Dynamic configuration of aperiodic sounding reference signal offset in a cellular communication system

Abstract

A cellular base station (BS) determines an aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) trigger offset configuration that specifies an offset between when a user equipment (UE) receives an aperiodic SRS trigger and when the UE transmits the SRS. The cellular BS can determine that the SRS trigger offset should be adjusted. In response, the cellular BS can transmit signaling to the UE that specifies a new value for the aperiodic SRS trigger offset. The new SRS trigger offset value can be based in part on a minimum timing offset of the UE and can be included in a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) or in downlink control information (DCI). Additionally, the new trigger offset value can apply to multiple component carriers or bandwidth parts. The cellular BS can also determine a new trigger offset value due to a collision with respect to an AP-SRS transmission.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to wireless communication, and more particularly, to apparatus, systems, and methods for dynamically configuring an aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) offset for use by a user equipment (UE) when generating an aperiodic SRS signal. BACKGROUND

[0002] The use of wireless communication systems is rapidly increasing. In the last few years, wireless devices such as smartphones and tablets have become increasingly sophisticated. In addition to supporting telephone calls, many mobile devices now also provide access to the Internet, email, text messaging, and navigation using the global positioning system (GPS), and are capable of operating sophisticated, complex applications that utilize these functions.

[0003] Long Term Evolution (LTE) is the technology of choice for most wireless network operators globally to provide mobile broadband data and high-speed Internet access to their user base. LTE was first proposed in 2004 and first standardized in 2008. Since then, as the use of wireless communication systems has grown exponentially, demand has risen for wireless network operators to support higher capacity for higher density of mobile broadband users. As a result, starting in 2015, a new radio access technology was researched, and in 2017, the first release of the Fifth Generation New Radio (5G NR) was standardized.

[0004] 5G-NR (also simply referred to as NR) provides higher capacity for higher density of mobile broadband users compared to LTE, while also supporting device-to-device, ultra-reliable, and massive machine type communications, as well as lower latency and / or lower battery consumption. In addition, compared to current LTE, NR can allow for more flexible UE scheduling. As a result, efforts are being made to utilize possible higher throughput at higher frequencies in the continued development of 5G NR.

[0005] One aspect of current cellular communication operation is the provision of a sounding reference signal (SRS) by a UE to a base station to enable the base station to evaluate the quality of the uplink channel. Improvements in this area are desired. SUMMARY

[0006] Embodiments relate to wireless communication, and more particularly, to apparatus, systems, and methods for dynamically configuring an aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) offset for use by a user equipment (UE) when generating an aperiodic SRS signal.

[0007] Some embodiments relate to a cellular base station (BS) comprising a plurality of antennas, a radio operably coupled to the plurality of antennas, and a processor operably coupled to the radio. The cellular base station can be configured to determine, during or after establishing a radio resource connection (RRC) with a user equipment (UE), an aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) trigger offset configuration for the UE. The aperiodic SRS trigger offset configuration can specify an offset between the UE receiving an aperiodic SRS trigger and the UE transmitting the SRS in response to the aperiodic SRS trigger.

[0008] Further, after establishing the RRC connection with the UE, the cellular base station can be further configured to determine that the SRS trigger offset should be adjusted. In response to the determination, the cellular base station can dynamically transmit, to the UE, signaling specifying a new value for the aperiodic SRS trigger offset. The new value for the aperiodic SRS trigger offset can be included in a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) or in downlink control information (DCI).

[0009] The new aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) trigger offset configuration value determined by the base station can be based at least in part on a minimum timing offset provided by the UE. Additionally, the new value for the aperiodic SRS trigger offset configuration can be applicable to multiple component carriers or bandwidth parts of the UE.

[0010] Embodiments described herein also relate to a memory medium that is capable of dynamically configuring an aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) offset for use by a user equipment (UE) in generating an aperiodic SRS signal.

[0011] Embodiments described herein also relate to a user equipment (UE) that is capable of receiving and processing a dynamically configured aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) offset as described above, and then generating a new aperiodic SRS signal in response to the aperiodic SRS offset.

[0012] The techniques described herein can be implemented in and / or used with a number of different types of devices, including but not limited to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned aerial controllers (UACs), UTM servers, base stations, access points, cellular phones, tablet computers, wearable computing devices, portable media players, and any of various other computing devices.

[0013] The summary of the disclosure is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subject matter described in this document. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above-described features are merely examples and should not be construed as limiting the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following DETAILED DESCRIPTION, Figures, and Claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0014] A better understanding of the present subject matter can be obtained when the following detailed description of various embodiments is considered in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0015] Figure 1A An exemplary wireless communication system in accordance with some embodiments is shown.

[0016] Figure 1A An example of a base station (BS) and an access point in communication with a user equipment (UE) device is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0017] Figure 2 An exemplary block diagram of a BS in accordance with some embodiments is shown.

[0018] Figure 3 An exemplary block diagram of a UE in accordance with some embodiments is shown.

[0019] Figure 4 An exemplary block diagram of cellular communication circuitry in accordance with some embodiments is shown.

[0020] Figure 5 An example of a baseband processor architecture for a UE is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0021] Figure 6 An exemplary flow diagram for dynamically configuring an AP-SRS trigger offset from the perspective of a base station is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0022] Figure 7 An exemplary flow diagram for dynamically configuring an AP-SRS trigger offset from the perspective of a UE is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0023] Figure 8 An example of a medium access center (MAC) control element (CE) subheader is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0024] Figure 9 An example of a timing offset for UE capability reporting for AP-SRS is shown in accordance with some embodiments.

[0025] Figure 10An example of a slot offset between downlink control information (DCI) and aperiodic (AP) sounding reference signal (SRS) is shown, according to some embodiments.

[0026] Figure 11 An example of when a UE is configured for SRS repetition or slot bundling is shown, according to some embodiments.

[0027] Figure 12 An example of how a base station can allow DCI to change the slot offset based on a possible slot offset configured or activated from RRC or MAC-CE is shown, according to some embodiments.

[0028] Figure 13 An example of flexible AP-SRS trigger offset is shown, according to some embodiments.

[0029] Figure 14 An example of partial cancellation of a transmission from a UE is shown, according to some embodiments.

[0030] While the features described herein can be susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the drawings and detailed description thereto are not intended to limit the disclosure to the particular form disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter defined by the appended claims. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] Acronyms

[0032] Various acronyms are used throughout the present disclosure. Definitions of the most prominent acronyms used throughout the present disclosure can appear as follows:

[0033] • 3GPP: Third Generation Partnership Project

[0034] • UE: User Equipment

[0035] • RF: Radio Frequency

[0036] • BS: Base Station

[0037] • DL: Downlink

[0038] • UL: Uplink

[0039] • LTE: Long Term Evolution

[0040] • NR: New Radio

[0041] • 5GS: 5G System

[0042] • 5GMM: 5GS Mobility Management

[0043] • 5GC / 5GCN: 5G Core Network

[0044] • SRS: Sounding Reference Signal

[0045] • AP-SRS: Aperiodic Sounding Reference Signal

[0046] • IE: Information Element

[0047] • CE: Control Element

[0048] • MAC: Medium Access Control

[0049] • SSB: Synchronization Signal Block

[0050] • CSI-RS: Channel State Information Reference Signal

[0051] • PDCCH: Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0052] • PDSCH: Physical Downlink Shared Channel

[0053] • RRC: Radio Resource Control

[0054] • RRM: Radio Resource Management

[0055] • CORESET: Control Resource Set

[0056] • TCI: Transmission Configuration Indicator

[0057] • DCI: Downlink Control Information

[0058] • AP: Aperiodic

[0059] • SRS: Sounding Reference Signal

[0060] • TRS: Tracking Reference Signal

[0061] • NW: Network

[0062] Terminology

[0063] The following is a glossary of terms used in the disclosure:

[0064] Memory medium—any of various types of non-transitory memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory medium" is intended to include installation media, such as CD-ROMs, floppy disks, or tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory such as flash memory, magnetic media, such as hard drives or optical storage devices; registers or other similar types of memory elements, etc. Memory media may also include other types of non-transitory memory or combinations thereof. In addition, the memory medium may be located in the first computer system executing the program, or may be located in a different second computer system connected to the first computer system via a network such as the Internet. In the latter case, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term "memory medium" may include two or more memory media that may reside in different locations in different computer systems connected, for example, via a network. The memory medium may store program instructions (e.g., represented as a computer program) that can be executed by one or more processors.

