Dc subcarrier location indication for combination of bandwidth parts and component carriers

Abstract

A user equipment (UE) can report direct current (DC) subcarrier location information for a subset of possible combinations of bandwidth parts (BWPs) and component carriers (CCs) configured by a base station gNB for the UE. In one aspect, the UE can receive, from the base station gNB, a message to activate a first combination of a bandwidth part (BWP) and a component carrier (CC) in a list including a subset of combinations of BWPs and CCs configured for the UE (1202). The UE can report, to the base station gNB, DC subcarrier location information for the first combination of the BWP and the CC (1204).

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This patent application claims priority to Pending Non-Provisional Application No. 17 / 458,212, filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on August 26, 2021, and Provisional Application No. 63 / 071,990, filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on August 28, 2020, and assigns it to the assignee of this application, which is expressly incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth herein and used for all applicable purposes. Technical Field

[0003] The techniques discussed below generally relate to wireless communication systems, and specifically to reporting the location of DC subcarriers. Background Technology

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide a variety of telecommunications services, such as telephone, video, data, messaging, and broadcasting. Typical wireless communication systems employ multiple access technologies that enable 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.

[0005] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunications standards to provide a common protocol enabling different wireless devices to communicate at the municipal, national, regional, and even global levels. An example telecommunications standard is 5G New Radio (5G NR). 5G NR is a continuous mobile broadband evolution released by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) to meet new requirements related to latency, reliability, security, scalability (e.g., regarding the Internet of Things (IoT)), and other requirements. 5G NR includes services associated with enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine-type communications (mMTC), and ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC). Some aspects of 5G NR can be based on the 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) standard. 5G NR can support carrier aggregation. In that case, multiple consecutive component carriers (CCs) or non-consecutive CCs can share the same RF front-end circuitry. In some examples, the location of the DC subcarrier can correspond to the local oscillator (LO) frequency of the RF front-end circuitry. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The following presents a brief summary of one or more aspects of this disclosure to provide a basic understanding of those aspects. This summary is not a general overview of all intended aspects of this disclosure, nor is it intended to identify key or essential elements of all aspects of this disclosure, nor to depict the scope of any or all aspects of this disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects of this disclosure in the form of a preface to a more detailed description presented later.

[0007] Various methods, systems, devices, and apparatus implementations relate to reporting DC subcarrier positions in wireless communications. In some aspects, user equipment (UE) can report DC subcarrier position information only for a subset of possible combinations of bandwidth portions and component carriers supported by the base station.

[0008] One aspect of this disclosure provides a method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE) configured for wireless communication. The method includes receiving from a scheduling entity a message for activating a first combination of bandwidth portions (BWP) and component carriers (CC) in an activation list, the list comprising a subset of combinations of BWP and CC configured for the UE. The method also includes reporting DC subcarrier location information for the first combination of BWP and CC to the scheduling entity.

[0009] Another aspect of this disclosure provides a user equipment (UE) for wireless communication. The UE includes a wireless transceiver configured for wireless communication with a scheduling entity, a memory, and a processor communicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver and the memory. The processor and the memory are configured to receive from the scheduling entity a message for activating a first combination of bandwidth portions (BWP) and component carriers (CC) in a list, the list including a subset of combinations of BWP and CC configured for the UE. The processor and the memory are also configured to report DC subcarrier location information for the first combination of BWP and CC to the scheduling entity.

[0010] Another aspect of this disclosure provides a method for wireless communication at a base station configured for wireless communication. The method includes sending a message to a user equipment (UE) for activating a first combination of bandwidth portions (BWP) and component carriers (CC) in a list, the list including a subset of combinations of BWP and CC configured for the UE. The method also includes receiving DC subcarrier location information from the UE for the first combination of BWP and CC.

[0011] Another aspect of this disclosure provides a base station for wireless communication. The base station includes a wireless transceiver, a memory, and a processor communicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver and the memory. The processor and the memory are configured to send a message to a user equipment (UE) for activating a first combination of bandwidth portions (BWP) and component carriers (CC) in a list, the list including a subset of combinations of BWP and CC configured for the UE. The processor and the memory are also configured to receive DC subcarrier location information for the first combination of BWP and CC from the UE.

[0012] These and other aspects of the invention will be more fully understood by reading the following detailed description. Other aspects, features, and implementations will become apparent to those skilled in the art after reading the following description of specific exemplary implementations in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. While features may be discussed with respect to certain implementations and the drawings below, all implementations may include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, while one or more implementations may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, these features may also be used according to the various implementations discussed herein. Similarly, while exemplary implementations may be discussed below as implementations of devices, systems, or methods, it should be understood that such exemplary implementations may be implemented in various devices, systems, and methods. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication system based on some aspects.

[0014] Figure 2 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a radio access network based on some aspects.

[0015] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a frame structure used in a radio access network, based on some aspects.

[0016] Figure 4 This is a block diagram illustrating a wireless communication system that supports beamforming and / or multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication according to some aspects.

[0017] Figure 5 An example of a physical resource block within the carrier bandwidth of a 5G NR network is shown. This can be configured according to several factors.

[0018] Figure 6 The bandwidth that can be configured with multiple BWPs is shown, depending on several factors.

[0019] Figure 7An example of carrier aggregation (CA) that can be associated with different DC subcarriers in a wireless communication network is shown.

[0020] Figure 8 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation scheme for a scheduling entity of a processing system based on some aspects.

[0021] Figure 9 This is a flowchart of a method for reporting the location of DC subcarriers at a scheduling entity in a wireless communication network, based on some aspects of this disclosure.

[0022] Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary processing procedure for identifying the location of a DC subcarrier according to some aspects of this disclosure.

[0023] Figure 11 This is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation scheme for a user equipment (UE) using a processing system, based on some aspects.

[0024] Figure 12 This is a flowchart of a method for reporting DC subcarrier positions at a UE, based on some aspects of this disclosure.

[0025] Figure 13 This is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary processing procedure for maintaining a subset of possible combinations of bandwidth portions and component carriers, according to some aspects of this disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The specific embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are intended as a description of various configurations, and not as representing the only configuration in which the concepts described herein can be practiced. The specific details included are intended to provide a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts can be implemented without these specific details. In some cases, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring these concepts.

[0027] While aspects and implementations are described herein by way of illustration of some examples, those skilled in the art will understand that additional implementations and use cases may arise in many different arrangements and scenarios. The innovative solutions described herein can be implemented on many different platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, and packaging arrangements. For example, implementations and / or uses may be achieved via integrated chip embodiments and other devices based on non-modular components (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial devices, retail / purchasing devices, medical devices, AI-enabled devices, etc.). While some examples may or may not be specific to a particular use case or application, a wide variety of applicability to the described innovative solutions can emerge. The scope of implementations can extend from chip-level or modular components to non-modular, non-chip-level implementations, and further to aggregated, distributed, or OEM devices or systems that incorporate one or more aspects of the described innovative solutions. In some practical settings, devices incorporating the described aspects and features may also need to include additional components and features for implementing and carrying out the claimed and described implementations. For example, the transmission and reception of wireless signals require several components (e.g., hardware components, including antennas, RF chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, processors, interleavers, adders / summers, etc.) for analog and digital purposes. It is anticipated that the innovative solutions described herein can be implemented in a wide variety of devices, chip-level components, systems, distributed arrangements, end-user devices, etc., of different sizes, shapes, and structures.

[0028] The electromagnetic spectrum is typically subdivided into various categories, bands, channels, etc., based on frequency / wavelength. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been identified as frequency ranges FR1 (410MHz–7.125GHz) and FR2 (24.25GHz–52.6GHz). It should be understood that although a portion of FR1 is above 6GHz, in various documents and articles, FR1 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the “Sub-6 GHz” band. Similar naming issues sometimes arise regarding FR2; in various documents and articles, FR2 is often (interchangeably) referred to as the “millimeter wave” band, but this is different from the Extremely High Frequency (EHF) band (30GHz–300GHz) identified as a “millimeter wave” band by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

[0029] The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are generally referred to as intermediate frequency (IF) bands. Recent 5G NR studies have identified the operating bands of these IF bands as the frequency range designation FR3 (7.125 GHz – 24.25 GHz). Bands falling within FR3 can inherit FR1 and / or FR2 characteristics, thus effectively extending the characteristics of FR1 and / or FR2 to the IF band. Furthermore, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operation above 52.6 GHz. For example, three higher operating frequency bands have been identified as the frequency range designations FR4-a or FR4-1 (52.6 GHz – 71 GHz), FR4 (52.6 GHz – 114.25 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz – 300 GHz). Each of these higher frequency bands belongs to the EHF band.

[0030] In light of the foregoing, unless otherwise specified, it should be understood that the terms "sub-6GHz" and the like (if used herein) can broadly refer to frequencies that are less than 6GHz, within FR1, or may include intermediate frequency band frequencies. Furthermore, unless otherwise specified, it should be understood that the terms "millimeter wave" and the like (if used herein) can broadly refer to frequencies that may include intermediate frequency band frequencies, within FR2, FR4, FR4-a, or FR4-1 and / or FR5, or within the EHF band.

[0031] To meet the growing demand for extended mobile broadband connectivity, wireless communication technologies are evolving from LTE to next-generation new radio (NR) technologies. For example, NR is designed to provide lower latency, higher bandwidth or throughput, and higher reliability compared to LTE. NR is designed to operate across a wide spectrum range (e.g., FR2, FR4, FR4-a, or FR4-1 and / or FR5). Furthermore, NR is designed to operate across different spectrum types, from licensed spectrum to unlicensed and shared spectrum.

[0032] While using higher frequencies (e.g., above FR2) can provide greater transmission capacity, phase noise levels can increase with higher frequencies. Phase noise can affect the performance of some wireless communication systems. Therefore, transmitters can send reference signals such as phase tracking reference signals (PTRS) to facilitate phase noise estimation and correction at the receiver.

[0033] However, depending on the location of the reference signal within the radio frequency (RF) resources, the receiver may fail to effectively receive the reference signal due to interference from the tones within these resources. For example, DC frequency tones or carriers can have a significant negative impact on the performance of baseband receivers. DC frequency tones can lead to high interference and / or high noise for signal processing and / or poor error vector magnitude (EVM) at the receiver. Some receivers can apply DC suppression filters or punching to ignore tones affected by DC. Thus, in order for the receiver to receive the reference signal efficiently, the transmitter can avoid using frequency resources that overlap with the receiver's DC carrier location to transmit the reference signal.

[0034] In some wireless communication devices or user equipment (UEs), the DC carrier position may depend on the receiver implementation. For example, in an NR network, a base station may configure a UE to communicate in different bandwidth portions (BWPs) within each component carrier (CC). Different UEs may have different radio frequency (RF) receiver implementations. For instance, some UEs may use a single RF and / or baseband chain for all CCs and / or all BWPs, while other UEs may use different RF and / or baseband chains for different CCs and / or different BWPs. Therefore, the DC carrier position can vary between different UEs and, depending on the RF front-end configuration within the same UE. Accordingly, the network can determine a reference signal configuration based on the UE's DC carrier position.

[0035] 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 The present disclosure is illustrated by reference to a wireless communication system 100, which is not intended to be limiting. The wireless communication system 100 includes three interaction domains: a core network 102, a radio access network (RAN) 104, and a user equipment (UE) 106. Using the wireless communication system 100, the UE 106 can communicate with an external data network 110 (such as, but not limited to, the Internet).

