Efficient uplink channels and procedures in sub-band full duplex networks

Abstract

Techniques related to efficient UL channels and procedures in sub-band full duplex (SBFD) networks are described herein. The UE applies any one of the two FDRAs to a set of slots of the plurality of slots based on the slot type of the set of slots. The UE then uses the set of slots for UL transmission in the SBFD network.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This disclosure is part of a non-provisional application claiming priority to U.S. patent application No. 63 / 371,238, filed on August 12, 2022, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates generally to mobile communications, and more particularly to efficient uplink (UL) channels and procedures in subband-full duplex (SBFD) networks. Background Art

[0004] Unless otherwise indicated in this section, the approaches described in this section are not prior art to the claims listed below and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

[0005] In wireless communications, such as mobile communications under the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) specifications for fifth generation (5G) new radio (NR), current specifications may be used for frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA) in DG PUSCH transmissions in sub-band full duplex (SBFD) networks. A base station (e.g., a gNB) has the flexibility to dynamically allocate resources in UL-only slots and SBFD split slots (e.g., a slot of two downlink (DL) subbands with a UL subband in the middle). There is no problem when using FDRA type 1 because contiguous resource blocks (RBs) can be allocated in both the UL-only slot and the SBFD split slot. However, there may be potential problems when using FDRA type 0. For example, in a SBFD split slot, there may be potential overlap of UL and DL resource block groups (RBGs) near the UL / DL subband edges.

[0006] Furthermore, current 3GPP specifications cannot be directly applied to configure FDRA for Grant (CG) PUSCH transmissions in SBFD. The first issue is that a single FDRA is configured through higher layer parameters for all UL slots in Type 1 CG PUSCH transmissions; but this is not efficient for SBFD systems with two slot types. The second issue is that a single FDRA is configured through Layer 1 signaling for all UL slots in Type 2 CG PUSCH transmissions; but this is not efficient for SBFD systems with two slot types. The third issue is that the PUSCH transmission periodicity may cause transmissions from UL-only slots to overlap with DL subbands in SBFD split slots; but the frequency resources allocated in UL-only slots may not be available in SBFD split slots. The fourth issue is that in SBFD split slots using Type 0 FDRA, there may be potential overlap of UL and DL RBGs near the UL / DG subband edges. Therefore, a solution for efficient UL channels and procedures in SBFD networks is needed. Summary of the invention

[0007] The following summary is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. That is, the following summary is intended to introduce the concepts, highlights, advantages, and benefits of the novel and non-obvious technologies described herein. Selected embodiments are further described in the detailed description below. Therefore, the following summary is not intended to identify essential features of the subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to determine the scope of the subject matter.

[0008] One object of the present disclosure is to propose solutions or schemes that solve the problems described herein. More specifically, the various schemes proposed in the present disclosure are believed to provide solutions involving efficient uplink (UL) channels and procedures in sub-band full-duplex (SBFD) networks. It is believed that implementing the various proposed schemes according to the present disclosure may solve or otherwise alleviate the problems described herein.

[0009] In one aspect, a method may involve a UE applying either of two FDRAs to a group of time slots in a plurality of time slots according to a time slot type of the group of time slots. The method may also involve the UE using the group of time slots for UL transmission in a sub-band full duplex (SBFD) network.

[0010] In another aspect, a method may involve a UE determining a starting resource block (RB) of a group of time slots in a resource allocation for either intra-time slot frequency hopping or inter-time slot frequency hopping. The method may also involve the UE performing UL transmission in a sub-band full duplex (SBFD) network with intra-time slot frequency hopping or inter-time slot frequency hopping enabled.

[0011] In another aspect, a method may involve a UE applying an FDRA type 0 in an SBFD partitioned time slot. The method may also involve the UE allocating one or more non-overlapping RBs in response to a UL RBG overlapping a downlink (DL) RBG in the SBFD partitioned time slot. The method may also involve the UE using the allocated one or more non-overlapping RBs for UL transmission.

[0012] It is worth noting that although the description provided herein may be in the context of certain radio access technologies, networks and network topologies such as 5G / NR mobile communications, the proposed concepts, schemes and any variations / derivatives thereof may be implemented in, used for and implemented by other types of radio access technologies, networks and network topologies, such as and not limited to Evolved Packet System (EPS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro, Internet of Things (IoT), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Vehicle-to-everything (V2X) and Non-terrestrial Network (NTN) communications. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the examples described herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure and are incorporated into and constitute a part of the present disclosure. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the drawings are not necessarily to scale, as some components may be shown out of proportion to the size in actual implementation in order to clearly illustrate the concepts of the present disclosure.

[0014] Figure 1 is a diagram of an example network environment in which various aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0015] Figure 2 is a diagram of an example scenario in which the solutions proposed by the present disclosure can be implemented.

[0016] Figure 3 is a diagram of an example scenario in which the solutions proposed by the present disclosure can be implemented.

[0017] Figure 4 is a diagram of an example scenario in which the solutions proposed by the present disclosure can be implemented.

[0018] Figure 5 is a diagram of an example scenario in which the solutions proposed by the present disclosure can be implemented.

[0019] Figure 6 is a block diagram of an example communication system, consistent with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] Figure 7 is a flow chart of an example process consistent with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] Figure 8 is a flow chart of an example process consistent with one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] Fig. 9 is a flow chart of an example process consistent with one embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Detailed embodiments and implementations of the subject matter are disclosed in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments and implementations are merely exemplary implementations of the subject matter and may be embodied in various forms. The present disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be considered to be limited to the exemplary embodiments and implementations provided herein. On the contrary, these exemplary embodiments and implementations are provided to make the description of the present disclosure comprehensive and complete and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. In the following description, details of well-known features and technologies may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the embodiments and implementations presented.