[0065] Carrier Media—storage media as described above, and physical transmission media such as a bus, network, and / or other physical transmission media that carry signals such as electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signals.

[0066] Programmable hardware elements - include various hardware devices that include multiple programmable function blocks connected via programmable interconnects. Examples include FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays), PLDs (programmable logic devices), FPOAs (field programmable object arrays), and CPLDs (complex PLDs). Programmable function blocks can vary from fine-grained (combinational logic units or lookup tables) to coarse-grained (arithmetic logic units or processor cores). Programmable hardware elements may also be referred to as "configurable logic units."

[0067] Computer system (or computer)—any of various types of computing or processing systems, including personal computer systems (PCs), mainframe computer systems, workstations, network appliances, Internet appliances, personal digital assistants (PDAs), television systems, grid computing systems, or other devices or combinations of devices. In general, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined to encompass any device (or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

[0068] User Equipment (UE) (or "UE device") - any of various types of computer system devices that are mobile or portable and perform wireless communication. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhones). TM , based on AndroidTM telephones), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS TM , PlayStation Portable TM , Gameboy Advance TM , iPhone TM ), laptop computers, wearable devices (e.g., smart watches, smart glasses), PDAs, portable Internet devices, music players, data storage devices, other handheld devices, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (e.g., drones), UAV controllers (UACs), and the like. In general, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to encompass any electronic, computing, and / or telecommunications device (or combination of devices) that is easily transported by a user and is capable of wireless communication.

[0069] Base station - the term "base station" has the full breadth of its ordinary meaning, and at least includes a wireless communication station installed at a fixed location and used to communicate as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system.

[0070] Processing element (or processor) - refers to various elements or combinations of elements that are capable of performing a function of a device such as a user equipment or a cellular network device. Processing elements can include, for example: processor(s) and associated memory, portions or circuits of

[0071] Channel - a medium used to pass information from a sender (transmiter) to a receiver. It should be noted that the characteristics of the term "channel" can differ according to different wireless protocols, and as such, the term "channel" as used herein can be taken to mean used in a manner that is consistent with the type of device to which the term is referenced to be compliant with standards. In some standards, channel width can be variable (e.g., depending on device capabilities, band conditions, etc.). For example, LTE can support scalable bandwidths of 1.4 MHz to 20 MHz. In contrast, a WLAN channel can be 22 MHz wide, while a Bluetooth channel can be 1 MHz wide. Other protocols and standards can include different definitions of channels. Also, some standards can define and use multiple types of channels, e.g., different channels for uplink or downlink and / or different channels for different uses such as data, control information, etc.

[0072] Band - the term "band" has the full breadth of its ordinary meaning, and at least includes a segment of the spectrum (e.g., radio frequency spectrum) in which channels are used or set aside for the same purpose.

[0073] Wi-Fi - The term "Wi-Fi" (or WiFi) has the full breadth of its ordinary meaning and at least includes a wireless communication network or RAT that provides services using wireless LAN (WLAN) access points and through these access points provides connectivity to the Internet. Most modern Wi-Fi networks (or WLAN networks) are based on IEEE 802.11 standards and marketed under the name "Wi-Fi." Wi-Fi (WLAN) networks are distinct from cellular networks.

[0074] 3GPP Access - Refers to an access (e.g., radio access technology) specified by 3GPP standards. These accesses include, but are not limited to, GSM / GPRS, LTE, LTE-A, and / or 5G NR. Generally, 3GPP access refers to various types of cellular access technologies.

[0075] Non-3GPP Access - Refers to any access (e.g., radio access technology) not specified by 3GPP standards. These accesses include, but are not limited to, WiMAX, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, WLAN, and / or fixed networks. Non-3GPP accesses can be categorized into two categories, "trusted" and "untrusted": Trusted non-3GPP access can interact directly with the evolved packet core (EPC) and / or 5G core (5GC), while untrusted non-3GPP accesses interwork with the EPC / 5GC via a network entity such as an evolved packet data gateway and / or 5G NR gateway. Generally, non-3GPP access refers to various types of non-cellular access technologies.

[0076] Automatic - refers to an action or operation being performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by a computer system) or device (e.g., circuit, programmable hardware element, ASIC, etc.) without user input being directly provided to specify or perform the action or operation. Thus, the term "automatically" is in contrast to manual, where a user provides input to directly perform an operation. An automatic process can be started by user provided input, but the subsequent actions are "automatically" performed without direct specification or input from a user. For example, a user can initiate a process by selecting a field and providing input specifying a value; the process can automatically update the field value based on the input. The user may not provide each and every input or the process may not be specified by each and every input provided by the user. For example, a user can initiate a process by dropping a file in a directory, which causes a server to release resources and send resource assignments to a group of users by direction of a server. The allocation of resources may not be specified by a user, but can be automatically performed by the server. Similarly, if a user accesses a web site to determine if a product is in stock, the user may not

[0077] Approximately - refers to a value that is close to or exact. For example, approximately can refer to a value that is within 1% to 10% of an exact (or desired) value. However, it should be noted that the actual threshold (or tolerance) can depend on the application. For example, in some embodiments, "approximately" can mean within 0.1% of some specified or desired value, while in various other embodiments, the threshold can be, e.g., 2%, 3%, 5%, etc., depending on the desires or requirements of a particular application.

[0078] Concurrent - refers to execution or performance in parallel, where tasks, processes or procedures are performed in an at least partially overlapping manner. For example, concurrency can be achieved using "strong" or strict parallelism, where tasks are performed in parallel on respective computing elements (at least in part); or using "weak parallelism", where tasks are performed in an interleaved manner (e.g., through time-multiplexing of execution threads).

[0079] Various components can be described as being "configured to" perform one or more tasks. In such contexts, "configured to" is a broad recitation generally meant to encompass a wide variety of structural arrangements and functions. As such, a component can be configured to perform a task even when the component is not currently on or performing that task (e.g., a group of electrical conductors can be configured to electrically connect a module to another module even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, "configured to" can be a broad recitation meant to encompass a wide variety of structural arrangements and functions. As such, a component can be configured to perform a task even when the component is not currently on or performing that task. Generally, the circuitry forming the structure corresponding to "configured to" can include hardware circuitry.

[0080] For ease of description, various components can be described as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase "configured to." A component configured to perform one or more tasks is expressly intended to invoke 35 U.S.C. § 112(f) interpretation.

[0081] Figure 1A and 1B : Communication system

[0082] Figure 1A A simplified exemplary wireless communication system according to some embodiments is illustrated. Note that Figure 1A The system of FIG. 1 is merely one example of a possible system, and features of the present disclosure can be implemented in any of various systems, as desired.

[0083] As shown, the exemplary wireless communication system includes a base station 102A, which communicates over a transmission medium with one or more user devices 106A, 106B, through 106N, etc. Each user device can be referred to herein as a "user equipment" (UE). Thus, the user devices 106 are referred to as UEs or UE devices.

[0084] The base station (BS) 102A can be a base transceiver station (BTS) or cell site ("cellular base station"), and can include hardware capable of facilitating wireless communication with UEs 106A through 106N.

[0085] The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station can be referred to as a "cell." Base station 102A and UEs 106 can be configured to communicate

[0086] As illustrated, base station 102A can also be equipped to communicate with a network 100 (e.g., with a core network of a cellular service provider, a telecommunication network such as a public switched telephone network (PSTN), and / or the Internet, among various possibilities). Hence, base station 102A can facilitate communications between user devices and also between user devices and the network 100. In particular, cellular base station 102A can provide UEs 106 with various

[0087] Base station 102A and other similar base stations (such as base stations 102B... 102N) operating according to the same or a different cellular communication standard can thus be provided as a network of cells that together provide continuous or nearly continuous overlap service to UEs 106A-N and similar devices via one or more cellular communication standards over a geographic area.

