Receive interference and noise power fluctuation reports from user equipment

Abstract

A base station is configured to receive channel state information (CSI) from a user equipment (UE). The base station transmits configuration information including one or more interference measurement resources (IMRs) allocated to be measured by the UE, receives a reference CSI report from the UE, receives a new CSI report including interference and noise power fluctuation feedback from the UE, and selects a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for the UE based at least on the interference and noise power fluctuation feedback and the reference CSI report.

Description

Background Art

[0001] In 5G New Radio (NR) wireless communications, the 5G NR network can allocate one or more frequency subbands to user equipment (UE) to exchange information with the network. These subbands are allocated to the UE based on the measured channel conditions reported by the UE to the network's next-generation NodeB (gNB). In addition, the network selects the best modulation and coding scheme (MCS) based on the measured channel conditions. The UE can model the SINR using the average signal-to-noise-and-interference ratio (SINR) and the SINR standard deviation and report it to the network to help the gNB select the best MCS. Alternatively, the SINR can be modeled using a gamma distribution for improved power control. Summary of the invention

[0002] Some exemplary embodiments are directed to a base station having: a transceiver configured to communicate with a user equipment (UE); and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform operations. The operations include transmitting configuration information including one or more interference measurement resources (IMRs) allocated to be measured by the UE, receiving a reference CSI report from the UE, receiving a new CSI report including interference and noise power fluctuation feedback from the UE, and selecting a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for the UE based on at least the interference and noise power fluctuation feedback and the reference CSI report.

[0003] Other exemplary embodiments are directed to one or more processors configured to perform operations including transmitting configuration information including one or more interference measurement resources (IMRs) allocated for measurement by a user equipment (UE), receiving a reference CSI report from the UE, receiving a new CSI report including interference and noise power fluctuation feedback from the UE, and selecting a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for the UE based on at least the interference and noise power fluctuation feedback and the reference CSI report.

[0004] Another exemplary embodiment relates to a method comprising transmitting configuration information including one or more interference measurement resources (IMRs) allocated for measurement by a user equipment (UE), receiving a reference CSI report from the UE, receiving a new CSI report including interference and noise power fluctuation feedback from the UE, and selecting a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) for the UE based at least on the interference and noise power fluctuation feedback and the reference CSI report. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] Figure 1 Exemplary network arrangements are shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0006] Figure 2An exemplary UE according to various exemplary embodiments is shown.

[0007] Figure 3 An exemplary base station configured to establish a connection with a user equipment is shown according to various exemplary embodiments.

[0008] Figure 4 Methods of reporting interference fluctuations according to various exemplary embodiments are shown.

[0009] Figure 5 Exemplary resource blocks allocated by a g-NodeB to a UE for interference measurement according to various exemplary embodiments are shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0010] The exemplary embodiments may be further understood with reference to the following description and related drawings, in which similar elements have the same reference numerals. The exemplary embodiments describe devices, systems, and methods for a user equipment (UE) connected to a 5G New Radio (NR) network to determine cell interference fluctuations and provide feedback about such interference fluctuations to a next generation NodeB (gNB) of the network.

[0011] The exemplary embodiments are described with reference to a network including a 5G New Radio NR radio access technology (RAT). However, the exemplary embodiments may be implemented in other types of networks using the principles described herein.

[0012] The exemplary embodiments are also described with reference to a UE. However, the use of a UE is for illustration purposes only. The exemplary embodiments can be utilized with any electronic component that can establish a connection with a network and is configured with hardware, software, and / or firmware for exchanging information and data with the network. Therefore, the UE described herein is used to represent any electronic component.

[0013] The deployment of ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC) is expected in frequency range 1 (FR1) of NR because the channel state does not change as easily as in frequency range 2 (FR2). Therefore, changes in the signal-to-noise-interference ratio (SINR) are more often caused by fluctuations in interference rather than channel changes. Such interference may be caused by, for example, other-cell interference, multi-user (MU) interference, etc. 5G NR has increased flexibility in physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring / mini-slot scheduling, which may cause an increase in interference fluctuations. However, assigning the UE the task of sending frequent CSI reports to the gNB is extremely burdensome for the UE (e.g., increased monitoring, increased power consumption, etc.).

[0014] According to some example embodiments, new channel state information (CSI) reporting volumes may be defined such that a UE may send a CSI report that includes only interference and noise measurements, rather than a conventional CSI report that also includes other channel measurements. Such reports will advantageously be less burdensome for the UE and will provide the gNB with more useful information in determining the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) to use.

