Method for multi-radio access technology spectrum sharing and apparatus therefor

Abstract

A method for multiple radio access technology spectrum sharing and an apparatus therefor are described. The method comprises: transmitting, by a processor of a device using a first radio access technology (RAT), user equipment (UE) capability information to a first network node of the first RAT, the UE capability information indicating that the device supports multi-RAT spectrum sharing (MRSS); receiving, by the processor, signaling from the first network node, wherein the signaling indicates that the device provides channel information of the MRSS; and performing, by the processor based on the signaling, at least one of: transmitting a measurement report of a channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) of a second RAT to the first network node; and transmitting a sounding reference signal (SRS) or a physical random access channel (PRACH) to a second network node of the second RAT.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates generally to mobile communications, and more particularly to multi-radio access technology (RAT) spectrum sharing between user equipment (UE) and network nodes (eg, base stations (BS)) in mobile communications. Background Art

[0002] Unless otherwise indicated, 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.

[0003] For current network implementations, a base station (BS) can provide wireless coverage for a specific geographic area by forming a wireless access network using one or more cells. The base station can support the operation of these cells, and each cell can provide services to mobile phones and other mobile devices within its wireless coverage area by utilizing at least one radio access technology (RAT). According to the third generation partnership project (3GPP) standards, mobile phones and any mobile devices are variously referred to as user equipment (UE), terminal equipment (TE), mobile station (MS) or mobile terminal (MT), etc. Examples of different RATs include the second generation global mobile communication system (GSM), the third generation universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS), the fourth generation long term evolution (LTE), the fifth generation new radio (NR), beyond 5G (B5G) and the sixth generation (6G).

[0004] In the migration from 4G to 5G and 4G-5G coexistence, the design of dynamic spectrum sharing (DSS) only supports dynamic time division multiple access (TDM) or frequency division multiple access (FDM) spectrum sharing, such as Figure 1 However, the 4G-5G DSS design may be detrimental to the UE throughput and network coverage in either the 4G system or the 5G system. For example, in a network with coexisting 4G and 5G systems, it is observed that the available resources may become extremely limited with a high (e.g., about 53%) overhead, as shown in FIG. Figure 1 As shown in part (B) of . About 30% of the overhead may come from the 4G cyclic prefix (CP), or 25% or more of the overhead may come from the 5G CP. Therefore, since 5G UEs typically support dual-mode operation (i.e., support both 4G and 5G), the network may be downgraded to 4G for resource allocation. In addition, the interference in the network will be high, including interference from 4G cell-specific reference signals (CRS) to 5G UEs, and interference from 4G physical downlink shared channels (PDSCH) to 5G UEs.

[0005] The characteristics of DSS are also envisioned to be supported in 5G to 6G migration and 5G-6G coexistence (or renamed as Multi-RAT Spectrum Sharing (MRSS)), with the expectation of improving the UE throughput of 5G and 6G UEs through enhancement. As the subject is still under research, the MRSS design for 5G-6G coexistence has not yet been defined, which has become an important issue in newly developed wireless communication systems. Therefore, it is necessary to provide appropriate solutions to solve this problem. Summary of the invention

[0006] The following summary of the invention is illustrative only and is not intended to be limiting in any way. That is, the following summary of the invention is provided to introduce the concepts, key points, benefits and beneficial effects of the novel and non-obvious technologies described herein. Selected embodiments are further described in the detailed description below. Therefore, the following summary of the invention is not intended to identify the essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to propose schemes, concepts, designs, systems, methods and devices related to spectrum sharing of multiple radio access technologies (RATs) in mobile communications. It is believed that by implementing one or more of the proposed schemes described herein, the above problems will be avoided or otherwise alleviated.

[0008] In one aspect, a method may involve, using a device of a first RAT, sending user equipment (UE) capability information to a first network node of the first RAT, wherein the UE capability information indicates that the device supports multi-RAT spectrum sharing (MRSS). The method may also involve the device receiving signaling from the first network node, wherein the signaling indicates that the device provides channel information of MRSS. The method may also involve the device performing at least one of the following operations based on the signaling: (i) sending a measurement report of a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) of a second RAT to the first network node; and (ii) sending a sounding reference signal (SRS) or a physical random access channel (PRACH) to a second network node of the second RAT.

[0009] In one aspect, a device may include a transceiver that wirelessly communicates with one or more network nodes during operation. The device may also include a processor communicatively coupled to the transceiver. The processor may perform operations including sending UE capability information to a first network node of the first RAT through the transceiver during operation, wherein the UE capability information indicates that the device supports MRSS. The processor may also perform operations including receiving signaling from the first network node through the transceiver, wherein the signaling indicates that the device provides channel information for MRSS. The processor may also perform operations including performing at least one of the following operations based on the signaling through the transceiver: (i) sending a measurement report of a CSI-RS of a second RAT to the first network node; and (ii) sending an SRS or PRACH to a second network node of the second RAT.

[0010] In one aspect, a method may involve receiving UE capability information from a device of the first RAT using a network node of a first RAT, wherein the UE capability information indicates that the device supports MRSS. The method may also involve the network node sending signaling to the device based on the UE capability information, wherein the signaling indicates that the device provides channel information of MRSS. The method may also involve the network node performing at least one of the following operations based on the signaling: (i) receiving a measurement report of a CSI-RS of a second RAT from the device; and (ii) receiving, from a second network node of the second RAT, a measurement result of an SRS or PRACH sent from the device to the second network node.

