Periodic power headroom reporting for uplink carrier aggregation

Abstract

Certain aspects of the present disclosure provide a method for wireless communication of a user equipment (UE). The method generally includes waiting for a multi-component carrier (multi-CC) uplink slot to transmit a periodic power headroom report (PHR) in a current PHR period, where an uplink slot on a first component carrier (CC) overlaps an uplink slot of a second CC, and transmitting, in the multi-CC uplink slot, a periodic PHR having a power headroom (PH) value for the first CC and the second CC.

Description

Background Art Technical Field

[0001] Aspects of the present disclosure relate to wireless communications and, more particularly, to techniques for power headroom reporting for uplink carrier aggregation.

[0002] Related technologies

[0003] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various telecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcasts or other similar types of services. These wireless communication systems may employ multiple-access technologies capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available wireless communication system resources with those users.

[0004] Although wireless communication systems have made tremendous technical progress over the years, challenges still exist. For example, complex and dynamic environments can still attenuate or block signals between wireless transmitters and wireless receivers. Therefore, there is a continued desire to improve the technical performance of wireless communication systems, including, for example: improving the speed and data carrying capacity of communications, improving the efficiency of using shared communication media, reducing the power used by transmitters and receivers when performing communications, improving the reliability of wireless communications, avoiding redundant transmission and / or reception and related processing, improving the coverage area of ​​wireless communications, increasing the number and types of devices that can access wireless communication systems, increasing the ability of different types of devices to communicate with each other, increasing the number and types of wireless communication media available for use, etc. Therefore, there is a need to further improve wireless communication systems to overcome the above-mentioned technical challenges and other challenges. Summary of the invention

[0005] One aspect provides a method for wireless communication by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: waiting for a multi-component carrier (mule-CC) uplink time slot, wherein an uplink time slot on a first component carrier (CC) overlaps with an uplink time slot of a second CC to send a periodic power headroom report (PHR) in a current PHR period; and sending a periodic PHR with a power headroom (PH) value for the first CC and the second CC in the multi-CC uplink time slot.

[0006] Other aspects provide: an apparatus operable to, configured to, or otherwise adapted to perform the aforementioned methods and those described elsewhere herein; a non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising instructions that, when executed by a processor of the apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform the aforementioned methods and those described elsewhere herein; a computer program product embodied on a computer-readable storage medium, comprising: code for performing the aforementioned methods and those described elsewhere herein; and an apparatus comprising means for performing the aforementioned methods and those described elsewhere herein. By way of example, an apparatus may include a processing system, a device having a processing system, or a processing system cooperating through one or more networks.

[0007] For purposes of illustration, the following description and drawings set forth certain features. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] The accompanying drawings depict certain features of the various aspects described herein and should not be considered to limit the scope of the disclosure.

[0009] Figure 1 An example wireless communication network is depicted.

[0010] Figure 2 An example disaggregated base station architecture is depicted.

[0011] Figure 3 Aspects of an example base station and example user equipment are depicted.

[0012] Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 4C and Figure 4D Various example aspects of data structures for a wireless communication network are described.

[0013] Figure 5 An exemplary time division duplex (TDD) timeslot configuration is depicted.

[0014] Fig. 6A and Figure 6B Examples of real power headroom reporting and virtual power headroom reporting (PHR) and corresponding medium access control (MAC) control elements are depicted.

[0015] Figure 7 Potential problems with PHR in carrier aggregation (CA) including a primary component carrier (PCC) and a secondary component carrier (SCC) are described.

[0016] Figure 8 Depicted is a call flow diagram for PHR on a multi-component carrier (multi-CC) uplink timeslot in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0017] Fig. 9 Depicted are exemplary timing diagrams for PHR over multi-CC uplink timeslots in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0018] Fig.10 Depicted is another exemplary timing diagram for PHR on a multi-CC uplink timeslot in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0019] Fig.11 A method for wireless communication is described.

[0020] Fig.12 Aspects of an exemplary communications device are depicted. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] Aspects of the present disclosure provide apparatus, methods, processing systems, and computer-readable media for techniques that may help enhance power headroom reporting for uplink carrier aggregation (UL-CA).

[0022] In 5G NR, a power headroom report (PHR) is typically transmitted by a UE to a network entity to report the power headroom available at the UE. The power headroom (PH) typically indicates the difference between the maximum transmit power allowed by the UE and the current transmit power.

[0023] In some cases, the value reported via the PHR can be used to make decisions on the network side. Such decisions may include whether to switch the waveform type used for physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission. In 5GNR, PUSCH can be sent using a cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CP-OFDM) waveform or a discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-s-OFDM) waveform. Switching from CP-OFDM to DFT-s-OFDM can reduce PAPR (peak-to-average power ratio) for better UL performance.

[0024] However, in 5G NR with uplink carrier aggregation (UL-CA) including a primary component carrier (PCC) and a secondary component carrier (SCC), there are certain potential challenges for accurate PH value reporting. For example, in a UL-CA scenario, if PHR is reported only on PCC uplink timeslots that do not overlap with SCC uplink timeslots, the PH value reported by the SCC may always be a virtual PHR. The virtual PHR may have a PH value greater than 0, and thus may prevent triggering of CP-OFDM to DFT-s-OFDM waveform switching and the resulting reduction in PAPR.

[0025] However, aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques that can help accurately report PHR in such scenarios by waiting for a PCC uplink timeslot that overlaps with an SCC uplink timeslot. Thus, such timeslots where the PCC and SCC uplink timeslots overlap may be referred to herein as "2-CC timeslots" (as opposed to "1-CC timeslots" where only one of the PCC or SCC is uplink). Waiting for a 2-CC timeslot may allow the UE to provide a robust PHR without ambiguity to assist in decisions, such as waveform switching.

[0026] Aspects of the present disclosure may lead to more accurate PH value reporting in UL-CA scenarios, thereby allowing triggering of waveform switching when appropriate. Thus, the techniques presented herein may help reduce PAPR and overall UE power consumption.

[0027] Introduction to wireless communication networks

[0028] The techniques and methods described herein can be used in various wireless communication networks. Although various aspects may be described herein using terms commonly associated with 3G, 4G and / or 5G wireless technologies, various aspects of the present disclosure may also be applicable to other communication systems and standards not explicitly mentioned herein.

[0029] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication network 100 is depicted in which various aspects described herein may be implemented.

[0030] In general, the wireless communication network 100 includes various network entities (alternatively, network elements or network nodes). A network entity is typically a communication device and / or a communication function performed by a communication device (e.g., user equipment (UE), base station (BS), component of a BS, server, etc.). For example, various functions of a network and various devices associated with and interacting with the network may be considered network entities. In addition, the wireless communication network 100 includes ground aspects, such as ground-based network entities (e.g., BS 102), and non-ground aspects, such as satellites 140 and aircraft 145, which may include airborne network entities (e.g., one or more BSs) capable of communicating with other network elements (e.g., ground BSs) and user equipment.

[0031] In the depicted example, the wireless communication network 100 includes a BS 102, a UE 104, and one or more core networks (such as an evolved packet core (EPC) 160 and a 5G core (5GC) network 190) that interoperate to provide communication services over various communication links (including wired and wireless links).

[0032] Figure 1Various example UEs 104 are depicted, which may more generally include: a cellular phone, a smart phone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a laptop, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a satellite radio, a global positioning system, a multimedia device, a video device, a digital audio player, a camera, a game console, a tablet computer, a smart device, a wearable device, a vehicle, an electric meter, a gas pump, a large or small kitchen appliance, a healthcare device, an implant, a sensor / actuator, a display, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Always-On (AON) device, an edge processing device, or other similar devices. UE 104 may also be more generally referred to as a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a station, a mobile station, a subscriber station, a mobile subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a remote device, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, and others.

