Method, apparatus and system for configurable modulation in wireless communications

Abstract

The present invention relates to configurable modulation in wireless communications. Constellation set signaling and constellation selection signaling are transmitted in a wireless communications network. The constellation set signaling is associated with modulating data using each constellation in a constellation set including a plurality of constellations. The constellation selection signaling indicates one constellation of the plurality of constellations of the constellation set to be used to modulate data for transmission in the wireless communications network. Data modulated using the one constellation of the plurality of constellations is also transmitted in the wireless communications network.

Description

[0001] Related Applications

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. patent application No. 16 / 927,350, filed on July 13, 2020, entitled “METHODS, APPARATUS, AND SYSTEMS FOR CONFIGURABLE MODULATION IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS,” which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates generally to communications in wireless communication networks, and more particularly to communications involving configurable modulation. Background Art

[0004] Current wireless standards use preconfigured quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) and phase shift keying (PSK) modulation with grayscale labels to convert the bits of the data stream into complex-valued modulation symbols for transmission on different time and / or frequency and / or spatial resources. These modulation schemes present a simple implementation of modulators and demodulators. In current systems, the same set of modulation constellations is used in open-loop, closed-loop, and multi-user multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO) applications. In most systems, a linear precoder is used with QAM modulation symbols.

[0005] The modulation constellation (also called QAM level) in long term evolution (LTE) and new radio (NR) systems is signaled in the downlink control information (DCI) and combined with the code rate. In LTE and NR, only three conventional constellations are used for data channels, including quadrature PSK (QPSK), 16QAM, and 64QAM. Although these QAM options have some drawbacks, such as shaping at locations where the constellation is far from Gaussian (they exploit corner points with high power and higher utilization than required by Gaussian modulation), they are attractive for current communication standards due to their simple modulation / demodulation. Summary of the invention

[0006] LTE and NR use only a small number of well-defined and standardized constellations, and therefore, the signaling of these constellations is relatively straightforward. To support more advanced and configurable constellations, more complex signaling mechanisms are provided. The present invention encompasses a scheme for signaling associated with constellations (including, for example, constellation clouds or irregular constellation points) using explicit or implicit methods. In some embodiments, a feedback mechanism is provided to support constellation updates.

[0007] For example, it may be desirable to use a constellation that can provide more robustness against mismatches and uncertainties, such as channel state information (CSI), phase noise and non-linearity, better shaping and better peak to average power ratio (PAPR), improved physical layer security, or other features, such as non-Gaussian interference.

[0008] One aspect of the present invention relates to a method, comprising: transmitting constellation set signaling and constellation selection signaling in a wireless communication network. The constellation set signaling is associated with modulating data using each constellation in a constellation set including a plurality of constellations. The constellation selection signaling indicates one constellation of the plurality of constellations of the constellation set to be used to modulate data for transmission in the wireless communication network. This method may also include: transmitting data modulated using the one constellation of the plurality of constellations in the wireless communication network.

[0009] According to another aspect of the present invention, an apparatus includes: a communication interface; a processor coupled to the communication interface; and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium coupled to the processor, storing a program for execution by the processor. The program includes instructions for transmitting signaling and data in a wireless communication network. Specifically, the program includes instructions for transmitting constellation set signaling, the constellation set signaling being associated with modulating data using each constellation in a constellation set including a plurality of constellations. The program may also include instructions for transmitting constellation selection signaling, the constellation selection signaling indicating one of the plurality of constellations in the constellation set to be used to modulate data for transmission in the wireless communication network. The program also includes instructions for transmitting data modulated using the one of the plurality of constellations in the wireless communication network.

[0010] A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program. In one embodiment, the program comprises instructions for: transmitting constellation set signaling in a wireless communication network; transmitting constellation selection signaling; and transmitting data. The constellation set signaling is associated with modulating data using each constellation in a constellation set including a plurality of constellations. The constellation selection signaling indicates one of the plurality of constellations in the constellation set to be used to modulate data for transmission in the wireless communication network. The data is modulated in the wireless communication network using the one of the plurality of constellations.

[0011] Other aspects and features of the embodiments of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art in conjunction with the following description. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] In order to more fully understand the embodiments of the present invention and its advantages, the following description is made by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0013] Figure 1 An exemplary communication system is shown in which aspects of the present invention are implemented in some embodiments;

[0014] Figure 2 An exemplary QAM constellation is shown;

[0015] Figure 3 Shows Figure 2 Decision regions or boundaries of exemplary QAM constellations in FIG.

[0016] Figure 4 is a graph of log likelihood ratio (LLR) versus received signal power level for an example of grayscale 4-pulse amplitude modulation (PAM) with constellation points (–4, –1, 1, 4) and N0=3;

[0017] Figure 5 is a signal flow diagram showing an example of signaling associated with downlink communications;

[0018] Figure 6 is a signal flow diagram showing an example of signaling associated with uplink communications;

[0019] Figure 7 is a signal flow diagram illustrating an example of signaling associated with full network controlled direct UE-to-UE communication;

[0020] Figure 8 is a signal flow diagram illustrating an example of signaling associated with network initiated direct UE-to-UE communication with autonomous UE modification;

[0021] Fig. 9 is a signal flow diagram illustrating an example of signaling associated with direct UE-to-UE communication without network involvement;

[0022] Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B is a block diagram of an exemplary device that can implement the methods and teachings provided by the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] As described above, current modulation methods may be attractive for their simple modulation and demodulation, but such methods may not be sufficient to meet requirements or goals for parameters such as robustness against mismatch and uncertainty, shaping, PAPR, physical layer security, or other characteristics such as non-Gaussian interference. For example, frequency and quadrature amplitude modulation (FQAM) can be used for non-Gaussian interference, and modulation constellations based on artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to optimize any of these or standards.

[0024] Modulators and demodulators operate according to a set of bit-to-symbol mapping and demapping rules. Symbol values ​​are typically represented in a constellation diagram. The term "constellation" typically refers to the constellation diagram (i.e., symbol values ​​that can be used to map to bits). Since the constellation diagram can also include information about the bit-to-symbol mapping, the term "constellation" is sometimes also used to refer to the mapping and demapping rules, and is sometimes simply referred to as "modulation." Therefore, unless otherwise specified, this article may use "constellation" to refer to one of them.

[0025] Symbol level precoding (SLP) is a nonlinear precoding method proposed for MU-MIMO. In the presence of channel uncertainty, there are constellation clouds instead of constellation points. The soft / hard decision demodulation of the constellation cloud is different from the constellation points. Neural networks can optimize the constellation and demodulation process. When the number of users, number of antenna elements, channel conditions and uncertainty level changes, the optimized constellation will be different.

[0026] Thus, the optimized constellation may be a function of one or more underlying criteria, such as channel conditions, number of users, uncertainty level, and possibly other criteria. For example, through offline neural network (NN) training or other techniques, it may be possible to optimize a large set of constellations. Thus, there may be a large set of many different constellations, which may make the pre-configuration of a fixed set of constellations and the standardization of constellations in standard specifications quite complex.

[0027] Furthermore, for a fixed constellation set (e.g., a standardized constellation), there is no room to further optimize or update the constellation or constellation set based on existing conditions and user experience. For example, the actual uncertainty level, such as CSI at the transmitter (CSIT) mismatch, is usually not considered in the optimization. It is not possible to retrain the NN and learn the actual uncertainty, but rather use a model for the uncertainty.

[0028] Constellations for which standardization is not feasible or desirable may be referred to as "irregular" or "configurable" constellations. Configurable constellations may provide better support, for example, to optimize a constellation based on any of a variety of parameters, or to select the current constellation from a larger or more dynamic set of constellations.

[0029] The present invention addresses several issues including signaling of constellations, feedback related to constellations, transmitter or transmission strategy updates, and potentially adding predefined constellations to provide a constellation set or design that better suits one or more desired characteristics or parameters.

[0030] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the constellation is not limited to any particular shape or any particular dimension. Regardless of the optimization mechanism used to derive the constellation, any of a variety of methods may be used in signaling to indicate the constellation that will be used to modulate data at any time. The embodiments may be applicable to any one or more of downlink (DL), uplink (UL), and sidelink (SL) communications.