[0011] It is worth noting that although the description provided herein may be in the context of certain radio access technologies, networks and network topologies (e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced, LTE-Advanced Pro, Fifth Generation (5G), New Radio (NR), Internet of Things (IoT) and Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), Beyond 5G (B5G) and Sixth Generation (6G)), the proposed concepts, schemes and any variations / derivatives thereof may be implemented on, for and through any other type of radio access technologies, networks and network topologies. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is not limited to the examples described herein. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated into and constitute a part of the present invention. The accompanying drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description are used to explain the principles of the invention. It is understood that in order to clearly illustrate the concepts of the present invention, the accompanying drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, and some components shown may be shown in a scale that exceeds the size in the actual embodiment.

[0013] Figure 1 is an example scenario diagram describing the DSS design for 4G-5G coexistence.

[0014] Figure 2 This is an example scenario diagram describing resource allocation for 5G and 6G systems under the single RAT assumption.

[0015] Figure 3 is an example scenario diagram describing resource allocation for 5G and 6G systems under the multi-RAT assumption.

[0016] Figure 4 is an example scenario diagram depicting a communication environment in which various solutions and approaches of the present invention may be implemented.

[0017] Figure 5 This is an example scenario diagram describing resource allocation for 5G-6G coexistence without DMRS and CORESET coordination according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 6 This is an example scenario diagram describing resource allocation for 5G-6G coexistence with DMRS coordination according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 7 It is an example scenario diagram of a message sequence diagram describing multi-RAT spectrum sharing according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 8 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary communication system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Fig. 9 is a flowchart describing an example process according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0022] Fig.10 is a flowchart describing another example process according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Detailed embodiments and implementations of the claimed subject matter are disclosed herein. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments and implementations are merely illustrations of the claimed subject matter, which can be implemented in various forms. However, the present invention can be implemented in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the exemplary embodiments and implementations set forth herein. On the contrary, these multiple exemplary embodiments and implementations are provided so that the description of the present invention is comprehensive and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present invention to those with ordinary knowledge in the art. In the following description, the details of known features and technologies may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the presented embodiments and implementations.

[0024] Overview

[0025] Embodiments of the present invention relate to various technologies, methods, schemes and / or solutions related to spectrum sharing of multiple radio access technologies (RATs) in mobile communications. According to the present invention, multiple possible solutions are implemented individually or in combination. That is, although these possible solutions are described separately below, two or more of these possible solutions may also be implemented in combination or in another manner.

[0026] In a 5G or 6G system, the overhead and available resources can be calculated as follows. Taking a 20MHz channel bandwidth as an example, without considering the CP length, the total overhead is 25%, and the available resource elements (REs) per resource block (RB) are 168*(1-0.25)=126REs, where 168(2*84=168) is the total number of REs in an RB. Under the single RAT assumption, the corresponding overhead ratios of the 5G system and the 6G system are similar. Figure 2 An example scenario 200 of resource allocation for 5G and 6G systems under a single RAT assumption is illustrated. Figure 2 Part (A) describes the resource allocation in the 5G system only, while Figure 2 Part (B) of describes resource allocation in a 6G system only. In scenario 200, SU (Single User) indicates a case where an RB is scheduled to only one user equipment (UE), and MU (Multi-User) indicates a case where an RB is scheduled to two UEs (e.g., two 5G UEs or two 6G UEs) forming a MU pair. Under the multi-RAT assumption, the 5G system and the 6G system can coexist through frequency division multiplexing (FDM) and / or time division multiplexing (TDM). Figure 3 An example scenario 300 of resource allocation for 5G and 6G systems under a multi-RAT assumption is illustrated. Figure 3 As shown, 5G UE and 6G UE can be scheduled in different RBs in the same time slot. Taking a 20MHz channel bandwidth as an example, the available REs in each RB are 168*(1-0.25-0.0929)=110REs, where 168 is the total number of REs in one RB.

[0027] In view of the above situation, the present invention proposes a variety of solutions related to multi-RAT spectrum sharing in mobile communications, aiming to enhance the UE throughput of 5G-6G coexistence. Figure 4An example scenario 400 of a communication environment that can be implemented according to various solutions and schemes of the present invention is illustrated. Scenario 400 describes a 5G-6G coexistence network involving a 5G base station (BS) 421 (e.g., a next-generation NB (gNB) or a transmission and reception point (TRP)) and a 6G base station (BS) 422 co-located therewith to serve 5G UE 411 and 6G UE 412. Each 5G BS 421 and 6G BS 422 may include a central unit (CU) or a distributed unit (DU) and a radio unit (RU), and may have a network interface connecting the CU / DU / RU of the 5G BS 421 with the CU / DU / RU of the 6G BS 422 to achieve cross-RAT network collaboration (e.g., a 5G network may collaborate with a 6G network to enhance 6G coverage). In addition, 5G-6G dynamic spectrum sharing using TDM / FDM / SDM is supported to enhance the throughput of 5G UE 411 and 6G UE 412 (for example, 6G UE 412 can use unused MIMO layers to achieve better performance). In such a communication environment, UE 411-412 and BS 421-422 can implement various schemes of multi-RAT spectrum sharing according to the present invention as described below. It is worth noting that although various proposed schemes may be described separately below, some or all of the proposed schemes may be used or implemented in combination in actual implementation. Of course, each proposed scheme may also be used or implemented separately or individually.