[0024] Overview

[0025] Implementations according to the present disclosure relate to various techniques, methods, schemes and / or solutions for efficient uplink (UL) channels and procedures in sub-band full-duplex (SBFD) networks. According to the present disclosure, a variety of possible solutions may be implemented individually or together. That is, although these possible solutions may be described individually, two or more solutions may be implemented in one or another combination.

[0026] Figure 1 An example network environment 100 is shown in which various solutions and schemes according to the present disclosure may be implemented. Figures 2 to 9 An example of implementing various proposed solutions in the network environment 100 according to the present disclosure is shown. Figures 1 to 9 .

[0027] refer to Figure 1, the network environment 100 may involve wireless communication between a UE 110 and a radio access network (RAN) 120 (e.g., a 5G NR mobile network or other types of networks, such as NTN). The UE 110 may communicate wirelessly with the RAN 120 via a base station or a terrestrial network node 125 (e.g., an eNB, a gNB, or a transceiver point (TRP)) and / or via a satellite or a non-terrestrial network node 128. The RAN 120 may be part of a network 130. In the network environment 100, the UE 110 and the network 130 (via the terrestrial network node 125 or the non-terrestrial network node 128 of the RAN 120) may implement various schemes for efficient UL channels and procedures in a SBFD network, as described below. It is worth noting that although various proposed schemes, options, and methods may be described separately, in actual applications, these proposed schemes, options, and methods may be implemented separately or together. That is, in some cases, one or more proposed schemes, options, and methods may be implemented separately or separately. In other cases, some or all of the proposed schemes, options, and methods may be implemented together.

[0028] Figure 2 An example scenario 200 is shown in which the proposed scheme according to the present disclosure may be implemented. The scenario 200 may involve RBG allocation at the subband edge of FDRA type 0, applicable to DG PUSCH and CG PUSCH. In wireless communications based on current 3GPP specifications, when FDRA type 0 is used in SBFD split time slots, there may be potential overlap between UL and DL RBGs at the UL / DL subband edge, such as Figure 2 As shown. According to the proposed scheme, for UL RBGs that overlap with DL subbands when using FDRA type 0, non-overlapping RBs within the UL RBGs can be allocated for UL transmission. For example, RBGs at the edge of the UL subband may have a smaller number of RBs compared to other RBGs. In addition, according to the proposed scheme, UL subbands in SBFD partitioned slots can be configured as integer multiples of the RBG size from the perspective of common resource block (CRB) numbering.

[0029] According to the current 3GPP specification for wireless transmission, a single FDRA is defined for CG PUSCH transmission, which is applied on all time slots within a defined period. However, a single FDRA may not be efficient for SBFD, which has two types of time slots. The two time slot types in SBFD (i.e., UL-only time slots and SBFD divided time slots) have different bandwidths. Therefore, defining separate FDRAs for the two time slot types may be beneficial to flexibly allocate resources according to resource availability on each time slot type.

[0030] According to the proposed scheme of the present disclosure, two FDRAs can be defined for CG PUSCH transmission in SBFD based on the time slot type. For example, two FDRAs can be provided based on the CG PUSCH configuration. Alternatively, each FDRA can be applied to a specific set of time slots. Alternatively, two FDRAs can be provided for type 1 CG PUSCH transmission through high-level parameters. Alternatively, frequencyDomainAllocation in rrc-ConfiguredUplinkGrant can define the first FDRA. Alternatively, an additional parameter frequencyDomainAllocation2 can be provided in rrc-ConfiguredUplinkGrant to define the second FDRA. Alternatively, two FDRAs can be provided for type 2 CG PUSCH transmission through layer 1 signaling. In some implementations, the frequency domain resource allocation field in the activation downlink control information (DCI) can define the first FDRA. Alternatively, an additional field frequency domain resource allocation 2 can be provided in the activation DCI to define the second FDRA.

[0031] In some implementations, the set of time slots to which each FDRA applies may be indicated to the UE via a higher layer parameter. In some implementations, a bitmap may be used to indicate the set of time slots to which each FDRA applies. In some implementations, a set of time slots with a bit value = 0 may represent a complete UL time slot, and the UE 110 may apply one FDRA. Alternatively, a set of time slots with a bit value = 1 may represent a SBFD time slot, and the UE 110 may apply another FDRA. In some implementations, a bitmap defined by a higher layer parameter may be used to indicate the time slot set.

[0032] It is worth noting that the PUSCH transmission periodicity may cause transmissions from UL-only timeslots to overlap with DL subbands in SBFD partitioned timeslots. The frequency resources allocated in the UL timeslots may not be available in the SBFD partitioned timeslots. Therefore, the two timeslot types in SBFD have different bandwidths, and periodic transmissions may occur in the same timeslot type to ensure resource availability for each transmission.

[0033] Under a scheme proposed in the present disclosure, for configuring CG PUSCH transmission, it is possible to support skipping / disabling / invalidating CG PUSCH resource allocation for a specific set of time slots. For example, the set of time slots to which skipping / disabling / invalidation is applied can be indicated to UE110 through high-level parameters. Alternatively, in addition, if the configured CG-PUSCH resources partially or completely overlap with the downlink (DL) subband in a specific transmission opportunity (TO), the CG-PUSCH resource allocation can be skipped / disabled / invalidated. Alternatively, in addition, a bitmap can be used to indicate the set of time slots to which skipping / disabling / invalidation is applied. Alternatively, in addition, a bitmap can be defined by high-level parameters and can be used to indicate a set of time slots. It is worth noting that the various features of the proposed scheme described above can be applied to other UL configuration transmissions, such as but not limited to physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmissions, sounding reference signal (SRS) transmissions, and scheduling request (SR) transmissions.