[0031] In summary, the signaling of the constellation can help to use constellations that are not directly specified or otherwise standardized in the standard for modulating data for transmission. Such signaling can be or include explicit signaling or implicit signaling. For example, the constellation, one or more parameters describing the constellation, and / or the receiver behavior can be directly or indirectly signaled. This can include information such as modulation or constellation parameter settings and formulas related to modulation or demodulation. The signaling constellation can be multi-dimensional. There are several options for the "carrier" or type of signaling and its content. The signaling associated with the constellation, also referred to herein as constellation signaling, can be completed in one or more of radio resource control (RRC) signaling, medium access control-control element (MAC CE) signaling, and DCI. For example, the signaling type can be selected based on the frequency and overhead of the signaling method. Compared with MAC CE, RRC is less dynamic and the signaling overhead may be smaller, while compared with DCI, MAC CE is less dynamic and the signaling overhead may be smaller.

[0032] Regarding constellation-related feedback, in some embodiments, the receiver reports a quantity or set of quantities that describe the performance associated with the use of the constellation. For example, the performance may be affected by uncertainties such as the constellation used and CSIT mismatch. Parameters such as the feedback calculation mechanism and / or the underlying feedback channel may be signaled to the receiver. For DL ​​constellation feedback, for example, feedback signaling may be done in RRC or uplink control information (UCI).

[0033] Transmitter strategy update refers to updating one or more features or parameters of the transmitter strategy. The transmitter strategy may be updated based on one or more of: for example, feedback from the receiver, changing system parameters, and local measurements of the transmitter. Examples of transmitter strategy update methods include: (i) signaling to modify the constellation and (ii) no update to the constellation or receiver behavior. While exemplary method (ii) has no signaling impact, exemplary method (i) involves signaling to update the previously used and signaled constellation or receiver demodulation, for example, if the updated transmitter strategy includes such a change.

[0034] For example, even adding a predefined constellation to the standard may have an impact on one or both of RRC and DCI signaling.

[0035] Each of these aspects of the invention is considered in further detail herein, at least below.

[0036] First reference Figure 1 , shows an exemplary communication system 100 that implements aspects of the present invention in some embodiments. In general, the system 100 enables multiple wireless or wired elements to transmit data and / or other content. The purpose of the system 100 can be to provide content (e.g., any one or more of voice, data, video, text, collectively referred to herein as "data") via broadcast, unicast, multicast, user device to user device, etc. The system 100 can operate efficiently by sharing communication resources such as bandwidth.

[0037] In this example, the communication system 100 includes electronic devices (EDs) 110a to 110c, radio access networks (RANs) 120a and 120b, a core network 130, a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160. Figure 1 A certain number of these components or elements are shown, but any reasonable number of these components or elements may be included in system 100 .

[0038] The EDs 110a to 110c are used to operate, communicate, or both in the system 100. For example, the EDs 110a to 110c are used to transmit, receive, or both through a wireless communication channel. Each ED 110a to 110c represents any suitable end-user device for wireless operation, and may include the following devices, or may be referred to as: UE, wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), mobile station, mobile user unit, cellular phone, station (STA), machine type communication (MTC) device, personal digital assistant (PDA), smart phone, laptop, computer, touch pad, wireless sensor, or consumer electronic device.

[0039] exist Figure 1 In the embodiment, RAN 120a and 120b include base stations 170a and 170b, respectively. Each base station 170a and 170b is used to wirelessly connect to one or more EDs of EDs 110a to 110c so as to access any other base stations 170a and 170b, core network 130, PSTN 140, Internet 150 and / or other networks 160. For example, base stations 170a and 170b may be or may include one or more of several well-known devices, such as base transceiver station (BTS), Node-B (NodeB), evolved NodeB (evolved NodeB, eNodeB), home eNodeB, gNB (next generation NodeB), transmission point (TP), transmission reception point (TRP), site controller, access point (AP) or wireless router. Alternatively or collectively, any ED 110a to 110c may be configured to connect, access or communicate with any other base station 170a and 170b, the Internet 150, the core network 130, the PSTN 140, other networks 160, or any combination thereof. Optionally, the system may include a RAN, such as RAN 120b, wherein the corresponding base station 170b accesses the core network 130 via the Internet 150, as shown.

[0040] EDs 110a to 110c and base stations 170a and 170b are examples of communication devices that may be used to implement some or all of the functions or embodiments described herein. Figure 1In the illustrated embodiment, the base station 170a constitutes part of the RAN 120a, which may include other base stations, one or more base station controllers (BSC), one or more radio network controllers (RNC), relay nodes, elements and / or devices. Any base station 170a, 170b may be a separate element, as shown, or multiple elements distributed in the corresponding RAN, and so on. In addition, the base station 170b constitutes part of the RAN 120b, which may include other base stations, elements and / or devices. Each base station 170a and 170b can be used to operate to send and / or receive wireless signals within a specific geographic area (sometimes referred to as a coverage area). The cell can be further divided into cell sectors, for example, the base stations 170a and 170b can use multiple transceivers to provide services to multiple sectors. In some embodiments, the base stations 170a and 170b can be implemented as micro or micro nodes, wherein the radio access technology supports such micro or micro nodes. In some embodiments, MIMO technology may be employed with multiple transceivers per coverage area. The number of RANs 120a and 120b shown is exemplary only. Any number of RANs may be considered when designing the system 100.

[0041] Base stations 170a and 170b communicate with one or more of EDs 110a to 110c using wireless communication links (e.g., RF, μWave, IR, etc.) over one or more air interfaces 190. Air interfaces 190 may use any suitable wireless access technology. For example, system 100 may implement one or more channel access methods in air interfaces 190, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA), or single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA).

[0042] Base stations 170a and 170b may implement universal mobile telecommunication system (UMTS) universal terrestrial radio access (UTRA) to establish air interface 190 using wideband CDMA (WCDMA). In doing so, base stations 170a and 170b may implement protocols such as HSPA, HSPA+, optionally including HSDPA, HSUPA, or both. Alternatively, base stations 170a and 170b may establish air interface 190 using LTE, LTE-A, and / or LTE-B with evolved UTMS terrestrial radio access (E-UTRA). It is contemplated that system 100 may use multi-channel access functionality, including those described above. Other wireless technologies used to implement the air interface include IEEE 802.11, 802.15, 802.16, CDMA2000, CDMA20001X, CDMA2000 EV-DO, IS-2000, IS-95, IS-856, GSM, EDGE, and GERAN. Of course, other multiple access schemes and wireless protocols may also be used.

[0043] The RANs 120a and 120b communicate with the core network 130 to provide various services, such as voice, data, and other services, to the EDs 110a to 110c. It is understood that the RANs 120a and 120b and / or the core network 130 may communicate directly or indirectly with one or more other RANs (not shown), which may or may not be directly served by the core network 130 and may or may not use the same radio access technology as the RANs 120a, 120b, or both. The core network 130 may also serve as a gateway access between (i) the RANs 120a and 120b and / or the EDs 110a to 110c and (ii) other networks, such as the PSTN 140, the Internet 150, and other networks 160. In addition, some or all of the EDs 110a to 110c may include the functionality to communicate with different wireless networks over different radio links using different radio technologies and / or protocols. PSTN 140 may include a circuit-switched telephone network for providing plain old telephone service (POTS). Internet 150 may include a computer network, a subnet (intranet), or both, and incorporate protocols such as IP, TCP, UDP. EDs 110a to 110c may be multi-mode devices capable of operating in accordance with a variety of wireless access technologies and include multiple transceivers required to support these technologies.

[0044] It is conceivable that Figure 1 The communication system 100 shown can support NR cells, which can also be called hypercells. Each NR cell includes one or more base stations. The base stations of the NR cell can use the same NR cell ID. The NR cell ID is a logical distribution for all physical base stations in the NR cell and can be carried in the broadcast synchronization signal. The NR cell can be dynamically configured. The boundaries of the NR cell can be flexible, and the system dynamically adds base stations to the NR cell or removes base stations from the NR cell.

[0045] In one embodiment, the NR cell may have one or more base stations within the NR cell, sending UE-specific data channels serving the UE. The one or more base stations associated with the UE-specific data channel are also UE-specific and transparent to the UE. Multiple parallel data channels within a single NR cell may be supported, for example, each data channel serving a different UE.

[0046] UE (e.g. Figure 1 Direct communication between EDs 110a to 110c) in the UEs is also possible, and direct communication links 195 between UEs are also possible. Figure 1denoted by dashed lines. For example, UEs communicate directly with each other via a sidelink. The embodiments disclosed herein are not limited to downlink or uplink communications, and may additionally or alternatively be applied to direct device-to-device communications, such as sidelink communications.

