Handover configuration for simultaneous in-band and inter-band SRS transmission

Abstract

Aspects in a wireless network are disclosed. A user equipment (UE) may report to a base station the UE's ability to simultaneously transmit sounding reference signal (SRS) resources between component carriers (CCs) in carrier aggregation (CA) across at least one frequency band using an antenna port and a specified arrangement of antennas. The UE may receive from the base station a configuration for simultaneously transmitting SRS resources using antenna switching for CCs across at least one frequency band and the specified arrangement of the antenna port and antennas. The UE may use the received configuration to simultaneously transmit SRS resources between at least two CCs among a plurality of CCs in at least one frequency band. Among other benefits, the dynamic allocation of such resources enables the UE to perform at a level commensurate with its inherent capabilities, thereby improving network efficiency and speed.

Description

[0001] Cross - Reference to Related Applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit and priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 067,072, entitled "SWITCHING CONFIGURATION FOR SIMULTANEOUS INTRA AND INTER - BAND SRS TRANSMISSIONS", filed on August 18, 2020; U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 067,313, entitled "SWITCHING CONFIGURATION FOR SIMULTANEOUS INTRA AND INTER - BAND SRS TRANSMISSIONS", filed on August 18, 2020; and U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 305,500, entitled "SWITCHING CONFIGURATION FOR SIMULTANEOUS INTRA AND INTER - BAND SRS TRANSMISSIONS", filed on July 8, 2021. The contents of these applications are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety as if fully set forth herein. Background Technical Field

[0004] This disclosure generally relates to communication systems, and more particularly to sounding reference signals in wireless communication systems.

[0005] Introduction

[0006] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting. A typical wireless communication system may employ multiple access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources. Examples of such multiple access technologies include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) systems, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) systems, Single - Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC - FDMA) systems, and Time Division Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD - SCDMA) systems.

[0007] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enables different wireless devices to communicate at the urban, national, regional, and even global levels. An example telecommunication standard is 5G New Radio (NR). 5G NR is part of the continuous mobile broadband evolution promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to meet new requirements associated with latency, reliability, security, scalability (e.g., with the Internet of Things (IoT)), and other requirements. 5G NR includes services associated with enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine type communication (mMTC), and ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC). Some aspects of 5G NR can be based on the 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. There is a need for further improvement in 5G NR technology. These improvements can also be applied to other multiple access technologies and the telecommunication standards that employ these technologies.

[0008] Overview

[0009] A brief overview of one or more aspects is given below to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. This overview is not an exhaustive survey of all contemplated aspects, and is neither intended to identify key or critical elements of all aspects nor to delineate the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that follows.

[0010] In one aspect of the present disclosure, a method and apparatus are provided. The apparatus includes a user equipment (UE). The UE includes a memory and at least one processor coupled to the memory. The at least one processor may be configured to report to a base station the UE's ability to simultaneously transmit sounding reference signal (SRS) resources between component carriers (CCs) across at least one frequency band using a switching arrangement in which the UE transmits SRS resources on one or more antenna ports on at least one antenna. The at least one processor may receive from the base station a configuration for the UE to simultaneously transmit SRS resources using the same antenna port for all CCs across the at least one frequency band. The UE may simultaneously transmit SRS resources between two or more CCs based on the received configuration.

[0011] In a further aspect of the present disclosure, another method and apparatus are provided. The apparatus may include a base station. The base station may include a memory and at least one processor coupled to the memory. The at least one processor may be configured to receive from a user equipment (UE) information including the UE's ability to simultaneously transmit sounding reference signal (SRS) resources between component carriers (CCs) across at least one frequency band using a handover arrangement in which the UE transmits SRS resources on one or more antenna ports on at least one antenna. The at least one processor may be further configured to generate a configuration for the UE to simultaneously transmit SRS resources on the same antenna port for all CCs across the at least one frequency band. The at least one processor may transmit the configuration to the UE.

[0012] To achieve the foregoing and related purposes, one or more aspects include the features that are fully described hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims. The following description and the drawings set forth in detail certain illustrative features of one or more aspects. However, these features are merely indicative of the various ways in which the principles of the various aspects may be employed, and this description is intended to cover all such aspects and their equivalents. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0014] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and an access network.

[0015] Figure 2A is a diagram illustrating an example of a first frame in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 2B is a diagram illustrating an example of DL channels within a subframe in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0017] Figure 2C is a diagram illustrating an example of a second frame in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0018] Figure 2D is a diagram illustrating an example of UL channels within a subframe in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0019] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a base station and a user equipment (UE) in an access network.

[0020] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating antenna handover using sounding resource signals.

[0021] Figure 5 is a timing diagram illustrating wireless signal exchange between a user equipment (UE) and a base station.

[0022] Figure 6 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of wireless communication.

[0023] Figure 7 It is a diagram explaining another flowchart of wireless communication.

[0024] Figure 8 It is a device at a user equipment according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 9 It is a device at a base station according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0026] Describe

[0027] 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 may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may 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 such concepts.

[0028] The present disclosure generally relates to configurations of sounding reference signal (SRS) switching configurations for simultaneous in-band and inter-band SRS transmissions. A sounding reference signal is an uplink physical signal employed by a user equipment (UE) for use by a network in uplink channel sounding (including channel quality estimation and synchronization). SRS resources may be transmitted by a user equipment (UE) at specified intervals or on demand. Since the SRS is a reference signal transmitted by the UE containing information about the channel quality, for example, the network may use the SRS for channel and timing estimation for uplink scheduling of UE data transmission (e.g., for channel state information or CSI). The SRS may also be used to assist codebook-based spatial multiplexing, downlink precoding in MIMO setups, control uplink transmission timing, and other tasks.

[0029] In modern networking systems, uplink SRS resources may be transmitted in a variety of ways depending on factors including the physical configuration of the UE, whether the considered frequency band is occupied, which component carriers are available or occupied, etc. As the capabilities of modern networking systems continue to increase, with increasing bandwidths and more feature-rich network devices being used, these SRS resources may potentially be transmitted using a variety of configurations. For example, modern UEs capable of transmitting at high frequencies associated with NR typically have multiple antennas that may be driven from more than one antenna port. In some cases, an antenna has one transmit “chain” that includes power amplifiers and filtering necessary to condition the signal for transmission on one or more antennas.

[0030] However, currently, the network has no way of knowing which configuration the UE can choose to use to send SRS resources to the base station. This problem may be more pronounced in a Carrier Aggregation (CA) scenario, where the UE may have the ability to switch between more than one Component Carrier (CC) in a single frequency band (e.g., using in-band antenna switching) or between different frequency bands in multiple frequency bands (e.g., using inter-band antenna switching). Since the network may not be aware of the UE's capabilities, the UE may be forced to send resources in a way that does not utilize all of its antenna configurations. As a result, the UE may not be able to use its enhanced beam switching technology to transmit SRS resources. In some exemplary network configurations, the UE may have to send SRS-like transmissions using the default method entirely, without antenna switching or other benefits that could be built into the UE. As a result, performance degradation of the UE may occur.

[0031] Certain aspects of a telecommunications system will now be presented with reference to various apparatuses and methods. These apparatuses and methods will be described in detail below and illustrated in the drawings by various boxes, components, circuits, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as "elements"). These elements can be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0032] By way of example, an element, or any portion of an element, or any combination of elements can be implemented as a "processing system" that includes one or more processors. Examples of processors include: microprocessors, microcontrollers, Graphics Processing Units (GPUs), Central Processing Units (CPUs), application processors, Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) processors, Systems-on-a-Chip (SoCs), baseband processors, 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 functions described throughout this disclosure. One or more processors in the processing system can execute software. Software should be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software components, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to in software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.

[0033] Accordingly, in one or more example embodiments, the described functionality may be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored or encoded as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes computer storage media. Storage media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage devices, combinations of the aforementioned types of computer-readable media, or any other medium that can be used to store computer-executable code in the form of instructions or data structures that can be accessed by a computer.