[0034] Regarding dynamic grant (DG) PUSCH transmissions with repetitions, the UE can be configured for two or more repetitions, which can be in one slot or multiple slots (Type-B), or across multiple consecutive slots (Type-A). For PUSCH repetition Type-A, each slot contains a single repetition, and the resource allocation is the same for all slots. For PUSCH repetition Type-B, the resource allocation is repeated consecutively in one or more slots. However, one issue is that the PUSCH repetition uses the same resource allocation in multiple consecutive slots, which may be a combination of UL-only slots and SBFD-partitioned slots. The slots in the repetition may include SBFD and UL-only slots, and each slot type may require a different frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA). In addition, the PUSCH repetition level may cause the transmission to be repeated in different slot types. If the starting slot is UL-only, the allocated frequency resources may overlap with the DL subband in the SBFD-partitioned slot. Therefore, it would be beneficial for the slots for PUSCH repetition to include UL-only slots and SBFD-partitioned slots and have different bandwidths. Furthermore, it would be beneficial to define a separate FDRA for each slot type in a repetition to provide flexibility in resource allocation. Additionally, for PUSCH repetitions, it would be beneficial for the repetitions to occur in the same slot type to ensure resource availability for each repetition.

[0035] Under one scheme proposed in the present disclosure, two FDRAs may be defined for a DG PUSCH repetition based on the slot type. For example, each FDRA may be applied to a specific set of slots in the DG PUSCH repetition. Alternatively, in addition, the set of slots to which each FDRA is applied may be indicated to UE110 via a high-level parameter. Alternatively, in addition, the set of slots to which each FDRA is applied may be indicated to UE110 via layer 1 signaling. Alternatively, in addition, a bitmap may be used to indicate the set of slots to which each FDRA is applied. For example, for a set of slots with a bit value = 0, UE110 may apply one FDRA; for a set of slots with a bit value = 1, UE110 may apply another FDRA.

[0036] Under the proposed scheme, for DG PUSCH repetition, repetition skipping for a specific set of time slots may be supported. For example, if the PUSCH repetition overlaps with a DL subband in a SBFD time slot, skipping may be applied. Alternatively, in addition, the set of time slots to which the skipping is applied may be indicated to the UE110 via a high-level parameter. Alternatively, in addition, the set of time slots to which the skipping is applied may be indicated to the UE110 via layer 1 signaling. In some implementations, if the PUSCH repetition occurs on a time slot indicated as skipped, the UE110 may postpone the repetition. Alternatively, in addition, if the PUSCH repetition occurs on a time slot indicated as skipped, the UE110 may discard the repetition. In some implementations, a bitmap may be used to indicate the set of time slots to which the skipping is applied. Alternatively, in addition, the bitmap may be defined by a high-level parameter and may be used to indicate a set of time slots. Alternatively, in addition, the bitmap may be defined by layer 1 signaling and may be used to indicate a set of time slots. It is noteworthy that the various features of the proposed scheme described above may be applied to other UL repetition schemes, such as but not limited to CG-PUSCH repetition and PUCCH repetition.

[0037] Regarding frequency hopping, the UE can be instructed to apply intra-slot or inter-slot frequency hopping. The number of resource block (RB) offsets between two frequency hops depends on the size of the allocated bandwidth part (BWP). For BWPs smaller than 50 physical resource blocks (PRBs), one of two RB offsets is indicated to the UE. For larger BWPs, one of four RB offsets is indicated to the UE.

[0038] For intra-slot frequency hopping, the time domain resources are divided into two parts. The first part applies the original FDRA allocation without frequency offset, and the second part applies the RB offset based on the frequencyHoppingOffsetList in PUSCH-Config. However, there is a problem that in SBFD divided slots, since the RB start in the current 3GPP specification is restricted to the BWP of the UL-only slot, the resource allocation with frequency hopping may overlap with the DL subband.

[0039] For inter-slot frequency hopping, different RBs can be allocated for even and odd timeslots. The original FDRA allocation is applied to even timeslots without frequency hopping, and the RB offset based on the frequencyHoppingOffsetList in PUSCH-Config is applied to odd timeslots. However, there is a problem that in SBFD divided timeslots / symbols, the resource allocation with frequency hopping may overlap with the DL subband because the RB start in the current 3GPP specification is restricted to the BWP of the UL-only timeslot. Another problem is that with the enhancement of FDRA for each timeslot type separately, frequency hopping across timeslots with different FDRAs may not be efficient.

[0040] Figure 3 An example scenario 300 of frequency hopping in sub-band full duplex (SBFD) is presented. With respect to frequency hopping in SBFD, for both intra-slot and inter-slot frequency hopping, the starting resource block (RB) after applying the frequency hopping offset is calculated in such a way as to ensure that the resource allocation is within the UL bandwidth part (BWP). For SBFD split slots, since the bandwidth of the UL subband is smaller than the BWP of the UL-only slot, the resource allocation with frequency hopping is likely to overlap with the downlink (DL) subband. For the proposed enhancement of separate frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA) for each slot type, the frequency hopping from UL-only slots (using FDRA-1) to SBFD split slots (using FDRA-2), and vice versa, may not be efficient due to the different resource allocations for each slot type. Therefore, it may be beneficial to select the starting RB for intra-slot and inter-slot frequency hopping to ensure that the resource allocation always remains within the UL subband of the SBFD split slot. For the case where separate FDRAs are provided for each slot type, the inter-slot frequency hopping process may consider the FDRA of each slot type to ensure resource availability.

