Systems and methods for fast power headroom reporting

Abstract

This application relates to systems and methods for fast power headroom reporting. A user equipment (UE) can transmit a power headroom report in response to changing a beamforming parameter. The UE can autonomously change the beamforming parameter from a set of preconfigured beams, or receive a command to change the beamforming parameter for transmissions on a new beam. The UE can determine a power headroom applicable to transmissions from the UE on the new beam. The UE can transmit a power headroom report based on the power headroom using resources configured for power headroom reporting in response to the command. For example, the power headroom report can be multiplexed with an uplink transmission from the UE using the new beam. In an aspect, the UE can select a scheduled transmission as the uplink transmission during a time period after the command is implemented. For example, the power headroom report can be transmitted as a physical layer transmission or as a MAC-CE transmission.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application entitled "System and method for rapid power clearance reporting" filed on September 25, 2018, with application number 201880061932.3.

[0002] Cross-references to related applications

[0003] This patent application claims priority to U.S. non-provisional application No. 16 / 139,990, filed September 24, 2018, entitled "SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR FAST POWER HEADROOM REPORTING," and U.S. provisional application No. 62 / 563,391, filed September 26, 2017, entitled "SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR FAST POWER HEADROOM REPORTING," which are assigned to the assignee of this application and are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Background Technology

[0004] The various aspects of this disclosure generally relate to wireless communication networks, and in particular to power management.

[0005] Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, message sending and receiving, and broadcasting. These systems can be multiple access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple access systems include Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) systems, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) systems, and Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) systems.

[0006] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunications standards to provide a common protocol enabling different wireless devices to communicate at the city, national, regional, and even global levels. For example, fifth-generation (5G) wireless communication technology (which may be referred to as New Radio (NR)) is designed to expand and support a diverse range of use cases and applications relative to current mobile network generations. In one aspect, 5G communication technologies may include: enhanced mobile broadband for human-centric use cases of accessing multimedia content, services, and data; ultra-reliable low latency communication (URLLC) with certain specifications regarding latency and reliability; and massive machine-type communication, which allows for a very large number of connected devices and the transmission of relatively small amounts of non-latency-sensitive information. However, with the continued growth in demand for mobile broadband access, further improvements to NR and beyond NR communication technologies may be expected.

[0007] For example, current power clearance reporting solutions may not provide the desired speed or level of customization for efficient operation of NR and ultra-NR communication technologies. Therefore, improvements to wireless communication operation may be necessary. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The following provides a brief overview of one or more aspects to offer a basic understanding of such aspects. This overview is not an exhaustive summary of all conceived aspects, nor is it intended to identify the key or decisive elements of all aspects, nor to define the scope of any or all aspects. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more aspects in a simplified form as an introduction to the more detailed description that follows.

[0009] In one aspect, this disclosure includes a method for wireless communication, the method comprising determining, at a user equipment (UE), one or more beamforming parameters to be changed for transmission on a new beam. The method may include determining a power clearance suitable for transmissions from the UE on the new beam. The method may include transmitting a power clearance report based on the power clearance in response to the change, the power clearance report being transmitted on a resource assigned to the power clearance report.

[0010] In one aspect, this disclosure provides a UE including a memory and a processor communicating with the memory. The processor can be configured at the UE to determine one or more beamforming parameters to be changed for transmission on a new beam. The processor can be configured to determine a power clearance suitable for transmission from the UE on the new beam. The processor can be configured to transmit a power clearance report based on the power clearance in response to the change, the power clearance report being transmitted on a resource assigned to the power clearance report.

[0011] In another aspect, this disclosure provides a UE. The UE may include means for determining, at the UE, one or more beamforming parameters to be changed for transmission on a new beam. The UE may include means for determining a power clearance applicable to transmissions from the UE on the new beam. The UE may include means for transmitting a power clearance report based on the power clearance in response to the change, the power clearance report being transmitted on a resource assigned to the power clearance report.

[0012] In another aspect, this disclosure provides a computer-readable medium storing computer code executable by a processor of a UE for wireless communication. The computer-readable medium may include code at the UE for determining one or more beamforming parameters to be changed for transmission on a new beam. The computer-readable medium may include code for determining a power clearance suitable for transmission from the UE on the new beam. The computer-readable medium may include code for transmitting a power clearance report based on the power clearance in response to the change, the power clearance report being transmitted on a resource assigned to the power clearance report.

[0013] To achieve the foregoing and related objectives, these one or more aspects include the features fully described below and specifically pointed out in the claims. Certain illustrative features of these one or more aspects are set forth in detail in the following description and drawings. However, these features are merely a few of many ways in which the principles of these aspects may be employed, and this description is intended to cover all such aspects and their equivalents. Attached Figure Description

[0014] The disclosed aspects will now be described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which are provided for illustrative purposes and not for limiting the scope of the disclosure, wherein similar reference numerals denote similar elements, and wherein:

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication network including at least one user equipment (UE) having a power clearance component configured according to this disclosure to report power clearance in response to changes in beamforming parameters.

[0016] Figure 2 This is an example timeline that can be used for uplink transmissions carrying power clearance reports;

[0017] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for reporting transmission power clearance.

[0018] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of each example component of the UE; and

[0019] Figure 5 yes Figure 1A schematic diagram of the various example components of the base station. Detailed Implementation

[0020] Various aspects will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth for illustrative purposes to provide a thorough understanding of one or more aspects. However, it will be apparent that such aspects can be practiced without these specific details. Furthermore, as used herein, the term "component" can refer to one of the parts constituting a system, can be hardware, firmware, and / or software stored on a computer-readable medium, and can be divided into other components.