[0047] Other details about ED 110 and base station 170 are known to those skilled in the art. Therefore, for the sake of clarity, these details are omitted here.

[0048] Signaling about the constellation, such signaling may be or include explicit signaling or implicit signaling. For explicit signaling, an entity (e.g., a network device intended for DL ​​or UL communication) that selects the constellation to be used to modulate the transmitted data explicitly instructs another entity (e.g., a UE) about the selected constellation. For example, information about the complex location of the constellation may be sent. This may include, for example, the expected (noise-free, distortion-free) reception point, and one or more corresponding mapping rules, such as a corresponding binary to complex mapping. The signaling may employ a fixed constellation power, and the received power may be signaled separately, for example, via a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) power or via separate explicit signaling.

[0049] In one embodiment, the signaling includes constellation set signaling associated with modulating data using each of a plurality of constellations in a constellation set, and constellation selection signaling for selecting one of the constellations. Although any of a variety of signaling mechanisms may be used, in some embodiments, the most suitable mechanism for at least constellation set signaling is RRC. For example, RRC signaling may be used to configure or indicate more than one constellation, and DCI signals the constellation selected for data modulation. For example, such DCI signaling may involve a new DCI bit field, adding more options to an existing DCI bit field, or reinterpreting an existing bit DCI field. Another possibility is to use RRC signaling to indicate multiple constellation sets, use MAC CE signaling to signal a selected constellation set in these sets, and use DCI signaling to signal a selected constellation in the selected constellation set. Other embodiments may also exist.

[0050] The content of the signaling may also take any of a variety of forms. As an illustrative example, consider signaling a 4QAM constellation to a UE. The network device may use RRC signaling to send a signaling indicating 4 complex values ​​to the UE, where 4 (x, y) pairs represent quantized real value pairs and the following mapping:

[0051] 00→x0+jy0, 01→x1+jy1, 10→x2+jy2, 11→x3+jy3

[0052] Again, this is just one example. Other embodiments are possible.

[0053] These explicit signaling examples illustrate embodiments that may provide a simple and explicit carrier for signaling to inform a transmitter and / or a receiver (eg, a UE) about the constellation.

[0054] Another possible form of explicit constellation signaling involves parameter setting. For example, a communication standard may provide techniques on how to generate a constellation, or may specify or configure constellation generation, and then the relevant constellation parameters may be signaled. The receiver of such signaling (e.g., a UE) then uses these parameters to explicitly extract the expected (noise-free, distortion-free) constellation points, and the corresponding binary-to-complex mapping.

[0055] Any of a variety of signaling mechanisms may be used, but in some embodiments, RRC may be the most appropriate mechanism. For example, more than one constellation may be signaled in RRC, and DCI signaling may be used to signal the selection of one constellation for modulating data. New DCI bit fields, additional options to existing DCI bit fields, or reinterpretation of existing DCI fields may be used to enable such signaling via DCI. Another option also mentioned above includes using RRC signaling to indicate multiple constellation sets, using MAC CE signaling to signal a selected constellation set in the set, and using DCI to signal a selected constellation in the selected constellation set.

[0056] As a parameter setting example, it is assumed that the following formula is specified in the communication standard of 16QAM or is available on the UE:

[0057] 0000→0+j0

[0058] dec2bin(n),

[0059] dec2bin(n),

[0060] In this example, the quantized real parameters α and β and the integer parameter N can be signaled to the UE using RRC signaling. If the values ​​N=5, α=1, β=2.5 are signaled, the resulting constellation generated at the UE will be the same as Figure 2 The exemplary constellations shown are consistent.

[0061] These parameter settings illustrate other embodiments that may provide a simple explicit vehicle for signaling a constellation in a wireless communication network, e.g. to a UE, with much less overhead than explicit signaling of all constellation points. However, the signaling involving the parameter settings may have less flexibility than embodiments that explicitly signal the constellation points.

[0062] Turning to implicit constellation signaling, constellation signaling associated with modulating data using a constellation is not limited to explicit signaling of a constellation. For example, in addition or alternatively, constellation signaling may include signaling of information indicating one or more characteristics associated with modulation or demodulation according to a constellation, without necessarily defining a constellation or otherwise providing a constellation definition or enabling generation of a constellation by providing a constellation generation method or rule. For example, in one embodiment, constellation signaling involves signaling indicating a decision region of a constellation, such as by signaling a constellation decision boundary. As in other embodiments, the signaling may employ a fixed constellation power, and the received power may be signaled separately, such as by a DMRS power or explicit signaling. For example, a boundary region may be signaled by the vertices of a Voronoi region for each point, as shown below:

[0063]

[0064]

[0065] For example, Figure 2 The decision area or boundary of the constellation is as follows Figure 3 As shown, and in some embodiments can be sent as a signal.

[0066] Likewise, any of a variety of signaling mechanisms may be used, but in some embodiments the most suitable mechanism is RRC.The above examples of RRC signaling, DCI signaling, and MAC CE signaling also apply to implicit signaling embodiments.

[0067] In some cases, due to the effects of CSIT uncertainty, the constellation is not strictly a collection of points, but a collection of constellation clouds. The decision region or boundary implicit signaling method may be more suitable for such scenarios.

[0068] Another implicit signaling example involves implicit constellation signaling through soft demodulation. In one embodiment, the constellation is signaled through signaling information associated with a soft decision function of the receiver. For each bit or symbol in the constellation, the soft decision output can be determined based on the received signal with some noise and signal power level. For example, signaling associated with soft decision demodulation can involve LLR calculations through piecewise linear approximations or functions of the received signal.

[0069] As an illustrative example, consider the actual LLRs of a grayscale 4-PAM with constellation points (–4, –1, 1, 4) in a system subject to additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) with a one-sided noise spectral density of N0=3, as Figure 4 As shown, it can be replaced by a piecewise linear approximation.

[0070] Any of a variety of signaling mechanisms may be used for such soft demodulation signaling, but in some embodiments, the most suitable mechanism is RRC.The above examples of RRC signaling, DCI signaling, and MAC CE signaling apply to implicit signaling related to soft demodulation.

[0071] For example, implicit signaling related to soft demodulation may be particularly applicable to scenarios where a network device controls UE behavior.

[0072] Some embodiments relate to a receiver based on a neural network (NN). In such embodiments, the constellation may not be signaled, but rather, the signaling indicates a receiving device (e.g., a UE) having a NN structure and sets coefficients to perform hard or soft decisions based on the constellation. The receiving device itself does not need to know the actual constellation and may not even know the dimensions of the constellation. The indicated NN is used together with the indicated coefficients to derive a hard or soft decision on the constellation point.

[0073] As in other embodiments, any of a variety of signaling mechanisms may be used for NN-based receiver signaling, and in some embodiments, the most suitable mechanism is RRC. The above examples of RRC signaling, DCI signaling, and MAC CE signaling are applicable to implicit signaling related to NN.

[0074] NN-based receiver signaling may be particularly suitable for scenarios where the receiver behavior is to be more closely controlled than is the case with implicit signaling associated with soft demodulation, and the receiving device is capable of neural network computation.

[0075] It should be noted that some embodiments may involve different signaling methods. For example, constellation signaling may include signaling associated with multiple constellations, but not all of these constellations need to be implicitly signaled by signaling the NN structure and coefficients. More generally, multiple types of constellation signaling may be used. This applies not only to implicit signaling associated with NN-based receivers, but also, in addition or alternatively, to other types of signaling.

[0076] Some embodiments may support constellation-related feedback. A receiving device (e.g., a UE in DL communication) may estimate distortion and send signaling indicating feedback. Such feedback signaling may be sent to the transmitting device from which the modulated data is received, or to a different device. For example, a UE may receive data from another UE and send feedback to a network device.

[0077] The feedback can be used to improve overall performance, for example by updating one or more constellations or otherwise compensating for one or more effects, such as distortion, without changing the constellation. The estimates used to generate the feedback can be made at the symbol level or the code level. For example, the receiving device can decode the message and reconstruct the expected noise-free / distortion-free signal.