[0036] RAN 104 can implement any suitable one or more wireless communication technologies to provide radio access to UE 106. As an example, RAN 104 can operate according to the 3GPP New Radio (NR) specification (often simply referred to as 5G). As another example, RAN 104 can operate under a hybrid of 5G NR and the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (eUTRAN) standard, commonly known as LTE. 3GPP refers to this hybrid RAN as Next Generation RAN or NG-RAN. Of course, many other examples can be used within the scope of this disclosure.

[0037] As shown in the figure, RAN 104 includes multiple base stations 108. In general, a base station is a network element in a radio access network responsible for radio transmission and reception to or from a UE in one or more cells. In different technologies, standards, or contexts, those skilled in the art may refer to a base station as a base transceiver station (BTS), radio base station, radio transceiver, transceiver function, basic service set (BSS), extended service set (ESS), access point (AP), node B (NB), e node B (eNB), g node B (gNB), transmit and receive point (TRP), or some other suitable term. In some examples, a base station may include two or more TRPs, which may be co-located or not. Each TRP may communicate on the same or different carrier frequencies within the same or different frequency bands.

[0038] A radio access network 104 is further illustrated, which supports wireless communication for multiple mobile devices. While a mobile device may be referred to as a User Equipment (UE) in the 3GPP standard, in some cases, a mobile device may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a mobile station (MS), subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, radio unit, remote unit, mobile device, radio device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal (AT), mobile terminal, radio terminal, remote terminal, handphone, terminal, user agent, mobile client, client, or any other suitable term. The UE may be an apparatus (e.g., a mobile device) that provides users with access to network services.

[0039] In this document, a “mobile” device does not necessarily have mobility capabilities and can be stationary. The term mobile device or mobile equipment broadly refers to a wide variety of devices and technologies. A UE may include multiple hardware structural components whose size, shape, and arrangement facilitate communication; these components may include antennas, antenna arrays, RF chains, amplifiers, one or more processors, etc., electrically coupled to each other. For example, some non-limiting examples of mobile devices include mobile stations, cellular phones, smartphones, Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phones, laptops, personal computers (PCs), laptops, netbooks, smartbooks, tablets, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and a wide range of embedded systems (e.g., corresponding to the “Internet of Things” (IoT)). A mobile device may also be an automobile or other transport vehicle, a remote sensor or actuator, a robot or robotic device, a satellite radio unit, a Global Positioning System (GPS) device, an object tracking device, a drone, a multi-rotor aircraft, a quadcopter, a remote control device, a consumer device and / or a wearable device (e.g., glasses, wearable cameras, virtual reality devices, smartwatches, health or fitness trackers, digital audio players (e.g., MP3 players), cameras, game consoles, etc.). Mobile devices can also be digital home devices or smart home devices, such as home audio, video and / or multimedia equipment, appliances, vending machines, smart lighting, home security systems, smart meters, etc. Mobile devices can also be smart energy devices, security devices, solar panels or solar arrays, municipal infrastructure equipment for controlling electricity (e.g., smart grids), lighting, water, etc.; industrial automation and enterprise equipment; logistics controllers; agricultural equipment, etc. Furthermore, mobile devices can provide connected medical or telemedicine support, i.e., remote healthcare. Telemedicine devices can include telemedicine monitoring devices and telemedicine management devices, whose communications can be preferentially processed or given priority access compared to other types of information, for example, with regard to priority access for the transmission of critical service data, and / or QoS related to the transmission of critical service data.

[0040] Wireless communication between RAN 104 and UE 106 can be described as utilizing an air interface. Transmissions on the air interface from a base station (e.g., base station 108) to one or more UEs (e.g., UE 106) can be referred to as downlink (DL) transmissions. According to a specific aspect of this disclosure, the term downlink can refer to point-to-multipoint transmissions originating from a scheduling entity (further described below; e.g., base station 108). Another way to describe this scheme is to use the term broadcast channel multiplexing. Transmissions from a UE (e.g., UE 106) to a base station (e.g., base station 108) can be referred to as uplink (UL) transmissions. According to other aspects of this disclosure, the term uplink can refer to point-to-point transmissions originating from a scheduled entity (further described below; e.g., UE 106).

[0041] In some examples, access to the air interface can be scheduled, where a scheduling entity (e.g., base station 108) allocates resources for communication between some or all devices and apparatuses within its service area or cell. Within this disclosure, as further discussed below, the scheduling entity may be responsible for scheduling, assigning, reconfiguring, and releasing resources for one or more scheduled entities. That is, for scheduled communication, a UE 106, which may be a scheduled entity, can use the resources allocated by the scheduling entity 108.

[0042] Base station 108 is not the only entity that can be used as a scheduling entity. That is, in some examples, a UE can be used as a scheduling entity to schedule resources for one or more scheduled entities (e.g., one or more other UEs).

[0043] As in Figure 1 As shown, scheduling entity 108 can broadcast downlink service 112 to one or more scheduled entities 106. In general, scheduling entity 108 is a node or device responsible for scheduling services in a wireless communication network, where services include downlink service 112 and, in some examples, uplink service 116 from one or more scheduled entities 106 to scheduling entity 108. On the other hand, scheduled entity 106 is a node or device that receives downlink control information 114, which includes, but is not limited to, scheduling information (e.g., permission), synchronization or timing information, or other control information from another entity in the wireless communication network, such as scheduling entity 108. Scheduled entity 106 can also send uplink control information 118 to scheduling entity 108, including but not limited to scheduling requests or feedback information or other control information.

[0044] Furthermore, uplink and / or downlink control information 114 and / or 118 and / or service information 112 and / or 116 can be transmitted on a waveform that can be time-divided into frames, subframes, time slots, and / or symbols. As used herein, a symbol can refer to a time unit in an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) waveform that carries one resource element (RE) per subcarrier. A time slot can carry 7 or 14 OFDM symbols. A subframe can refer to a duration of 1 ms. Multiple subframes or time slots can be grouped together to form a single frame or radio frame. In this disclosure, a frame can refer to a predetermined duration (e.g., 10 ms) for wireless transmission, wherein each frame comprises, for example, 10 subframes, each 1 ms long. Of course, these definitions are not required, and any suitable scheme for organizing the waveform can be used, and the various time divisions of the waveform can have any suitable duration.

[0045] Typically, base station 108 may include a backhaul interface for communication with the backhaul section 120 of a wireless communication system. Backhaul 120 provides a link between base station 108 and core network 102. Furthermore, in some examples, the backhaul network may provide interconnection between corresponding base stations 108. Various types of backhaul interfaces can be employed, such as direct physical connections using any suitable transport network, virtual networks, etc.

[0046] Core network 102 may be part of wireless communication system 100 and may be independent of the radio access technology used in RAN 104. In some examples, core network 102 may be configured according to 5G standards (e.g., 5GC). In other examples, core network 102 may be configured according to 4G Evolved Packet Core (EPC) or any other suitable standard or configuration.

[0047] Now refer to Figure 2 The schematic diagram of RAN 200 is provided as an example and not a limitation. In some examples, RAN 200 can be the same as described above and... Figure 1 The same as RAN 104 shown. The geographical area covered by RAN 200 can be divided into cellular areas (cells) that can be uniquely identified by user equipment (UE) based on an identifier broadcast from an access point or base station. Figure 2 Cells 202, 204, 206, and 208 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, with each antenna in the antenna group responsible for communicating with UEs in a portion of the cell.

[0048] Various base stations can be used for deployment. For example, in Figure 2 In the examples shown, two base stations—base station 210 and base station 212—are illustrated in cells 202 and 204. A third base station—base station 214—is shown controlling the Remote Radio Header (RRH) 216 in cell 206. That is, the base station can have an integrated antenna or can be connected to an antenna or RRH 216 via a feeder cable. In the examples shown, cells 202, 204, and 206 can be referred to as macro cells because base stations 210, 212, and 214 support cells with large sizes. Furthermore, base station 218 is shown in cell 208, which can overlap with one or more macro cells. In this example, cell 208 can be referred to as a small cell (e.g., microcell, picocell, femtocell, home base station, home node B, home e node B, etc.) because base station 218 supports cells with relatively small sizes. Cell size adjustments can be made based on system design and component constraints.

[0049] It should be understood that the radio access network 200 may include any number of radio base stations and cells. Furthermore, relay nodes may be deployed to extend the size or coverage area of ​​a given cell. Base stations 210, 212, 214, and 218 provide radio access points to the core network for any number of mobile devices. In some examples, base stations 210, 212, 214, and / or 218 may be used in conjunction with those described above and... Figure 1 The base station / scheduling entity 108 shown is the same.

[0050] Figure 2 It also includes an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) 220, which can be a quadcopter or a drone. The UAV 220 can be configured to be used as a base station. That is, in some examples, the cell is not necessarily stationary, and the geographical area of ​​the cell can move depending on the location of the mobile base station, such as the quadcopter 220.

[0051] Within RAN 200, a cell may include UEs capable of communicating with one or more sectors of each cell. Furthermore, each base station 210, 212, 214, and 218 can be configured to provide access to the core network 102 (see [link to core network 102]) to all UEs within the corresponding cell. Figure 1Access points. For example, UEs 222 and 224 can communicate with base station 210; UEs 226 and 228 can communicate with base station 212; UEs 230 and 232 can communicate with base station 214 via RRH 216; UE 234 can communicate with base station 218; and UE 236 can communicate with mobile base station 220. In some examples, UEs 222, 224, 226, 228, 230, 232, 234, 238, 240 and / or 242 can communicate with the access points described above and... Figure 1 The UE / scheduled entity 106 shown is the same.

[0052] In some examples, UAV 220 (e.g., a quadcopter) can be configured to function as a UE. For example, UAV 220 can operate within cell 202 by communicating with base station 210.

[0053] In another aspect of RAN 200, sidelink signals can be used between UEs without relying on scheduling or control information from the base station. For example, two or more UEs (e.g., UEs 238, 240, and 242) can communicate with each other using peer-to-peer (P2P) or sidelink signals 237 without relaying the communication through the base station. In some examples, UEs 238, 240, and 242 can each act as a scheduling entity or transmitting sidelink device and / or a scheduled entity or receiving sidelink device to schedule resources and transmit sidelink signals 237 therebetween, without relying on scheduling or control information from the base station. In other examples, two or more UEs (e.g., UEs 226 and 228) within the coverage area of ​​a base station (e.g., base station 212) can also transmit sidelink signals 227 via a direct link (sidelink) without transmitting the communication through base station 212. In this example, base station 212 can allocate resources for sidelink communication to UEs 226 and 228. In any case, such sidelink signaling 227 and 237 can be implemented in P2P networks, device-to-device (D2D) networks, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) networks, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) networks, mesh networks, or other suitable direct link networks.

[0054] In the radio access network 200, the ability of a UE to communicate while moving, regardless of its location, is referred to as mobility. The various physical channels between the UE and the radio access network are typically established within the Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF, not shown). Figure 1The security context is established, maintained, and released under the control of the core network 102 (part of the core network). This function may include the Security Context Management (SCMF) function and the Security Anchor (SEAF) function for performing authentication. The SCMF can manage the security context for control plane functions and user plane functions, either wholly or partially.

