Dynamic update or definition of low density parity check coding schemes in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A technical scheme is provided that allows for a low density parity check (LDPC) coding scheme to be dynamically updated or defined in a wireless communication network, such as a 6G communication network. According to the technical scheme, when the network node and the UE use a default LDPC coding scheme for data transmission / reception through a wireless communication channel, the LDPC coding scheme is used by the UE. In one embodiment, the network node signals corresponding control information to the UE when it is determined that a predetermined LDPC coding scheme (e.g., its Basic Graph (BG), Shift Coefficient Design (SCD), and / or Parity Check Matrix (PCM)) should be updated or a new LDPC coding scheme should be defined (e.g., to accommodate a particular usage scenario). In response, the UE may send an acknowledgement message to the network node and appropriately update the default LDPC coding scheme or define a new LDPC coding scheme based on the control information.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to the field of wireless communications. In particular, the present disclosure relates to a technique for dynamically updating or defining a low-density parity-check (LDPC) coding scheme in a wireless communication network. BACKGROUND

[0002] Parity check is an error correction process used to facilitate recovery of data transmitted over a wireless communication channel. One type of parity check code is an LDPC code characterized by a sparse parity check matrix (PCM), in which the number of 1s is much lower than the number of 0s. An encoder on the transmit side uses an LDPC coding scheme to encode a source word into a codeword, while a decoder on the receive side uses the LDPC coding scheme to decode a received codeword. Almost all LDPC codes currently in practice use QC LDPC with a quasi-cyclic (QC) PCM, in which a QC base matrix can be combined with an array of shift information to define an extended QC PCM.

[0003] In a 5thgeneration (5G) network, QC LDPC is primarily based on two base graph designs, referred to as base graph (BG) 1 and BG 2, each having eight different shift coefficient designs (SCDs). Each of these SCDs can be further extended to support multiple lifting sizes. Each of the two BGs has a pre-defined size, with BG 1 being larger than BG 2. The BG selection depends on the size of the transport block size (TBS) and the target code rate indicated in the LDPC coding scheme. For example, if the TBS is larger than a certain threshold, BG 1 is used; otherwise, BG 2 is adopted. The smaller BG 2 is more suitable for smaller transport blocks as it provides a better trade-off between complexity and performance. Typically, BG 1 can support a maximum code block size of 8448 bits and code rates from 8 / 9 to 1 / 3 without any puncturing and repetition, while BG 2 can support a maximum code block size of 3840 bits and code rates of 2 / 3 to 1 / 5 without any puncturing and repetition. Additionally, when the TBS is or TBS and rate or rate BG 2 is used; otherwise, BG 1 is used.

[0004] However, when the LDPC coding scheme needs to be updated for different network settings or usage scenarios (e.g., as planned for future 6thgeneration (6G) networks), the fixed QC LDPC design based on BG 1 and 2 in 5G networks is insufficient. The rate-compatible extension of the QC LDPC design adds higher complexity to the decoder implementation for lower code rates, which impacts the hardware throughput of the decoder implementation, and the decoding latency can significantly increase when low rates with higher / medium throughput are supported. SUMMARY

[0005] This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features of the disclosure, nor is it meant to be used in limiting the scope of the disclosure.

[0006] It is an object of the present disclosure to provide a technical solution allowing for dynamically updating or defining LDPC coding schemes in a wireless communication network.

[0007] The above object is achieved by the features of the independent claims attached hereto. Further embodiments and examples are evident to a person skilled in the art from the dependent claims, the specific embodiments and the drawings.

[0008] According to a first aspect, a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network is provided. The UE comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the UE to at least the following. First, the UE applies a default low-density parity-check (LDPC) coding scheme to a wireless communication channel established between the UE and a network node in the wireless communication network. The default LDPC coding scheme is characterized by a parameter set comprising (i) a base graph (BG) and (ii) at least one of a shift coefficient design (SCD) and a parity check matrix (PCM). Then, the UE receives control information from the network node, the control information comprising an indication for the UE to update the parameter set of the default LDPC coding scheme or to define a new LDPC coding scheme that is not the default LDPC coding scheme. The new LDPC coding scheme is characterized by a parameter set comprising (i) the BG and (ii) at least one of the SCD and the PCM. Next, the UE updates the parameter set of the default LDPC coding scheme or defines the new LDPC coding scheme based on the control information. The UE thus configured can efficiently update or define LDPC code parameters (i.e., at least one of the BG, the SCD and the PCM) based on special air interface signaling from the network node. Thus, the coding / decoding performance / implementation can be optimized for different deployment / configuration / usage scenarios applied to the wireless communication channel (e.g., data / control channel). All this provides a flexible LDPC coding framework that can be used for various network scenarios in future 6G networks.

[0009] In one example embodiment of the first aspect, the UE is further caused to receive initial information from the network node. The initial information comprises the parameter set of the default LDPC coding scheme to be applied to the wireless communication channel. By using such initial information, the UE can be informed about the most suitable LDPC coding scheme that should initially be used for data transmission / reception on the wireless communication channel.