[0078] Non-limiting examples of distortion that may be estimated and feedback that may be sent by a receiving device include the following:

[0079] Feedback of the estimated noise level or distortion level around a constellation point (each constellation point, a group of points or the entire set of points in the constellation);

[0080] Feedback of only estimated adverse or "unwanted" noise or distortion levels, which may involve, for example, ignoring noise that pushes the received signal away from the boundaries (particularly for constellation points where the boundary region is unbounded and noise that pushes the received point further away from the boundary);

[0081] Feedback of the estimated rotation of the constellation;

[0082] Feedback on the estimated bias of the constellation;

[0083] Feedback of constellation estimate scaling mismatch;

[0084] Feedback of linear mismatches in the constellation estimate, such as uneven scaling of the received constellation points.

[0085] Feedback is not necessarily limited to any particular signaling option. In some embodiments, UCI in a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), UCI in a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), or RRC is used for feedback signaling.

[0086] Feedback signaling related to noise or distortion can be used in particular to compensate for errors caused by uncertainties, mismatches, etc. or effects.

[0087] Another type of feedback signal relates to the gradient of noise or distortion. The receiving device may estimate a condition (e.g., distortion associated with modulation) and send feedback signaling indicating a function representing such distortion. Such a function may be specified in a communication standard, indicated by a network device, or otherwise signaled to or available at the receiving device. The function may be used to represent the gradient of an objective function, such as any one or more of the following: cross entropy, weighted cross entropy, symbol errors, bit errors, mutual information, and capacity.

[0088] For example, the knowledge provided by the feedback can be used to improve the overall performance by updating one or more constellations or compensating for distortion without changing the constellation. The estimation of the gradient feedback can be performed at the symbol level or the code level, as in other embodiments. The signaling options mentioned elsewhere in this document for other feedback embodiments also apply to the gradient feedback embodiment, including, for example, UCI in PUCCH / PUSCH or RRC.

[0089] Several illustrative and non-limiting examples of functions that may be used for gradient feedback are provided below.

[0090] In one embodiment, the gradient feedback involves gradient feedback at the receiving antenna. For example, the receiving device can evaluate the gradient at one or more of its antenna ports. This may be particularly useful if the transmitter wishes to further train the neural network at the transmitter, which may involve back-propagating gradients using CSIT.

[0091] Another embodiment involves gradient feedback at one or more transmitter antenna ports.The receiving device may apply its knowledge of the channel from the logical transmit antenna ports to the receive antennas to perform back propagation.

[0092] Another option is to feed back the error represented by the receiving NN. In one embodiment, the receiving device reports the error at its output NN and the back-propagation calculations are performed on the sender, which knows the receiver NN structure and coefficients as well as the CSIT.

[0093] Consider a more detailed example of a UE feedback process using gradients. In this example:

[0094] X is the transmit vector at the antenna port;

[0095] Y = f (H, X, n) = HX + n is the received vector;

[0096] H and n represent noise;

[0097] m is the expected message;

[0098] It is estimated news;

[0099] H R , H T Represents a channel known at the sending and receiving devices.

[0100] For the purposes of this example, the following functions are defined:

[0101] X=g(m,H T ) is the transfer function;

[0102] is the demodulator decision function;

[0103] is the objective function, such as cross entropy.

[0104] In this example, feedback represents the gradient of O with respect to:

[0105] If the feedback on the receiving antenna is shown, then it is the function h;

[0106] If the feedback at the transmit antenna port is shown, then it is the function h(f(·));

[0107] If the transmitting device knows the steps of the function, for example when the demodulation is designed using an NN indicated by the transmitting device, then it is the steps of function h.

[0108] A potential benefit of gradient feedback is to enable network devices to train NNs in real time. With knowledge of the gradients at the receiving device, whether at the output of the NN, the input of the NN, the receiving antenna, or the transmitting antenna port, the network device can potentially further optimize the NN.

[0109] With respect to transmitter strategy updates, any of several options may be employed. One option involves modifying one or more constellations. The constellations may be modified in response to feedback or due to any other changes or conditions in the communication network.

[0110] Illustrative and non-limiting examples of constellation modifications include the following:

[0111] Modify the constellation explicitly sent by the signal;

[0112] modifying a subset of one or more parameter values ​​used to extract the constellation;

[0113] modifying one or more decision boundaries of implicit signaling of the constellation;

[0114] Modify the soft decision function of the implicit signaling of the constellation;

[0115] Modify one or more coefficients in the receiver or demodulation NN.

[0116] Signaling associated with constellation modification may involve any of a variety of signaling mechanisms. For example, for modifications of an explicitly signaled constellation, one or more parameter values ​​used to extract the constellation, decision boundaries, or soft decision functions, MAC CE may be more appropriate, but DCI / RRC may also be used. For NN-based embodiments, RRC may be more appropriate because the overhead of signaling associated with NN coefficients may be greater.

[0117] With this type of transmitter strategy update, small changes in communication network operating parameters or conditions that result in small changes in the constellation can be signaled without large overhead.

[0118] In some embodiments, the transmission strategy may be modified without changing the behavior of the receiving device. In these embodiments, from the perspective of the receiving device, the constellation is not modified, and therefore the behavior of the receiving device is not changed. However, the transmitting device may update an aspect of the transmission strategy in a manner that does not require a change in the behavior of the receiving device to compensate for distortion and / or other conditions. For example, the transmitting device may apply processing or other techniques to compensate for distortion without affecting the way the receiving device demodulates data.

[0119] The transmission strategy may be modified in response to feedback or based on other criteria, such as changes in communications network operating parameters or conditions.

[0120] Through this type of transmitting device-centric policy modification mechanism, the transmitting device itself can compensate for the distortion or distortion causes without changing the constellation or receiving device behavior, which may be achieved without the additional signaling overhead or impact associated with transmission policy modification.

[0121] Signaling is applicable to various embodiments disclosed herein. Examples include, but are not limited to, the following:

[0122] RRC signaling to configure, reconfigure, modify, enable and disable any one or more of modulation or constellation;

[0123] MAC CE signaling to indicate, update, modify, enable and disable any one or more of the modulation or constellation that has been configured or indicated;

[0124] DCI signaling to indicate the scheduled modulation or constellation (possibly together with other information, such as forward error correction (FEC) code rate), enable modulation or constellation, and disable any one or more of modulation or constellation. For example, a new DCI bit field may be added to signal the modulation or constellation; an existing DCI bit field may be reinterpreted to signal the modulation or constellation; or the size of an existing DCI bit field related to the modulation (e.g., the MCS bit field) may be changed to accommodate the signaling of the new modulation or constellation.

[0125] References below Figures 5 to 9 Several illustrative and non-limiting examples of signaling are described. These examples relate to embodiments that provide mechanisms for initial signaling and modification of constellations.

[0126] Figure 5 is a signal flow diagram showing an example of signaling related to downlink communications. Figure 5 Exemplary signaling carriers shown for signaling are provided elsewhere herein, and in other embodiments, such signaling may be transmitted using other signaling mechanisms.

[0127] Constellation set signaling is associated with modulating data using each constellation in a constellation set that includes a plurality of constellations. An example of constellation set signaling is shown in Figure 5 510 in the figure and is sent to the UE 502 by a network device (shown as BS 504 by way of example). Figure 5 512 in FIG. 1 shows an example of constellation selection signaling, which indicates one constellation from among a plurality of constellations in a constellation set to be used to modulate data for transmission in a wireless communication network. The constellation selection signaling is also indicated by Figure 5 BS 504 in sends to UE 502.

[0128] exist Figure 5 A data transmission for transmitting data modulated using the selected constellation signaled at 512 is shown at 514. As described above, Figure 5 Downlink communication is involved, so the data transmission at 514 is from BS 504 to UE 502.

[0129] Some embodiments support feedback from the receiver, as shown by way of example at 516. The transmission strategy may then be updated based on the received feedback, and in the example shown, the transmission strategy update involves updating one or more constellations. Another signaling indicating a change in data modulation to update the constellation (by way of example at Figure 5 518) is sent from BS 504 to UE 502, and another selection signaling may also be transmitted between the BS and the UE, as shown by way of example at 520. At 522, data transmission using updated constellation modulation is shown.

[0130] Although Figure 5 Each type of signaling is shown to occur only once, but in general each type of signaling may be transmitted once or more than once between the UE and the BS.

[0131] In some embodiments, a new or updated constellation, or more generally a change in transmitter strategy, may apply only to a subset of data communications. For example, communications using fallback mode or scheduling commands in CORESET 0 or using PDCCH formats 1-0 may always use a specific constellation or constellation set.