[0015] Figure 1 An exemplary network arrangement 100 according to various exemplary embodiments is shown. The exemplary network arrangement 100 includes a UE 110. It should be noted that any number of UEs may be used in the network arrangement 100. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the UE 110 may alternatively be any type of electronic component configured to communicate via a network, such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a desktop computer, a smart phone, a phablet, an embedded device, a wearable device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, etc. It should also be appreciated that an actual network arrangement may include any number of UEs used by any number of users. Therefore, for illustrative purposes, only an example with a single UE 110 is provided.

[0016] UE 110 may be configured to communicate with one or more networks. In the example of network configuration 100, the networks with which UE 110 may wirelessly communicate are 5G New Radio (NR) radio access network (5G NR-RAN) 120, LTE radio access network (LTE-RAN) 122, and wireless local area network (WLAN) 124. However, it should be understood that UE 110 may also communicate with other types of networks, and UE 110 may also communicate with the network through a wired connection. Therefore, UE 110 may include a 5G NR chipset that communicates with 5G NR-RAN 120, an LTE chipset that communicates with LTE-RAN 122, and an ISM chipset that communicates with WLAN 124.

[0017] 5G NR-RAN 120 and LTE-RAN 122 may be parts of cellular networks that may be deployed by cellular providers (e.g., Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile, etc.). These networks 120, 122 may include, for example, cells or base stations (NodeB, eNodeB, HeNB, eNBS, gNB, gNodeB, macrocell base stations, microcell base stations, small cell base stations, femtocell base stations, etc.) configured to send and receive traffic from UEs equipped with appropriate cellular chipsets. WLAN 124 may include any type of wireless local area network (WiFi, hotspot, IEEE 802.11x network, etc.).

[0018] UE 110 may be connected to 5G NR-RAN 120 via gNB 120A and / or gNB 120B. During operation, UE 110 may be within range of multiple gNBs. Thus, simultaneously or alternatively, UE 110 may be connected to 5G NR-RAN 120 via gNBs 120A and 120B. In addition, UE 110 may communicate with eNB 122A of LTE-RAN 122 to transmit and receive control information for downlink and / or uplink synchronization with respect to 5G NR-RAN 120 connection.

[0019] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any relevant process may be performed for the UE 110 to connect to the 5G NR-RAN 120. For example, as described above, the 5G NR-RAN 120 may be associated with a particular cellular provider, where the UE 110 and / or its user has protocol and credential information (e.g., stored on a SIM card). Upon detecting the presence of the 5G NR-RAN 120, the UE 110 may transmit corresponding credential information in order to associate with the 5G NR-RAN 120. More specifically, the UE 110 may be associated with a particular base station (e.g., gNB 120A of the 5G NR-RAN 120).

[0020] In addition to networks 120, 122, and 124, network arrangement 100 also includes a cellular core network 130, the Internet 140, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS) 150, and a network service backbone 160. Cellular core network 130 (e.g., 5GC of NR) can be considered as an interconnected collection of components that manage the operation and traffic of a cellular network. Cellular core network 130 also manages traffic flowing between the cellular network and the Internet 140.

[0021] The IMS 150 may be generally described as an architecture for delivering multimedia services to the UE 110 using the IP protocol. The IMS 150 may communicate with the cellular core network 130 and the Internet 140 to provide multimedia services to the UE 110. The network service backbone 160 communicates directly or indirectly with the Internet 140 and the cellular core network 130. The network service backbone 160 may be generally described as a set of components (e.g., servers, network storage arrangements, etc.) that implement a set of services that may be used to extend the functionality of the UE 110 to communicate with various networks.

[0022] Figure 2 An exemplary UE 110 is shown according to various exemplary embodiments. Figure 1100 is used to describe the UE 110. The UE 110 may represent any electronic device and may include a processor 205, a memory arrangement 210, a display device 215, an input / output (I / O) device 220, a transceiver 225, and other components 230. The other components 230 may include, for example, an audio input device, an audio output device, a battery providing a limited power source, a data acquisition device, a port for electrically connecting the UE 110 to other electronic devices, one or more antenna panels, etc. For example, the UE 110 may be coupled to industrial equipment via one or more ports.

[0023] The processor 205 may be configured to execute multiple engines of the UE 110. For example, the engines may include a CSI management engine 235. The CSI management engine 235 may perform various operations related to measuring interference on an assigned interference measurement block (IMR) and providing interference fluctuation feedback to the network (e.g., via the gNB 120A or 120B).