[0010] In an alternative example embodiment of the first aspect, the at least one memory further stores a pre-configured set of LDPC encoding schemes, each LDPC encoding scheme having an identifier (ID) and comprising a set of parameters including: (i) a BG, and (ii) at least one of a SCD and a PCM. In this embodiment, the UE is further caused to receive initial information from the network node, the initial information including: (i) an ID of a target LDPC encoding scheme from the set of LDPC encoding schemes, and (ii) an indication for the UE to select the target LDPC encoding scheme as the default LDPC encoding scheme. Thus, the UE is caused to select the default LDPC encoding scheme based on such initial information. By using such initial information, the most suitable LDPC encoding scheme that should initially be used for data transmission / reception over the wireless communication channel can be informed to the UE. In addition, in this embodiment, the network node can use all data channels (even the data channels used in the initial access phase itself) to signal the initial information to the UE without having to wait for radio resource control (RRC) setup. Furthermore, this embodiment is also beneficial as compared to an embodiment where all parameters (i.e., BG, SCD, and PCM) of an LDPC encoding scheme are signaled to the UE, the ID of the target LDPC encoding scheme can be signaled to the UE by using less resources (e.g., bits allocated in a bit field of a particular message).

[0011] In one example embodiment of the first aspect, the UE is caused to receive the initial information via a synchronization signal block (SSB) or a random access response (RAR). Thus, the default LDPC encoding scheme can be informed to the UE by using a regular signaling framework applied in existing (e.g., 4G and 5G) networks.

[0012] In an alternative example embodiment of the first aspect, the at least one memory further stores a pre-configured set of LDPC encoding schemes, each LDPC encoding scheme being associated with a different network scenario in the wireless communication network. In this embodiment, the UE is further caused to select the default LDPC encoding scheme from the set of LDPC encoding schemes based on a network scenario currently occurring in the wireless communication network. Thus, the UE can select the default LDPC encoding scheme by itself without the help of the network node, which can be beneficial in some network scenarios.

[0013] In one example embodiment of the first aspect, the control information further comprises, for the default LDPC encoding scheme or a parameter set of the new LDPC encoding scheme, at least one of: a dimension of the BG or a portion of the BG; an indication of which portion of the BG is valid for the dimension of the BG or the portion of the BG; a bitmap defining non-zero elements in the BG or the portion of the BG; each non-zero element position in the non-zero elements of the BG or the portion of the BG; a maximum dimension of a shift size of the SCD or the PCM; a number of SCDs applicable to the BG and / or a number of entries for each SCD; a lifting size of the SCD; and a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) length and / or polynomial for a code block dimension obtained by using the BG, the SCD, and / or the PCM. By updating these parameters, the LDPC encoding scheme can be efficiently optimized (i.e., updated or defined) for various network scenarios.

[0014] In one example embodiment of the first aspect, the control information further comprises an indication for the UE to define a new LDPC encoding scheme or update parameters of the default LDPC encoding scheme after expiration of a predefined time period. By doing so, the UE can be informed of the most appropriate time at which the default LDPC encoding should be updated or a new LDPC encoding scheme should be defined. For example, the network node can predict (e.g., by using a machine learning algorithm) that an update of the default LDPC encoding scheme is needed after a certain time period and configure the control information sent to the UE accordingly; this can give the UE enough time to properly prepare for the update.

[0015] In one example embodiment of the first aspect, prior to receiving the control information, the UE is further caused to receive, from the network node, a request for a decoding performance metric associated with the default LDPC encoding scheme. In response to the request, the UE is further caused to transmit, to the network node, a UE report comprising the decoding performance metric. The network node can use the decoding performance metric to properly generate the control information for the UE, i.e., find the most appropriate update of the LDPC encoding scheme or the most appropriate new LDPC encoding scheme.

[0016] In one example embodiment of the first aspect, the UE is further configured to receive, from the network node, additional information after updating the parameter set of the default LDPC encoding scheme or defining the new LDPC encoding scheme. The additional information comprises an indication for the UE to cancel the update or the new LDPC encoding scheme and return to the default LDPC encoding scheme. This can provide a fallback that can be useful in some network scenarios.

[0017] In one example embodiment of the first aspect, the UE is further configured to send, to the network node, an acknowledgement message indicating that the control information has been successfully received by the UE. Such an acknowledgement message can be beneficial in some network scenarios.

[0018] According to a second aspect, there is provided a network node in a wireless communication network. The network node comprises at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network node to at least the following. First, the network node generates control information for a UE in the wireless communication network. The control information comprises an indication for the UE to update a parameter set of a default LDPC encoding scheme currently applied to a wireless communication channel established between the UE and the network node. The parameter set comprises: (i) a BG, and (ii) at least one of a SCD and a PCM. Alternatively, the control information comprises an indication for the UE to define a new LDPC encoding scheme that is not the default LDPC encoding scheme. The new LDPC encoding scheme is characterized by comprising: (i) a BG, and (ii) at least one of a SCD and a PCM. Then, the network node transmits the control information to the UE. The network node so configured can efficiently configure the UE to update or define the LDPC code parameters (i.e., at least one of BG, SCD, and PCM) by using special air interface signaling. By doing so, the encoding / decoding performance / implementation can be optimized for different deployment / configuration / usage scenarios applied to the wireless communication channel (e.g., data / control channel). All of these provide a flexible LDPC encoding framework that can be used for various network scenarios in future 6G networks.

