executed by one or more processors of the electronic device. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may be, for example, memory of the RAN and / or CN (such as memory 2022 of network device 2018, as described herein).

[0231] The embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising logic components, modules, or circuitry for performing one or more elements of any of method 600, method 900, method 1400, and / or method 1800. The apparatus may be, for example, a RAN and / or CN apparatus (such as the network device 2018 described herein).

[0232] The embodiments contemplated herein include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors; and one or more computer-readable media including instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform one or more elements of any of method 600, method 900, method 1400, and / or method 1800. The apparatus may be, for example, a RAN and / or CN apparatus (such as the network device 2018 described herein).

[0233] The implementation scheme envisioned herein includes a signal as described in or associated with one or more elements of any of method 600, method 900, method 1400, and / or method 1800.

[0234] The embodiments contemplated herein include a computer program or computer program product comprising instructions, wherein execution of the program by a processing element will cause the processing element to perform one or more elements of any of method 600, method 900, method 1400, and / or method 1800. The processor may be a processor of a RAN and / or CN device (such as processor 2020 of network device 2018, as described herein). These instructions may, for example, reside in the processor and / or the memory of the device (such as memory 2022 of network device 2018, as described herein).

[0235] 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 as described herein. For example, the baseband processor described herein in conjunction with one or more of the foregoing figures may be configured to operate according to one or more examples of the examples described herein. Similarly, the circuitry 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 examples of the examples shown herein.

[0236] Unless otherwise expressly stated, any of the above embodiments may be combined with any other embodiment (or combination of embodiments). The foregoing description of one or more specific embodiments provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of the embodiments to the precise form disclosed. In view of the teachings above, modifications and variations are possible, or modifications and variations may be derived from practice of various embodiments.

[0237] Implementations and specific embodiments of the systems and methods described herein may include various operations embodied in machine-executable instructions to be executed by a computer system. The computer system may include one or more general-purpose or special-purpose computers (or other electronic devices). The computer system may include hardware components, including specific logical components for performing the operations, or may include a combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware.

[0238] It should be recognized that the systems described herein include descriptions of specific implementations. These implementations may be combined into a single system, partially integrated into other systems, divided into multiple systems, or otherwise partitioned or combined. Furthermore, it is conceivable to use parameters, attributes, aspects, etc., of one implementation in another implementation. For clarity, these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc., are described only in one or more implementations, and it should be recognized that unless specifically stated herein, these parameters, attributes, aspects, etc., may be combined with or substituted for parameters, attributes, aspects, etc., of another implementation.

[0239] As is widely recognized, the use of personally identifiable information should comply with privacy policies and practices that are generally accepted to meet or exceed industry or governmental requirements for protecting user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of authorized use should be clearly explained to users.

[0240] Although the foregoing has been described in considerable detail for clarity, it will be apparent that certain changes and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the invention. It should be noted that many alternative ways exist to implement both the processes and apparatus described herein. Therefore, embodiments of the invention should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive, and this specification is not limited to the details given herein, but can be modified within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method of a user equipment (UE), comprising: identifying a plurality of sub-bands (SBs) of a serving cell of the UE using SB configuration information received from a network, wherein adjacent SBs of the plurality of SBs are separated by one or more guard bands (GBs); sending a UE capability report to the network indicating whether the UE is capable of determining whether any of the one or more GBs is valid for resource allocation based on using dynamic SB direction information; determining a communication direction of the plurality of SBs during a first time slot using SB direction information received from the network; and communicating with the network on the serving cell during the first time slot using resources of the plurality of SBs in accordance with the communication direction of the plurality of SBs during the first time slot.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the SB configuration information defines the plurality of SBs relative to a bandwidth of the serving cell.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the SB direction information includes semi-static SB direction information received from the network in a system information block (SIB).

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the SB direction information includes semi-static direction information received from the network in radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the RRC signaling is dedicated RRC signaling for the UE.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein the SB direction information includes dynamic SB direction information received from the network in downlink control information (DCI).

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the SB configuration information defines the plurality of SBs relative to one or more bandwidth parts (BWPs) of the serving cell configured to the UE.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the SB direction information includes semi-static direction information received from the network in dedicated radio resource control (RRC) signaling for the UE.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the SB direction information includes dynamic SB direction information received from the network in downlink control information (DCI).

