Group common downlink control information enhancements for partial frequency sounding of multiple ues

Abstract

Aspects of the disclosure relate to transmitting a partial frequency sounding configuration to a user equipment (UE) using enhanced downlink control information. A UE can receive, in a downlink control information, a partial frequency sounding configuration generated for the UE, transmit a sounding reference signal (SRS) in one or more resources configured for SRS transmission in a bandwidth used by the UE, the one or more resources identified by the partial frequency sounding configuration, and refrain from transmitting in a portion of a set of resources configured for SRS transmission in the bandwidth used by the UE. A format for the enhanced downlink control information can be based on a standard that defines downlink control information formats.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The technology discussed below relates generally to wireless communication networks, and more specifically, to configuration of sounding reference signal (SRS) resources in a beam-based communication scenario. BACKGROUND

[0002] In wireless communication systems, such as those specified in accordance with standards for 5G New Radio (NR), base stations and user equipment (UEs) can utilize beamforming to compensate for high path loss and short ranges. Beamforming is a signal processing technique that, together with an antenna array, is used to direct the signal in a specific angle. Each antenna in the antenna array transmits a signal that combines with other signals of other antennas of the same array in such a way that signals at a particular angle experience constructive interference, while other signals experience destructive interference.

[0003] A base station and a UE can select one or more beam pair links (BPLs) for communication between them on the downlink and / or uplink. Each BPL includes a corresponding transmit beam on the base station and a receive beam on the UE. For example, on the uplink, a BPL includes a transmit beam on the UE and a receive beam on the base station. The base station and the UE can use a downlink beam management scheme and / or an uplink beam management scheme to select one or more beams that form a BPL for communicating uplink and downlink signals between them. In an example of an uplink beam management scheme, an uplink beam (e.g., an uplink BPL) can be selected by the base station based on a received beamformed uplink reference signal, such as an SRS. When the channel is reciprocal, the base station can also derive a downlink beam (e.g., a downlink BPL) to communicate with the UE based on the received SRS.

[0004] A UE can transmit an SRS in accordance with an SRS resource configured by a base station. An SRS resource defines time-frequency resource locations and other parameters associated with transmission of an SRS. One or more SRS resources can be included in an SRS resource set, which can be configured to enable aperiodic, semi-persistent, or periodic transmission of SRSs generated based on SRS resources within the SRS resource set. SUMMARY

[0005] The following presents a summary of one or more aspects of the disclosure in order to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This summary is not an extensive overview of all contemplated aspects, and is intended to neither identify key or critical elements of all aspects nor delineate the scope of any or all aspects, but to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a summary form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

[0006] In one example, a method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network is disclosed. The method includes receiving downlink control information including a partial frequency sounding configuration for the UE; transmitting sounding reference signals (SRS) in one or more resources configured for SRS transmission in a bandwidth used by the UE, the one or more resources being identified by the partial frequency sounding configuration; and refraining from transmitting in a portion of a set of resources configured for SRS transmission in the bandwidth used by the UE.

[0007] Another example provides a UE in a wireless communication network, comprising a memory and a processor coupled to the memory. The processor and the memory can be configured to receive downlink control information including a partial frequency sounding configuration for the UE; transmit SRS in one or more resources configured for SRS transmission in a bandwidth used by the UE, the one or more resources being identified by the partial frequency sounding configuration; and refrain from transmitting in a portion of a set of resources configured for SRS transmission in the bandwidth used by the UE.

[0008] Another example provides a UE in a wireless communication network. The UE can include means for receiving downlink control information including a partial frequency sounding configuration for the UE; means for transmitting SRS in one or more resources configured for SRS transmission in a bandwidth used by the UE, the one or more resources being identified by the partial frequency sounding configuration; and means for refraining from transmitting in a portion of a set of resources configured for SRS transmission in the bandwidth used by the UE.

[0009] Another example provides a non-transitory computer-readable medium that includes code for causing one or more processors of a UE to: receive downlink control information including a partial frequency sounding configuration for the UE; transmit a SRS in one or more resources configured for SRS transmission in a bandwidth used by the UE, the one or more resources being identified by the partial frequency sounding configuration; and refrain from transmitting in a portion of a set of resources configured for SRS transmission in the bandwidth used by the UE.

[0010] In another example, a method for wireless communication at a radio access network (RAN) entity in a wireless communication network is disclosed. The method includes configuring a SRS configuration to be used by at least one user equipment (UE), the SRS configuration including a plurality of frequency resources; generating partial frequency sounding configurations for a plurality of UEs; and transmitting the partial frequency sounding configurations in downlink control information, wherein each partial frequency sounding configuration defines one or more resources of the plurality of frequency resources to be used by a corresponding UE for transmitting a SRS.

[0011] Another example provides a RAN entity in a wireless communication network, comprising: a memory; and a processor coupled to the memory. The processor and the memory can be configured to: configure a SRS configuration to be used by at least one UE, the SRS configuration including a plurality of frequency resources; generate partial frequency sounding configurations for a plurality of UEs; and transmit the partial frequency sounding configurations in downlink control information, wherein each partial frequency sounding configuration defines one or more resources of the plurality of frequency resources to be used by a corresponding UE for transmitting a SRS.

[0012] Another example provides a RAN entity in a wireless communication network. The RAN entity can include means for configuring a SRS configuration to be used by at least one user equipment (UE), the SRS configuration including a plurality of frequency resources; means for generating partial frequency sounding configurations for a plurality of UEs; and means for transmitting the partial frequency sounding configurations in downlink control information, wherein each partial frequency sounding configuration defines one or more resources of the plurality of frequency resources to be used by a corresponding UE for transmitting a SRS.

[0013] Another example provides a non-transitory computer-readable medium that includes code for causing one or more processors of a RAN entity to: configure a SRS configuration to be used by at least one UE, the SRS configuration comprising a plurality of frequency resources; generate partial frequency sounding configurations for a plurality of UEs; and transmit the partial frequency sounding configurations in downlink control information, wherein each partial frequency sounding configuration defines one or more resources of the plurality of frequency resources to be used by a corresponding UE for transmitting a SRS.

[0014] These and other aspects will become more fully understood upon review of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the appended drawings. Other aspects, features, and examples will become apparent to those skilled in the art, upon reviewing the following description. While some aspects are discussed in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings, it will be understood that various changes in form and details can be made therein without departing from the overall spirit of this aspect. In other words, although a number of specific aspects are discussed, it should be understood that these are presented by way of example only, and that various changes in the details can be made without departing from the overall scope of example aspects. Furthermore, to the extent that there are "preferred" embodiments, it will be understood that the preferred embodiments include at least one of the examples discussed herein and / or at least one of the examples disclosed in the attached claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 is a conceptual diagram of an example of a radio access network in accordance with some aspects.

[0016] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a frame structure for use in a radio access network in accordance with some aspects.

[0017] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating a wireless communication system that supports beamforming and / or multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications in accordance with some aspects.

[0018] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of communications between a base station and a UE using beamforming in accordance with some aspects.

[0019] Figure 5A and 5B is a diagram illustrating an example of sounding reference signal (SRS) resources in accordance with some aspects.

[0020] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating example SRS resource sets, each including SRS resources, in accordance with some aspects.

[0021] Figure 7An example of an SRS request that can be transmitted by a base station to configure SRS transmissions in a 5G NR network is shown.

[0022] Figure 8 Resource allocation for SRS in a resource grid is shown.

[0023] Figure 9 A first example of a resource grid for partial frequency sounding is shown, provided in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 10 A second example of a resource grid for partial frequency sounding is shown, provided in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 11 A third example of a resource grid for partial frequency sounding is shown, provided in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 12 A fourth example of a resource grid 1200 that can be adapted to support partial frequency sounding when multiple UEs are multiplexed using the same frequency resources in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0027] Figure 13 A first example of a configuration in which group common downlink control information (GC-DCI) can be adapted to support partial resource sounding in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0028] Figure 14 A second example of a configuration in which GC-DCI can be adapted to support partial resource sounding in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0029] Figure 15 A third example of a configuration in which GC-DCI can be adapted to support partial resource sounding in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0030] Figure 16 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a UE employing a processing system in accordance with some aspects.

[0031] Figure 17 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a radio access network (RAN) entity employing a processing system in accordance with some aspects.

[0032] Figure 18 is a flow diagram of an exemplary method for a UE to utilize a multi-TRP SRS resource set in accordance with some aspects.

[0033] Figure 19is a flowchart of an exemplary method for a RAN entity to configure multiple-TRP SRS resource sets according to some aspects. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The detailed description set forth below, in connection with the appended drawings, is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein can be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts can be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts with unnecessary detail.

[0035] The electromagnetic spectrum is often subdivided based on frequency / wavelength into various classes, bands, channels, and so forth. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz - 7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz - 52.6 GHz). The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are often referred to as mid-band frequencies. Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1 is often referred to, interchangeably, as a “sub-6 GHz” band in various documents and articles. A similar naming issue sometimes occurs with respect to FR2, which is often referred to, interchangeably, as a “millimeter wave” band in documents and articles, despite its frequencies being different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz - 300 GHz) which is identified by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) as a “millimeter wave” band.

[0036] With the above in mind, unless specifically stated otherwise, it should be understood that the term “sub-6 GHz” or the like is used interchangeably with the term “6 GHz” or the like in this document to generally refer to frequencies that can be less than 6 GHz, can be within FR1, or can include mid-band frequencies. Furthermore, unless specifically stated otherwise, it should be understood that the term “millimeter wave” or the like is used interchangeably with the term “mmW” or the like in this document to generally refer to frequencies that can include mid-band frequencies, can be within FR2, or can be within the EHF band.

[0037] While aspects and examples are described in this application by illustration to some examples, those skilled in the art will understand that additional implementations and use cases can come about in many different arrangements and scenarios. Innovations described herein can be implemented across many differing platform types, devices, systems, form factors, and so on. For example, aspects and / or uses can come about in the context of integrated chip implementations and other non-module-component based devices (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial devices, retail / purchasing devices, medical devices, AI-enabled devices, and / or the like). While some examples can or can not be specifically directed to use cases or applications, a wide assortment of applicable uses can come about. Implementations can range from chip-level implementations, to modular-component- based implementations, to non-modular, non-chip-level implementations. Further, implementations can be located entirely within a single device, or can be distributed across multiple devices. Similarly, the

[0038] Various aspects of the present disclosure relate to configuration of partial frequency sounding configurations that can be used when multiplexing multiple UEs using the same frequency resources. For example, a partial frequency sounding configuration can identify frequency resources to be used by each UE for transmitting sounding reference signals (SRSs). An SRS configuration to be used by multiple UEs can define, configure, or provide a set of frequency resources to be used for SRSs. The set of frequency resources can be apportioned among the multiplexed UEs. The frequency resource assignment to a UE can be conveyed in a partial frequency sounding configuration transmitted to each UE in downlink control information (DCI). For example, a partial frequency sounding configuration can define one or more frequency resources of a plurality of frequency resources to be used by a corresponding UE for transmitting SRSs.

[0039] A partial frequency sounding configuration can identify a frequency resource allocation to a respective UE by a bitmap or index provided in the partial frequency sounding configuration. An index in a partial frequency sounding configuration can identify one or more resources in a corresponding preconfigured table.

[0040] Partial frequency probe configuration can be transmitted in the downlink control information block with respect to the corresponding UE identifier. This partial frequency probe configuration can be transmitted in the downlink control information, which has a format based on Group Common Downlink Control Information (GC-DCI) defined for use in 5G NR networks. The format of the downlink control information can be based on GC-DCI 2_3 Type A or GC-DCI 2_3 Type B. The downlink control information can be enhanced to include a partial frequency probe field, which includes a bitmap or index for identifying one or more resources. The downlink control information can be enhanced to include a component carrier index for indicating the component carrier set associated with the partial frequency probe configuration.

[0041] The various concepts presented throughout this disclosure can be implemented in a wide variety of telecommunications systems, network architectures, and communication standards. Now refer to... Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a radio access network 100 is provided as an illustrative example and not as a limitation. RAN 100 can implement any one or more suitable wireless communication technologies to provide radio access. As an example, RAN 100 may operate according to the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) New Radio (NR) specification (often referred to as 5G). As another example, RAN 100 may operate according to a hybrid of 5G NR and the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (eUTRAN) standard (often referred to as LTE). 3GPP refers to this hybrid RAN as Next Generation RAN or NG-RAN. Of course, many other examples can be utilized within the scope of this disclosure.

[0042] The geographical area covered by the radio access network 100 can be divided into multiple cellular areas (cells), which can be uniquely identified by the user equipment (UE) based on an identifier broadcast from an access point or base station in the geographical area. Figure 1 Macro cells 102, 104, 106, 142, and 146, and small cell 108 are shown. Each of these cells may include one or more sectors (not shown). A sector is a sub-area of ​​a cell. All sectors within a cell are served by the same base station. Radio links within a sector can be identified by a single logical identifier belonging to that sector. In a cell divided into sectors, multiple sectors within the cell can be formed by antenna groups, where each antenna is responsible for communicating with a UE within a portion of the cell.