[0033] BS 102 communicates wirelessly with (e.g., sends signals to or receives signals from) UE 104 via communication link 120. Communication link 120 between BS 102 and UE 104 may include uplink (UL) (also referred to as a reverse link) transmissions from UE 104 to BS 102 and / or downlink (DL) (also referred to as a forward link) transmissions from BS 102 to UE 104. In various aspects, communication link 120 may employ multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) antenna techniques, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and / or transmit diversity.

[0034] BS 102 may generally include: a Node B, an enhanced Node B (eNB), a next generation enhanced Node B (ng-eNB), a next generation Node B (gNB or gNodeB), an access point, a base transceiver station, a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a transmission and reception point, and / or the like. Each of BS 102 may provide communication coverage for a respective geographic coverage area 110, which may sometimes be referred to as a cell, and which may overlap in some cases (e.g., a small cell 102' may have a coverage area 110' that overlaps with a coverage area 110 of a macro cell). For example, a BS may provide communication coverage for a macro cell (covering a relatively large geographic area), a pico cell (covering a relatively small geographic area, such as a stadium), a femto cell (a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home)), and / or other types of cells.

[0035] Although BS 102 is depicted as a single communication device in various aspects, BS 102 can be implemented in various configurations. For example, one or more components of the base station may be decomposed, including a central unit (CU), one or more distributed units (DU), one or more radio units (RU), a near real-time (near RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC), or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC, to name a few examples. In another example, various aspects of the base station may be virtualized. More generally, a base station (e.g., BS 102) may include components located at a single physical location or components located at various physical locations. In examples where the base station includes components located at various physical locations, the various components may each perform a function so that the various components together implement functionality similar to that of a base station located at a single physical location. In some aspects, a base station including components located at various physical locations may be referred to as a decomposed radio access network architecture (such as an open RAN (O-RAN) or virtualized RAN (VRAN) architecture). Figure 2 An example decomposed base station architecture is depicted and described.

[0036] Different BSs 102 within the wireless communication network 100 may also be configured to support different radio access technologies (such as 3G, 4G, and / or 5G). For example, a BS 102 configured for 4G LTE (collectively referred to as the Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN)) may interface with the EPC 160 via a first backhaul link 132 (e.g., an S1 interface). A BS 102 configured for 5G (e.g., 5G NR or Next Generation RAN (NG-RAN)) may interface with the 5GC 190 via a second backhaul link 184. The BSs 102 may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via the EPC 160 or the 5GC 190) over a third backhaul link 134 (e.g., an X2 interface), which may be wired or wireless.

[0037] The wireless communication network 100 may subdivide the electromagnetic spectrum into various categories, frequency bands, channels, or other characteristics. In some aspects, the subdivision is provided based on wavelength and frequency, where frequency may also be referred to as a carrier, subcarrier, channel, tone, or subband. For example, 3GPP currently defines frequency range 1 (FR1) as including 600 MHz-6 GHz, which is often (interchangeably) referred to as "below 6 GHz". Similarly, 3GPP currently defines frequency range 2 (FR2) as including 26 GHz-41 GHz, which is sometimes (interchangeably) referred to as "millimeter wave" ("mmW" or "mmWave"). A base station (e.g., a mmWave base station such as BS 180) configured to communicate using mmWave / near mmWave radio bands may utilize beamforming (e.g., 182) with a UE (e.g., 104) to improve path loss and range.

[0038] The communication link 120 between the BS 102 and, for example, the UE 104 may be through one or more carriers, which may have different bandwidths (e.g., 5 MHz, 10 MHz, 15 MHz, 20 MHz, 100 MHz, 400 MHz, and / or other MHz) and may be aggregated in various aspects. The carriers may or may not be adjacent to each other. The allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for DL ​​compared to UL).

[0039] Communications using higher frequency bands may have higher path losses and shorter distances than communications at lower frequencies. Figure 1 180) can utilize beamforming 182 with UE 104 to improve path loss and distance. For example, BS 180 and UE 104 can each include multiple antennas, such as antenna elements, antenna panels and / or antenna arrays to facilitate beamforming. In some cases, BS 180 can send beamformed signals to UE 104 in one or more transmit directions 182'. UE 104 can receive beamformed signals from base station 180 in one or more receive directions 182". UE 104 can also send beamformed signals to base station 180 in one or more transmit directions 182". BS 180 can also receive beamformed signals from UE 104 in one or more receive directions 182'. Base station 180 and UE 104 can then perform beam training to determine the best receive direction and transmit direction for each of BS 180 and UE 104. It is worth noting that the transmit direction and receive direction of BS 180 can be the same or different. Similarly, the transmit direction and receive direction of UE 104 may be the same or may be different.

[0040] Wireless communication network 100 also includes Wi-Fi AP 150 that communicates with Wi-Fi station (STA) 152 via communication link 154 in, for example, the 2.4 GHz and / or 5 GHz unlicensed spectrum.

[0041] Certain UEs 104 may communicate with each other using a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 158. The D2D communication link 158 may use one or more sidelink channels, such as a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH), and / or a physical sidelink feedback channel (PSFCH).

[0042] The EPC 160 may include various functional components, including: a mobility management entity (MME) 162, other MMEs 164, a serving gateway 166, a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS) gateway 168, a broadcast multicast service center (BM-SC) 170, and / or a packet data network (PDN) gateway 172, such as in the depicted example. The MME 162 may communicate with a home subscriber server (HSS) 174. The MME 162 is a control node that handles signaling between the UE 104 and the EPC 160. In general, the MME 162 provides bearer and connection management.

[0043] Generally speaking, user Internet Protocol (IP) packets are transferred through the Serving Gateway 166, which itself is connected to the PDN Gateway 172. The PDN Gateway 172 provides UE IP address allocation and other functions. The PDN Gateway 172 and the BM-SC 170 are connected to the IP Services 176, which may include, for example, the Internet, an Intranet, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), a Packet Switched (PS) streaming media service, and / or other IP services.

[0044] The BM-SC 170 may provide functionality for MBMS user service provisioning and delivery. The BM-SC 170 may serve as an entry point for content provider MBMS delivery, may be used to authorize and initiate MBMS bearer services within a public land mobile network (PLMN), and / or may be used to schedule MBMS delivery. The MBMS Gateway 168 may be used to distribute MBMS services to BSs 102 belonging to a multicast broadcast single frequency network (MBSFN) area broadcasting a specific service, and / or may be responsible for session management (start / stop) and for collecting eMBMS related charging information.

[0045] 5GC 190 may include various functional components, including: access and mobility management function (AMF) 192, other AMFs 193, session management function (SMF) 194, and user plane function (UPF) 195. AMF 192 may communicate with unified data management (UDM) 196.

[0046] AMF 192 is a control node that handles signaling between UE 104 and 5GC 190. AMF 192 provides, for example, Quality of Service (QoS) flow and session management.

[0047] Internet Protocol (IP) packets are delivered through UPF 195, which is connected to IP Services 197 and provides IP address allocation for UEs and other functions for 5GC 190. IP Services 197 may include, for example, the Internet, Intranet, IMS, PS streaming services, and / or other IP services.

[0048] In various aspects, a network entity or network node may be implemented as a converged base station, a decomposed base station, a component of a base station, an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a relay node, a sidelink node, to name a few examples.

[0049] Figure 2 An example disaggregated base station 200 architecture is depicted. The disaggregated base station 200 architecture may include one or more central units (CUs) 210 that may communicate directly with a core network 220 via a backhaul link, or indirectly with the core network 220 through one or more disaggregated base station units, such as a near real-time (near-RT) RAN intelligent controller (RIC) 225 via an E2 link, or a non-real-time (non-RT) RIC 215 associated with a service management and orchestration (SMO) framework 205, or both. The CU 210 may communicate with one or more distributed units (DUs) 230 via respective midhaul links, such as an F1 interface. The DU 230 may communicate with one or more radio units (RUs) 240 via respective fronthaul links. The RU 240 may communicate with respective UEs 104 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some implementations, a UE 104 may be served simultaneously by multiple RUs 240.

