Method, device and system for enhancing coverage

Abstract

The present disclosure describes methods, systems, and devices for enhanced coverage. The method includes transmitting, by a user equipment (UE), a first physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) having a first waveform to a base station; the UE sends a second PUSCH with a second waveform to the base station according to the indication of waveform switching; triggering, by the UE, a power-related measurement report based on the second waveform in response to the waveform handover; and transmitting, by the UE, the power-related measurement report to the base station in the next uplink transmission.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communication. Specifically, the present disclosure relates to methods, devices, and systems for enhancing coverage. Background Art

[0002] Wireless communication technologies are driving the world towards an increasingly interconnected and networked society. High-speed and low-latency wireless communication relies on efficient network resource management and allocation between user equipment and wireless access network nodes (including but not limited to base stations). The new generation of networks is expected to provide high-speed, low-latency, and ultra-reliable communication capabilities and meet the needs of different industries and users.

[0003] In a mobile communication network, such as New Radio (NR), the requirement for greater coverage of cells in the initial access process and the connected state should be met. Physical random access channel (PRACH) repetition can be one of the ways to enhance PRACH coverage during the first step of initial access. Dynamic waveform switching can be another way to enhance the coverage of the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). These methods have some problems, especially some problems related to how to integrate them together to efficiently enhance coverage.

[0004] The present disclosure describes multiple embodiments to enhance coverage, solve at least one of the above problems, and promote the development of wireless communication technologies. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This document relates to methods, systems, and devices for wireless communication, and more specifically, to methods, systems, and devices for enhancing coverage. Multiple embodiments in the present disclosure may include new methods for enhancing coverage, which are beneficial to improving the coverage range between base stations and user equipment, enhancing resource utilization efficiency, and enhancing the performance of wireless communication.

[0006] In one embodiment, the present disclosure describes a method for wireless communication. The method includes: a user equipment (UE) sending a first physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) with a first waveform to a base station; the UE sending a second PUSCH with a second waveform to the base station according to an indication of waveform switching; in response to the waveform switching, the UE triggering a power-related measurement report based on the second waveform; and the UE sending the power-related measurement report to the base station in the next uplink transmission.

[0007] In some other embodiments, an apparatus for wireless communication may include: a memory storing instructions and a processing circuit communicatively coupled to the memory. When the processing circuit executes the instructions, the processing circuit is configured to perform the above-described method.

[0008] In some other embodiments, a device for wireless communication may include: a memory storing instructions and a processing circuit communicatively coupled to the memory. When the processing circuit executes the instructions, the processing circuit is configured to perform the above-described method.

[0009] In some other embodiments, a computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the above-described method. The computer-readable medium may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

[0010] The above and other aspects and their implementations are described in more detail in the drawings, the description, and the claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] FIG. 1 Figure 1A shows an example of a wireless communication system including one wireless network node and one or more user equipments.

[0012] Figure 1B shows a schematic diagram of multiple coverages.

[0013] Figure 2 shows an example of a network node.

[0014] Figure 3 shows an example of a user equipment.

[0015] Figure 4 shows a flowchart of a wireless communication method.

[0016] Figure 5 shows a schematic diagram of an example implementation of wireless communication.

[0017] Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of another example implementation of wireless communication.

[0018] Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of another example implementation of wireless communication.

[0019] Figure 8 shows a schematic diagram of another example implementation of wireless communication.

[0020] Figure 9 shows a schematic diagram of another example implementation of wireless communication.

[0021] Figure 10 shows a schematic diagram of another example implementation of wireless communication. Detailed implementation manners

[0022] The present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the present disclosure and illustrate specific examples of embodiments by way of illustration. However, it should be noted that the present disclosure can be implemented in various different forms, and thus, the subject matter covered or claimed is intended to be construed as not limited to any of the embodiments to be set forth below.

[0023] Throughout the specification and claims, terms may have nuances of meaning that are not explicitly stated but are indicated or implied in the context. Similarly, as used herein, the phrase "in one embodiment" or "in some embodiments" does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, and the phrase "in another embodiment" or "in other embodiments" does not necessarily refer to different embodiments. As used herein, the phrase "in one implementation manner" or "in some implementation manners" does not necessarily refer to the same implementation manner, and the phrase "in another implementation manner" or "in other implementation manners" does not necessarily refer to different implementation manners. For example, the claimed subject matter is intended to include, in whole or in part, combinations of exemplary embodiments or implementation manners.

[0024] Generally speaking, terms can be understood at least in part according to their usage in the context. For example, as used herein, terms such as "and", "or" or "and / or" can have multiple meanings, which can at least in part depend on the context in which these terms are used. Generally, "or" if used to relate a list, such as A, B or C, is intended to mean A, B and C (used here in an inclusive sense) as well as A, B or C (used here in an exclusive sense). In addition, as used herein, the term "one or more" or "at least one" can, at least in part, depending on the context, be used to describe any feature, structure or property in a singular sense or can be used to describe a combination of features, structures or properties in a plural sense. Similarly, terms such as "a", "an" or "the" can also be understood to convey singular usage or convey plural usage, at least in part depending on the context. In addition, the term "based on" or "determined by" can be understood as not necessarily intended to convey a set of exclusive factors, but can allow for the presence of additional factors that are not necessarily explicitly described, again, at least in part depending on the context.

[0025] The present disclosure describes methods and devices for enhancing coverage.

[0026] The new generation (NG) mobile communication system is driving the world towards an increasingly connected and networked society. High-speed and low-latency wireless communication relies on efficient network resource management and allocation between user equipment and wireless access network nodes (including but not limited to wireless base stations). The new generation network is expected to provide high-speed, low-latency, and ultra-reliable communication capabilities and meet the needs of different industries and users.