[0132] Figure 6 is a signal flow diagram showing an example of signaling related to uplink communications. Figure 6 Exemplary signaling carriers shown for signaling are provided elsewhere herein, and in other embodiments, such signaling may be transmitted using other signaling mechanisms.

[0133] Figure 6 The signaling between UE 602 and BS 604 in FIG. 6 is basically similar to Figure 5 The constellation set signaling at 610 and the constellation selection signaling at 612 are sent from the BS 604 to the UE 602, but in the case of uplink communication, the data transmission at 614 is from the UE to the BS.

[0134] Although Figure 5 Receiver feedback from UE 502 to BS 504 is shown in FIG. Figure 6 BS 604 is a receiver of the data transmission at 614. Thus, BS 604 may measure or otherwise determine conditions associated with the selected constellation and update one or more constellations and / or other aspects of the transmission strategy based on these conditions. This also illustrates the fact that transmitter strategy updates do not necessarily always involve feedback.

[0135] The signaling at 616, 618, and 620 is substantially similar to Figure 5 The signaling at 518, 520, and 522 in the example is different from that at 620, the data transmission is from UE 602 to BS 604.

[0136] and Figure 5 Same, in Figure 6 In some embodiments, each type of signaling may be transmitted once or more than once between the UE and the BS, and in some embodiments, a new or updated constellation, or more generally, a change in transmitter strategy, may apply only to a subset of data communications. For example, with respect to the latter point, communications using fallback mode or scheduling commands in CORESET 0 or using PDCCH format 0-0 may always use a particular constellation or constellation set. It should also be noted that the uplink and downlink constellation sets and / or constellations selected for use at any time may be different.

[0137] There may also be embodiments related to direct UE-to-UE communication.

[0138] Figure 7 is a signal flow diagram showing an example of signaling associated with direct UE-to-UE communication with full network control, for example, on a sidelink. Figure 7 In , the network has full control over the sidelink.

[0139] Figure 7 An exemplary scenario in which constellation set signaling is sent multiple times is shown in the signaling 710 between each UE1 702, UE2 704 and BS 706. In the example shown, constellation selection signaling at 712 is sent from BS 706 to UE1 702, and constellation selection signaling at 714 is sent from UE1 702 to UE2 704. In this example, the data transmission at 716 is from UE1 702 to UE2 704, but may additionally or alternatively be in the opposite direction.

[0140] For the direction of data transmission shown at 716, UE2 704 is a receiver, and in some embodiments, UE2 sends feedback to BS 706, as shown at 718. BS 706 may update one or more constellations or otherwise update the transmission strategy based on the feedback and send another signaling to UE1 702 and UE2 704. Constellation selection signaling is also sent by BS 706 to UE1 702 at 720, which in turn sends another constellation selection signaling to UE2 704 at 722. Data transmission using the updated constellation is shown at 726 by way of example.

[0141] Figure 7 is an example, and there may be at least one Figure 5 and Figure 6 Variations of those changes are proposed.

[0142] Figure 8 is a signal flow diagram illustrating an example of signaling associated with network initiated direct UE-to-UE communication with autonomous UE sending policy updates or modifications. Figure 8 In the illustrated example, the network device in the form of a BS 806, for example, initializes the sidelink communication, but the UE 802, 804 may update one or more constellations or otherwise update the transmission strategy itself.

[0143] exist Figure 8 , network initiation of communication is shown by constellation set signaling at 810. Figure 7 Similarly, constellation signaling is Figure 8 The constellation selection signaling may also be sent by BS 806 at 812, but Figure 8 The constellation selection signaling at 814 is sent from UE1 802 to UE2 804. In this example, the data transmission at 816 is from UE1 802 to UE2 804, but may additionally or alternatively be in the opposite direction.

[0144] UE2 804 is Figure 8 802 and may send feedback to UE1 802 at 819. In this example, UE1 802 may update one or more constellations or otherwise update a transmission strategy based on the feedback and send another signaling to UE2 804 at 818. In some embodiments, constellation selection signaling for selecting a constellation may be sent to UE1 802 and Figure 8 At 822, UE1 802 sends constellation selection signaling to UE2 804, and at 826, data transmission using the updated constellation is shown by way of example.

[0145] Figure 8 is an example, and there may be at least one Figures 5 to 7 Variations of those changes are proposed.

[0146] Fig. 9 is a signal flow diagram illustrating an example of signaling associated with direct UE-to-UE communication without network participation.

[0147] Constellation set signaling at 860, constellation selection signaling at 862, data transmission at 864, optional feedback at 866, another signaling at 868, additional constellation selection signaling at 870, and another data transmission 872 using the updated constellation are transmitted between UE1 852 and UE2 854. There may be at least the above for Figures 5 to 8 Variations of those changes are proposed.

[0148] also, Figures 7 to 9 Involving UE-to-UE communication, there may be other signaling options for this communication, for example depending on the entity controlling the sidelink. In some embodiments, the network device may instruct the two UEs in the sidelink to use some new modulation. In this case, sidelink control information (SCI) may be used to carry information similar to DCI in downlink communications, and RRC signaling from the network device to the two UEs may be used for long-term settings. In other embodiments, signaling may be communicated between the UEs themselves, for example via SCI, and there is no network involvement.

[0149] Figures 5 to 9 Various embodiments are described, including methods related to transmitting constellation set signaling, transmitting constellation selection signaling, and transmitting data in a wireless communication network. The constellation set signaling is associated with modulating data using each constellation in a constellation set including a plurality of constellations. The constellation selection signaling indicates one of the plurality of constellations in the constellation set to be used to modulate data for transmission in the wireless communication network. Data modulated using one of the plurality of constellations is transmitted in the wireless communication network.

[0150] These communications characteristics may involve sending signaling or data or receiving signaling or data. Figure 5 , for example, BS 504 transmits signaling by sending constellation set signaling and constellation selection signaling to UE 502 at 510, 512. UE 502 also transmits signaling, but by receiving constellation set signaling and constellation selection signaling from BS 504 at 510, 512. Similarly, with respect to data, BS 504 transmits data modulated using the selected constellation transmission data at 522, and UE 502 transmits data by receiving data from the BS. Figure 6The UE 602 and BS 604 transmit signaling and data similar to Figure 5 , but in Figure 6 , UE 602 transmits data by sending data at 614, and BS 604 transmits data by receiving data. Figures 7 to 9 UE2 704, UE2 804 and UE 854 in FIG. 8 illustrate that transmitting signaling and data may involve receiving signaling and data. Fig. 9 UE1 852 in FIG. 8 shows that transmitting signaling and data may involve sending signaling and data. Other examples of transmitting signaling and data are also disclosed herein.

[0151] Constellation set signaling may be or include explicit signaling that specifies information associated with one or more of the plurality of constellations. The information may indicate any one or more of: constellation points and mappings for one or more of the plurality of constellations; and parameter settings for one or more of the plurality of constellations.

[0152] In some embodiments, constellation set signaling is or includes implicit signaling that specifies information associated with demodulating data modulated using one or more of a plurality of constellations. In implicit signaling embodiments, the information may indicate any one or more of: decision boundaries for one or more of a plurality of constellations; soft decision functions for one or more of a plurality of constellations; and a neural network structure and coefficients for data demodulation.

[0153] Various signaling options for constellation set signaling are disclosed herein, including RRC signaling, MAC CE signaling, and DCI. Other options include uplink control information (UCI) for sending possible embodiments of constellation set signaling in the uplink direction, and SCI for sending possible embodiments of constellation set signaling between UEs.

[0154] As described above, transmitting data may involve receiving data. Some embodiments also involve sending feedback associated with the data to a sender from which the data was received, such as Figure 5 and Figures 7 to 9 shown.

[0155] From the transmitter's perspective, transmitting data involves sending the data to a receiver, and some embodiments also involve receiving feedback associated with the data from the receiver.

[0156] The feedback may indicate any one or more of noise, distortion, noise gradient, and distortion gradient. Additionally or alternatively, other types of feedback may be sent and / or received.

[0157] Options for feedback signaling include any one or more of RRC signaling, MAC CE signaling, UCI, and SCI.Another possible option is DCI for embodiments of sending feedback in the downlink direction.