[0088] Hence, while base station 102A can act as a "serving cell" for UEs 106A-N as Figure 1A illustrated in FIG. 1, each UE 106 can also be capable of receiving signals from one or more other cells (that can be provided by base stations 102B-N and / or any other base stations), which can be referred to as "neighboring cells." Such cells can also be capable of facilitating communication between user devices and / or between user devices and the network 100. Such cells can include "macro" cells, "micro" cells, "pico" cells, and / or any of various other sizes of cells providing service areas of various granularities. For example, base stations 102A-B can be macro cells, while base station 102N can be a micro cell. Other configurations are also possible. Figure 1A

[0089] ​In some embodiments, the base station 102A can be a next generation base station, e.g., a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station or “gNB.” In some embodiments, a gNB can connect to a traditional evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) network. Further, a gNB cell can include one or more transition and reception points (TRPs). Further, a UE capable of operating according to 5G NR can connect to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0090] Note that the UE 106 is capable of communicating using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, in addition to at least one cellular communication protocol (e.g., GSM, UMTS (associated with, e.g., WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., lxRTT, lxEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc.), the UE 106 can be configured to communicate using wireless networking (e.g., Wi-Fi) and / or peer-to-peer wireless communication protocols (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi peer-to-peer, etc.). If desired, the UE 106 can also or alternatively be configured to communicate using one or more global navigation satellite systems (GNSS, e.g., GPS or GLONASS), one or more mobile television broadcasting standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H or DVB-H), and / or any other wireless communication protocol. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

[0091] Figure 1B A user equipment 106 (e.g., one of devices 106A-106N) in communication with base stations 102 and access points 112 is shown in accordance with some embodiments. The UE 106 can be a device with cellular communication capability and non-cellular communication capability (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.), such as a mobile phone, a handheld device, a computer or tablet computer, or almost any type of wireless device.

[0092] The UE 106 can include a processor configured to execute program instructions stored in memory. The UE 106 can perform any of the method embodiments described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively, or in addition, the UE 106 can include programmable hardware elements, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) configured to execute any of the method embodiments described herein, or any portion of any of the method embodiments described herein.

[0093] UE 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or technologies. In some embodiments, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using, for example, CDMA2000 (1xRTT / 1xEV-DO / HRPD / eHRPD), LTE / LTE-Advanced, or 5G NR using a single shared radio and / or GSM, LTE, LTE-Advanced, or 5G NR using a single shared radio. The shared radio may be coupled to a single antenna or to multiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO) for performing wireless communications. Typically, the radio may include any combination of a baseband processor, analog radio frequency (RF) signal processing circuitry (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.), or digital processing circuitry (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio may implement one or more receive and transmit chains using the aforementioned hardware. For example, UE 106 may share one or more portions of a receive and / or transmit chain between multiple wireless communication technologies such as those discussed above.

[0094] In some embodiments, the UE 106 may include a separate transmit chain and / or receive chain (e.g., including separate antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol with which it is configured to communicate. As another possibility, the UE 106 may include one or more radio components shared between multiple wireless communication protocols, and one or more radio components used exclusively by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, the UE 106 may include a shared radio component for communicating using either LTE or 5GNR (or LTE or 1xRTT, or LTE or GSM), and a separate radio component for communicating using each of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Other configurations are also possible.

[0095] Figure 2 :Block diagram of base station

[0096] Figure 2 1 shows an exemplary block diagram of a base station 102 according to some embodiments. Figure 2 The base station 102 is only one example of a possible base station. As shown, the base station 102 may include a processor 204 that may execute program instructions for the base station 102. The processor 204 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 240 or other circuit or device that may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 204 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 260 and read-only memory (ROM) 250).

[0097] The base station 102 may include at least one network port 270. The network port 270 may be configured to couple to a telephone network and provide access to a plurality of devices, such as the UE device 106, as described above. Figure 1A and Figure 2 Access to the telephone network described in.

[0098] The network port 270 (or an additional network port) may also or alternatively be configured to couple to a cellular network, such as a core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to a plurality of devices, such as the UE device 106. In some cases, the network port 270 may couple to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide a telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by the cellular service provider).

[0099] In some embodiments, base station 102 may be a next-generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station, or "gNB." In such embodiments, base station 102 may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) network. Furthermore, base station 102 may be considered a 5G NR cell and may include one or more transition and reception points (TRPs). Furthermore, a UE capable of operating in accordance with 5G NR may connect to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0100] Base station 102 may include at least one antenna 234 and possibly multiple antennas. The at least one antenna 234 may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with UE device 106 via radio 230. Antenna 234 communicates with radio 230 via communication chain 232. Communication chain 232 may be a receive chain, a transmit chain, or both. Radio 230 may be configured to communicate via various wireless communication standards, including but not limited to 5G NR, LTE, LTE-A, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, and the like.

[0101] The base stations 102 can be configured to use multiple wireless communication standards to communicate with the UEs 104. In some cases, the base stations 102 can include multiple radios that can enable the base stations 102 to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, the base stations 102 can include an LTE radio for performing communication according to LTE and a 5G NR radio for performing communication according to 5G NR. In this case, the base stations 102 can be able to operate as both an LTE base station and a 5G NR base station. As another possibility, the base stations 102 can include a multi-mode radio that is able to perform communication according to any of multiple wireless communication technologies, such as 5G NR and Wi-Fi, LTE and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.

[0102] As described further herein below, the BS 102 can include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting implementation of the features described herein. The processor 204 of the base station 102 can be configured to implement or support implementation of part or all of the methods described herein, e.g., by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, or additionally, the processor 204 can be configured as a programmable hardware element(s), such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or additionally), the processor 204 of the BS 102, in conjunction with one or more of the other components 230, 232, 234, 240, 250, 260, 270 can be configured to implement or support implementation of part or all of the features described herein.

[0103] Further, as described herein, the processor 204 can be composed of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements can be included in the processor 204. Thus, the processor 204 can include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of the processor 204. Further, each integrated circuit can include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) that is configured to perform the functions of the one or more processors 204.

[0104] Additionally, as described herein, the radio 230 can be composed of one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements can be included in the radio 230. Thus, the radio 230 can include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of the radio 230. Further, each integrated circuit can include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) that is configured to perform the functions of the radio 230.

[0105] Figure 3 Block diagram of a UE

[0106] Figure 3 1 shows an exemplary simplified block diagram of a communication device 106 according to some embodiments. Note that Figure 3 The block diagram of the communication device is only an example of a possible communication device. According to the embodiment, the communication device 106 can be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop computer, a notebook or a portable computing device), a tablet computer, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a UAV controller (UAC) and / or a combination of devices and other devices. As shown, the communication device 106 may include a group of components 300 configured to perform core functions. For example, the group of components can be implemented as a system on a chip (SOC), which may include parts for various purposes. Alternatively, the group of components 300 can be implemented as a separate component or component group for various purposes. This group of components 300 can be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to various other circuits of the communication device 106.

[0107] For example, the communication device 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 310), input / output interfaces such as a connector I / F 320 (e.g., for connecting to a computer system; a docking station; a charging station; input devices such as a microphone, a camera, a keyboard; output devices such as a speaker; etc.), a display 360 that may be integrated with the communication device 106 or external to the communication device 106, and cellular communication circuitry 330 such as for 5G NR, LTE, GSM, etc., and short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 (e.g., Bluetooth TM and WLAN circuitry). In some embodiments, the communication device 106 may include wired communication circuitry (not shown), such as, for example, a network interface card for Ethernet.

[0108] Cellular communication circuitry 330 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to one or more antennas, such as antennas 335 and 336, as shown. Short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may also be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to one or more antennas, such as antennas 337 and 338, as shown. Alternatively, short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to antennas 335 and 336, in addition to or in lieu of being (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to antennas 337 and 338. Short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 and / or cellular communication circuitry 330 may include multiple receive chains and / or multiple transmit chains for receiving and / or transmitting multiple spatial streams, such as in a multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) configuration.

[0109] In some embodiments, cellular communication circuitry 330 can include a dedicated receive chain for multiple RATs (including and / or coupled to (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) a dedicated processor and / or radio) (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G-NR), as further described below. Further, in some embodiments, cellular communication circuitry 330 can include a single transmit chain that can be switched between radio components dedicated to a particular RAT. For example, a first radio component can be dedicated to a first RAT, such as LTE, and can communicate with a dedicated receive chain as well as a transmit chain shared with additional radio components, such as a second radio component that can be dedicated to a second RAT (e.g., 5G NR) and can communicate with a dedicated receive chain as well as the shared transmit chain.