[0028] According to certain aspects of the present invention, 5G-6G coexistence without DMRS and CORESET coordination is proposed, wherein the 5G UE and the 6G UE may be scheduled in different RBs if they cannot form a MU pair, or may be scheduled in the same RB if they can form a MU pair. Figure 5 An example scenario 500 of resource allocation for 5G-6G coexistence without DMRS and CORESET coordination according to an embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. Figure 5 As shown, for the case where 5G UE and 6G UE are scheduled in different RBs, the available REs for each RB are 168*(1-0.25-0.0929)=110REs. For the case where 5G UE and 6G UE are scheduled in the same RB, the PSDCH of 5G UE and 6G UE is transmitted by spatial division multiplexing (SDM), and the available REs for each RB are 168*(1-0.5)=84REs.

[0029] In certain aspects of the present invention, a 5G-6G coexistence scheme with demodulation reference signal (DMRS) coordination is proposed, wherein a 5G user equipment (UE) and a 6G UE may be scheduled in different resource blocks (RBs) if they cannot form a multi-user (MU) pair; and may be scheduled in the same RB if they can form an MU pair. Figure 6 An example scenario 600 of resource allocation for 5G-6G coexistence with DMRS coordination according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. Figure 6 As shown, for the case where 5G UE and 6G UE are scheduled in the same RB, the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) of 5G UE and 6G UE is transmitted through spatial division multiplexing (SDM), 5G-6G DMRS is coordinated, and the available resource elements (RE) of each RB is 168*(1-0.25-0.0929)=110RE.

[0030] To achieve DMRS coordination, the network side (e.g., 5G base station (BS) and 6G base station) may collect channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) reports and / or detect / measure sounding reference signals (SRS) or physical random access channels (PRACH) from 5G UEs and 6G UEs so that the 5G BS and 6G BS may coordinate with each other to determine MU pairs and DMRS ports. In some embodiments, the 6G BS may receive CSI-RS reports from the 6G UE, and / or detect / measure SRS / PRACH from the 6G UE. In some embodiments, the 5GBS may receive CSI-RS reports from the 5G UE, and / or detect / measure SRS / PRACH from the 5G UE. In some embodiments, the 6G BS may detect / measure SRS / PRACH from the 5G UE, and / or receive CSI-RS reports from the 5G UE (e.g., via the 5G network). In some embodiments, the 5G BS may detect / measure the SRS / PRACH from the 6G UE, and / or receive a CSI-RS report from the 6G UE (e.g., via the 6G network). In some embodiments, the 6G BS may collect information to determine the MU pair, and then notify the 5G BS of the MU pair via the network. In some embodiments, the 5G BS may collect information to determine the MU pair, and then notify the 6G BS of the MU pair via the network. In some embodiments, the determination of the MU pair may be performed by a higher layer controller, and then the 5G BS and 6GBS may be notified. In some embodiments, the 5G BS may use a 5G DMRS port, and the 6G BS may use a new radio access technology (RAT) DMRS port. In some embodiments, the 6G BS may use a 5G DMRS port in a 5G-6G MU case, and a new RAT DMRS port in a 6G single user (SU) case. In some embodiments, the 6G DMRS may be a new RAT DMRS. In certain embodiments, the 6G DMRS may be extended from the 5G DMRS (eg, frequency domain orthogonal cover code (OCC) length 8 (excluding 5G FD-OCC length 4)).

[0031] Figure 7An example scenario 700 of a message sequence diagram for multi-RAT spectrum sharing according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown. In step 701, a RAT1 (e.g., 5G) BS sends a UECapabilityEnquiry message to request a RAT1 UE to report whether it supports multi-RAT spectrum sharing (MRSS). In step 702, the RAT1 UE responds to the UECapabilityEnquiry message by sending a UECapabilityInformation message to the RAT1 BS. Specifically, if the UE supports MRSS, the UECapabilityInformation message includes MRSS capabilities. The MRSS capabilities may include at least one of the following: (i) cross-RAT CSI-RS reporting capability; (ii) cross-RAT SRS / PRACH transmission capability; (iii) cross-RAT PDSCH DMRS processing capability; and (iv) cross-RAT PUSCH DMRS processing capability. In some embodiments, the cross-RAT CSI-RS reporting capability may include the capability of a RAT1 UE to report its support for measurement / reporting based on a RAT2 (e.g., 6G) CSI-RS, and optionally the corresponding RAT2 CSI-RS processing time, or the capability of a RAT2 UE to report its support for measurement / reporting based on a RAT1 CSI-RS, and optionally the corresponding RAT1 CSI-RS processing time. In some embodiments, the cross-RAT SRS / PRACH transmission capability may include the capability of a RAT1 UE to report its support for sending SRS / PRACH to a RAT2 cell, and optionally the corresponding processing time, or the capability of a RAT2 UE to report its support for sending SRS / PRACH to a RAT1 cell, and optionally the corresponding processing time. In some embodiments, the cross-RAT PDSCH DMRS processing capability may include a RAT1 UE reporting its capability to support RAT2 PDSCH DMRS and optionally including the corresponding RAT2 PDSCH DMRS processing time, or a RAT2 UE reporting its capability to support RAT1 PDSCH DMRS and optionally including the corresponding RAT1 PDSCH DMRS processing time. In some embodiments, the cross-RAT PUSCH DMRS processing capability may include a RAT1 UE reporting its capability to support RAT2 PUSCH DMRS ports and optionally including the corresponding RAT2 PUSCH processing time, or a RAT2 UE reporting its capability to support RAT1 PUSCH DMRS ports and optionally including the corresponding RAT1 PUSCH processing time.