[0021] This disclosure generally relates to the reporting of power headroom in wireless communication systems. Power headroom can refer to the amount of available power that a user equipment has for transmission after power has been allocated for the current transmission and after other constraints have been imposed. For example, positive power headroom can indicate that the UE has additional available power and can transmit additional data. In contrast, negative power headroom can indicate that the UE wants to transmit at a power greater than the power the UE is allowed to transmit. In LTE, power headroom can be reported as a Media Access Control (MAC) layer control element (CE) associated with Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission. In LTE, power headroom can be reported periodically or in response to changes in path loss.

[0022] In wireless communication systems utilizing multi-beam communication, power headroom can change much faster than in LTE. For example, beamforming gain can be a factor determining power headroom. The beam can be altered by the changing orientation of the UE relative to the base station. Additionally, maximum power transmit requirements can impose constraints on transmit power based on the UE's location relative to the user. Therefore, a mechanism for rapidly transmitting information about power headroom may be appropriate.

[0023] In one aspect, this disclosure provides a flexible power clearance reporting method that allows power clearance information to be transmitted over a scheduling layer 1 (i.e., the PHY layer) transmission or over a MAC-CE associated with a PUSCH transmission. For example, power clearance is preferably transmitted over a scheduling transmission that occurs shortly after the UE implements a beam-change command. For example, power clearance may be transmitted over a first available scheduling transmission.

[0024] Additional features of various aspects of the present invention are described below with reference to Figure 1-5 Let me describe it in more detail.

[0025] It should be noted that the technologies described herein can be used in various wireless communication networks, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, and other systems. The terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably. CDMA systems can implement radio technologies such as CDMA2000 and Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA). CDMA2000 encompasses the IS-2000, IS-95, and IS-856 standards. IS-2000 versions 0 and A are often referred to as CDMA2000 1X, 1X, etc. IS-856 (TIA-856) is often referred to as CDMA2000 1xEV-DO, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), etc. UTRA includes Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) and other CDMA variants. TDMA systems can implement radio technologies such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). OFDMA systems can implement technologies such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, and Flash-OFDM. TM Radio technologies such as UTRA and E-UTRA are part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE Advanced (LTE-A) are new UMTS versions using E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, and GSM are described in documents from an organization called the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). CDMA2000 and UMB are described in documents from an organization called the Third Generation Partnership Project 2 (3GPP2). The technologies described herein can be used with the systems and radio technologies mentioned above, as well as with other systems and radio technologies, including cellular (e.g., LTE) communications sharing a radio spectrum band. However, the following description describes New Radio (NR) / 5G systems for illustrative purposes, and NR / 5G terminology is used in most of the following description, but these technologies are also applicable beyond NR / 5G applications (e.g., to other 5G networks or other next-generation communication systems).

[0026] The following description provides examples and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or examples set forth in the claims. Changes may be made to the function and arrangement of the elements discussed without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Various procedures or components may be appropriately omitted, substituted, or added to the examples. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Furthermore, features described with reference to some examples may be combined in other examples.

[0027] Reference Figure 1According to various aspects of this disclosure, an example wireless communication network 100 includes at least one UE 110 having a modem 140 having a power clearance component 150 that determines power clearance in response to a beam-switching command and transmits a power clearance report to a base station 105 based on the power clearance. For example, the power clearance component 150 may include a beamforming component 152 for transmitting beamforming parameters that can be set by the base station 105 using a beam-switching command. The power clearance component 150 may also include a power clearance (PH) determination component 154 for determining power clearance based on new beamforming parameters. The power clearance component 150 may also include a PH reporting component 156 for transmitting the power clearance determined by the PH determination component 154, which is multiplexed to uplink transmissions using the new beamforming parameters. Furthermore, the wireless communication network 100 includes at least one base station 105 having a modem 160 with a power control component 170 for receiving power clearance reports from the UE 110. For example, the power control component 170 may include a scheduling component 172 for scheduling one or more uplink transmissions from the UE 110, a decoder 174 for decoding one or more uplink transmissions from the UE 110, and a beam selector 176 for selecting a beam for the UE 110 and sending a beam switching command. Thus, according to this disclosure, the UE 110 can report changes in power clearance by multiplexing the power clearance report with another transmission in response to a beam switching.

[0028] Wireless communication network 100 may include one or more base stations 105, one or more UEs 110, and a core network 115. Core network 115 provides user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. Base station 105 may interface with core network 115 via backhaul link 120 (e.g., S1, etc.). Base station 105 may perform radio configuration and scheduling for communication with UE 110, or may operate under the control of a base station controller (not shown). In various examples, base stations 105 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via core network 115) on backhaul link 125 (e.g., X1, etc.), which may be a wired or wireless communication link.

[0029] Base station 105 can wirelessly communicate with UE 110 via one or more base station antennas. Each base station 105 can provide communication coverage for its respective geographical coverage area 130. In some examples, base station 105 may be referred to as a base transceiver station, radio base station, access point, access node, radio transceiver, B-node, evolved B-node (eNB), gNB, home B-node, home evolved B-node, relay, basic service set (BSS), extended service set (ESS), transmit-receive point (TRP), or any other suitable term. The geographical coverage area 130 of base station 105 may be divided into sectors or cells (not shown) that constitute only a part of the coverage area. Wireless communication network 100 may include different types of base stations 105 (e.g., macro base stations or small cell base stations described below). Additionally, the plurality of base stations 105 can operate according to different communication technologies among various communication technologies (e.g., 5G (New Radio or "NR"), fourth generation (4G) / LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.), and thus there can be overlapping geographical coverage areas 130 for different communication technologies.