[0050] Each of these units (e.g., CU 210, DU 230, RU 240, and near-RT RIC 225, non-RT RIC 215, and SMO framework 205) may include or be coupled to one or more interfaces configured to receive or send signals, data, or information (collectively referred to as signals) via a wired or wireless transmission medium. Each of the units or an associated processor or controller that provides instructions to the communication interface of the unit may be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units via a transmission medium. For example, these units may include a wired interface configured to receive or send signals to one or more of the other units via a wired transmission medium. Additionally or alternatively, the unit may include a wireless interface that may include a receiver, a transmitter, or a transceiver (such as a radio frequency (RF) transceiver) configured to receive or send signals, or both, to one or more of the other units on a wireless transmission medium.

[0051] In some aspects, CU 210 may host one or more higher layer control functions. Such control functions may include radio resource control (RRC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), etc. Each control function may be implemented using an interface that is configured to communicate signals with other control functions hosted by CU 210. CU 210 may be configured to handle user plane functionality (e.g., central unit-user plane (CU-UP)), control plane functionality (e.g., central unit-control plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some specific implementations, CU 210 may be logically split into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. When implemented in an O-RAN configuration, the CU-UP unit may communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP unit via an interface (such as an E1 interface). If necessary, CU 210 may be implemented to communicate with DU 230 for network control and signaling.

[0052] DU 230 may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions to control the operation of one or more RU 240. In some aspects, DU 230 may host one or more of a radio link control (RLC) layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, and one or more high physical (PHY) layers (such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation and demodulation, etc.) at least in part according to a functional split such as those defined by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). In some aspects, DU 230 may further host one or more low PHY layers. Each layer (or module) may be implemented using an interface that is configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by DU 230 or with control functions hosted by CU 210.

[0053] The lower layer functionality may be implemented by one or more RUs 240. In some deployments, a RU 240 controlled by a DU 230 may correspond to a logical node that hosts RF processing functions or low PHY layer functions (such as performing Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), Inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, physical random access channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, etc.), or both, based at least in part on a functional split (such as a lower layer functional split). In such an architecture, the RU 240 may be implemented to handle over-the-air (OTA) communications with one or more UEs 104. In some implementations, real-time and non-real-time aspects of control plane and user plane communications with the RU 240 may be controlled by the corresponding DU 230. In some scenarios, this configuration may enable the DU 230 and the CU 210 to be implemented in a cloud-based RAN architecture (such as a vRAN architecture).

[0054] The SMO framework 205 may be configured to support RAN deployment and pre-provisioning of non-virtualized network elements and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 205 may be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements, which may be managed via an operation and maintenance interface (such as an O1 interface). For virtualized network elements, the SMO framework 205 may be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform (such as an open cloud (O-Cloud) 290) to perform network element lifecycle management (such as instantiating virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface (such as an O2 interface). Such virtualized network elements may include, but are not limited to, CU 210, DU 230, RU 240, and near-RT RIC 225. In some specific implementations, the SMO framework 205 may communicate with hardware aspects of the 4G RAN (such as an open eNB (O-eNB) 211) via the O1 interface. Additionally, in some specific implementations, the SMO framework 205 may communicate directly with one or more RUs 240 via the O1 interface. The SMO framework 205 may also include a non-RT RIC 215 configured to support the functionality of the SMO framework 205 .

[0055] The non-RT RIC 215 may be configured to include logic functions that enable non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, artificial intelligence / machine learning (AI / ML) workflows including model training and updating, or policy-based guidance of applications / features in the near-RT RIC 225. The non-RT RIC 215 may be coupled to or in communication with the near-RT RIC 225 (such as via an A1 interface). The near-RT RIC 225 may be configured to include logic functions that enable near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via data collection and actions through an interface connecting one or more CUs 210, one or more DUs 230, or both, and an O-eNB with the near-RT RIC 225 (such as via an E2 interface).

[0056] In some implementations, in order to generate an AI / ML model to be deployed in the near-RT RIC 225, the non-RT RIC 215 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from an external server. Such information may be utilized by the near-RT RIC 225 and may be received from a non-network data source or from a network function at the SMO framework 205 or the non-RT RIC 215. In some examples, the non-RT RIC 215 or the near-RT RIC 225 may be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the non-RT RIC 215 may monitor long-term trends and patterns of performance and employ AI / ML models to perform corrective actions through the SMO framework 205 (such as via reconfiguration of O1) or via the creation of RAN management policies (such as A1 policies).

[0057] Figure 3 Aspects of an example BS 102 and UE 104 are depicted.

[0058] In general, BS 102 includes various processors (e.g., 320, 330, 338, and 340), antennas 334a-334t (collectively 334), transceivers 332a-332t (collectively 332) including modulators and demodulators, and other aspects that enable wireless transmission of data (e.g., data source 312) and wireless reception of data (e.g., data sink 339). For example, BS 102 can transmit and receive data between BS 102 and UE 104. BS 102 includes a controller / processor 340 that can be configured to implement various functions described herein related to wireless communications.

[0059] In general, the UE 104 includes various processors (e.g., 358, 364, 366, and 380), antennas 352a-352r (collectively 352), transceivers 354a-354r (collectively 354) including modulators and demodulators, and other aspects that enable wireless transmission of data (e.g., retrieved from a data source 362) and wireless reception of data (e.g., provided to a data sink 360). The UE 104 includes a controller / processor 380 that can be configured to implement various functions described herein related to wireless communications.

[0060] Regarding example downlink transmissions, BS 102 includes a transmit processor 320 that can receive data from a data source 312 and control information from a controller / processor 340. The control information can be for a physical broadcast channel (PBCH), a physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH), a physical HARQ indicator channel (PHICH), a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), a group common PDCCH (GC PDCCH), and / or others. In some examples, the data can be for a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0061] The transmit processor 320 may process (e.g., encode and symbol map) data and control information to obtain data symbols and control symbols, respectively. The transmit processor 320 may also generate reference symbols, such as for a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), a PBCH demodulation reference signal (DMRS), and a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS).

[0062] The transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) processor 330 may perform spatial processing (e.g., pre-coding) on ​​data symbols, control symbols, and / or reference symbols, where applicable, and may provide an output symbol stream to a modulator (MOD) in a transceiver 332a-332t. Each modulator in the transceiver 332a-332t may process a corresponding output symbol stream to obtain an output sample stream. Each modulator may further process (e.g., convert to analog, amplify, filter, and up-convert) the output sample stream to obtain a downlink signal. The downlink signals from the modulators in the transceivers 332a-332t may be transmitted via antennas 334a-334t, respectively.

[0063] To receive downlink transmissions, UE 104 includes antennas 352a-352r that can receive downlink signals from BS 102 and can provide received signals to demodulators (DEMODs) in transceivers 354a-354r, respectively. Each demodulator in transceivers 354a-354r can condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, and digitize) a corresponding received signal to obtain input samples. Each demodulator can further process the input samples to obtain received symbols.

[0064] A MIMO detector 356 may obtain received symbols from all demodulators in transceivers 354a-354r, perform MIMO detection on the received symbols if applicable, and provide detected symbols. A receive processor 358 may process (e.g., demodulate, deinterleave, and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for UE 104 to a data sink 360, and provide decoded control information to a controller / processor 380.

[0065] With respect to example uplink transmissions, the UE 104 also includes a transmit processor 364 that may receive and process data from a data source 362 (e.g., for a PUSCH) and control information from a controller / processor 380 (e.g., for a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH)). The transmit processor 364 may also generate reference symbols for reference signals (e.g., a sounding reference signal (SRS)). The symbols from the transmit processor 364 may be pre-decoded by a TX MIMO processor 366, if applicable, further processed by a modulator in the transceivers 354a-354r (e.g., for SC-FDM), and transmitted to the BS 102.