[0027] New Radio (NR) has introduced basic solutions to support initial access in at least two frequency ranges (FR): FR1 (below 6 GHz band) and FR2 (above 6 GHz band). The solutions include different Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) formats, PRACH resource configurations, the relationship between synchronization signal blocks (SSB) and PRACH, PRACH retransmission mechanisms, PRACH power control mechanisms, etc.

[0028] In some embodiments of coverage enhancement, PRACH repetition can be used to further enhance coverage in the initial access process. There are some problems / difficulties with this method. For example, one problem is that when the supplementary uplink (SUL) carrier random access channel (RACH) involves PRACH repetition, the SUL RACH is the RACH transmission in the supplementary uplink carrier.

[0029] In some embodiments, SUL means that there are two uplink (UL) carriers (SUL and NR UL (NUL)) and one downlink (DL) in a cell. In some embodiments, SUL and NUL do not perform uplink transmission simultaneously. Generally, NUL is transmitted on a higher frequency band, and SUL is transmitted on a lower frequency band. The coverage range of SUL is better than that of NUL, as Figure 1B shown. Therefore, one advantage of SUL is to enhance the uplink coverage ability, especially when the UE 110 is located at the cell edge of the wireless network node 118.

[0030] In some embodiments of coverage enhancement, waveform switching (e.g., dynamic waveform switching) can be used to further enhance the coverage of the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), especially the coverage of the PUSCH scheduled by Downlink Control Information (DCI). In some embodiments, using one waveform means that the Cyclic Prefix Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (CP-OFDM) waveform or the Discrete Fourier Transform Spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM or DFT-s OFDM) waveform is applied to the DL channel or the UL channel. Generally, the Peak-to-Average Power Ratio (PAPR) or Cubic Metric (CM) value of CP-OFDM is higher than that of DFT-s OFDM, which means that the channel applying DFT-s OFDM may have higher actual power efficiency. However, the channel applying DFT-s OFDM is not as flexible as the channel applying CP-OFDM in frequency domain resource allocation. When choosing which one of the CP-OFDM or DFT-s OFDM waveforms to apply, the trade-off between power efficiency and resource allocation flexibility can be considered.

[0031] In some embodiments, for UEs at the cell edge, the DFT-s OFDM waveform is preferred. For UEs at the cell center, the CP-OFDM waveform is preferred.

[0032] In some embodiments of some systems, the channel waveform is configured by RRC signaling and the waveform switching is very slow. To quickly respond to the need for waveform switching, dynamic waveform switching based on DCI indication in different scenarios is beneficial to improve power efficiency and resource allocation flexibility. One or more bits for dynamic waveform switching are appended or inserted into the DCI to timely indicate the waveform determined by the base station. In the case of Bandwidth Part (BWP) switching or in the case of carrier switching, there are some problems with these embodiments related to waveform determination. For example, one of the problems may include how to design the indication bits in the case of scheduling multiple PUSCHs by one DCI; and / or how to report the auxiliary information about the Power Headroom (PHR) or the maximum power in the cell (Pcmax).

[0033] This disclosure describes various embodiments of methods for enhancing coverage, which solve at least one of the above matters / issues.

[0034] Figure 1AFIG. 100 shows a wireless communication system, which includes a wireless network node 118 and one or more user equipments (UEs) 110. The wireless network node may include a network base station, which may be a node B (NB, e.g., gNB) in a mobile telecommunications environment. Each UE may communicate wirelessly with the wireless network node via one or more wireless channels 115 for downlink / uplink communication. For example, the first UE 110 may communicate wirelessly with the wireless network node 118 via a channel including a plurality of wireless channels during a specific time period. The network base station 118 may send high-layer signaling to the UE 110. The high-layer signaling may include configuration information for communication between the UE and the base station. In one embodiment, the high-layer signaling may include Radio Resource Control (RRC) messages. In some embodiments, the wireless network node may be referred to as a wireless node, and the UE may be referred to as a wireless device.

[0035] Figure 2 FIG. 101 shows an example of an electronic device 200 for implementing a network base station. The example electronic device 200 may include a wireless transmitting / receiving (Tx / Rx) circuit 208 to send / receive communications with multiple UEs and / or other base stations. The electronic device 200 may further include a network interface circuit 209 to enable the base station to communicate with other base stations and / or a core network (e.g., optical interconnection or wired interconnection, Ethernet, and / or other data transmission media / protocols). Optionally, the electronic device 200 may include an input / output (I / O) interface 206 to communicate with an operator, etc.

[0036] The electronic device 200 may further include a system circuit 204. The system circuit 204 may include one or more processors 221 and / or a memory 222. The memory 222 may include an operating system 224, instructions 226, and parameters 228. The instructions 226 may be configured for one or more of the processors 124 to perform the functions of the network node. The parameters 228 may include parameters supporting the execution of the instructions 226. For example, the parameters may include network protocol settings, bandwidth parameters, radio frequency mapping assignments, and / or other parameters.

[0037] Figure 3An example of an electronic device for implementing a terminal device 300 (e.g., a user equipment (UE)) is shown. The UE 300 may be a mobile device, e.g., a smart phone or a mobile communication module installed in a vehicle. The UE 300 may include a communication interface 302, a system circuit 304, an input / output (I / O) interface 306, a display circuit 308, and a storage device 309. The display circuit may include a user interface 310. The system circuit 304 may include any combination of hardware, software, firmware, or other logic / circuits. The system circuit 304 may be implemented, for example, using one or more system on chips (SoCs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), discrete analog and digital circuits, and other circuits. The system circuit 304 may be part of the implementation of any desired function in the UE 300. In this regard, the system circuit 304 may include, for example, logic for facilitating the following operations: decoding and playing music and videos, such as MP3, MP4, MPEG, AVI, FLAC, AC3, or WAV decoding and playback; running applications; accepting user input; saving and retrieving application data; establishing, maintaining, and terminating cellular phone calls or data connections for, e.g., Internet connection; establishing, maintaining, and terminating wireless network connections, Bluetooth connections, or other connections; and displaying relevant information on the user interface 310. The user interface 310 and the input / output (I / O) interface 306 may include a graphical user interface, a touch-sensitive display, haptic feedback or other haptic output, voice or facial recognition input, buttons, switches, speakers, and other user interface elements. Other examples of the I / O interface 306 may include a microphone, video and still image cameras, temperature sensors, vibration sensors, rotation and orientation sensors, headphone and microphone input / output jacks, universal serial bus (USB) connectors, memory card slots, radiation sensors (e.g., infrared sensors), and other types of inputs.