[0041] Figure 4 An example scenario 400 of a proposed scheme that may be implemented according to the present disclosure is shown. The scenario 400 may involve frequency hopping in SBFD. Under the proposed scheme, when intra-slot frequency hopping is enabled for SBFD, the starting RB for each hop may be defined as follows:

[0042]

[0043] Here, RB start Indicates the starting RB in the time slot based on FDRA, RB offset Indicates the frequency hopping offset, i=0 and i=1 are the first hopping and the second hopping respectively, represents the maximum number of RBs in a slot set with index j, RB first(j) represents the first ULRB of the slot set with index j, j∈{0,1}.

[0044] Under the proposed scheme, the time slot set may be indicated to the UE 110 via a higher layer parameter. Alternatively, the time slot set may be indicated to the UE 110 via layer 1 signaling. Alternatively, a bitmap may be used to indicate the time slot set. For example, the bitmap may be defined by a higher layer parameter and used to indicate the time slot set. Alternatively, the bitmap may be defined by layer 1 signaling and used to indicate the time slot set. In some embodiments, the bit value of each bit of the bitmap may be used as a pointer to the definition. and RB first (j) A pointer to a table of values. In some cases, RB offset Can range from 1 to In addition, RB start Can range from 0 to Select from a set of integer values.

[0045] Figure 5 An example scenario 500 of a proposed scheme that may be implemented according to the present disclosure is shown. The scenario 500 may involve frequency hopping in SBFD. Under the proposed scheme, when inter-time slot frequency hopping is enabled for SBFD, the starting RB of each time slot may be defined as follows:

[0046]

[0047] Here, n represents the current time slot number in the system radio frame, RBs tart Indicates the starting RB in the time slot based on FDRA, RB offset Indicates the frequency jump offset, represents the maximum number of RBs in a slot set with index j, RB first (j) represents the first ULRB of the slot set with index j, j∈{0,1}.

[0048] Under the proposed scheme, the time slot set may be indicated to the UE 110 via a higher layer parameter. Alternatively, the time slot set may be indicated to the UE 110 via a first layer signaling. Alternatively, a bitmap may be used to indicate the time slot set. For example, the bitmap may be defined by a higher layer parameter and used to indicate the time slot set. Alternatively, the bitmap may be defined by a first layer signaling and used to indicate the time slot set. In some implementations, the bit value of each bit of the bitmap may be used as a pointer to the definition. and RB first (j) A pointer to a table of values. In some cases, RB offset Can range from 1 to In addition, RB start Can range from 0 to Select from a set of integer values.

[0049] According to the proposed scheme of the present disclosure regarding frequency hopping in SBFD, with the proposed enhancement of separate FDRA for each timeslot type, the starting RB of each timeslot may be defined as follows:

[0050]

[0051] Here, n represents the current time slot number in the system radio frame, RB start (j) represents the starting RB of the FDRA based on the slot set with index j, RB offset represents the frequency offset, represents the maximum number of RBs in a slot set with index j, RB first (j) represents the first ULRB of the slot set with index j. j∈{0,1}.

[0052] Under the proposed scheme, the time slot set may be indicated to the UE 110 via a higher layer parameter. Alternatively, the time slot set may be indicated to the UE 110 via a first layer signaling. Alternatively, a bitmap may be used to indicate the time slot set. For example, a bitmap may be defined by a higher layer parameter and used to indicate the time slot set. Alternatively, a bitmap may be defined by a first layer signaling and used to indicate the time slot set. In some cases, the RB offset Can range from 1 to In addition, RB start Can range from 0 to Select from a set of integer values.

[0053] According to the proposed scheme for frequency hopping in SBFD in the present disclosure, when inter-time slot frequency hopping is enabled for SBFD, frequency hopping on a specific time slot set can be supported. For example, inter-time slot frequency hopping can be enabled on UL-only time slots. Alternatively, frequency hopping can also follow a traditional frequency hopping procedure. Alternatively, the time slot set to which frequency hopping is applied can be indicated to UE110 through a high-level parameter. Alternatively, the time slot set to which frequency hopping is applied can also be indicated to UE110 through a first-layer signaling. Alternatively, the time slot set to which frequency hopping is not applied (skipped) can be indicated to UE110 through a high-level parameter. Alternatively, the time slot set to which frequency hopping is not applied (skipped) can also be indicated to UE110 through a first-layer signaling. Alternatively, a bitmap can be used to indicate the time slot set to which frequency hopping is applied. Alternatively, a bitmap can also be used to indicate the time slot set to which frequency hopping is not applied.

[0054] Example Implementation

[0055] Figure 6An example communication system 600 is shown, which includes at least an example device 610 and an example device 620 that perform various functions according to an implementation of the present disclosure to implement the schemes, techniques, processes and methods described herein regarding efficient UL channels and procedures in SBFD networks, including the various schemes described above regarding various proposed designs, concepts, schemes, systems and methods, including the network environment 100, and the processes described below.