[0110] Communication device 106 can also include and / or be configured for use with one or more user interface elements. User interface elements can include any of a variety of elements such as a display 360 (which can be a touch screen display), a keyboard (which can be a discrete keyboard or can be implemented as part of a touch screen display), a mouse, a microphone, and / or a speaker, one or more cameras, one or more buttons, and / or any of a variety of other elements capable of providing information to a user and / or receiving or interpreting user input.

[0111] The communication devices 106 can also include one or more smart cards 345 having SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) functionality, such as one or more UICC cards (Universal Integrated Circuit Card) 345. Note that the term “SIM” or “SIM entity” is intended to include any of various types of SIM implementations or SIM functionality, such as one or more UICC cards 345, one or more eUICCs, one or more eSIMs, removable or embedded, etc. In some embodiments, the UE 106 can include at least two SIMs. Each SIM can execute one or more SIM applications and / or otherwise implement SIM functionality. Thus, each SIM can be a single smart card, which can be embedded, e.g., soldered onto a circuit board in the UE 106, or each SIM 345 can be implemented as a removable smart card. Thus, a SIM can be one or more removable smart cards, such as UICC cards sometimes referred to as “SIM cards,” and / or a SIM 345 can be one or more embedded cards, such as embedded UICCs (eUICCs) sometimes referred to as “eSIMs” or “eSIM cards.” In some embodiments, such as when a SIM includes an eUICC, one or more of the SIMs can implement embedded SIM (eSIM) functionality; in such embodiments, a single one of the SIMs can execute multiple SIM applications. Each SIM can include components such as a processor and / or memory; instructions for performing SIM / eSIM functionality can be stored in the memory and executed by the processor. In some embodiments, the UE 106 can include a combination of removable and fixed / non-removable smart cards, such as one or more eUICC cards implementing eSIM functionality, as needed. For example, the UE 106 can include two embedded SIMs, two removable SIMs, or a combination of one embedded SIM and one removable SIM. Various other SIM configurations are also contemplated.

[0112] As described above, in some embodiments, the UE 106 can include two or more SIMs. Including two or more SIMs in the UE 106 can allow the UE 106 to support two different phone numbers, and can allow the UE 106 to communicate on two or more corresponding respective networks. For example, a first SIM can support a first RAT such as LTE, and a second SIM 345 can support a second RAT such as 5G NR. Of course, other implementations and RATs are possible. In some embodiments, when the UE 106 includes two SIMs, the UE 106 can support dual card dual active (DSDA) functionality. DSDA functionality can allow the UE 106 to simultaneously connect to two networks (and use two different RATs), or to simultaneously maintain two connections supported by two different SIMs using the same or different RATs on the same or different networks. DSDA functionality can also allow the UE 106 to simultaneously receive a voice call or data traffic on either phone number. In certain embodiments, the voice call can be a packet-switched communication. In other words, the voice call can be received using Voice over LTE (VoLTE) technology and / or Voice over NR (VoNR) technology. In some embodiments, the UE 106 can support dual card dual standby (DSDS) functionality. DSDS functionality can allow either of the two SIMs in the UE 106 to standby for a voice call and / or data connection. In DSDS, when a call / data is established on one SIM, the other SIM is no longer active. In some embodiments, the DSDx functionality (DSDA or DSDS functionality) can be implemented using a single SIM (e.g., eUICC) that executes multiple SIM applications for different carriers and / or RATs.

[0113] As shown, the SOC 300 can include a processor 302, which can execute program instructions for the communication device 106, and a display circuit 304, which can perform graphics processing and provide display signals to the display 360. The one or more processors 302 can also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 340, which can be configured to receive addresses from the one or more processors 302 and translate those addresses to locations in memory (e.g., memory 306, read only memory (ROM) 350, NAND flash memory 310) or to other circuits or devices, such as the display circuit 304, short-to-medium range wireless communication circuit 329, cellular communication circuit 330, connector I / F 320, and / or display 360. The MMU 340 can be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or set up. In some embodiments, the MMU 340 can be included as a portion of the processor 302.

[0114] As described above, the communication device 106 may be configured to communicate using wireless and / or wired communication circuitry. The communication device 106 may be configured to perform a method for dynamically configuring an aperiodic sounding reference signal offset so that the base station can receive correctly configured SRS signals from various UEs to allocate an appropriate frequency region to each of the UEs, thereby improving transmission and reception fidelity between the base station and the UE, as further described herein.

[0115] As described herein, the communication device 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing the above-described features of the communication device 106 to send a scheduling profile for power saving to the network. For example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium), the processor 302 of the communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein. Alternatively (or in addition), the processor 302 may be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit). Alternatively (or in addition), in combination with one or more of the other components 300, 304, 306, 310, 320, 329, 330, 340, 345, 350, 360, the processor 302 of the communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein.

[0116] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 302 may include one or more processing elements. Thus, processor 302 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 302. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuits (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform one or more functions of processor 302.

[0117] Further, as described herein, the cellular communication circuitry 330 and the short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may each include one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in the cellular communication circuitry 330, and similarly, one or more processing elements may be included in the short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329. Thus, the cellular communication circuitry 330 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuitry 330. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuitry 330. Similarly, the short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329 may include one or more ICs configured to perform the functions of the short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the short-range to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 329.

[0118] Figure 4 Block diagram of a cellular communication circuit

[0119] Figure 4 An exemplary simplified block diagram of a cellular communication circuit is shown in accordance with some embodiments. Note that the block diagram of a cellular communication circuit is merely one example of a possible cellular communication circuit. The cellular communication circuit 430 can be included in a communication device, such as the communication device 106 described above, in accordance with embodiments. As described above, the communication device 106 can be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop, notebook, or portable computing device), a tablet, and / or a combination of devices, among other devices. Figure 4

[0120] The cellular communication circuit 430 can be coupled (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as the antennas 435a-435b and 436 shown in FIG. 4B. In some embodiments, the cellular communication circuit 430 can include dedicated receive chains for multiple RATs (including and / or coupled to (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) dedicated processors and / or radio components) (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G-NR). For example, as shown in FIG. 4B, the cellular communication circuit 430 can include a modem 410 and a modem 420. The modem 410 can be configured for communication in accordance with a first RAT (e.g., such as LTE or LTE-A), and the modem 420 can be configured for communication in accordance with a second RAT (e.g., such as 5G NR). Figure 4 Figure 4 As shown, the modem 410 can include one or more processors 412 and memory 416 in communication with the processors 412. The modem 410 can be in communication with a radio frequency (RF) front end 480. The RF front end 480 can include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, the RF front end 480 can include receive circuitry (RX) 482 and transmit circuitry (TX) 484. In some embodiments, the receive circuitry 482 can be in communication with the downlink (DL) front end 450, which can include circuitry for receiving radio signals via the antenna 435a.

[0121] As shown, the modem 410 can include one or more processors 412 and memory 416 in communication with the processors 412. The modem 410 can be in communication with a radio frequency (RF) front end 480. The RF front end 480 can include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, the RF front end 480 can include receive circuitry (RX) 482 and transmit circuitry (TX) 484. In some embodiments, the receive circuitry 482 can be in communication with the downlink (DL) front end 450, which can include circuitry for receiving radio signals via the antenna 435a.

[0122] ​​Similarly, modem 420 can include one or more processors 422 and memory 426 in communication with processors 422. Modem 420 can be in communication with RF front end 490. RF front end 490 can include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, RF front end 490 can include receive circuitry 492 and transmit circuitry 494. In some embodiments, receive circuitry 492 can be in communication with DL front end 460, which can include circuitry for receiving radio signals via antenna 435b.

[0123] In some embodiments, switch 470 can couple transmit circuitry 494 to uplink (UL) front end 472. Further, switch 470 can couple transmit circuitry 494 to UL front end 472. UL front end 472 can include circuitry for transmitting radio signals via antenna 436. Thus, when cellular communication circuitry 430 receives instructions to transmit according to a first RAT (e.g., as supported via modem 410), switch 470 can be switched to a first state that allows modem 410 to transmit signals according to the first RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain including transmit circuitry 484 and UL front end 472). Similarly, when cellular communication circuitry 430 receives instructions to transmit according to a second RAT (e.g., as supported via modem 420), switch 470 can be switched to a second state that allows modem 420 to transmit signals according to the second RAT (e.g., via a transmit chain including transmit circuitry 494 and UL front end 472).