[0030] In some examples, wireless communication network 100 may be or include one or any combination of various communication technologies, including NR or 5G technology, Long Term Evolution (LTE) or LTE-A Advanced (LTE-A) or MuLTEfire technology, Wi-Fi technology, Bluetooth technology, or any other long-range or short-range wireless communication technology. In an LTE / LTE-A / MuLTEfire network, the term Evolved B-Node (eNB) may generally be used to describe base station 105, and the term UE may generally be used to describe UE 110. Wireless communication network 100 may be a heterogeneous technology network, in which different types of eNBs provide coverage for various geographic areas. For example, each eNB or base station 105 may provide communication coverage for macrocells, small cells, or other types of cells. Depending on the context, the term "cell" is a 3GPP term that may be used to describe a base station, a carrier or component carrier associated with a base station, or a coverage area (e.g., a sector, etc.) of a carrier or base station.

[0031] Macrocells typically cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., an area with a radius of several kilometers) and allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscriptions to network providers.

[0032] Small cells may include relatively low transmit power base stations (compared to macro cells) that can operate in the same or different frequency bands as macro cells (e.g., licensed, unlicensed, etc.). Depending on the examples, small cells may include picocells, femtocells, and microcells. A picocell may, for example, cover a small geographic area and allow unrestricted access by UE 110 with a service subscription to a network provider. A femtocell may also cover a small geographic area (e.g., a residential area) and provide restricted and / or unrestricted access by UE 110 associated with that femtocell (e.g., in a restricted access scenario, UE 110 in the closed subscriber group (CSG) of base station 105, which may include UE 110 of users in a residence, etc.). An eNB used for a macrocell may be referred to as a macro eNB. An eNB used for a small cell may be referred to as a small cell eNB, pico eNB, femtocell eNB, or home eNB. An eNB may support one or more (e.g., two, three, four, etc.) cells (e.g., component carriers).

[0033] The communication network, adaptable to various examples disclosed, can be a packet-based network operating according to a layered protocol stack, and the data in the user plane can be IP-based. The user plane protocol stack (e.g., Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), Radio Link Control (RLC), MAC, etc.) performs packet segmentation and reassembly for communication on logical channels. For example, the MAC layer can perform priority handling and multiplexing logical channels into transport channels. The MAC layer can also use Hybrid Automatic Repeat / Request (HARQ) to provide retransmissions at the MAC layer, thereby improving link efficiency. In the control plane, the RRC protocol layer can provide the establishment, configuration, and maintenance of the RRC connection between UE 110 and base station 105. The RRC protocol layer can also be used by the core network 115 to support radio bearers for user plane data. In the physical (PHY) layer, transport channels can be mapped to physical channels.

[0034] UE 110 may be distributed throughout the wireless communication network 100, and each UE 110 may be stationary or mobile. UE 110 may also include, or be referred to by those skilled in the art, as a mobile station, subscriber station, mobile unit, subscriber unit, wireless unit, remote unit, mobile device, wireless device, wireless communication device, remote device, mobile subscriber station, access terminal, mobile terminal, wireless terminal, remote terminal, handheld device, user agent, mobile client, client, or some other suitable term. UE 110 may be a cellular phone, smartphone, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless modem, wireless communication device, handheld device, tablet computer, laptop computer, cordless phone, smartwatch, wireless local loop (WLL) station, entertainment device, vehicle component, client equipment (CPE), or any device capable of communicating in the wireless communication network 100. Additionally, UE 110 may be an Internet of Things (IoT) and / or machine-to-machine (M2M) type device, such as a low-power, low-data-rate type device that may infrequently communicate with the wireless communication network 100 or other UEs in some respects (e.g., relative to a wireless phone). UE 110 can communicate with various types of base stations 105 and network equipment (including macro eNB, small cell eNB, macro gNB, small cell gNB, relay base stations, etc.).

[0035] UE 110 can be configured to establish one or more wireless communication links 135 with one or more base stations 105. The wireless communication links 135 shown in the wireless communication network 100 can carry uplink (UL) transmissions from UE 110 to base station 105, or downlink (DL) transmissions from base station 105 to UE 110. Downlink transmissions may also be referred to as forward link transmissions, and uplink transmissions may also be referred to as reverse link transmissions. Each wireless communication link 135 may include one or more carriers, where each carrier may be a signal (e.g., waveform signals of different frequencies) composed of multiple subcarriers modulated according to the various radio techniques described above. Each modulated signal may be transmitted on a different subcarrier and may carry control information (e.g., reference signals, control channels, etc.), overhead information, user data, etc. In one aspect, the wireless communication link 135 may use frequency division duplex (FDD) operation (e.g., using paired spectrum resources) or time division duplex (TDD) operation (e.g., using unpaired spectrum resources) to transmit bidirectional communication. Frame structures for FDD (e.g., frame structure type 1) and TDD (e.g., frame structure type 2) can be defined. Furthermore, in some aspects, the wireless communication link 135 can represent one or more broadcast channels.

[0036] In some aspects of the wireless communication network 100, base station 105 or UE 110 may include multiple antennas to employ an antenna diversity scheme to improve the communication quality and reliability between base station 105 and UE 110. Additionally or alternatively, base station 105 or UE 110 may employ multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) technology, which can utilize multipath environments to transmit multiple spatial layers carrying the same or different encoded data.

[0037] Wireless communication network 100 can support operation on multiple cells or carriers, a feature that may be referred to as carrier aggregation (CA) or multi-carrier operation. A carrier may also be referred to as a component carrier (CC), layer, channel, etc. The terms “carrier,” “component carrier,” “cell,” and “channel” are used interchangeably herein. UE 110 may be configured with multiple downlink CCs and one or more uplink CCs for carrier aggregation. Carrier aggregation can be used in conjunction with both FDD and TDD component carriers. For each carrier allocated in a carrier aggregation totaling up to Yx MHz (x = the number of component carriers) for transmission in each direction, base station 105 and UE 110 may use a spectrum with a bandwidth of up to Y MHz (e.g., Y = 5, 10, 15, or 20 MHz). These carriers may or may not be adjacent to each other. Carrier allocation may be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated to DL compared to UL). Component carriers may include primary component carriers and one or more secondary component carriers. The primary component carrier can be referred to as the primary cell (PCell), and the secondary component carrier can be referred to as the secondary cell (SCell).