[0056] Each device 610 and device 620 may be part of an electronic device, which may be a network device or a user equipment (UE, e.g., UE 110), such as a portable or mobile device, a wearable device, a vehicle device or a vehicle, a wireless communication device, or a computing device. For example, device 610 and device 620 may be implemented in a smartphone, a smart watch, a personal digital assistant, an electronic control unit (ECU) in a vehicle, a digital camera, or a computing device such as a tablet, a laptop, or a notebook computer. Device 610 and device 620 may also be part of a machine type device, which may be an Internet of Things (IoT) device, such as a fixed or static device, a home device, a roadside unit (RSU), a wired communication device, or a computing device. For example, device 610 and device 620 may be implemented in a smart thermostat, a smart refrigerator, a smart door lock, a wireless speaker, or a home control center. When implemented as a network device, device 610 and / or device 620 may be implemented in an eNodeB in an LTE, LTE-Advanced, or LTE-Advanced Pro network or in a gNB or TRP in a 5G network, an NR network, or an IoT network.

[0057] In some implementations, the device 610 and the device 620 may be implemented in the form of one or more integrated circuit (IC) chips, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, one or more complex instruction set computing (CISC) processors, or one or more reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors. In the above various schemes, the device 610 and the device 620 may be implemented as a network device or a UE. The device 610 and the device 620 may include Figure 6 At least some of the components shown, such as processor 612 and processor 622, respectively. Device 610 and device 620 may also include one or more other components that are not related to the proposed solution of the present disclosure (e.g., internal power supply, display device and / or user interface device), so for the sake of simplicity and conciseness, these components of device 610 and device 620 are not shown in the figure. Figure 6 It is not shown in the figure and is not described below.

[0058] In one aspect, processor 612 and processor 622 may be implemented in the form of one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more CISC or RISC processors. That is, although the singular term "a processor" is used herein to refer to processor 612 and processor 622, in some implementations, processor 612 and processor 622 may each include multiple processors and in other implementations include a single processor in accordance with the present disclosure. In another aspect, processor 612 and processor 622 may be implemented in the form of hardware (and, optionally, firmware), electronic components including, for example but not limited to, one or more transistors, one or more diodes, one or more capacitors, one or more resistors, one or more inductors, one or more memristors, and / or one or more variable capacitors, all of which are configured and arranged for specific purposes according to the present disclosure. In other words, in at least some implementations, processor 612 and processor 622 are special-purpose machines specifically designed, arranged, and configured to perform specific tasks including those related to efficient UL channels and procedures in SBFD networks.

[0059] In some implementations, the device 610 may also include a transceiver 616 coupled to the processor 612. The transceiver 616 may be capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some implementations, the transceiver 616 may be capable of wirelessly communicating with different types of wireless networks of different radio access technologies (RATs). In some implementations, the transceiver 616 may be equipped with multiple antenna ports (not shown), for example, four antenna ports. That is, the transceiver 616 may be equipped with multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas for multiple input multiple output (MIMO) wireless communication. In some implementations, the device 620 may also include a transceiver 626 coupled to the processor 622. The transceiver 626 may include a transceiver capable of wirelessly transmitting and receiving data. In some implementations, the transceiver 626 may be capable of wirelessly communicating with different types of UE / wireless networks of different RATs. In some implementations, the transceiver 626 may be equipped with multiple antenna ports (not shown), for example, four antenna ports. That is, the transceiver 626 may be equipped with multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas for MIMO wireless communication.

[0060] In some implementations, the device 610 may also include a memory 614 coupled to the processor 612 and accessible to the processor 612 and storing data therein. In some implementations, the device 620 may also include a memory 624 coupled to the processor 622 and accessible to the processor 622 and storing data therein. The memory 614 and the memory 624 may each include a random access memory (RAM) type, such as dynamic RAM (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), thyristor RAM (T-RAM) and / or zero capacitance RAM (Z-RAM). Alternatively, or in addition, the memory 614 and the memory 624 may each include a read-only memory (ROM) type, such as mask ROM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM) and / or electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM). Alternatively, or in addition, the memory 614 and the memory 624 may each include a non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM) type, such as flash memory, solid-state memory, ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM) and / or phase change memory.

[0061] Device 610 and device 620 may be communication entities capable of communicating with each other using various schemes proposed according to the present disclosure. For illustrative purposes and not limited thereto, a description of the capabilities of device 610 as a UE (e.g., UE 110) and device 620 as a network (e.g., network 130 as a 5G / NR mobile network) of a network node (e.g., terrestrial network node 125 or non-terrestrial network node 128) is provided below in the context of example processes 700, 800, and 900.

[0062] Example Implementation

[0063] Figure 7 An example process 700 is shown in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Process 700 may represent one aspect of implementing the various designs, concepts, schemes, systems, and methods presented above, whether in part or in whole, including those related to the above. More specifically, process 700 may represent one aspect of the presented concepts and schemes related to efficient UL channels and procedures in SBFD networks. Process 700 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions, as shown in one or more blocks 710 and 720. Although shown as discrete blocks, the various blocks of process 700 may be divided into more blocks, combined into fewer blocks, or eliminated depending on the desired implementation. In addition, the blocks / sub-blocks of process 700 may be arranged in a manner such that: Figure 7700 may be performed in the order shown, or may be performed in a different order. In addition, one or more blocks / sub-blocks of process 700 may be iteratively performed. Process 700 may be implemented by device 610 and device 620 and any variants thereof. For illustrative purposes only and without limiting the scope, process 700 is described below in the context of a network (e.g., network 130 as a 5G / NR mobile network) in which device 610 is a user equipment (e.g., UE 110) and device 620 is a communication entity such as a network node or base station (e.g., a ground network node 125 or a non-ground network node 128). Process 700 may start from block 710.

[0064] At 710, process 700 may involve processor 612 of device 610 applying either of two FDRAs to a group of time slots in a plurality of time slots based on the time slot types of the group of time slots. Process 700 may continue from 710 to 720.