[0019] In one example embodiment of the second aspect, before transmitting the control information, the network node is further caused to generate initial information for the UE. The initial information comprises a parameter set of a default LDPC encoding scheme to be initially applied to the wireless communication channel. The network node is then caused to transmit the initial information to the UE. By using such initial information, the network node can inform the UE of the most suitable LDPC encoding scheme that should be initially used for data transmission / reception over the wireless communication channel.

[0020] In an alternative example embodiment of the second aspect, the network node is further configured to generate initial information prior to transmitting the control information, the initial information comprising: (i) an identifier (ID) of a target LDPC coding scheme from the set of LDPC coding schemes pre-configured for the UE, and (ii) an indication for the UE to select the target LDPC coding scheme as the default LDPC coding scheme. The network node is then caused to transmit the initial information to the UE. By using such initial information, the network node can inform the UE of the most suitable LDPC coding scheme that should be initially used for data transmission / reception over the wireless communication channel. Additionally, in this embodiment, the network node can use all data channels (even the data channels used in the initial access phase itself) to signal the initial information to the UE without having to wait for radio resource control (RRC) setup. Furthermore, this embodiment is also beneficial as compared to the embodiment where all parameters (i.e., BG, SCD, and PCM) of the LDPC coding scheme are signaled to the UE, the ID of the target LDPC coding scheme can be signaled to the UE by using fewer resources (e.g., bits allocated in a bit field of a particular message).

[0021] In one example embodiment of the second aspect, the network node is caused to transmit the initial information via a SSB or a RAR. Thus, the network node can inform the UE of the default LDPC coding scheme by using a regular signaling framework applied in existing (e.g., 4G and 5G) networks.

[0022] In one example embodiment of the second aspect, for the parameter set of the default LDPC coding scheme or the new LDPC coding scheme, the control information further comprises at least one of: a dimension of the BG or a portion of the BG; an indication of which portion of the BG is valid for the dimension of the BG or the portion of the BG; a bit map defining non-zero elements in the BG or the portion of the BG; a position of each of the non-zero elements in the BG or the portion of the BG; a maximum dimension of a shift size of the SCD or the PCM; a number of the SCDs applicable to the BG and / or a number of entries for each of the SCDs; a lifting size of the SCD; and a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) length and / or a polynomial for a code block dimension obtained by using one of the BG, the SCD, and the PCM. By updating these parameters, the LDPC coding scheme can be efficiently optimized (i.e., updated or defined) for various network scenarios.

[0023] In one example embodiment of the second aspect, the control information further comprises an indication for the UE to define a new LDPC encoding scheme or to update a parameter set of the default LDPC encoding scheme after expiry of a predefined time period. By doing so, the network node can inform the UE of the most suitable time at which the default LDPC encoding should be updated or a new LDPC encoding scheme should be defined. For example, the network node can predict (e.g. by using a machine learning algorithm) that an update of the LDPC encoding scheme is needed after a certain time period and configure the control information sent to the UE accordingly; this can give the UE enough time to properly prepare for the update.

[0024] In one example embodiment of the second aspect, the network node is further caused to transmit, to the UE prior to transmitting the control information, a request for a decoding performance metric associated with the default LDPC encoding scheme. In response, the network node is further caused to receive, from the UE, a UE report comprising the decoding performance metric, and to generate the control information based on the decoding performance metric. The network node can use the decoding performance metric to properly generate the control information for the UE, i.e. to find the most suitable update of the default LDPC encoding scheme or the most suitable new LDPC encoding scheme.

[0025] In one example embodiment of the second aspect, the network node is caused to generate the control information by using a machine learning algorithm. A machine learning algorithm (e.g. a properly trained neural network) can allow the network to find the best decision for the LDPC encoding scheme (i.e. whether to update it or to define a new one) in the current network scenario.

[0026] In one example embodiment of the second aspect, the network node is further configured to generate, after transmitting the control information, additional information comprising an indication for the UE to cancel the update or the new LDPC encoding scheme and to return to the default LDPC encoding scheme. The network node is then caused to transmit the additional information to the UE. This can provide a fallback which can be useful in some network scenarios.

[0027] In one example embodiment of the second aspect, the network node is further caused to receive, from the UE, an acknowledgement message indicating that the control information has been successfully received by the UE. Such an acknowledgement message can be beneficial in some network scenarios.

[0028] According to a third aspect, a method for operating a UE in a wireless communication network is provided. The method starts with the step of applying a default LDPC coding scheme to a wireless communication channel established between the UE and a network node in the wireless communication network. The default LDPC coding scheme is characterized by a parameter set comprising (i) a BG and (ii) at least one of a SCD and a PCM. The method further proceeds with the step of receiving control information from the network node. The control information comprises an indication for the UE to update the parameter set of the default LDPC coding scheme or to define a new LDPC coding scheme which is not the default LDPC coding scheme. The new LDPC coding scheme is characterized by a parameter set comprising (i) a BG and (ii) at least one of a SCD and a PCM. Next, the method proceeds with the step of updating the parameter set of the default LDPC coding scheme or defining the new LDPC coding scheme based on the control information. By doing so, the UE can efficiently update or define LDPC code parameters (i.e. at least one of a BG, a SCD and a PCM) based on special air interface signaling from the network node. Thus, the coding / decoding performance / implementation can be optimized for different deployment / configuration / usage scenarios of the wireless communication channel (e.g. data / control channel). All this provides a flexible LDPC coding framework which can be used for various network scenarios in future 6G networks.