[0032] In step 703, based on the reported UE capabilities, the RAT1 base station sends signaling to the RAT1 user equipment to request channel information. The signaling may be a radio resource control (RRC) message, a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), or downlink control information (DCI). In some implementations, the signaling may instruct the RAT1 user equipment to apply measurement / reporting of the RAT2 CSI-RS, and optionally apply corresponding RAT2 CSI-RS processing time, or instruct the RAT2 user equipment to apply measurement / reporting of the RAT1 CSI-RS, and optionally apply corresponding RAT1 CSI-RS processing time. In some implementations, the signaling may instruct the RAT1 user equipment to send SRS / PRACH to the RAT2 cell, and optionally apply corresponding processing time, or instruct the RAT2 user equipment to send SRS / PRACH to the RAT1 cell, and optionally apply corresponding processing time. In some implementations, the signaling may instruct the 5G user equipment to apply RAT2 PDSCH DMRS, and optionally apply the corresponding RAT2 PDSCH DMRS processing time, or instruct the RAT2 user equipment to apply RAT1 PDSCH DMRS, and optionally apply the corresponding RAT1 PDSCH DMRS processing time. In some implementations, the signaling may instruct the RAT1 user equipment to apply RAT2 PUSCH DMRS ports, and optionally apply the corresponding RAT2 PUSCH processing time, or instruct the RAT2 user equipment to apply RAT1 PUSCH DMRS ports, and optionally apply the corresponding RAT1 PUSCH processing time.

[0033] Next, based on the received signaling, the RAT1 user equipment may perform any one or both of the following operations: (i) RAT2 CSI-RS reporting, and (ii) sending SRS / PRACH to the RAT2 cell. Specifically, for RAT2 CSI-RS reporting, the RAT1 user equipment starts measuring the RAT2 CSI-RS (step 704), and then sends the measurement report of the RAT2 CSI-RS to the RAT1 base station (step 705). For sending SRS / PRACH to the RAT2 cell, the RAT1 user equipment starts sending SRS / PRACH to the RAT2 base station (step 706). Subsequently, in step 707, the RAT1 base station and the RAT2 base station collect channel information feedback from the user equipment and exchange this information with each other (e.g., through a network interface). In step 708, the RAT1 base station and the RAT2 base station perform joint scheduling, including cross-RAT multi-user pair (MU) pairing determination, cross-RAT DMRS port selection, etc. In step 709, the RAT1 base station sends the resource allocation configuration determined in the joint scheduling (e.g., the determined codebook / DMRS port for each resource block) to the RAT1 user equipment. In step 710, based on the configuration, the RAT1 user equipment receives the coordinated DMRS (i.e., the DMRS is coordinated to be applicable to RAT1 and RAT2, for example, through SDM) from the RAT1 base station. Generally speaking, the PDSCH / PUSCH DMRS is a special type of physical layer signal that serves as a reference signal for decoding the PDSCH / PUSCH. In step 711, the RAT1 user equipment performs data transmission or reception based on the coordinated DMRS.

[0034] Illustrative Embodiments

[0035] Figure 8 According to an embodiment of the present invention, an example communication system 800 is shown, which includes an example communication device 810 and an example network device 820. The communication device 810 and the network device 820 can perform various functions to implement the schemes, technologies, processes and methods of multi-RAT spectrum sharing described herein, including the above-mentioned scenarios / schemes and processes 900 and 1000 described below.

[0036] The communication device 810 may be part of an electronic device, which may be a user device, such as a portable or mobile device, a wearable device, a wireless communication device, or a computing device. For example, the communication device 810 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. The communication device 810 may also be part of a machine type device, which may be a low capability (ReCap) user device, an Internet of Things (IoT), a narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), an enhanced machine type communication (eMTC), an industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) user device, such as a non-movable or fixed device, a home device, a roadside unit (RSU), a wired communication device, or a computing device. For example, the communication device 810 may be implemented in a smart thermostat, a smart refrigerator, a smart door lock, a wireless speaker, or a home control center. Alternatively, the communication device 810 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 reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, or one or more complex instruction set computing (CISC) processors. The communication device 810 may include Figure 8 The communication device 810 may also include one or more other components not related to the solution of the present invention (e.g., an internal power supply, a display device, and / or a user interface device), and therefore, these components of the communication device 810 are neither shown in Figure 8 , and not described below for simplicity and brevity.