[0055] In various aspects of this disclosure, radio access network 200 can utilize DL-based mobility or UL-based mobility to enable mobility and handover (i.e., transferring the UE's connection from one radio channel to another). In a network configured for DL-based mobility, during a call with a scheduling entity, or at any other time, the UE can monitor various parameters of the signal from its serving cell and various parameters of neighboring cells. Based on the quality of these parameters, the UE can maintain communication with one or more neighboring cells. During this time, if the UE moves from one cell to another, or if the signal quality from a neighboring cell exceeds the signal quality from the serving cell for a given period of time, the UE can perform a handover or initiation from the serving cell to a neighboring (target) cell. For example, UE 224 (although shown as a vehicle, any suitable form of UE can be used) can move from a geographic area corresponding to its serving cell 202 to a geographic area corresponding to a neighboring cell 206. When the signal strength or quality from neighboring cell 206 exceeds the signal strength or quality from its serving cell 202 for a given period of time, UE 224 can send a report message indicating this situation to its serving base station 210. In response, UE 224 can receive a handover command and can perform a handover to cell 206.

[0056] In a network for UL-based mobility configuration, the network can utilize UL reference signals from each UE to select a serving cell for each UE. In some examples, base stations 210, 212, and 214 / 216 can broadcast uniform synchronization signals (e.g., a uniform primary synchronization signal (PSS), a uniform secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and a uniform physical broadcast channel (PBCH)). UEs 222, 224, 226, 228, 230, and 232 can receive the uniform synchronization signals, derive carrier frequencies and time slot timings from the synchronization signals, and transmit uplink pilots or reference signals in response to the derived timings. The uplink pilot signal transmitted by a UE (e.g., UE 224) can be simultaneously received by two or more cells (e.g., base stations 210 and 214 / 216) within the radio access network 200. Each cell can measure the strength of the pilot signal, and the radio access network (e.g., one or more of base stations 210 and 214 / 216 and / or a central node within the core network) can determine the serving cell for UE 224. When UE 224 moves through radio access network 200, the network can continue to monitor the uplink pilot signal transmitted by UE 224. When the signal strength or quality of the pilot signal measured by the neighboring cell exceeds the signal strength and quality measured by the serving cell, network 200 can switch UE 224 from the serving cell to the neighboring cell with or without notifying UE 224.

[0057] Although the synchronization signals transmitted by base stations 210, 212, and 214 / 216 can be unified, the synchronization signals do not need to identify a specific cell. Instead, they can identify a zone of multiple cells operating on the same frequency and / or at the same timing. The use of zones in 5G networks or other next-generation communication networks enables an uplink-based mobility framework and improves the efficiency of both the UE and the network by reducing the number of mobility messages that need to be exchanged between the UE and the network.

[0058] The air interface in the radio access network 200 can utilize one or more duplex algorithms. Duplex refers to a point-to-point communication link where two endpoints can communicate with each other in both directions. Full-duplex means that two endpoints can communicate with each other simultaneously. Half-duplex means that only one endpoint can send information to the other endpoint at a time. Half-duplex simulation is often implemented for wireless links using Time Division Duplex (TDD). In TDD, time division multiplexing is used to separate transmissions in different directions on a given channel. That is, at some times, the channel is dedicated to transmissions in one direction, and at other times, the channel is dedicated to transmissions in the other direction, where the direction may change very rapidly, for example, several times per time slot. In wireless links, full-duplex channels typically rely on physical isolation between the transmitter and receiver, as well as appropriate interference cancellation techniques. Full-duplex simulation for wireless links is often implemented using Frequency Division Duplex (FDD) or Space Division Duplex (SDD). In FDD, transmissions in different directions can operate at different carrier frequencies (e.g., within paired spectrum). In SDD, spatial division multiplexing (SDM) is used to separate transmissions in different directions on a given channel. In other examples, full-duplex communication can be implemented within unpaired spectrum (e.g., within a single carrier bandwidth), where transmissions in different directions occur within different subbands of the carrier bandwidth. This type of full-duplex communication may be referred to herein as Subband Full-Duplex (SBFD), also known as flexible duplex.

[0059] Furthermore, the air interface in the radio access network 200 can utilize one or more multiplexing and multiple access algorithms to enable simultaneous communication of various devices. For example, using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) with a Cyclic Prefix (CP), the 5G NR specification provides multiple access for UL transmissions from UEs 222 and 224 to base station 210, and multiplexing for DL ​​transmissions from base station 210 to one or more UEs 222 and 224. Additionally, for UL transmissions, the 5G NR specification also supports Discrete Fourier Transform Extended OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) with CP (also known as Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA)). However, within the scope of this disclosure, multiplexing and multiple access are not limited to the above schemes and can be provided using Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Sparse Code Multiple Access (SCMA), Resource Extended Multiple Access (RSMA), or other suitable multiple access schemes. In addition, time division multiplexing (TDM), code division multiplexing (CDM), frequency division multiplexing (FDM), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), sparse code multiplexing (SCM) or other suitable multiplexing schemes can be used to provide multiplexing of DL transmission from base station 210 to UEs 222 and 224.

[0060] Reference Figure 3The OFDM waveforms illustrated herein are used to describe various aspects of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that various aspects of this disclosure can be applied to SC-FDMA waveforms in substantially the same manner as described below. That is, although some examples of this disclosure may be directed to OFDM links for clarity, it should be understood that the same principles can also be applied to SC-FDMA waveforms.

[0061] Now refer to Figure 3 An enlarged view of exemplary subframe 302 is shown, illustrating the OFDM resource grid. However, as those skilled in the art will readily understand, the PHY transmission structure for any particular application can differ from the example described herein, depending on any number of factors. Here, time is in the horizontal direction in units of OFDM symbols; and frequency is in the vertical direction in units of subcarriers of the carrier.

[0062] Resource grid 304 can be used to schematically represent time-frequency resources for a given antenna port. That is, in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) implementation with multiple available antenna ports, the corresponding multiple resource grids 304 can be used for communication. Resource grid 304 is divided into multiple resource elements (REs) 306. An RE is 1 subcarrier × 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 used in a particular implementation, each RE can represent one or more information bits. In some examples, an RE block can be referred to as a physical resource block (PRB) or simply a resource block (RB) 308, which contains any suitable number of consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. In one example, an RB can include 12 subcarriers, the number of which is independent of the digital scheme used. In some examples, depending on the digital scheme, an RB can include any suitable number of consecutive OFDM symbols in the time domain. Within this disclosure, it is assumed that a single RB, such as RB 308, corresponds entirely to a single communication direction (transmission or reception for a given device).

[0063] A collection of contiguous or non-contiguous resource blocks may be referred to herein as a resource block group (RBG), subband, or bandwidth portion (BWP). A collection of subbands or BWPs can span the entire bandwidth. Scheduling of a scheduled entity (e.g., a UE) for downlink, uplink, or sidelink transmission typically involves scheduling one or more resource elements 306 within one or more subbands or bandwidth portions (BWPs). Therefore, a UE typically utilizes only a subset of resource grids 304. In some examples, an RB may be the smallest unit of resource that can be allocated to a UE. Therefore, the more RBs scheduled for a UE and the higher the modulation scheme selected for the air interface, the higher the UE's data rate. RBs can be scheduled by a scheduling entity such as a base station (e.g., gNB, eNB, etc.) or by the UE itself implementing D2D sidelink communication.

[0064] In this illustration, RB 308 is shown as occupying a bandwidth less than the entire bandwidth of subframe 302, with some subcarriers shown above and below RB 308. In a given implementation, subframe 302 can have a bandwidth corresponding to any number of one or more RB 308. Furthermore, in this illustration, RB 308 is shown occupying a time less than the entire duration of subframe 302, but this is merely one possible example.

[0065] Each 1ms subframe 302 can consist of one or more adjacent time slots. Figure 3 In the example shown, as an illustrative example, a subframe 302 includes four time slots 310. In some examples, time slots can be defined based on a specified number of OFDM symbols with a given cyclic prefix (CP) length. For example, a time slot may include 7 or 14 OFDM symbols with a nominal CP. Additional examples may include mini-time slots with shorter durations (e.g., one to three OFDM symbols), sometimes referred to as shortened transmission time intervals (TTIs). In some cases, these mini-time slots or shortened transmission time intervals (TTIs) may be transmitted, thereby consuming resources scheduled for ongoing time slot transmissions for the same or different UEs. Any number of resource blocks can be utilized within a subframe or time slot.

[0066] An enlarged view of one of time slots 310 shows a time slot 310 including a control area 312 and a data area 314. Typically, the control area 312 may carry a control channel, and the data area 314 may carry a data channel. Of course, a time slot may contain all DLs, all ULs, or at least one DL portion and at least one UL portion. Figure 3 The simple structure shown is merely exemplary in nature, and different time slot structures can be used and may include one or more of each of the control region and data region.

[0067] Although not in Figure 3 As shown, each RE 306 within RB 308 can be scheduled to carry one or more physical channels, including control channels, shared channels, data channels, etc. Other REs 306 within RB 308 can also carry pilot or reference signals. These pilot or reference signals can be used by the receiving device to perform channel estimation for the corresponding channels, which enables coherent demodulation / detection of the control and / or data channels within RB 308.

[0068] In some examples, time slot 310 can be used for broadcast, multicast, unicast, or unicast communications. For example, broadcast, multicast, or unicast communications can refer to point-to-multipoint transmissions from one device (e.g., a base station, UE, or other similar device) to other devices. Here, broadcast communications are delivered to all devices, while multicast or unicast communications are delivered to multiple intended receiving devices. Unicast communications can refer to point-to-point transmissions from one device to a single other device.

[0069] 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 (e.g., within control area 312) one or more REs 306 to carry DL control information, including one or more DL control channels (such as Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH)), to one or more scheduled entities (e.g., UEs). The PDCCH carries downlink control information (DCI), which includes, but is 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, permission, and / or RE assignments 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 checked at the receiving side to ensure accuracy, for example, using any suitable integrity checking mechanism (such as checksum or cyclic redundancy check (CRC)). If the integrity of the transmission is acknowledged, an ACK can be sent; otherwise, a NACK can be sent. In response to NACK, the transmitting device can send HARQ retransmissions, which can achieve chase merging, incremental redundancy, etc.

[0070] The base station may also allocate (e.g., within control area 312 or data area 314) one or more REs 306 to carry other DL signals, such as: demodulation reference signal (DMRS); phase tracking reference signal (PT-RS); channel state information (CSI) reference signal (CSI-RS); and synchronization signal block (SSB). SSBs can be broadcast at regular intervals based on a period (e.g., 5, 10, 20, 40, 80, or 160 ms). SSBs include the primary synchronization signal (PSS), secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and physical broadcast control channel (PBCH). The UE can utilize the PSS and SSS to achieve radio frame, subframe, time slot, and symbol synchronization in the time domain, identify the center of the channel (system) bandwidth in the frequency domain, and identify the cell's physical cell identifier (PCI).

[0071] The PBCH in the SSB may also include a Master Information Block (MIB), which includes various system information and parameters for decoding the System Information Block (SIB). The SIB may be, for example, SystemInformationType 1 (SIB1) which may include various additional system information. Together, the MIB and SIB1 provide the minimum system information (SI) for initial access. Examples of system information transmitted in the MIB may include, but are not limited to, subcarrier spacing (e.g., default downlink digital scheme), system frame number, configuration of the PDCCH control resource set (CORESET) (e.g., PDCCH CORESET0), cell prohibition indicator, cell reselection indicator, grid offset, and search space for SIB1. Examples of other minimum system information (RMSI) transmitted in SIB1 may include, but are not limited to, random access search space, paging search space, downlink configuration information, and uplink configuration information. The base station may also transmit other system information (OSI).