[0038] The wireless communication network 100 may further include a Wi-Fi-operated base station 105 (e.g., a Wi-Fi access point) that communicates with a UE 110 (e.g., a Wi-Fi station (STA)) operating according to Wi-Fi technology via a communication link in unlicensed spectrum (e.g., 5 GHz). When communicating in unlicensed spectrum, each STA and AP may perform a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) or Listen-Before-Speak (LBT) procedure before communication to determine whether the channel is available.

[0039] Additionally, one or more of base station 105 and / or UE 110 may operate according to NR or 5G technologies known as millimeter wave (mmW or mmwave) technologies. For example, some base stations 105 may operate in conventional sub-6 GHz spectrum, millimeter wave (mmW) frequencies, and / or near-mmW frequencies to communicate with UE 110. When base station 105 operates in mmW or near-mmW frequencies, base station 105 may be referred to as an mmW base station. Extremely high frequency (EHF) is a portion of the radio frequency (RF) spectrum in the electromagnetic spectrum. EHF has a range of 30 GHz to 300 GHz and wavelengths between 1 mm and 10 mm. Radio waves in this band may be referred to as millimeter waves. Near-mmW extends down to frequencies of 3 GHz and wavelengths of 100 mm. For example, the ultra-high frequency (SHF) band extends between 3 GHz and 30 GHz and may also be referred to as centimeter waves. Communication using mmW and / or near-mmW RF bands has extremely high path loss and short range. Thus, base station 105 and / or UE 110 operating according to mmW technology can utilize beamforming in their transmission to compensate for extremely high path loss and short range.

[0040] The power headroom component 150 receives a beam-switching command from the beam selector 176 of the base station 105. The beam-switching command may indicate a change in the beamforming parameters used for the UE 110. The power headroom determination component 154 may determine the power headroom based on the maximum effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP). The EIRP includes beamforming gain, which varies in different directions depending on the orientation of the UE 110's antennas. For example, for a linear antenna array, the beamforming gain may decrease as the beam line-of-sight deviates from a line perpendicular to the line along which the antennas are placed. The power headroom may be determined based on the power allocated to the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) according to the closed-loop command and open-loop parameters. Open-loop parameters may include, for example, a signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR) target, fractional path loss, scheduled bandwidth, and modulation and coding scheme (MCS). PUSCH power can be limited to the difference between Pcmax and Ppucch, where Pcmax is the maximum power per carrier parameter, and Ppucch is the power of the PUCCH transmitted on the same carrier. PUCCH power can be determined using similar open-loop parameters, where the PUCCH format acts as the scheduled bandwidth and MCS. The maximum limit on PUCCH power can be Pcmax. Pcmax can be set by the UE 110 based on configured Pemax, power level, and maximum power reduction (MPR). Pemax can be the maximum transmit power to be used in the serving cell and can vary by component carrier.

[0041] In LTE, for example, Type 1 power headroom can be determined per carrier as the difference between Pcmax and Ppusch-unconstrained. Ppusch-unconstrained can be the PUSCH power value that UE 110 will use to transmit PUSCH when UE 110 is not constrained by Pcmax-Ppucch as discussed above. Type 2 power headroom can be determined on carriers supporting both PUSCH and PUCCH as the difference between Pcmax and the sum of Ppusch-unconstrained and Ppucch-unconstrained. Ppucch-unconstrained can be the value that Ppucch will use when it is not constrained by Pcmax.

[0042] The power clearance reporting component 156 can report the power clearance value determined by the power clearance determining component 154. The power clearance reporting component 156 can multiplex the power clearance report onto an uplink transmission on the resource assigned to the power clearance report. In one aspect, the uplink transmission may have been previously scheduled. The power clearance report can be multiplexed onto the assigned resource at the PHY layer. Accordingly, it may not be necessary to schedule the UE 110 on an additional transmission to transmit the power clearance report. In another example, the UE may be explicitly scheduled using an uplink transmission for the purpose of transmitting the power clearance report.

[0043] Various uplink transmissions can be used to carry power clearance reports. Uplink transmissions from UE 110 can be scheduled by scheduling component 172, which transmits to UE 110 an indication of permission for resources used for uplink transmissions. In one aspect, some transmissions may not require permission or may be associated with pre-configured resources. For example, UE 110 may transmit a scheduling request (SR) on pre-configured resources to request permission from base station 105. Similarly, probe reference signals (SRS) may be transmitted periodically on pre-configured resources to allow measurements at base station 105. In another aspect, sequence-based transmissions can be used in conjunction with SR or SRS to multiplex power clearance reports onto pre-configured transmissions. SR and SRS are typically transmitted with known sequences detected by base station 105. Multiple sequences can be defined that, in addition to performing the function of SR or SRS, allow SR or SRS to carry power clearance reports. For example, if eight sequences are defined, a 3-bit power clearance report can be communicated based on which sequence is selected. When expecting a power clearance report on SR or SRS, decoder 174 at base station 105 may need to decode multiple assumptions.

[0044] Power clearance reports can also be carried on the PUCCH at the PHY layer. For example, a power clearance report can be added to uplink control information (UCI). For example, a power clearance report can be encoded separately or bundled with UCI components (such as ACK, CQI, or beam-related information). For example, a power clearance report can be bundled with the lowest priority UCI component. The PH report component 156 can include an encoder that can also apply priority to various UCI components to allocate encoded bits based on that priority. For example, power clearance can be encoded with a lower priority UCI component (such as CQI), or a UCI component with a priority level equivalent to the priority level of the PH report. Accordingly, the encoded CQI or UCI component can also carry the PH and can be decoded, for example, according to a table or formula. The ability to carry a power clearance report can depend on the reliability of the PUCCH transmission (e.g., transmit power and MCS). Separate encoding of the PH can increase the size of the UCI.