[0043] Generally, a base station (BS) serves each cell. Broadly speaking, a base station is a network element or entity responsible for radio transmission and reception in one or more cells to or from UEs in wireless access networks. A BS can also be known as a base transceiver station (BTS), a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), an access point (AP), a NodeB (NB), an evolved NodeB (eNB), a gNodeB (gNB), a transmission reception point (TRP), or some other suitable terminology.

[0044] In Figure 1 the three base stations 110, 112, and 114 are shown as serving cells 102, 104, and 106, respectively; and a fourth base station 116 is shown serving remote radio heads (RRHs) 144 and 148 in cells 142 and 146. That is, a base station can have integrated antennas, or can be connected by feeder cables to antennas or RRHs. In the illustrated example, the cells 102, 104, 106, 142, and 146 can be referred to as macro cells because the base stations 110, 112, 114, and 116 support cells with large sizes. Further, the base station 118 is shown as serving a small cell 108 (e.g., a microcell, picocell, femtocell, Home eNodeB, Home NodeB, etc.), which can overlap with one or more macro cells. In this example, the cell 108 can be referred to as a small cell because the base station 118 supports a cell with a relatively small size. Cell size settings can be done according to system design and component constraints. It is to be understood that the radio access network 100 can include any number of wireless base stations and cells. Further, relay nodes can be deployed to extend the size or coverage area of a given cell. The base stations 110, 112, 114, 116, and 118 provide wireless access points to a core network for any number of mobile

[0045] Figure 1 Also included is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) 120 (such as a quadcopter or drone), which can be configured to function as a base station. That is, in some examples, a cell can not necessarily be stationary and the geographic area of a cell can move according to the location of a mobile base station, such as the UAV 120.

[0046] Generally, the base stations can include a backhaul interface for communication with a backhaul portion of the network (not shown). The backhaul can provide a link between the base stations and a core network (not shown), and in some examples, can provide interconnection between respective base stations. The core network can be a part of the wireless communication system and can be independent of the radio access technology used in the radio access network. Various types of backhaul interfaces can be employed, such as a direct physical connection, a virtual network, or the like using any suitable transport network.

[0047] The RAN 100 is shown to include a plurality of base stations 110 and an access network 105. A base station can communicate with a core network 130, and also with other base stations 110. The various base stations 110 can differ from one another in terms of coverage area, supported communication standards, and the like. In this example, the access network 105 is shown to include base stations 110a, 110b, and 110c, which represent example access nodes or base stations. In a typical deployment, a plurality of access nodes or base stations can be spread over a wide geographic area, as illustrated. Base stations 110 can be implemented using a base transceiver station (BTS) and a base station controller (BSC), or using some other suitable interface.

[0048] Within the present document, a "mobile" device need not have a capability to move, and can be stationary. The term mobile device or mobile equipment refers to a broad variety of devices and technologies. Some non-limiting examples of mobile devices include mobile stations, cellular phones, smart phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, laptop computers, personal computers (PCs), notebook computers, netbooks, smartbooks, tablets, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and a wide variety of embedded systems such as, for example, corresponding to the "Internet of Things" (IoT). A mobile device can additionally be an automobile or other transportation vehicle, a remote sensor or actuator, a robot or robotics device, a satellite radio, a global positioning system (GPS) device, an object tracking device, a drone, a multi-copter, a quad-copter, a remote control device, a consumer audio device, and / or a wearable device, such as eyewear, a wearable camera, a virtual reality device, a smart watch, a health or fitness tracker, a digital audio player (e.g., MP3 player), a camera, a game console, etc. A mobile device can additionally be a digital home or smart home device, such as a home audio, video, and / or multimedia device, a domestic appliance, a vending machine, intelligent lighting, a home security system, a smart meter, etc. A mobile device can additionally be a smart energy device, a security device, a solar panel or solar array, a municipal infrastructure device controlling electric power (e.g., a smart grid), lighting, water, etc.; an industrial automation and enterprise device; a logistics controller; agricultural equipment, etc. Still further, a mobile device can provide for connected medicine or telemedicine support (e.g., health care at a distance). Telehealth devices can include telehealth monitoring devices and telehealth administration devices, whose communication can be given preferential access compared to other types of information, e.g., in terms of prioritized access for transport of critical service data, and / or related QoS for transport of critical service data.

[0049] Within the RAN 100, a cell can include UEs that can be in communication with one or more sectors of each cell. For example, UEs 122 and 124 can be in communication with base station 110; UEs 126 and 128 can be in communication with base station 112; UEs 130 and 132 can be in communication with base station 114; UE 134 can be in communication with base station 118; UEs 138 and 140 can be in communication with base station 116 via one or more of RRHs 144 and 148; and UE 136 can be in communication with mobile base station 120. Here, each base station 110, 112, 114, 116, 118, and 120 can be configured to provide an access point to a core network (not shown) for all the UEs in the respective cells. In another example, a mobile network node (e.g., UAV 120) can be configured to function as a UE. For example, UAV 120 can operate within cell 102 by communicating with base station 110.

[0050] In some examples, access to the air interface can be scheduled, where a scheduling entity (e.g., a base station 112) allocates resources to some or all devices and apparatuses within its cell or service area for communication. In the present disclosure, as discussed further below, a scheduling entity can be responsible for scheduling, assigning, reconfiguring and releasing resources for one or more scheduled entities. That is, for scheduled communication, a UE (e.g., UE 126) as a scheduled entity can utilize resources allocated by the scheduling entity 112.

[0051] Base stations are not the only entities that can function as a scheduling entity. That is, in some examples, UEs can function as a scheduling entity, scheduling resources for one or more scheduled entities (e.g., one or more other UEs). And as discussed more below, UEs can communicate directly with other UEs in a peer-to-peer (P2P) or sidelink configuration or in a relay configuration.

[0052] In further aspects of the RAN 100, sidelink signals can be used between UEs without necessarily relying on scheduling or control information from a base station. For example, two or more UEs (e.g., UEs 138 and 140) can communicate using peer-to-peer (P2P) or sidelink signals 137 with each other without the need for relaying that communication through a base station (e.g., base station 144). The sidelink signals 137, in some examples, include sidelink traffic and sidelink control. In some examples, UEs 138 and 140 can each function as a scheduling entity or an initiating (e.g., transmitting) sidelink device and / or a scheduled entity or a receiving sidelink device. For example, UEs 138 and 140 can function as a scheduling entity or a scheduled entity in a P2P network, a device-to-device (D2D) network, a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) network, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) network, a mesh network, or other suitable network.

[0053] In the RAN 100, the ability for a UE to communicate while moving, independent of its location, is referred to as mobility. The various physical channels described herein can be established, maintained, and released under the control of an access and mobility management function (AMF), which can include a security context management function (SCMF) that manages the security context for both the control plane functions and the user plane functions, as well as a security anchor function (SEAF) that performs authentication. In some examples, a UE can monitor various parameters of signals from its serving cell, as well as various parameters of neighboring cells during a call with a scheduling entity, or at any other time. Depending on the quality of these parameters, the UE can maintain communication with one or more of the neighboring cells. During this time, the UE can move from one cell to another, or the signal quality from a neighboring cell can exceed that of the serving cell for a given amount of time, causing the UE to hand off or hand over from the serving cell to the neighboring (target) cell. For example, the UE 124 can move from the geographic area corresponding to its serving cell 102 to the geographic area corresponding to a neighbor cell 106. When the signal strength or quality from the neighbor cell 106 exceeds that of its serving cell 102 for a given amount of time, the UE 124 can send a report message to its serving base station 110 indicating this condition. In response, the UE 124 can receive a handover command, and the UE can hand over to cell 106.

[0054] Wireless communication between a RAN 100 and a UE (e.g., UE 122 or 124) can be described as utilizing an air interface. Transmissions from a base station (e.g., base station 110) to one or more UEs (e.g., UEs 122 and 124) can be referred to as downlink (DL) transmission. In accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure, the term downlink can refer to the transmission of signals from the scheduling entity (described further below; e.g., a base station 110) to a scheduled entity (described further below; e.g., a UE 122). Another way of describing this scheme can be to use the term broadcast channel multiplexing. Transmissions from a UE (e.g., UE 122) to a base station (e.g., base station 110) can be referred to as uplink (UL) transmissions. In accordance with further aspects of the present disclosure, the term uplink can refer to the transmission of signals from a scheduled entity (described further below; e.g., UE 122) to a scheduling entity (described further below; e.g., base station 110).

[0055] For example, a DL transmission can include unicast or broadcast transmissions of control information and / or data (e.g., user data traffic or other types of traffic) from a base station (e.g., base station 110) to one or more UEs (e.g., UEs 122 and 124), while a UL transmission can include transmissions originating with a UE (e.g., UE 122) to a base station (e.g., base station 110). Additionally, uplink and / or downlink control information and / or traffic information can be time-divided into frames, subframes, slots, and / or symbols. As used herein, a symbol can refer to a time unit carrying one resource element (RE) per subcarrier in an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) waveform. A slot can carry 7 or 14 OFDM symbols. A subframe can refer to a duration of 1 ms. Multiple subframes or slots can be grouped to form a single frame or radio frame. Of course, these definitions are not required, and any suitable scheme for organizing waveforms can be utilized, and various time divisions of the waveforms can have any suitable duration.

[0056] The air interface in the RAN 100 can utilize one or more multiplexing and multiple access algorithms to enable simultaneous communication with multiple devices. For example, 5G NR specifications provide multiple access for

[0057] Moreover, the air interface in the RAN 100 can utilize one or more duplex algorithms. Duplex refers to a point-to-point communication link where both endpoints can communicate with one another. Full-duplex means both endpoints can simultaneously communicate with one another. Half-duplex means only one endpoint can send information to the other endpoint at a time. Half-duplexing is often implemented with time-division duplex (TDD), where the transmission in different directions is separated by time. That is, in some timeslots, the communication link carries transmissions in one direction, and in other timeslots, the communication link carries transmissions in the other direction. The direction can change very rapidly, e.g., several times per slot. In a wireless link, full-duplex channels generally rely on physical isolation between the transmitter and receiver, and suitable interference cancellation technologies. Full-duplexing is often implemented with frequency-division duplex (FDD) or space-division duplex (SDD). In FDD, transmissions in different directions use different carrier frequencies. In SDD, transmissions in different directions use different spatial channels. In other examples, full-duplex communication can be implemented within an unpaired spectrum, e.g., within a single carrier bandwidth, where transmissions in different directions occur in different sub-bands of the carrier bandwidth. This type of full-duplex communication can be referred to herein as sub-band full duplex (SBFD), also known as flexible duplex.

[0058] In various implementations, the air interface in the RAN 100 can utilize licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or shared spectrum. Licensed spectrum provides for exclusive use of a portion of the spectrum to one or more licensees, such as mobile network operators, by virtue of a license that the licensee obtains from a government regulatory body. Unlicensed spectrum provides for non-exclusive use of a portion of the spectrum to any number of users on a contended basis. Shared spectrum can fall between licensed and unlicensed spectrums, where a

[0059] In some examples, a UE (e.g., UE 138) can be in the coverage area of more than one cell (e.g., cells 142 and 146). In this example, each RRH 144 and 148 serving one of cells 142 and 146 can act as a transmission-reception point (TRP) in a coordinated multipoint (CoMP) network configuration, where downlink and / or uplink signals can be transmitted between UE 138 and each of TRPs 144 and 148. For example, downlink data can be transmitted to UE 138 from each of TRPs 144 and 148 simultaneously to reduce interference, increase data rates, and / or increase received power. As another example, downlink signals can be transmitted from one TRP (e.g., TRP 144) and uplink signals can be received at the other TRP (e.g., TRP 148). In some examples, TRPs 144 and 148 can be configured using a centralized RAN architecture, where base station 116 operates to coordinate transmissions and receptions between UE 138 and TRPs 144 and 148.

[0060] Furthermore, beamformed signals can be utilized between UE 138 and each of TRPs 144 and 148, e.g., on a millimeter wave carrier. To facilitate transmission of uplink signals from the UE to one or both of the TRPs using uplink beams, base station 116 can coordinate an uplink beam management scheme in which UE 138 can transmit uplink reference signals, such as sounding reference signals (SRSs), to each of TRPs 144 and 148. Based on SRS measurements, base station 116 can select one or more uplink beams for UE 138 to transmit uplink signals to one or more of TRPs 144 and 148. UE 138 can transmit SRSs according to SRS resources configured by base station 116. The SRS resources define time-frequency resource locations and other parameters associated with transmission of the SRSs.

[0061] To simplify configuration of SRS resources across multiple TRPs 144 and 148, in various aspects of the disclosure, base station 116 can include an SRS manager 150 to configure a set of SRS resources including SRS resources associated with each of TRPs 144 and 148. Base station 116 can then transmit an SRS configuration of the set of SRS resources to UE 138 via, e.g., TRP 144. Furthermore, UE 138 can also include an SRS manager 152 configured to generate multiple SRSs using the SRS configuration and transmit the multiple SRSs to multiple TRPs 144 and 148. For example, each of TRPs 144 and 148 can receive at least one of the SRSs transmitted by UE 138 according to the SRS configuration.