[0034] Figure 1 FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communication system and an access network 100. The wireless communication system (also referred to as a wireless wide area network (WWAN)) includes base stations 102, UEs 104, an evolved packet core (EPC) 160, and another core network 190 (e.g., a 5G core (5GC)). The base stations 102 may include macro cells (high-power cellular base stations) and / or small cells (low-power cellular base stations). Macro cells include base stations. Small cells include femto cells, pico cells, and micro cells.

[0035] Base stations 102 configured for 4G LTE (collectively referred to as an evolved universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN)) may interface with the EPC 160 via a first backhaul link 132 (e.g., an S1 interface). Base stations 102 configured for 5G NR (collectively referred to as a next-generation RAN (NG-RAN)) may interface with the core network 190 via a second backhaul link 184. In addition to other functions, the base stations 102 may also perform one or more of the following functions: transfer of user data, radio channel ciphering and deciphering, integrity protection, header compression, mobility control functions (e.g., handover, dual connectivity), inter-cell interference coordination, connection establishment and release, load balancing, distribution of non-access stratum (NAS) messages, NAS node selection, synchronization, radio access network (RAN) sharing, multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS), subscriber and equipment tracing, radio access network information management (RIM), paging, positioning, and delivery of alert messages. The base stations 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via the EPC 160 or the core network 190) on a third backhaul link 134 (e.g., an X2 interface). The first backhaul link 132, the second backhaul link 184, and the third backhaul link 134 may be wired or wireless.

[0036] Base station 102 can communicate wirelessly with UE 104. Each base station 102 can provide communication coverage for its respective geographical coverage area 110. There may be overlapping geographical coverage areas 110. For example, small cell 102' may have a coverage area 110' that overlaps with the coverage areas 110 of one or more macro base stations 102. A network including both small cells and macro cells can be referred to as a heterogeneous network. The heterogeneous network may also include a Home evolved Node B (HeNB) that can serve a restricted group called a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG). The communication link 120 between base station 102 and UE 104 can include an uplink (UL) (also referred to as the reverse link) transmission from UE 104 to base station 102 and / or a downlink (DL) (also referred to as the forward link) transmission from base station 102 to UE 104. The communication link 120 can use multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity. These communication links can be through one or more carriers. For each carrier allocated in a carrier aggregation of up to a total of Yx MHz (x component carriers) for transmission in each direction, base station 102 / UE 104 can use a spectrum with a bandwidth of up to Y MHz (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, 100, 400 MHz, etc.). These carriers may or may not be adjacent to each other. The allocation of carriers can be asymmetric with respect to the DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to the DL compared to the UL). The component carriers can include a primary component carrier and one or more secondary component carriers. The primary component carrier can be referred to as the Primary Cell (PCell), and the secondary component carriers can be referred to as Secondary Cells (SCells).

[0037] Some UEs 104 can communicate with each other using device-to-device (D2D) communication link 158. The D2D communication link 158 can use DL / UL WWAN spectrum. The D2D communication link 158 can use one or more sidelink channels, such as the Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH), Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel (PSDCH), Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), and Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH). D2D communication can be through various wireless D2D communication systems, such as, by way of example, WiMedia, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wi-Fi based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards, LTE, or NR.

[0038] The wireless communication system may further include, for example, a Wi-Fi access point (AP) 150 in communication with a Wi-Fi station (STA) 152 via a communication link 154 in an unlicensed spectrum such as the 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum. When communicating in an unlicensed spectrum, the STA 152 / AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) before communication to determine whether the channel is available.

[0039] The small cell 102' may operate in licensed and / or unlicensed spectrums. When operating in an unlicensed spectrum, the small cell 102' may adopt NR and use the same unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz, etc.) as that used by the Wi-Fi AP 150. The small cell 102' adopting NR in an unlicensed spectrum may boost the coverage of the access network and / or increase the capacity of the access network.

[0040] The electromagnetic spectrum is generally subdivided into various classes, frequency bands, channels, etc. based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating frequency 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 generally referred to as mid-band frequencies. Although a part of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, in various documents and articles, FR1 is generally (interchangeably) referred to as the "sub-6 GHz band". Similar naming issues sometimes arise with respect to FR2. Although different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz – 300 GHz) identified by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) as the "millimeter wave" band, FR2 is generally (interchangeably) referred to as the "millimeter wave" band in various documents and articles.

[0041] Taking the above aspects into account, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that if used herein, the term "sub-6 GHz", etc. may broadly represent frequencies that may be less than 6 GHz, may be within FR1, or may include mid-band frequencies. In addition, unless otherwise specifically stated, it should be understood that if used herein, the term "millimeter wave", etc. may broadly represent frequencies that may include mid-band frequencies, may be within FR2, or may be within the EHF band.

[0042] Whether it is a small cell 102' or a large cell (e.g., a macro base station), the base station 102 may include and / or be referred to as an eNB, a g Node B (gNB), or another type of base station. Some base stations (such as gNB 180) may operate in the traditional sub-6 GHz spectrum, at millimeter wave frequencies, and / or near millimeter wave frequencies to communicate with the UE 104. When the gNB 180 operates at millimeter wave frequencies or near millimeter wave frequencies, the gNB 180 may be referred to as a millimeter wave base station. The millimeter wave base station 180 may utilize beamforming 182 with the UE 104 to compensate for path loss and short range. The base station 180 and the UE 104 may each include a plurality of antennas, such as antenna elements, antenna panels, and / or antenna arrays to facilitate beamforming.

[0043] The base station 180 may transmit a beamformed signal to the UE 104 in one or more transmission directions 182'. The UE 104 may receive the beamformed signal from the base station 180 in one or more reception directions 182". The UE 104 may also transmit a beamformed signal to the base station 180 in one or more transmission directions. The base station 180 may receive the beamformed signal from the UE 104 in one or more reception directions. The base station 180 / UE 104 may perform beam training to determine the best reception direction and transmission direction for each of the base station 180 / UE 104. The transmission direction and reception direction of the base station 180 may be the same or may be different. The transmission direction and reception direction of the UE 104 may be the same or may be different.

[0044] The EPC 160 may include a Mobility Management Entity (MME) 162, other MMEs 164, a Serving Gateway 166, a Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) Gateway 168, a Broadcast Multicast Service Center (BM-SC) 170, and a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway 172. The MME 162 may communicate with a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 174. The MME 162 is a control node that processes signaling between the UE 104 and the EPC 160. Generally, the MME 162 provides bearer and connection management. All User Internet Protocol (IP) packets are routed through the Serving Gateway 166, which is itself connected to the PDN Gateway 172. The PDN Gateway 172 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. The PDN Gateway 172 and the BM-SC 170 are connected to an IP service 176. The IP service 176 may include the Internet, an intranet, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), a PS streaming service, and / or other IP services. The BM-SC 170 may provide functions for MBMS user service provisioning and delivery. The BM-SC 170 may serve as an entry point for content provider MBMS transmissions, may be used to authorize and initiate MBMS bearer services within a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), and may be used to schedule MBMS transmissions. The MBMS Gateway 168 may be used to distribute MBMS traffic to base stations 102 belonging to a Multicast Broadcast Single Frequency Network (MBSFN) area for a particular broadcast service, and may be responsible for session management (start / stop) and for collecting eMBMS-related charging information.

[0045] The core network 190 may include an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 192, other AMFs 193, a Session Management Function (SMF) 194, and a User Plane Function (UPF) 195. The AMF 192 may communicate with a Unified Data Management (UDM) 196. The AMF 192 is a control node that processes signaling between the UE 104 and the core network 190. Generally, the AMF 192 provides QoS flow and session management. All User Internet Protocol (IP) packets are routed through the UPF 195. The UPF 195 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. The UPF 195 is connected to an IP service 197. The IP service 197 may include the Internet, an intranet, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), a Packet Switched (PS) Streaming (PSS) service, and / or other IP services.