[0029] According to a fourth aspect, a method for operating a network node in a wireless communication channel is provided. The method starts with the step of generating control information for a UE in a wireless communication network. The control information comprises an indication for the UE to update a parameter set of a default LDPC coding scheme currently applied to a wireless communication channel established between the UE and the network node. The parameter set comprises (i) a BG and (ii) at least one of a SCD and a PCM. Alternatively, the control information comprises an indication for the UE to define a new LDPC coding scheme which is not the default LDPC coding scheme. The new LDPC coding scheme is characterized by a parameter set comprising (i) a BG and (ii) at least one of a SCD and a PCM. Then, the method proceeds with the step of transmitting the control information to the UE. By doing so, the network node can efficiently configure the UE to update or define LDPC code parameters (i.e. at least one of a BG, a SCD and a PCM) by using special air interface signaling. By doing so, the coding / decoding performance / implementation can be optimized for different deployment / configuration / usage scenarios of the wireless communication channel (e.g. data / control channel). All this provides a flexible LDPC coding framework which can be used for various network scenarios in future 6G networks.

[0030] According to a fifth aspect, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product comprises a computer-readable storage medium storing computer code. The computer code is executed by at least one processor causing the at least one processor to perform the method according to the third aspect. By using such a computer program product, implementation of the method according to the third aspect in any UE, such as the UE according to the first aspect, can be simplified.

[0031] According to a sixth aspect, a computer program product is provided. The computer program product comprises a computer-readable storage medium storing computer code. The computer code is executed by at least one processor causing the at least one processor to perform the method according to the fourth aspect. By using such a computer program product, implementation of the method according to the fourth aspect in any network node, such as the network node according to the second aspect, can be simplified.

[0032] According to a seventh aspect, a UE in a wireless communication network is provided. The UE comprises means for applying a default LDPC coding scheme to a wireless communication channel established between the UE and a network node in the wireless communication network. The default LDPC coding scheme is characterized by a parameter set comprising (i) a BG and (ii) at least one of an SCD and a PCM. The UE further comprises means for receiving control information from the network node, the control information comprising an indication for the UE to update the parameter set of the default LDPC coding scheme or to define a new LDPC coding scheme that is not the default LDPC coding scheme. The new LDPC coding scheme is characterized by a parameter set comprising (i) a BG and (ii) at least one of an SCD and a PCM. The UE further comprises means for updating the parameter set of the default LDPC coding scheme or defining the new LDPC coding scheme based on the control information. The thus configured UE can efficiently update or define LDPC code parameters (i.e., at least one of BG, SCD, and PCM) based on special air interface signaling from the network node. Thus, coding / decoding performance / implementation can be optimized for different deployment / configuration / usage scenarios applied to the wireless communication channel (e.g., data / control channel). All this provides a flexible LDPC coding framework that can be used for various network scenarios in future 6G networks.

[0033] According to an eighth aspect, a network node in a wireless communication network is provided. The network node comprises a component that generates control information for a UE in the wireless communication network. The control information comprises an indication for the UE to update a parameter set of a default LDPC encoding scheme that is currently applied to a wireless communication channel established between the UE and the network node. The parameter set of the default LDPC encoding scheme comprises (i) a BG and (ii) at least one of a SCD and a PCM. Alternatively, the control information comprises an indication for the UE to define a new LDPC encoding scheme instead of the default LDPC encoding scheme. The new LDPC encoding scheme is characterized by a parameter set comprising (i) a BG and (ii) at least one of a SCD and a PCM. The network node further comprises a component that transmits the control information to the UE. The thus configured network node can efficiently configure the UE to update or define LDPC code parameters (i.e., at least one of BG, SCD and PCM) by using special air interface signaling. By doing so, the encoding / decoding performance / implementation can be optimized for different deployment / configuration / usage scenarios applied to the wireless communication channel (e.g., data / control channel). All of this provides a flexible LDPC encoding framework that can be used in future 6G networks for various network scenarios.