[0062] Various aspects of the present disclosure will be described with reference to exemplary OFDM waveforms schematically illustrated in Figure 2 FIG. 1. Those skilled in the art will understand that the various aspects of the present disclosure can be applied in substantially the same manner to SC-FDMA waveforms. That is, while some examples of the present disclosure can focus on OFDM links for the sake of clarity, it will be understood that the same principles can be applied to SC-FDMA waveforms as well.

[0063] Reference is now made to Figure 2 FIG. 2, which shows an expanded view of an exemplary DL subframe 202, illustrating an OFDM resource grid. However, as those skilled in the art will readily appreciate, the PHY transmission structure for any particular application can differ from the examples described herein in accordance with any number of factors. Here, time is on the horizontal

[0064] The resource grid 204 can be used to schematically represent time-frequency resources for a given antenna port. That is, in multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) implementations having multiple antenna ports available, a corresponding multiple number of resource grids 204 can be available for communication. The resource grid 204 is divided into multiple resource elements (REs) 206. An RE, which is 1 subcarrier x 1 symbol, is the smallest discrete part of the time-frequency grid, and contains a single complex value representing data from a physical channel or signal. Depending on the modulation, each RE can represent one or more bits of information. In some examples, a block of REs can be referred to as a physical resource block (PRB) or resource block (RB), which contains any suitable number of consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. In one example, an RB can include 12 subcarriers, a number independent of the numerology used. In some examples, depending on the numerology, an RB can include any suitable number of consecutive OFDM symbols in the time domain. Within the present disclosure, it is assumed that a single RB (such as the RB 208) corresponds to a single direction of communication (either transmission or reception for a given device) at a time.

[0065] Scheduling of UEs or sidelink devices (hereafter collectively referred to as UEs) for downlink, uplink, or sidelink transmissions generally involves scheduling one or more resource elements 206 within one or more sub-bands or bandwidth parts (BWPs). Thus, a UE generally utilizes only a subset of the resource grid 204. In some examples, a RB can be the smallest unit of resources that can be assigned to a UE. Thus, the more RBs scheduled for a UE and the higher the modulation scheme chosen for the air interface, the higher the data rate for the UE. The RBs can be scheduled by a base station (e.g., gNB, eNB, etc.) or can be self-scheduled by a UE / sidelink device implementing D2D sidelink communication.

[0066] Scheduling of resources (e.g., REs 206 / RBs 208) for transmission of control and / or traffic information can be performed in a dynamic manner or in a semi-persistent manner. For example, a scheduling entity (e.g., base station) can dynamically allocate sets of REs 206 / RBs 208 for transmission of downlink control and / or data to a UE, or for transmission of uplink control and / or data from a UE. The base station can also semi-persistently allocate sets of REs 206 / RBs 208 for periodic downlink or uplink transmissions. Generally, semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) can be used for periodic communications based on a defined, set periodicity. For example, SPS can be suitable for applications with small, predictable, and / or periodic payloads, such as Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) applications. On the uplink, SPS resources can be referred to as configured grants (CGs). With CGs, scheduling information corresponding to an uplink CG can be signaled to a UE only once. Subsequently, the UE can periodically utilize the resources allocated in the uplink CG without receiving additional scheduling information. When a CG is initially configured, a period can be established during which the UE can transmit user data traffic via the semi-persistently scheduled resources.

[0067] In this diagram, the RBs 208 are shown as occupying less than the entire bandwidth of the subframe 202, with some subcarriers shown above and below the RBs 208. In a given implementation, the subframe 202 can have a bandwidth corresponding to any number of one or more RBs 208. Also, in this diagram, although the RBs 208 are shown as occupying less than the entire duration of the subframe 202, this is merely one possible example.

[0068] Each 1ms subframe 202 can be comprised of one or more adjacent slots. In Figure 2In the illustrated example, one subframe 202 includes four slots 210, as an illustrative example. In some examples, a slot can be defined in terms of a specified number of OFDM symbols having a given cyclic prefix (CP) length. For example, a slot can include 7 or 14 OFDM symbols with a nominal CP. Further examples can include mini-slots (sometimes referred to as shortened transmission time intervals (TTIs)) having a shorter duration (e.g., one to three OFDM symbols). In some cases, these mini-slots or shortened transmission time intervals (TTIs) can be transmitted occupying resources scheduled for an ongoing slot transmission for the same or different UEs. Any number of resource blocks can be utilized within a subframe or slot.

[0069] An expanded view of one of the slots 210 illustrates that the slot 210 includes a control region 212 and a data region 214. Generally, the control region 212 can carry control channels, and the data region 214 can carry data channels. In Figure 2 In the example illustrated in FIG. 2, the control region 212 can include downlink control information, and the data region 214 can include a downlink data channel or an uplink data channel. Further, the slot 210 also includes an uplink sounding reference signal (SRS) 216, which is illustrated as being transmitted at the end of the slot 210. For example, the SRS 216 can be transmitted on one or more of the last six symbols of the slot 210. Of course, the slot can contain all DL, all UL, or at least one DL part and at least one UL part. In Figure 2 The structure illustrated in FIG. 2 is merely exemplary in nature, and different slot structures can be utilized, and different slot structures can include one or more of each of control regions and data regions.

[0070] Although not illustrated in Figure 2 FIG. 2, the various REs 206 within a RB 208 can be scheduled to carry one or more physical channels, including control channels, shared channels, data channels, etc. Other REs 206 within a RB 208 can also carry pilots or reference signals. These pilots or reference signals can provide for a receiving device to perform channel estimation for the corresponding channel, which can enable coherent demodulation / detection of the control and / or data channels within the RB 208.

[0071] In some examples, the slots 210 can be used for broadcast or unicast communications. For example, a broadcast, multicast, or groupcast communication can refer to a point-to-multipoint transmission by one device (e.g., a base station, UE, or other similar device) to other devices. Here, a broadcast communication is delivered to all devices, while a multicast communication is delivered to multiple intended recipient devices. A unicast communication can refer to a point-to-point transmission by one device to a single other device.

[0072] In an example of cellular communication over a cellular carrier via the Uu interface, for DL ​​transmission, a scheduling entity (e.g., a base station) may allocate one or more REs 206 (e.g., within control area 212) to one or more scheduled entities (e.g., UEs) to carry DL control information including one or more DL control channels (such as the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH)). The PDCCH carries downlink control information (DCI), including but not limited to power control commands (e.g., one or more open-loop power control parameters and / or one or more closed-loop power control parameters), scheduling information, grants, and / or assignment of REs for DL ​​and UL transmissions. The PDCCH may also carry HARQ feedback transmissions, such as acknowledgment (ACK) or negative acknowledgment (NACK). HARQ is a technique well known to those skilled in the art, in which the integrity of packet transmissions can be verified for accuracy at the receiving end, for example, using any suitable integrity verification mechanism, such as checksum or cyclic redundancy check (CRC). If the integrity of the transmission is confirmed, an ACK can be sent, and if the integrity of the transmission is not confirmed, a NACK can be sent. In response to NACK, the transmitting device can send HARQ retransmissions, which can implement append merging, incremental redundancy, etc.

[0073] Base station (BS) (such as in Figure 1 The BS 110 in the wireless communication network 100 shown can send information about the slot format in the downlink control area to a user equipment (UE) (e.g., UE 122). For example, the BS 110 can send this information to the UE 122 in a downlink control channel (such as a Group Common (GC) Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH)). The GC PDCCH refers to a channel (e.g., the PDCCH) that carries information intended for a group of UEs (such as slot format indicators (SFIs)) via common downlink control information (DCI). The UE can be configured by Radio Resource Control (RRC) to decode the GCPDCCH. The SFI indicates the format of the current and / or future slots. The UE can use the information in the SFI to determine (identify, deduce, etc.) which symbols in the slots are used for uplink or downlink or for other purposes (such as sidelink, blank, or reserved).

[0074] The base station can also allocate one or more REs 206 (e.g., in the control region 212 or data region 214) to carry other DL signals such as a demodulation reference signal (DMRS); phase-tracking reference signal (PT-RS); channel state information (CSI) reference signal (CSI-RS); and primary and secondary synchronization signals (PSS and SSS). A UE can utilize the PSS and SSS to implement time-domain synchronization to a radio frame, subframe, slot, and symbol as well as identify the center of the channel (system) bandwidth in the frequency domain, and identify the physical cell identity (PCI) of the cell in the frequency domain. The synchronization signals PSS and SSS, and (in some examples) the PBCH and PBCH DMRS, can be transmitted in a synchronization signal block (SSB). The PBCH can also include a master information block (MIB) containing various system information and parameters for decoding a system information block (SIB), for example. The SIB can be a system information type 1 (SIB1), for example, which can include various additional system information. Examples of system information transmitted in the MIB can include, but are not limited to, a subcarrier spacing, a system frame number, a configuration of a PDCCH control resource set (CORESET) (e.g., PDCCH CORESET0), and a search space for SIB1. Examples of additional system information transmitted in the SIB1 can include, but are not limited to, a random access search space, downlink configuration information, and uplink configuration information. The MIB and SIB1 together provide the minimum system information (SI) for initial access.

[0075] In an UL transmission, the scheduled entity (e.g., UE) can utilize one or more REs 206 (e.g., within the control region 212, which can be at the end of a slot 210) to carry UL control information (UCI) including one or more UL control channels, such as a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), to the scheduling entity. The UCI can include a variety of groupings and categories of information. In some examples, the UCI can include a scheduling request (SR), i.e., request for the scheduling entity to schedule uplink transmissions. In response to the SR transmitted on the UCI, the scheduling entity can transmit downlink control information (DCI) which can schedule resources for uplink packet transmissions. The UCI can also include HARQ feedback, channel state feedback (CSF) such as a CSI report, or any other suitable UCI. The scheduled entity (e.g., UE) can also utilize one or more REs 206 (e.g., within the control region 212 and / or data region 214) to transmit pilots, reference signals, and other information that can be configured to enable or assist in decoding uplink data transmissions and / or uplink beam management, such as one or more DMRS and SRS 216.

[0076] In addition to control information, one or more REs 206 (e.g., within the data region 214) can be allocated for data traffic. Such data traffic can be carried in one or more traffic channels, such as, for DL transmissions, a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH); or for UL transmissions, a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). In some examples, one or more REs 206 within the data region 214 can be configured to carry other signals, such as one or more SIBs and DMRSs.

[0077] In examples of sidelink communications over a sidelink carrier via a PC5 interface, the control region 212 of the slot 210 can include a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH) including sidelink control information (SCI) transmitted by an initiating (transmitting) sidelink device (e.g., a V2X or other sidelink device) toward a set of one or more other receiving sidelink devices. The data region 214 of the slot 210 can include a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH) including sidelink data traffic transmitted by the initiating (transmitting) sidelink device within resources reserved by the transmitting sidelink device over the sidelink carrier via the SCI. Other information can also be transmitted over various REs 206 within the slot 210. For example, HARQ feedback information can be transmitted from a receiving sidelink device to a transmitting sidelink device in a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) within the slot 210. Additionally, one or more reference signals, such as a sidelink SSB and / or a sidelink CSI-RS, can be transmitted within the slot 210.

[0078] The physical channels described above are typically multiplexed and mapped to transport channels for processing at the medium access control (MAC) layer. The transport channels carry information between the physical layer and the MAC layer. The transport channel types can include data- oriented service classes, which are used for the transfer of data (e.g., logical channels) and control channels, which are used for the transfer of control plane information (e.g., RRC, PDCP, RLC, and MAC control signals).

[0079] The channels or carriers described above in connection with Figure 1 and 2 are not necessarily all the channels or carriers that can be utilized between a scheduling entity and a scheduled entity, and those skilled in the art will recognize that other channels or carriers, such as other traffic, control, and feedback channels, can be utilized in addition to the ones shown.

[0080] In some aspects of the disclosure, the scheduling entity and / or the scheduled entity can be configured for beamforming and / or multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) techniques. Figure 3An example of a wireless communication system 300 that supports beamforming and / or MIMO is shown. In a MIMO system, a transmitter 302 includes multiple transmit antennas 304 (e.g., N transmit antennas) and a receiver 306 includes multiple receive antennas 308 (e.g., M receive antennas). Thus, there are N x M signal paths 310 from the transmit antennas 304 to the receive antennas 308. Each of the transmitter 302 and receiver 306 can be implemented, for example, in a scheduling entity, a scheduled entity, or other appropriate wireless communication devices.

[0081] The use of such multi-antenna technology enables the wireless communication system to exploit the spatial domain to support spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and transmit diversity. Spatial multiplexing can be used to transmit different streams of data, also referred to as layers, from the same time-frequency resource, to increase the data rate. The spatial layers can be transmitted in the same frequency band or in different frequency bands. The different streams of data can be transmitted to a single UE to increase the rate received by the UE or to multiple UEs to increase the overall system capacity. This is achieved by spatially precoding each stream of data (i.e., multiplying the data stream by a weight and phase) and then transmitting it through multiple transmit antennas on the downlink, or multiple receive antennas on the uplink. The spatial precoding implemented can be such that the different streams of data have the same spatial signature, which means that they share the same channel, and thus the UE can recover the different streams of data by separating them in the space domain. The different streams of data can also be transmitted in different frequency bands, which means that they share the same time and space signatures, and thus the UE can recover the different streams of data by separating them in the frequency domain.