[0037] The network device 820 may be part of an electronic device, which may be a network node, such as a base station (e.g., gNB, TRP, CU / DU / RU), a small cell, a router or a gateway of a wireless network. For example, the network device 820 may be implemented in a base station in a 5G / 6G, Internet of Things (IoT), Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), or Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) network. Alternatively, the network device 820 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, or one or more reduced instruction set computer (RISC) or complex instruction set computer (CISC) processors. The network device 820 may include Figure 8 820 may also include one or more other components not related to the proposed solution of the present invention (e.g., an internal power supply, a display device, and / or a user interface device), so for the sake of brevity and simplicity, Figure 8 These components are not shown in the figure or described below.

[0038] In one aspect, each of the processor 812 and the processor 822 may be implemented in the form of one or more single-core processors, one or more multi-core processors, or one or more CISC processors. That is, although the singular term "processor" is used herein to refer to the processor 812 and the processor 822, in some implementations, each of the processor 812 and the processor 822 may include multiple processors, and in other implementations may include a single processor. On the other hand, each of the processor 812 and the processor 822 may be implemented in the form of hardware (and optionally, firmware), 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 varactor diodes, and these electronic components are configured and arranged to achieve the specific purposes of the present disclosure. In other words, in at least some implementations, each of the processor 812 and the processor 822 is a special-purpose machine, specially designed, arranged and configured to perform specific tasks in a device (e.g., represented by the communication device 810) and a network node (e.g., represented by the network device 820), including multi-RAT spectrum sharing.

[0039] In some embodiments, the communication device 810 may also include a transceiver 816 coupled to the processor 812 and capable of wirelessly sending and receiving data. In some implementations, the transceiver 816 may be capable of wirelessly communicating with different types of user equipment (UE) and / or wireless networks (e.g., 5G / B5G / 6G) of different RATs. In some implementations, the transceiver 816 may be equipped with multiple antenna ports (not shown), such as four antenna ports. That is, the transceiver 816 may be equipped with multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas for multiple input multiple output (MIMO) wireless communication. In some implementations, the network device 820 may also include a transceiver 826 coupled to the processor 822. The transceiver 826 may include a transceiver capable of wirelessly sending and receiving data. In some implementations, the transceiver 826 may be capable of wirelessly communicating with different types of UEs of different RATs. In some implementations, the transceiver 826 may be equipped with multiple antenna ports (not shown), such as four antenna ports. That is, the transceiver 826 may be equipped with multiple transmit antennas and multiple receive antennas for MIMO wireless communication. In some implementations, the transceiver 826 may be equipped with a wired network interface, such as a fiber optic cable, for communicating with other network nodes.

[0040] In some embodiments, the communication device 810 may also include a memory 814 coupled to the processor 812 and capable of being accessed by the processor 812 and storing data. In some implementations, the network device 820 may also include a memory 824 coupled to the processor 822 and capable of being accessed by the processor 822 and storing data. Each of the memory 814 and the memory 824 may include a type of random access memory (RAM), such as dynamic RAM (DRAM), static RAM (SRAM), thyristor RAM (T-RAM) and / or zero capacitance RAM (Z-RAM). Alternatively, each of the memory 814 and the memory 824 may include a type of read-only memory (ROM), such as mask ROM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable programmable ROM (EPROM) and / or electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM). Alternatively, each of the memory 814 and the memory 824 may include a type of non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM), such as flash memory, solid-state memory, ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetoresistive RAM (MRAM) and / or phase change memory.

[0041] Each of the communication device 810 and the network device 820 may be a communication entity capable of communicating using various proposed schemes of the present invention. For illustrative purposes and without limitation, the following provides a description of the capabilities of the communication device 810 as a UE and the network device 820 as a network node (e.g., a base station) in conjunction with processes 900 and 1000.

[0042] Illustrative Process

[0043] Fig. 9 An example process 900 is shown in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Process 900 may be an example implementation of the above-described scenario / scheme, whether in part or in whole, involving multi-RAT spectrum sharing in mobile communications. Process 900 may represent an implementation aspect of features of communication device 810. Process 900 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions illustrated by one or more of blocks 910 to 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 of process 900 may be implemented as Fig. 9 The process 900 may be performed in the order shown, or in a different order. The process 900 may be implemented by the communication device 810 or any suitable user equipment (UE) or machine type device. For illustration purposes only and without limitation, the process 900 is described below in the context of the communication device 810. The process 900 may start at block 910.

[0044] At block 910, process 900 may involve processor 812 of communication device 810 sending UE capability information to a first network node (e.g., network device 820) of the first RAT via transceiver 816, wherein the UE capability information indicates that communication device 810 supports MRSS. Process 900 may proceed from block 910 to block 920.

[0045] At block 920, process 900 may involve processor 812 receiving signaling from the first network node via transceiver 816, wherein the signaling instructs communication device 810 to provide channel information of the MRSS. Process 900 may proceed from block 920 to block 930.

[0046] At block 930 , process 900 may involve processor 812 performing at least one of the following based on signaling: (i) sending a measurement report of a CSI-RS of a second RAT to a first network node; and (ii) sending an SRS or a PRACH to a second network node of the second RAT.