[0066] At BS 102, uplink signals from UE 104 may be received by antennas 334a-334t, processed by demodulators in transceivers 332a-332t, detected by MIMO detector 336 if applicable, and further processed by receive processor 338 to obtain decoded data and control information transmitted by UE 104. Receive processor 338 may provide the decoded data to a data sink 339 and the decoded control information to a controller / processor 340.

[0067] Memories 342 and 382 may store data and program codes for BS 102 and UE 104, respectively.

[0068] Scheduler 344 may schedule UEs for data transmission on the downlink and / or uplink.

[0069] In various aspects, the BS 102 may be described as sending and receiving various types of data associated with the methods described herein. In these contexts, "sending" may refer to various mechanisms for outputting data, such as outputting data from a data source 312, a scheduler 344, a memory 342, a transmit processor 320, a controller / processor 340, a TX MIMO processor 330, a transceiver 332a-332t, an antenna 334a-334t, and / or other aspects described herein. Similarly, "receiving" may refer to various mechanisms for obtaining data, such as obtaining data from an antenna 334a-334t, a transceiver 332a-332t, a RX MIMO detector 336, a controller / processor 340, a receive processor 338, a scheduler 344, a memory 342, and / or other aspects described herein.

[0070] In various aspects, the UE 104 may also be described as sending and receiving various types of data associated with the methods described herein. In these contexts, "sending" may refer to various mechanisms for outputting data, such as outputting data from a data source 362, a memory 382, ​​a transmit processor 364, a controller / processor 380, a TX MIMO processor 366, a transceiver 354a-354t, an antenna 352a-352t, and / or other aspects described herein. Similarly, "receiving" may refer to various mechanisms for obtaining data, such as obtaining data from an antenna 352a-352t, a transceiver 354a-354t, a RX MIMO detector 356, a controller / processor 380, a receive processor 358, a memory 382, ​​and / or other aspects described herein.

[0071] In some aspects, the processor may be configured to perform various operations (such as those associated with the methods described herein) and send (output) data to or receive (obtain) data from another interface configured to send or receive data, respectively.

[0072] Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 4C and Figure 4D Describes a method for use in a wireless communication network such as Figure 1 Various aspects of the data structure of the wireless communication network 100).

[0073] Specifically, Figure 4A is a diagram 400 illustrating an example of a first subframe within a 5G (e.g., 5G NR) frame structure, Figure 4B is a diagram 430 illustrating an example of a DL channel within a 5G subframe, Figure 4C is a diagram 450 illustrating an example of a second subframe within a 5G frame structure, and Figure 4D FIG480 is a diagram illustrating an example of UL channels within a 5G subframe.

[0074] Wireless communication networks can utilize Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) with a Cyclic Prefix (CP) on both the uplink and downlink. Such systems can also support half-duplex operation using Time Division Duplex (TDD). OFDM and Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiplexing (SC-FDM) can be used to maximize the system bandwidth (e.g., Figure 4B and Figure 4D The modulation symbols may be transmitted in the frequency domain using OFDM and / or in the time domain using SC-FDM.

[0075] The wireless communication frame structure may be frequency division duplex (FDD), where for a particular set of subcarriers, subframes within the subcarrier set are dedicated to either DL or UL. The wireless communication frame structure may also be time division duplex (TDD), where for a particular set of subcarriers, subframes within the subcarrier set are dedicated to both DL and UL.

[0076] exist Figure 4A and Figure 4CIn the wireless communication frame structure, TDD is used, where D is DL, U is UL, and X is used flexibly between DL / UL. The UE can be configured with a time slot format (dynamically configured by DL control information (DCI) or semi-statically / statically configured by radio resource control (RRC) signaling) through the received time slot format indicator (SFI). In the depicted example, the 10ms frame is divided into 10 equally sized 1ms subframes. Each subframe may include one or more time slots. In some examples, each time slot may include 7 or 14 symbols, depending on the time slot format. The subframe may also include micro-slots, which typically have fewer symbols than the entire time slot. Other wireless communication technologies may have different frame structures and / or different channels.

[0077] In certain aspects, the number of slots within a subframe is based on the slot configuration and parameter set. For example, for slot configuration 0, different parameter sets (μ) 0 to 5 allow for 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 slots per subframe, respectively. For slot configuration 1, different parameter sets 0 to 2 allow for 2, 4, and 8 slots per subframe, respectively. Thus, for slot configuration 0 and parameter set μ, there are 14 symbols / slot and 2μ slots / subframe. The subcarrier spacing and symbol length / duration are a function of the parameter set. The subcarrier spacing may be equal to 2 μ × 15kHz, where μ is parameter set 0 to 5. Thus, parameter set μ=0 has a subcarrier spacing of 15kHz, and parameter set μ=5 has a subcarrier spacing of 480kHz. The symbol length / duration is inversely related to the subcarrier spacing. Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 4C and Figure 4D An example is provided for slot configuration 0 with 14 symbols per slot and parameter set μ=2 with 4 slots per subframe. The slot duration is 0.25 ms, the subcarrier spacing is 60 kHz, and the symbol duration is approximately 16.67 μs.

[0078] like Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 4C and Figure 4D As depicted in , a resource grid may be used to represent a frame structure. Each time slot includes a resource block (RB) (also referred to as a physical RB (PRB)) extending, for example, over 12 consecutive subcarriers. The resource grid is divided into a plurality of resource elements (REs). The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0079] like Figure 4A As illustrated, some REs carry data for UEs (e.g. Figure 1 and Figure 3The RS may include a demodulation RS (DMRS) and / or a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) for channel estimation at the UE. The RS may also include a beam measurement RS (BRS), a beam refinement RS (BRRS), and / or a phase tracking RS (PT-RS).

[0080] Figure 4B Examples of various DL channels within a subframe of a frame are illustrated.The Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) carries DCI within one or more Control Channel Elements (CCEs), each CCE comprising, for example, nine RE Groups (REGs), each REG comprising, for example, four consecutive REs in an OFDM symbol.

[0081] The primary synchronization signal (PSS) may be in symbol 2 of a particular subframe of a frame. The PSS is transmitted by a UE (e.g., Figure 1 and Figure 3 104) is used to determine subframe / symbol timing and physical layer identification.

[0082] A secondary synchronization signal (SSS) may be within symbol 4 of a particular subframe of a frame. The SSS is used by the UE to determine the physical layer cell identity group number and radio frame timing.

[0083] Based on the physical layer identifier and the physical layer cell identifier group number, the UE can determine the physical cell identifier (PCI). Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the location of the aforementioned DMRS. The physical broadcast channel (PBCH) carrying the master information block (MIB) can be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form a synchronization signal (SS) / PBCH block. The MIB provides the number of RBs in the system bandwidth and the system frame number (SFN). The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information (such as system information blocks (SIBs)) that is not sent via the PBCH, and / or paging messages.

[0084] like Figure 4CAs illustrated, some REs carry DMRS for channel estimation at the base station (indicated as R for a particular configuration, but other DMRS configurations are also possible). The UE may send DMRS for PUCCH and DMRS for PUSCH. The PUSCH DMRS may be sent, for example, in the first one or two symbols of the PUSCH. The PUCCH DMRS may be sent in different configurations depending on whether a short PUCCH or a long PUCCH is sent and depending on the specific PUCCH format used. UE 104 may send a sounding reference signal (SRS). The SRS may be sent, for example, in the last symbol of a subframe. The SRS may have a comb structure, and the UE may send the SRS on one of the comb structures in the comb structure. The SRS may be used by the base station for channel quality estimation to achieve frequency-dependent scheduling of the UL.

[0085] Figure 4D Examples of various UL channels within a subframe of a frame are illustrated. The PUCCH may be located at a position as indicated in one configuration. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as scheduling requests, channel quality indicator (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), rank indicator (RI), and HARQ ACK / NACK feedback. The PUSCH carries data and may additionally be used to carry a buffer status report (BSR), a power headroom report (PHR), and / or UCI.