[0082] The number of data streams or layers corresponds to the rank of the transmission. In general, the rank of the MIMO system 300 is limited by the number of transmit antennas 304 or receive antennas 308, whichever is lower. Additionally, channel conditions at the UE and other considerations, such as available resources at the base station, can also impact the transmission rank. For example, the rank assigned to a particular UE on the downlink (and thus the number of data streams) can be determined based on a rank indicator (RI) transmitted from the UE to the base station. The RI can be determined based on the antenna configuration (e.g., the number of transmit antennas and receive antennas) and the measured signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio (SINR) on each of the receive antennas. The RI can indicate, for example, the number of layers that can be supported under the current channel conditions. The base station can use the RI, along with resource information (e.g., available resources and the amount of data to be scheduled for the UE), to assign a transmission rank to the UE.

[0083] In one example, as Figure 3As shown, a rank-2 spatial multiplexing transmission on a 2x2 MIMO antenna configuration will transmit one data stream from each transmit antenna 304. Each data stream follows a different signal path 310 to each receive antenna 308. The receiver 306 can then use the signals received from each receive antenna 308 to reconstruct the data streams.

[0084] Beamforming is a signal processing technique that can be used at the transmitter 302 or receiver 306 to shape or direct antenna beams (e.g., transmit or receive beams) along a spatial path between the transmitter 302 and receiver 306. Beamforming can be achieved by combining signals transmitted via the antennas 304 or 308 (e.g., antenna elements of an antenna array) such that some of the signals experience constructive interference while others experience destructive interference. To produce the desired constructive / destructive interference, the transmitter 302 or receiver 306 can apply amplitude and / or phase offsets to signals transmitted or received from the antenna elements 304 or 308 associated with the transmitter 302 or receiver 306. In some examples, antenna elements can be mapped to antenna ports to generate beams. Here, the term antenna port refers to a logical port (e.g., a beam) through which a signal (e.g., a data stream or layer) can be transmitted. In the example of a base station, an antenna array can include 128 antenna elements (e.g., within a 16x8 array) that can be mapped by an 8x1 combiner to 32 antenna ports.

[0085] To facilitate transmitting SRSs from, for example, the transmitter 302 to the receiver 306 using uplink beams, each of the transmitter 302 and receiver 306 can include a respective SRS manager 312a and 312b configured to utilize an SRS configuration for a set of SRS resources including SRS resources associated with multiple TRPs. For example, the SRS manager 312b in the receiver 306 can be configured to generate an SRS configuration and provide the SRS configuration to the transmitter 302. Further, the SRS manager 312a in the transmitter 302 can be configured to utilize the SRS configuration to generate multiple SRSs for transmission toward multiple receivers 306 (one of which is shown in FIG. 3) in accordance with the SRS configuration. Figure 3

[0086] ​In 5G New Radio (NR) systems, beamformed signals can be used for most downlink channels, including the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), especially for above 6 GHz or millimeter wave systems. In addition, broadcast control information, such as SSB, slot format indicator (SFI), and paging information, can be transmitted in a beam sweeping manner to enable all scheduled entities (UEs) in the coverage area of a transmission reception point (TRP) (e.g., gNB) to receive the broadcast control information. Furthermore, for UEs configured with beamformed antenna arrays, beamformed signals can also be used for uplink channels, including the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). However, it will be appreciated that beamformed signals can also be used by enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) gNBs for sub-6 GHz systems.

[0087] A base station (e.g., gNB) can generally be capable of communicating with a UE using transmit beams (e.g., downlink transmit beams) of different beamwidths. For example, a base station can be configured to utilize wider beams when communicating with UEs that are in motion, and narrower beams when communicating with UEs that are stationary. A UE can also be configured to utilize one or more downlink receive beams to receive signals from a base station. In some examples, to select one or more downlink transmit beams and one or more downlink receive beams for communication with a UE, a base station can transmit a reference signal, such as an SSB or a CSI-RS, in a beam sweeping manner on each of a plurality of downlink transmit beams. A UE can measure a reference signal received power (RSRP) on each of the downlink transmit beams using one or more downlink receive beams on the UE, and transmit a layer 1 (LI) measurement report to the base station indicating the measured RSRP of one or more of the downlink transmit beams. The base station can then select one or more serving downlink beams (e.g., downlink transmit beams and downlink receive beams) for communication with the UE based on the LI measurement report. The resulting selected downlink transmit beams and downlink receive beams can form a downlink beam pair link. In other examples, when the channel is reciprocal, a base station can derive particular downlink beams to communicate with a UE based on uplink measurements of one or more uplink reference signals, such as sounding reference signals (SRS).

[0088] Similarly, uplink beams (e.g., the uplink transmit beam at the UE and the uplink receive beam at the base station) can be selected by measuring the RSRP of the received uplink reference signal (e.g., SRS) or downlink reference signal (e.g., SSB or CSI-RS) during uplink or downlink beam scanning. For example, the base station can determine the uplink beams by uplink beam management via SRS beam scanning and measurements at the base station, or by downlink beam management via SSB / CSI-RS beam scanning and measurements at the UE. When uplink beam management is implemented, the selected uplink beam can be indicated by the selected SRS resource identifier (SRI), or when downlink beam management is implemented, the selected uplink beam can be indicated by the selected SSB / CSI-RS resource. For example, the selected SSB / CSI-RS resource can have a spatial relationship with the selected uplink transmit beam (e.g., the uplink transmit beam for PUCCH, SRS, and / or PUSCH). The selected uplink transmit beam and uplink receive beam can form an uplink beampair link.

[0089] Figure 4 This diagram illustrates communication between base station 404 and UE 402 using beamformed signals, according to some aspects. Base station 404 may be in Figure 1 And / or any of the base stations (e.g., gNB) or scheduling entities shown in 2, and UE 402 may be in Figure 1 And / or any of the UEs or scheduled entities shown in 2.

[0090] exist Figure 4 In the example shown, base station 404 is configured to generate multiple beams 406a-406h, each associated with a different beam direction. Furthermore, UE 402 is configured to generate multiple beams 408a-408e, each associated with a different beam direction. Base station 404 and UE 402 can use downlink beam management schemes and / or uplink beam management schemes to select one or more beams 406a-406h on base station 404 and one or more beams 408a-408e on UE 402 for transmitting uplink and downlink signals between them.

[0091] In an example of a downlink beam management scheme for selecting a downlink beam, the base station 404 can be configured to sweep or transmit on each of a plurality of downlink transmit beams 406a-406h during one or more synchronization slots. For example, the base station 404 can transmit a reference signal, such as an SSB or a CSI-RS, on each beam in different beam directions during a synchronization slot. The transmission of the beam reference signal can occur periodically (e.g., as configured by the gNB via radio resource control (RRC) signaling), semi-persistently (e.g., as configured by the gNB via RRC signaling and activated / deactivated via medium access control - control element (MAC-CE) signaling), or aperiodically (e.g., as triggered by the gNB via downlink control information (DCI)). It should be noted that while some beams are illustrated adjacent to each other, such an arrangement can differ in different aspects. For example, the downlink transmit beams 406a-406h transmitted during the same symbol can not be adjacent to each other. In some examples, the base station 404 can transmit more or less beams distributed in all directions (e.g., 360 degrees).

[0092] Further, the UE 402 is configured to receive downlink beam reference signals on a plurality of downlink receive beams 408a-408e. In some examples, the UE 402 searches for and identifies each of the downlink transmit beams 406a-406h based on the beam reference signals. The UE 402 then performs beam measurements (e.g., RSRP, SINR, RSRQ, etc.) on the beam reference signals on each of the downlink receive beams 408a-408e to determine a respective beam quality for each of the downlink transmit beams 406a-406h as measured on each of the downlink receive beams 408a-408e.

[0093] The UE 402 can generate and transmit a Ll measurement report to the base station 404 including respective beam indices (beam identifiers (IDs)) and beam measurements for one or more of the downlink transmit beams 406a-406h on one or more of the downlink receive beams 408a-408e. The base station 404 can then select one or more downlink transmit beams on which to transmit unicast downlink control information and / or user data traffic to the UE 402. In some examples, the selected downlink transmit beams have the highest gain from the beam measurement report. In some examples, the UE 402 can also identify the downlink transmit beams selected by the base station from the beam measurements. Transmission of the beam measurement report can occur periodically (e.g., as configured by the gNB via RRC signaling), semi-persistently (e.g., as configured by the gNB via RRC signaling and activated / deactivated via MAC-CE signaling), or aperiodically (e.g., as triggered by the gNB via DCI).

[0094] The base station 404 or the UE 402 can also select, for each selected serving downlink transmit beam, a corresponding downlink receive beam on the UE 402 to form a respective downlink beam pair link (BPL) for each selected serving downlink transmit beam. For example, the UE 402 can select, using the beam measurements, a corresponding downlink receive beam for each serving downlink transmit beam. In some examples, the selected downlink receive beam to be paired with a particular downlink transmit beam can have the highest gain for that particular downlink transmit beam.

[0095] In one example, a single downlink transmit beam on the base station 404 (e.g., beam 406d) and a single downlink receive beam on the UE (e.g., beam 408c) can form a single downlink BPL for communication between the base station 404 and the UE 402. In another example, multiple downlink transmit beams on the base station 404 (e.g., beams 406c, 406d, and 406e) and a single downlink receive beam on the UE 402 (e.g., beam 408c) can form respective downlink BPLs for communication between the base station 404 and the UE 402. In another example, multiple downlink transmit beams on the base station 404 (e.g., beams 406c, 406d, and 406e) and multiple downlink receive beams on the UE 402 (e.g., beams 408c and 408d) can form multiple downlink BPLs for communication between the base station 404 and the UE 402. In this example, a first downlink BPL can include downlink transmit beam 406c and downlink receive beam 408c, a second downlink BPL can include downlink transmit beam 408d and downlink receive beam 408c, and a third downlink BPL includes downlink transmit beam 408e and downlink receive beam 408d.

[0096] The downlink beam management schemes described above can also be used to select one or more uplink BPLs for uplink communication from the UE 402 to the base station 404 when the channel is reciprocal. For example, the downlink BPL formed by beams 406d and 408e can also be used as an uplink BPL. Here, beam 408c is used as an uplink transmit beam, and beam 406d is used as an uplink receive beam.

[0097] In an example of an uplink beam management scheme, the UE 402 can be configured to scan or transmit on each of multiple uplink transmit beams 408a-408e. For example, the UE 402 can transmit SRS on each beam in different beam directions. Further, the base station 404 can be configured to receive uplink beam reference signals on multiple uplink receive beams 406a-406h. In some examples, the base station 404 searches for and identifies each of the uplink transmit beams 408a-408e based on the beam reference signals. The base station 404 then performs beam measurements (e.g., RSRP, SINR, RSRQ, etc.) on the beam reference signals on each of the uplink receive beams 406a-406h to determine a respective beam quality for each of the uplink transmit beams 408a-408e as measured on each of the uplink receive beams 406-406h.

[0098] The base station 404 can then select one or more uplink transmit beams on which the UE 402 is to transmit unicast downlink control information and / or user data traffic to the base station 404. In some examples, the selected uplink transmit beams have the highest gain. The base station 404 can also select, for each selected serving uplink transmit beam, a corresponding uplink receive beam on the base station 404 to form, for each selected uplink transmit beam, a respective uplink beam pair link (BPL). For example, the base station 404 can utilize uplink beam measurements to select, for each serving uplink transmit beam, a corresponding uplink receive beam. In some examples, the selected uplink receive beam to be paired with a particular uplink transmit beam can have the highest gain for that particular uplink transmit beam.

[0099] The base station 404 can then inform the UE 402 of the selected uplink transmit beams. For example, the base station 404 can provide SRS resource identifiers (SRIs) that identify the SRSs transmitted on the selected uplink transmit beams. In some examples, the base station 404 can apply each selected uplink transmit beam (and corresponding uplink receive beam) to uplink signals (e.g., PUCCH, PUSCH, etc.) and transmit, to the UE 402, a respective SRI associated with the selected uplink transmit beam applied to each uplink signal. The above uplink beam management scheme can also be used to select one or more downlink BPLs for downlink communications from the base station 404 to the UE 402 when the channels are reciprocal. For example, the uplink BPLs can also be used as downlink BPLs.

[0100] To facilitate transmitting SRSs from the UE 402 to the base station 404 using uplink beams, each of the UE 402 and the base station 406 can include respective SRS managers 410 and 412, respectively, configured to utilize an SRS configuration for a set of SRS resources that includes SRS resources associated with multiple TRPs (e.g., the base station 404 and at least one other base station or TRP). For example, the SRS manager 412 can be configured to generate and provide the SRS configuration to the UE 402. Further, the SRS manager 410 can be configured to utilize the SRS configuration to generate multiple SRSs for transmission toward the base station 404 and the at least one other base station or TRP.