[0024] The above-described engine as an application (e.g., program) executed by the processor 205 is merely exemplary. The functions associated with the engine may also be represented as an independent combined component of the UE 110, or may be a modular component coupled to the UE 110, for example, an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, an integrated circuit may include an input circuit system for receiving a signal and a processing circuit system for processing signals and other information. The engine may also be embodied as an application or multiple separate applications. In addition, in some UEs, the functionality described for the processor 205 is shared between two or more processors such as a baseband processor and an application processor. The exemplary embodiments may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of the UE.

[0025] The memory arrangement 210 may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the UE 110. The display device 215 may be a hardware component configured to display data to a user, and the I / O device 220 may be a hardware component that enables user input. The display device 215 and the I / O device 220 may be separate components or may be integrated together (such as a touch screen). The transceiver 225 may be a hardware component configured to establish a connection with the 5G NR-RAN 120, LTE-RAN 122, WLAN 124, etc. Thus, the transceiver 225 may operate on multiple different frequencies or channels (e.g., a continuous set of frequencies).

[0026] Figure 3 An exemplary network cell, in this case gNB 120A, is shown according to various exemplary embodiments. gNB 120A may represent any access node of a 5G NR network that UE 110 may use to establish a connection. Figure 3 The gNB 120A shown may also represent gNB 120B.

[0027] The gNB 120A may include a processor 305, a memory arrangement 310, an input / output (I / O) device 320, a transceiver 325, and other components 330. The other components 330 may include, for example, a power supply, a data acquisition device, a port for electrically connecting the gNB 120A to other electronic devices, and the like.

[0028] The processor 305 may be configured to execute multiple engines of the gNB 120A. For example, the engines may include a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) management engine 335 for performing operations including determining an MCS of a UE based on interference fluctuation feedback received from the UE. An example of this process is described in more detail below.

[0029] The engine described above as an application (e.g., program) executed by the processor 305 is merely exemplary. The functionality associated with the engine may also be represented as a stand-alone integrated component of the gNB 120A, or may be a modular component coupled to the gNB 120A, such as an integrated circuit with or without firmware. For example, an integrated circuit may include input circuitry for receiving signals and processing circuitry for processing signals and other information. In addition, in some gNBs, the functionality described for the processor 305 is split between multiple processors (e.g., a baseband processor, an application processor, etc.). The exemplary aspects may be implemented in any of these or other configurations of the gNB.

[0030] The memory 310 may be a hardware component configured to store data related to operations performed by the UE 110, 112. The I / O device 320 may be a hardware component or port that enables a user to interact with the gNB 120A. The transceiver 325 may be a hardware component configured to exchange data with the UE 110 and any other UE in the system 100. The transceiver 325 may operate on a variety of different frequencies or channels (e.g., a set of continuous frequencies). Thus, the transceiver 325 may include one or more components (e.g., radio components) to enable data exchange with various networks and UEs.

[0031] Figure 4 A method 400 of reporting interference fluctuations is shown according to various exemplary embodiments. Figure 4Method 400 includes providing a new type of CSI report to a network (e.g., a gNB) that includes only interference and noise measurements, which places less burden on the UE but still provides the network with information for determining the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) to use. As will be described below, a reference report can be generated and linked to the new CSI report to provide normalized values ​​for reporting interference and noise in the new CSI report. Therefore, throughout this specification, the term "new CSI report" will refer to a CSI report that includes only interference and noise measurements, and "reference CSI report" will refer to a report that provides normalized values ​​for the new CSI report to the network. The new CSI report may also include multiple SINRs or SINR statistics. The SINR is based on the ratio of a reference signal (expected signal) to the interference plus noise measurement. Therefore, the expected signal can be used to normalize the new CSI report. Figure 4 In the example, it can be considered that UE 110 camps on gNB 120A and will provide reference CSI reports and new CSI reports to gNB 120A.

[0032] At 405, the UE receives configuration information from gNB 120A that identifies resource elements (REs) as interference measurement resources (IMRs) for which UE 110 is to determine interference fluctuations. In some embodiments, the IMRs are within the same time slot. In some embodiments, the IMRs may alternatively or additionally span different time slots. Figure 5 Provides an example of IMR.