[0086] Overview of Time Division Duplex (TDD) Timeslot Configuration

[0087] In the 5G NR TDD slot configuration, each symbol within a slot is scheduled for three transmission modes: (1) uplink (U), (2) downlink (D), and (3) flexible (F). A flexible symbol generally refers to a symbol that is not dedicated to the downlink or uplink via a common TDD slot configuration. One goal of introducing flexible symbols within a slot is to support a guard period between uplink symbols and downlink symbols or between downlink symbols and uplink symbols. The number of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols in a slot is fixed, 14 for a normal cyclic prefix (CP) or 12 for an extended CP. If a slot is configured as an uplink, all symbols in the slot are dedicated to the uplink. If a slot is configured as a downlink, all symbols are dedicated to the downlink. In 5G NR TDD, a slot may not be configured to be fully used for downlink or uplink. A slot can also be classified as mixed uplink and downlink transmission, where uplink and downlink symbols coexist.

[0088] Three general TDD configurations are supported in 5G NR, namely (1) static TDD configuration, (2) semi-static TDD configuration, and (3) dynamic TDD configuration. In the static TDD configuration, the time slot / symbol can be configured as U, D, or F by the network using a cell-specific configuration (tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon). In the semi-static TDD configuration, a UE-specific configuration can be used to adjust the time slot DL / UL configuration based on the current UE requirements. In this case, the network can transmit a UE-specific time slot configuration (e.g., using IE tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationDedicated) that modifies the flexible time slot and symbol (as U or D). The cell-specific configuration for the time slot / symbol cannot be changed by the UE-specific configuration. Dynamic TDD configuration can be implemented using download control information (DCI) format 2_0 scheduling, where the time slot format can be configured using a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) scrambled with a radio network temporary identifier (SFI-RNTI).

[0089] Figure 5 An exemplary time slot configuration example 500 in 5G NR TDD is shown. A total of 20 time slots are configured for uplink, downlink or mixed uplink and downlink transmissions. In this example, the subcarrier spacing (SCS) is 120KHz and the transmission period is 2.5ms. These two parameters can be set by the parameters "referenceSubcarrierSpacing" and "dl-UL-TransmissionPeriodicity" in the common TDD configuration (tdd-UL-DL-ConfigurationCommon). In this transmission cycle, the first 3 time slots are configured for uplink and the last 2 time slots are configured for downlink. Between the downlink time slots and the uplink time slots, several mixed uplink and downlink time slots (e.g., time slots 3, 7, 13, 17 as S) are configured to provide the protection period required for switching from downlink to uplink or from uplink to downlink.

[0090] Overview of Power Headroom Report

[0091] UE battery life has a great impact on user experience, which is a key factor to meet different use cases in 5G NR, including ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC), massive machine type communication (mMTC) and enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB). To help extend battery life, a UE power headroom report (PHR) can be transmitted by the UE to the network to improve energy efficiency. The PHR indicates the value of the power headroom (PH) available in the UE. As mentioned above, the PH generally indicates the difference between the maximum transmit power allowed by the UE and the currently evaluated uplink transmission on the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), which can be described by the following formula:

[0092] PH=P max -P pusch ,

[0093] A negative PH value usually means that the current PUSCH transmit power has exceeded the maximum allowed transmit power, and the RB allocation can be reduced in the next scheduling. A positive PH value usually means that the current PUSCH transmit power is lower than the allowed transmit power, and the RB allocation can be maintained or increased. The PH value is transmitted by the control unit of the medium access control (MAC) layer, so the MAC control unit related to this process is also called the PHR control unit.

[0094] The UE usually determines whether to report a real or virtual PH value based on the timing of uplink scheduling. From the time the PHR is triggered until the resources for PHR transmission are allocated, if there is PUSCH and sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission or other actual uplink transmission, the real PHR value can be reported. Otherwise, a virtual PHR value can be reported.

[0095] Fig. 6A Examples of real and virtual PH values ​​are shown. When the value of PH is calculated between the maximum UE transmit power 625 and the current uplink timeslot transmit power 630 (e.g., scheduled PUSCH or sounding reference signal (SRS)), the real PH can be reported in the PHR. If there is no actual uplink transmission, a virtual value of PH can be reported based on the maximum UE transmit power 625 and the reference value 635.

[0096] Figure 6BA MAC control unit 650 is shown with five fields for each component carrier. The rightmost 6 bits of the first octet for each component carrier indicate 64 levels from 0 to 63, each of which corresponds to a range of PH values. The actual PH value (in terms of dB) can be obtained by using the 6-bit value indicated in the MAC CE as an index in the power headroom report mapping table. In other words, the power headroom report mapping table maps each 6-bit PH value to a range so that given the reported 6-bit value, the network can determine the range of PH quantities measured by the UE (in dB).

[0097] Overview of Carrier Aggregation

[0098] In order to meet the requirements of single-user peak rate and system capacity improvement, one of the most direct methods is to increase the system transmission bandwidth. To this end, carrier aggregation (CA) has been introduced in LTE-A and is generally used in 5G NR to increase bandwidth. Each aggregated carrier is called a component carrier (CC). Based on CA technology, several CCs can be aggregated together to achieve the maximum transmission bandwidth, thereby effectively improving the uplink and downlink transmission rates. The UE can use up to several carriers for uplink and downlink transmission at the same time according to its own capabilities.

[0099] The primary serving cell houses the UE in CA, from which the UE is served by a primary component carrier (PCC) supplemented with one or more secondary component carriers (SCCs). The PCC and SCC are related to the UE, and the PCC and SCC may be different for different UEs. In addition, the multiple carriers participating in the aggregation are not limited to the same base station (BS), but may also come from neighboring base stations (BSs). All control signaling is handled by the PCC, and the SCC is utilized to increase data throughput. For example: RRC connections are handled only by the PCC.

[0100] 5G NR mainly uses two frequency bands: frequency range 1 (FR1) band and frequency range 2 (FR2). The frequency range of the FR1 band is 450MHz to 6GHz, also known as the sub-6GHz band; the frequency range of the FR2 band is 24.25GHz to 52.6GHz, commonly known as millimeter wave (mmWave). FR1 contains many frequency bands, some of which are FDD and some are TDD. In this way, within the FR1 band, there is CA between FDD and FDD bands, CA between FDD and TDD bands, and CA between TDD and TDD bands.

[0101] Aspects Related to Optimization of Periodic PHR for UL-CA

[0102] As described above, in 5G NR with UL-CA, there are certain potential challenges for accurate PH value reporting. For example, if PHR is reported only on PCC uplink timeslots that do not overlap with SCC uplink timeslots ("1-CC timeslots"), the PH value reported by the SCC may always be a virtual PHR. This virtual PHR may have a PH value greater than 0, and thus may prevent triggering of CP-OFDM to DFT-s-OFDM waveform switching and the resulting reduction in PAPR.

[0103] Figure 7 An example of CA 700 between PCC FDD (N1 band) with 15KHz SCS and SCC TDD (N78 band) with 30KHz SCS is depicted, showing the difference between 1-CC timeslots and 2-CC timeslots. In the illustrated example, SCC timeslot opportunities occur less frequently than PCC UL timeslot opportunities.

[0104] As a result, most of the time slots are 1-CC time slots, where the uplink PCC and uplink SCC time slots do not overlap. There are only a few 2-CC uplink time slots, where the uplink PCC and uplink SCC time slots overlap (time slot 2 in PCC and time slot 4 in SCC, time slot 4 in PCC and time slots 8-9 in SCC, etc.).