[0101] Figure 5A and 5Bis a diagram illustrating an example of sounding reference signal (SRS) resources 502a and 502b in accordance with some aspects. The SRS resources 502a and 502b are shown as being located within a portion of a resource grid 500 that includes a plurality of REs 508. In the time domain, the SRS resources can include a number of consecutive OFDM symbols N symb selected from a set consisting of {1, 2, 4}. Thus, the SRS resources can occupy 1, 2, or 4 OFDM symbols. In the example shown in Figure 5A , the SRS resource 502a includes one OFDM symbol, while in the example shown in Figure 5B , the SRS resource 502b includes two OFDM symbols. Further, the SRS resources can be located within the last six symbols of a slot. Thus, the starting symbol of the SRS resource can be designated as being offset from the number of symbols of the last symbol of the slot. For example, the starting symbol I offset may be selected from a set consisting of {0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5}. In the example shown in Figure 5A , the starting symbol 506a can be indicated as I offset = 1, while in the example shown in Figure 5B , the starting symbol 506b can be indicated as I offset = 2.

[0102] In the frequency domain, each SRS resource 502a and 502b can occupy a number of RBs m SRS . In some examples, the number of RBs can be between 1 ≤ m SRS ≤ 272. Further, each SRS resource 502a and 502b can have a transmission comb structure k TC such that SRS is transmitted every N subcarriers, where N = 2 or 4. Thus, the transmission comb structure k TC may be selected from a set consisting of {2, 4}. In the example shown in Figure 5A , the SRS resource 502a has a transmission comb structure 504a of 2, while in the example shown in Figure 5B , the SRS resource 502b has a transmission comb structure 504b of 4. In some examples, an SRS resource that occupies more than one symbol (e.g., the SRS resource 502b) can be used to transmit a single SRS or one or more repetitions of an SRS. Further, each SRS resource 502a and 502b can include up to four antenna ports, which can be interleaved, for example, in the frequency domain.

[0103] Figure 6are diagrams illustrating example SRS configurations 600a-600c for SRS resource sets 602a- 602c, each including SRS resources 604a-604f, in accordance with some aspects. An SRS resource set can include one or more SRS resources. For example, SRS resource set 602a (SRS resource set 0) includes SRS resources 604a and 604b (SRS resource 0.0 and SRS resource 0.1), SRS resource set 602b (SRS resource set 1) includes SRS resource 604c (SRS resource 1.0), and SRS resource set 602c (SRS resource set 2) includes SRS resources 604d, 604e, and 604f (SRS resource 2.0, SRS resource 2.1, and SRS resource 2.2).

[0104] As indicated in Figure 6 , multiple SRS resource sets 602a-602c can be configured for a UE. Further, each SRS resource set 602a-602c can be configured to be periodic, aperiodic, or semi-persistent, such that each of the SRS resources within the corresponding SRS resource set is respectively periodic, aperiodic, or semi-persistent. For example, SRS resources 604a and 604b within SRS resource set 602a can be periodic SRS resources, SRS resource 604c within SRS resource set 602b can be an aperiodic SRS resource, and SRS resources 604d-604f within SRS resource set 602c can be semi-persistent SRS resources.

[0105] Each SRS resource 604a-604f includes a set of SRS resource parameters that configure the SRS resource. For example, SRS resource parameters can include a set of ports (e.g., an uplink beam), a number of consecutive symbols (N symb ), a time domain allocation (I offset ), a repetition, a transmission comb structure (k TC ), a bandwidth (m SRS ), and other appropriate parameters. Each SRS can also be quasi co-located (QCLed) with another reference signal, such as an SSB, a CSI-RS, or another SRS. Thus, based on the QCL association (e.g., with an SSB beam, a CSI-RS beam, or an SRS beam), the SRS resource can be transmitted with the same spatial domain filter used to receive / transmit the indicated reference signal (e.g., an SSB beam, a CSI-RS beam, or an SRS beam).

[0106] A respective set of SRS resource parameters for each of the SRS resources in a particular set of SRS resources collectively form a set of SRS resource set parameters for the set of SRS resources. In addition, the set of SRS resources itself can also include additional SRS resource set parameters. For example, the set of SRS resource set parameters for the aperiodic set of SRS resources 602b can also include an aperiodic triggering state (e.g., a codepoint) for the aperiodic set of SRS resources 602b (e.g., up to three triggering states are possible, each mapping to an aperiodic set of SRS resources), a slot offset between a slot carrying a DCI triggering the aperiodic SRS and a transmission of the SRS (e.g., the SRS is transmitted k slots after the slot carrying the DCI containing the triggering state), and a CSI-RS resource identifier (CRI) associated with the aperiodic set of SRS resources 602b for precoder estimation for aperiodic SRS. As another example, the SRS configuration for the periodic set of SRS resources 602a or the semi-persistent set of SRS resources 602c can indicate a periodicity of the SRS resources (e.g., a periodicity of the transmission of the SRS). The respective set of SRS resource parameters then collectively form the SRS configuration 600a-c for the corresponding set of SRS resources 602a-c.

[0107] Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide enhanced signaling that can be used for partial frequency sounding when multiple UEs are multiplexed using the same frequency resources. The enhanced signaling involves group common downlink control information (GC-DCI), which provides a block of control information for signaling to multiple UEs. The UEs can be configured to use the GC-DCI for SRS transmission.

[0108] SRS transmissions by UEs can be used by a base station for CSI acquisition and beam management. Certain 5G NR networks support SRS resources that span 1, 2, or 4 adjacent symbols. Each set of SRS resources contains a set of SRS resources transmitted by one UE. The transmission of SRS resources can be aperiodic, semi-persistent, or periodic. Aperiodic SRS transmissions can be triggered or otherwise signaled using DCI. A UE can be configured or provisioned with multiple resources, which can be grouped in sets of SRS resources according to use cases, where the use cases can be antenna switching, codebook based, non-codebook based, or beam management.

[0109] DCI 2_3 can be used for power control and can include a set of TPC commands for SRS transmissions by one or more UEs. Along with the TPC commands, a SRS request can also be transmitted. Figure 7An example of an SRS request 700 is shown, which can be transmitted by a base station to configure the use of GC-DCI for SRS transmission in a 5G NR network. The DCI 2_3 defines a structure containing multiple blocks, each block relating to one or more component carriers (CCs). In networks using carrier aggregation (CA), a TPC can be provided for each CC. CA is used in certain networks to increase the data rate for one or more UEs by defining a set including multiple contiguous or non-contiguous CCs. In one example, 5G NR can support up to 16 contiguous and non-contiguous CCs, and can aggregate new 5G bands of up to approximately 1 GHz of spectrum. Certain elements of the SRS request (0, 2 bits) can determine the set of CCs for CA.

[0110] Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide signaling enhancements related to SRS capacity, SRS coverage, and / or partial sounding for UEs multiplexed across a shared frequency band. SRS capacity can determine the number of UEs that can be multiplexed when each UE uses a portion of SRS resources, thereby operating with partial sounding.

[0111] Figure 8 A resource grid 800 is shown for a legacy resource allocation for SRS. The resource allocation shown employs hopping in time, such that SRS resources are provided in four groups 802, 804, 806, 808 separated in time and frequency. The resources in the four groups 802, 804, 806, 808 are allocated to a single UE, which can transmit SRS in each CC and in a period 810 at the end of the resource grid 800. The SRS hopping pattern is designed to sound the entire bandwidth, and is RRC configured for each UE.

[0112] Figure 9 A first example of a resource grid 900 provided in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure to support partial frequency sounding when multiplexing multiple UEs using the same frequency resources is shown. In this example, SRS resources are allocated among four UEs. The SRS resources are configured to have hopping in time, such that four groups of RBs are provided as SRS resources in different time intervals within a period 910 at the end of the resource grid 900, the groups of RBs being separated in time and frequency. In the example shown, a first group of RBs 912 includes four RBs 902, 904, 906, 908 divided among the four UEs. Four RBs are allocated to each UE to use as SRS resources, and the relative positioning of the RBs can be maintained across all four groups. In this example, a first RB 902 can be allocated to a first UE, the first RB 902 including the highest frequency CC in each of the first group of resources and each of the other groups of SRS resources.

[0113] In some implementations, the relative location of the SRS resources allocated to one or more UEs can vary between groups. In some implementations, the relative location of the SRS resources allocated to one or more UEs can change after each transmission of SRS or after a configured number of SRS transmissions. In the latter example, an index identifying a current location within one or more groups of SRS resources can be assigned for each UE, and the location can be changed by incrementing or decrementing the index. For example, when four resources are defined for SRS resources of a respective group, the index or location number can cycle through the sequence {0, 1, 2, 3, 0, 1,...}. In some implementations, RRC signaling can be used to change the relative location of the SRS resources allocated to one or more UEs.

[0114] In some implementations, fewer than all of the SRS resources in a group can be allocated to each UE. For example, when five or more UEs share the RS resources, enough SRS resources in each group can not be available to allocate resources for each UE.

[0115] Figure 10 A second example of a resource grid 1000 provided to support partial frequency sounding when multiplexing multiple UEs using the same frequency resources is shown in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. In this example, SRS resources are allocated among four UEs. The SRS resources are configured to have no hopping in time and are allocated in four groups 1002, 1004, 1006, 1008 of frequency- contiguous SRS resources. The four groups 1002, 1004, 1006, 1008 of frequency-contiguous SRS resources are provided in the same time interval 1010 near the end of the resource grid 1000. In the example shown, the first group 1002 includes four SRS resources allocated to a first UE, the second group 1004 includes four SRS resources allocated to a second UE, the third group 1006 includes four SRS resources allocated to a third UE, and the fourth group 1008 includes four SRS resources allocated to a fourth UE.

[0116] The relative positioning of the four groups 1002, 1004, 1006, 1008 in the resource grid 1000 can be maintained between transmissions. In some implementations, the relative location of the four groups 1002, 1004, 1006, 1008 within the resource grid 1000 can change after each transmission of SRS or after a configured number of SRS transmissions. In some implementations, different UEs can be allocated different numbers of SRS resources.

[0117] Figure 11A third example of a resource grid 1100 provided to support partial frequency sounding when multiplexing multiple UEs using the same frequency resources is shown, in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. In this example, SRS resources are allocated between two UEs. The SRS resources are configured to not have hopping in time, and are provided in four groups 1102, 1104, 1106, 1108. For each UE, the allocated SRS resources are not frequency contiguous. The four groups 1102, 1104, 1106, 1108 of SRS resources are provided in the same time interval 1110 near the end of the resource grid 1100. In the example shown, the first group 1102 includes four SRS resources allocated to the first UE, the second group 1104 includes four SRS resources allocated to the second UE, the third group 1106 includes four SRS resources allocated to the first UE, and the fourth group 1108 includes four SRS resources allocated to the second UE. Each UE is allocated 8 SRS resources.

[0118] The relative positioning of the four groups 1102, 1104, 1106, 1108 in the resource grid 1100 can be maintained between transmissions. In some implementations, the relative position of the four groups 1102, 1104, 1106, 1108 within the resource grid 1100 can be changed after each transmission of SRS or after a configured number of SRS transmissions. In some implementations, different UEs can be allocated different numbers of SRS resources.

[0119] Figure 12 A fourth example of a resource grid 1200 provided to support partial frequency sounding when multiplexing multiple UEs using the same frequency resources is shown, in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. In this example, SRS resources are allocated between four UEs. The SRS resources are configured to have hopping in time, such that four groups 1202, 1204, 1206, 1208 of SRS resources are provided in different time intervals within a time period 1210 at the end of the resource grid 1200, which are separated in time and frequency. In the example shown, the first group 1202 includes four SRS resources allocated to the first UE, the second group 1204 includes four SRS resources allocated to the second UE, the third group 1206 includes four SRS resources allocated to the third UE, and the fourth group 1208 includes four SRS resources allocated to the fourth UE.

[0120] The relative positioning of the four groups 1202, 1204, 1206, 1208 in the resource grid 1200 can be maintained between transmissions. In some implementations, the relative position of the four groups 1202, 1204, 1206, 1208 within the resource grid 1200 can be changed after each transmission of SRS or after a configured number of SRS transmissions. In some implementations, different UEs can be allocated different numbers of SRS resources.

[0121] Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide SRS resource information to UEs that are multiplexed using the same frequency resources. The SRS resource information can include information that identifies the frequencies to be used by the UEs for transmitting SRS. When partial frequency sounding is employed, a single UE can sound on only a sub-band of the configured SRS frequency resources. When partial frequency sounding is configured, the UE can hop between smaller sets of frequency resources (see Figure 9 and Figure 12 ), or can sound on a single contiguous sub-band (see Figure 10 ) or on non-contiguous sub-bands (see Figure 11 ).

[0122] Signaling provided in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure can inform UEs which frequency resources to use for partial frequency sounding, including information about hopping and sub-bands. In one aspect, a multi-piece DCI format is defined to enable a base station to configure one or more UEs for partial frequency sounding. In another aspect, an enhanced GC-DCI format is defined to enable a base station to configure one or more UEs for partial frequency sounding.