[0047] In some embodiments, the UE capability information may include at least one of the following: (i) an indication of whether the communication device 810 supports measurement reporting based on the CSI-RS of the second RAT; (ii) an indication of whether the communication device 810 supports a processing time corresponding to the CSI-RS of the second RAT; (iii) an indication of whether the communication device 810 supports a DMRS of the second RAT; (iv) an indication of whether the communication device 810 supports a processing time corresponding to the DMRS of the second RAT; (v) an indication of whether the communication device 810 supports sending an SRS or PRACH to a cell of the second RAT; and (vi) an indication of whether the communication device 810 supports a processing time corresponding to sending an SRS or PRACH to a cell of the second RAT.

[0048] In some embodiments, the process 900 may further involve the processor 812 receiving, via the transceiver 816, a configuration of RBs scheduled for the communication device 810 of the first RAT and another device of the second RAT, wherein the RBs include a DMRS common to both devices. In addition, the process 900 may further involve the processor 812 receiving, via the transceiver 816, the DMRS based on the configuration, and performing, via the transceiver 816, transmission or reception to or from the first network node based on the DMRS.

[0049] In some embodiments, the DMRS may include a 5G DMRS where the first RAT and the second RAT include a 5G RAT and a 6G RAT.

[0050] In some embodiments, the RB may include a PDSCH transmitted for the first RAT and the second RAT via SDM.

[0051] In some embodiments, the signaling may include an RRC message, a MAC CE, or a DCI.

[0052] In some embodiments, the first network node and the second network node may be co-located or connected for cross-RAT network collaboration.

[0053] Fig.10 An example process 1000 is shown in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Process 1000 may be an example implementation of the above-described scenario / scheme, whether in part or in whole, involving multi-RAT spectrum sharing in mobile communications. Process 1000 may represent an implementation aspect of features of network device 820. Process 1000 may include one or more operations, actions, or functions illustrated by one or more of blocks 1010 to 1030. Although shown as discrete blocks, the various blocks of process 1000 may be divided into more blocks, combined into fewer blocks, or eliminated depending on the desired implementation. In addition, the blocks of process 1000 may be implemented as Fig.10 The process 1000 may be performed in the order shown, or in a different order. The process 1000 may be implemented by the network device 820 or any suitable network node. For illustration purposes only and without limitation, the process 1000 is described below in the context of the network device 820. The process 1000 may begin at block 1010.

[0054] At block 1010 , process 1000 may involve receiving, by processor 822 of network device 820 , UE capability information from communication device 810 of a first RAT via transceiver 826 , wherein the UE capability information indicates that communication device 810 supports MRSS. Process 1000 may proceed from block 1010 to block 1020 .

[0055] At block 1020 , process 1000 may involve sending, by processor 822 , signaling to communication device 810 via transceiver 826 based on the UE capability information, wherein the signaling instructs communication device 810 to provide channel information of the MRSS. Process 1000 may proceed from block 1020 to block 1030 .

[0056] At block 1030, process 1000 may involve performing, by processor 822, at least one of the following based on signaling: (i) receiving a measurement report of a CSI-RS of a second RAT from communication device 810; and (ii) receiving, from a second network node of the second RAT, a measurement result of an SRS or PRACH sent from communication device 810 to the second network node.

[0057] In some implementations, the UE capability information may include at least one of the following: (i) an indication of whether the communication device 810 supports measurement reporting based on the CSI-RS of the second RAT; (ii) an indication of whether the communication device 810 supports a processing time corresponding to the CSI-RS of the second RAT; (iii) an indication of whether the communication device 810 supports a DMRS of the second RAT; (iv) an indication of whether the communication device 810 supports a processing time corresponding to the DMRS of the second RAT; (v) an indication of whether the communication device 810 supports sending an SRS or PRACH to a cell of the second RAT; and (vi) an indication of whether the communication device 810 supports a processing time corresponding to sending an SRS or PRACH to a cell of the second RAT.

[0058] In some embodiments, the process 1000 may further involve the processor 822 determining, based on the measurement report of the CSI-RS of the second RAT and the measurement result of the SRS or PRACH, the configuration of the RB scheduled for the communication device 810 of the first RAT and another device of the second RAT, wherein the RB includes a DMRS common to the two devices. In addition, the process 1000 may further involve the processor 822 sending the configuration of the RB to the communication device 810 through the transceiver 826, the processor sending the DMRS to the communication device 810 based on the configuration, and performing transmission to the communication device 810 or reception from the communication device 810 based on the DMRS through the transceiver 826.

[0059] In some embodiments, process 1000 may further involve processor 822 forwarding the measurement report of the CSI-RS of the second RAT to the second network node via transceiver 826. Additionally or alternatively, process 1000 may further involve processor 822 forwarding the configuration of the RB to the second network node via transceiver 826.

[0060] In some embodiments, the DMRS may include a 5G DMRS where the first RAT and the second RAT include a 5G RAT and a 6G RAT.

[0061] In some embodiments, the RB may include a PDSCH transmitted via SDM for the first RAT and the second RAT.

[0062] In certain embodiments, the signaling may include an RRC message, a MAC CE, or a DCI, and / or the first network node and the second network node may be co-located or connected for cross-RAT network cooperation.