[0038] See Figure 3, the communication interface 302 may include radio frequency (RF) transmit (Tx) and receive (Rx) circuits 316, which process the transmission and reception of signals through one or more antennas 314. The communication interface 302 may include one or more transceivers. A transceiver may be a wireless transceiver that includes modulation / demodulation circuits, digital-to-analog converters (DACs), shaping tables, analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), filters, waveform shapers, filters, preamplifiers, power amplifiers, and / or other logic for transmitting and receiving through one or more antennas or (for some devices) through a physical (e.g., wired) medium. The signals transmitted and received may follow any one of a variety of formats, protocols, modulations (e.g., QPSK, 16-QAM, 64-QAM, or 256-QAM), frequency channels, bit rates, and codings. As a specific example, the communication interface 302 may include transceivers that support transmission and reception under 2G, 3G, BT, Wi-Fi, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA)+, 4G / Long Term Evolution (LTE), 5G standards, and / or 6G standards. However, the techniques described below apply to other wireless communication technologies, whether produced by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), GSM Association, 3GPP2, IEEE, or other partners or standards bodies.

[0039] See Figure 3 , the system circuit 304 may include one or more processors 321 and a memory 322. The memory 322 stores, for example, an operating system 324, instructions 326, and parameters 328. The processor 321 is configured to execute the instructions 326 to implement the desired functions of the UE 300. The parameters 328 may provide and specify configuration and operation options for the instructions 326. The memory 322 may also store any BT, Wi-Fi, 3G, 4G, 5G, 6G, or other data that will be sent by the UE 300 through the communication interface 302 or that has been received through the communication interface 302. In various embodiments, the system power of the UE 300 may be supplied by a power storage device such as a battery or a transformer.

[0040] This disclosure describes multiple embodiments for enhancing coverage, which may be partially or fully implemented in the Figures 2 to 3Implemented on the network base station and / or user equipment described in. Various embodiments in the present disclosure can improve resource utilization efficiency and enhance the performance of wireless communication.

[0041] See Figure 4 , the present disclosure describes various embodiments of a wireless communication method 400. The method may include some or all of the following steps: Step 410, a user equipment (UE) sends a first physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) with a first waveform to a base station; Step 420, the UE sends a second PUSCH with a second waveform to the base station according to a waveform switching indication; Step 430, in response to the waveform switching, the UE triggers a power-related measurement report based on the second waveform; and / or Step 440, the UE sends the power-related measurement report to the base station in the next uplink transmission. In some embodiments, the waveform switching may be referred to as dynamic waveform switching.

[0042] In some embodiments, the power-related measurement report includes at least one of the following: a power headroom report (PHR), and / or a maximum power in the cell (Pcmax) report.

[0043] In some embodiments, the second waveform is different from the first waveform, and each waveform includes a cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CP-OFDM) waveform or a direct Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM) waveform respectively.

[0044] In some embodiments, the method 400 may further include one or more of the following steps: the UE receives downlink control information (DCI) from the base station, the DCI schedules N transport blocks (TBs), N is a positive integer; and wherein, the DCI includes N bits indicating the dynamic waveform switching of the N TBs, and each bit of the N bits indicates the dynamic waveform switching of each of the N TBs.

[0045] In some embodiments, the method 400 may further include one or more of the following steps: the UE receives DCI from the base station, the DCI schedules N TBs, N is a positive integer; and wherein, the DCI includes M bits indicating the dynamic waveform switching of a first subset of the N TBs, M is a positive integer and less than N.

[0046] In some embodiments, the first subset includes M TBs capable of performing dynamic waveform switching; and / or each bit of the M bits indicates the dynamic waveform switching of each of the first subset of TBs.

[0047] In some embodiments, the remaining (N - M) TBs of the N TBs other than the first subset include (N - M) TBs that cannot perform dynamic waveform switching.

[0048] In some embodiments, method 400 may further include one or more of the following steps: receiving, by the UE, DCI from a base station, the DCI scheduling N transport blocks (TBs), where N is a positive integer; and wherein the DCI includes one bit indicating dynamic waveform switching for the N TBs, and the bit is determined based on the waveform of the majority of the N TBs.

[0049] In some embodiments, method 400 may further include one or more of the following steps: receiving, by the UE, DCI from a base station, the DCI scheduling N transport blocks (TBs), where N is a positive integer; and wherein the DCI includes a single bit indicating dynamic waveform switching for the N TBs, and the single bit is determined based on a default waveform.

[0050] In some embodiments, in response to the UE switching from a source bandwidth part (BWP) to a target BWP, both supporting dynamic waveform switching: the waveform indicated by the DCI scheduling the source BWP remains valid for the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) scheduled in the target BWP; or the waveform indicated by the DCI scheduling the source BWP is ignored, and the default waveform configured by radio resource control (RRC) is used for the PUSCH scheduled in the target BWP.

[0051] In some embodiments, the default waveform configured by RRC is used for the source BWP or the target BWP.

[0052] In some embodiments, in response to the UE switching from a source bandwidth part (BWP) to a target BWP, and only the target BWP supports dynamic waveform switching: the waveform configured by RRC for the target BWP is used for the PUSCH scheduled in the target BWP.