[0065] At 720 , process 700 may involve processor 612 , via transceiver 616 , performing an UL transmission using the set of time slots in the SBFD network.

[0066] In some embodiments, when applying either of the two FDRAs to the group of time slots, the process 700 may involve the processor 612 applying the first of the two FDRAs in response to each time slot in the group of time slots being a UL-only time slot. Alternatively, the process 700 may involve the processor 612 applying the second of the two FDRAs in response to each time slot in the group of time slots being a SBFD partitioned time slot.

[0067] In some embodiments, the uplink transmission may include a configured CG PUSCH transmission. In this case, two FDRAs may be provided for type 1 CG PUSCH transmissions via higher layer parameters. Additionally, two FDRAs may be provided for type 2 CG PUSCH transmissions via layer 1 signaling.

[0068] In some embodiments, the uplink transmission may include a DG PUSCH transmission. In this case, the set of time slots to which either of the two FDRAs are applied may be indicated to device 610 (eg, via device 620 via network 130) via higher layer parameters, layer 1 signaling, or a bitmap.

[0069] In some embodiments, application of either of the two FDRAs in the set of time slots in the plurality of time slots may be indicated to device 610 (eg, via device 620 via network 130 ) via a higher layer parameter or bitmap.

[0070] In some embodiments, process 700 may further involve processor 612 skipping, disabling, or otherwise disabling resource allocations for one or more other groups of time slots in the plurality of time slots. In this case, an indication of the one or more other groups of time slots may be provided to device 610 (e.g., via device 620 via network 130) via a higher layer parameter or bitmap.

[0071] In certain embodiments, when skipping resource allocation, process 700 may involve processor 612 skipping resource allocation with respect to configuring CG PUSCH transmission, physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmission, sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission, or scheduling request (SR) transmission.

[0072] In some embodiments, when skipping resource allocation, process 700 may involve processor 612 skipping a configured CG PUSCH resource allocation for a particular transmission opportunity TO in response to one or more configured CG-PUSCH resources in the TO overlapping with a downlink (DL) subband.

[0073] In some embodiments, process 700 may further involve processor 612 skipping, disabling, or otherwise disabling repetition with respect to one or more other groups of time slots in the plurality of time slots. In this case, an indication of the one or more other groups of time slots is provided to device 610 (e.g., via device 620 via network 130) via a higher layer parameter, layer 1 signaling, or a bitmap.

[0074] In some embodiments, when skipping repetitions, process 700 may involve processor 612 skipping repetitions with respect to a DGPUSCH repetition, a configured CG PUSCH repetition, or a physical PUCCH repetition.

[0075] In some embodiments, when skipping repetitions, process 700 may involve processor 612 skipping the DG PUSCH repetition in response to the DG PUSCH repetition overlapping a DL subband in a SBFD time slot.

[0076] In some embodiments, when repetitions are skipped, process 700 may involve processor 612 deferring or dropping a DG PUSCH repetition in response to a DG PUSCH repetition occurring in a slot indicated as skipped.

[0077] Figure 8An example process 800 is shown in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. Process 800 may represent one aspect of implementing the various designs, concepts, schemes, systems, and methods presented above, whether in part or in whole, including those related to the above. More specifically, process 800 may represent one aspect of the presented concepts and schemes related to efficient UL channels and procedures in SBFD networks. Process 800 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions, as shown in one or more blocks 810 and 820. Although shown as discrete blocks, the various blocks of process 800 may be divided into more blocks, combined into fewer blocks, or eliminated depending on the desired implementation. In addition, the blocks / sub-blocks of process 800 may be arranged in a manner such that: Figure 8 800 may be performed in the order shown, or may be performed in a different order. In addition, one or more blocks / sub-blocks of process 800 may be iteratively performed. Process 800 may be implemented by device 610 and device 620 and any variants thereof. For illustrative purposes only and without limiting the scope, process 800 is described below in the context of a network (e.g., network 130 as a 5G / NR mobile network) in which device 610 is a user equipment (e.g., UE 110) and device 620 is a communication entity such as a network node or base station (e.g., a ground network node 125 or a non-ground network node 128). Process 800 may start from block 810.

[0078] At 810, process 800 may involve processor 612 of device 610 determining a starting resource block (RB) for a group of time slots in resource allocation for either intra-slot frequency hopping and inter-slot frequency hopping. Process 800 may continue from 810 to 820.

[0079] At 820 , process 800 may involve processor 612 performing, via transceiver 616 , an UL transmission in a SBFD network with intra-slot frequency hopping or inter-slot frequency hopping enabled.

[0080] In some embodiments, in response to intra-slot frequency hopping enabled for SBFD, the starting RB for each frequency hop may be determined as follows:

[0081]

[0082] Here, RB start Indicates the starting RB in the time slot based on FDRA, RB offset Indicates frequency hopping offset, i=0 and i=1 are the first and second frequency hopping respectively, represents the maximum number of RBs for a slot set with index j, and RB first (j) represents the first ULRB of the slot set with index j, j∈{0,1}.

[0083] In some implementations, the indication of the time slot set may be provided to device 610 (eg, from network 130 via device 620) via higher layer parameters, layer 1 signaling, or a bitmap.

[0084] In certain implementations, in response to inter-slot frequency hopping enabled for SBFD, the starting RB of each slot may be determined as follows:

[0085]

[0086] Here, n represents the current time slot number in the system radio frame, RB start Indicates the starting RB in the time slot based on FDRA, RB offset Indicates the frequency hopping offset, represents the maximum number of RBs for a slot set with index j, and RB first (j) represents the first UL RB of the slot set with index j, j∈{0,1}.