[0063] Additional Notes

[0064] The subject matter described herein sometimes shows different components contained in or connected to different other components. However, it should be understood that the multiple depicted architectures are only examples, and in fact many other architectures that implement the same function can be implemented. In a conceptual sense, any arrangement of components that implement the same function is effectively "associated", so that the desired function is realized. Therefore, regardless of the architecture or intermediate components, any two components combined to implement a specific function herein can be regarded as "associated" with each other, so that the desired function is realized. Similarly, any two components so associated can also be regarded as "operationally connected" or "operationally coupled" to each other to achieve the desired function, and any two components that can be so associated can also be regarded as "operationally connected" to each other to achieve the desired function. The specific examples of coupling in operation include but are not limited to components that can be matched and / or physically interact and / or components that can interact wirelessly and / or wirelessly interact and / or components that can interact logically and / or logically interact.

[0065] Further, with respect to any plural and / or singular terms used herein, those skilled in the art may convert from plural to singular and / or from singular to plural as appropriate for the context and / or application. For clarity, various singular / plural interchanges may be explicitly described herein.

[0066] Furthermore, one of ordinary skill in the art will understand that, in general, the terms used herein and especially in the appended claims (e.g., the bodies of the appended claims) are generally intended to be "open" terms, e.g., the term "comprising" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to", the term "having" should be interpreted as "having at least", the term "including" should be interpreted as "including but not limited to", etc. One of ordinary skill in the art will also understand that if a specific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such intent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence of such recitation, such intent is absent. For example, to aid understanding, the appended claims may contain use of the introductory phrases "at least one" and "one or more". However, the use of such phrases should not be interpreted as implying that any particular claim included in a claim recitation through the introduction of the indefinite article "a" or "an" will be limited to embodiments containing only one such recitation, even when the same claim contains the introductory phrases "one or more" or "at least one" and an indefinite article such as "a" or "an", for example, "a and / or an" should be interpreted as meaning "at least one" or "one or more", and the same applies to the use of definite articles used to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specific number of introduced claim recitations is explicitly recited, a person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that such recitation should be interpreted as meaning at least the recited number, for example, the unmasked recitation of "two recitations" means at least two recitations or two or more recitations in the absence of other modifiers. Furthermore, where a convention similar to “at least one of A, B, and C, etc.” is used, it is generally intended to be interpreted in the sense that one of ordinary skill in the art would understand this convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, and C” would include, but not be limited to, systems having A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together, etc.). Where a convention similar to “at least one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, it is generally intended to be interpreted in the sense that one of ordinary skill in the art would understand this convention (e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” would include, but not be limited to, systems having A alone, B alone, C alone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and / or A, B, and C together, etc.). A person of ordinary skill in the art will also understand that any transitional words and / or phrases, whether in the specification, claims or drawings, that actually indicate two or more optional items should be understood to consider the possibility of including one, any or both of such items.For example, the phrase "A or B" will be understood to include the possibilities of "A" or "B" or "A and B."

[0067] As can be seen from the above, it can be understood that various embodiments of the present invention have been described herein for illustrative purposes, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the various embodiments disclosed herein are not meant to be restrictive, and the true scope and spirit are determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for multi-radio access technology spectrum sharing, comprising: Sending, by a processor of a device using a first radio access technology RAT, user equipment UE capability information to a first network node of the first RAT, wherein the UE capability information indicates that the device supports multi-RAT spectrum sharing MRSS; receiving, by the processor, signaling from the first network node, wherein the signaling instructs the device to provide channel information of the MRSS; and At least one of the following is performed by the processor based on the signaling: Sending a measurement report of a channel state information-reference signal CSI-RS of a second RAT to the first network node; and A sounding reference signal SRS or a physical random access channel PRACH is sent to a second network node of the second RAT.

2. The method for multi-radio access technology spectrum sharing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The UE capability information includes at least one of the following: an indication of whether the device supports measurement reporting of the CSI-RS based on the second RAT; an indication of whether the device supports a processing time corresponding to the CSI-RS of the second RAT; an indication of whether the device supports a demodulation reference signal DMRS of the second RAT; an indication of whether the device supports a processing time corresponding to the DMRS of the second RAT; an indication of whether the device supports sending the SRS or the PRACH to a cell of the second RAT; and An indication of whether the device supports a processing time corresponding to sending the SRS or the PRACH to the cell of the second RAT.

3. The method for multi-radio access technology spectrum sharing according to claim 1, characterized in that: Further including: receiving, by the processor, from the first network node a configuration of a resource block (RB) scheduled for the device of the first RAT and another device of the second RAT, wherein the RB includes a DMRS common to the two devices; receiving, by the processor, the DMRS based on the configuration; as well as Transmission or reception is performed, by the processor, to or from the first network node based on the DMRS.

4. The method for multi-radio access technology spectrum sharing according to claim 3, characterized in that: In a case where the first RAT and the second RAT include a fifth-generation 5G RAT and a sixth-generation 6G RAT, the DMRS includes a 5G DMRS.

5. The method for multi-radio access technology spectrum sharing according to claim 3, characterized in that: The RB includes a physical downlink shared channel PDSCH transmitted for the first RAT and the second RAT through space division multiplexing SDM.

6. The method for multi-radio access technology spectrum sharing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The signaling includes a radio resource control RRC message, a medium access control MAC control element CE or downlink control information DCI.

7. The method for multi-radio access technology spectrum sharing according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first network node and the second network node are co-located or connected for cross-RAT network cooperation.