[0045] As discussed above, depending on the uplink transmission multiplexed with which the power clearance report is used, the uplink transmission can accommodate various payload sizes. For example, in LTE, an 8-bit sequence can be used to report power clearance, where two bits are reserved and 6 bits represent the value of the power clearance. For transmissions supporting smaller payloads (e.g., SR or SRS), instead of reporting the value of the power clearance, a quantization change in the power clearance or beamforming gain can be reported. Accordingly, fewer bits can be used to provide similar granularity. For example, a 3-bit power clearance report indicated by a selected SR sequence can indicate the direction and extent of the quantization change. In one aspect, the PH reporting component 156 can determine the quantization change based on a table defined for the UE capabilities. In another aspect, the beam on which SR or SRS is transmitted can be different from the beam on which other uplink signals (e.g., PUCCH or PUSCH) are transmitted. For example, SRS can be beam-sweeped for uplink beam management purposes. To handle such cases, the beam on which the PH is calculated may be different from the beam on which the report is actually transmitted. The network can indicate to the UE, via RRC, MAC-CE, or DCI, which beams should be used for PH calculation.

[0046] On one hand, the power clearance report can also be used as confirmation of a received beam-switching command. Base station 105 can determine the expected transmission on which it intends to receive the power clearance report. Base station 105 can decode the expected transmission under two assumptions: 1) the beam-switching command is received and the expected transmission includes the power clearance report, and 2) the beam-switching command is not received and the expected transmission does not include the power clearance report. Accordingly, depending on which assumption is used to correctly decode the expected transmission, base station 105 can determine whether the beam-switching command has been correctly received. Accordingly, separate confirmation of the beam-switching command may not be necessary.

[0047] In one alternative, UE 110 can be configured to dynamically select a beam from a set of UL beam directions. For example, beamforming assembly 152 can select a beam based on inertial, gravity, or magnetic measurements. In this case, UE 110 may still experience changes in power headroom and transmit power headroom reports, as described herein. In another alternative, the UE can report beamforming gain differences across multiple configured directions (e.g., in response to a configuration message). Individual power headroom reports may not be necessary if the beamforming gain of the selected beam has been previously reported.

[0048] Reference Figure 2 Timeline 200 illustrates the selection of uplink transmission to carry power clearance reports. Timeline 200 can be divided into time slots in the time domain. Time slots can be further divided into sub-slots or symbol periods (not shown).

[0049] On one hand, beam-switching commands can be included in the downlink DCI on the PDCCH. Alternatively, the downlink DCI can be scheduled on the downlink PDSCH carrying the beam-switching command in the MAC-CE. The DCI can indicate the resources / transmissions to be used for L1 power clearance reporting. Alternatively, the resources / transmissions can be implicitly identified by the timing of the DCI and the uplink transmission. For example, the PH reporting component 156 can utilize a transmission that meets the timing requirements. This transmission can be the first transmission after the beam-switching command supporting power clearance reporting is implemented. On the other hand, transmissions can be associated with priorities (e.g., based on the reliability or payload size of the power clearance reporting), and the highest priority transmission during the reporting window can be selected.

[0050] As an example, in time slot 0, UE 110 may transmit SR210 indicating that UE 110 requires permission to transmit data. In time slot 1, base station 105 may transmit DCI 220 including UL permission to schedule PUSCH transmission in time slot 5. DCI 220 may also include a beam-switching command. UE 110 may execute beamforming component 152 to implement the beam-switching command during implementation window 222. PH determination component 154 may determine a new power clearance based on the new beam. Accordingly, during implementation window 222, PH reporting component 156 may not be able to report the new power clearance. Accordingly, as explained, transmission 230 in time slot 2 may not carry a power clearance report, even though transmission 230 is after the beam-switching command because transmission 230 occurs during the implementation window.

[0051] Reporting window 224 can be a threshold time period for reporting power clearance. On one hand, transmission 240 can be the first transmission in reporting window 224 and can be used to carry the power clearance report. As explained, transmission 240 can, for example, be a PUCCH carrying a periodic CQI. Accordingly, PHR 242 can be multiplexed onto transmission 240, for example, by bundling PHR 242 with the CQI value before encoding. On the other hand, transmissions can include PUSCH 250 and PUCCH 252. PUSCH 250 can support MAC-CE full power clearance reporting 254. Accordingly, PUSCH 250 can be the highest priority transmission within the reporting window and can be selected to carry the power clearance report.

[0052] Full power clearance reports can be transmitted on MAC-CE when sufficient UL resources are available on the L1 channel. For example, a full power clearance report can be used when the PUCCH has a sufficiently large allocation to support MAC-CE. Full power clearance reports can be transmitted with PUCCH or in association with both PUCCH and PUSCH. Three report types can be defined based on the physical channel transmitted with the report: 1) PUCCH only, 2) PUSCH only, and 3) PUCCH and PUSCH. The Ppucch-unconstrained value can be used to determine the power clearance, as PUCCH is always transmitted with the full power clearance report. When PUSCH is also transmitted, the power clearance can be based on the Ppusch-unconstrained value or the sum of Ppucch-unconstrained and Ppuschunconstrained. The report type can be pre-configured (e.g., using RRC signaling) or dynamically indicated using the resource allocation for the report. It is important to note that the report type does not necessarily depend on the content being transmitted. For example, by calculating the power required for the nominal configuration to transmit signals (PUCCH or PUSCH) that are not actually transmitted, a PH report including both PUCCH and PUSCH power can be transmitted on L1 signaling (e.g., on PUCCH) or on MAC-CE (i.e., on PUSCH), even if the transmission does not include both PUCCH and PUSCH.