[0072] In UL transmissions, the scheduled entity (e.g., the UE) may utilize one or more RE 306s to carry UL control information (UCI) to the scheduling entity, including one or more UL control channels such as the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH). UCIs may include various packet types and categories, including pilots, reference signals, and information configured to enable or assist in decoding uplink data transmissions. Examples of uplink reference signals may include Sounding Reference Signals (SRS) and Uplink DMRS. In some examples, the UCI may include a scheduling request (SR), i.e., a request for the scheduling entity to schedule uplink transmissions. Here, in response to an SR transmitted on the UCI, the scheduling entity may transmit downlink control information (DCI) that can schedule resources for uplink packet transmissions. UCIs may also include HARQ feedback, Channel State Feedback (CSF) (e.g., CSI reports), or any other suitable UCI.

[0073] In addition to control information, one or more REs 306 can be allocated for service data (e.g., within data area 314). This data service can be carried on one or more service channels, such as: a Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) for DL ​​transmissions; or a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) for UL transmissions. In some examples, one or more REs 306 within data area 314 can be configured to carry other signals, such as one or more SIBs and DMRS. In some examples, the PDSCH can carry multiple SIBs, not limited to SIB1 discussed above. For example, OSI can be provided in these SIBs (e.g., SIB2 and above).

[0074] In an example of sidelink communication on a sidelink carrier via the ProSe PC5 interface, the control area 312 of time slot 310 may include a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), which includes sidelink control information (SCI) transmitted by a sidelink initiating (transmitting) device (e.g., a Tx V2X device or other Tx UE) toward a group of one or more other sidelink receiving devices (e.g., an Rx V2X device or other Rx UE). The data area 314 of time slot 310 may include a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), which includes sidelink data traffic transmitted by the sidelink initiating (transmitting) device within resources reserved on the sidelink carrier by the sidelink transmitting device via the SCI. Other information may also be transmitted on each RE 306 within time slot 310. For example, HARQ feedback information may be transmitted from the sidelink receiving device to the sidelink transmitting device in the physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH) within time slot 310. Additionally, one or more reference signals, such as a sidelink SSB, a sidelink CSI-RS, a sidelink SRS, and / or a sidelink positioning reference signal (PRS), can be transmitted within time slot 310.

[0075] These physical channels are typically multiplexed and mapped to transport channels for processing at the Media Access Control (MAC) layer. The transport channel carries blocks of information called transport blocks (TBs). The transport block size (TBS), which corresponds to several information bits, can be a controlled parameter based on the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) and the number of redundancies (RBs) in a given transmission.

[0076] As described above and in Figure 3 The channels or carriers shown are not necessarily all channels or carriers that can be used between devices, and those skilled in the art will recognize that other channels or carriers, such as other traffic channels, control channels and feedback channels, may be used in addition to the channels or carriers shown.

[0077] In some aspects of this disclosure, scheduling entities and / or scheduled entities can be configured for beamforming and / or multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technologies. Figure 4 An example of a MIMO-enabled wireless communication system 400 is shown. In the MIMO system, transmitter 402 includes multiple transmit antennas 404 (e.g., N transmit antennas), and receiver 406 includes multiple receive antennas 408 (e.g., M receive antennas). Thus, there are N×M signal paths 410 from the transmit antennas 404 to the receive antennas 408. Each of transmitter 402 and receiver 406 can be implemented, for example, in scheduling entity 108, scheduled entity 106, or any other suitable wireless communication device.

[0078] The use of this multi-antenna technology enables wireless communication systems to leverage the spatial domain to support spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and transmit diversity. Spatial multiplexing can be used to simultaneously transmit different data streams on the same time-frequency resources, also known as layers. Data streams can be sent to a single UE to increase the data rate, or to multiple UEs to increase the overall system capacity; the latter is known as multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO). This is achieved by spatially precoding each data stream (i.e., multiplying the data stream by different weights and phase shifts), and then transmitting each spatially precoded stream through multiple transmit antennas on the downlink. The spatially precoded data streams arrive at the UE with distinct spatial signatures, allowing each UE to recover one or more data streams intended for that UE. On the uplink, each UE transmits spatially precoded data streams, enabling the base station to identify the source of each spatially precoded data stream.

[0079] The number of data streams or layers corresponds to the transmission rank. Typically, the rank of a MIMO system 400 is limited by the number of transmit antennas or receive antennas 404 or 408, whichever is lower. Additionally, channel conditions at the UE and other considerations such as available resources at the base station can also affect 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 the rank indicator (RI) sent from the UE to the base station. The RI can be determined based on antenna configuration (e.g., the number of transmit and receive antennas) and the measured signal-to-interference-noise ratio (SINR) on each receive antenna. 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., the available resources and amount of data to be scheduled for the UE), to assign transmission ranks to the UE.

[0080] In a Time Division Duplex (TDD) system, UL and DL are reciprocal because they each use different time slots with the same frequency bandwidth. Therefore, in a TDD system, the base station can assign a rank for DL ​​MIMO transmission based on UL SINR measurements (e.g., based on sounding reference signals (SRS) or other pilot signals transmitted from the UE). Based on the assigned rank, the base station can then transmit a CSI-RS with separate C-RS sequences for each layer to provide multi-layer channel estimation. The UE can measure the channel quality across layers and resource blocks based on the CSI-RS and feed back the RI and Channel Quality Indicator (CQI) (which indicates to the base station the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) to be used for transmissions to the UE) to update the rank and allocate REs for future downlink transmissions.

[0081] In the simplest case, such as in Figure 4As shown, in a 2x2 MIMO antenna configuration, rank-2 spatial multiplexing transmission sends a data stream from each transmit antenna 404. Each data stream arrives at each receive antenna 408 along a different signal path 410. The receiver 406 can then reconstruct the data stream using the received signals from each receive antenna 408.

[0082] Beamforming is a signal processing technique that can be used at transmitter 402 or receiver 406 to shape or manipulate an antenna beam (e.g., a transmit beam or a receive beam) along a spatial path between transmitter 402 and receiver 406. Beamforming can be achieved by combining signals transmitted via antennas 404 or 408 (e.g., antenna elements of an antenna array module) such that some signals experience constructive interference while others experience destructive interference. To generate the desired constructive / destructive interference, transmitter 402 or receiver 406 can apply amplitude and / or phase shifts to signals transmitted or received from each of the antennas 404 or 408 associated with transmitter 402 or receiver 406.

[0083] In 5G New Radio (NR) systems, particularly for FR2 (millimeter wave) systems, beamformed signals can be used for most downlink channels, including the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) and the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH). Furthermore, broadcast control information (such as Synchronization Signal Blocks (SSBs), Slot Format Indicators (SFIs), and paging information) can be transmitted in a beam-scanning manner to enable all scheduled entities (UEs) within the coverage area of ​​the Transmitter and Receiver Point (TRP) (e.g., gNB) to receive the broadcast control information. Additionally, for UEs configured with beamformed antenna arrays, beamformed signals can also be used for uplink signals and channels, including the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), and the Sounding Reference Signal (SRS). Moreover, beamformed signals can also be used in D2D systems (such as NR sidelink (SL) or V2X, which utilize FR2).

[0084] 5G NR networks can provide a variety of services associated with eMBB, meeting advanced and diverse system requirements and supporting communication with advanced UEs, including UEs configured for eMBB, URLLC, V2X, etc. In many 5G NR use cases or applications, peak capacity is not required, and / or the UE does not need advanced UE capabilities. 5G NR can be scaled to achieve efficient and cost-effective deployments in applications where peak throughput, latency, reliability, and / or other requirements can be relaxed. In some cases, for example, scalable 5G NR implementations can optimize cost and efficiency in terms of power consumption and system overhead.

[0085] 5G NR networks can implement a set of features known as NR-Light, which supports reduced complexity and / or reduced capability (RedCap) UEs. In some examples, RedCap UEs may include wearable devices, industrial sensors, video surveillance equipment (e.g., fixed cameras), and / or other suitable devices. Compared to standard UEs (e.g., smartphones), reduced complexity UEs may have lower wireless transmission power, fewer antennas (e.g., antennas for transmitting and / or receiving), reduced bandwidth for wireless transmission and / or reception, reduced computational complexity / memory, and / or longer battery life.

[0086] Reduced complexity and / or reduced capability UEs can support reduced maximum bandwidth (BW). Some standard 5G NR protocols or standards may require a UE to support a maximum channel BW defined for the frequency band in which the UE operates. In one example, a UE might need to support a 50MHz channel bandwidth for a 15kHz subcarrier spacing (SCS) and a 100MHz channel bandwidth for a 30 / 60kHz SCS (e.g., for band n78, band n78 could be 3300MHz–3800MHz). 5G NR-Light or reduced capability UEs can support narrower bandwidths, for example, in the range of 5.0MHz to 20MHz.

[0087] In various implementations, a capability-reduced 5G NR-Light UE can be equipped with a single antenna for receiving signals. This limitation to a single receive antenna reduces diversity in DL signaling. For example, diversity can improve system reliability when data-encoded signals propagate along multiple paths. DL spatial diversity can be achieved when multiple receive antennas are used to receive DL signals from multiple different propagation paths.

[0088] 5G NR networks can support very large operating bandwidths compared to previous generations of cellular networks (e.g., LTE). However, requiring a UE to operate across the entire bandwidth of the 5G NR network can introduce unnecessary complexity to UE operation and potentially significantly increase UE power consumption. Therefore, to avoid the need for a UE's operating bandwidth to match the full bandwidth (also known as carrier bandwidth or component carrier bandwidth) of a cell in the 5G NR network, 5G NR allows certain UEs (e.g., NR-Light UEs) to operate on a narrower bandwidth (e.g., one or more BWPs) compared to the full bandwidth of the cell or RAN. In some examples, a BWP can allow UEs with different bandwidth capabilities to operate in cells with smaller instantaneous bandwidths relative to the full bandwidth configured for the cell. In some examples, it may not be necessary for the UE to transmit and / or receive outside of the BWP assigned to the UE (also known as the UE's active BWP).

[0089] In some examples, for paired spectrum, the serving cell can configure up to four DL BWPs and four UL BWPs. For unpaired spectrum, the serving cell can configure up to four DL / UL BWP pairs. For Supplemental Uplink (SUL), the serving cell can configure up to four UL BWPs.

[0090] In some examples, for FDD, the serving cell can support separate BWP configuration sets for DL ​​and UL per component carrier (CC). The DL BWP and UL BWP can be configured separately and independently for each UE-specific serving cell. The digital scheme for the DL BWP configuration can be applied to the PDCCH and PDSCH. The digital scheme for the UL BWP configuration can be applied to the PUCCH and PUSCH.

[0091] In some examples, for TDD, the serving cell can support a joint set of BWP configurations for DL ​​and UL per CC. The DL BWP and UL BWP can be jointly configured as a pair, with the constraint that the DL / UL BWP pair shares the same center frequency, but can have different bandwidths for each UE-specific serving cell. The digital scheme for the DL / UL BWP configuration can be applied to PDCCH, PDSCH, PUCCH, and PUSCH. For the UE, if different active DL BWPs and UL BWPs are configured, it is not expected that the UE will need to retune the center frequency of the channel bandwidth between DL and UL.