[0053] In some embodiments, in response to the UE switching from a source bandwidth part (BWP) to a target BWP, and only the source BWP supports dynamic waveform switching: the waveform indicated by the DCI scheduling the source BWP is ignored, and the waveform configured by RRC for the target BWP is used for the PUSCH scheduled in the target BWP.

[0054] In some embodiments, method 400 may further include one or more of the following steps: in response to configuring multiple physical random access channel (PRACH) transmissions in a supplementary uplink (SUL): determining, by the UE, based on signal power measurement, whether the PRACH transmission is on a new uplink (NUL) or in the SUL; and / or in response to determining that the PRACH transmission is on the SUL, determining the transmission power level of the PRACH transmission in the SUL.

[0055] In some embodiments, method 400 may further include one or more of the following steps: In response to configuring multiple Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) transmissions in a Supplementary Uplink (SUL): The UE determines whether the PRACH transmission is in a New Uplink (NUL) or in the SUL, and the transmission power level of the PRACH transmission, based on signal power measurements according to a set of thresholds.

[0056] In some embodiments, the signal power measurement includes the Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP); and / or the level of the PRACH transmission indicates the number of repetitions of the PRACH transmission.

[0057] This disclosure describes various embodiments for enhanced coverage, which may include the following embodiments and can also be used as non-limiting examples.

[0058] Set of Examples I: PRACH Repetition in SUL

[0059] In some embodiments, NR supports initializing the PRACH in the SUL carrier. Parameters (e.g., rsrp-ThresholdSSB-SUL) are used by the UE to determine whether to initialize the PRACH in the SUL carrier. In some embodiments, there is no reason to prohibit multiple PRACH transmissions in the SUL carrier. Generally, the SUL carrier is in a lower frequency band, while the NUL carrier is in a higher frequency band, so performing PRACH in the SUL helps to enhance the coverage of the PRACH.

[0060] In some embodiments, in the case where multiple PRACH transmissions are configured in the SUL, when the measurement result of the Synchronization Signal Block (SSB) Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) meets the rsrp-ThresholdSSB-SUL and the threshold conditions of multiple PRACH transmissions in the SUL, multiple PRACH transmissions can be triggered in the SUL.

[0061] In some embodiments, referring to Figure 5 , there are thresholds for a single PRACH in the NUL and thresholds for a single PRACH in the SUL. There are also multiple thresholds for multiple PRACHs at multiple levels in the NUL or SUL. Figure 5 The typical relative positions of all the thresholds 500 are shown, and the determination of multiple PRACHs in the NUL or SUL is also shown.

[0062] In some embodiments, there may be two alternative methods for determining whether to select a single PRACH or multiple PRACHs based on the measurement result of SSB RSRP and the comparison between the measurement result and multiple thresholds, and / or for determining whether the selected PRACH is on NUL or SUL.

[0063] One method (Alternative 1) may include: first determining whether the PRACH is on NUL or SUL, then determining whether it is a single PRACH or multiple PRACHs, and if necessary, then determining the level of multiple PRACHs in SUL.

[0064] By way of non-limiting example, referring to Figure 5 , in the case of SSB RSRP 1, its RSRP is lower than the threshold for a single PRACH in NUL but higher than the threshold for a single PRACH in SUL. Therefore, a single PRACH in NUL will be triggered. In the case of SSB RSRP 2, its RSRP is lower than the threshold for a single PRACH in SUL but higher than the threshold for multiple PRACHs at level 1 in NUL. Therefore, a single PRACH in SUL will be triggered. In the case of SSB RSRP3, due to the principle of first determining whether the PRACH is on NUL or SUL, its RSRP is lower than the threshold for a single PRACH in SUL but higher than the threshold for multiple PRACHs at level 1 in SUL. Therefore, a single PRACH is triggered in SUL. For the same reason, in the case of SSB RSRP 4, multiple PRACHs are triggered at level 1 in SUL. In the case of SSBRSRP 5, multiple PRACHs are also triggered at level 1 in SUL. In the case of SSB RSRP 6, multiple PRACHs are triggered at level 2 in SUL.

[0065] In some embodiments, multiple PRACHs triggered at level 1 refer to a PRACH repetition count of 2; multiple PRACHs triggered at level 2 refer to a PRACH repetition count of 4; multiple PRACHs triggered at level 3 refer to a PRACH repetition count of 8.

[0066] Another method (Alternative 2) may include: not first determining whether the PRACH is on NUL or SUL; instead, directly comparing the measurement result of SSB RSRP with the threshold to determine a single or multiple PRACHs in NUL or SUL, and if necessary, further determining the level of multiple PRACHs in NUL or SUL.

[0067] By way of non-limiting example, referring toFigure 5 , in the case of SSB RSRP 1, its RSRP is lower than the threshold for a single PRACH in NUL but higher than the threshold for a single PRACH in SUL. Therefore, a single PRACH will be triggered in NUL. In the case of SSB RSRP 2, its RSRP is lower than the threshold for a single PRACH in SUL but higher than the threshold for multiple PRACHs of level 1 in NUL. Therefore, a single PRACH will be triggered in SUL. In the case of SSB RSRP 3, its RSRP is lower than the threshold for multiple PRACHs in NUL but higher than the threshold for multiple PRACHs of level 1 in SUL. Therefore, multiple PRACHs of level 1 are triggered in SUL at level 1. In the case of SSB RSRP 4, its RSRP is lower than the threshold for multiple PRACHs of level 1 in SUL but higher than the threshold for multiple PRACHs of level 2 in NUL. Therefore, multiple PRACHs are triggered in SUL at level 1. For the same reason as above, in the case of SSB RSRP 5, multiple PRACHs are triggered in NUL at level 2. In the case of SSB RSRP 6, multiple PRACHs are triggered in SUL at level 2.