[0046] The base station may include and / or be referred to as a gNB, Node B, eNB, access point, base transceiver station, radio base station, radio transceiver, transceiver function, basic service set (BSS), extended service set (ESS), transmission reception point (TRP), or some other suitable term. The base station 102 provides an access point for the UE 104 to the EPC 160 or the core network 190. Examples of the UE 104 include cellular phones, smart phones, session initiation protocol (SIP) phones, laptop devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), satellite radios, global positioning systems, multimedia devices, video devices, digital audio players (e.g., MP3 players), cameras, game consoles, tablet devices, smart devices, wearable devices, vehicles, electricity meters, air pumps, large or small kitchen appliances, healthcare devices, implants, sensors / actuators, displays, or any other similar functional devices. Some UEs 104 may be referred to as IoT devices (e.g., parking meters, fuel pumps, ovens, vehicles, heart monitors, etc.). The UE 104 may also be referred to as a station, mobile station, subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handset, user agent, mobile client, client, or some other suitable term.

[0047] The function for SRS configuration to be performed by the base station may be performed by Figure 1 the SRS configuration disclosure component 199, etc. of the base station 102 / 180 in Figure 1 The function for receiving and implementing the configuration of intra-band and inter-band carrier aggregation may be performed by, for example,

[0048] The SRS configuration disclosure component 199 can be used by the base station 102 / 180 to generate an appropriate UE SRS antenna switching configuration based on information reported by the UE using component 198. Additionally, component 199 can be used to provide information for reporting the configuration to the UE 104. In some aspects, the base station using component 199 can configure the UE to simultaneously transmit SRS resources for antenna switching on different CCs directly based on the UE-reported capability information according to the availability of the CCs identified by component 198. A significant benefit of these aspects of the present disclosure is that the base station can provide the UE with the ability to maximize the utilization of its available antenna configurations. A technique can be implemented where the UE can maximize performance by using most or all of its available port and antenna capabilities when transmitting SRS resources across one or more frequencies, rather than the conventional "lowest common denominator" approach where all UEs transmit SRS resources according to a common minimum configuration (e.g., no antenna switching or with other restrictions). The configuration can be customized for a particular UE based on the capabilities reported by that UE.

[0049] Figure 2A FIG. 200 is an illustration showing an example of a first subframe within the 5G NR frame structure. Figure 2B FIG. 230 is an illustration showing an example of DL channels within a 5G NR subframe. Figure 2C FIG. 250 is an illustration showing an example of a second subframe within the 5G NR frame structure. Figure 2D FIG. 280 is an illustration showing an example of UL channels within a 5G NR subframe. The 5G NR frame structure can be frequency division duplex (FDD), where for a particular set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth), the subframes within that set of subcarriers are dedicated to either DL or UL; or it can be time division duplex (TDD), where for a particular set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth), the subframes within that set of subcarriers are dedicated to both DL and UL. In the example provided by Figure 2A 、 Figure 2C the 5G NR frame structure is assumed to be TDD, where subframe 4 is configured with slot format 28 (mostly DL) and subframe 3 is configured with slot format 34 (mostly UL), where D is DL, U is UL, and F is for flexible use between DL / UL. Although subframes 3 and 4 are shown as having slot formats 34 and 28 respectively, any particular subframe can be configured with any one of the various available slot formats 0 - 61. Slot formats 0 and 1 are full DL and full UL respectively. The other slot formats 2 - 61 include a mixture of DL, UL, and flexible symbols. The UE is configured with a slot format (dynamically configured via DL control information (DCI) or semi-statically / statically configured via radio resource control (RRC) signaling) through the received slot format indicator (SFI). Note that the following description also applies to a 5G NR frame structure that is TDD.

[0050] Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels. One frame (10 ms) may be divided into 10 equally sized subframes (1 ms). Each subframe may include one or more time slots. A subframe may also include mini time slots, which may include 7, 4, or 2 symbols. Each time slot may include 7 or 14 symbols, depending on the time slot configuration. For time slot configuration 0, each time slot may include 14 symbols, while for time slot configuration 1, each time slot may include 7 symbols. The symbols on the DL may be cyclic prefix (CP) OFDM (CP-OFDM) symbols. The symbols on the UL may be CP-OFDM symbols (for high throughput scenarios) or discrete Fourier transform (DFT) spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) symbols (also known as single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) symbols) (for power limited scenarios; limited to single stream transmission). The number of time slots within a subframe is based on the time slot configuration and numerology. For time slot configuration 0, different numerologies μ from 0 to 4 respectively allow 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 time slots per subframe. For time slot configuration 1, different numerologies 0 to 2 respectively allow 2, 4, and 8 time slots per subframe. Accordingly, for time slot configuration 0 and numerology μ, there are 14 symbols per time slot and 2 μ time slots per subframe. The subcarrier spacing and symbol length / duration are dependent on the numerology. The subcarrier spacing may be equal to 2 μ * 15 kHz, where μ is the numerology from 0 to 4. Thus, numerology μ = 0 has a subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz, while numerology μ = 4 has a subcarrier spacing of 240 kHz. The symbol length / duration is inversely related to the subcarrier spacing. Figures 2A to 2D An example is provided for time slot configuration 0 with 14 symbols per time slot and numerology μ = 2 with 4 time slots per subframe. The time slot duration is 0.25 ms, the subcarrier spacing is 60 kHz, and the symbol duration is approximately 16.67 μs. Within a frame set, there may be one or more different bandwidth parts (BWPs) that are frequency division multiplexed (see Figure 2B ). Each BWP may have a specific numerology.

[0051] A resource grid may be used to represent the frame structure. Each time slot includes a resource block (RB) (also known as a physical RB (PRB)) that extends over 12 consecutive subcarriers. The resource grid is divided into multiple resource elements (REs). The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0052] As Figure 2A explained, some REs carry reference (pilot) signals (RSs) for the UE. The RS may include demodulation RS (DM-RS) for channel estimation at the UE (indicated as R for a specific configuration x, where 100x is the port number, but other DM-RS configurations are possible) and channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS). The RS may also include beam measurement RS (BRS), beam refinement RS (BRRS), and phase tracking RS (PT-RS).

[0053] Figure 2B Examples of various DL channels within a subframe of an illustrative frame are provided. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries DCI within one or more control channel elements (CCEs), each CCE including 9 resource element groups (REGs), each REG including 4 consecutive resource elements (REs) in an OFDM symbol. The PDCCH within a BWP may be referred to as a control resource set (CORESET). Additional BWPs may be located at higher and / or lower frequencies across the channel bandwidth. The primary synchronization signal (PSS) may be in symbol 2 of a particular subframe of a frame. The PSS is used by UE 104 to determine subframe / symbol timing and the physical layer identity. The secondary synchronization signal (SSS) may be in symbol 4 of a particular subframe of a frame. The SSS is used by the UE to determine the physical layer cell identity group number and radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identity and the physical layer cell identity group number, the UE may determine the physical cell identifier (PCI). Based on the PCI, the UE may determine the location of the aforementioned DM-RS. The physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying the master information block (MIB) may be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form a synchronization signal (SS) / PBCH block (also referred to as an SS block (SSB)). The MIB provides the number of resource blocks (RBs) in the system bandwidth and the system frame number (SFN). The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information not transmitted through the PBCH (such as system information blocks (SIBs)), and paging messages.

[0054] As explained in Figure 2C , some resource elements carry DM-RS for channel estimation at the base station (indicated as R for one particular configuration, but other DM-RS configurations are possible). The UE may transmit DM-RS for the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and DM-RS for the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). The PUSCH DM-RS may be transmitted in the previous one or two symbols of the PUSCH. The PUCCH DM-RS may be transmitted in different configurations depending on whether a short PUCCH or a long PUCCH is transmitted and depending on the particular PUCCH format used. The UE may transmit sounding reference signals (SRS). The SRS may be transmitted in the last symbol of a subframe. The SRS may have a comb structure, and the UE may transmit the SRS on one of the combs. The SRS may be used by the base station for channel quality estimation to enable frequency-dependent scheduling on the UL.