[0092] In some implementations, the UE tunes its RF front-end (e.g., antenna) for an assigned BWP (e.g., active BWP) and expects the UE to perform Channel State Information (CSI) measurements only within its active DL BWP. For example, the UE can be configured with a single active BWP via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. It may not be expected that the UE will receive any physical channels or signals (e.g., PDSCH, PDCCH, or CSI-RS) outside of its active BWP. In some configurations, periodic or semi-persistent CSI reports associated with a DL BWP can be scheduled for reporting at specific times (e.g., during time slot n). In these configurations, the UE can send periodic or semi-persistent CSI reports only if the associated DL BWP is the active DL BWP at the time location of the CSI reference resource (e.g., time slot) for periodic or semi-persistent CSI reporting. In some configurations, a single set of CSI trigger states can be configured via RRC signaling for triggering non-periodic CSI reports. A CSI trigger state can be associated with any candidate DL BWP. It may not be expected that the UE will be triggered to report CSI to an inactive DL BWP. When the UE performs measurements or sends SRS outside of its active BWP, it is considered a measurement gap. During measurement gaps, it is not expected that the UE will monitor the control resource set (CORESET).

[0093] Figure 5 Examples of physical resource block (PRB) grids 500 within carrier bandwidth 502 of a 5G NR network according to various aspects of this disclosure are provided. (As in...) Figure 5 As shown, PRB Grid 500 includes seven Resource Block Groups (RBGs), such as RBG_0532, RBG_1 534, RBG_2 536, RBG_3 538, RBG_4 540, RBG_5 542, and RBG_6 544. Figure 5 In the example implementation, each RBG consists of four PRBs (e.g., RBG size = 4). Figure 5 As further shown, the PRB 500 includes BWP 504, 506, 508, and 510. In Figure 5 In the example implementations, each of BWP 504, 506, 508, and 510 includes 16 PRBs.

[0094] In one example, the UE can be configured with an active BWP 504, and each of the other BWPs 506, 508, and 510 can be configured with frequency domain (FD) offsets 514, 516, and 518 relative to the active BWP 504. The FD offsets 514, 516, and 518 can be indicated as the number of PRBs (M), which can be a positive or negative integer. In the illustrated example, as shown by line 512, the first FD offset 514 can be 7 PRBs (e.g., M = 7) relative to the starting PRB 546 of the active BWP 504, the second FD offset 516 can be 9 PRBs relative to the starting PRB 546 of the active BWP 504, and the third FD offset 518 can be 8 PRBs relative to the starting PRB 546 of the active BWP 504.

[0095] Figure 6 Configuration 600 is shown, in which multiple BWPs 602, 604, 606, and 608 can be defined at different frequency locations within a bandwidth 620 having a center frequency 610. In one example, BWPs 602, 604, 606, and 608 can be configured to have the same bandwidth. In some configurations, each BWP 602, 604, 606, and 608 can have a common digital scheme (e.g., SCS and CP length).

[0096] In some radio access technologies, subcarriers corresponding to the center frequency of a resource block may be unused (e.g., not used for reference signals) to avoid potential leakage interference from the LO when the local oscillator (LO) in the transmitter is tuned to the center frequency. Subcarriers at or near the LO frequency may be referred to as DC subcarriers. In some aspects, depending on the RF front-end configuration, the DC subcarrier or LO frequency may not be located at the center frequency of the 620-bandwidth 620. In some networks, it is expected that the UE will report the location of the DC subcarrier to the scheduling entity (e.g., base station, gNB). In some aspects, the UE may avoid using the DC subcarrier for some or all data communications with the scheduling entity. For example, the UE may not use the DC subcarrier for control channels or reference signals.

[0097] In some examples, the UE can report the uplink DC subcarrier location for each configured BWP. For example, the RRCReconfigurationComplete message is used to report the parameter txDirectCurrentLocation in the UplinkTxDirectCurrentList information element. As shown in Table 1 below, the reported values ​​in the range of 0–3299 represent the DC subcarrier number (e.g., subcarrier index), a value of 3300 indicates that the DC subcarrier is outside the resource cell, and a value of 3301 indicates that the location of the DC subcarrier in the uplink is undetermined.

[0098] value txDirectCurrentLocation 0-3299 DC subcarrier index within a carrier 3300 DC subcarrier outside the main carrier 3301 Undetermined DC subcarrier location

[0099] Table 1

[0100] Frequent reporting may be required when a UE reconfigures its RF front-end to follow a BWP configuration for power saving. DC subcarrier indication can be complex in 5G NR networks, where multiple services can be configured or multiplexed, and where a UE can reconfigure its RF front-end based on the current BWP configuration to save power. In some examples, the UE can configure its RF bandwidth to cover the widest supported bandwidth of all configured BWPs.

[0101] exist Figure 6 In the example shown, the RF bandwidth and DC subcarriers 612, 614, 616, and 618 can vary depending on the frequency resources assigned to the currently active BWPs 602, 604, 606, and 608. Depending on the LO configured in the RF front-end, the DC subcarriers 612, 614, 616, and 618 may or may not correspond to the center frequencies of BWPs 602, 604, 606, and 608. The UE can reconfigure its RF front-end to achieve power savings based on the active BWP configuration. For example, the UE can reconfigure its RF front-end to match the bandwidth of the currently active BWPs 602, 604, 606, or 608, and can tune the RF front-end LO to the DC subcarriers 612, 614, 616, and 618 of the currently active BWPs 602, 604, 606, or 608. In some cases, the UE can operate its RF front-end using the widest RF bandwidth, which can correspond to the full bandwidth 620 covering all configured BWPs 602, 604, 606, and 608. The operating bandwidth can be selected based on the UE implementation scheme.

[0102] In another example, in-band carrier aggregation (CA) configurations can be associated with different DC subcarriers and can define multiple consecutive or non-consecutive CCs sharing the same RF front-end block, including power amplifiers, antennas, filters, etc.

[0103] Figure 7 An example of carrier aggregation (CA) that can be associated with different DC subcarriers in a wireless communication network is shown. CA is used in some RANs (e.g., 5G NR) to increase the data rate for one or more UEs by defining multiple consecutive or non-consecutive CCs on which a UE can communicate. In a first-band CA configuration 710, two adjacent CCs 720a and 720b are configured for the UE, centered at a center frequency 706 of a first band 702. The DC subcarriers defined for the consecutive CCs 720a and 720b may correspond to the center frequency 706 of the first band 702. In some examples, the DC subcarriers may not correspond to the center frequency 706 when the LO does not correspond to the center frequency 706. In a second-band CA configuration 712, the center frequency of the combined consecutive CCs 722a and 722b is different from the center frequency 706 of the first band 702. The DC subcarriers defined for the combined consecutive CCs 722a and 722b may be different from the center frequency 706 of the first band 702. In the third-band CA configuration 714, two non-contiguous CCs 724a and 724b are configured for the UE, with their centers offset from the center frequency 706 of the first band 702. One or more DC subcarriers can be defined, for example, when the bandwidth of the UE's RF front-end matches the bandwidth of the first band 702, the bandwidth of each CC 724a and 724b, and the frequency band spanning CCs 724a and 724b.

[0104] In the inter-band CA configuration 716, CCs 726a and 726b located in different frequency bands 702 and 704 are configured for the UE. Multiple DC subcarriers can be defined, for example, when the bandwidth of the UE's RF front-end matches the bandwidth of frequency bands 702 and 704 and the bandwidth of each CC 726a and 726b. In some UEs, consecutive or non-consecutive CCs can share the same RF front-end block, which includes power amplifiers, antennas, filters, etc. In some systems, the location of a single DC subcarrier can be determined for CCs that share the same RF front-end.

[0105] In the CA configuration, each secondary CC (SCC) can be activated / deactivated at the UE. Each CC can be configured with multiple (up to 4) BWPs, one of which can be dynamically activated. Therefore, the DC subcarrier position can change based on the CC's state (active / inactive) and the combination of active BWPs across CCs. When using dynamically activated BWPs, traditional per-CC, per-BWP DC subcarrier position reporting may be unsatisfactory or insufficient. For example, when the UE reports the DC subcarrier position for all possible combinations of CCs and active BWPs, reporting the DC subcarrier position for dynamically activated BWPs can incur excessive overhead, and the reporting overhead can increase exponentially with the number of BWPs configured for the UE. For example, when 8 CCs are configured and each CC has 4 BWPs, there are 65,536 combinations of active BWPs.

[0106] In one technique for reporting DC subcarrier locations, the UE reports the operating point or frequency of its local oscillator (LO) after a BWP activation command. For example, the DC subcarrier location can be provided using an UplinkTxDirectCurrentList reported with an RRCReconfigurationComplete message. In one example, the gNB can be configured to send an RRCReconfiguration message to the UE after each CC or BWP activation, and the UE can report the DC subcarrier location for the active BWP in RRC signaling. In another example, the UE reports the LO location after CC or BWP activation using Layer 1 or Layer 2 (L1 / L2) signaling.

[0107] In another technique for reporting DC subcarrier locations, RRC signaling can be used to report additional DC subcarriers for each BWP pair for all possible combinations of configured BWPs on the UL CC. In one example, the four BWPs configured for CC1 are identified as BWP1_1, BWP1_2, BWP1_3, and BWP1_4, while the four BWPs configured for CC2 are identified as BWP2_1, BWP2_2, BWP2_3, and BWP2_4. In this example, the UE can report the DC subcarrier location for each possible BWP combination, which can be simultaneously activated for the in-band UL CA, including:

[0108] DC1:BWP1_1+BWP2_1,

[0109] DC2:BWP1_1+BWP2_2,

[0110] DC3:BWP1_1+BWP2_3,

[0111] …

[0112] DC16:BWP1_4+BWP2_4.

[0113] Certain aspects of this disclosure provide techniques and processes that can be used to report, identify, or configure DC subcarrier locations when dynamically active BWPs / CCs are configured for a UE. In some aspects, the UE can report DC subcarrier locations of a reduced set or subset of all possible combinations of CCs and BWPs. In some implementations, not all CCs and secondary CCs (SCCs) have many configured BWPs. For example, an SCC may have only one or two configured BWPs, including dormant and non-dormant BWPs. In some aspects, DC subcarrier location reporting may not consider all combinations of active CCs and BWPs. Furthermore, the number of supported combinations can be limited based on the capabilities of the UE or base station. In one example, transitions to and from dormant BWPs can be triggered simultaneously across a set of SCCs, thereby limiting the configurable combinations of CCs and BWPs. In another example, only the maximum bandwidth among the configured BWPs for a CC can be used for DC subcarrier location determination.

[0114] In some aspects of this disclosure, the UE reports the DC subcarrier location for a reduced set (e.g., a subset) of possible CC / BWP combinations. In one example, the base station may request the UE to provide a reduced set of CC / BWP combinations so that the UE can report the DC subcarrier location. This request may be included in an RRCReconfiguration message. In another example, the UE may suggest components from the reduced set of CC / BWP combinations for reporting the DC subcarrier location. This suggestion may be included in an RRCReconfigurationComplete message.