[0068] One advantage of alternative 1 is that it can maintain backward compatibility with the previous process of determining whether it is NUL or SUL first; but the disadvantage is that when the RSRP is lower than the threshold for a single PRACH in SUL, it may lose the opportunity to perform multiple PRACH transmissions in NUL.

[0069] One advantage of alternative 2 is that this method can effectively utilize multiple PRACH transmissions in NUL; but the disadvantage is that it may change the traditional behavior of the decision on NUL or SUL.

[0070] In multiple embodiments, when multiple PRACH transmissions are configured in SUL, an exemplary method may include: first determining whether the PRACH transmission is on NUL or SUL, then determining whether to use a single PRACH or multiple PRACHs, and if necessary, then determining the level of multiple PRACHs in SUL.

[0071] In multiple embodiments, another exemplary method may include: without first determining whether the PRACH transmission is on NUL or SUL, directly comparing the measurement result of SSB RSRP with the threshold to determine a single or multiple PRACHs in NUL or SUL, and if necessary, then determining the level of multiple PRACHs in NUL or SUL.

[0072] Set of Examples II: Waveform Switching and BWP / Carrier Switching

[0073] In multiple embodiments, the waveforms of CP - OFDM or DFT - s OFDM are applied to the transmission channel. Dynamic waveform switching means that the waveform of CP - OFDM or DFT - s OFDM is indicated in the DCI scheduling the corresponding PUSCH, and the scheduled PUSCH will apply the indicated waveform. In an ideal situation without any other restrictions or constraints, the waveform of the current PUSCH may be different from that of the next scheduled PUSCH.

[0074] In some embodiments, although all channels in a bandwidth part (BWP) can support semi - static waveform indication via radio resource control (RRC) signaling, not all BWPs have the ability to support dynamic waveform switching. In this case, the present disclosure describes three waveform switching scenarios when the UE switches between a source BWP and a target BWP.

[0075] The first scenario (Scenario 1) may include that both the source BWP and the target BWP support dynamic waveform switching.

[0076] When the UE switches from the source BWP to the target BWP, and when there is a waveform indication in the DCI scheduling in the source BWP but the scheduled PUSCH is in the target BWP, some or all of the following various methods / approaches can be used to determine the waveform of the scheduled PUSCH in the target BWP.

[0077] For one method (Alternative 1), the waveform indication in the DCI scheduling in the source BWP remains valid for the scheduled PUSCH in the target BWP. When the BWP switch occurs, this method seamlessly inherits the indication in the DCI. The risk is that the waveform indicated in the source BWP may not be suitable for the actual transmission in the target BWP because the power headroom of the UE or the path loss measured in different BWPs may be different.

[0078] For another method (Alternative 2), when the UE switches to the target BWP, the indication in the DCI scheduling in the source BWP is ignored. The waveform configured by the RRC signaling for the target BWP is applied to the scheduled PUSCH. This method is safer for the UE, and the UE will determine the waveform when it is in a stable state after the BWP switch.

[0079] For another method (Alternative 3), when the UE switches to the target BWP, the indication in the DCI scheduling in the source BWP is ignored. The waveform configured by the RRC signaling for the source BWP is applied to the scheduled PUSCH.

[0080] For another method (Alternative 4), when the UE switches to the target BWP, the indication in the DCI scheduling in the source BWP is ignored. The default waveform configured by the new RRC parameter is applied to the scheduled PUSCH. The new RRC parameter for the default waveform can be configured as the waveform of the source BWP or the target BWP. This method combines Alternative 2 and Alternative 3 and maintains the flexibility of configuration.

[0081] The second case (Case 2) may include that dynamic waveform switching is only supported by the target BWP and not by the source BWP.

[0082] When the source BWP does not support dynamic waveform switching, it means that there is no indication field for waveform switching in the DCI. Although the target BWP supports dynamic waveform switching, the waveform applied to the PUSCH scheduled in the target BWP can only be set to the waveform configured for the target BWP by RRC signaling or the default waveform configured by RRC signaling.

[0083] In some embodiments, another case may include that dynamic waveform switching is not supported in the source BWP, but is supported in another BWP in the same cell. For the source BWP that does not have the ability to perform dynamic waveform switching, the indication field for waveform switching in the DCI can also be supported, and then operations similar to those in Case 1 can be performed.

[0084] The third case (Case 3) may include that dynamic waveform switching is only supported by the source BWP or another BWP in the same cell and not by the target BWP.

[0085] When the target BWP does not support dynamic waveform switching, it means that the target BWP does not support the indication field for waveform switching in the DCI scheduling in the source BWP. The only way is that the UE can ignore the indication field in the DCI scheduling in the source BWP and apply the waveform configured for the target BWP by RRC signaling or the default waveform configured by RRC.

[0086] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of waveform determination during BWP switching is shown, where DWS represents dynamic waveform switching.

[0087] In multiple embodiments, when the UE switches between the source carrier and the target carrier, the principle of waveform determination is similar to that when the UE switches between the source BWP and the target BWP, except that the carrier is replaced by the BWP.

[0088] In some embodiments, when the source carrier and the target carrier are in cross-carrier scheduling (i.e., one carrier is the scheduling carrier and the other carrier is the scheduled carrier), and the capabilities of the scheduling carrier and the scheduled carrier to support dynamic waveform switching are different (e.g., the scheduling carrier supports dynamic waveform switching while the scheduled carrier does not support dynamic waveform switching, or vice versa), when using the same DCI format, the DCI size can be aligned between cross-carrier scheduling and self-scheduling, that is, a dynamic waveform switching field can exist in the DCI for cross-carrier scheduling and self-scheduling.