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a first SB of the plurality of SBs and a second SB of the plurality of SBs adjacent to the first SB use different communication directions during the first time slot; and the method further comprising determining that resources of a first GB of the one or more GBs separating the first SB and the second SB are invalid for resource allocation by the network during the first time slot because the first SB and the second SB use the different communication directions during the first time slot.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: determining a communication direction of the plurality of SBs during a second time slot using the SB direction information, wherein the first SB and the second SB use a same communication direction during the second time slot; and ​ ​ determining that resources of the first GB are valid for resource allocation by the network during the second time slot because the first SB and the second SB use the same communication direction during the second time slot.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein a first SB of the plurality of SBs and a second SB of the plurality of SBs adjacent to the first SB use a same communication direction during the first time slot; and the method further comprising determining that resources of a first GB of the one or more GBs separating the first SB and the second SB are valid for resource allocation by the network during the first time slot because the first SB and the second SB use the same communication direction during the first time slot.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: determining, using the SB direction information, a communication direction of the plurality of SBs during a second time slot, wherein the first SB and the second SB use different communication directions during the second time slot; and determining that resources of the first GB are invalid for resource allocation by the network during the second time slot because the first SB and the second SB use the different communication directions during the second time slot.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein a first SB of the plurality of SBs and a second SB of the plurality of SBs adjacent to the first SB are separated by a first GB of the one or more GBs and use different communication directions during the first time slot, the method further comprising determining that a resource block group, RBG, overlapping the first SB and the first GB is invalid for Type 0 resource allocation, RA, by the network for the first time slot.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein a first SB of the plurality of SBs and a second SB of the plurality of SBs adjacent to the first SB are separated by a first GB of the one or more GBs and use different communication directions during the first time slot, the method further comprising determining that a physical resource block, PRB, of a resource block group, RBG, of Type 0 resource allocation, RA, located in the first GB is invalid for the Type 0 RA by the network for the first time slot.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein a first SB of the plurality of SBs and a second SB of the plurality of SBs adjacent to the first SB are separated by a first GB of the one or more GBs and use different communication directions during the first time slot, the method further comprising determining that a precoder resource group, PRG, of a resource block group, RBG, of Type 0 resource allocation, RA, overlapping the first GB is invalid for the Type 0 RA by the network for the first time slot.

17. A method of a radio access network, RAN, comprising: sending, to a user equipment, UE, SB configuration information indicating a plurality of sub-bands, SBs, of a serving cell of the UE, wherein adjacent SBs of the plurality of SBs are separated by one or more guard bands, GBs; receiving, from the UE, a UE capability report indicating that the UE is capable of determining whether any of the one or more GBs is valid for resource allocation based on dynamic SB direction information; transmitting, to the UE, SB direction information indicating a communication direction of the plurality of SBs during a first time slot; and communicating with the UE on the serving cell using resources of the plurality of SBs during the first time slot in accordance with the communication direction of the plurality of SBs during the first time slot.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the SB configuration information defines the plurality of SBs relative to a bandwidth of the serving cell.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the SB direction information comprises semi-static SB direction information transmitted to the UE in a system information block (SIB).

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the SB direction information comprises semi-static direction information transmitted to the UE in radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the RRC signaling is dedicated RRC signaling for the UE.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the SB direction information comprises dynamic SB direction information transmitted to the UE in downlink control information (DCI).

23. The method of claim 17, wherein the SB configuration information defines the plurality of SBs relative to one or more bandwidth parts (BWPs) of the serving cell configured to the UE.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the SB direction information comprises semi-static direction information transmitted to the UE in dedicated radio resource control (RRC) signaling for the UE.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the SB direction information comprises dynamic SB direction information transmitted to the UE in downlink control information (DCI).

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the dynamic SB direction information is transmitted to the UE in the DCI in response to receiving the UE capability report.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein a first SB of the plurality of SBs and a second SB of the plurality of SBs adjacent to the first SB use different communication directions during the first time slot; and the method further comprising determining not to allocate resources of a first GB of the one or more GBs separating the first SB and the second SB for use during the first time slot because the first SB and the second SB use the different communication directions during the first time slot.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the first SB and the second SB use a same communication direction during a second time slot; and the method further comprising allocating resources of the first GB during the second time slot to use in the same communication direction as the first SB and the second SB.

29. The method of claim 17, wherein a first SB of the plurality of SBs and a second SB of the plurality of SBs adjacent to the first SB use a same communication direction during the first time slot; and the method further comprising allocating resources of a first GB of the one or more GBs separating the first SB and the second SB for use in the same communication direction as the first SB and the second SB during the first time slot.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the first SB and the second SB use different communication directions during a second time slot; and the method further comprising determining not to allocate resources of the first GB for use during the second time slot because the first SB and the second SB use the different communication directions during the second time slot.

31. The method of claim 17, wherein a first SB of the plurality of SBs and a second SB of the plurality of SBs adjacent to the first SB are separated by a first GB of the one or more GBs and use different communication directions during the first time slot, the method further comprising determining that a resource block group (RBG) overlapping the first SB and the first GB is unavailable for a Type 0 resource allocation (RA) of the first time slot.

32. The method of claim 17, wherein a first SB of the plurality of SBs and a second SB of the plurality of SBs adjacent to the first SB are separated by a first GB of the one or more GBs and use different communication directions during the first time slot, the method further comprising performing a Type 0 resource allocation (RA) of the first time slot on resource block groups (RBGs) overlapping the first SB and the first GB during the first time slot, wherein physical resource blocks (PRBs) of the RBGs located in the first GB are not used in the Type 0 RA.

33. The method of claim 17, wherein a first SB of the plurality of SBs and a second SB of the plurality of SBs adjacent to the first SB are separated by a first GB of the one or more GBs and use different communication directions during the first time slot, the method further comprising performing a Type 0 resource allocation (RA) of the first time slot on resource block groups (RBGs) overlapping the first SB and the first GB during the first time slot, wherein precoder resource groups (PRGs) of the RBGs overlapping the first GB are not used in the Type 0 RA.

34. An electronic device comprising means for performing the method of any of claims 1-33.

35. A computer readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by one or more processors of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform the method of any of claims 1-33.

36. An electronic device comprising logic, modules, or circuitry for performing the method of any of claims 1-33.

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