[0055] Figure 2DExamples of various UL channels within a subframe of a decoded frame. The PUCCH may be located at the position indicated in one configuration. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as a scheduling request, a channel quality indicator (CQI), a precoding matrix indicator (PMI), a rank indicator (RI), and a hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) ACK / NACK feedback. The PUSCH carries data and may additionally be used to carry a buffer status report (BSR), a power headroom report (PHR), and / or UCI.

[0056] Figure 3 is a block diagram of a base station 310 and a UE 350 in communication in an access network. In the DL, IP packets from the EPC 160 may be provided to a controller / processor 375. The controller / processor 375 implements layer 3 and layer 2 functionality. Layer 3 includes a radio resource control (RRC) layer, and layer 2 includes a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a media access control (MAC) layer. The controller / processor 375 provides RRC layer functionality associated with the broadcast of system information (e.g., MIB, SIB), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter-radio access technology (RAT) mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reports; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression, security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functionality associated with the transfer of upper layer packet data units (PDUs), error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and re-ordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with the mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel priority differentiation.

[0057] The transmit (TX) processor 316 and the receive (RX) processor 370 implement the layer 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, which includes the physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on the transport channels, forward error correction (FEC) encoding / decoding of the transport channels, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to physical channels, modulation / demodulation of the physical channels, and MIMO antenna processing. The TX processor 316 disposes of the mapping to the signal constellation based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK), M-phase shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The encoded and modulated symbols may then be split into parallel streams. Each stream may then be mapped to OFDM subcarriers, multiplexed with reference signals (e.g., pilots) in the time and / or frequency domains, and then combined together using an inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) to generate a physical channel carrying a stream of time-domain OFDM symbols. The OFDM stream is space precoded to generate multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from the channel estimator 374 may be used to determine the encoding and modulation schemes and for spatial processing. The channel estimates may be derived from reference signals transmitted by the UE 350 and / or channel status feedback. Each spatial stream may then be provided to a different antenna 320 via a separate transmitter 318TX. Each transmitter 318TX modulates an RF carrier with the corresponding spatial stream for transmission.

[0058] At the UE 350, each receiver 354RX receives signals via its corresponding antenna 352. Each receiver 354RX recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to the receive (RX) processor 356. The TX processor 368 and the RX processor 356 implement the layer 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. The RX processor 356 may perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for the UE 350. If there are multiple spatial streams destined for the UE 350, they may be combined by the RX processor 356 into a single OFDM symbol stream. The RX processor 356 then uses a fast Fourier transform (FFT) to transform the OFDM symbol stream from the time domain to the frequency domain. The frequency-domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier are recovered and demodulated by determining the signal constellation points most likely transmitted by the base station 310, as well as the reference signals. These soft decisions may be based on the channel estimates calculated by the channel estimator 358. These soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the original data and control signals transmitted by the base station 310 on the physical channel. These data and control signals are then provided to the controller / processor 359 that implements layer 3 and layer 2 functionality.

[0059] The controller / processor 359 may be associated with a memory 360 that stores program code and data. The memory 360 may be referred to as a computer-readable medium. In the UL, the controller / processor 359 provides demultiplexing between the transport channel and the logical channel, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover the IP packets from the EPC 160. The controller / processor 359 is also responsible for error detection using the ACK and / or NACK protocols to support HARQ operations.

[0060] Similar to the functionality described in connection with DL transmissions performed by the base station 310, the controller / processor 359 provides RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIB) capture, RRC connection, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression / decompression, and security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with the transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction via ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and re-ordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with the mapping between the logical channel and the transport channel, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto TBs, demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction via HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0061] Channel estimates derived by the channel estimator 358 from reference signals or feedback transmitted by the base station 310 may be used by the TX processor 368 to select an appropriate coding and modulation scheme, and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the TX processor 368 may be provided to different antennas 352 via separate transmitters 354TX. Each transmitter 354TX may modulate an RF carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission.

[0062] UL transmissions are processed at the base station 310 in a manner similar to that described in connection with the receiver functionality at the UE 350. Each receiver 318RX receives signals via its respective antenna 320. Each receiver 318RX recovers the information modulated onto the RF carrier and provides the information to the RX processor 370.

[0063] The controller / processor 375 may be associated with a memory 376 that stores program code and data. The memory 376 may be referred to as a computer-readable medium. In the UL, the controller / processor 375 provides demultiplexing between transport channels and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, control signal processing to recover IP packets from the UE 350. The IP packets from the controller / processor 375 may be provided to the EPC 160. The controller / processor 375 is also responsible for error detection using the ACK and / or NACK protocols to support HARQ operations.

[0064] The present disclosure generally relates to the allocation of UE antenna and port resources, and the intra-band and inter-band variations of SRS transmissions across a specified portion of an uplink frequency band. As such, the present disclosure includes aspects related to scenarios where inter-band carrier aggregation (CA) or intra-band carrier aggregation (CA) can be performed. Using the principles in the present disclosure, SRS resources can be transmitted simultaneously during various antenna switching modes. In one aspect of the present disclosure, the same SRS switching configuration can be used for simultaneous intra-band and inter-band SRS transmissions. More specifically, according to certain aspects of the present disclosure, the intra-band and inter-band antenna switching for SRS can be configured according to the capabilities of the UE.

[0065] Among other benefits, the principles described herein help ensure that the UE operates in CA using its designed maximum or near-maximum capacity. This helps ensure that the UE can perform complex functions, such as simultaneous beam switching between CCs in different frequency bands (or different CCs in the same frequency band). These principles further ensure that the network is aware of the UE's capabilities and the UE's antenna configuration. Thus, the network can configure the UE to operate using simultaneous transmissions at a high performance level. Further, the UE can benefit from more complex antenna configurations. In contrast, other UEs with smaller antenna configurations or generally smaller transmission capabilities can report this information to the network. The network can then assign tasks to these UEs that are commensurate with their existing characteristics. As a result, the network fully utilizes the more advanced antenna configurations of state-of-the-art UEs while still accommodating the configurations of other UEs using any type of configuration.

[0066] Figure 4 is a diagram illustrating antenna switching using sounding reference signals. The exemplary time slot 430 includes eight initial symbols, followed by six symbols 420, but any number of time slot formats are possible. For example, the current proposal for NR supports SRS resources that can span 1, 2, or 4 adjacent symbols, with up to four ports per SRS resource. In the example shown, the SRS resources can be transmitted in the last six symbols of the time slot 430. In the NR example, SRS is typically transmitted after the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) in the time slot 430.

[0067] An SRS resource set may include SRS resource sets transmitted by a UE. In one configuration, an SRS resource set may be transmitted in one of three modes: aperiodic (e.g., signaled with downlink control information), periodic, or semi-persistent. The resources allocated to a UE may vary. In one example, a UE may be configured with multiple resources. These resources may in turn be grouped into SRS resource sets. The nature and characteristics of these resources may depend on various factors. Some exemplary such factors may include whether antenna switching is used, whether the network configuration is codebook-based or non-codebook-based, and which beam management techniques are being used. SRS transmissions may be wideband or narrowband. For example, in one configuration, the SRS bandwidth is a multiple of four physical resource blocks. Other formats may also be possible.

[0068] Still referring to Figure 4 , as shown in 422, example resource set 1 may be configured for antenna switching and may include a 1T4R configuration. The indicated UE antenna switching configuration described as "xTyR" corresponds to a UE capable of performing SRS transmissions using "x" antenna ports on a total of "y" antennas, where "y" corresponds to all or a subset of the UE receive antennas. In the example of block 430, the UE has a single antenna port and four antennas, which means that at least for the purpose of antenna switching, the UE may use up to four antennas and a single antenna port. Other UEs with multiple configurations are also possible. For example, the antenna configuration "2T4R" is defined as including y = 4 antennas, and since x = 2, 2T4R corresponds to two pairs of antennas.