[0089] See Figure 6 , for Case 1, the source BWP and the target BWP support dynamic waveform switching. The waveform indication in the DCI scheduling in the source BWP is still valid for the PUSCH scheduled in the target BWP. Alternatively, when the UE switches to the target BWP, the DCI scheduling indication in the source BWP is ignored. The default waveform configured by the new RRC parameter is applied to the scheduled PUSCH. The new RRC parameter for the default waveform can be configured as the waveform of the source BWP or the target BWP. For Case 2, dynamic waveform switching is only supported by the target BWP and not by the source BWP. The waveform applied to the scheduled PUSCH in the target BWP can only be set as the waveform configured for the target BWP by RRC signaling. For Case 3, dynamic waveform switching is only supported by the source BWP or another BWP in the same cell and not by the target BWP. The UE ignores the indication field in the DCI scheduling in the source BWP and applies the waveform configured for the target BWP by RRC signaling.

[0090] Set of Examples III: Dynamic Waveform Switching for Scheduling Multiple Transport Blocks with One DCI

[0091] In some embodiments, for the case where one DCI schedules one transport block (TB), it is sufficient to use one bit in the DCI for dynamic waveform indication.

[0092] This disclosure describes multiple embodiments for determining the number of indication bits in the case where one DCI schedules multiple TBs. One DCI scheduling multiple TBs can include several scenarios: multiple PUSCHs carrying multiple TBs are scheduled at different times, at different frequencies, or at different uplink transmit / receive points (TRPs). Advantageously, for different TBs scheduled by one DCI, the waveforms of the PUSCHs carrying different TBs can be indicated separately, especially in the scenario of different uplink TRPs, because the radio environments and radio frequency (RF) characteristics of different TRPs may vary greatly.

[0093] In some embodiments, when the maximum supported number of uplink transport blocks (TBs) scheduled by a single Downlink Control Information (DCI) is specified as N, where N is a positive integer, up to N bits in the DCI field can be specified to support waveform indication for up to N TBs. The least significant bit (LSB) among the N bits corresponds to the smallest index of the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) among all PUSCHs. When some PUSCHs in certain carriers / bandwidth parts (BWPs) / transmission and reception points (TRPs) do not support dynamic waveform switching and only M (M < N) PUSCHs support dynamic waveform switching, the indication can be M bits, where M is a positive integer, and each bit corresponds to a PUSCH that supports dynamic waveform switching.

[0094] In some embodiments, to maintain backward compatibility, a single waveform indication bit can be applied to multiple TBs scheduled by a single DCI, but this may have a negative impact on the performance of uplink transmission due to the inappropriate waveform applied.

[0095] In some embodiments, a simple method can be used to compensate for the performance loss. When the scheduler determines that a particular waveform is not less than TBs, or when the waveform that is in the majority among multiple TBs that support dynamic waveform switching is the particular waveform, the dynamic waveform indication can be set to the particular waveform. Using this method, a one-bit indication is sufficient for most TBs.

[0096] In the present disclosure, refers to the "ceiling function", the result of which is the smallest integer greater than or equal to x.

[0097] In some embodiments, another method is to use a conservative waveform. For example, DFT-s OFDM is more conservative in terms of coverage enhancement, or CP-OFDM is more conservative for User Equipments (UEs) that support type 0 frequency domain resource allocation (not all UEs support type 0). In this method, a one-bit indication is used to indicate the conservative waveform.

[0098] In some embodiments, another method is to use a default waveform (e.g., DFT-s OFDM). Using this method, a one-bit indication is used to indicate the default waveform.

[0099] Figure 7FIG. shows a schematic diagram of using N or 1 bit waveform indication to schedule multiple TBs by one DCI. For 710, up to N bits in the DCI are used to indicate dynamic waveform switching for N PUSCHs carrying N multiple TBs scheduled by one DCI; and for 720, only one bit in the DCI is used to indicate dynamic waveform switching for N PUSCHs carrying N multiple TBs scheduled by one DCI. This one bit is determined by the waveform of the majority of TBs or a specific waveform applied to no less than number of TBs.

[0100] Set of Examples IV: Auxiliary Information Reporting When Applying Dynamic Waveform Switching

[0101] In some embodiments, to help the base station configure the waveform for future PUSCH transmissions more accurately and in a more timely manner, the UE may report the power headroom (PHR) or auxiliary information of the maximum power (Pcmax) in the cell or other possible reports based on the estimation or calculation of the PUSCHs that may be scheduled in the future.

[0102] In some embodiments, the current PUSCH transmission is defined as the actual PUSCH, and the future scheduled PUSCH may be defined as the reference PUSCH. When the multiple PRBs used by the actual PUSCH and the reference PUSCH are the same, it is easy to predict or estimate the PHR or Pcmax or other possible parameters. When the multiple PRBs used by the actual PUSCH and the reference PUSCH are different, it is difficult to predict or estimate the result of the auxiliary information report. For example, when type 0 PRB allocation and CP - OFDM waveform are applied to the actual PUSCH, the frequency - domain resources are discretely distributed, while when type 1 PRB allocation and DFT - s OFDM waveform are applied to the reference PUSCH, the frequency - domain resources are concentratedly distributed. Various methods can be used to predict or estimate the PHR or Pcmax based on the current multiple PRBs. For example, one method may include predicting or estimating based on the multiple PRBs of the actual PUSCH that overlap with the reference PUSCH (e.g., Figure 8 PRB#2, #3, #4 in), but this method is still inaccurate due to different frequency resources. Figure 8 FIG. shows a schematic diagram of different PRBs used by the actual PUSCH and the reference PUSCH.

[0103] Preferably, after the waveform of the PUSCH is switched, the PHR or Pcmax report is triggered based on the switched waveform. The reference PUSCH and the actual PUSCH are merged into the current PUSCH after the waveform switch, and the scheduling information (such as MCS, frequency - domain resources, etc.) is the same for the reference PUSCH and the actual PUSCH. The estimation of the PHR or Pcmax or other reports will be carried out in the subsequent PUSCH.