[0053] On one hand, power clearance can be based on the waveform transmitted on the uplink. For example, π / 2 binary phase shift keying (bpsk) modulation can be used with Direct Fourier Transform Extended Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (DFT-s-OFDM), which is a waveform with a low peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR). Due to the lower PAPR, different maximum power reduction (MPR) values ​​can be used with DFT-s-OFDM. Accordingly, the power clearance calculation can be different for OFDM, DFT-s-OFDM, and DFT-s-OFDM with π / 2 BPSK. Because the waveform can be dynamically selected, the power clearance reporting component 156 can dynamically select which power clearance to report. The selected power clearance calculation can be configured via RRC signaling or indicated using the uplink resources for power clearance reporting. In another example, where power clearance reporting is dynamically scheduled based on timing, the full power clearance report on the MAC-CE can depend on the waveform of the PUSCH transmitted with the report. For example, when L1 signaling is used, UE 110 can be configured not to use π / 2bpsk or DFT-s-OFDM computation. As another example, UE 110 can only be configured to use π / 2bpsk or DFT-s-OFDM computation if the PUSCH transmission using π / 2bpsk modulation is within reporting window 224.

[0054] Reference Figure 3 For example, the wireless communication method 300 that operates the UE 110 to report power clearance in accordance with the above aspects includes one or more of the actions defined herein.

[0055] For example, at 310, method 300 includes determining at the UE one or more beamforming parameters to be changed for transmission on a new beam. For example, in one aspect, UE 110 may execute beamforming assembly 152 to change one or more beamforming parameters for transmission on a new beam. For example, at block 312, block 310 may include receiving at the UE a command to change one or more beamforming parameters for transmission on a new beam. For example, in one aspect, UE 110 may execute power clearance assembly 150 to receive a command to change one or more beamforming parameters for transmission on a new beam, as described herein. As another example, at block 314, block 310 may include autonomously changing beamforming parameters among a set of pre-configured beams. For example, UE 110 may execute beamforming assembly 152 to autonomously change beamforming parameters among a set of pre-configured beams. For example, beamforming assembly 152 may select a beam based on inertial, gravity, or magnetic measurements.

[0056] At 315, method 300 may optionally include implementing changes to one or more beamforming parameters. In one aspect, for example, UE 110 may execute beamforming component 152 to implement changes to one or more beamforming parameters. For example, beamforming component 152 may change beamforming parameters during implementation window 222.

[0057] At 320, method 300 includes determining a power headroom suitable for transmissions from the UE on the new beam. In one aspect, for example, UE 110 may perform PH determination component 154 to determine a power headroom suitable for transmissions from UE 110 on the new beam. The power headroom may be based on the transmission waveform of the PUSCH.

[0058] At 330, method 300 may optionally include selecting a scheduled transmission as the uplink transmission for carrying a power clearance report during a time period after the command is executed. In one aspect, for example, UE 110 may execute PH reporting component 156 to select a scheduled transmission (e.g., transmission 240 or PUSCH 250) as the uplink transmission during reporting window 224. For example, the scheduled transmission may be selected based on the priority of the transmission type of the scheduled transmission.

[0059] At 340, method 300 includes transmitting a power clearance report based on power clearance in response to a change, the power clearance report being transmitted on the resource to which the power clearance report is assigned. In one aspect, for example, UE 110 may execute PH reporting component 156 to transmit a power clearance report based on power clearance in response to a change. A new beam can be used to multiplex the power clearance report with uplink transmissions from the UE. For example, the uplink transmissions may be physical layer signals. In one implementation, the physical layer signals may be uplink control information (UCI) on the PUCCH. PH reporting component 156 may encode the power clearance report together with the UCI and transmit the power clearance report and UCI using permission for the UCI on the PUCCH. In another implementation, PH reporting component 156 may encode the power clearance report separately and transmit the power clearance report and UCI using permission for the UCI on the PUCCH. In another aspect, the power clearance report may be multiplexed with a scheduling request as a sequence selected from a plurality of sequences of the scheduling request. On another front, a power clearance report can be carried on a probe reference signal as a sequence selected from multiple sequences of that probe reference signal. The power clearance report may include quantization changes in beamforming gain or power clearance value caused by changes in beamforming parameters. The quantization value may be based on the capabilities of UE 110. On another front, the PH report component 156 can transmit the power clearance report over the MAC-CE. On yet another front, the power clearance report can be transmitted over separate transmissions scheduled for the power clearance report (e.g., scheduled by a beam-switching command). Additionally, in some cases, the power clearance report may not be transmitted using a new beam, but may instead be determined using the nominal value of a new beam.

[0060] Reference Figure 4 An example implementation of UE 110 may include various components, some of which have already been described above, but including components such as one or more processors 412 and memory 416, and transceiver 402, which are in communication via one or more buses 444. These components may operate in conjunction with modem 140 and power clearance component 150 to perform one or more of the functions described herein with respect to reporting power clearance. Furthermore, one or more processors 412, modem 414, memory 416, transceiver 402, RF front end 488, and one or more antennas 465 may be configured to support (simultaneously or asynchronously) voice and / or data calls in one or more radio access technologies.

[0061] In one aspect, one or more processors 412 may include a modem 140 using one or more modem processors. Various functions associated with the power clearance component 150 may be included in the modem 140 and / or processor 412, and in one aspect, may be performed by a single processor, while in other aspects, different functions may be performed by a combination of two or more different processors. For example, in one aspect, one or more processors 412 may include any one or any combination of: a modem processor, or a baseband processor, or a digital signal processor, or a transmitter processor, or a receiver processor, or a transceiver processor associated with transceiver 402. In other aspects, some of the features of one or more processors 412 and / or modem 140 associated with the power clearance component 150 may be performed by transceiver 402.