[0158] In some embodiments, a transmitter or transmission strategy may be updated based on feedback. For example, consider a receiver perspective, where transmitting data involves receiving data modulated using a constellation selected from a plurality of constellations. Some embodiments involve, in the case of a transmitter strategy update, receiving further signaling indicating a modulation change for data transmitted in a wireless communication network, and receiving data modulated according to the modulation change. Feedback-based transmitter strategy update may also involve sending feedback associated with the data to a transmitter from which the data is received, in which case the change in modulation may be or include a change made at the transmitter based on the feedback.

[0159] From a transmitter's perspective, a method may involve receiving feedback associated with transmitting data from a receiver to which the data is being transmitted. The modulation change may then be a change made at the transmitter based on the feedback. Transmitting the data after the modulation change may involve transmitting data modulated according to the modulation change for data transmitted in the wireless communication network. The transmitter policy update may be performed at the transmitter itself, and therefore, the transmitter does not need to receive signaling indicating the modulation change before transmitting the data modulated according to the change. However, the transmitter that changes the transmitter policy may send another signaling indicating the modulation change.

[0160] These examples illustrate the behavior during and after a modulation change. Other embodiments are possible. For example, additionally or alternatively, a device that previously received data before the change may send data after the change.

[0161] For example, the modulation change may involve a change in any one or more of: a constellation among multiple constellations; constellation points and mapping of a constellation among multiple constellations; parameter settings of a constellation among multiple constellations; decision boundaries of a constellation among multiple constellations; soft decision functions of a constellation among multiple constellations; a neural network structure for data demodulation; one or more neural network coefficients for data demodulation.

[0162] For example, the signaling indicating the modulation change may be or include any one or more of RRC signaling, MAC CE signaling, DCI, and SCI. In some embodiments, additionally or alternatively, UCI may be used for such signaling.

[0163] With respect to possible additions to predefined constellations, for example, the technique can help provide a constellation set that is better suited to one or more desired characteristics or parameters. One or more new constellations can be added to the standard or otherwise specified or standardized. This can use one or more lookup tables, one or more formulas, one or more expressions, or a combination of these expressions.

[0164] The above embodiments are described primarily in the context of exemplary methods. Other embodiments are possible.

[0165] For example, see Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B , shows an exemplary device that can implement the methods and teachings provided by the present invention.

[0166] Fig. 10A An exemplary ED 910 is shown, Fig. 10B An exemplary base station 970 is shown. These components can be used in the system 100 ( Figure 1 ) or any other suitable system.

[0167] like Fig. 10A As shown, ED 910 includes at least one processing unit 900. Processing unit 900 implements various processing operations of ED 910. For example, processing unit 900 can perform signal encoding, data processing, power control, input processing, output processing, or any other function that enables ED 910 to operate in a communication system. Processing unit 900 can also be used to implement some or all of the functions or embodiments detailed herein. Each processing unit 900 includes any suitable processing or computing device for performing one or more operations. Each processing unit 900 can include a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor, a field programmable gate array or an application-specific integrated circuit, etc.

[0168] ED 910 also includes at least one transceiver 902. Transceiver 902 is used to modulate data or other content for transmission through at least one antenna or network interface controller (NIC) 904. Transceiver 902 is also used to demodulate data or other content received by at least one antenna 904. Each transceiver 902 includes any suitable structure for generating signals for wireless transmission and / or for processing wireless or wired received signals. Each antenna 904 includes any suitable structure for sending and / or receiving wireless signals. One or more transceivers 902 can be used for ED 910, and one or more antennas 904 can be used for ED 910. Although transceiver 902 is shown as a single functional unit, it can be implemented using at least one transmitter and at least one separate receiver.

[0169] ED 910 also includes one or more input / output devices 906 or interfaces. Input / output devices 906 facilitate interaction with users or other devices in the network (network communication). Each input / output device 906 includes any suitable structure for providing information to a user or receiving / providing information from a user, such as a speaker, microphone, keypad, keyboard, display, or touch screen, including network interface communications.

[0170] In addition, the ED 910 includes at least one memory 908. The memory 908 stores instructions and data used, generated or collected by the ED 910. For example, the memory 908 can store software instructions or modules, which are used to implement some or all of the functions or embodiments described above and are executed by one or more processing units 900. Each memory 908 includes any suitable one or more volatile and / or non-volatile storage and retrieval devices. Any suitable type of memory can be used, for example, random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), hard disk, optical disk, subscriber identity module (SIM) card, memory stick, secure digital (SD) memory card, etc.

[0171] like Fig. 10B As shown, the base station 970 includes at least one processing unit 950, at least one transmitter 952, at least one receiver 954, one or more antennas 956, at least one memory 958, and one or more input / output devices or interfaces 966. Transceivers not shown can be used instead of transmitters 952 and receivers 954. Scheduler 953 can be coupled to the processing unit 950. Scheduler 953 can be included in the base station 970 or can be operated separately from the base station 970. Processing unit 950 implements various processing operations of the base station 970, such as signal encoding, data processing, power control, input processing, output processing, or any other function. Processing unit 950 can also be used to implement some or all of the functions or embodiments described in detail herein. Each processing unit 950 includes any suitable processing or computing device for performing one or more operations. Each processing unit 950 may include a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a digital signal processor, a field programmable gate array, or an application-specific integrated circuit, etc.

[0172] Each transmitter 952 includes any suitable structure for generating signals to be wirelessly transmitted to one or more EDs or other devices. Each receiver 954 includes any suitable structure for processing signals received wirelessly or by wire from one or more EDs or other devices. Although shown as separate components, at least one transmitter 952 and at least one receiver 954 can be combined into a transceiver. Each antenna 956 includes any suitable structure for transmitting, receiving, or transmitting and receiving wireless signals. Although the shared antenna 956 is shown here as coupled to the transmitter 952 and the receiver 954, one or more antennas 956 can be coupled to one or more transmitters 952, and one or more separate antennas 956 can be coupled to one or more receivers 954. Each memory 958 includes any suitable one or more volatile and / or non-volatile storage and retrieval devices, such as those described above in conjunction with ED 910. The memory 958 stores instructions and data used, generated, or collected by the base station 970. For example, the memory 958 can store software instructions or modules, which are used to implement some or all of the functions or embodiments described herein and are executed by one or more processing units 950.

[0173] Each input / output device 966 facilitates interaction with users or other devices in a network (network communications). Each input / output device 966 includes any suitable structure for providing information to a user or receiving / providing information from a user, including network interface communications.

[0174] It should be understood that one or more steps in the embodiment method provided herein can be performed by corresponding units or modules. For example, a signal can be sent by a sending unit or a sending module. A signal can be received by a receiving unit or a receiving module. A signal can be processed by a processing unit or a processing module. Other steps can be performed by these or other modules. The corresponding unit or module can be implemented using hardware, components of execution software, or a combination thereof. For example, one or more units or modules can be or include one or more integrated circuits, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). It should be understood that if these modules are implemented using software, these modules can be retrieved in whole or in part by a processor as needed, retrieved individually or collectively for processing, retrieved in one or more instances, and these modules themselves can include instructions for further deployment and instantiation.

[0175] Generally, hardware, firmware, software-executing components, or some combination thereof, may be used to implement the features disclosed herein. Electronic devices that may be suitable for implementing any or all of these components include microprocessors, microcontrollers, programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and other types of "intelligent" integrated circuits, among others.

[0176] Any of a variety of types of storage devices may be implemented. For example, one or both of memory 908 and memory 958 may include one or more physical storage devices. Solid-state storage devices such as flash memory devices may be implemented. Additionally or alternatively, storage devices with removable or even removable storage media may be implemented.

[0177] Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B 1 and 2 show examples of UEs and network devices, respectively, in which embodiments may be implemented. More generally, an apparatus may include a processor and a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as Fig. 10A or Fig. 10B The processing units 900, 950 and memories 908, 958 in the embodiment of the present invention may be a UE. Another example of an apparatus is a network device, which may be a gNB, a TRP, a base station, or any other type of network device mentioned herein. Other components may also be provided, such as a communication interface coupled to the processor. Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B Elements 902, 904, 952, 954, 956 in are examples of communication interfaces that may be provided in some embodiments.

[0178] In one embodiment, the storage medium stores a program executed by a processor, and the program includes instructions for executing the method disclosed herein. For example, when the instructions are executed by the processor, the processor may perform any of various operations.

[0179] Another embodiment relates to a computer program product, which includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program. The program includes instructions for executing the method disclosed herein.