[0124] In some embodiments, cellular communication circuitry 430 can be configured to perform a method for dynamically configuring an aperiodic sounding reference signal offset such that a base station can receive correctly configured SRS signals from individual UEs to assign each of the UEs an appropriate frequency region in order to improve transmission and reception fidelity between the base station and the UEs, as described further herein.

[0125] As described herein, modem 410 can include hardware and software components for implementing the features described above or for time-division multiplexing UL data for NSA NR operation and various other techniques described herein. For example, processor 412 can be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein, e.g., by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (or in addition), processor 412 can be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or as an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit). Alternatively (or in addition) processor 412 can be configured, in combination with one or more of other components 430, 432, 434, 450, 470, 472, 435, and 436, to implement part or all of the features described herein.

[0126] Further, as described herein, the processor 412 can include one or more processing elements. Thus, the processor 412 can include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of the processor 412. Further, each integrated circuit can include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) that is configured to perform the functions of the processor 412.

[0127] As described herein, the modem 420 can include hardware and software components for implementing the above-described features for communicating scheduling profiles for power saving to a network, as well as various other techniques described herein. For example, the processor 422 can be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein by executing program instructions stored in a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively (or in addition), the processor 422 can be configured as a programmable hardware element, such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or in addition) the processor 422 can be configured to implement part or all of the features described herein in conjunction with one or more other components of the modem 420, 442, 444, 450, 470, 472, 435, and 436.

[0128] Further, as described herein, the processor 422 can include one or more processing elements. Thus, the processor 422 can include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) that are configured to perform the functions of the processor 422. Further, each integrated circuit can include circuitry (e.g., first circuitry, second circuitry, etc.) that is configured to perform the functions of the processor 422.

[0129] Figure 5 An example of a baseband processor architecture for a UE (e.g., such as the UE 106) is shown in accordance with some embodiments. Figure 5The baseband processor architecture 500 described in the middle can be implemented on one or more radios (e.g., radios 329 and / or 330 described above) or modems (e.g., modems 410 and / or 420) as described above. As shown, the non-access stratum (NAS) 510 can include a 5G NAS 520 and a legacy NAS 550. The legacy NAS 550 can include a communication connection with a legacy access stratum (AS) 570. The 5G NAS 520 can include a communication connection with a 5G AS 540 and a non-3GPP AS 530 as well as a Wi-Fi AS 532. The 5G NAS 520 can include functional entities associated with two access strata. Thus, the 5G NAS 520 can include multiple 5G MM entities 526 and 528 as well as 5G session management (SM) entities 522 and 524. The legacy NAS 550 can include functional entities such as a short message service (SMS) entity 552, an evolved packet system (EPS) session management (ESM) entity 554, a session management (SM) entity 556, an EPS mobility management (EMM) entity 558, and a mobility management (MM) / GPRS mobility management (GMM) entity 560. Further, the legacy AS 570 can include functional entities such as an LTE AS 572, a UMTS AS 574, and / or a GSM / GPRS AS 576.

[0130] Thus, the baseband processor architecture 500 allows for a common 5G-NAS for both 5G cellular and non-cellular (e.g., non-3GPP access). Note that, as shown, the 5G MM can maintain separate connection management and registration management state machines for each connection. Additionally, a device (e.g., UE 106) can register to a single PLMN (e.g., 5G CN) using both 5G cellular access as well as non-cellular access. Further, a device can be in a connected state in one access and an idle state in the other access, or vice versa. Finally, there can be common 5G-MM procedures (e.g., registration, de-registration, identification, authentication, etc.) for both accesses.

[0131] Note that, in various embodiments, one or more of the above-described functional entities of the 5G NAS and / or 5G AS can be configured to perform methods such as dynamically configuring an aperiodic sounding reference signal offset so that a base station can receive correctly configured SRS signals from individual UEs to assign appropriate frequency regions to each of the UEs in order to improve transmission and reception fidelity between the base station and the UEs, e.g., as described further herein.

[0132] Dynamic aperiodic sounding reference signal trigger offset

[0133] In current cellular communication systems, a UE can be configured to periodically, semi-persistently, or aperiodically transmit a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) to a base station on an uplink channel. This SRS signal is used by the base station to evaluate the uplink channel quality between the UE and the base station. More specifically, in LTE systems, the base station typically allocates only a portion of the overall system bandwidth to a particular UE at any given time. The base station can use the received SRS signal to determine which portion of the overall system bandwidth has the best relative uplink channel quality. In other words, the base station can use the SRS signal received from each UE to allocate a "best" frequency region to each of the UEs based on the uplink channel quality determined from the SRS signal.

[0134] A UE can transmit SRS signals for various purposes or use cases, including antenna switching, beam management, codebook and non-codebook based purposes, as well as carrier switching. Antenna switching refers to a process in which a UE can cycle through transmitting a SRS signal on each of its multiple antennas so that the base station can evaluate the downlink channel quality via uplink channel quality estimates for each antenna. The UE can also transmit SRS for the purpose of beam management, e.g., to allow the base station to evaluate the best beam orientation for improved uplink channel quality. Assuming that the uplink and downlink channels are similar (e.g., in a TDD case), non-codebook based use cases refer to the base station using the received SRS to evaluate the downlink channel and help select a codebook for downlink communications. The term "carrier switching" refers to a situation in which one or more UEs can switch to using a different component carrier or different bandwidth part while communicating with the base station.

[0135] As noted above, a UE can be configured to transmit SRS signals at predefined intervals, i.e., according to a set periodicity. However, the base station can also make specific aperiodic requests to the UE to transmit a SRS signal. The base station's request for an aperiodic SRS can take the form of an SRS trigger transmitted from the base station to the UE. The base station can decide to send an aperiodic SRS trigger to the UE due to detection of a degradation in uplink channel quality or for other reasons.

[0136] The UE can receive the aperiodic SRS trigger and can subsequently transmit a SRS signal to the base station. The UE can use a trigger offset to determine or calculate when to transmit the SRS signal. The UE can apply the trigger offset, which is a time offset, to the time at which the aperiodic SRS trigger is received to determine the transmission time of the SRS signal.

[0137] In current implementations, the SRS trigger offset is statically determined by the base station and provided to the UE during RRC configuration. However, in some instances, conflicts with downlink symbol and minimum timing offset requirements may occur during SRS communications between the base station and the UE. These conflicts, caused by invalid slot offsets, can lead to inefficiencies or failures associated with invalid or incomplete transmissions between the base station and the UE. Therefore, improvements in the art are desired.

[0138] Figure 6 – Flowchart – Configuring the base station angle for AP-SRS trigger offset

[0139] Figure 6 An exemplary flow chart for dynamically configuring an AP-SRS triggering offset from a base station perspective according to some embodiments is shown.

[0140] As shown in step 602, a base station (BS) establishes a radio resource control (RRC) connection with a user equipment (UE). The RRC protocol can perform a number of different functions related to signaling between the BS and the UE. For example, RRC can facilitate the broadcast of system information related to the characteristics of the radio interface. The RRC protocol also enables measurement reporting, where the BS entity can trigger measurements performed by the UE periodically or on demand (e.g., aperiodically). In addition, the RRC protocol can facilitate the transport of NAS messages exchanged between the UE and the MME entity.

[0141] In step 604, as part of the RRC configuration or as a separate action, the base station may receive various capability information transmitted from the UE. The capability information may include the minimum timing offset of the SRS. Figure 10 As shown, the minimum timing offset may correspond to the number of symbols between the last symbol of the triggering DCI and the first symbol corresponding to the triggered AP-SRS transmission. Because the UE requires a certain amount of time to decode the DCI before sending the AP-SRS signal in response to the minimum timing offset, the UE's desire or need to transmit the minimum timing offset arises. More specifically, because different UEs may have different processing capabilities, for example, a UE from one manufacturer may have a faster processor than a UE from another manufacturer, different UEs may have different minimum timing requirements for processing the SRS trigger item in the received DCI and transmitting the requested SRS. Therefore, due to the different processing time requirements for receiving and implementing the DCI, different UEs may have different minimum timing offsets.