[0062] Additionally, memory 416 may be configured to store data used herein and / or a local version of application 475, or one or more of power clearance components 150 and / or their sub-components executed by at least one processor 412. Memory 416 may include any type of computer-readable medium that can be used by a computer or at least one processor 412, such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), tape, magnetic disk, optical disk, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and any combination thereof. In one aspect, for example, while UE 110 is operating at least one processor 412 to execute one or more of power clearance components 150 and / or their sub-components, memory 416 may be a non-transient computer-readable storage medium storing one or more computer-executable codes and / or data associated with power clearance components 150 and / or their sub-components.

[0063] Transceiver 402 may include at least one receiver 406 and at least one transmitter 408. Receiver 406 may include hardware, firmware, and / or processor-executable software code for receiving data, the code comprising instructions and stored in memory (e.g., a computer-readable medium). Receiver 406 may be, for example, a radio frequency (RF) receiver. In one aspect, receiver 406 may receive signals transmitted by at least one base station 105. Additionally, receiver 406 may process such received signals and may also obtain measurements of these signals, such as, but not limited to, Ec / Io, SNR, RSRP, RSSI, etc. Transmitter 408 may include hardware, firmware, and / or processor-executable software code for transmitting data, the code comprising instructions and stored in memory (e.g., a computer-readable medium). Suitable examples of transmitter 408 may include, but are not limited to, RF transmitters.

[0064] Furthermore, in one aspect, UE 110 may include an RF front-end 488, which is communicatively operable with one or more antennas 465 and transceiver 402 for receiving and transmitting radio transmissions, such as wireless communications transmitted by at least one base station 45 or wireless transmissions transmitted by UE 110. The RF front-end 488 may be connected to one or more antennas 465 and may include one or more low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) 490, one or more switches 492, one or more power amplifiers (PAs) 498, and one or more filters 496 for transmitting and receiving RF signals.

[0065] On one hand, the LNA 490 can amplify the received signal to a desired output level. On another hand, each LNA 490 can have specified minimum and maximum gain values. On yet another hand, the RF front end 488 can use one or more switches 492 to select a particular LNA 490 and its specified gain value based on the desired gain value for a particular application.

[0066] Furthermore, for example, one or more PAs 498 may be used by the RF front end 488 to amplify the signal to obtain an RF output at the desired output power level. In one aspect, each PA 498 may have specified minimum and maximum gain values. In another aspect, the RF front end 488 may use one or more switches 492 to select a particular PA 498 and its specified gain value based on the desired gain value for a particular application.

[0067] Furthermore, for example, one or more filters 496 may be used by the RF front end 488 to filter the received signal to obtain the input RF signal. Similarly, in one aspect, for example, a corresponding filter 496 may be used to filter the output from a corresponding PA 498 to produce an output signal for transmission. In one aspect, each filter 496 may be connected to a specific LNA 490 and / or PA 498. In one aspect, the RF front end 488 may use one or more switches 492 to select the transmit or receive path using a specified filter 496, LNA 490, and / or PA 498 based on a configuration as specified by the transceiver 402 and / or processor 412.

[0068] Thus, transceiver 402 can be configured to transmit and receive wireless signals via RF front-end 488 through one or more antennas 465. In one aspect, the transceiver can be tuned to operate at a specified frequency so that UE 110 can, for example, communicate with one or more base stations 105 or one or more cells associated with one or more base stations 105. In another aspect, for example, modem 140 can configure transceiver 402 to operate at a specified frequency and power level based on the UE configuration of UE 110 and the communication protocol used by modem 140.

[0069] In one aspect, modem 140 may be a multi-band, multi-mode modem capable of processing digital data and communicating with transceiver 402 to enable the use of transceiver 402 to transmit and receive digital data. In another aspect, modem 140 may be multi-band and configured to support multiple frequency bands for a specific communication protocol. In another aspect, modem 140 may be multi-mode and configured to support multiple operating networks and communication protocols. In one aspect, modem 140 may control one or more components of UE 110 (e.g., RF front-end 488, transceiver 402) to transmit and / or receive signals from the network based on a specified modem configuration. In one aspect, the modem configuration may be based on the modem's mode and the frequency band used. In another aspect, the modem configuration may be based on UE configuration information associated with UE 110, such as information provided by the network during cell selection and / or cell reselection.

[0070] Reference Figure 5 An example of an implementation of base station 105 may include various components, some of which have been described above, but also include components such as one or more processors 512 and memory 516 communicating via one or more buses 544 and transceiver 502, which may operate in conjunction with modem 160 and power control component 170 to implement one or more of the functions described herein with respect to received power clearance reporting.

[0071] Transceiver 502, receiver 506, transmitter 508, one or more processors 512, memory 516, application 1075, bus 544, RF front end 588, LNA 590, switch 592, filter 596, PA 598, and one or more antennas 565 may be the same as or similar to the corresponding components of UE 110 as described above, but are configured or otherwise programmed for base station operation rather than UE operation.

[0072] The detailed description above, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, describes examples and does not represent only examples that can be implemented or fall within the scope of the claims. The term "example" as used in this description means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration" and does not mean "superior to" or "outperforming" other examples. This detailed description includes specific details to provide an understanding of the described techniques. However, these techniques may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.

[0073] Information and signals can be represented using any of a wide variety of different techniques and technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips, which may be referred to throughout the above description, can be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, light fields or light particles, computer-executable code or instructions stored on a computer-readable medium, or any combination thereof.