[0033] At 410, UE 110 determines a noise power (P) associated with a zero power (ZP) interference measurement resource (IMR). Noise ) to generate a regular CSI report. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, zero power means that the resource element is used for a non-zero power (NZP) CSI reference signal (CSI RS) from a different component (e.g., gNB 120B). Therefore, at 410, UE 110 measures the CSI RS from gNB 120B in order to normalize the interference and noise values ​​that will be included in the new CSI report in subsequent operations. At 415, UE 110 sends a reference CSI report (e.g., channel quality indicator (CQI), rank indicator (RI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), etc.) to gNB 120A. In some embodiments, if the new CSI report includes multiple SINRs and / or SINR statistics, then at 410, UE 110 determines the expected signal power associated with the channel measurement resources (CMRs) to generate a regular CSI report.

[0034] The reference CSI report may be sent to the gNB 120A based on a number of factors. For example, the reference CSI report may be sent by the UE 110 based on scheduling, periodically, based on an event (e.g., a request from the gNB 120A, a mobility threshold of the UE 110, etc.), etc. Thus, the reference CSI report may correspond to one or more new CSI reports, e.g., a normalized value in the reference CSI report may be used for one or more new CSI reports. Thus, operations 410 and 415 involve generating and reporting a reference CSI report. As will be described in more detail below, operations 420 and 425 involve generating and reporting a new CSI report. For a single instance of performing operations 410 and 415 (reference CSI report), operations 420 and 425 (new CSI report) may be performed multiple times. In some embodiments, a regular report and a new CSI report may be sent together.

[0035] At 420, UE 110 performs interference measurement on the IMR assigned to UE 110 by gNB 120A (at 405). It should be understood that the IMR used for interference measurement may not include / include a portion / all of the IMR configured for regular CSI reporting. At 425, UE 110 provides interference fluctuation feedback to gNB 120A so that gNB 120A can determine the MCS of UE 110 given the interference fluctuation. The interference feedback will be described in more detail below. As described above, the feedback can be a new CSI report defined as "interference + noise only" or "multiple SINRs and / or SINR statistics". The reference CSI report (from 415) can be functionally linked to the new CSI report so that the reference CSI report can serve as a baseline (benchmark).

[0036] For reporting values ​​in the new CSI report, the type of feedback may depend on the number of IMRs to be measured and reported. The following example uses the number of four (4) IMRs as an exemplary threshold for reporting. However, it should be understood that the threshold may be set to any value. In some exemplary embodiments, if the number of IMRs is less than or equal to four (4) IMRs, then UE 110 reports the normalized interference and noise power (relative to P) to gNB 120A for each IMR. Noise In some embodiments, if the number of IMRs is greater than four (4) IMRs, the noise / interference may instead be modeled using, for example, a gamma distribution so that the UE 110 is not overburdened by reporting a large number of interference and noise power values. In this scenario, the UE 110 may include parameters for modeling in the feedback provided to the gNB 120A. In the case of a gamma distribution, these parameters are and m, where is the average interference and noise power, and m is the shape factor. The probability density function is defined as

[0037]

[0038] where Γ(m) is the gamma function. If m is large, the observed interference and noise power will be essentially unchanged. However, if m is small, there may be significant fluctuations in the interference and noise power. To determine the parameter and m, UE 110 can use the following function:

[0039]

[0040]

[0041] where γ k is the interference and noise power measured in a given IMR k, where 1≤k≤K. In some embodiments, Normalized using CSI reporting based on IMR of the reference signal. In some embodiments, uniform quantization in the logarithmic domain with saturation may be used. In some embodiments, Quantization with non-uniform ranges, such as, for example, <1, [1,10), [10 20]), [20,200), [200,+∞). and The interval between the two may be specified in the 3GPP standard or configured via RRC.

[0042] The tail distribution of the statistical model may have different importance for gNB scheduling, depending on whether it is on the lower tail or the higher tail. For example, when forming the statistical model, fitting the higher tail for interference plus noise (or fitting the lower tail for SINR) may be prioritized by the UE. In some exemplary embodiments, the UE processing for prioritizing the higher tail for interference plus noise fitting or the lower tail for SINR fitting may be defined by the relevant standards (e.g., 3GPP standards), may be signaled to the UE by the network, or may be pre-programmed into the UE.

[0043] Figure 5Resource blocks of exemplary reference signals allocated by gNB 120A to UE 110 for interference measurements are shown in accordance with various exemplary embodiments. These resource blocks are merely illustrative examples of IMRs allocated by gNB 120A to UE 110 for interference and noise power measurements. As described above, IMRs 502a-c in slot 1 or IMRs 504a-c in slot 2 may be within the same slot, or alternatively, IMRs 502a-c and 504a-c may span different slots (slot 1 and slot 2). The more IMRs allocated to UE 110, the more measurements UE 110 may make, which advantageously assists gNB 120A in selecting an MCS.