8. A device for multi-radio access technology spectrum sharing, using a first radio access technology RAT, comprising: a transceiver for wirelessly communicating with one or more network nodes during operation; as well as A processor is communicatively coupled to the transceiver such that during operation, the processor performs operations including: Sending, by the transceiver, user equipment UE capability information to the first network node of the first RAT, wherein the UE capability information indicates that the device supports multi-RAT spectrum sharing MRSS; receiving, by the transceiver, signaling from the first network node, wherein the signaling instructs the device to provide channel information of the MRSS; and At least one of the following is performed by the transceiver based on the signaling: Sending a measurement report of a channel state information reference signal CSI-RS of the second RAT to the first network node; and A sounding reference signal SRS or a physical random access channel PRACH is sent to a second network node of the second RAT.

9. The device for multi-radio access technology spectrum sharing according to claim 8, characterized in that: The UE capability information includes at least one of the following: an indication of whether the device supports measurement reporting based on a CSI-RS of the second RAT; an indication of whether the device supports a processing time corresponding to a CSI-RS of the second RAT; an indication of whether the device supports a demodulation reference signal DMRS of the second RAT; an indication of whether the device supports a processing time corresponding to a DMRS of the second RAT; an indication of whether the device supports sending the SRS or the PRACH to a cell of the second RAT; and An indication of whether the device supports a processing time corresponding to sending the SRS or the PRACH to the cell of the second RAT.

10. The device for multi-radio access technology spectrum sharing according to claim 8, characterized in that: During operation, the processor further performs operations including: receiving, by the transceiver, from the first network node, a configuration of resource blocks (RBs) scheduled for the device of the first RAT and another device of the second RAT, wherein the RBs include a DMRS common to the two devices; receiving, by the processor, the DMRS based on the configuration; as well as Transmission or reception is performed, by the processor, to or from the first network node based on the DMRS.

11. The device for multi-radio access technology spectrum sharing according to claim 10, characterized in that: In a case where the first RAT and the second RAT include a fifth-generation 5G RAT and a sixth-generation 6G RAT, the DMRS includes a 5G DMRS.

12. The device for multi-radio access technology spectrum sharing according to claim 10, characterized in that: The RB includes a physical downlink shared channel PDSCH transmitted for the first RAT and the second RAT through space division multiplexing SDM.

13. The device for multi-radio access technology spectrum sharing according to claim 8, characterized in that: The signaling includes a radio resource control RRC message, a medium access control MAC control element CE, or downlink control information DCI; or the first network node and the second network node are co-located or connected for cross-RAT network collaboration.

14. A method for multi-radio access technology spectrum sharing, comprising: Receiving, by using a processor of a first network node of a first radio access technology RAT, user equipment UE capability information from a device of the first RAT, wherein the UE capability information indicates that the device supports multi-RAT spectrum sharing MRSS; Sending, by the processor, a signaling to the device based on the UE capability information, wherein the signaling instructs the device to provide channel information for the MRSS; and The processor performs at least one of the following based on the signaling: receiving a measurement report of a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) of a second RAT from the device; and A measurement result of a sounding reference signal SRS or a physical random access channel PRACH transmitted from the device to the second network node is received from the second network node of the second RAT.

15. The method for multi-radio access technology spectrum sharing according to claim 14, characterized in that: The UE capability information includes at least one of the following: an indication of whether the device supports measurement reporting of the CSI-RS based on the second RAT; an indication of whether the device supports a processing time corresponding to the CSI-RS of the second RAT; an indication of whether the device supports a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) of the second RAT; an indication of whether the device supports a processing time corresponding to the DMRS of the second RAT; an indication of whether the device supports sending the SRS or the PRACH to a cell of the second RAT; and An indication of whether the device supports a processing time corresponding to sending the SRS or the PRACH to the cell of the second RAT.

16. The method for multi-radio access technology spectrum sharing according to claim 14, characterized in that: Further including: Determine, by the processor, a configuration of a resource block RB scheduled for the device of the first RAT and another device of the second RAT based on the measurement report of the CSI-RS of the second RAT and the measurement result of the SRS or the PRACH, wherein the RB includes a DMRS common to the two devices; Sending, by the processor, the configuration of the RB to the device; Sending, by the processor, the DMRS to the device based on the configuration; as well as Transmission to or reception from the device is performed, by the processor, based on the DMRS.

17. The method for multi-radio access technology spectrum sharing according to claim 16, characterized in that: Further including: forwarding, by the processor, the measurement report of the CSI-RS of the second RAT to the second network node; or The configuration of the RB is forwarded to the second network node by the processor.

18. The method for multi-radio access technology spectrum sharing according to claim 16, characterized in that: In a case where the first RAT and the second RAT include a fifth-generation 5G RAT and a sixth-generation 6G RAT, the DMRS includes a 5G DMRS.

19. The method for multi-radio access technology spectrum sharing according to claim 16, characterized in that: The RB includes a physical downlink shared channel PDSCH transmitted for the first RAT and the second RAT through space division multiplexing SDM.

20. The method for multi-radio access technology spectrum sharing according to claim 14, characterized in that: The signaling includes a radio resource control RRC message, a medium access control MAC control element CE or downlink control information DCI, or wherein the first network node and the second network node are co-located or connected for cross-RAT network collaboration.

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