[0180] In some embodiments, the program includes instructions for the following operations or causing the processor to perform the following operations: transmitting constellation set signaling in a wireless communication network, the constellation set signaling being associated with modulating data using each constellation in a constellation set including multiple constellations; transmitting constellation selection signaling, the constellation selection signaling indicating one constellation of the multiple constellations of the constellation set to be used to modulate data for transmission in the wireless communication network; and transmitting data modulated using the one constellation of the multiple constellations in the wireless communication network.

[0181] Some embodiments include any one or more of the following features, in any of various combinations:

[0182] Constellation set signaling is or includes explicit signaling that specifies information associated with one or more constellations of the plurality of constellations;

[0183] The information associated with one or more of the plurality of constellations indicates any one or more of: constellation points and mappings for the one or more of the plurality of constellations; and parameter settings for the one or more of the plurality of constellations;

[0184] Constellation set signaling is or includes implicit signaling that specifies information associated with demodulating data modulated using one or more of a plurality of constellations;

[0185] The information associated with data demodulation indicates any one or more of: decision boundaries of one or more of the plurality of constellations; soft decision functions of one or more of the plurality of constellations; and a neural network structure and coefficients for data demodulation;

[0186] The constellation set signaling is or includes RRC signaling;

[0187] Additionally or alternatively, the constellation set signaling comprises MAC CE signaling;

[0188] The constellation selection signaling is or includes DCI;

[0189] The instructions include instructions for or cause the processor to transmit data by receiving data modulated using one of a plurality of constellations, and instructions for or cause the processor to send feedback associated with the data to a transmitter from which the data was received;

[0190] The instructions include instructions for or causing the processor to transmit data by sending data modulated using one of a plurality of constellations to a receiver, and instructions for or causing the processor to receive feedback associated with the data from the receiver;

[0191] The feedback indicates any one or more of noise, distortion, noise gradient, and distortion gradient;

[0192] The feedback includes any one or more of RRC signaling, MAC CE signaling, UCI and SCI;

[0193] In another embodiment, the instructions include instructions for or cause a processor to transmit data by receiving data modulated using one of a plurality of constellations, the instructions may also include instructions for or cause a processor to: receive further signaling indicating a modulation change of data for transmission in a wireless communication network; and receive data modulated according to the modulation change;

[0194] From the transmitter's perspective, the instructions may include instructions for or cause the processor to transmit data by transmitting data modulated using one of a plurality of constellations, and the instructions may also include instructions for or cause the processor to: transmit data modulated according to a modulation change in a wireless communication network, and / or transmit another signaling indicating the modulation change;

[0195] In one embodiment, the instructions include instructions for or cause the processor to send feedback associated with the data to a transmitter from which the data was received, or to receive feedback associated with the data from a receiver to which the data was sent, and the modulation change may be or include a change made at the transmitter based on the feedback;

[0196] The modulation change is or includes a change in any one or more of: a constellation in a plurality of constellations; constellation points and mappings of a constellation in a plurality of constellations; parameter settings of a constellation in a plurality of constellations; decision boundaries of a constellation in a plurality of constellations; soft decision functions of a constellation in a plurality of constellations; a neural network structure for data demodulation; one or more neural network coefficients for data demodulation;

[0197] Another signaling is or includes any one or more of RRC signaling, MAC CE signaling, DCI, and SCI.

[0198] Other features that may be implemented in device embodiments or in non-transitory computer-readable storage medium embodiments may be apparent or become apparent, for example, from the method embodiments disclosed herein. Features disclosed in the context of any embodiment are not necessarily exclusive to that particular embodiment and may be applied to other embodiments in addition or alternatively.

[0199] Features disclosed herein cover, among other things: constellation signaling, including explicit or implicit signaling; feedback of modulation or constellation; modification of the constellation; and signaling involved in these schemes.

[0200] Some embodiments may target 6G deployments and applications, for which the capabilities of the UE and network may be much higher than other network deployments and transfer of transmit / receive chains may be more feasible.

[0201] What has been described is merely illustrative of the application of the principles of the embodiments of the present invention. Other arrangements and methods may be implemented by those skilled in the art.

[0202] For example, although combinations of features are shown in the illustrated embodiments, not all features need to be combined to achieve the benefits of the various embodiments of the present invention. In other words, a system or method designed according to an embodiment of the present invention does not necessarily include all features shown in any one of the figures or all parts schematically shown in the figures. In addition, selected features of an exemplary embodiment may be combined with selected features of other exemplary embodiments.

[0203] Although the present invention has been described with reference to illustrative embodiments, this description is not intended to be understood in a restrictive sense. Those skilled in the art will appreciate various modifications and combinations of the illustrative embodiments and other embodiments of the present invention after reference to this description. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to cover any such modifications or embodiments.

[0204] Although various aspects of the present invention have been described with reference to specific features and embodiments of the present invention, various modifications and combinations of the present invention may be formulated without departing from the present invention. The specification and drawings are therefore only regarded as an illustration of some embodiments of the present invention as defined by the appended claims, and any and all modifications, variants, combinations or equivalents within the scope of the present invention are considered to be covered. Therefore, although the present invention and its advantages have been described in detail, various changes, substitutions and modifications may be made herein without departing from the present invention as defined by the appended claims. In addition, the scope of the present application is not limited to the specific embodiments of the processes, machines, products, material compositions, modules, methods and steps described in the specification. It is easy for a person of ordinary skill in the art to understand that existing or to be developed processes, machines, products, material compositions, modules, methods or steps having substantially the same functions as the corresponding embodiments described herein, or being able to achieve substantially the same results as the embodiments, may be used according to the present invention. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to include these processes, machines, manufactured products, material compositions, modules, methods or steps within their scope.

[0205] In addition, although mainly described in the context of methods and apparatus, other implementations are also contemplated, such as instructions stored in non-transitory processor-readable media. These media may store programming or instructions to perform any of the various methods consistent with the present invention.

[0206] In addition, any module, component, or device that executes instructions as illustrated herein may include or otherwise access one or more non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage media to store information, such as computer-readable or processor-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, and / or other data. A non-exhaustive list of examples of non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage media includes magnetic cassettes, magnetic tapes, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), digital video discs or digital versatile discs (DVD), Blu-ray discs, or other optical discs. TM Optical disks, or other optical storage, volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology, random-access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other storage technology. Any such non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage medium can be part of a device or can be accessed or connected to a device. Any application or module described herein can be implemented using computer-readable and executable instructions, or the processor can be stored or otherwise held by such non-transitory computer-readable or processor-readable storage medium.

[0207] It should also be understood that the present invention is not limited to any particular constellation definition or mapping rule. For example, current wireless standards define a single constellation type or mapping rule based on grayscale mapping. Different constellation types or mapping rules, or more than one constellation type or mapping rule, may be applied to generate modulated data. Illustrative and non-limiting examples include a regular constellation with a non-grayscale mapping, an irregular mapping, one or more mapping rules for non-linear modulation, or one or more mapping rules generated by an AI.

Claims

1. A method for configurable modulation in wireless communication, characterized in that: include: transmitting constellation set signaling in a wireless communication network, the constellation set signaling associated with modulating data using each constellation in a constellation set including a plurality of constellations; transmitting constellation selection signaling indicating one of the plurality of constellations of the constellation set to be used for modulating data for transmission in the wireless communication network; transmitting data modulated using the one of the plurality of constellations in the wireless communication network; transmitting feedback related to the one constellation, wherein the feedback comprises: feedback of an estimated noise level or distortion level around each constellation point in the one constellation, feedback of an unfavorable or detrimental noise level or distortion level, feedback of an estimated rotation of the one constellation, feedback of an estimated bias of the one constellation, feedback of an estimated scaling mismatch of the one constellation, feedback of an estimated linear mismatch of the one constellation, and wherein the estimation of the feedback is performed at symbol level or code level; transmitting one or more updated constellations based on the feedback associated with the one constellation; as well as Second data modulated using the one or more updated constellations is transmitted.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The constellation set signaling includes explicit signaling that specifies information associated with one or more constellations of the plurality of constellations.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The constellation set signaling includes implicit signaling that specifies information associated with demodulation of data that has been modulated using one or more of the plurality of constellations.

4. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: Transmitting data includes receiving the data modulated using the one of the plurality of constellations, wherein transmitting feedback related to the one constellation includes: Feedback associated with the data is sent to a sender from which the data was received.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The feedback is indicative of any one or more of noise, distortion, noise gradient, and distortion gradient.

6. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: Transmitting data includes sending the data modulated using the one of the plurality of constellations to a receiver, wherein transmitting feedback related to the one constellation includes: Feedback associated with the data is received from the receiver.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The feedback is indicative of any one or more of noise, distortion, noise gradient, and distortion gradient.

8. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: Transmitting data comprises receiving the data modulated using the one of the plurality of constellations, the method further comprising: receiving another signaling indicating a modulation change for data transmitted in the wireless communication network, wherein the modulation change comprises a change in any one or more of: a constellation of the plurality of constellations; constellation points and mapping of the constellation of the plurality of constellations; parameter settings of the constellation of the plurality of constellations; decision boundaries of the constellation of the plurality of constellations; soft decision functions of the constellation of the plurality of constellations; a neural network structure for data demodulation; one or more neural network coefficients for data demodulation; and changes made based on feedback from a receiver, the feedback associated with data sent to the receiver; Data modulated according to the modulation variation is received.

9. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: Transmitting data comprises sending the data modulated using the one of the plurality of constellations, the method further comprising: Sending data modulated according to a modulation change for data transmitted in the wireless communication network, wherein the modulation change includes a change in any one or more of the following: a constellation in the plurality of constellations; constellation points and mapping of a constellation in the plurality of constellations; parameter settings of a constellation in the plurality of constellations; decision boundaries of a constellation in the plurality of constellations; soft decision functions of a constellation in the plurality of constellations; a neural network structure for data demodulation; one or more neural network coefficients for data demodulation; and changes made based on feedback from a receiver, the feedback being associated with data sent to the receiver.

10. A device, characterized in that: include: Communication interface; a processor coupled to the communication interface; A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, coupled to the processor, storing a program executed by the processor, the program including instructions for: transmitting constellation set signaling in a wireless communication network, the constellation set signaling associated with modulating data using each constellation in a constellation set including a plurality of constellations; transmitting constellation selection signaling indicating one of the plurality of constellations of the constellation set to be used for modulating data for transmission in the wireless communication network; transmitting data modulated using the one of the plurality of constellations in the wireless communication network; transmitting feedback related to the one constellation, wherein the feedback comprises: feedback of an estimated noise level or distortion level around each constellation point in the one constellation, feedback of an unfavorable or detrimental noise level or distortion level, feedback of an estimated rotation of the one constellation, feedback of an estimated bias of the one constellation, feedback of an estimated scaling mismatch of the one constellation, feedback of an estimated linear mismatch of the one constellation, and wherein the estimation of the feedback is performed at symbol level or code level; transmitting one or more updated constellations based on the feedback associated with the one constellation; as well as Second data modulated using the one or more updated constellations is transmitted.

11. The device according to claim 10, characterized in that The constellation set signaling includes explicit signaling that specifies information associated with one or more constellations of the plurality of constellations.

12. The device according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that The constellation set signaling includes implicit signaling that specifies information associated with demodulation of data that has been modulated using one or more of the plurality of constellations.

13. The device according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that The instructions include instructions for transmitting data by receiving the data modulated using the one of the plurality of constellations, and the instructions also include instructions for: Feedback associated with the data is sent to a sender from which the data was received.

14. The device according to claim 13, characterized in that The feedback is indicative of any one or more of noise, distortion, noise gradient, and distortion gradient.

15. The device according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that The instructions include instructions for transmitting data by sending the data modulated using the one of the plurality of constellations to a receiver, and the instructions also include instructions for: Feedback associated with the data is received from the receiver.

16. The device according to claim 15, characterized in that The feedback is indicative of any one or more of noise, distortion, noise gradient, and distortion gradient.

17. The device according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that The instructions include instructions for transmitting data by receiving the data modulated using the one of the plurality of constellations, and the instructions also include instructions for: receiving another signaling indicating a modulation change for data transmitted in the wireless communication network, wherein the modulation change comprises a change in any one or more of: a constellation of the plurality of constellations; constellation points and mapping of the constellation of the plurality of constellations; parameter settings of the constellation of the plurality of constellations; decision boundaries of the constellation of the plurality of constellations; soft decision functions of the constellation of the plurality of constellations; a neural network structure for data demodulation; one or more neural network coefficients for data demodulation; and changes made based on feedback from a receiver, the feedback associated with data sent to the receiver; Data modulated according to the modulation variation is received.

18. The device according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that The instructions include instructions for transmitting data by sending the data modulated using the one of the plurality of constellations, and the instructions also include instructions for: Sending data modulated according to a modulation change for data transmitted in the wireless communication network, wherein the modulation change includes a change in any one or more of the following: a constellation in the plurality of constellations; constellation points and mapping of a constellation in the plurality of constellations; parameter settings of a constellation in the plurality of constellations; decision boundaries of a constellation in the plurality of constellations; soft decision functions of a constellation in the plurality of constellations; a neural network structure for data demodulation; one or more neural network coefficients for data demodulation; and changes made based on feedback from a receiver, the feedback being associated with data sent to the receiver.

19. A computer program product, characterized in that A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium comprising a stored program, the program comprising instructions for: transmitting constellation set signaling in a wireless communication network, the constellation set signaling associated with modulating data using each constellation in a constellation set including a plurality of constellations; transmitting constellation selection signaling indicating one of the plurality of constellations of the constellation set to be used for modulating data for transmission in the wireless communication network; transmitting data modulated using the one of the plurality of constellations in the wireless communication network; transmitting feedback related to the one constellation, wherein the feedback comprises: feedback of an estimated noise level or distortion level around each constellation point in the one constellation, feedback of an unfavorable or detrimental noise level or distortion level, feedback of an estimated rotation of the one constellation, feedback of an estimated bias of the one constellation, feedback of an estimated scaling mismatch of the one constellation, feedback of an estimated linear mismatch of the one constellation, and wherein the estimation of the feedback is performed at symbol level or code level; transmitting one or more updated constellations based on the feedback associated with the one constellation; as well as Second data modulated using the one or more updated constellations is transmitted.

20. The computer program product according to claim 19, characterized in that The constellation set signaling includes explicit signaling that specifies information associated with one or more constellations of the plurality of constellations.

21. The computer program product according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that The constellation set signaling includes implicit signaling that specifies information associated with demodulation of data that has been modulated using one or more of the plurality of constellations.

22. The computer program product according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that The instructions include instructions for transmitting data by receiving the data modulated using the one of the plurality of constellations, and the instructions also include instructions for: Feedback associated with the data is sent to a sender from which the data was received.

23. The computer program product according to claim 22, characterized in that The feedback is indicative of any one or more of noise, distortion, noise gradient, and distortion gradient.

24. The computer program product according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that The instructions include instructions for transmitting data by sending the data modulated using the one of the plurality of constellations to a receiver, and the instructions also include instructions for: Feedback associated with the data is received from the receiver.

25. The computer program product according to claim 24, characterized in that The feedback is indicative of any one or more of noise, distortion, noise gradient, and distortion gradient.

26. The computer program product according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that The instructions include instructions for transmitting data by receiving the data modulated using the one of the plurality of constellations, and the instructions also include instructions for: receiving another signaling indicating a modulation change for data transmitted in the wireless communication network, wherein the modulation change comprises a change in any one or more of: a constellation of the plurality of constellations; constellation points and mapping of the constellation of the plurality of constellations; parameter settings of the constellation of the plurality of constellations; decision boundaries of the constellation of the plurality of constellations; soft decision functions of the constellation of the plurality of constellations; a neural network structure for data demodulation; one or more neural network coefficients for data demodulation; and changes made based on feedback from a receiver, the feedback associated with data sent to the receiver; Data modulated according to the modulation variation is received.

27. The computer program product according to claim 19 or 20, characterized in that The instructions include instructions for transmitting data by sending the data modulated using the one of the plurality of constellations, and the instructions also include instructions for: Sending data modulated according to a modulation change for data transmitted in the wireless communication network, wherein the modulation change includes a change in any one or more of the following: a constellation in the plurality of constellations; constellation points and mapping of a constellation in the plurality of constellations; parameter settings of a constellation in the plurality of constellations; decision boundaries of a constellation in the plurality of constellations; soft decision functions of a constellation in the plurality of constellations; a neural network structure for data demodulation; one or more neural network coefficients for data demodulation; and changes made based on feedback from a receiver, the feedback being associated with data sent to the receiver.

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