[0044] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the exemplary embodiments described above may be implemented with any suitable software configuration or hardware configuration or combination thereof. Exemplary hardware platforms for implementing the exemplary embodiments may include, for example, Intel x86-based platforms with compatible operating systems, Windows OS, Mac platforms and MAC OS, mobile devices with operating systems such as iOS, Android, etc. In other examples, the exemplary embodiments of the above methods may be embodied as a program including lines of code stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, which, when compiled, may be executed on a processor or microprocessor.

[0045] Although this patent application describes various combinations of various aspects, each with different features, those skilled in the art will understand that any feature of one aspect may be combined with features of other aspects or features that are not functionally or logically inconsistent with the operation or function of the device of the aspects disclosed in the present invention in any manner not publicly denied.

[0046] It is understood that the use of personally identifiable information should be subject to privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized to meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining user privacy. Specifically, personally identifiable information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use, and the nature of the authorized use should be clearly stated to users.

[0047] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the present disclosure without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is intended to cover modifications and variations of the present disclosure, provided that these modifications and variations are within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A base station, comprising: a transceiver configured to communicate with user equipment UE; and a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver and configured to perform operations including: Transmitting configuration information, the configuration information comprising one or more interference measurement resources IMRs allocated for the UE to perform measurement; receiving a reference CSI report from the UE; receiving, from the UE, a new CSI report including interference and noise power fluctuation feedback, wherein the interference and noise power fluctuation feedback includes parameters for modeling interference and noise power fluctuation, and a gamma distribution is used to model the interference and noise power fluctuation, and wherein the parameters include an average interference and noise power γ and a shape factor m; selecting a modulation and coding scheme MCS for the UE based at least on the interference and noise power fluctuation feedback and the reference CSI report; normalizing γ based at least on a noise power of the IMR in the reference CSI report; and Quantize m using a non-uniform range.

2. The base station according to claim 1, wherein: The interference and noise power fluctuation feedback includes measured interference and noise power for each IMR.

3. The base station according to claim 1, wherein: The non-uniform range includes a range that is one of: less than 1, from 1 to 10, from 10 to 20, from 20 to 200, and from 200 to infinity.

4. The base station according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more IMRs are in the same time slot.

5. The base station according to claim 1, wherein: The base station is the next generation Node B, i.e. gNB, of the new radio interface NR network.

6. The base station according to claim 3, wherein: The one or more IMRs are in the frequency range 1, i.e., FR1, of the new radio NR network.

7. A processor configured to perform operations comprising: Transmitting configuration information, the configuration information comprising one or more interference measurement resources IMRs allocated for user equipment UE to perform measurement; receiving a reference CSI report from the UE; receiving, from the UE, a new CSI report including interference and noise power fluctuation feedback, wherein the interference and noise power fluctuation feedback includes parameters for modeling interference and noise power fluctuation, and a gamma distribution is used to model the interference and noise power fluctuation, and wherein the parameters include an average interference and noise power γ and a shape factor m; selecting a modulation and coding scheme MCS for the UE based at least on the interference and noise power fluctuation feedback and the reference CSI report; normalizing γ based at least on a noise power of the IMR in the reference CSI report; and Quantize m using a non-uniform range.

8. The processor according to claim 7, wherein: The interference and noise power fluctuation feedback includes measured interference and noise power for each IMR.

9. The processor according to claim 7, wherein: The non-uniform range includes a range that is one of: less than 1, from 1 to 10, from 10 to 20, from 20 to 200, and from 200 to infinity.

10. A method for communication, comprising: Transmitting configuration information, the configuration information comprising one or more interference measurement resources IMRs allocated for user equipment UE to perform measurement; receiving a reference CSI report from the UE; receiving, from the UE, a new CSI report including interference and noise power fluctuation feedback, wherein the interference and noise power fluctuation feedback includes parameters for modeling interference and noise power fluctuation, and a gamma distribution is used to model the interference and noise power fluctuation, and wherein the parameters include an average interference and noise power γ and a shape factor m; selecting a modulation and coding scheme MCS for the UE based at least on the interference and noise power fluctuation feedback and the reference CSI report; normalizing γ based at least on a noise power of the IMR in the reference CSI report; and Quantize m using a non-uniform range.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The interference and noise power fluctuation feedback includes measured interference and noise power for each IMR.

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