[0123] The multi-piece DCI format provided in accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure provides a piece of information for each UE. The multi-piece DCI format can also provide a bitmap that each UE can use to identify the SRS resources assigned to the UE for partial frequency sounding.

[0124] A base station can use RRC signaling to configure a UE and configure the resource blocks for SRS. Referring again to Figure 9 , for example, the base station can define a first RB group 912 that includes four RBs 902, 904, 906, 908 to be allocated for use by different UEs.

[0125] In one aspect, the DCI can be formatted to have multiple pieces, and each piece can correspond to one or more UEs. Each piece can include a bitmap that can be used to select the sub-frequency resources to sound on. The bitmap can directly identify the sub-frequency resources. In Figure 9In the hopping example shown, the first RB group 912 (also referred to as the first hopping) includes four sub-hoppings that can be allocated among the four UEs. In this example, each sub-hopping includes a single RB 902, 904, 906, 908, but one or more sub-hoppings may include more than one RB 902, 904, 906, 908. The first UE can be configured to have a bitmap with a value of "1000", indicating that the first UE can use the first sub-hopping for probing and that the remaining three sub-hoppings are unavailable or not used for probing by the first UE.

[0126] exist Figure 10 In the non-hopping example shown, the RBs allocated by the base station for SRS can be divided into four RB groups 1002, 1004, 1006, and 1008, and each of RB groups 1002, 1004, 1006, and 1008 can be allocated for use by different UEs. Each of RB groups 1002, 1004, 1006, and 1008 includes four RBs, but one or more of RB groups 1002, 1004, 1006, and 1008 may include more than four RBs. The first UE can be configured to have a bitmap with the value "1000", which indicates that the first UE can use the subband including the first RB group 1002 for probing, and the remaining three RB groups 1004, 1006, and 1008 are unavailable or not used for probing by the first UE.

[0127] In some implementations, the bitmap provided by the DCI is valid for all transitions or transmissions. In some implementations, loops within a transition can be indicated via RRC signaling. In one example, the bitmap can loop in an order such as {1000->0100->0010->0001->1000…}.

[0128] In some cases, a bitmap can indicate that more than one sub-resource (sub-switch or sub-band) can be probed. For example, a bitmap with the value "1001" indicates that a first UE can probe using the first sub-switch and the last sub-switch, or the first sub-band and the last sub-band. Bitmaps can support non-contiguous resource probes, including when, for example, the bitmap has the values ​​"1010" or "0101".

[0129] In one aspect, the DCI can be formatted to include multiple blocks, each corresponding to one or more UEs, and includes an index indicating an entry in a table configured with RRC. The entry in this table can identify which sub-frequency resource (sub-switch or sub-band) is assigned to the corresponding UE to be probed. Figure 9 , 10As in the 4-UE, 4-sub-frequency resource example shown in FIGs. 12, 2 bits of index are sufficient to indicate one of four possible entries of a preconfigured table. Using an index can provide benefits over a bitmap when the sub-frequency resources are not uniformly partitioned, when a large number of UEs are to be configured, and when an increase in the number of characteristics that can be referenced in the preconfigured table is desired. The size of the index can be computed as log2(configured number), where the configured number can correspond to the number of resources for sounding purposes. Using an index requires pre-configuration of the table (typically through RRC signaling).

[0130] In one aspect, an enhanced GC-DCI format can be used to inform UEs which frequency resources are to be used for partial frequency sounding. Figure 13 A first example is shown, in which GC-DCI 2_3 Type A 1300 can be adapted to support configuration of partial resource sounding. GC-DCI Type A is used to provide a trigger for antenna switching only. GC-DCI 2_3 Type A is used for wideband configuration and does not include information about frequency resources. GC-DCI Type A provides a block 1302, 1304, 1306 for each of N UEs or N groups of UEs. Each block 1302, 1304, 1306 corresponds to a set of carrier frequencies and includes one or more different TPC entries 1310. An SRS request identifier 1308 is used to select a set of CCs (carrier frequencies). A TPC entry 1310 includes an entry for each of the corresponding set of CCs.

[0131] Figure 14 A second example is shown, in which GC-DCI 2_3 Type B 1400 can be adapted to support configuration of partial frequency sounding. GC-DCI Type B is used for wideband configuration to configure certain aspects of carrier frequency triggered. GC-DCI Type B includes information about frequency resources. GC-DCI Type B provides a block 1402, 1404, 1406 for N carrier frequencies. Each block 1402, 1404, 1406 corresponds to a single carrier frequency and includes a TPC entry 1410 for the corresponding carrier frequency. An SRS request identifier 1408 is used to select a single CC (carrier frequency).

[0132] Both GC-DCI 2_3 Type A and GC-DCI 2_3 Type B are used or support wideband sounding. Certain aspects of the present disclosure define a new field for GC-DCI to indicate sub-frequency resources to be sounded by a UE configured for partial frequency sounding. The bits of the new field can explicitly indicate the partial frequency resources to be used, or can be used as an index to a preconfigured table to indicate the partial frequency resources to be used.

[0133] Figure 13A first example of an enhanced GC-DCI 1320 is shown, which is based on GC-DCI2_3 Type A and supports configuration of partial resource sounding. The enhanced GC-DCI Type A provides blocks 1322, 1324, 1326 for N UEs or N groups of UEs. Each block 1322, 1324, 1326 corresponds to a set of carrier frequencies and includes one or more different TPC entries 1330. An SRS request identifier 1328 is used to select a set of CCs (carrier frequencies). The TPC entries 1330 include an entry for each of the corresponding set of CCs.

[0134] In one aspect, a partial frequency sounding command (PFS command 1332) can be configured for the corresponding set of CCs. The PFS command 1332 can include a bitmap or an index to a preconfigured table. The bitmap or index can identify the SRS resources to be used by the UE for partial sounding. In one example, M bits are added to each block 1322, 1324, 1326 for each CC, for a total of M * (number of CCs in the set of CCs) bits, which are used to indicate the sub-frequency resources to be sounded within each CC. In another example, a 4-bit index can be used to index a table including 16 entries, which cover up to 4 CCs and 4 sub-frequency resources for each block 1322, 1324, 1326.

[0135] Figure 14 A second example of an enhanced GC-DCI 1420 is shown, which is based on GC-DCI2_3 Type B and supports configuration of partial resource sounding. The enhanced GC-DCI Type B provides blocks 1422, 1424, 1426 for N carrier frequencies. Each block 1422, 1424, 1426 corresponds to a single carrier frequency and includes a TPC entry 1430 for the corresponding carrier frequency. An SRS request identifier 1438 is used to select a single CC (carrier frequency).

[0136] In one aspect, a partial frequency sounding command (PFS command 1432) can be configured for the corresponding set of CCs. The PFS command 1432 can include a bitmap or an index to a preconfigured table. The bitmap or index can identify the SRS resources to be used by the UE for partial sounding. In one example, M bits are added to each block 1422, 1424, 1426 for each CC, for a total of M * (number of CCs in the set of CCs) bits, which are used to indicate the sub-frequency resources to be sounded within each CC. In another example, a 4-bit index can be used to index a table including 16 entries, which cover up to 4 CCs and 4 sub-frequency resources for each block 1422, 1424, 1426.

[0137] Figure 15 A third example of an enhanced GC-DCI 1500 is shown, which is based on GC-DCI2_3 Type A and supports partial resource sounding configuration. The enhanced GC-DCI 1500 provides blocks 1502, 1504, 1506 for N UEs or N groups of UEs. Each block 1502, 1504, 1506 corresponds to a set of carrier frequencies and includes one or more different TPC entries 1512. An SRS request identifier 1510 is used to select a set of CCs (carrier frequencies). The TPC entries 1512 include an entry for each of the corresponding set of CCs.

[0138] In one aspect, the enhanced GC-DCI 1500 includes a field for a CC set identifier 1508 that can be used to select a single CC (carrier frequency) that can be used to trigger multiple CCs simultaneously. In another aspect, partial frequency sounding commands (PFS commands 1332) can be configured for the respective set of CCs. The PFS commands 1332 can include a bitmap or an index to a preconfigured table. The bitmap or index can identify the SRS resources to be used by the UE for partial sounding. In one example, M bits are added to each block 1522, 1524, 1526 for each CC, for a total of M*(number of CCs in the set of CCs) bits, which are used to indicate the sub-frequency resources to be sounded within each CC. In another example, a 4-bit index can be used to index a table that includes 16 entries, which cover up to 4 CCs and 4 sub-frequency resources for each block 1522, 1524, 1526.

[0139] In another aspect, the SRS request identifier 1510 provides flexible SRS triggering for different SRS uses, including antenna switching for beam management, codebook, etc.

[0140] In another aspect, the PFS command field 1332, 1432, 1514 in the enhanced GC-DCI carries a bitmap, which can be used to select the sub-frequency resources to be sounded. The bitmap can directly identify the sub-frequency resources. In another example, the bitmap can be used to index a preconfigured table that includes the sub-frequency resources to be sounded. Figure 9 In the hopping example shown in FIG. 11, the first RB group 912 (also referred to as the first hop) includes 4 sub-hops that can be allocated among 4 UEs. In this example, each sub-hop includes a single RB 902, 904, 906, 908, although one or more sub-hops can include more than one RB 902, 904, 906, 908. The first UE can be configured with a bitmap having a value of “1000,” which indicates that the first UE can use the first sub-hop for sounding and the remaining 3 sub-hops are unavailable or not used for sounding by the first UE.

[0141] In Figure 10In the non-hopping example shown in FIG. 10, the RBs allocated by the base station for SRS can be divided into four RB groups 1002, 1004, 1006, 1008, and each of the RB groups 1002, 1004, 1006, 1008 can be allocated for use by a different UE. Each of the RB groups 1002, 1004, 1006, 1008 includes 4 RBs, although one or more of the RB groups 1002, 1004, 1006, 1008 can include more than four RBs. A first UE can be configured with a bitmap having a value of “1000” indicating that the first UE can use the subband including the first RB group 1002 for sounding, and the remaining 3 RB groups 1004, 1006, 1008 are not available or not used for sounding by the first UE.

[0142] In some implementations, the bitmap provided by the PFS command field 1332, 1432, 1514 carried in the enhanced GC-DCI is valid for all hops or transmissions. In some implementations, the cycling within the hop can be indicated by RRC signaling. In one example, the bitmap can cycle in an order such as {1000 -> 0100 -> 0010 -> 0001 -> 1000...}.

[0143] In some cases, the bitmap can indicate that more than one sub-resource (sub-hop or subband) can be sounded. For example, a bitmap having a value of “1001” indicates that the first UE can sound the first sub-hop and the last sub-hop or the first subband and the last subband. The bitmap can support non-contiguous resource sounding, including, for example, when the bitmap has a value of “1010” or “0101.”

[0144] In one aspect, the PFS command field 1332, 1432, 1514 in the enhanced GC-DCI carries an index indicating an entry in an RRC configured table. The entries in the table can identify which sub-frequency resource (sub-hop or subband) is assigned to the corresponding UE to sound. In Figure 9 、 10 In the 4 UE, 4 sub-frequency resource example shown in FIGS. 10, 11, and 12, a 2-bit index is sufficient to indicate one of the four possible entries of the preconfigured table. Using an index can provide benefits over a bitmap when the sub-frequency resources are not uniformly partitioned, when a larger number of UEs are to be configured, and when an increase in the number of characteristics that can be referenced in the preconfigured table is desired. The size of the index can be computed as log2(configured number), where the configured number can correspond to the number of resources for sounding use. Using an index requires pre-configuration of the table, typically through RRC signaling.

[0145] Figure 16is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an exemplary UE 1600 employing a processing system 1614. For example, the UE 1600 can be any one or more of the UEs or scheduled entities illustrated in any one or more of FIGs. 1, 2, 3, and / or 4. Figure 1 , 3 and / or any of the UEs or scheduled entities illustrated in any one or more of FIGs. 1, 2, 3, and / or 4.

[0146] The UE 1600 can be implemented with a processing system 1614 that includes one or more processors 1604. Examples of processors 1604 include microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functionality described throughout this disclosure. In various examples, the UE 1600 can be configured to perform any one or more of the functions described herein. That is, the processor 1604, as utilized in a UE 1600, can be used to implement any one or more of the processes described below in connection with Figure 16 FIGs. 10-13.

[0147] In some cases, the processor 1604 can be implemented via a baseband or modem chip, while in other implementations the processor 1604 can itself include a plurality of devices distinct and different from a baseband or modem chip (e.g., in such scenarios can work cooperatively to implement aspects discussed herein). And as noted above, various hardware arrangements and components outside of a baseband modem processor can be used in implementations, including RF chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, interleavers, adders / summers, etc.