[0034] Other features and advantages of the present disclosure will be apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0035] The present disclosure is explained with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 Different code rates supported by a base graph (BG) 1 used in a 5G network are shown; Figure 2 An exemplary structure of a base graph (BG) 1 according to the prior art is shown; Figure 3 It is explained that the BG 1 and BG 2 in a 5G network are subject to usage restrictions depending on code rate and transport block size (TBS); Figure 4 A block diagram of a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network according to one example embodiment is shown; Figure 5 A flowchart of a method for operating the UE of Figure 4 according to one example embodiment is shown; Figure 6 A block diagram of a network node in a wireless communication network according to one example embodiment is shown; Figure 7 A flowchart of a method for operating the network node of Figure 6 according to one example embodiment is shown; Figure 8A signaling diagram illustrating interactions between a UE and a network node according to a first example embodiment is shown. Figure 4 Figure 6 A signaling diagram illustrating interactions between a UE and a network node according to a first example embodiment is shown. Figure 9 A signaling diagram illustrating interactions between a UE and a network node according to a second example embodiment is shown. Figure 4 Figure 6 A signaling diagram illustrating interactions between a UE and a network node according to a second example embodiment is shown. Figure 10 A portion of a low density parity check (LDPC) BG that can be used to indicate any desired update is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] Various embodiments of the present disclosure are further described in greater detail by reference to the drawings. However, the present disclosure can be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to any specific structure or function described in the following description. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete.

[0037] In accordance with the detailed description, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art that the scope of the present disclosure encompasses any of the embodiments disclosed herein, regardless of whether the embodiment is implemented independently or in conjunction with any other embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, the apparatuses and methods disclosed herein can be implemented in practice by using any number of the embodiments provided herein. Moreover, it should be understood that any of the embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented using one or more elements presented in the appended claims.

[0038] Any embodiment described herein as an "example embodiment" should not be construed as preferred or having an advantage over other embodiments.

[0039] Although enumeration terms such as "first," "second," and the like can be used herein to describe various embodiments, elements, or features, these embodiments, elements, or features should not be limited by the enumeration terms. The enumeration terms are used herein only to distinguish one embodiment, element, or feature from another. Thus, a first example embodiment discussed herein can be referred to as a second example embodiment, and vice versa, without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.

[0040] ​​According to example embodiments disclosed herein, a user equipment (UE) can refer to an electronic computing device configured to perform wireless communication. The UE can be implemented as a mobile station, a mobile terminal, a mobile subscriber unit, a mobile phone, a cellular phone, a smart phone, a cordless phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless communication device, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a gaming device, a netbook, a smartbook, an ultrabook, a medical mobile device or equipment, a biometric sensor, a wearable device (e.g., a smart watch, smart glasses, a smart wristband, etc.), an entertainment device (e.g., an audio player, a video player, etc.), a vehicle component or sensor (e.g., a driver assistance system), a smart meter / sensor, an unmanned vehicle (e.g., an industrial robot, a quadcopter, etc.) and its components (e.g., an autonomous car computer), industrial manufacturing equipment, a global positioning system (GPS) device, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Industrial IoT (IIoT) device, a machine-type communication (MTC) device, a massive IoT (MIoT) or massive MTC (mMTC) device / sensor group, or any other suitable mobile device configured to support wireless communication. In some embodiments, the UE can refer to at least two co-located and interconnected UEs as defined herein.

[0041] As used in example embodiments disclosed herein, a network node can refer to a fixed point of communication / communication node for UEs in a particular wireless communication network, such as a radio access network (RAN). More specifically, a network node can function to connect UEs to a data network (DN) through a core network (CN) and can be referred to as a base transceiver station (BTS) in terms of 2G communication technology, as a NodeB in terms of 3G communication technology, as an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB) in terms of 4G communication technology, and as a gNB in terms of 5G new radio (NR) communication technology. A RAN node can serve different cells, such as macro cells, micro cells, pico cells, femto cells, and / or other types of cells. A macro cell can cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., a radius of at least a few kilometers). For example, a micro cell can cover a geographic area with a radius of less than two kilometers. A pico cell can cover a relatively small geographic area, such as, for example, an office, a shopping mall, a train station, a stock exchange, etc. A femto cell can cover an even smaller geographic area (e.g., a home). Accordingly, a RAN node serving a macro cell can be referred to as a macro node, a RAN node serving a micro cell can be referred to as a micro node, and so on.

[0042] According to example embodiments disclosed herein, the wireless communication network in which the UE and the network node communicate with each other can refer to a cellular or mobile network, a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless personal area network (WPAN), a wireless wide area network (WWAN), a satellite communication (SATCOM) system, or any other type of wireless communication network. Each of these types of wireless communication networks supports wireless communication according to one or more communication protocol standards. For example, a cellular network can operate according to a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) standard, a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) standard, a Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDM) standard, a Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) standard, or any other communication protocol standard, a WLAN can operate according to one or more versions of an IEEE 802.11 standard, a WPAN can operate according to an Infrared Data Association (IrDA), a Wireless USB, a Bluetooth, or a ZigBee standard, and a WWAN can operate according to a Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX) standard.

[0043] Block or error-correcting codes are often used to provide reliable transmission of data over noisy wireless communication channels. In a typical block code, an information message or sequence is split into blocks, and an encoder at a transmitting device mathematically adds redundancy to the information message afterward. This redundancy in the encoded information message is key to the reliability of the message, enabling any bit errors that can occur due to noise to be corrected. That is, a decoder at a receiving device can leverage the redundancy to reliably recover the information message, even if bit errors can occur in part due to the addition of noise to the wireless communication channel.