[0105] The PHR for one CC may be sent on another CC. All PHR reports may be sent together in the same MAC Control Element (CE) in the same subframe on the same CC. The CC may be any CC for which the UE has granted PUSCH resources. For example, for simplicity, assuming that the PHR report is sent on the PCC, a virtual (greater than non-zero) PH value may always be reported for the SCC. This may prohibit the network from triggering power saving operations in the UE, such as PUSCH CP-OFDM to DFT-s-OFDM waveform switching.

[0106] However, aspects of the present disclosure provide techniques that can help accurately report PHR in such scenarios by waiting for a 2-CC timeslot where the PCC and SCC uplink timeslots overlap. Waiting for a 2-CC timeslot in this manner can help avoid sending a virtual PHR for the SCC (where PH value>0), thereby allowing the UE to provide a robust PHR without ambiguity to assist decisions such as waveform switching.

[0107] In other words, aspects of the present disclosure provide a mechanism for the UE to find overlapping PCC / SCC time slots to report a real PHR, thereby essentially converting what was originally reported as an SCC virtual PHR into a real PHR.

[0108] In some aspects, the UE needs to wait for the multi-CC uplink timeslot to send a periodic PHR to the NE, which can ensure that the PHR for both CCs is a real PHR that can trigger the PUSCH CP (CP-OFDM) to DFT (DFT-s-OFDM) waveform switch.

[0109] Please refer to Figure 8 The techniques presented herein may be understood with reference to call flow diagram 800 , which depicts an example of optimized periodic PHR reporting for ULCA according to aspects of the present disclosure.

[0110] As illustrated, a network entity (e.g., a component of a gNB or a decomposed base station) may configure a UE for periodic PH reporting for CA (e.g., via RRC configuration). As described above, a PHR periodic timer (sl-phr-PeriodicTimer) may be started that triggers a PHR report when it expires.

[0111] As illustrated, in some cases, the UE may wait for a multi-CC (2-CC) uplink timeslot within a timer duration to send a PHR. Waiting for a 2-CC timeslot can help ensure that the PHR values ​​for both CCs are real PH values, not virtual. As a result, instead of reporting a virtual (inaccurate) PH value for the SCC, the UE may report a real PH value for the SCC, which may trigger a PUSCH CP (CP-OFDM) to DFT (DFT-s-OFDM) waveform switch.

[0112] In some aspects, in order to find a multi-CC uplink timeslot to send a PHR with a true PH value, the UE may activate a (separate) timer as described above within the PHR periodicity timer. When the timer is active, the UE may skip uplink grants from the DCI on 1CC uplink timeslots. 1CC uplink timeslot grants may be used by the UE for PUSCH data transmission.

[0113] When the UE receives a DCI with an uplink grant on a 2CC uplink timeslot (multi-CC uplink timeslot), before the time expires, the UE may transmit a PHR having true values ​​for both the first component carrier and the second component carrier. As illustrated, based on the PHR, the network entity may decide whether to perform a PUSCH CP (CP-OFDM) to DFT (DFT-s-OFDM) waveform switch.

[0114] In some cases, the MAC entity at the UE may determine when to wait for the 2-CC timeslot according to a specific algorithm. For example, the algorithm may first determine whether the SCC uplink scheduling rate is higher than a threshold x in the last duration of the PHR periodic timer (phr-PeriodicTimer), where x may be configurable (e.g., 50%). If the SCC uplink scheduling rate is not higher than the threshold, the UE may perform a conventional PHR reporting procedure.

[0115] If the SCC uplink scheduling rate is above the threshold, the UE may then start (or restart) an occasion-timer value of 0 at the timestamp occasion-timer at which the previous phr-PeriodicTimer expired, where 0 may also be configurable (e.g., 10ms). While the occasion timer 0 is still running, if a new Tx grant (e.g., a grant for a new uplink transmission as opposed to a retransmission) is newly sent on a UL timeslot of only 1CC, the UE may choose not to use the UL grant for PHR reporting and may instead wait for the next new Tx grant.

[0116] If the next new Tx grant is on a 2-CC UL slot, and if the DCI for the new Tx grant on a non-PHR reporting CC is received later than the DCI on the PHR reporting CC, the UE may convert the virtual PHR into a real PHR. Otherwise, the UE may select this UL grant for PHR reporting.

[0117] When the Opportunity Timer 0 expires, the UE may select the first new Tx granted UL timeslot for PHR reporting. In some cases, when the Opportunity Timer 0 is running, if the SCC is deactivated or a virtual radio link failure (vRLF) is detected, the UE may stop and reset the Opportunity Timer 0 to 0.

[0118] Fig. 9An example of using such a timer to find a multi-CC uplink timeslot in a periodic PHR duration according to certain aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. As described above, the NE may utilize a periodic PHR timer (sl-phr-periodic timer) to configure periodic PH reporting for CA. The example shows two durations in which a periodic PHR timer 910 expires at time T3 and a periodic PHR timer 930 expires at time T5. As illustrated, the UE may start the timer at T3 before the first PHR duration 910 expires, and look for a new TX grant on a multi-CC uplink timeslot (within duration 920) to send a PHR with a PH value for the first CC and the second CC. Similarly, the UE may start the timer at T4 before the second PHR duration 930 expires, and look for a new TX grant on a multi-CC uplink timeslot (within duration 940) to send a PHR with a PH value for the first CC and the second CC.

[0119] As described above, assuming that the two CCs are the PCC and the SCC, and for simplicity, the PHR is transmitted on the PCC, when the scheduling rate for uplink transmission on the SCC in the previous PHR period is higher than the threshold, the two timers 920 and 940 may be started within the corresponding periodic PHR timers 910 and 930. When the periodic timers 920 and 940 are running, in the case where the uplink time slot is an uplink time slot for only the PCC or the SCC, the UE may wait for an uplink transmission grant for a multi-CC uplink time slot to transmit the PHR and skip the uplink time slot scheduled by the uplink transmission grant.

[0120] Fig.10 A scenario of converting a virtual PHR into a real PHR according to aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0121] This example assumes that the PHR for PCC 1010 and SCC 1020 is sent on PCC 1010. For example, after the timer duration ( Fig. 9 During 920), DCI_1 1030 and DCI_2 1040 with uplink grants for multi-CC uplink timeslot 1050 may be received by SCC 1020 and PCC 1010 at times T1 and T2, respectively.

[0122] The multi-CC uplink timeslot for the PHR of the PCC 1010 and the SCC 1020 is scheduled at time T3 by DCI_1 1030 and DCI_2 1040. In this case, since the DCI_1 1030 for sending the grant in the multi-CC uplink timeslot 1050 for the SCC is received before the DCI_2 1040 for sending the grant in the multi-CC uplink timeslot 1050 for the PCC, the PH values ​​for the PHR of the PCC 1010 and the SCC 1020 are both true, and their PHRs can be sent together on the multi-CC uplink timeslot at time T3.

[0123] However, in some cases, if DCI_1 1030 for sending authorization in a multi-CC uplink time slot 1050 for SCC 1020 is received after DCI_2 1040 for sending authorization in a multi-CC uplink time slot 1050 for PCC 1020, the PH value of the PHR for the SCC is virtual, which can be converted into a real PH value, and the real PH value can be included in the transmitted PHR for PCC 1010 and SCC 1010.

[0124] In some aspects, if the timer 920 expires and no multi-CC uplink time slot 1050 is found to send PCC 1010 and SCC 1020 PHR, the UE may select an uplink time slot scheduled by the next new uplink transmission grant for sending PCC and SCC PHR. As described above, if the SCC is deactivated or there is a vRLF on the SCC, the UE may reset the timer 920.

[0125] As described above, aspects of the present invention provide enhancements for transmitting periodic PHR on (2-CC) UL timeslots where PCC and SCC uplink timeslots overlap, where the PCC and SCC have true PHR values. Therefore, these techniques can better help the network make waveform switching decisions based on PHR in ULCA scenarios. Compared to the traditional method of reporting PHR when the UE has UL transmission on only one CC, reporting PHR in this manner when the UE has UL transmission on both PCC and SCC can help achieve more accurate power estimation on the network side (e.g., by the gNB).