[0069] Example SRS resource set 422 includes four SRS resources 426, 428, 432, and 434. Another example resource set 424 is shown, which may correspond to, for example, a codebook-based resource set.

[0070] Certain aspects of NR relate to examples of SRS resources. An information element SRS-TxSwitch defines whether a UE supports SRS for the purpose of downlink channel state information (CSI) acquisition. For this purpose, in the network, a UE may send a transmission identifying the capabilities of the UE such that the network may provide the UE with the necessary configuration information. This capability signaling depends on the network and implementation. In one configuration, the capability signaling may include different parameters.

[0071] As a further example, the information element txSwitchImpactToRx may indicate the entry number of the first-listed frequency and have the allocated uplink bandwidth in the relevant band combination affecting the current downlink. txSwitchWithAnotherBand may indicate the entry number of the first-listed band having the uplink bandwidth in the band combination switched with the designated or current uplink transmission. For txSwitchImpactToRx and txSwitchWithAnotherBand, the value 1 represents the first entry, the value 2 represents the second entry, and so on. All downlink and uplink combinations switched together may indicate the same entry number. Thus, more generally, these elements may refer to two component carriers (CCs) that can be switched simultaneously. In one configuration, the UE may report its signaling capabilities to the base station. As another example, in some cases, for the purpose of indicating different SRS antenna switching capabilities, the UE may be restricted to not include fallback band combinations.

[0072] In other examples, the information elements srs-TxSwitch and srs-TxSwitch-v1610 may define whether the UE supports SRS for downlink CSI acquisition as defined in Release 15. In this example, the capability signaling that the UE may report to the base station may include the following various parameters.

[0073] One such exemplary information element is supportedSRS-TXPortSwitch, which may be used to identify to the network the SRS Tx port switching mode supported by the UE (e.g., "xTyR" for SRS antenna switching as described above). This capability information may be approved by the network to ensure that the network can correctly configure the UE. As another example, the optionally reported supportedSRS-TxPortSwitch-v1610 may indicate a degraded configuration of the SRS Tx port switching mode. If the UE uses supportedSRS-TxPortSwitch-v1610 to indicate support for a degraded configuration of the SRS Tx port switching mode, the UE may report a degraded value, for example, based on what is reported in supportedSRS-TxPortSwitch.

[0074] The entry number may include the band entry number in the band combination. As mentioned above, for the purpose of indicating different SRS antenna switching capabilities, the UE may be restricted to not include fallback band combinations.

[0075] In some configurations, the first-listed band having uplink capabilities may include the band associated with the FeatureSetUplinkId that is set to 0 to correspond to the support of SRS-SwitchingTimeNR.

[0076] In various configurations, the network may include the ability to configure several different SRS transmission port switching modes that can be supported by the UE. As described above, the term 'xTYR' with x = 1 and y = R is used to identify the indicated UE antenna switching capabilities, such as identifying different network capabilities for the elements supportedSRS-TXPortSwitc and supportedSRS-TxPortSwitch-v1610 in the following table respectively, to configure the UE for SRS transmission port switching on the network:

[0077] supportedSRS-TxPortSwitch supportedSRS-TxPortSwitch-v1610 t1r2 t1r1-t1r2 t1r4 t1r1-t1r2-t1r4 t2r4 t1r1-t1r2-t2r2-t2r4 t2r2 t1r1-t2r2 t4r4 t1r1-t2r2-t4r4 t1r4-t2r4 t1r1-t1r2-t2r2-t1r4-t2r4

[0078] In an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the UE may report its ability to transmit using antenna switching on more than one CC in a single band in CA. This technique may be referred to herein as in-band carrier aggregation. In one aspect of the present disclosure, for in-band carrier aggregation, the network configures the same "tTrR" or "xTyR" configuration for all component carriers (CCs) in the same band. As a non-exhaustive example of this proposed configuration, in one implementation, it is expected that the UE is configured to have the same xTyR configuration of SRS resources for antenna switching for simultaneous transmission in different CCs of the same band. Thus, in this configuration, it is expected that the number of antennas is the same, and individually, it is expected that the number of antenna ports is the same for all these in-band transmissions. As an example, the UE may initially transmit a report identifying the beam switching capabilities of the UE to the base station. The base station may respond by configuring the UE such that the UE can simultaneously transmit SRS resources using antenna switching between the CCs in the configuration provided by the UE.

[0079] In another aspect of the present disclosure, when the UE simultaneously transmits SRS signals in different CCs of the band, the network may specify the same "xTyR" configuration (x = the number of antenna ports) for the SRS resources to be configured in all CCs in the band. Accordingly, in one implementation, it is expected that the UE is configured with the same number of antenna ports and antennas in the SRS resources for antenna switching for simultaneous transmission in different CCs of the same band.

[0080] Additionally or alternatively, inter-band SRS communication may be transmitted when a UE desires to transmit SRS resources in different CCs across more than one frequency band. In one aspect, the same configuration may be used for both simultaneous antenna switching and antenna-switching SRS in intra-band and inter-band communication. Thus, for example, in simultaneous antenna switching and antenna-switching SRS in intra-band carrier aggregation or inter-band carrier aggregation (the latter having two or more frequency bands whose uplink CCs are switched together according to the capabilities reported to the network), the UE may expect the same xTyR configuration across different CCs, and SRS resources that overlap in the time domain from the UE's perspective may come from the same UE antenna port.

[0081] For example, in one configuration, the UE may continue to report its switching capabilities to the serving base station. Upon receiving information describing the capabilities, the base station may configure the UE to have the same "xTyR" configuration for all CCs in different frequency bands that the UE has reported to be switched together (concurrently) using SRS resources. For example, the same number of antennas and common ports may be used only in the frequency bands that the UE has reported to be concurrently used for SRS resource transmission of the UE. Conversely, for those frequency bands that are not concurrently used for SRS resource transmission of the UE, the number and arrangement of antennas and antenna ports may be different.

[0082] Disclosed are various configurations described herein for providing network configurations for allocating antenna and port resources in the context of intra-band and inter-band carrier aggregation for transmitting sounding reference signals (SRS).

[0083] In yet another aspect of the present disclosure related to inter-band transmission of the UE's SRS signal, the UE may be configured to have the same number of ports and antennas for all CCs in the frequency bands that the UE has reported to the network to be switched together (concurrently).

[0084] In another aspect of the present disclosure for inter-band transmission, the same configuration for both ports and antennas may be applied to all component carriers in all frequency bands for inter-band transmission, regardless of when these component carriers are transmitted, except for inter-band communication for those CCs that the UE has not reported to be switched together (i.e., transmitted simultaneously from the UE's perspective), where the number and arrangement of antenna ports may be different.

[0085] Figure 5 FIG. 500 is a timing diagram illustrating wireless signal exchange between a user equipment (UE) and a base station. Figure 5 The steps of Figure 1The UE 104 and the base station 102 / 180 perform, for example, an SRS component 198 of the antenna / port mode of the UE 104 and an SRS configuration disclosure component 199 of the base station 102 / 180. These steps may also be performed by one or more controllers and / or processors shown in the UE 350 or the base station 310, respectively. Each step of the UE may also be performed by one or more components of the device 800 of Figure 8 Each step of the base station may be performed by one or more components of the device 900 of Figure 9

[0086] In step 503, the UE 504 may identify one or more SRS resources to be transmitted to the base station 502, for example, using different CCs in carrier aggregation. Thus, for the purpose of antenna switching of SRS resources between different CCs in at least one frequency band, the UE 504 may send an information reporting capability of the UE in step 505. For example, the UE reports its ability to transmit information across different CCs, where the SRS resources overlap in the time domain from the perspective of the UE. In some configurations, the reported capability may include transmissions from the same UE antenna port. The UE may also report the xTyR configuration of the UE, where x indicates the number of antenna ports and y indicates the number of antennas coupled to any one or more antenna ports. In some configurations, the number of antennas y may be the total number of antennas of the UE. In other configurations, the number y may be a subset of the total number of antennas of the UE, for example, these antennas can be used for antenna switching between SRS resources across at least one frequency band.