[0044] One example of such a block code is a low-density parity-check (LDPC) code, which is well known to those skilled in the art. For future networks such as 6G networks, it can continue to be implemented to support a wide range of information block lengths and a wide range of code rates. To achieve high throughput with efficient hardware utilization, additional enhancements to LDPC codes are desired.

[0045] In 5G New Radio (NR) networks, the LDPC design is primarily based on two base graphs (i.e., so-called Base Graph (BG) 1 and BG 2), each having eight different shift coefficient designs (SCDs). Each of these SCDs can be further extended to support multiple lifting sizes. To explain this in more detail, let’s consider the basic principles of quasi-cyclic (QC) LDPC and its parity check matrix (PCM) , which is shown as follows:

[0046] wherein is a circulant permutation matrix obtained from a zero matrix and a z by z right-circulant shift of the identity matrix (z is a lifting size). Moreover, It is usually represented as a numerical entry that serves as a shift value. All non-zero terms define the checksums and connections between variable nodes, and this is often referred to as the base graph.

[0047] Figure 1 The different code rates supported by BG 1 used in 5G networks are shown. Figure 1 In the diagram, the portions shown in the smaller (solid) boxes correspond to higher bit rate transmissions, while the portions in the larger (dashed) boxes correspond to lower bit rate transmissions. In this type of LDPC design, incremental parity bits can be generated based on information bits, which are encoded using a PCM with a lower bit rate, and different portions of the encoded bits can be used in each transmission. On the decoding side, they can be decoded using a matching PCM.

[0048] Figure 2 An exemplary structure of the base graph (BG) 1 according to the prior art is shown. Considering the matrix... Similar notations used previously, for BG 1 in 5G NR networks, and The base diagram defines the structure of LDPC codes and the basic framework for encoding / decoding hardware. For example... Figure 2 As shown, 1 in the base diagram represents a non-zero element of the SCD, where each SCD has a numerical value of the cyclic shift used to define the PCM. A portion of BG 1 (and a similar portion of BG 2 with different dimensions) is shown below: -matrix and This corresponds to the kernel section, where the maximum bitrate is defined. (Matrix) It also corresponds to system bits. Matrix It is a square matrix with parity bits and has a double diagonal structure (i.e., a main diagonal and a secondary diagonal).

[0049] -matrix It is a zero matrix with dimensions used in the boosting size.

[0050] -matrix This corresponds to the extension of BG 1. Matrix The first row has quasi-row orthogonality, while the matrix The last row has row orthogonality.

[0051] -matrix It corresponds to the extended part of BG 1 and is the identity matrix.

[0052] As previously mentioned, in the 5G LDPC design, two base graphs (i.e., BG 1 and BG 2) are introduced so that the LDPC codes provide good encoding / decoding performance over a wider range of block sizes and code rates, and also improve the encoding / decoding latency and performance for lower block sizes and code rates. BG 1 can support a maximum code block size of 8448 bits and code rates from 8 / 9 to 1 / 3 without any puncturing and repetition, while BG 2 can support a maximum code block size of 3840 bits and code rates of 2 / 3 to 1 / 5 without any puncturing and repetition.

[0053] Eight SCDs for each base graph are also defined in the 5G LDPC codes, and each SCD has a set of lifting sizes as shown in Table 1 below. The lifting sizes of each SCD can be changed so that different code block sizes are supported with the 5G LDPC codes.

[0054] Table 1: Set of LDPC lifting sizes

[0055] Figure 3 The usage restrictions for BG 1 and BG 2 in the 5G network are explained, which depend on the code rate and the transport block size (TBS). The TBS and code rate are indicated in the target LDPC encoding scheme. As Figure 3 shown, BG 2 is used when the TBS 292, or the TBS 3824 and the rate 2 / 3, or the rate 1 / 3; otherwise, BG 1 is used.

[0056] It should be noted that the 5G LDPC codes are designed to mainly focus on the enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) data channels, but there can be other use cases or scenarios that future 6G networks can have to support, for example. In the 5G NR network, the complete LDPC design and all associated procedures are specified due to the fixed requirements on what is expected for a particular encoding scheme. However, this design has disadvantages when the encoding scheme needs to be implemented or updated for different settings or use cases. For example, the rate-compatible extension of the LDPC design adds higher complexity for the decoder implementation at lower code rates, which impacts the hardware throughput of the decoder implementation, and the decoding latency can significantly increase when low rates with higher / medium throughput are supported. In particular, all decoder implementations will budget the hardware requirements according to the full BG 1 dimension with 68 variable nodes, where is the maximum shift size. The maximum shift size in the case of NR eMBB is 384. To avoid such unnecessary complexity of the embodiments and to keep flexibility in not defining all procedures differently than in 5G NR networks, a flexible coding scheme design framework is needed to ensure that future 6G LDPC design can handle various scenarios / use cases.

[0057] The example embodiments disclosed herein provide a technical solution that allows to mitigate or even eliminate the above-mentioned drawbacks typical for the prior art. In particular, the technical solution disclosed herein relates to a technique for dynamically updating or defining an LDPC coding scheme in a wireless communication network. According to the technique, when a network node (e.g., a gNB) and a UE use a default LDPC coding scheme for data transmission / reception over a wireless communication channel, and the network node determines that the default LDPC coding scheme (e.g., its BG, SCD, and / or PCM) should be updated or a new LDPC coding scheme should be defined, e.g., to accommodate a particular use scenario, the network node signals corresponding control information to the UE. In response, the UE can send an acknowledgement message to the network node and appropriately update the LDPC coding scheme or define a new LDPC coding scheme based on the control information.