[0148] In this example, the processing system 1614 can be implemented with a bus architecture, as represented generally by the bus 1602. The bus 1602 can include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges depending on the specific application of the processing system 1614 and the overall design constraints. The bus 1602 communicatively couples various circuits including one or more processors (represented generally by the processor 1604), memory 1605, and computer-readable media (represented generally by the computer-readable media 1606). The bus 1602 can also link various other circuits such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, all of which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further. A bus interface 1608 provides an interface between the bus 1602 and a transceiver 1610. The transceiver 1610 provides a communication path for communications with various other apparatus over a transmission medium (e.g., an air interface). In some examples, the transceiver 1610 can include phase shifters 1616 for digital and / or analog beamforming via one or more antenna arrays 1630. A user interface 1612 (e.g., keypad, display, speaker, microphone, joystick) can also be provided.

[0149] The processor 1604 is responsible for managing the bus 1602 and general processing, including the execution of software stored on the computer-readable media 1606. The software, when executed by the processor 1604, causes the processing system 1614 to perform the various functions described infra for any particular apparatus. The computer-readable media 1606 and the memory 1605 can also be used for storing data used by the processor 1604 when executing software.

[0150] One or more processors in the processing system can execute software. Software shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise. The software can reside on the computer-readable media 1606.

[0151] The computer-readable medium 1606 can be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. A non-transitory computer-readable medium includes, for example, magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk; floppy disk); optical disk devices (e.g., compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD)); smart cards; flash memory devices (e.g., card, stick, or key drive); random access memories (RAMs); read only memories (ROMs); programmable ROMs (PROMs); erasable PROMs (EPROMs); electrically erasable PROMs (EEPROMs); registers; removable disk; and any other suitable medium for storing software and / or instructions that can be accessed and read by a computer. The computer-readable medium 1606 can reside in the processing system 1614, in the processing system 1614, or in a different location within the processing system 1614. The computer-readable medium 1606 can be embodied in a computer program product. In some examples, the computer-readable medium 1606 can be part of the memory 1605. The computer program product can include a computer-readable medium having, for example, instructions stored on it, which can be executed by one or more processors of a processing system to implement functionality of the present disclosure. The computer program product can be packaged on a distribution medium of the computer program product. The computer program product can be distributed via a communication medium or channel. The computer program product can be a computer program product that can be used to cause a processing system to perform one or more functions of the present disclosure.

[0152] In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 1604 can include circuitry configured for various functions. For example, the processor 1604 can include communication and processing circuitry 1642 configured to communicate with one or more radio access network (RAN) entities, such as one or more base stations (e.g., gNBs) and / or one or more scheduling entities. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1642 can include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure that performs processes related to wireless communication (e.g., signal reception and / or signal transmission) and signal processing (e.g., processing received signals and / or processing signals for transmission).

[0153] In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1642 can be configured to receive and process downlink beamformed signals at millimeter wave frequencies or sub-6 GHz frequencies via the transceiver 1610 and antenna array 1630 (e.g., using phase shifters 1616). Further, the communication and processing circuitry 1642 can be configured to generate and transmit uplink beamformed signals at millimeter wave frequencies or sub-6 GHz frequencies via the transceiver 1610 and antenna array 1630 (e.g., using phase shifters 1616).

[0154] The communication and processing circuitry 1642 can also be configured to execute communication and processing software 1652 stored in the computer-readable medium 1606 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0155] The processor 1604 can also include a SRS manager circuit 1644 configured to process a partial frequency sounding configuration 1620 defined for one or more UEs. In some examples, the partial frequency sounding configuration 1620 can include an identification of certain resources to be used for transmitting SRS.

[0156] The SRS manager circuit 1644 can be further configured to execute SRS manager software 1654 stored in the computer-readable medium 1606 to implement one or more functions described herein.

[0157] In one configuration, the UE 1600 includes means for performing any of the functions described above with respect to Figure 18 The means for performing the described functions of the various aspects described herein. In one aspect, the aforementioned means can be the processor 1604 shown in FIG. 17 configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means. In another aspect, the aforementioned means can be any means for performing the functions described by the aforementioned means. Figure 16

[0158] Of course, in the above examples, the circuitry included in the processor 1604 is merely provided as an example, and other means for performing the described functions can be included within various aspects of the present disclosure, including but not limited to the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium 1606, or any suitable circuitry Figure 1 , 3 , 4, and / or 7-10, and with other suitable apparatus or means described herein, for example, with respect to the processes and / or algorithms described herein. Figure 18

[0159] Figure 17 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an exemplary RAN entity 1700 employing a processing system 1714. For example, the RAN entity 1700 can correspond to any of the base stations (e.g., gNBs), TRPs (e.g., combined TRPs and base stations in RRH configurations), or other scheduling entities shown in any one or more of Figure 1 , 3 , 4, and / or 7-10.

[0160] In accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, an element, or any portion of an element, or any combination of elements can be implemented with the processing system 1714 that includes one or more processors 1704. The processing system 1714 can be a component of the base station and can include the memory 1702 shown in any one or more of Figure 16 ​​The processing system 1614 shown in FIG. 16A is substantially similar to the processing system 1614 shown in FIG. 16B, including a bus interface 1708, a bus 1702, a memory 1705, a processor 1704, and a computer-readable medium 1706. Additionally, the RAN entity 1700 can include an optional user interface 1712 and a transceiver 1710, which are substantially similar to those described above in Figure 16

[0161] In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor 1704 can include circuitry configured for various functions. For example, the processor 1704 can include resource assignment and scheduling circuitry 1742 configured to generate, schedule, and modify resource assignments or grants of time-frequency resources (e.g., sets of one or more resource elements). For example, the resource assignment and scheduling circuitry 1742 can schedule time-frequency resources within multiple time division duplex (TDD) and / or frequency division duplex (FDD) subframes, slots, and / or mini-slots to carry user data traffic and / or control information to and / or from multiple UEs.

[0162] In some examples, the resource assignment and scheduling circuitry 1742 can be configured to schedule resources for transmitting, to a user equipment (UE) in communication with the RAN entity 1700, a SRS configuration for a set of multi-TRP SRS resources. The resource assignment and scheduling circuitry 1742 can also be configured to schedule resources for receiving, from the UE, one or more SRSs in accordance with the SRS configuration. The resource assignment and scheduling circuitry 1742 can also be configured to schedule resources for transmitting a DCI triggering the SRS configuration or a MAC-CE activating the SRS configuration. Additionally, the resource assignment and scheduling circuitry 1742 can also be configured to schedule resources for transmitting a TPC command to the UE. The resource assignment and scheduling circuitry 1742 can also be configured to execute resource assignment and scheduling software 1752 stored in the computer-readable medium 1706 to implement one or more of the functions described herein.

[0163] The processor 1704 can also include communication and processing circuitry 1744 configured to communicate with a UE. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1744 can include one or more hardware components that provide a physical structure that performs processes related to wireless communication (e.g., signal reception and / or signal transmission) and signal processing (e.g., processing a received signal and / or processing a signal for transmission).

[0164] ​In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1744 can be configured to receive and process uplink beamformed signals at millimeter wave frequencies or sub-6 GHz frequencies via the transceiver 1710 and antenna array 1730 (e.g., using phase shifters 1716). Further, the communication and processing circuitry 1744 can be configured to generate and transmit uplink beamformed signals at millimeter wave frequencies or sub-6 GHz frequencies via the transceiver 1710 and antenna array 1730 (e.g., using phase shifters 1716).

[0165] The communication and processing circuitry 1744 can also be configured to transmit, to a UE, an SRS configuration 1720 for a multi-TRP SRS resource set. The multi-TRP SRS resource set can include multiple SRS resources associated with multiple TRPs. The multiple TRPs can be separate base stations or RRHs of the same base station. In the former example, the RAN entity 1700 can correspond to one of the base stations. In the latter example, the RAN entity 1700 can be coupled to each of the multiple TRPs. In some examples, the multiple TRPs can be co-located or located at different geographic locations and can belong to the same cell or different cells.

[0166] The multi-TRP SRS resource set can be, for example, an aperiodic SRS resource set, a periodic SRS resource set, or a semi-persistent SRS resource set. In some examples, the SRS configuration can be transmitted within an RRC message. In some examples, the RRC message can include a single RRC configuration (e.g., a single RRC information element (IE)) that includes the SRS configuration. In other examples, the RRC message can include multiple RRC configurations (e.g., multiple RRC configuration IEs), each RRC configuration including a TRP SRS configuration of multiple TRP SRS configurations, each TRP SRS configuration associated with one of the TRPs, where the multiple TRP SRS configurations collectively form the SRS configuration. The communication and processing circuitry 1744 can also be configured to store the SRS configuration 1720 within, for example, the memory 1705.

[0167] The communication and processing circuitry 1744 can also be configured to transmit an activation / trigger for the multi-TRP SRS resource set. For example, the communication and processing circuitry 1744 can transmit a DCI that triggers an aperiodic multi-TRP SRS resource set or a MAC-CE that activates a semi-persistent multi-TRP resource set. In some examples, the communication and processing circuitry 1744 can be configured to transmit a DCI that includes a codepoint that triggers the SRS configuration (e.g., when the SRS configuration includes a single RRC configuration) or a codepoint that triggers each of the multiple TRP SRS configurations (e.g., when the SRS configuration includes multiple RRC configurations).

[0168] The communication and processing circuitry 1744 can also be configured to transmit at least one closed loop TPC command to the UE. The TPC command can be for PUSCH transmission or SRS transmission. For example, a TPC command for SRS can be received in DCI format 2_3. In some examples, the TPC command is associated with one of the TRPs. In other examples, the TPC command can apply to each of the TRPs. Further, the communication and processing circuitry 1744 can be configured to transmit a timing advance command to the UE. The timing advance command indicates a timing advance to be applied by the UE to uplink signals transmitted to the TRPs within a TAG. Here, at least one of the TRPs in the TAG is associated with the RAN entity 1200 (e.g., part of the RAN entity 1700). The communication and processing circuitry 1744 can also be configured to receive one or more SRSs in accordance with the SRS configuration. The communication and processing circuitry 1744 can also be configured to execute communication and processing software 1754 stored in the computer-readable medium 1706 to implement one or more of the functions described herein.

[0169] The processor 1704 can also include a SRS manager circuit 1746 configured to configure a SRS configuration for a multi-TRP SRS resource set for a UE. In some examples, the SRS configuration can include a common set of SRS resource set parameters for the multiple TRPs. For example, the multi-TRP SRS resource set can include one or more SRS resources each including the same (common) SRS resource parameters (e.g., transmission comb structure, ports, number of symbols, repetition, etc.). In other examples, the SRS configuration can include a respective set of SRS resource set parameters for each of the multiple TRPs. For example, the SRS configuration can include multiple TRP SRS configurations each associated with a respective TRP, where each TRP SRS configuration includes different respective SRS resource parameters. Each TRP SRS configuration can configure one or more SRS resources associated with the particular TRP. Thus, each TRP SRS configuration can include SRS resource set parameters that configure particular SRS resources for that TRP.

[0170] In some examples, the SRS manager circuit 1746 can configure SRS resources associated with the multiple TRPs to be located within contiguous symbols of a slot when each of the TRPs belongs to a same TAG and a QCL association for the SRS resources configured for each of the TRPs is the same. In some examples, the SRS manager circuit 1746 can be configured to determine a gap length of one or more symbols to be applied between SRS resources associated with each of the TRPs when two of the TRPs can belong to different TAGs or a QCL association for the SRS resources configured for the two of the TRPs is different. For example, the SRS manager circuit 1746 can be configured to determine a gap length to be applied between a first set of SRS resources associated with a first TRP and a second set of SRS resources associated with a second TRP.

[0171] In some examples, the SRS manager circuit 1746 can set the gap length to accommodate a maximum timing advance difference that can occur between the TAGs when the TRPs belong to different TAGs. In other examples, the SRS manager circuit 1746 can set the gap length based on a capability of the UE or set the gap length to a common gap length configured for all UEs when the QCL association between the SRS resources associated with each of the TRPs is different. In some examples, the SRS manager circuit 1746 can transmit an indication of the gap length as part of the SRS resource configuration (e.g., within the SRS configuration 1720) or separate from the SRS configuration via the communication and processing circuit 1744 and the transceiver 1710.

[0172] The SRS manager circuit 1746 can also receive and process each of the SRSs received from the UE to obtain a respective measurement (e.g., RSRP, RSRQ, etc.) of each of the received SRSs for uplink beam management. The SRS manager circuit 1746 can also be configured to execute the SRS manager software 1756 stored in the computer-readable medium 1706 to implement one or more of the functions described herein.

[0173] In one configuration, the RAN entity 1700 includes means for performing any of the functions described herein. In one aspect, the aforementioned means can be the processor 1704 shown in FIG. 17 configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means. In another aspect, the aforementioned means can be circuitry or any apparatus configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means. Figure 19 The described units for performing the various functions and procedures described herein. In one aspect, the aforementioned units can be the processor 1704 shown in FIG. 17, configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned units. In another aspect, the aforementioned units can be circuitry or any apparatus configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned units. Figure 17

[0174] ​Of course, in the above examples, the circuitry included in the processor 1704 is provided as examples only, and other means for carrying out the described functions and operations can be included within various aspects of the disclosure, including but not limited to the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium 1706, or Figure 1 , 3 any other suitable apparatus or means for carrying out the functions and operations described herein with respect to the processes and / or algorithms described in any of FIGs. 1 through 4, and utilizing, for example, the process and / or algorithm described herein with respect to Figure 19 FIGs. 5 through 8.