[0115] In some aspects of this disclosure, the BS can determine a list of CC / BWP combinations for which the UE should report DC subcarrier locations based on the UE's capability report. For example, the UE can report RF capabilities, which may include the granularity of the RF configuration, the number of power amplifiers or transmitter chains in the UE, and / or the number of configured intermediate frequencies. For example, the granularity of the RF configuration may be related to bandwidth and DC subcarrier location.

[0116] One or more DC subcarrier locations can be reported for each CC / BWP combination identified in the list. In one example, a UE supporting dual power amplifiers can use a different power amplifier for each active CC / BWP and can report two DC subcarrier locations. In another example, each CC / BWP can have its own DC subcarrier location, and the number of reported DC subcarrier locations is equal to the number of CC / BWPs.

[0117] Depending on certain aspects, DC subcarrier location reports can be provided via one or more types of signaling. In one example, a DC subcarrier location report may be sent via signaling in an RRCReconfigurationComplete message after BWP configuration. In other examples, a DC subcarrier location report may be provided in RRC signaling, a Media Access Control (MAC) control element (MAC CE), or a UCI transport after secondary cell activation or deactivation or after BWP handover. DC subcarrier location reports may be event-triggered. In some cases, the UE can autonomously report its DC subcarrier location via RRC signaling, MAC CE, or a UCI transport.

[0118] Figure 8 This is a block diagram illustrating an example hardware implementation scheme for a scheduling entity 800 employing a processing system 814. For example, the scheduling entity 800 may be as follows: Figure 1 And / or any one or more of the base stations or gNBs shown in 2.

[0119] The scheduling entity 800 can be implemented using a processing system 814 that includes one or more processors 804. Examples of processors 804 include microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuitry, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functions described throughout this disclosure. In various examples, the scheduling entity 800 can be configured to perform any one or more functions described herein. That is, the processor 804 used in the scheduling entity 800 can be used to implement the functions described below and Figure 9 and 10 The processing procedures shown herein and any one or more of the procedures.

[0120] In some cases, processor 804 may be implemented via a baseband or modem chip. In other implementations, processor 804 may include multiple devices that are distinct from and different from the baseband or modem (e.g., in scenarios where they can work together to implement the examples discussed herein). As mentioned above, various hardware arrangements and components other than the baseband modem processor can be used in the implementation, including RF chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffers, interleavers, adders / summers, etc.

[0121] In this example, the processing system 814 can be implemented using a bus architecture, typically represented by bus 802. Bus 802 may include any number of interconnect buses and bridges, depending on the specific application and overall design constraints of the processing system 814. Bus 802 communicatively couples together various circuits including one or more processors (typically represented by processor 804), memory 805, and computer-readable media (typically represented by computer-readable media 806). Bus 802 may also link various other circuits, such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and therefore will not be described further. Bus interface 808 provides an interface between bus 802 and transceiver 810. Transceiver 810 and antenna array 820 may provide communication interfaces or units for communicating with various other devices via a transmission medium. Depending on the nature of the device, a user interface 812 (e.g., keypad, display, speaker, microphone, joystick, touchscreen) may also be provided. Of course, such a user interface 812 is optional and may be omitted in some examples (e.g., base station).

[0122] Processor 804 is responsible for managing bus 802 and general processing, including executing software stored on computer-readable medium 806. When executed by processor 804, this software causes processing system 814 to perform various functions described below for any particular device. Computer-readable medium 806 and memory 805 may also be used to store data manipulated by processor 804 during software execution.

[0123] One or more processors 804 in the processing system can execute software. Software should be interpreted broadly as instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subroutines, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executable programs, threads in execution, procedures, functions, etc., regardless of whether it is referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, or otherwise. Software may reside on a computer-readable medium 806. The computer-readable medium 806 may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. For example, non-transitory computer-readable media include magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disks, floppy disks, magnetic stripes), optical disks (e.g., compressed optical discs (CDs) or digital versatile optical discs (DVDs)), smart cards, flash memory devices (e.g., card, stick, or key drives), random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), registers, removable disks, and any other suitable medium for storing software and / or instructions that can be accessed and read by a computer. The computer-readable medium 806 may reside in, outside of, or be distributed across multiple entities including the processing system 814. The computer-readable medium 806 may be implemented in a computer program product. For example, a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium within encapsulation material. Those skilled in the art will recognize how best to implement the functions presented throughout this disclosure, depending on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the system.

[0124] In some aspects of this disclosure, processor 804 may include circuitry configured for various functions, including, for example, DC subcarrier position reporting as described herein.

[0125] In some aspects of this disclosure, processor 804 may include resource assignment and scheduling circuitry 842. In some examples, resource assignment and scheduling circuitry 842 may cooperate with BWP and CA configuration circuitry 844. BWP and CA configuration circuitry 844 may be configured to define BWPs and / or CCs and to allocate resources to BWPs or CCs. Resource assignment and scheduling circuitry 842 may also be configured to allocate and / or schedule uplink and / or downlink resources, including resources allocated or scheduled for different combinations of BWPs and / or CCs. In one example, resource assignment and scheduling circuitry 842 may configure reference signals for BWPs, CCs, and / or BWPs or subbands. Resource assignment and scheduling circuitry 842 may also be configured to execute resource assignment and scheduler software 852 stored in computer-readable medium 806 to implement one or more of the functions described herein. BWP and CA configuration circuitry 844 may also be configured to execute BWP and CA configuration software 854 stored in computer-readable medium 806 to implement one or more of the functions described herein.

[0126] In some aspects of this disclosure, processor 804 may include communication and processing circuitry 846 configured for various functions, including, for example, communicating with a network core (e.g., a 5G core network), a scheduled entity (e.g., a UE), or any other entity, such as local infrastructure or an entity communicating with scheduling entity 800 via the Internet (e.g., a network provider). In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 846 may include one or more hardware components providing a physical structure that performs processing 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). For example, communication and processing circuitry 846 may include one or more transmit / receive chains. Furthermore, communication and processing circuitry 846 may be configured to receive and process uplink traffic and uplink control messages (e.g., similar to...). Figure 1 The communication and processing circuitry 846 transmits and processes downlink service and downlink control messages (e.g., similar to downlink service 112 and downlink control 114). The communication and processing circuitry 846 may also be configured to execute communication and processing software 856 stored on a computer-readable medium 806 to perform one or more of the functions described herein.

[0127] In some implementations of communication involving the reception of information, communication and processing circuitry 846 may obtain information from components of wireless communication device 800 (e.g., from transceiver 810 that receives information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for the applicable communication medium), process (e.g., decode) the information, and output the processed information. For example, communication and processing circuitry 846 may output information to another component of processor 804, to memory 805, or to bus interface 808. In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 846 may receive one or more of signals, messages, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 846 may receive information via one or more channels. In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 846 may include functionality for units used for receiving. In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 846 may include functionality for units used for processing, including units for demodulation, units for decoding, etc.

[0128] In some implementations of communication involving the transmission (e.g., sending) of information, communication and processing circuitry 846 may obtain information (e.g., from another component of processor 804, memory 805, or bus interface 808), process (e.g., modulate, encode, etc.) the information, and output the processed information. For example, communication and processing circuitry 846 may output information to transceiver 810 (e.g., transceiver 810 transmits information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for the applicable communication medium). In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 846 may transmit signals, messages, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 846 may transmit information via one or more channels. In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 846 may include functions for units used for transmission (e.g., units for transmitting). In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 846 may include functions for units used for generation, including units for modulation, units for encoding, etc.

[0129] In some aspects of this disclosure, processor 804 may include DC subcarrier position reporting circuitry 848 configured to configure the UE to report DC subcarrier positions for a subset of possible BWP and CC combinations, including generating one or more DC subcarrier position lists 818 for one or more UEs. DC subcarrier position reporting circuitry 848 may also be configured to execute DC subcarrier position reporting software 858 stored on computer-readable medium 806 to implement one or more of the functions described herein.

[0130] In some examples, the DC subcarrier location reporting circuit 848 can identify a list (e.g., DC subcarrier location list 818) that includes a subset of possible combinations of BWPs and CCs configured for the UE to report DC subcarrier location information, and a first combination of BWPs and CCs included in the list configured for the UE. The processing system 814 can receive DC subcarrier location information for the first combination of BWPs and CCs from the UE. The DC subcarrier location information can identify one or more subcarrier numbers of one or more CCs configured at the UE. For example, the DC subcarrier location information can identify the subcarrier number of a CC in the first combination of BWPs and CCs. In some aspects, the processing system 814 can be configured to request the UE to provide suggestions for one or more combinations of BWPs and CCs included in the list. The processing system 814 can also be configured to determine one or more combinations of BWPs and CCs in the list based on UE capability information received from the UE.

[0131] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary processing procedure 900 for reporting DC subcarrier locations according to some aspects of this disclosure. As described below, some or all of the illustrated features may be omitted in certain implementations within the scope of this disclosure, and some illustrated features may not be required for all implementations. In some examples, processing procedure 900 may be performed by... Figure 8 The scheduling entity 800 shown is responsible for execution. In some examples, the process 900 may be executed by any suitable means or unit for performing the functions or algorithms described below.

[0132] In block 902, a scheduling entity (e.g., a base station or gNB) may send a message to the UE to activate a first combination of BWP and CC in a list that includes a subset of BWP and CC combinations configured for the UE. In one aspect, communication and processing circuitry 846 may provide elements for sending messages (e.g., RRC messages or MAC CE). In one aspect, DC subcarrier location reporting circuitry 848 may provide elements for identifying a list that includes a subset of possible combinations of BWP and CC configured for the UE. In one example, the scheduling entity may store the list in memory 805. In one example, the possible combinations of BWP and CC include all configurable BWP and CC combinations that can be used by the scheduling entity. The subset of possible combinations of BWP and CC may depend on UE capabilities.

[0133] In one aspect, the BWP and CA configuration circuitry 844 may provide a unit for configuring the UE to use a first combination of BWP and CC. The resource allocation and scheduling circuitry 842 may provide a unit for scheduling and allocating communication resources to the first combination of BWP and CC. CC can be configured for CA.

[0134] In block 904, the scheduling entity can receive DC subcarrier location information for a first combination of BWP and CC from the UE. In one aspect, communication and processing circuitry 846 may provide units for receiving the DC subcarrier location information via transceiver 810. For example, the DC subcarrier location information may be included in an RRC message, MAC-CE, or UCI. DC subcarrier location reporting circuitry 848 may provide units for identifying one or more DC subcarriers based on the received DC subcarrier location information. For example, the DC subcarrier location information may indicate one or more LOs of the UE's RF front-end circuitry.

[0135] In some aspects, the scheduling entity can initiate RRC reconfiguration and use RRC reconfiguration to determine a list of subsets of possible combinations of BWP and CC. In one example, the scheduling entity can request the UE to provide the list in an RRCReconfiguration message, and the UE can suggest the list in an RRCReconfigurationComplete message.

[0136] In some aspects, DC subcarrier location information can identify one or more subcarrier numbers of a first combination of BWP and CC. In some aspects, the scheduling entity can determine one or more combinations of BWP and CC in a list based on UE capability information received from the UE. The scheduling entity can receive DC subcarrier location information in RRC messages, MAC-CE messages, or uplink control information.

[0137] Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 1000 for identifying the location of a DC subcarrier according to some aspects of this disclosure. In some examples, process 1000 may be executed by scheduling entity 800 at block 902 of the aforementioned process 900.