[0087] In some implementations, the indication of the time slot set may be provided to device 610 (eg, from network 130 via device 620) via higher layer parameters, layer 1 signaling, or a bitmap.

[0088] In some implementations, process 800 may further involve processor 612 performing additional operations. For example, process 800 may involve processor 612 applying one of the two FDRAs in response to each time slot in the time slot set being a UL-only time slot. Alternatively, process 800 may involve processor 612 applying the second of the two FDRAs in response to each time slot in the time slot set being a SBFD partitioned time slot. In some implementations, the starting RB of each time slot may be determined as follows:

[0089]

[0090] Here, n represents the current time slot number in the system radio frame, RB start (j) represents the starting RB of the slot set with index j based on FDRA, RB offset represents the frequency offset, represents the maximum number of RBs for a slot set with index j, and RB first (j) represents the first UL RB of the slot set with index j. j∈{0,1}.

[0091] In some implementations, the indication of the time slot set may be provided to device 610 (eg, from network 130 via device 620) via higher layer parameters, layer 1 signaling, or a bitmap.

[0092] Fig. 9An example process 900 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Process 900 may represent one aspect of implementing the various designs, concepts, schemes, systems and methods proposed above, whether in part or in whole, including those related to the above content. More specifically, process 900 may represent one aspect of the proposed concepts and schemes related to efficient UL channels and procedures in SBFD networks. Process 900 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions, as shown by one or more blocks 910, 920 and 930. Although shown as discrete blocks, the various blocks of process 900 may be divided into more blocks, combined into fewer blocks, or eliminated depending on the desired implementation. In addition, the blocks / sub-blocks of process 900 may be arranged in a manner such that: Fig. 9 900 may be performed in the order shown, or may be performed in a different order. In addition, one or more blocks / sub-blocks of process 900 may be performed iteratively. Process 900 may be implemented by device 610 and device 620, as well as variants thereof. For illustrative purposes only and without limiting the scope, process 900 will be described below in the context of a network (e.g., network 130 as a 5G / NR mobile network) in which device 610 is a user device (e.g., user device 110) and device 620 is a communication entity (e.g., a network node or base station, e.g., a ground network node 125 or a non-ground network node 128). Process 900 may start from block 910.

[0093] At 910 , process 900 may involve processor 612 of device 610 applying FDRA Type 0 in the SBFD partitioned time slots. Process 900 may continue from 910 to 920 .

[0094] At 920, process 900 may involve processor 612 allocating one or more non-overlapping RBs when the UL RBGs overlap with the DL RBGs in the SBFD partitioned time slots. Process 900 may continue from 920 to 930.

[0095] At 930 , process 900 may involve processor 612 , via transceiver 616 , performing an UL transmission using the allocated one or more non-overlapping RBs.

[0096] In some embodiments, the UL subbands in the SBFD partitioned slots may be configured as integer multiples of the RBG size from a CRB numbering perspective.

[0097] Additional Notes

[0098] The subject matter described herein sometimes shows different components included, or connected to other different components. It should be understood that the architecture depicted in this way is only an example, and many other architectures can actually be implemented to achieve the same function. Conceptually, the arrangement of any components to achieve the same function is actually "associated" in order to achieve the desired function. Therefore, any two components combined here to achieve a specific function can be regarded as "associated" with each other to achieve the desired function, regardless of the architecture or intermediate components. Similarly, any two components associated in this way can also be regarded as "operably connected" or "operably coupled" to each other to achieve the desired function, and any two components that can be associated in this way can also be regarded as "operably coupled" to each other to achieve the desired function. Specific examples of operable coupling include, but are not limited to, components that can be physically matched and / or physically interacted and / or components that can be wirelessly interacted and / or wirelessly interacted and / or components that can interact logically and / or logically interact.

[0099] Furthermore, with respect to almost any plural and / or singular terms used herein, one having technical skills can translate from the plural to the singular and / or from the singular to the plural, depending on the context and / or application. For clarity, the various singular / plural arrangements may be explicitly listed herein.

[0100] Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that, in general, the terms used herein, and particularly in the appended claims, e.g., the bodies of the claims, are generally considered to be “open” terms, e.g., the word “comprising” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” the word “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the word “including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” and the like. Those skilled in the art will also understand that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such intent will be explicitly stated in the claim, and in the absence of such a statement no such intent is present. For example, to aid understanding, the following appended claims may contain the use of the introductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claim recitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be interpreted to mean that any particular claim introduced by the indefinite article “a” or “an” contains only one such recitation, even if the same claim includes the introductory phrases “one or more” or “at least one” and an indefinite article such as “a” or “an,” e.g., “a” and / or “an” should be interpreted as “at least one” or “one or more”; the same is true for the use of definite articles to introduce claim recitations. Furthermore, even if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, those skilled in the art will recognize that such a recitation should be interpreted to include at least the recited number, e.g., merely reciting "two recitations," without other modifiers, means at least two recitations, or two or more recitations. Furthermore, where conventions similar to "at least one of A, B, and C, etc." are used, such constructions are generally interpreted in accordance with the meaning understood by those skilled in the art, e.g., "a system having at least A, B, and C" would include, but are not limited to, systems having only A, only B, only C, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together, etc. Where conventions similar to "at least one of A, B, or C, etc." are used, such constructions are generally interpreted in accordance with the meaning understood by those skilled in the art, e.g., "a system having at least A, B, or C" would include, but are not limited to, systems having only A, only B, only C, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together, etc. Those skilled in the art will also understand that virtually any disjunctive word and / or phrase presenting two or more alternative terms in the description, claims, or drawings should be understood to contemplate the possibility of including one of the terms, either of the two terms, or both of the terms. For example, the phrase "A or B" will be understood to include the possibility of "A" or "B" or "A and B."