[0142] Furthermore and due to this minimum timing offset, in most cases the SRS is typically sent in the last six symbols of the slot, e.g. Figure 9DCI and the AP-SRS in the first available symbol in the last six symbols of the second slot, which corresponds to a gap of about 19 symbols. This slot spacing or gap can allow the UE time to decode the DCI.

[0143] In some embodiments, the UE can simply report whether the UE requires a minimum 19 symbol timing offset. In other embodiments, the UE can report the minimum timing offset according to a list of pre-stored or pre-set values (7, 14, 19, etc.) corresponding to the number of symbols. In some embodiments, where the UE does not report a minimum timing offset, the BS assumes the minimum timing requirement that is hard-coded in its specifications. In other embodiments, for frequency ranges between 60 kHz and 120 kHz, the minimum timing offset reported by the UE can be based on the beam switching timing parameter. In other embodiments, a new minimum timing offset related capability can be reported by the UE for 15 kHz SCS and 30 kHz SCS. In other embodiments, the new minimum timing offset is reported per band to include licensed bands and unlicensed bands.

[0144] In some embodiments, the PDCCH monitoring capability and the PUSCH processing capability can be copied from the previous 3GPP release in order to address backward compatibility issues. More specifically, when the UE is configured to report the minimum timing offset for AP-SRS, the UE can also report a copy or replica of PUSCH-ProcessingType2 as PUSCH-ProcessingType2-r16. More specifically, the following excerpt from Technical Specification 38.331 provides further insight on how the UE can report separate PUSCH processing capability #2, one for Rel-15 NW and one for Rel-16 NW, for backward compatibility considerations.

[0145] Excerpt - Technical Specification 38.331 - PUSCH-ProcessingType2:

[0146] <Unchanged parts have been omitted>

[0147] FeatureSetUplink-v1540 ::= SEQUENCE {

[0148] zeroSlotOffsetAperiodicSRS ENUMERATED {supported} OPTIONAL,

[0149] pa-PhaseDiscontinuityImpacts ENUMERATED{supported} OPTIONAL,

[0150] pusch-ProcessingType2 SEQUENCE{

[0151] scs-15kHz-r16 ProcessingParameters OPTIONAL,

[0152] scs-30kHz-r16 ProcessingParameters OPTIONAL,

[0153] scs-60kHz-r16 ProcessingParameters OPTIONAL

[0154] } OPTIONAL,

[0155] ul-MCS-TableAlt-DynamicIndication ENUMERATED{supported} OPTIONAL

[0156] }

[0157] FeatureSetUplink-v1610::= SEQUENCE {

[0158] pusch-ProcessingType2-r16 SEQUENCE{

[0159] scs-15kHz-r16 ProcessingParameters OPTIONAL,

[0160] scs-30kHz-r16 ProcessingParameters OPTIONAL,

[0161] scs-60kHz-r16 ProcessingParameters OPTIONAL

[0162] } OPTIONAL,

[0163] }

[0164] <unchanged parts have been omitted>

[0165] Further, PUSCH-ProcessingType2 detailed in the above technical specification excerpt indicates UE support for PUSCH processing capability #2 for Rel-15 NR networks, while PUSCH-ProcessingType2-r16 indicates UE support for PUSCH processing capability #2 for Rel-16 NR networks, which can be different from Rel-15 NR networks. In current NR specifications, aperiodic tracking reference signal (AP-TRS) minimum timing offset is defined based on PUSCH processing capability. Further, PUSCH processing capability #2 is a Rel-15 NR UE feature. The new capability introduced for minimum timing offset separates AP-TRS processing from PUSCH processing timing. Thus, in a Rel-16 network (NW) that can understand the new AP-TRS minimum timing offset related capability, a UE can support PUSCH processing capability #2, but can not support a shorter AP-TRS processing time, e.g., < 19 symbols. However, a Rel-15 NW cannot understand the new AP-TRS minimum timing offset related capability, and the NW will not provide a version of minimum timing offset in the NR network. Thus, in a Rel-15 NW, a UE cannot support PUSCH processing capability #2 in the above example. Thus, a UE can report separate PUSCH processing capability #2: one for Rel-15 NW, and one for Rel-16 NW, for backward compatibility considerations. In other embodiments, for AP-SRS, a slot offset is preferably configured, and if the AP-SRS slot offset is not configured, it is assumed to be one slot.

[0166] This capability information from the UE, such as minimum timing offset information, can be used by the base station to determine an appropriate trigger offset configuration (or offset value) and provide it to the UE so that the UE can send the AP-SRS at the right time. In other words, in 606, the base station can receive the minimum timing offset provided by the UE and use the minimum timing offset to determine an appropriate SRS offset value (SRS trigger offset configuration) to provide to the UE.

[0167] As used herein, the term “trigger offset configuration” or “AP-SRS trigger offset configuration” can include an offset value, and possibly other related trigger offset information, such as a usage or validity period of the offset, and other possible information.

[0168] In step 606, the BS determines a UE's aperiodic sounding reference signal (AP-SRS) trigger offset configuration. As discussed above, the BS uses the capability information provided by the UE in step 604, which can include minimum timing offset information corresponding to the UE, to determine an appropriate AP-SRS trigger offset configuration for the UE. If the UE's capability information does include minimum timing offset information, the BS will accordingly provide the UE with a trigger offset configuration that meets or exceeds the minimum timing offset requirement. As discussed above, in some embodiments, if the UE does not report a minimum timing offset, the BS can assume and use a predetermined minimum timing offset value based on a hard-coded value according to its specifications. The base station then transmits the determined AP-SRS trigger offset to the UE, and the UE receives the AP-SRS trigger offset configuration.

[0169] Next, in step 608, the BS can later determine that the SRS trigger offset should be adjusted based on a transmission conflict. Thus, during or after the RRC configuration in which the UE has received the initial trigger offset, the BS can later during the ongoing communication with the UE decide that it should send the UE a new or updated trigger offset value. Because of the BS's inherent knowledge of the timing of its own and the UE's communications between the BS and the UE, the BS is able to determine whether any transmission or reception problems have occurred or are likely to occur. In other words, because the BS has full knowledge of the symbols exchanged between the BS and the UE in the UL and DL channels and their respective timings, the BS is able to determine any conflicts that can arise due to overlapping or colliding symbols of transmissions. For example, if the BS determines that the slot offset of the AP-SRS is invalid, e.g., that a UE transmission of a SRS based on the current slot offset will result in a collision or conflict with a DL symbol, the BS will determine that the SRS trigger offset needs to be adjusted in order to avoid the conflict or overlap. Similarly, if the slot offset is invalid due to not meeting the UE's minimum timing offset requirement, the BS will determine that the SRS trigger offset should be adjusted in order to meet the minimum timing requirement.

[0170] Thus, the BS proceeds to step 610, in which the BS determines a new SRS trigger offset value and transmits signaling to the UE specifying the new value of the AP-SRS trigger offset. For example, if the BS determines that the current or previous trigger offset value will result in a conflict, the BS determines or selects a new trigger offset value in 610 that does not result in such a conflict. The UE will then process the signaling from the BS and make the necessary configuration changes to apply (e.g., store and later utilize) the new AP-SRS trigger offset value. When the UE next receives a trigger for an aperiodic SRS from the base station, it will utilize the new AP-SRS trigger offset provided from the base station to calculate when to transmit the SRS. In some embodiments, the BS can transmit signaling designed to update the SRS trigger offset in each of multiple UEs.

[0171] In some embodiments, the new or updated SRS value can have a preset period of use, e.g., the updated SRS value can be designed to be used by the UE once or a preset number of times, and then the UE can revert to a previous offset value, such as the offset value provided during or after RRC configuration. Alternatively, in 610, the BS can also include time information specifying an amount of time or a number of future SRS transmissions during which the new SRS offset value is valid, after which the UE reverts to a previous or initial offset value.

[0172] Finally, in step 612, the BS transmits signaling to the UE to trigger an aperiodic SRS. For example, to confirm to the BS that it has provided the UE with an appropriate AP-SRS trigger offset value, the BS can trigger an AP-SRS event after transmitting the trigger offset value. In other embodiments, the BS can trigger an AP-SRS due to a degraded signal between the BS and the UE.