[0058] Figure 4 A block diagram of a UE 400 in a wireless communication network according to one example embodiment is shown. As Figure 4 indicated, the UE 400 includes a processor 402 and a memory 404. The memory 404 has stored therein processor-executable instructions 406 that, when executed by the processor 402, cause the processor 402 to perform aspects of the present disclosure, as will be described in greater detail below. It should be noted that the number of constituent elements of the UE 400 shown, their arrangement, and interconnection are not intended to be limiting in any way to the present disclosure but are merely to provide a general idea of how the constituent elements can be implemented within the UE 400. For example, the processor 402 can be replaced with several processors and the memory 404 can be replaced with several removable and / or fixed storage devices, depending on the particular application. Moreover, in some embodiments, the processor 402 can perform different operations required for data reception and transmission, e.g., such as signal modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, etc. Alternatively, the UE 400 can further include an individual transceiver that can be configured to perform the required operations for data reception and transmission based on commands from the processor 402. Figure 4

[0059] ​The processor 402 can be implemented as a CPU, a general purpose processor, a single purpose processor, a microcontroller, a microprocessor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP), a complex programmable logic device, etc. It should also be noted that the processor 402 can be implemented as any combination of one or more of the foregoing. As an example, the processor 402 can be a combination of two or more microprocessors.

[0060] The memory 404 can be implemented as classical non-volatile or volatile memory used in modern electronic computing machines. As an example, non-volatile memory can include read only memory (ROM), ferroelectric random access memory (RAM), programmable ROM (PROM), electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), solid state drive (SSD), flash memory, magnetic disk storage such as hard disk drives and magnetic tape, optical disk storage such as CDs, DVDs, and Blu-ray discs, etc. For volatile memory, examples include dynamic RAM, synchronous DRAM (SDRAM), double data rate SDRAM (DDR SDRAM), static RAM, etc.

[0061] The processor-executable instructions 406 stored in the memory 404 can be configured to cause the processor 402 to execute computer executable program code of aspects of the present disclosure. The computer executable program code for performing operations or steps of aspects of the present disclosure can be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, such as Java, C++, Python, etc. In some examples, the computer executable program code can be in the form of a high level language or pre-compiled form, and generated on the fly by an interpreter (also pre-stored in the memory 404).

[0062] Figure 5 A flowchart of a method 500 for operating the UE 400 is shown, in accordance with one example embodiment.

[0063] The method 500 starts at step S502, where the processor 402 applies a default LDPC encoding scheme to a wireless communication channel established between the UE 400 and a network node in a wireless communication network. The default LDPC encoding scheme is characterized by a parameter set comprising (i) a BG, and (ii) at least one of an SCD and a PCM. The initial information about the parameter set of the default LDPC encoding scheme can be signaled by the network node to the UE 400 at the beginning of a radio resource control (RRC) connection setup procedure, e.g., by using a synchronization signal block (SSB) or a random access response (RAR) (i.e., after a successful physical random access channel (PRACH) transmission, or in other words, after a preamble transmission from the UE 400 to the network node). Such initial information from the network node can indicate all required parameters of the default LDPC encoding scheme (e.g., its BG, SCD, and / or PCM), or an identifier (ID) of one of the LDPC encoding schemes pre-configured or pre-defined for the UE 400, which should be used as the default LDPC encoding scheme. In the latter case, all pre-configured LDPC encoding schemes can also be stored in the memory 404, so that the processor 402 can read the memory 404 to select the default LDPC encoding scheme from the pre-configured LDPC encoding schemes based on the received ID. Alternatively, the processor 402 can select the default LDPC encoding scheme by itself from the stored set of LDPC encoding schemes based on the network or the usage scenario currently occurring in the wireless communication network.