[0104] In some embodiments, the method may not predict the PHR or Pcmax before or at the time of waveform switching, but only report the PHR or Pcmax based on the switched waveform after the waveform switching. In some embodiments, it may be inappropriate to reflect the auxiliary information regarding the PHR or Pcmax of the PUSCH before scheduling. The advantage is to maintain backward compatibility with the traditional PHR reporting mechanism as much as possible and save the overhead of UL signaling. In some embodiments, it is also helpful for avoiding the problems caused by the different PRBs used by the above-mentioned actual PUSCH and reference PUSCH.

[0105] In some embodiments, although the PHR or Pcmax is reported after the waveform switching, the base station may also have the ability to roughly estimate the PHR difference between DFT-s-OFDM and CP-OFDM without additionally reporting the power headroom related information before the waveform switching. When the UE completes the waveform switching according to the indication from the base station, the PHR after the waveform switching can be reported to the base station to verify the rough PHR estimation in the base station, and the base station can decide to maintain the switched waveform or fallback to the original waveform. The base station can also adjust the scheduled PRBs or the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) to adapt to the reported PHR. Through a large amount of historical PHR report data, the intelligent and self-learning base station has the ability to store the historical PHR data of different waveforms, different RB allocations, and / or different modulation orders, and further adaptively adjust the estimation algorithm for future PHR before the waveform switching.

[0106] Figure 9 A schematic diagram of PHR reporting after waveform switching is shown.

[0107] In some embodiments, in order to quickly report the PHR or Pcmax after the waveform switching, the UE is encouraged to trigger the PHR or Pcmax report as soon as possible after the waveform switching. The PHR is estimated based on the switched waveform rather than the waveform configured by the RRC signaling, that is, when the dynamic waveform switching is configured or activated, the UE can bypass the waveform configured by the RRC signaling.

[0108] In multiple embodiments, the PHR is based on the waveform after the dynamic waveform switching rather than the waveform configured by the RRC signaling, that is, the indication from the RRC signaling is overwritten by the real-time waveform. In some embodiments, another triggering mechanism is that the PHR is triggered as soon as possible after the waveform switching, and the PHR can be carried in the next uplink transmission after the waveform switching.

[0109] Set of Examples V: CORESET and / or Search Space Design for Multiple PRACH Transmissions

[0110] In some embodiments, for a four-step random access procedure, before the RRC link is established, the random access and contention resolution functions need to be completed in four complete steps. These four steps may include the following. In step 1: The terminal (UE) transmits a preamble on a random access channel (RACH) occasion (RO). In step 2: The base station sends a random access response (i.e., Msg2) to the UE. In step 3: The UE sends Msg3 to the base station. In step 4: The base station sends a contention resolution solution. This process applies not only to a single PRACH transmission but also to multiple PRACH transmissions.

[0111] In some embodiments, during step 2, the Msg2 PDCCH for the random access response may be scrambled by a Random Access Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RA-RNTI). The RA-RNTI associated with the PRACH occasion for transmitting the random access preamble is calculated as: RA-RNTI = 1 + s_id + 14×t_id + 14×80×f_id + 14×80×8×ul_carrier_id, where s_id is the index of the first OFDM symbol of the PRACH occasion (0 ≤ s_id < 14), t_id is the index of the first time slot of the PRACH occasion in the system frame (0 ≤ t_id < 80), f_id is the index of the PRACH occasion in the frequency domain (0 ≤ f_id < 8), and ul_carrier_id is the UL carrier used for random access preamble transmission (0 for the NUL carrier, 1 for the SUL carrier).

[0112] In some embodiments, the UE descrambles the Msg2 PDCCH corresponding to the random access response (RAR) by the RA-RNTI and decodes the Msg2 PDSCH pointed to by the Msg2 PDCCH to obtain the RAR content. When the random access preamble ID (RAPID) (i.e., the preamble) in the RAR is recognized as the same as the preamble transmitted in step 1, the UL grant in the RAR content will direct the UE to transmit Msg3 in step 3.

[0113] In some embodiments, multiple ROs for a single PRACH transmission and multiple ROs for multiple PRACH transmissions are configured separately. However, when multiple ROs for a single PRACH transmission and multiple ROs for multiple PRACH transmissions have the same f_id and t_id, the multiple RA-RNTIs corresponding to the single PRACH transmission and multiple PRACH transmissions are also the same, asFigure 10 As shown, when the UE uses the RA-RNTI to scramble the Msg2 PDCCH corresponding to the RAR, it may obtain an RAR that was originally intended for another UE. Especially when the preambles used by this UE and another UE are the same, the UE does not know that the RAR content does not match. The uncertainty of RAR reception will disrupt the entire RACH process. Figure 10 The figure shows a schematic diagram of using the same RA-RNTI for single and multiple PRACH transmissions, where F represents frequency and T represents time.

[0114] In some embodiments, to avoid RAR mismatch, the UE may have the ability to distinguish the Msg2 PDCCH for single and multiple PRACH transmissions. Different CORESETs and / or search spaces of the Msg2 PDCCH for single and multiple PRACH transmissions can be considered for differentiation.

[0115] In some embodiments, a control resource set (CORESET) is a set of physical resource sets that carry the PDCCH, which includes some resource blocks (in the frequency domain) and some OFDM symbols (in the time domain). Multiple basic parameters describing the CORESET include the position and / or number of multiple RBs and the number of OFDM symbols. The search space of the PDCCH describes the time domain characteristics, including the time domain period, time offset, monitoring time slots per period, and / or the monitoring start symbol position in each time slot, etc. The combination of the CORESET and the search space determines the time / frequency resources of the PDCCH.

[0116] In some embodiments, different CORESETs and / or search spaces can be specified for the Msg2 PDCCH of single and multiple PRACH transmissions and notified to the UE to distinguish the Msg2 PDCCH of single and multiple PRACH transmissions.