[0087] After receiving the reported capability of the UE in step 505, the base station 502 may configure the UE to enable the UE to simultaneously transmit SRS resources for antenna switching. According to one aspect of the present disclosure, this configuration may be the same configuration as the configuration reported by the UE. In step 508, the base station may transmit this configuration to the UE 504, which may include providing any occupied CCs that are currently not available for antenna switching of SRS resources. In other implementations, additional or different information may be sent in the configuration. For example, the base station may identify the xTyR configuration along with the CCs that the UE will simultaneously transmit across one or more frequency bands. SRS-based antenna switching may include in-band or inter-band switching. In one configuration, it is not required for the UE to simultaneously transmit SRS resources on the CCs of two or more frequency bands that it has not reported. This information may be implicit, or the base station 502 or the UE 504 may make this information explicit in one or more communications.

[0088] After receiving the configuration, the UE 504 may then start transmitting data including SRS resources simultaneously using the specified configuration of antennas and antenna ports, using antenna switching between two or more CCs across at least one frequency band. ​

[0089] Figure 6 It is a diagram explaining the flowchart 600 of wireless communication. Figure 6 Each step of can be executed by Figure 1 the UE 104 and the base station 102 / 180, for example, including the antenna / port mode SRS component 198 of the UE 104 and the SRS configuration disclosure component 199 of the base station 102 / 180. These steps can also be executed by one or more controllers and / or processors shown in the UE 350 or the base station 310 respectively. Each step of the UE can also be executed by Figure 8 one or more components of the device 800. Each step of the base station can be executed by Figure 9 one or more components of the device 900. The dashed box can represent an optional step.

[0090] At 602, the UE can report to the base station the ability of the UE to simultaneously transmit SRS resources between component carriers (CCs) in carrier aggregation (CA) across at least one frequency band using a switching arrangement in which the UE transmits sounding reference signals (SRS) resources on one or more antenna ports on at least one antenna. The specified arrangement of antenna ports and antennas can optionally be represented in the form of the xTyR configuration identified above. The report at 602 can occur during radio resource control (RRC) signaling or at another time.

[0091] In some configurations, the UE can also report the identified CCs between which the UE can switch or the UE expects to switch. These CCs can be in a single frequency band for in-band antenna switching or in multiple frequency bands for inter-band antenna switching. In other configurations, such as in 610, the UE can report these CCs to the base station in the context of inter-band switching, from the perspective of the UE, the UE uses overlapping symbols to transmit SRS resources for these CCs.

[0092] At 604, the UE may subsequently receive from the base station a configuration for the UE to simultaneously transmit SRS resources using the same antenna port for all CCs across the at least one frequency band. In one configuration, the base station may partially or fully "mirror" the capabilities reported by the UE by configuring the UE to simultaneously transmit data across one or more frequency bands and across one or more CCs using the same configuration (e.g., xTyR) reported by the UE. In some examples involving inter-band communication with more than one frequency band, the base station may explicitly limit the requirements for the UE to concurrently switch in frequency bands not reported to be switched together. As another example, the UE may limit the configuration of the UE to simultaneously transmit data only to those CCs in which the UE has reported the ability to simultaneously transmit data using antenna switching to the base station. In other examples, the limitation may be implicit in cases where the base station will only identify the antenna configuration (e.g., xTYR) and the UE will only transmit SRS resources in its previously identified CCs.

[0093] At 606, the UE may simultaneously transmit SRS resources between two or more of the CCs based on the received configuration. In some configurations, simultaneous antenna switching may include data other than SRS resources. For example, some configurations may distinguish antenna switching for SRS resources from antenna switching involving other data. Further, in some configurations, the SRS resources simultaneously transmitted in the time domain from the perspective of the UE are transmitted from the same UE antenna port.

[0094] In addition to the advantage of flexibly allocating power that matches the capabilities of different UEs to these specific UEs, the principles described herein are beneficial to the network because the base station can pre-determine in which CC of the uplink channel it can expect SRS resources from a specific UE. Optionally during configuration, the base station may specify the occupied CCs (or conversely, the unoccupied CCs), enabling network devices to coordinate the transmission of SRS resources for various purposes. Another advantage of this configuration is that the base station can configure the UE according to the capabilities of the UE, which means that the hardware of multi-antenna UEs can be taken into account during the transmission of SRS resources and network efficiency can be improved.

[0095] In an additional aspect, the above-described capability reporting feature includes the UE reporting the ability (if applicable) to have at least one combination of different frequency bands with uplink CCs that are switched together, as shown in step 608, such that the at least one frequency band includes these different frequency bands. In this configuration, the xTyR antenna switching arrangement may be the same for all CCs included in these different frequency bands. In yet another example, the at least one frequency band may include multiple frequency bands such that the received configuration is the same for CCs on different frequency bands included in the multiple frequency bands and for which the UE reports that the UE simultaneously transmits SRS resources between them.

[0096] Figure 7It is a diagram explaining another flowchart of wireless communication. Figure 6 Each step of Figure 1 can be executed by the UE 104 and the base station 102 / 180 of , for example, including the antenna / port mode SRS component 198 of the UE 104 and the SRS configuration disclosure component 199 of the base station 102 / 180. These steps can also be executed by one or more controllers and / or processors shown in the UE 350 or the base station 310 respectively. Each step of the UE can also be executed by Figure 8 one or more components of the device 800 of . Each step of the base station can be executed by Figure 9 one or more components of the device 900 of . The dashed box can represent an optional step.

[0097] At 702, the base station can receive from a user equipment (UE) information including the ability of the UE to simultaneously transmit sounding reference signal (SRS) resources between component carriers (CCs) across at least one frequency band using a switching arrangement in which the UE transmits SRS resources on one or more antenna ports on at least one antenna. Further, in some aspects, the UE can also identify a plurality of CCs that the UE expects to use for transmitting SRS resources.

[0098] Once receiving this information from the UE, the base station knows the UE-specific capabilities and xTyR configurations for antenna switching. Accordingly, at 704, the base station can generate a configuration for the UE to simultaneously transmit SRS resources using the same antenna port for all CCs across the at least one frequency band. In one aspect, the antenna switching configuration can be the same configuration (e.g., xTyR) provided by the UE. Of course, in the transmission from the UE (702) and the subsequent configuration 704 of the UE by the base station, the port configurations and identifications of those antennas (or subsets thereof) that can be used to transmit SRS resources or other data are filled in for the x and y values.

[0099] At 706, the base station can transmit the generated configuration to the UE. Equipped with the operating configuration, the UE can start transmitting SRS resources as configured. In some aspects, such as at 710, the base station can receive SRS resources from the UE across each CC identified by the CC. The transmitted SRS resources can be used by the receiving base station for different purposes, such as for performing channel estimation as shown at 712.

[0100] In an additional configuration as described herein, the information provided by the UE can include reporting the capabilities of the UE, which further includes reporting at least one combination of different frequency bands having uplink CCs that are switched together, such as shown in step 708. In this case, the at least one frequency band includes these different frequency bands. Further, in one aspect, for all CCs included in these different frequency bands, the xTyR antenna switching arrangement is the same.

[0101] In another example, the at least one band includes a plurality of bands, and the received configuration is the same for different bands included in the plurality of bands and for the CCs on which the UE reports that it simultaneously transmits SRS resources between them.