[0175] Figure 18 is a flow diagram 1800 illustrating an example of a method for a UE utilizing a partial frequency sounding configuration, in accordance with some aspects. As described below, some or all illustrated features can be omitted in some implementations, and some implementations can include additional functionalities not described with respect to the flow diagram 1800. In some examples, the method can be performed by the UE 1600 as described above and shown in FIG. 16, by a processor or processing system, or by any suitable means for carrying out the described functions and operations. Figure 16

[0176] At block 1802, the UE can receive DCI including a partial frequency sounding configuration for the UE. At block 1804, the UE can transmit SRS in one or more resources configured for SRS transmission in a bandwidth used by the UE. The one or more resources can be identified by the partial frequency sounding configuration. At block 1802, the UE can refrain from transmitting in a portion of a set of resources configured for SRS transmission in the bandwidth used by the UE.

[0177] In one example, the partial frequency sounding configuration includes a bitmap including a plurality of bits, each bit in the bitmap mapped to a subset of one or more resources.

[0178] In one example, the UE can identify the one or more resources configured for SRS transmission by the UE in a preconfigured table using an index provided in the partial frequency sounding configuration.

[0179] In one example, the downlink control information includes a block corresponding to the UE, the block including the partial frequency sounding configuration for the UE.

[0180] ​In certain examples, the downlink control information has a format based on GC-DCI defined to be used in a 5G NR network. The format of the downlink control information can be based on GC-DCI 2_3 Type A and can include a partial frequency sounding field including a resource index in a preconfigured table to identify one or more resources or including a bitmap having a plurality of bits, each bit in the bitmap mapped to a subset of one or more resources. In some examples, the downlink control information can include a component carrier index to identify a component carrier set in a list of component carrier sets associated with the partial frequency sounding configuration. The format of the downlink control information can be based on GC-DCI 2_3 Type B and can include a partial frequency sounding field including a resource index in a preconfigured table to identify one or more resources or including a bitmap having a plurality of bits, each bit in the bitmap mapped to a subset of one or more resources.

[0181] In one example, the one or more resources configured for SRS transmission include a plurality of contiguous frequency resources within a bandwidth used by the UE.

[0182] In one example, the one or more resources configured for SRS transmission include a plurality of non-contiguous frequency resources within a bandwidth used by the UE.

[0183] In one example, the one or more resources configured for SRS transmission include frequency resources provided at different times.

[0184] Figure 19 FIG. 19 is a flow chart 1900 illustrating an example of a method for a RAN entity configuring partial frequency sounding configurations for a plurality of UEs, in accordance with some aspects. As described below, some or all illustrated features can be omitted in some implementations, and some implementations can include additional features that are not shown. The method can be performed by the RAN entity 1700 as described above and shown in FIG. 17, by a processor or processing system, or by any suitable means for Figure 17 performing the described functions.

[0185] At block 1902, the RAN entity can configure an SRS configuration to be used by at least one UE. The SRS configuration can include, provide, or define a plurality of frequency resources. At block 1904, the RAN entity can generate partial frequency sounding configurations for a plurality of UEs. At block 1906, the RAN entity can transmit the partial frequency sounding configurations in DCI. Each partial frequency sounding configuration can define one or more resources of the plurality of frequency resources to be used by a corresponding UE to transmit SRS.

[0186] In one example, each partial frequency sounding configuration includes a bitmap including a plurality of bits, each bit in the bitmap mapped to a subset of one or more resources to be used by the corresponding UE for transmitting SRS.

[0187] In one example, the RAN entity can configure each of the plurality of UEs with a table defining a plurality of frequency resources and provide an index in each partial frequency sounding configuration. The index can identify one or more resources in the corresponding preconfigured table.

[0188] In one example, the RAN entity can transmit each of the partial frequency sounding configurations in a block of the DCI regarding the corresponding UE identification.

[0189] In certain examples, the RAN entity can transmit the partial frequency sounding configurations in downlink control information having a format based on GC-DCI defined for use in 5G NR networks. The format of the downlink control information can be based on GC-DCI 2_3 Type A and include a partial frequency sounding field including a resource index in a preconfigured table identifying one or more resources or including a bitmap having a plurality of bits, each bit in the bitmap mapped to a subset of one or more resources. The DCI can include a component carrier index identifying a component carrier set in a component carrier set list associated with the partial frequency sounding configuration. The component carrier set list is included in the preconfigured table identifying one or more resources. The format of the DCI can be based on GC-DCI 2_3 Type B and can include a partial frequency sounding field including a resource index in a preconfigured table identifying one or more resources or including a bitmap having a plurality of bits, each bit in the bitmap mapped to a subset of one or more resources.

[0190] In one example, the one or more resources configured for SRS transmission include a plurality of contiguous frequency resources within a bandwidth used by the UE.

[0191] In one example, the one or more resources configured for SRS transmission include a plurality of non-contiguous frequency resources within a bandwidth used by the UE.

[0192] In one example, the one or more resources configured for SRS transmission include frequency resources provided at different times.

[0193] An overview of examples of the present disclosure is provided below.

[0194] Several aspects of a wireless communication network have been presented with reference to the example implementations. As those skilled in the art will readily appreciate, various aspects described throughout this disclosure can be extended to other telecommunication systems, network architectures and communication standards.

[0195] By way of example, various aspects can be implemented within other systems defined by 3GPP such as Long-Term Evolution (LTE), Evolved Packet System (EPS), the Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), and / or the Global System for Mobile (GSM). Various aspects can also be implemented within systems defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2), such as CDMA2000 and / or Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO). Other examples can be implemented within systems employing IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-WideBand (UWB), Bluetooth, and / or other suitable systems. The actual telecommunication standard, network architecture, and / or communication standard employed will depend on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the system.

[0196] In the present disclosure, the word "exemplary" is used to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any implementation or aspect described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects of the disclosure. Likewise, the term "aspects" does not require that all aspects of the disclosure include the discussed feature, advantage or mode of operation. The term "coupled" is used herein to refer to the direct or indirect coupling between two objects. For example, if object A physically touches object B, and object B touches object C, then objects A and C can still be considered coupled to one another — even if they do not directly physically touch each other — as through the intermediary of object B. For instance, a first object can be coupled to a second object even if the first object is never directly physically in contact with the second object. The terms "circuit" and "circuitry" are used broadly, and intended to include both hardware implementations of circuits (in which the circuits are implemented in, for example, analog circuits, digital circuits, mixed mode circuits, etc.) as well as software implementations of circuits (in which the circuits are implemented using, for example, object-oriented software programming or other software programming frameworks, paradigms, and / or techniques). The term "circuitry" is also intended to include, for example: discrete electronic components, such as resistors, capacitors, inductors, transmit / receive elements, etc; integrated electronic components, such as application- specific integrated-circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc; and / or combinations of hardware and software components.

[0197] One or more of the components, steps, features and / or functions illustrated in Figures 1-14 may be rearranged and / or combined into a single component, step, feature or function or embodied in several components, steps, or functions. Additional elements, components, steps, and / or functions can also be added or made optional. Further, the various Figure 1、 3 The apparatuses, devices, and / or components illustrated in FIGS. 4 and / or 7-12 can be configured to perform one or more of the methods, features, or steps described herein. The novel algorithms described herein can also be efficiently implemented in software and / or embedded in hardware.

[0198] It is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods disclosed herein are illustrations. It is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods can be combined, re-ordered, removed or modified, and other techniques performed or equivalent steps performed in other sequences, based on implementation dependent desires. The accompanying method claims set forth in the appended claims are to be interpreted in accord with the cause they attach, and it is not intended that the specific order, hierarchy or combination of steps precede specifically, unless specifically recited by the language of the claims.

[0199] The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein can be applied to other aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects presented herein, but is to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language of the claims, wherein reference to an element in the singular is not intended to mean "one and only one" unless specifically so stated, but rather "one or more." Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term "some" refers to one or more. Phrases such as "at least one of' or "one or more of' a list followed by a term such as "may encompass one or more of any items in the list, including single members. For example, "at least one of a, b, and c" can cover a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, and a-b-c. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or will be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated by reference and intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims.

Claims

1. A method for conducting wireless communication at a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network, the method comprising: Receive downlink control information including partial frequency detection configuration for the UE; The SRS is transmitted in one or more resources within the bandwidth used by the UE that are configured for transmission of a sounding reference signal (SRS), the one or more resources being identified by the partial frequency sounding configuration; as well as Avoid transmitting within a portion of the resource set configured for SRS transmission within the bandwidth used by the UE. The downlink control information includes a multi-block DCI format, each block comprising a block corresponding to the UE, and each block including the partial frequency detection configuration for the UE. The downlink control information further includes one or more blocks, wherein each of the one or more blocks provides information for one or more other corresponding UEs, or The downlink control information has a format based on Group Common Downlink Control Information (GC-DCI) defined for use in 5G New Radio (5G NR) networks.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The partial frequency detection configuration includes a bitmap comprising multiple bits, each bit in the bitmap being mapped to a subset of the one or more resources.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Using the index provided in the partial frequency detection configuration, identify in the pre-configuration table the one or more resources configured for SRS transmission by the UE.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The downlink control information is formatted based on GC-DCI2_3 type A and includes a partial frequency probe field. The partial frequency probe field includes a resource index in a pre-configuration table for identifying the one or more resources, or includes a bitmap with multiple bits, each bit in the bitmap being mapped to a subset of the one or more resources.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein, The downlink control information includes a component carrier index for identifying the component carrier set in the component carrier set list that is associated with the partial frequency detection configuration.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The downlink control information is formatted based on GC-DCI2_3 type B and includes a partial frequency probe field. The partial frequency probe field includes a resource index in a pre-configured table for identifying the one or more resources, or includes a bitmap with multiple bits, each bit in the bitmap being mapped to a subset of the one or more resources.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The one or more resources configured for SRS transmission include multiple consecutive frequency resources within the bandwidth used by the UE.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The one or more resources configured for SRS transmission include multiple non-contiguous frequency resources within the bandwidth used by the UE.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The one or more resources configured for SRS transmission include frequency resources provided at different times.

10. A method for conducting wireless communication at a radio access network (RAN) entity in a wireless communication network, the method comprising: The configuration is to be used by at least one user equipment (UE) sounding reference signal (SRS), the SRS configuration including multiple frequency resources; Generate partial frequency detection configurations for multiple UEs; The partial frequency probe configuration is sent in the downlink control information, wherein each partial frequency probe configuration defines one or more of the plurality of frequency resources to be used by the corresponding UE to transmit SRS; as well as Each partial frequency detection configuration in the partial frequency detection configuration is sent in the block of the downlink control information with respect to the corresponding UE identifier, or The partial frequency probe configuration is transmitted in downlink control information, which has a format based on Group Common Downlink Control Information (GC-DCI) defined for use in 5G New Radio (5G NR) networks.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein, Each partial frequency detection configuration includes a bitmap comprising multiple bits, each bit in the bitmap being mapped to a subset of one or more resources to be used by the corresponding UE to transmit the SRS.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising: Each of the plurality of UEs is configured to have a pre-configuration table that defines the plurality of frequency resources; as well as An index is provided in each partial frequency detection configuration, the index identifying the one or more resources in the corresponding pre-configuration table.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The downlink control information is formatted based on GC-DCI 2_3 Type A and includes a partial frequency probe field. The partial frequency probe field includes a resource index in a pre-configured table for identifying the one or more resources, or includes a bitmap with multiple bits, each bit in the bitmap being mapped to a subset of the one or more resources.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein, The downlink control information includes component carrier indices for indicating component carrier sets in the component carrier set list that are associated with the partial frequency detection configuration.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The format of the downlink control information is based on GC-DCI 2_3 type B and includes a partial frequency probe field, which includes a resource index in a pre-configuration table for identifying the one or more resources, or includes a bitmap with multiple bits, each bit in the bitmap being mapped to a subset of the one or more resources.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein, The one or more resources configured for SRS transmission include multiple consecutive frequency resources within the bandwidth used by the UE.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The one or more resources configured for SRS transmission include multiple non-contiguous frequency resources within the bandwidth used by the UE.

18. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The one or more resources configured for SRS transmission include frequency resources provided at different times.

19. A user equipment (UE) configured for wireless communication, comprising: processor; as well as The memory coupled to the processor, The processor is configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 1-9.

20. A user equipment (UE) configured for wireless communication, comprising: Units for implementing the method according to any one of claims 1-9.

21. A radio access network (RAN) entity configured for wireless communication, comprising: processor; as well as The memory coupled to the processor, The processor is configured to implement the method according to any one of claims 10-18.

22. A radio access network (RAN) entity configured for wireless communication, comprising: Units for implementing the method according to any one of claims 10-18.

23. A computer-readable medium storing code that can be executed by a computer to implement the method according to any one of claims 1-9.

24. A computer-readable medium storing code that can be executed by a computer to implement the method according to any one of claims 10-18.

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