[0138] In box 1002, the scheduling entity may send an RRC reconfiguration message to the UE. The RRC reconfiguration message may request the UE to provide a list of subsets including possible combinations of BWP and CC used for DC subcarrier location reporting.

[0139] In box 1004, the scheduling entity may receive an RRC reconfiguration complete message from the UE. The RRC reconfiguration complete message may include a recommendation for a combination of BWP and CC to be included in the list. For example, the scheduling entity may include a combination of BWP and CC recommended by the UE in the list (e.g., DC subcarrier location list 818).

[0140] In one configuration, the means 800 for wireless communication includes means for performing and Figure 9and 10 The aforementioned functional units. In one aspect, the aforementioned units may be... Figure 8 The processor 804 shown is configured to perform the functions described by the aforementioned unit. Alternatively, the aforementioned unit may be a circuit or any device configured to perform the functions described by the aforementioned unit.

[0141] Of course, in the above example, the circuitry included in processor 804 is provided merely as an example, and other units for performing the functions may be included in various aspects of this disclosure, including but not limited to instructions stored in computer-readable storage medium 806, or... Figure 1 And / or any one of the two described herein and utilizing, for example, the information presented herein. Figure 9 And / or any other suitable device or unit for the processing procedures and / or algorithms described in 10.

[0142] Figure 11 This is a diagram illustrating an example hardware implementation of an exemplary scheduled entity 1100 employing a processing system 1114. According to various aspects of this disclosure, any element or any portion of an element or any combination of elements can be implemented using the processing system 1114, which includes one or more processors 1104. For example, the scheduled entity 1100 can be as shown in... Figure 1 And / or any one or more of the user equipment (UE) shown in 2.

[0143] Processing system 1114 can be with Figure 11 The processing system 1114 shown is essentially the same, including a bus interface 1108, a bus 1102, a memory 1105, a processor 1104, and a computer-readable medium 1106. Furthermore, the scheduled entity 1100 may include a user interface 1112, a transceiver 1110, and an antenna array 1120, which are substantially similar to those described above. Figure 8 Those described herein. That is, as used in the scheduled entity 1100, the processor 1104 can be used to implement the following and... Figure 12 and 13 Any one or more of the processing steps shown.

[0144] In some aspects of this disclosure, processor 1104 may include circuitry configured for various functions. For example, processor 1104 may include communication and processing circuitry 1142 configured for various functions, including, for example, communicating with a scheduled entity using communication resources based on scheduling information 1116. In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1142 may include one or more hardware components providing a physical structure that performs processing procedures 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). For example, communication and processing circuitry 1142 may include one or more transmit / receive chains. Furthermore, communication and processing circuitry 1142 may be configured to transmit and process uplink traffic and uplink control messages (e.g., similar to...). Figure 1 The communication and processing circuitry 1142 receives and processes downlink service and downlink control messages (e.g., similar to downlink service 112 and downlink control 114). The communication and processing circuitry 1142 may also be configured to execute communication and processing software 1152 stored on a computer-readable medium 1106 to implement one or more of the functions described herein.

[0145] In some implementations of communication involving the reception of information, communication and processing circuitry 1142 may obtain information from components of wireless communication device 1100 (e.g., from transceiver 1110 that receives information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for the applicable communication medium), process (e.g., decode) the information, and output the processed information. For example, communication and processing circuitry 1142 may output information to another component of processor 1104, to memory 1105, or to bus interface 1108. In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1142 may receive one or more of signals, messages, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1142 may receive information via one or more channels. In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1142 may include functionality for units used for receiving. In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1142 may include functionality for units used for processing, including units for demodulation, units for decoding, etc.

[0146] In some implementations of communication involving the transmission (e.g., transmission) of information, communication and processing circuitry 1142 may acquire information (e.g., from another component of processor 1104, memory 1105, or bus interface 1108), process (e.g., modulate, encode, etc.) the information, and output the processed information. For example, communication and processing circuitry 1142 may output information to transceiver 1110 (e.g., transceiver 1110 transmits information via radio frequency signaling or some other type of signaling suitable for the applicable communication medium). In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1142 may transmit signals, messages, other information, or any combination thereof. In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1142 may transmit information via one or more channels. In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1142 may include functions for units used for transmission (e.g., units used for transmission). In some examples, communication and processing circuitry 1142 may include functions for units used for generation, including units for modulation, units for encoding, etc.

[0147] Processor 1104 may also include DC subcarrier position reporting circuitry 1144. DC subcarrier position reporting circuitry 1144 may be configured to maintain a list (e.g., DC subcarrier position list 1115) of a subset of possible combinations of BWP and CC for which DC subcarrier positions are to be reported. In some aspects, DC subcarrier position reporting circuitry 1144 may suggest a list to a scheduling entity for DC subcarrier position reporting. DC subcarrier position reporting circuitry 1144 may also be configured to execute DC subcarrier position reporting software 1154 stored on computer-readable medium 1106 to implement one or more of the functions described herein.

[0148] Processor 1104 may also include RF tuning circuitry 1146. RF tuning circuitry 1146 may support frequency hopping and may retune one or more components in transceiver 1110 and / or antenna array 1120. In some examples, RF tuning circuitry 1146 may be configured to operate in conjunction with communication and processing circuitry 1142 to configure transceiver 1110 to activate combinations of BWPs and CCs included in a list of combinations of BWPs and CCs (e.g., DC subcarrier location list 1115). BWPs and CCs may include a portion of the operating bandwidth provided by the wireless communication network. RF tuning circuitry 1146 may also be configured to execute RF tuning software 1156 stored on computer-readable medium 1106 to implement one or more functions described herein, including... Figure 12 and 13 The method shown.

[0149] Figure 12This is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary processing procedure 1200 for reporting a DC subcarrier location at a UE, according to some aspects. As described below, some or all of the illustrated features may be omitted in certain implementations within the scope of this disclosure, and some illustrated features may not be necessary for all implementations. In some examples, processing procedure 1200 may be performed by... Figure 11 The scheduled entity 1100 shown is executing the process. In some examples, the process 1200 may be executed by any suitable means or unit for performing the functions or algorithms described below.

[0150] In block 1202, the UE (the scheduled entity) can receive from the scheduling entity a message for activating a first combination of BWPs and CCs in a list, which includes a subset of combinations of BWPs and CCs configured for the UE. In one aspect, communication and processing circuitry 1142 may provide units for receiving messages to activate the first combination of BWPs and CCs. In one aspect, DC subcarrier position reporting circuitry 1144 may provide units for storing a list (e.g., DC subcarrier position list 1115) in memory 1105.

[0151] In one example, CC is used for in-band CA configuration. In one aspect, RF tuning circuitry 1146 can provide a unit for activating a first combination of BWP and CC. For example, RF tuning circuitry 1146 can tune the RF front end of transceiver 1110 to use the first combination of BWP and CC to communicate with a scheduling entity.

[0152] In block 1204, the UE can report DC subcarrier location information for a first combination of BWP and CC. In one aspect, DC subcarrier location reporting circuitry 1144 can provide elements for reporting DC subcarrier location information (e.g., RF front-end LO frequency). In some aspects, communication and processing circuitry 1142 can provide elements for transmitting DC subcarrier location information to a scheduling entity via transceiver 1110. In some aspects, the UE can transmit DC subcarrier location information in an RRC message, MAC-CE, or UCI. The DC subcarrier location information can identify one or more subcarriers (e.g., subcarrier index).

[0153] Figure 13 This is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 1300 for maintaining a list of subsets of possible combinations of BWP and CC configured for the UE, based on several aspects. In some examples, process 1300 may be performed by the aforementioned... Figure 11The scheduled entity 1100 performs this operation. In one example, the UE (the scheduled entity) can use the RRC reconfiguration procedure to determine or maintain a list. At 1302, the UE can receive an RRC reconfiguration message from the scheduling entity (e.g., gNB). The reconfiguration message may request the UE to provide a list including combinations of BWPs and CCs used for DC subcarrier location reporting. In response, the UE may suggest one or more combinations of BWPs and CCs included in the list. For example, the UE may send an RRC reconfiguration complete message to the scheduling entity, and the RRC reconfiguration complete message may include suggestions for combinations of BWPs and CCs included in the list.

[0154] In one configuration, the means 1100 for wireless communication includes components for performing the above-mentioned... Figure 12 and 13 The described unit of function and process. In one aspect, the aforementioned unit may be... Figure 11 The processor 1104 shown is configured to perform the functions described in the aforementioned unit. Alternatively, the aforementioned unit may be a circuit or any device configured to perform the functions described in the aforementioned unit.

[0155] Of course, in the above example, the circuitry included in processor 1104 is provided merely as an example, and other units for performing the functions may be included in various aspects of this disclosure, including but not limited to instructions stored in computer-readable storage medium 1106, or... Figure 1 And / or any one of the two described herein and utilizing, for example, the information presented herein. Figure 12 And / or any other suitable device or unit for the processing procedures and / or algorithms described in 13.

[0156] In a first aspect, a user equipment (UE) for wireless communication is provided. The UE includes: a wireless transceiver configured to wirelessly communicate with a scheduling entity; a memory; and a processor communicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver and the memory, wherein the processor and the memory are configured to: receive from the scheduling entity a message for activating a first combination of BWPs and CCs from a list comprising a subset of combinations of bandwidth portions (BWPs) and component carriers (CCs) configured for the UE; and report DC subcarrier location information for the first combination of BWPs and CCs to the scheduling entity.

[0157] In the second aspect, either alone or in combination with the first aspect, the processor and the memory are further configured to: receive from the scheduling entity a request for providing one or more combinations of BWP and CC included in the list.

[0158] In the third aspect, either alone or in combination with the second aspect, the processor and the memory are further configured to receive the request in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message.

[0159] In the fourth aspect, either alone or in combination with any of the first to third aspects, the processor and the memory are further configured to send to the scheduling entity one or more combinations of BWP and CC included in the list.

[0160] In the fifth aspect, either alone or in combination with any of the first to fourth aspects, the DC subcarrier location information identifies one or more subcarrier numbers of the first combination of BWP and CC.

[0161] In the sixth aspect, either alone or in combination with any of the first to fifth aspects, the DC subcarrier location information identifies a subcarrier for each CC in the first combination of BWP and CC.

[0162] In the seventh aspect, either alone or in combination with any of the first to sixth aspects, the processor and the memory are further configured to report the DC subcarrier location information in Radio Resource Control (RRC), Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE) messages, or uplink control information.

[0163] In the eighth aspect, either alone or in combination with any of the first to seventh aspects, the processor and the memory are further configured to: send UE capability information to the scheduling entity; and determine, based on the UE capability information, the combination of BWP and CC included in the list.

[0164] In a ninth aspect, a method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE) is provided. The method includes: receiving from a scheduling entity a message for activating a first combination of BWPs and CCs from a list comprising a subset of combinations of bandwidth portions (BWPs) and component carriers (CCs) configured for the UE; and reporting to the scheduling entity DC subcarrier location information for the first combination of BWPs and CCs.

[0165] In the tenth aspect, alone or in combination with the ninth aspect, the method further includes: receiving from the scheduling entity a request for providing one or more combinations of BWP and CC included in the list.

[0166] In the eleventh aspect, alone or in combination with the tenth aspect, the receiving includes receiving the request in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message.

[0167] In the twelfth aspect, alone or in combination with any of the ninth to eleventh aspects, the method further includes: sending to the scheduling entity one or more combinations of BWP and CC included in the list.