[0173] The base station can then utilize the AP-SRS sent from the UE to determine or estimate the quality of the channel. The information provided by the estimation is then used to schedule good quality uplink transmissions on resource blocks. Additionally, since the UE utilizes the newly provided and adjusted trigger offset value, the UE and BS are able to more efficiently communicate by avoiding unnecessary collisions with DL symbols and / or invalid slot offset values due to the UE's minimum timing offset requirement. In doing so, the UE and BS can avoid erroneous or even repeated transmissions, which can directly improve efficiency by reducing latency and bandwidth usage.

[0174] Figure 7 - Flowchart - User Equipment Perspective with AP-SRS Trigger Offset

[0175] Figure 7 An exemplary flowchart is shown that dynamically utilizes an AP-SRS trigger offset from the perspective of a user equipment, in accordance with some embodiments.

[0176] As shown in step 702, a user equipment (UE) establishes a radio resource control (RRC) with a base station (BS). As discussed above with respect to Figure 6 The RRC protocol is capable of performing a number of different functions with respect to signaling between the BS and the UE.

[0177] In step 704, as part of the RRC configuration or as a separate action, the user equipment can transmit various capability information to the base station. This capability information can include a minimum timing offset for SRS. As discussed above with respect to Figure 6The minimum timing offset discussed can be reported in accordance with the various different embodiments described previously. In 706, the base station can receive the minimum timing offset provided by the UE and use the minimum timing offset to determine an appropriate SRS offset value (SRS trigger offset configuration) to provide to the UE.

[0178] In step 706, the UE receives an initial aperiodic sounding reference signal (AP-SRS) trigger offset configuration from the BS. As described above, the BS uses the capability information provided by the UE in step 704, which can include minimum timing offset information corresponding to the UE, to determine an appropriate AP-SRS trigger offset configuration for the UE.

[0179] Next, in step 708, the UE can experience a transmission conflict, which allows the BS to determine that the SRS trigger offset should be adjusted. As discussed above with respect to Figure 6 As discussed above, during or after the RRC configuration in which the UE has received an initial trigger offset, the BS can later during ongoing communications with the UE decide that it should send a new or updated trigger offset value to the UE. For example, if the BS determines that the slot offset for AP-SRS is invalid, e.g., that a UE transmission of SRS based on the current slot offset would result in a collision or conflict with a DL symbol, then the BS will determine that the SRS trigger offset needs to be adjusted in order to avoid the collision or overlap. Similarly, if the slot offset is invalid due to not meeting the minimum timing offset requirements of the UE, then the BS will determine that the SRS trigger offset should be adjusted in order to meet the minimum timing requirements.

[0180] Accordingly, the UE proceeds to step 710, in which the UE receives a new SRS trigger offset value from the BS. As discussed above with respect to Figure 6 The UE will then process the signaling from the BS and make the necessary configuration changes to apply (e.g., store and later utilize) the new AP-SRS trigger offset value. When the UE next receives a trigger for aperiodic SRS from the base station, it will utilize the new AP-SRS trigger offset provided from the base station to calculate when to transmit the SRS.

[0181] Next, in step 712, the UE receives trigger signaling from the base station to transmit an aperiodic SRS.

[0182] Finally, in step 714, in response to the trigger received in 712, the UE transmits a new aperiodic SRS based on the new trigger offset value received by the UE in 710. In other words, in response to the trigger transmitted by the BS in 712, the UE uses the new trigger offset value to determine or calculate when to transmit the SRS in response to the received trigger signal.

[0183] The base station can then utilize the AP-SRS sent from the UE to determine or estimate the quality of the channel. The information provided by the estimation is then used to schedule good quality uplink transmissions on the resource blocks. Additionally, since the UE utilizes the newly provided and adjusted trigger offset value, the UE and BS are able to more efficiently communicate by avoiding unnecessary collisions with DL symbols and / or invalid slot offset values due to the minimum timing offset requirement of the UE. In doing so, the UE and BS can avoid erroneous and even repeated transmissions, which can directly improve efficiency by reducing latency and bandwidth usage.

[0184] Figure 8 - MAC CE containing new trigger offset value

[0185] Figure 8 An example of a medium access center (MAC) control element (CE) subheader is shown, according to some embodiments, which is used by the base station to transmit the updated trigger offset value to the UE. Figure 8 An example of the MAC-CE is also shown, labeled with the corresponding fields of R (reserved bit), BWP ID (bandwidth part ID), serving cell ID, SUL (supplemental uplink), aperiodic (AP)-sounding reference signal (SRS) trigger state, and slot offset. In some embodiments, the MAC-CE can be used to provide the trigger slot offset value to the UE. Specifically, the BS can use the MAC-CE to configure one or more trigger states. Additionally, providing the trigger slot offset value to the UE with the MAC-CE allows for faster slot offset updates.

[0186] In other embodiments, the MAC-CE can be used to update the same slot offset to the same AP-SRS trigger state in multiple bandwidth parts (BWPs) or component carriers (CCs). In other words, when the CCs in a group are indicated in the MAC-CE and have been provided a new trigger offset value, the other CCs in the same group will also receive the same trigger offset value. In doing so, the overhead (e.g., in terms of bandwidth and latency) will be reduced by not having to send as many transmissions to the same or multiple devices. In some embodiments, the received MAC-CE will be valid until the next MAC-CE is received. However, in other embodiments, the MAC-CE can have a hard-coded duration in which the MAC-CE update is applied until the duration has passed. In other embodiments, the duration can be configured in the RRC.

[0187] Figure 9 - Exemplary slot offset

[0188] Figure 9An example of a timing offset between downlink control information (DCI) and an aperiodic (AP) sounding reference signal (SRS) is shown, in accordance with some embodiments. Figure 9 An example of a minimum timing offset value of 1 providing the UE at least 19 symbols between the DCI and the SRS is also shown. This is due to the DCI occupying the first three symbols of the first slot and the SRS occupying the first available symbol of the last six of the second slot. Figure 9 This example of the SRS being transmittable in the last six symbols of a slot is additionally shown. As discussed above, this slot interval or gap allows the UE the time needed to decode the DCI and then transmit the requested AP-SRS. Furthermore, due to different processing capabilities of different UEs, some UEs can need less than 19 symbols as a minimum timing offset.

[0189] Figure 10 - Exemplary Minimum Timing Offset Capability Report

[0190] Figure 10 An example of a minimum timing offset for a UE capability report for AP-SRS is shown, in accordance with some embodiments. This example of a minimum timing offset is defined as the number of symbols between the last symbol of the triggering DCI and the first symbol of the corresponding triggered AP-SRS transmission. As discussed above, since the UE needs an amount of time to decode the DCI before transmitting the AP-SRS signal, this minimum timing offset is created, which can vary from UE to UE based on processing capability. In some embodiments, when the timing offset configured by the base station is less than the minimum timing offset reported in the capability information of the UE, the UE is not required to transmit the SRS. In other embodiments, when the timing offset configured by the base station is less than the minimum timing offset reported in the capability information of the UE, the UE transmits the SRS in the next available and valid slot that satisfies the reported minimum timing offset capability of the UE.

[0191] Figure 11 - Slot Bundling

[0192] Figure 11Examples are shown of when a UE is configured for SRS repetition or slot bundling, according to some embodiments. When a UE is so configured, multiple AP-SRS transmissions are done consecutively after a single trigger signal from the base station. Specifically, a SRS resource set can contain multiple SRS resources, and each SRS resource can contain multiple ports. For example, when utilizing digital precoding, a UE is able to probe (i.e., channel probe) all physical antennas / beams in one SRS resource. In another scenario such as analog beamforming, for example, the UE is configured to probe each antenna or beam sequentially. In other words, slot bundling or SRS repetition can be performed at the SRS resource set level or the SRS resource level. Further, for example, when a UE experiences degraded signal quality due to having poor coverage at high frequency bands, the UE can attempt to bundle multiple AP-SRS transmissions in order to provide increased processing gain or energy to the base station. Additionally, Figure 11 Examples are shown of how, due to consecutively transmitted AP-SRS and minimum timing offset, some of the symbols meet the minimum timing offset requirement (the last two AP-SRS transmissions on the right) and some of the symbols do not meet the minimum timing offset requirement (the first two AP-SRS transmissions on the left). Thus, in some embodiments, when the minimum timing offset requirement is not met, the UE can have the option of not transmitting any SRS symbols. In other embodiments, the UE can have the option of transmitting only the SRS symbols that meet their minimum timing offset requirement.