[0074] The various explanatory frames and components described herein can be implemented or executed using specially programmed devices, such as, but not limited to, processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), ASICs, FPGAs, or other programmable logic devices designed to perform the functions described herein, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. A specially programmed processor may be a microprocessor, but in alternatives, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A specially programmed processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors cooperating with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0075] The functions described herein can be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions can be stored as one or more instructions or codes on or transmitted via a non-transient computer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations fall within the scope and spirit of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the aforementioned functions can be implemented using software, hardware, firmware, hardwired, or any combination thereof executed by a specially programmed processor. Features implementing the functions can also be physically located in various locations, including being distributed such that different parts of the function are implemented at different physical locations. Furthermore, as used herein (including in the claims), the "or" used in the enumeration of "at least one" items indicates a disjunctive enumeration, such that an enumeration such as "at least one of A, B, or C" represents A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C).

[0076] Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media, encompassing any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one location to another. Storage media can be any available medium accessible to a general-purpose or special-purpose computer. By way of example and not limitation, computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disc storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium capable of carrying or storing desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and accessible to a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Any connection is also legitimately referred to as computer-readable media. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then that coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of media. As used in this article, disk and disc include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital multi-purpose discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs. Disks often magnetically reproduce data, while discs optically reproduce data using lasers. Combinations of these media are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0077] The prior description of this disclosure is provided to enable those skilled in the art to make or use it. Various modifications to this disclosure will readily be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the common principles defined herein can be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of this disclosure. Furthermore, although elements of the described aspects and / or embodiments may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is also contemplated unless explicitly stated to be limited to the singular. Additionally, all or part of any aspect and / or embodiment may be used in conjunction with all or part of any other aspect and / or embodiment unless otherwise stated. Thus, this disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be granted the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising: At the user equipment (UE), determine one or more beamforming parameters to be changed for transmission on the new beam; Determine the power headroom applicable to the transmission from the UE on the new beam; as well as In response to the change, a power clearance report is transmitted based on the power clearance, the power clearance report being transmitted on the resource to which the power clearance report is assigned, wherein the transmission includes transmitting the power clearance report as a physical layer signal, wherein the power clearance report is multiplexed with a scheduling request as a sequence selected from a plurality of sequences of scheduling requests, multiplexed with a probe reference signal as a sequence selected from a plurality of sequences of probe reference signals, or transmitted with the UCI using permission for uplink control information (UCI) on the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource assigned to the power clearance report is further assigned to another uplink transmission.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the power clearance report comprises: The power clearance report and the UCI are encoded; as well as The power clearance report and the UCI are transmitted using permission granted on the PUCCH.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the power clearance report comprises: The power clearance report is encoded separately; as well as The power clearance report and the UCI are transmitted using permission granted on the PUCCH.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the power headroom report includes a quantized change in beamforming gain or power headroom value caused by the change in the beamforming parameters.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the quantification of the change is based on the capability of the UE.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the power headroom is determined based on the transmission waveform of the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH).

8. A user equipment (UE), comprising: Memory; as well as A processor that communicates with the memory; The processor is configured to: At the UE, determine one or more beamforming parameters to be changed for transmission on the new beam; Determine the power headroom applicable to the transmission from the UE on the new beam; as well as In response to the change, a power clearance report is transmitted based on the power clearance, the power clearance report being transmitted on the resource to which the power clearance report is assigned, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the power clearance report as a physical layer signal, wherein the power clearance report is multiplexed with a scheduling request as a sequence selected from a plurality of sequences of scheduling requests, multiplexed with a probe reference signal as a sequence selected from a plurality of sequences of probe reference signals, or transmitted with the UCI using permission for uplink control information (UCI) on the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).

9. The UE of claim 8, wherein the resource assigned to the power clearance report is further assigned to another uplink transmission.

10. The UE of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to: Encode the power clearance report and the UCI; and The power clearance report and the UCI are transmitted using permission granted on the PUCCH.

11. The UE of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to: The power clearance report is encoded separately; and The power clearance report and the UCI are transmitted using permission granted on the PUCCH.

12. The UE of claim 8, wherein the power clearance report includes a quantized change in beamforming gain or power clearance value caused by the change in the beamforming parameters.

13. The UE of claim 12, wherein the quantification of the change is based on the capabilities of the UE.

14. The UE of claim 8, wherein the power headroom is determined based on the transmission waveform of the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH).

15. A user equipment (UE), comprising: Means for determining at the UE one or more beamforming parameters to be changed for transmission on a new beam; A means for determining the power headroom suitable for transmissions from the UE on the new beam; as well as A means for transmitting a power clearance report based on the power clearance in response to the change, the power clearance report being transmitted as a physical layer signal on the resource to which the power clearance report is assigned, wherein the power clearance report is transmitted as a sequence multiplexed with a scheduling request selected from a plurality of sequences of scheduling requests, as a sequence multiplexed with a probe reference signal selected from a plurality of sequences of probe reference signals, or transmitted with the UCI using permission for uplink control information (UCI) on the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).

16. A computer-readable medium storing computer code executable by a processor of a user equipment (UE) for wireless communication, including code for performing the following operations: At the UE, determine one or more beamforming parameters to be changed for transmission on the new beam; Determine the power headroom applicable to the transmission from the UE on the new beam; as well as In response to the change, a power clearance report is transmitted based on the power clearance. The power clearance report is transmitted as a physical layer signal on the resource to which the power clearance report is assigned, wherein the power clearance report is multiplexed with a scheduling request as a sequence selected from a plurality of sequences of scheduling requests, multiplexed with a probe reference signal as a sequence selected from a plurality of sequences of probe reference signals, or transmitted with the UCI using permission for uplink control information (UCI) on the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH).

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