[0101] As can be seen from the above, various embodiments of the present disclosure have been described herein for illustrative purposes, and various modifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Therefore, the various embodiments disclosed herein are not meant to be limiting, and the true scope and spirit are indicated by the following claims.

Claims

1. A method comprising: Applying, by a processor of a UE, either of two frequency domain resource allocations (FDRAs) to a group of time slots among a plurality of time slots based on a time slot type of the group of time slots; as well as The processor uses the set of time slots for an uplink (UL) transmission in a sub-band full-duplex (SBFD) network.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein applying either of the two FDRAs to the group of time slots comprises: In response to each time slot in the group of time slots being an uplink-only (UL) time slot, applying a first FDRA of two FDRAs; or In response to each time slot in the group of time slots being a SBFD partitioned time slot, a second one of the two FDRAs is applied.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the uplink transmission comprises a configuration grant (CG) physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission, wherein two FDRAs are type 1CG PUSCH transmissions provided via higher layer parameters, and two FDRAs are type 2CG PUSCH transmissions provided via a layer 1 signaling.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the uplink transmission comprises a DG PUSCH transmission, and the set of time slots to which either of the two FDRAs are applied is indicated to the UE via higher layer parameters, layer 1 signaling, or a bitmap.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein applying any one of the two FDRAs in the group of time slots among the plurality of time slots is indicated to the UE through a higher layer parameter or a bitmap.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: skipping, by the processor, resource allocation with respect to one or more other groups of time slots in the plurality of time slots, The indication of one or more other groups of time slots is provided to the UE via a higher layer parameter or a bitmap.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein skipping the resource allocation comprises skipping resource allocation regarding configuring CG PUSCH transmission, physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmission, sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission, or scheduling request (SR) transmission.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein skipping the resource allocation comprises skipping a configured CG PUSCH resource allocation of a specific transmission opportunity TO in response to one or more configured CG-PUSCH resources overlapping with a downlink (DL) subband in the TO.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: skipping, by the processor, repetitions with respect to one or more other groups of time slots in the plurality of time slots, An indication of one or more other groups of time slots is provided to the UE via higher layer parameters, layer 1 signaling or a bitmap.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein skipping the repetition comprises skipping repetition with respect to a DG PUSCH repetition, a configured CG PUSCH repetition, or a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) repetition.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein skipping the repetition comprises skipping the DG PUSCH repetition in response to the DG PUSCH repetition overlapping a downlink (DL) subband in a SBFD time slot.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein skipping the repetition comprises deferring or dropping the DG PUSCH repetition in response to a DG PUSCH repetition occurring in a time slot indicated to be skipped.

13. A method comprising: Determining, by a processor of a UE, a starting resource block (RB) of a group of time slots in resource allocation for either intra-time slot frequency hopping or inter-time slot frequency hopping; and An UL transmission is performed by the processor in a sub-band full duplex (SBFD) network with intra-slot frequency hopping or inter-slot frequency hopping enabled.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein: In response to frequency hopping enabled for SBFD, the starting RB for each frequency hop is determined as follows: in: RB start represents the starting RB in the time slot based on a frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA), RB offset Indicates the frequency hopping offset, i=0 and i=1 represent the first and second frequency hopping respectively. represents the maximum number of RBs for a slot set with index j, RB first (j) represents a first ULRB of a slot set with index j, j∈{0,1}.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein: An indication of the timeslot set is provided to the UE via higher layer parameters, layer 1 signals or a bitmap.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein: In response to intra-slot frequency hopping enabled for SBFD, the starting RB for each slot is determined as follows: in: n represents a current time slot number in the system radio frame, RB start represents the starting RB in the time slot based on a frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA), RB offset Indicates the frequency hopping offset, represents a maximum number of RBs in a slot set with index j, RB first (j) represents a first ULRB in the slot set with index j, j∈{0,1}.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein: An indication of the timeslot set is provided to the UE via higher layer parameters, layer 1 signaling or a bitmap.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising: In response to each time slot in the time slot set being a UL-only time slot, applying a first of two frequency domain resource allocations (FDRAs); or In response to each time slot in the time slot set being a SBFD partitioned time slot, applying a second FDRA of the two FDRAs, The starting RB of each time slot is determined as follows: in: n represents the current time slot number in the system radio frame, RB start (j) represents the starting RB of a slot set with index j based on an FDRA, RB offset represents the frequency offset, represents a maximum number of RBs for a slot set with index j, and RB first (j) represents a first ULRB of a slot set with index J, j∈{0,1}.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the indication of the time slot set is provided to the UE via a higher layer parameter, a layer 1 signal or a bitmap.

20. A method comprising: Applying, by a processor of a UE, a frequency domain resource allocation (FDRA) type 0 in a sub-band full duplex (SBFD) partitioned time slot; In response to an UL resource block group (RBG) overlapping with a downlink (DL) RBG in the SBFD divided time slot, the processor allocates one or more non-overlapping resource blocks (RBs); performing, by the processor, an uplink transmission using the allocated one or more non-overlapping RBs, Therein, a UL subband in the SBFD divided time slot is configured to be an integer multiple of the RBG size from the perspective of common resource block (CRB) numbering.

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