[0193] Figure 12 - Offset value selection

[0194] Figure 12 Examples are shown of how a base station can allow a DCI to change the slot offset in one or more steps, according to some embodiments. In other words, Figure 12 A more fine-grained approach is shown whereby the base station can provide an initial set of possible offsets, and then further select an offset from this initial list. Specifically, Figure 12It is shown that the base station provides a list of N possible slot offsets in the AP SRS-ResourceSet, e.g., during or after RRC configuration. Then later during communication with the UE, the base station can transmit a MAC-CE that activates up to M possible slot offsets from the N possible slot offsets configured by RRC. After this, the base station can then send a DCI that indicates 1 slot offset from the M possible slot offsets activated by the MAC-CE. Further, according to this implementation, a new slot offset field in the log2M bits of the DCI can be introduced. In other implementations, the BS can dynamically allow the DCI to introduce a new slot offset field in order to change the slot offset for each AP-SRS resource set. Further, according to this implementation, if the new slot offset field is not present, the UE will then process according to the behavior previously RRC configured.

[0195] Figure 13 - Transmission of SRS at next available slot

[0196] Figure 13 An example of flexible AP-SRS triggering offset is shown, according to some embodiments. Specifically, Figure 13 An example is shown where the slot offset of the UE’s attempted AP-SRS transmission collides with a DL symbol resulting in a collision that prevents the UE from transmitting the AP-SRS. Upon encountering such a situation, the UE then attempts to transmit the AP-SRS at the next available valid slot. Further, as discussed above with respect to Figure 6

[0197] Figure 14 - Partial cancellation

[0198] Figure 14 ​Examples of partial cancellation of transmissions from a UE are shown in accordance with some embodiments. The partial cancellation capability of a UE is determined from a report detailing a duplex direction conflict from a dynamic slot format indication (SFI) or a dynamic downlink grant. Additionally, in some embodiments, the report can be detailed per band, per UE differentiated with FR1 (Frequency 1) / FR2 (Frequency 2), per UE differentiated with TDD (Time Division Duplexing) / FDD (Frequency Division Duplexing), or per UE differentiated with licensed / unlicensed. Additionally, in other embodiments, the report quantity can be a single value indicating “support” or “not support”. In some embodiments, the report contains a bitmap to indicate support / not support for each channel signal (PUCCH, PUSCH, PRACH, SRS). Specifically, Figure 14 Examples of partial cancellation are shown, where the first PUSCH transmission symbol is successfully transmitted, but when a conflict occurs, such as with a Figure 14 The remaining PUSCH symbols are not transmitted due to partial cancellation when shown downlink (DL) symbols conflict. Additionally, in some embodiments, the UE is not expected to recalculate the transport block (TB) for PUSCH transmission and / or rate matching, among other parameters. In other embodiments, certain dynamic SFI capabilities will be copied from previous 3GPP releases in order to accommodate previous cancellation capabilities in previous releases and address non-backward compatibility (NBC) issues. In other words, if the UE does not support partial cancellation, the BS will proceed accordingly from previous releases with the appropriate cancellation capability.

[0199] It is well understood that the use of personally identifiable information should follow privacy policies and practices that are generally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmental requirements for maintaining the privacy of users. In particular, personally identifiable information data should be managed and handled in a manner that minimizes risks from unauthorized or unintended access or use. Depending on the circumstances, this can include eliminating personally identifiable information fields stored on a system, encrypting personal identifiable information, password protecting access to new information, restricting the number of employees or agents who have access to certain information, automatically logging employees or agents out of their accounts after a predefined period of inactivity, or other steps.

[0200] Embodiments of the present disclosure can be realized in any of various forms. For example, some embodiments can be realized as computer-implemented methods, computer-readable memory media, or computer systems. Other embodiments can be realized using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. Other embodiments can be realized using one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs.

[0201] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium can be configured such that it stores program instructions and / or data, where the program instructions, if executed by a computer system, cause the computer system to perform a method, such as any of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of such subsets.

[0202] In some embodiments, a device (e.g., UE 106) can be configured to include a processor (or a set of processors) and a memory medium, where the memory medium stores program instructions, where the processor is configured to read and execute the program instructions from the memory medium, where the program instructions are executable to implement any of the various method embodiments described herein (or any combination of method embodiments described herein, or any subset of any of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of such subsets). The device can be implemented in any of a variety of forms.

[0203] Any of the methods described herein for operating a user equipment (UE) can be the basis for a corresponding method for operating a base station, by interpreting each message / signal X received by the UE in the downlink as a message / signal X transmitted by the base station, and interpreting each message / signal Y transmitted by the UE in the uplink as a message / signal Y received by the base station.

[0204] While the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, numerous variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully appreciated. It is intended that the following claims be construed to include all such variations and modifications as falling within the true spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising: receiving, from a user equipment (UE), an indication of whether the UE requires a minimum timing offset of 19 symbols; determining aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) triggering offset values ​​for a UE, wherein each of the aperiodic SRS triggering offset values ​​is based at least in part on a minimum timing offset received from the UE and specifies a timing offset between an aperiodic SRS trigger received by the UE in a downlink control information (DCI) message and transmission of the SRS by the UE in response to the aperiodic SRS trigger; transmitting, via radio resource control (RRC) signaling, to the UE, an initial set of aperiodic SRS triggering offset values ​​for an SRS resource set; Transmitting a medium access control MAC control element CE message for activating one or more time slot offset values ​​in the initial set of aperiodic SRS triggering offset values; as well as A DCI message specifying one of the one or more slot offset values ​​activated by the MAC CE message is transmitted to the UE.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: It is determined that the SRS triggering offset should be adjusted by determining that a previously requested aperiodic SRS was not transmitted.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The SRS triggering offset should be adjusted by determining that the aperiodic SRS transmission collides or will collide with one or more downlink (DL) symbols.

4. A method for wireless communication, comprising: transmitting an indication to a base station BS whether the UE requires a minimum timing offset of 19 symbols; receiving an initial set of aperiodic sounding reference signal (SRS) triggering offset values ​​for an SRS resource set from the base station (BS) via radio resource control (RRC) signaling, wherein the aperiodic SRS triggering offset values ​​are based at least in part on the minimum timing offset; receiving a medium access control MAC control element CE message for activating one or more time slot offset values ​​in the initial set of aperiodic SRS triggering offset values; receiving, from the BS, a downlink control information (DCI) message specifying one of the one or more slot offset values ​​activated by the MAC CE message; receiving an aperiodic SRS trigger from the base station BS in an additional DCI message; as well as An aperiodic SRS is transmitted based on the received aperiodic SRS trigger, wherein the aperiodic SRS is transmitted in a time slot based at least in part on the one value specified from the initial set of aperiodic SRS trigger offset values. The method of claim 4 , wherein the minimum timing offset is reported from a list of pre-stored or preset values.

6. The method according to claim 4, further comprising: When the UE transmits the minimum timing offset of the UE to the base station BS, both PUSCH-ProcessingType2 and PUSCH-ProcessingType2-r16 are transmitted.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the UE is further configured for SRS repetition or time slot bundling, in which multiple non-periodic SRS transmissions are performed continuously in response to one or more trigger signals from the base station BS.

8. A base station BS, comprising: At least one processor configured to cause the method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 to be performed.

9. The BS according to claim 8, further comprising: one or more antennas; as well as A radio is operatively coupled to the at least one processor.

10. A user equipment (UE), comprising: A processor configured to cause the method according to any one of claims 4 to 7 to be performed.

11. The UE according to claim 10, further comprising: at least one antenna; as well as A radio is operatively coupled to the processor for communicating with a cellular network. The UE according to claim 10 , wherein the processor is a baseband processor. 13 . A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions, wherein the program instructions are executable by one or more processors to cause a base station (BS) to perform the method according to claim 1 .

14. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing program instructions, wherein the program instructions are executable by one or more processors to cause a user equipment (UE) to perform the method according to any one of claims 4 to 7.

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