[0168] In the thirteenth aspect, alone or in combination with any of the ninth to twelfth aspects, the DC subcarrier location information identifies one or more subcarrier numbers of the first combination of BWP and CC.

[0169] In the fourteenth aspect, either alone or in combination with any of the ninth to thirteenth aspects, the DC subcarrier location information identifies a subcarrier for each CC in the first combination of BWP and CC.

[0170] In the fifteenth aspect, either alone or in combination with any of the ninth to fourteenth aspects, the reporting includes: reporting the DC subcarrier location information in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE) message, or an uplink control information.

[0171] In the sixteenth aspect, alone or in combination with any of the ninth to fifteenth aspects, the method further includes: sending UE capability information to the scheduling entity; and determining, based on the UE capability information, a combination of BWPs and CCs included in the list.

[0172] In a seventeenth aspect, a base station for wireless communication is provided. The base station includes: a wireless transceiver; a memory; and a processor communicatively coupled to the wireless transceiver and the memory, wherein the processor and the memory are configured to: send a message to a user equipment (UE) for activating a first combination of BWPs and CCs from a list comprising a subset of combinations of bandwidth portions (BWPs) and component carriers (CCs) configured for the UE; and receive DC subcarrier location information for the first combination of BWPs and CCs from the UE.

[0173] In the eighteenth aspect, alone or in combination with the seventeenth aspect, the processor and the memory are further configured to: request the UE to provide one or more combinations of BWP and CC included in the list.

[0174] In the nineteenth aspect, alone or in combination with the eighteenth aspect, the processor and the memory are further configured to: send a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message to request the UE to provide one or more combinations of BWP and CC included in the list.

[0175] In the twentieth aspect, either alone or in combination with any of the eighteenth to nineteenth aspects, the processor and the memory are further configured to: receive from the UE suggestions for one or more combinations of BWP and CC included in the list.

[0176] In the twenty-first aspect, either alone or in combination with any of the seventeenth to twentieth aspects, the DC subcarrier location information identifies one or more subcarrier numbers of the first combination of BWP and CC.

[0177] In the twenty-second aspect, either alone or in combination with any of the seventeenth to twenty-first aspects, the processor and the memory are further configured to determine one or more combinations of BWP and CC in the list based on capability information received from the UE.

[0178] In the twenty-third aspect, either alone or in combination with any of the seventeenth to twenty-second aspects, the processor and the memory are further configured to receive the DC subcarrier location information in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE) message, or uplink control information.

[0179] In a twenty-fourth aspect, a method for wireless communication at a base station is provided. The method includes: sending a message to a user equipment (UE) for activating a first combination of BWPs and CCs from a list comprising a subset of combinations of bandwidth portions (BWPs) and component carriers (CCs) configured for the UE; and receiving DC subcarrier location information for the first combination of BWPs and CCs from the UE.

[0180] In the twenty-fifth aspect, alone or in combination with the twenty-fourth aspect, the method further includes: requesting the UE to provide one or more combinations of BWP and CC included in the list.

[0181] In the twenty-sixth aspect, alone or in combination with the twenty-fifth aspect, the request includes: sending a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message to request the UE to provide one or more combinations of BWP and CC included in the list.

[0182] In the twenty-seventh aspect, alone or in combination with any of the twenty-fifth to twenty-sixth aspects, the method further includes: receiving from the UE a suggestion for one or more combinations of BWP and CC included in the list.

[0183] In the twenty-eighth aspect, alone or in combination with any of the twenty-fourth to twenty-seventh aspects, the DC subcarrier location information identifies one or more subcarrier numbers of the first combination of BWP and CC.

[0184] In the twenty-ninth aspect, alone or in combination with any of the twenty-fourth to twenty-eighth aspects, the method further includes: determining one or more combinations of BWPs and CCs in the list based on capability information received from the UE.

[0185] In the thirtieth aspect, alone or in combination with any of the twenty-fourth to twenty-ninth aspects, the method further includes receiving the DC subcarrier location information in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, a Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE) message, or uplink control information.

[0186] Several aspects of wireless communication networks have been presented with reference to exemplary implementations. As will be readily understood by those skilled in the art, the various aspects described throughout this disclosure can be extended to other telecommunications systems, network architectures, and communication standards.

[0187] As examples, various aspects can be implemented within other systems defined by 3GPP, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), Evolved Packet System (EPS), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), and / or Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). These aspects can also be extended to systems defined by 3GPP2 (3GPP2), such as CDMA2000 and / or Evolved Data Optimized (EV-DO). Other examples can be implemented in 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 telecommunications standards, network architecture, and / or communication standards employed will depend on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the system.

[0188] In this disclosure, the term “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 this disclosure. Similarly, the term “aspect” does not require that all aspects of this disclosure include the features, advantages, or modes of operation discussed. The term “coupling” is used herein to refer to direct or indirect coupling between two objects. For example, if object A physically contacts object B, and object B contacts object C, objects A and C can still be considered coupled to each other—even if they are not in direct physical contact. For example, even if the first object never physically contacts the second object, the first object can be coupled to the second object. The terms “circuit” and “circuit system” are used broadly and are intended to include: hardware implementations of electrical devices and conductors, wherein the electrical devices and conductors, when connected and configured, enable the performance of the functions described in this disclosure, and are not limited to types of electronic circuits; and software implementations of information and instructions, wherein the information and instructions, when executed by a processor, enable the performance of the functions described in this disclosure.

[0189] exist Figure 1-13 One or more of the components, steps, features, and / or functions shown may be rearranged and / or combined into a single component, step, feature, or function, or implemented in several components, steps, or functions. Additional elements, components, steps, and / or functions may also be added without departing from the novel features disclosed herein. Figure 1-13 The apparatus, devices, and / or components shown herein 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.

[0190] It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the disclosed method is an illustration of an exemplary process. Based on design preferences, it should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the method may be rearranged. The appended method claims present the elements of each step in an exemplary order and are not intended to limit one to the presented specific order or hierarchy unless specifically stated therein.

[0191] The preceding 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 apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Therefore, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but are to be consistent with the full scope of the language of the claims, wherein elements referenced in the singular are not intended to mean “one and only one” (unless specifically stated otherwise) but rather “one or more.” Unless otherwise specifically stated, the term “some” means one or more. The phrase “at least one” in the list of items means any combination of those items, including individual members. For example, “at least one of a, b, or c” is intended to cover: a; b; c; a and b; a and c; b and c; and a, b, and c. All structural and functional equivalents of the elements throughout the various aspects described in this disclosure are known or will subsequently be known to those skilled in the art, are expressly incorporated herein by reference, and are intended to be covered by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be offered to the public, whether or not such disclosure is expressly recited in the claims. Unless any claim element is explicitly stated using the phrase “unit for…”, or, in the case of a method claim, the element is stated using the phrase “step for…”, it shall not be construed in accordance with the provisions of 35 U.SC §112(f).

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, comprising: Memory used to store instructions; as well as A processor communicatively coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions for: Receive a request from the scheduling entity to provide one or more combinations of bandwidth portions (BWP) and component carriers (CC) included in a list, the list comprising a subset of possible combinations of BWP and CC; Send a message to the scheduling entity, the message including a suggestion for the one or more combinations of BWP and CC included in the list; Activate the first combination of BWP and CC in the list; and Report the DC subcarrier location information for the first combination of BWP and CC to the scheduling entity.

2. The UE according to claim 1, wherein, The processor is also configured to: The request is received in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message.

3. The UE according to claim 1, wherein, The processor is also configured to: A Radio Resource Control (RRC) message is sent to the scheduling entity, the RRC message including the proposal for one or more combinations of BWPs and CCs included in the list.

4. The UE according to claim 1, wherein, The DC subcarrier location information identifies one or more subcarrier numbers of the first combination of BWP and CC.

5. The UE according to claim 1, wherein, The DC subcarrier location information identifies the subcarrier for each CC in the first combination of BWP and CC.

6. The UE according to claim 1, wherein, The processor is also configured to: The DC subcarrier location information is reported in Radio Resource Control (RRC), Medium Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE) messages, or uplink control information.

7. A method for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: Receive a request from the scheduling entity to provide one or more combinations of bandwidth portions (BWP) and component carriers (CC) included in a list, the list comprising a subset of possible combinations of BWP and CC; Send a message to the scheduling entity, the message including a suggestion for the one or more combinations of BWP and CC included in the list; Activate the first combination of BWP and CC in the list; as well as Report the DC subcarrier location information for the first combination of BWP and CC to the scheduling entity.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The receiving includes: The request is received in a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message.

9. The method according to claim 7, further comprising: A Radio Resource Control (RRC) message is sent to the scheduling entity, the RRC message including the proposal for one or more combinations of BWPs and CCs included in the list.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The DC subcarrier location information identifies one or more subcarrier numbers of the first combination of BWP and CC.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The DC subcarrier location information identifies the subcarrier for each CC in the first combination of BWP and CC.

12. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The report includes: The DC subcarrier location information is reported in Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages, Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE) messages, or uplink control information.

13. A base station for wireless communication, comprising: Memory used to store instructions; as well as A processor communicatively coupled to the memory, wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions for: The user equipment (UE) is requested to provide one or more combinations of bandwidth portions (BWP) and component carriers (CC) included in a list, the list comprising a subset of possible combinations of BWP and CC; Receive a message from the UE, the message including a suggestion for one or more combinations of BWP and CC included in the list; Activate the first combination of BWP and CC in the list; and The UE receives DC subcarrier location information for the first combination of BWP and CC.

14. The base station according to claim 13, wherein, The processor is also configured to: Send a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message to request the UE to provide one or more combinations of BWP and CC included in the list.

15. The base station according to claim 13, wherein, The processor is also configured to: The UE receives a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, the RRC message including the proposal for one or more combinations of BWPs and CCs included in the list.

16. The base station according to claim 13, wherein, The DC subcarrier location information identifies one or more subcarrier numbers of the first combination of BWP and CC.

17. The base station according to claim 13, wherein, The processor is also configured to: One or more combinations of BWP and CC in the list are determined based on the capability information received from the UE.

18. The base station according to claim 13, wherein, The processor is also configured to: The DC subcarrier location information is received in Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages, Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE) messages, or uplink control information.

19. A method for wireless communication at a base station configured for wireless communication, the method comprising: The user equipment (UE) is requested to provide one or more combinations of bandwidth portions (BWP) and component carriers (CC) included in a list, the list comprising a subset of possible combinations of BWP and CC; Receive a message from the UE, the message including a suggestion for one or more combinations of BWP and CC included in the list; Activate the first combination of BWP and CC in the list; as well as The UE receives DC subcarrier location information for the first combination of BWP and CC.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein, The request includes: Send a Radio Resource Control (RRC) reconfiguration message to request the UE to provide one or more combinations of BWP and CC included in the list.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising: The UE receives a Radio Resource Control (RRC) message, the RRC message including the proposal for one or more combinations of BWPs and CCs included in the list.

22. The method according to claim 19, wherein, The DC subcarrier location information identifies one or more subcarrier numbers of the first combination of BWP and CC.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising: One or more combinations of BWP and CC in the list are determined based on the capability information received from the UE.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising: The DC subcarrier location information is received in Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages, Media Access Control (MAC) Control Element (MAC-CE) messages, or uplink control information.

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