[0102] Figure 8 is a device at a user equipment according to various aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 8 is a diagram 800 illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of device 802. The device 802 is a UE and includes a cellular baseband processor 804 (also referred to as a modem) coupled to a cellular RF transceiver 822 and one or more subscriber identity module (SIM) cards 820, an application processor 806 coupled to a secure digital (SD) card 808 and a screen 810, a Bluetooth module 812, a wireless local area network (WLAN) module 814, a global positioning system (GPS) module 816, and a power supply 818. The cellular baseband processor 804 communicates with UE 104 and / or BS 102 / 180 via the cellular RF transceiver 822. The cellular baseband processor 804 may include a computer-readable medium / memory. The computer-readable medium / memory may be non-transitory. The cellular baseband processor 804 is responsible for general processing, including the execution of software stored on the computer-readable medium / memory. The software, when executed by the cellular baseband processor 804, causes the cellular baseband processor 804 to perform the various functions described above. The computer-readable medium / memory may also be used to store data manipulated by the cellular baseband processor 804 when executing the software. The cellular baseband processor 804 further includes a receiving component 830, a communication manager 832, and a transmitting component 834. The communication manager 832 includes the one or more illustrated components. The components within the communication manager 832 may be stored in the computer-readable medium / memory and / or configured as hardware within the cellular baseband processor 804. The cellular baseband processor 804 may be a component of UE 350 and may include a memory 360 and / or at least one of the following: a TX processor 368, an RX processor 356, and a controller / processor 359. In one configuration, the device 802 may be a modem chip and include only the baseband processor 804, and in another configuration, the device 802 may be the entire UE (e.g., see Figure 3 of 350) and include the aforementioned additional modules of the device 802.

[0103] The communication manager 832 may include an SRS component 844, which is configured to manage the SRS resources of UE 104 and generally provide information about its SRS resource set and its ability to transmit such SRS resources to a base station together with other information, e.g., as associated with Figure 4 boxes 422, 424, 426, 428, 432, and 434 of Figure 5as described in steps 503 and 505 of

[0104] The communication manager 832 may further include an antenna switching component 846 that receives inputs from component 844 in the form of SRS resource information and is configured to identify an appropriate configuration for performing antenna switching based on the number of antennas and the number of ports. Exemplary antenna ports may share more than one antenna and may include power amplifiers and individual filters as well as other circuitry for conditioning signals to be transmitted. Component 846 may assist in determining a set of instances where antenna switching can be performed to maximize performance. The communication manager 832 further includes a component 848 that receives inputs in the form of band information 850 as well as inputs from the SRS component 844 and the antenna switching component 846. In some implementations, these components may be assembled as a single component. Additionally, these functions may be performed in software using the cellular baseband processor 804. The communication manager 832 further includes a relevant band component 848 that receives inputs from the CC component 848, the antenna switching component 846, and the SRS component 844 in the form of component carrier data. The band component 850 may be configured to determine whether the SRS resource should be transmitted on a single band using in-band SRS or across different bands using inter-band SRS depending on factors such as previously configured or information received from the base station.

[0105] The communication manager 832 may further include a reporting component 852 that may receive aggregated inputs from components 844, 846, 848, and 850. Based on information from these components, the reporting component 852 may be configured to use the transmission component 834 to report to the base station the UE's ability to simultaneously transmit sounding reference signal (SRS) resources between component carriers (CCs) in carrier aggregation (CA) across at least one band using a specified arrangement of antenna ports and antennas, such as Figure 5 steps 505 of Figure 6 as shown in step 602 of Figure 6 as shown in step 608 of Figure 5 steps 510 of Figure 6 as shown in step 606 of

[0106] The device may include performing Figure 7 and8 Additional components for each block of the algorithm in the foregoing flowchart. Thus, Figure 7 and 8 each block in the foregoing flowchart may be performed by a component and the device may include one or more of those components. These components may be one or more hardware components specifically configured to perform the process / algorithm, implemented by a processor configured to perform the process / algorithm, stored in a computer-readable medium for implementation by a processor, or some combination thereof.

[0107] In one configuration, device 802, and in particular cellular baseband processor 804, includes means for reporting to a base station the ability of a UE to simultaneously transmit sounding reference signal (SRS) resources between component carriers (CCs) in carrier aggregation (CA) across at least one frequency band using a specified arrangement of antenna ports and antennas; means for receiving from the base station, in response to the reported ability, a configuration for the UE to simultaneously transmit SRS resources using antenna switching for the CCs across the at least one frequency band using the specified arrangement of antenna ports and antennas; means for using the received configuration to simultaneously transmit SRS resources between at least two CCs among a plurality of CCs in the at least one frequency band. The foregoing means may be one or more of the foregoing components in device 802 configured to perform the functions recited by the foregoing means. As described above, device 802 may include TX processor 368, RX processor 356, and controller / processor 359. Thus, in one configuration, the foregoing means may be TX processor 368, RX processor 356, and controller / processor 359 configured to perform the functions recited by the foregoing means.

[0108] Figure 9FIG. 900 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of the apparatus 902. The apparatus 902 is a BS and includes a baseband unit 904. The baseband unit 904 can communicate with the UE 104 via a cellular RF transceiver. The baseband unit 904 may include a computer-readable medium / memory. The baseband unit 904 is responsible for general processing, including the execution of software stored on the computer-readable medium / memory. The software, when executed by the baseband unit 904, causes the baseband unit 904 to perform the various functions described above. The computer-readable medium / memory may also be used to store data manipulated by the baseband unit 904 when executing the software. The baseband unit 904 further includes a receiving component 930, a communication manager 932, and a transmitting component 934. The communication manager 932 includes the one or more illustrated components. The components within the communication manager 932 may be stored in the computer-readable medium / memory and / or configured as hardware within the baseband unit 904. The baseband unit 904 may be a component of the BS 310 and may include a memory 376 and / or at least one of the following: a TX processor 316, an RX processor 370, and a controller / processor 375.

[0109] The communication manager 932 includes an SRS component 940 that can perform channel estimation measurements based on SRS transmissions from the UE, e.g., as described in conjunction with Figure 5 step 510. The communication manager 932 further includes a component 944 that includes a carrier aggregation component that can identify different resources used for reception in connection with UE transmissions. Similarly, the communication manager 932 may also include a CC component 946 that works in conjunction with components 940 and 944 to identify different configurations for allocating to the UE, e.g., for transmitting SRS resources on multiple CCs. The communication manager 932 may further include a configuration component 942 that can receive from a user equipment (UE) information including the UE's ability to use a specified arrangement of antenna ports and antennas and to simultaneously transmit sounding reference signal (SRS) resources between component carriers (CCs) in carrier aggregation (CA) using antenna switching across at least one frequency band, e.g., as described in conjunction with Figure 7 step 702. In some configurations, the UE identifies multiple CCs on which it expects to transmit SRS resources, and the multiple CCs are received at the CC component 946, as Figure 7 described in step 708. Each of the components 940, 944, and 946 may receive relevant portions of the communication from the UE and may provide information to the configuration component 942 to generate a configuration for the UE to use when transmitting SRS resources across different CCs in one or more frequency bands.

[0110] Accordingly, component 942 may use the information to generate a configuration for the UE to simultaneously transmit SRS resources with antenna switching for a CC across the at least one frequency band, the configuration including an antenna port and a specified arrangement of antennas, as described in step 704 in connection with Figure 7 After generating the configuration, component 942 of the base station may provide the configuration to transmission component 934 for transmitting the configuration to the UE, as described in step 706 in connection with Figure 7 the step 706 described in connection with

[0111] The device may include additional components that execute each block of the algorithms in the foregoing flowcharts of Figure 6 and 7 Accordingly, Figure 6 and 7 each block in the foregoing flowcharts of

[0112] In one configuration, device 902, and particularly baseband unit 904, includes means for receiving, from a user equipment (UE), information indicating the ability of the UE to simultaneously transmit sounding reference signal (SRS) resources between component carriers (CCs) in carrier aggregation (CA) using an antenna port and a specified arrangement of antennas and using antenna switching across at least one frequency band; means for generating a configuration for the UE to simultaneously transmit SRS resources with antenna switching for a CC across at least one frequency band, the configuration including an antenna port and a specified arrangement of antennas; and means for transmitting the configuration to the UE. The foregoing means may be one or more of the foregoing components in device 902 configured to perform the functions recited by the foregoing means. As described above, device 902 may include TX processor 316, RX processor 370, and controller / processor 375. Accordingly, in one configuration, the foregoing means may be TX processor 316, RX processor 370, and controller / processor 375 configured to perform the functions recited by the foregoing means.