[0117] The present disclosure describes methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media for wireless communication. The present disclosure solves the problem of enhanced coverage. The methods, devices, and computer-readable media described in the present disclosure can promote the performance of wireless communication, thereby improving efficiency and overall performance. The methods, devices, and computer-readable media described in the present disclosure can improve the overall efficiency of a wireless communication system.

[0118] In some other embodiments, a computer-readable medium includes instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the above-described method. The computer-readable medium may refer to non-transitory computer-readable media (CRM) that stores data for a long time, such as a flash drive or a compact disc (CD), or stores data for a short time when powered on, such as a storage device or random access memory (RAM). In some embodiments, the computer-readable instructions may be included in software that is contained in one or more tangible, non-transitory computer-readable media. Such non-transitory computer-readable media may be media associated with user-accessible mass storage and certain short-term memories that are non-transitory, such as internal mass storage or ROM. The software implementing the various embodiments of the present disclosure may be stored in such devices and executed by a processor (or processing circuit). Depending on specific needs, the computer-readable medium may include one or more storage devices or chips. The software may cause the processor (including CPU, GPU, FPGA, etc.) to execute a specific process or a specific part of a specific process described herein, including defining data structures stored in the RAM and modifying such data structures according to the software-defined process.

[0119] References throughout this specification to features, advantages, or similar language do not imply that all features and advantages that can be realized with the present solution should be or are included in any single embodiment of the present solution. Rather, language referring to features and advantages is understood to mean that a particular feature, advantage, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present solution. Thus, the description of features and advantages and similar language throughout this specification may, but need not necessarily, refer to the same embodiment.

[0120] Furthermore, the described features, advantages, and characteristics of the present solution may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. Those of ordinary skill in the relevant art will recognize that, based on the description herein, the present solution may be implemented without one or more specific features or advantages of a particular embodiment. In other cases, additional features and advantages may be recognized in certain embodiments that may not exist in all embodiments of the present solution.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising: Transmitting, by a user equipment (UE), a first physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) to a base station, the first PUSCH having a first waveform; Transmitting, by the UE, a second PUSCH to the base station according to an indication of waveform switching, the second PUSCH having a second waveform; Triggering, in response to the waveform switching, a power-related measurement report by the UE based on the second waveform; And Transmitting, by the UE, the power-related measurement report to the base station in a next uplink transmission.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The power-related measurement report includes at least one of the following: A power headroom report (PHR), or A maximum power in a cell (Pcmax) report.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The second waveform is different from the first waveform, and each of the first waveform and the second waveform includes a cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CP-OFDM) waveform, or a direct Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM) waveform.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Receiving, by the UE, downlink control information (DCI) from the base station, the DCI scheduling N transport blocks (TBs), where N is a positive integer; And Wherein, the DCI includes N bits, and the N bits indicate dynamic waveform switching of the N TBs, and each of the N bits indicates dynamic waveform switching of a corresponding one of the N TBs.

5. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Receiving, by the UE, DCI from the base station, the DCI scheduling N TBs, where N is a positive integer; And Wherein, the DCI includes M bits, and the M bits indicate dynamic waveform switching of a first subset of the N TBs, where M is a positive integer and less than N.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The first subset includes M TBs capable of performing dynamic waveform switching; and Each of the M bits indicates dynamic waveform switching of a corresponding one of the first subset of TBs.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The remaining TBs among the N TBs except the first subset include (N - M) TBs that cannot perform dynamic waveform switching.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Receiving, by the UE, DCI from the base station, the DCI scheduling N TBs, where N is a positive integer; And Wherein, the DCI includes one bit, and the one bit indicates dynamic waveform switching of the N TBs, and the one bit is determined based on the waveform of the TBs that are in the majority among the N TBs.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: Receiving, by the UE, DCI from the base station, the DCI scheduling N TBs, where N is a positive integer; And Wherein the DCI includes a single bit, and the single bit indicates dynamic waveform switching of the N TBs, and the single bit is determined based on a default waveform.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein, When the UE switches from a source bandwidth part (BWP) to a target BWP, and both the source BWP and the target BWP support dynamic waveform switching: The waveform indicated by the DCI scheduling the source BWP remains valid for the PUSCH scheduled in the target BWP; or The waveform indicated by the DCI scheduling the source BWP is ignored, and the default waveform configured by radio resource control (RRC) is used for the scheduled PUSCH in the target BWP.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The default waveform configured by the RRC is used for the source BWP or the target BWP.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein, When the UE switches from a source BWP to a target BWP, and only the target BWP supports dynamic waveform switching: The waveform configured by the RRC for the target BWP is used for the scheduled PUSCH in the target BWP.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein, When the UE switches from a source BWP to a target BWP, and only the source BWP supports dynamic waveform switching: The waveform indicated by the DCI scheduling the source BWP is ignored, and the waveform configured by the RRC for the target BWP is used for the scheduled PUSCH in the target BWP.

14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: In the case of multiple physical random access channel (PRACH) transmissions configured in a supplementary uplink (SUL): The UE determines whether the PRACH transmission is to be performed on a new uplink (NUL) or in the SUL based on signal power measurement results; And When it is determined that the PRACH transmission is to be performed in the SUL, determining the transmission level of the PRACH transmission in the SUL.

15. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: In the case of multiple PRACH transmissions configured in the SUL: The UE determines whether the PRACH transmission is to be performed on the NUL or in the SUL, and the transmission level of the PRACH transmission, based on signal power measurements according to a set of thresholds.

16. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 15, wherein: The signal power measurement results include the reference signal received power (RSRP) of a synchronization signal block (SSB); and The level of the PRACH transmission indicates the number of repetitions of the PRACH transmission.

17. A wireless communication device, comprising a processor and a memory, wherein, The processor is configured to read the code from the memory and execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

18. A computer program product, comprising computer-readable program medium code stored thereon, which when executed by a processor causes the processor to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

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