[0126] Example Operation of User Equipment

[0127] Fig.11 shows a method for use by a UE such as Figure 1 and Figure 3 Method 1100 for wireless communication with UE 104.

[0128] Method 1100 begins at 1105 by waiting for a multi-CC uplink time slot, wherein an uplink time slot on a first CC overlaps an uplink time slot of a second CC to send a periodic PHR in a current PHR period. In some cases, the operation of this step refers to the operation of Fig.12 The described periodic PHR reporting circuit may be performed by the periodic PHR reporting circuit.

[0129] Then, the method 1100 proceeds to step 1110, sending a periodic PHR with PH values ​​for the first CC and the second CC in the multi-CC uplink time slot. In some cases, the operation of this step refers to the reference Fig.12 The described periodic PHR reporting circuit may be performed by the periodic PHR reporting circuit.

[0130] Various aspects are directed to method 1100, including the following.

[0131] In some aspects, the first CC includes a PCC and the second CC includes an SCC; or the first CC includes an SCC and the second CC includes a PCC. In some aspects, when the scheduling rate for uplink transmissions on the SCC in a previous PHR period is higher than a threshold, the UE waits for a multi-CC uplink timeslot to send the PHR.

[0132] In some aspects, the method 1100 also includes starting a timer within the current PHR period. In some aspects, the method 1100 also includes: when the timer is running, waiting for an uplink transmission grant for a multi-CC uplink time slot to send a PHR. In some aspects, the uplink transmission grant includes an authorization for an initial uplink transmission. In some aspects, the duration of the timer is defined by a timestamp when the timer is started and a periodic PHR timer expiration timestamp.

[0133] In some aspects, while the timer is running, waiting for the first uplink timeslot to send the PHR includes skipping an uplink timeslot scheduled by an uplink transmission grant if the uplink timeslot is an uplink timeslot used only for one of the first CC or the second CC.

[0134] In some aspects, in a case where a first DCI for an uplink transmission authorization for a first CC is received before a second DCI for an uplink transmission authorization for a second CC, method 1100 further includes: converting a virtual PH value for the second CC into a real PH value; and including the converted real PH value in the transmitted PHR.

[0135] In some aspects, if the timer expires without finding a multi-CC uplink timeslot to send the PHR, method 1100 further includes selecting an uplink timeslot scheduled by a next uplink transmission grant for sending the PHR.

[0136] In some aspects, the first CC comprises a PCC and the second CC comprises an SCC; the method 1100 further comprises resetting the timer if the SCC is deactivated or a vRLF is detected on the SCC.

[0137] In one aspect, method 1100 or any aspect related thereto may be performed by an apparatus such as Fig.12 The method 1100 is performed by a communication device 1200 that includes various components operable, configured, or adapted to perform the method 1100. The communication device 1200 is described in further detail below.

[0138] It should be noted that Fig.11 This is merely one example of a method, and other methods including fewer, additional, or alternative steps may be consistent with the present disclosure.

[0139] Example Communication Device

[0140] Fig.12 Various aspects of an example communications device 1200 are depicted. In some aspects, the communications device 1200 is a user equipment (UE), such as described above with respect to Figure 1 and Figure 3 UE 104 is described.

[0141] The communication device 1200 includes a processing system 1205 coupled to a transceiver 1255 (e.g., a transmitter and / or a receiver). The transceiver 1255 is configured to transmit and receive signals for the communication device 1200, such as various signals as described herein, via an antenna 1260. The processing system 1205 may be configured to perform processing functions for the communication device 1200, including processing signals received and / or to be transmitted by the communication device 1200.

[0142] The processing system 1205 includes one or more processors 1210. In various aspects, the one or more processors 1210 may represent Figure 3 One or more of the receive processor 358, transmit processor 364, TX MIMO processor 366, and / or controller / processor 380. The one or more processors 1210 are coupled to the computer-readable medium / memory 1230 via the bus 1250. In some aspects, the computer-readable medium / memory 1230 is configured to store instructions (e.g., computer-executable code) that, when executed by the one or more processors 1210, cause the one or more processors 1210 to perform operations related to the processing of the computer-readable medium / memory 1230. Fig.11The method 1100 or any aspect related thereto is described. It should be noted that references to a processor performing a function of the communication device 1200 may include one or more processors 1210 performing that function of the communication device 1200.

[0143] In the depicted example, the computer readable medium / memory 1230 stores codes (e.g., executable instructions) such as periodic PHR reporting code 1235, uplink grant processing code 1240, and PH value processing code 1245. Processing of the periodic PHR reporting code 1235, uplink grant processing code 1240, and PH value processing code 1245 may cause the communication device 1200 to perform operations for Fig.11 The described method 1100, or any aspect related thereto.

[0144] The one or more processors 1210 include circuits configured to implement (e.g., execute) code stored in the computer-readable medium / memory 1230, including circuits such as a periodic PHR reporting circuit 1215, an uplink grant processing circuit 1220, and a PH value processing circuit 1225. Processing using the periodic PHR reporting circuit 1215, the uplink grant processing circuit 1220, and the PH value processing circuit 1225 may enable the communication device 1200 to perform operations related to the communication. Fig.11 The described method 1100 or any aspect related thereto.

[0145] The various components of the communication device 1200 may provide for performing Fig.11 The means for transmitting, transferring or outputting for transmission may include: Figure 3 The transceiver 354 and / or antenna 352 of the UE 104 illustrated in FIG. 1 , and / or Fig.12 The transceiver 1255 and antenna 1260 of the communication device 1200 in FIG. 1 may include Figure 3 The illustrated transceiver 354 and / or antenna 352 of the UE 104, and / or Fig.12 The transceiver 1255 and antenna 1260 of the communication device 1200.

[0146] According to some aspects, the periodic PHR reporting circuit 1215 waits for a multi-CC uplink timeslot, where the uplink timeslot on the first CC overlaps with the uplink timeslot of the second CC to send a periodic PHR in the current PHR period. In some examples, the periodic PHR reporting circuit 1215 sends a periodic PHR with PH values ​​for the first CC and the second CC in the multi-CC uplink timeslot.

[0147] In some aspects, the first CC includes a PCC and the second CC includes an SCC; or the first CC includes an SCC and the second CC includes a PCC. In some aspects, when the scheduling rate for uplink transmissions on the SCC in a previous PHR period is higher than a threshold, the UE waits for a multi-CC uplink timeslot to send the PHR.

[0148] According to some aspects, the uplink grant processing circuit 1220 starts a timer within the current PHR period. In some examples, when the timer is running, the uplink grant processing circuit 1220 waits for an uplink transmission grant for a multi-CC uplink time slot to send a PHR. In some aspects, the uplink transmission grant includes an authorization for an initial uplink transmission. In some aspects, the duration of the timer is defined by a timestamp when the timer is started and a periodic PHR timer expiration timestamp. In some aspects, when the timer is running, waiting for the first uplink time slot to send the PHR includes: in the case where the uplink time slot is an uplink time slot for only one of the first CC or the second CC, skipping the uplink time slot scheduled by the uplink transmission grant.

[0149] According to some aspects, in a case where a first DCI for uplink transmission authorization for a first CC is received before a second DCI for uplink transmission authorization for a second CC, the PH value processing circuit 1225 converts the virtual PH value for the second CC into a real PH value; and the PHR reporting circuit 1215 includes the converted real PH value in the transmitted PHR.

[0150] In some examples, if the timer expires without finding a multi-CC uplink timeslot to send the PHR, the PHR reporting circuit 1215 selects an uplink timeslot scheduled by the next uplink transmission grant for sending the PHR.

[0151] In some aspects, the first CC comprises a PCC and the second CC comprises an SCC, and the uplink grant processing circuit 1220 resets the timer if the SCC is deactivated or a vRLF is detected on the SCC.