[0113] It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of the various blocks in the disclosed processes / flowcharts is illustrative of example approaches. It should be understood that based on design preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of the various blocks in these processes / flowcharts may be rearranged. Additionally, some blocks may be combined or omitted. The appended method claims present the elements of the various blocks in exemplary order and are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

[0114] The foregoing 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 general principles defined herein can be applied to other aspects. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language of the claims, where the recitation of a singular element is not intended to mean "one and only one" unless specifically stated otherwise, but rather "one or more." Terms such as "if," "when," and "while" are to be construed to mean "under the condition that," rather than implying a direct temporal relationship or reaction. That is, these phrases (e.g., "when...") do not imply an immediate action in response to the occurrence of an action or during the occurrence of an action, but only imply that an action will occur under the condition that is met, without requiring a specific or immediate time constraint for the action to occur. The term "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any aspect described herein as "exemplary" need not be construed as superior or better than other aspects. Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term "some / a" means one or more. Combinations such as "at least one of A, B, or C," "one or more of A, B, or C," "at least one of A, B, and C," "one or more of A, B, and C," and "any combination of A, B, C, or thereof" include any combination of A, B, and / or C and may include multiple A's, multiple B's, or multiple C's. Specifically, combinations such as "at least one of A, B, or C," "one or more of A, B, or C," "at least one of A, B, and C," "one or more of A, B, and C," and "any combination of A, B, C, or thereof" can be only A, only B, only C, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C, where any such combination can include one or more members of A, B, or C. Elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are presently known or later become known to those of ordinary skill in the art as all structural and functional equivalents are hereby expressly incorporated by reference and are intended to be covered by the claims. In addition, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public, whether or not such disclosure is expressly recited in the claims. The terms "module," "mechanism," "element," "device," etc. may not be substitutes for the term "apparatus." Thus, no claim element should be construed as a means-plus-function unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase "means for...".

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication at a User Equipment (UE), comprising: reporting to a base station the UE's ability to simultaneously transmit sounding reference signals (SRS) via multiple component carriers (CCs) within multiple frequency bands using a switching arrangement in which the UE transmits the SRS via one or more antenna ports of at least one antenna; receiving from the base station a configuration for the UE to simultaneously transmit the SRS using the same antenna port for each of the multiple CCs within the multiple frequency bands, wherein the received configuration is the same for each of the multiple CCs within each of the multiple frequency bands reported to the base station; and simultaneously transmitting the SRS via two or more of the multiple CCs based on the received configuration.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the switching arrangement is an xTyR arrangement, where xTyR corresponds to the UE transmitting SRS via x antenna ports on a total number y of antennas, and where y corresponds to all or a subset of the UE's receive antennas.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: reporting the UE's ability further comprises reporting at least one combination of different frequency bands with uplink CCs that are switched together; the multiple frequency bands include the different frequency bands; and for all CCs included in the different frequency bands, the xTyR antenna switching arrangement is the same.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein: the same configuration includes the same xTyR arrangement; xTyR corresponds to the UE transmitting SRS via x antenna ports on a total number y of antennas, and y corresponds to all or a subset of the UE's receive antennas.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the received configuration further includes an identification of the occupied CCs within the multiple frequency bands.

6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the received configuration is different for frequency bands having corresponding CCs via which the UE does not simultaneously transmit SRS.

7. An apparatus for wireless communication at a User Equipment (UE), comprising: a memory; at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to: report to a base station the UE's ability to simultaneously transmit sounding reference signals (SRS) via multiple component carriers (CCs) within multiple frequency bands using a switching arrangement in which the UE transmits the SRS via one or more antenna ports of at least one antenna; receive from the base station a configuration for the UE to simultaneously transmit the SRS using the same antenna port for each of the multiple CCs within the multiple frequency bands, wherein the received configuration is the same for each of the multiple CCs within each of the multiple frequency bands reported to the base station; and simultaneously transmit the SRS via two or more of the multiple CCs based on the received configuration.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the switching arrangement is an xTyR arrangement, where xTyR corresponds to the UE transmitting SRS via x antenna ports on a total of y antennas, and where y corresponds to all or a subset of the receiving antennas of the UE.

9. The apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to report at least one combination of different frequency bands having uplink CCs that are switched together; wherein: the plurality of frequency bands includes the different frequency bands; and for all CCs included in the different frequency bands, the xTyR antenna switching arrangement is the same.

10. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein: the same configuration includes the same xTyR arrangement; xTyR corresponds to the UE transmitting SRS via x antenna ports on a total of y antennas, and y corresponds to all or a subset of the receiving antennas of the UE.

11. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the received configuration further includes an indication of the occupied CCs within the plurality of frequency bands.

12. The apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the received configuration is different for frequency bands having respective CCs via which the UE does not transmit SRS simultaneously.

13. A method for wireless communication at a base station, comprising: receiving, from a user equipment (UE), information indicating the UE's ability to simultaneously transmit sounding reference signals (SRS) via a plurality of component carriers (CCs) within a plurality of frequency bands using a switching arrangement in which the UE transmits the SRS via one or more antenna ports of at least one antenna; generating a configuration for the UE to simultaneously transmit the SRS using the same antenna ports for each of the plurality of CCs within the plurality of frequency bands, wherein the configuration is the same for each of the plurality of CCs within each of the plurality of frequency bands; and transmitting the configuration to the UE.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein the switching arrangement is an xTyR arrangement, where xTyR corresponds to the UE transmitting SRS via x antenna ports on a total of y antennas, and where y corresponds to all or a subset of the receiving antennas of the UE.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein the received information further includes an indication from the UE of: at least one combination of different frequency bands having uplink CCs that are switched together; the plurality of frequency bands includes the different frequency bands; and for all CCs included in the different frequency bands, the xTyR antenna switching arrangement is the same.

16. The method according to claim 13, wherein: the same configuration includes the same xTyR arrangement; xTyR corresponds to the UE transmitting SRS via x antenna ports on a total of y antennas, and y corresponds to all or a subset of the receiving antennas of the UE.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein the transmitted configuration further includes an indication of the occupied CCs within the plurality of frequency bands.

18. The method according to claim 16, wherein the transmitted configuration is different for the frequency bands of the respective CCs via which the UE does not transmit SRS simultaneously.

19. An apparatus for wireless communication at a base station, comprising: a memory; and at least one processor coupled to the memory and configured to: receive, from a user equipment (UE), information indicating the ability of the UE to simultaneously transmit sounding reference signals (SRS) via multiple component carriers (CCs) within multiple frequency bands using a switching arrangement in which the UE transmits the SRS via one or more antenna ports of at least one antenna; generate a configuration for the UE to simultaneously transmit the SRS using the same antenna port for each of the multiple CCs within the multiple frequency bands, wherein the configuration is the same for each of the multiple CCs within each of the multiple frequency bands; and transmit the configuration to the UE.

20. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the switching arrangement is an xTyR arrangement, where xTyR corresponds to the UE transmitting SRS via x antenna ports on a total number y of antennas, and where y corresponds to all or a subset of the receiving antennas of the UE.

21. The apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the received information further comprises an indication of the UE regarding: at least one combination of different frequency bands having uplink CCs that are switched together; the multiple frequency bands include the different frequency bands; and for all CCs included in the different frequency bands, the xTyR antenna switching arrangement is the same.

22. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein: the same configuration includes the same xTyR arrangement; xTyR corresponds to the UE transmitting SRS via x antenna ports on a total number y of antennas, and y corresponds to all or a subset of the receiving antennas of the UE.

23. The apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the transmitted configuration further comprises an identification of the occupied CCs within the multiple frequency bands.

24. The apparatus according to claim 22, wherein the transmitted configuration is different for the frequency bands of the respective CCs via which the UE does not transmit SRS simultaneously.

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