[0152] Sample Clauses

[0153] Specific implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0154] Clause 1: A method for wireless communication by a UE, the method comprising: waiting for a multi-CC uplink time slot, wherein an uplink time slot on a first CC overlaps with an uplink time slot of a second CC to send a periodic PHR in a current PHR period; and sending the periodic PHR with PH values ​​for the first CC and the second CC in the multi-CC uplink time slot.

[0155] Clause 2: The method of clause 1, wherein: the first CC comprises a PCC and the second CC comprises an SCC; or the first CC comprises an SCC and the second CC comprises a PCC.

[0156] Clause 3: The method of clause 2, wherein the UE waits for the multi-CC uplink timeslot to send the PHR when a scheduling rate for uplink transmissions on the SCC in a previous PHR cycle is above a threshold.

[0157] Clause 4: The method according to any one of clauses 1 to 3, further comprising: starting a timer within the current PHR period; and while the timer is running, waiting for an uplink transmission grant for the multi-CC uplink timeslot to send the PHR.

[0158] Clause 5: The method of clause 4, wherein the uplink transmission grant comprises a grant for an initial uplink transmission.

[0159] Clause 6: The method of clause 4, wherein the duration of the timer is defined by a timestamp when the timer is started and a periodic PHR timer expiration timestamp.

[0160] Clause 7: A method according to clause 4, wherein while the timer is running, waiting for the first uplink time slot to send the PHR, the method comprising: skipping the uplink time slot scheduled by the uplink transmission authorization when the uplink time slot is an uplink time slot used only for one of the first CC or the second CC.

[0161] Clause 8: The method according to Clause 4 further includes: in a case where a first DCI for uplink transmission authorization for the first CC is received before a second DCI for uplink transmission authorization for the second CC: converting the virtual PH value for the second CC into a real PH value; and including the converted real PH value in the transmitted PHR.

[0162] Clause 9: The method of clause 4, further comprising: if the timer expires without finding a multi-CC uplink timeslot to send the PHR, selecting an uplink timeslot scheduled by a next uplink transmission grant for sending the PHR.

[0163] Clause 10: The method of clause 4, wherein: the first CC comprises a PCC and the second CC comprises an SCC; and the method further comprises: resetting the timer if the SCC is deactivated or a vRLF is detected on the SCC.

[0164] Clause 11: A processing system, the processing system comprising: a memory, the memory comprising computer-executable instructions; one or more processors, the one or more processors configured to execute the computer-executable instructions and cause the processing system to perform the method according to any one of clauses 1 to 10.

[0165] Clause 12: A processing system comprising means for performing the method according to any one of clauses 1 to 10.

[0166] Clause 13: A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of a processing system, cause the processing system to perform the method of any one of clauses 1 to 10.

[0167] Clause 14: A computer program product embodied on a computer readable storage medium, the computer program product comprising: code for performing the method according to any one of clauses 1 to 10.

[0168] Additional considerations

[0169] The foregoing description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. The examples discussed herein are not limited to the scope, applicability or aspects set forth in the claims. Various modifications to these aspects will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. For example, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure, the functions and arrangements of the elements discussed may be changed. Each example may omit, replace or add various processes or components as appropriate. For example, the described method may be performed in a different order than the described order, and various actions may be added, omitted or combined. In addition, the features described for some examples may be combined in some other examples. For example, any number of aspects set forth herein may be used to implement a device or practice method. In addition, the scope of the present disclosure is intended to cover such devices or methods practiced using other structures, functionality, or structures and functionality other than the various aspects of the present disclosure set forth herein or different from the various aspects of the present disclosure set forth herein. It should be understood that any aspect of the disclosure disclosed herein may be embodied by one or more elements of the claims.

[0170] The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the present disclosure may be implemented or performed using a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device (PLD), discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in an alternative, the processor may be any commercially available processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, a system on a chip (SoC), or any other such configuration.

[0171] As used herein, a phrase referring to "at least one of" a list of items refers to any combination of those items (including single members). For example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to cover a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc, as well as any combination with multiple identical elements (e.g., aa, aaa, aab, aac, abb, acc, bb, bbb, bbc, cc, and ccc, or any other ordering of a, b, and c).

[0172] As used herein, the term "determining" encompasses a wide variety of actions. For example, "determining" may include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, searching (e.g., searching in a table, a database, or another data structure), ascertaining, and the like. Additionally, "determining" may include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), and the like. Furthermore, "determining" may include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, and the like.

[0173] The method disclosed herein includes one or more actions for implementing the method. The method actions can be interchangeable with each other without departing from the scope of the claims. In other words, unless a specific order of actions is specified, the order and / or use of specific actions can be modified without departing from the scope of the claims. In addition, the various operations of the method described above can be performed by any suitable component that can perform the corresponding function. The component may include various hardware and / or software components and / or modules, including but not limited to circuits, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) or processors.

[0174] The following claims are not intended to be limited to the various aspects shown herein, but should be given the full scope consistent with the language of the claims. Within the claims, unless otherwise specified, reference to an element in the singular form is not intended to mean "one and only one", but "one or more". Unless otherwise specified, the term "some" refers to one or more. Any claim element is not interpreted according to the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112 (f) unless the element is explicitly stated using the phrase "member for...". All structural and functional equivalents of the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or will be known later to a person of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be covered by the claims. In addition, regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly cited in the claims, anything disclosed herein is not intended to be disclosed to the public.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: Waiting for a multi-component carrier (multi-CC) uplink timeslot, wherein an uplink timeslot on a first component carrier (CC) overlaps with an uplink timeslot of a second CC to send a periodic power headroom report (PHR) in a current PHR period; as well as The periodic PHR having a power headroom (PH) value for the first CC and the second CC is transmitted in the multi-CC uplink timeslot.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The first CC includes a primary CC (PCC), and the second CC includes a secondary CC (SCC); or The first CC includes an SCC, and the second CC includes a PCC.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein when a scheduling rate for uplink transmission on the SCC in a previous PHR period is higher than a threshold, the UE waits for the multi-CC uplink timeslot to send the PHR.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Starting a timer within the current PHR period; as well as When the timer is running, an uplink transmission grant for the multi-CC uplink timeslot is waited for to transmit the PHR. The method of claim 4 , wherein the uplink transmission grant comprises a grant for an initial uplink transmission.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the duration of the timer is defined by a timestamp when the timer is started and a periodic PHR timer expiration timestamp.

7. The method of claim 4, wherein when the timer runs, waiting for the first uplink timeslot to send the PHR, the method comprising: In case that the uplink time slot is an uplink time slot for only one of the first CC or the second CC, the uplink time slot scheduled by the uplink transmission grant is skipped.

8. The method according to claim 4, further comprising: In a case where a first downlink control information (DCI) for uplink transmission grant for the first CC is received before a second downlink control information (DCI) for uplink transmission grant for the second CC, Converting the virtual pH value for the second CC into a real pH value; as well as The converted real PH value is included in the transmitted PHR.

9. The method according to claim 4, further comprising: In case that the timer expires without finding a multi-CC uplink timeslot to send the PHR, an uplink timeslot scheduled by a next uplink transmission grant is selected for sending the PHR.

10. The method according to claim 4, wherein: The first CC includes a primary CC (PCC), and the second CC includes a secondary CC (SCC); and The method further includes resetting the timer if the SCC is deactivated or a virtual radio link failure (vRLF) is detected on the SCC.

11. A processing system, the processing system comprising: a memory including computer executable instructions; One or more processors configured to execute the computer executable instructions and cause the processing system to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. A processing system comprising means for performing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

13. A non-transitory computer readable medium comprising computer executable instructions which, when executed by one or more processors of a processing system, cause the processing system to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 10.

14. A computer program product embodied on a computer readable storage medium, the computer readable storage medium comprising code for executing the method according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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