[0064] Next, the method 500 proceeds to step S504, where the processor 402 receives control information from the network node. The control information comprises an indication for the UE to update the parameter set (i.e., the BG, SCD, and / or PCM) of the default LDPC encoding scheme or to define a new LDPC encoding scheme. The new LDPC encoding scheme is also characterized by a parameter set comprising (i) a BG, and (ii) at least one of an SCD and a PCM. For example, the processor 402 can receive the control information after establishing an active RRC connection with the network node. The control information can comprise one or more of the following parameters of the default or new LDPC encoding scheme: - the dimension of the BG or a part of the BG (the dimension can comprise the number of rows and columns in the BG, and when a part of the BG is to be updated, the received control information can further indicate which part of the BG is valid for the indicated dimension); - the number of non-zero elements in the BG or a part of the BG (e.g., the control information can comprise a bitmap defining all 1s within the BG or the corresponding part of the BG); - the number of rows and / or columns comprising non-zero elements in the BG or the corresponding part of the BG (i.e., the exact position of each of the non-zero elements in the BG or the part of the BG); - maximum dimension of the lifting size of the SCD or PCM (this parameter also defines the maximum code block size and is used for code block segmentation); - number of SCDs applicable for the BG and / or number of entries per SCD (the entries are dimensioned with the maximum lifting size and these entries (SCD entries) are applicable for non-zero entries of the BG (e.g. 1) or for the corresponding part of the BG; - lifting size of the SCD (the lifting size is used for determining the PCM and the lifting size is used for deriving the entries of the PCM); - cyclic redundancy check (CRC) length and / or polynomial for the code block dimension obtained by using the BG, SCD and / or PCM; and In one embodiment, the control information can further indicate which scenarios / use cases / parameters / configurations enable the use of the default or new LDPC encoding scheme for the BG / SCD / PCM. In one other embodiment, the control information can further comprise an indication for the UE 400 to define a new LDPC encoding scheme or to update the default LDPC encoding scheme after expiry of a pre-defined time period. For example, a timer or a time window can be pre-defined by the specific communication standard specification to be applied by the UE 400 such that the timer or time window will be applied after reception of the control information or after sending an acknowledgement message (discussed later) to the network node. Only after the time window, the UE 400 can communicate with the network node by using the updated or new LDPC encoding scheme.

[0065] The method 500 ends with step S506, wherein the processor 402 updates the parameter set of the default LDPC encoding scheme or defines a new LDPC encoding scheme based on the control information.

[0066] In one embodiment, the method 500 can comprise an additional step, wherein the processor 402 signals to the network node the successful reception of the control information. For example, this can be done by sending a corresponding acknowledgement message. In one embodiment, if the BG, SCD and / or PCM to be used in the updated or defined LDPC encoding scheme are not suitable for the supported UE capabilities, the processor 402 can transmit a failure message to the network node to ensure that the wireless communication channel will remain intact.

[0067] In one example embodiment, the method 500 (before step S504) can comprise an additional step, wherein the processor 402 receives from the network node a request for a decoding performance metric associated with the default LDPC encoding scheme and sends to the network node a UE report comprising the decoding performance metric. For example, the decoding performance metric can be associated with the use of the current BG, SCD and / or PCM of the default LDPC encoding scheme.

[0068] In another example embodiment, (after step S506) method 500 includes an additional step in which processor 402 receives additional information from the network node. The additional information may include an indication that UE 400 cancels the result of step S506 (i.e., an update or new LDPC coding scheme of the default LDPC coding scheme) and returns the default LDPC coding scheme (i.e., the initial parameter set of the default LDPC coding scheme, which has been used before step S504).

[0069] It should be noted that although the update of the default LDPC coding scheme or the definition of the new LDPC coding scheme is triggered by the network node (which signals the corresponding control information to the UE 400), this can also be initiated by the UE 400 itself. For example, the UE 400 can operate to optimize the BG, SCD, and / or PCM of the default LDPC coding scheme and indicate information related to the update of the LDPC coding scheme to the network node. In response, the network node can confirm the possibility of the requested update.

[0070] Figure 6 A block diagram of a network node 600 according to an example embodiment is shown. The network node 600 may be implemented as, for example, a gNB, and is intended to communicate with the UE 400 in any of the aforementioned wireless communication networks. Figure 6 As shown, network node 600 includes processor 602 and memory 604. Memory 604 stores processor-executable instructions 606 that, when executed by processor 602, cause processor 602 to implement various aspects of this disclosure, as will be described in more detail below. It should be noted again that the configuration... Figure 6 The number, arrangement, and interconnection of the building elements of the network node 600 shown are not intended to be any limitation of this disclosure, but are merely provided to illustrate a general concept of how the building elements can be implemented within the network node 600. Typically, the processor 602, memory 604, and processor executable instructions 606 can be implemented in the same or similar manner as processor 402, memory 404, and processor executable instructions 406, respectively. Similar to UE 400, the network node 600 may also include individual transceivers configured to operate based on commands from processor 602.

[0071] Figure 7 A flowchart of a method 700 for operating a network node 600 according to an example embodiment is shown.

[0072] The method 700 begins at step S702, where the processor 602 generates control information for the UE 400. As described above, the control information includes an indication for the UE 400 to update a parameter set (i.e., BG, SCD, and / or PCM) of a default LDPC encoding scheme currently applied to a wireless communication channel established between the UE 400 and the network node 600, or an indication to define a new LDPC encoding scheme that is not the default LDPC encoding scheme. In general, the control information can be configured as described above (i.e., can also include an indication to update or define the LDPC encoding scheme at expiration of a predefined time, and / or the parameters of the BG, SCD, and / or PCM described above). The network node 600 can have prior knowledge about the capabilities of the UE 400, such that the network node 600 can determine which changes or updates related to the BG, SCD, and / or PCM are feasible at the UE 400. In an embodiment, the processor 602 can generate the control information based on decoding performance metrics requested from and reported to the network node 600 by the UE 400. In an alternative embodiment, the processor 602 can generate the control information based on usage scenarios of interest in the wireless communication network. In both embodiments, the processor 602 can apply a machine learning algorithm (e.g., a neural network) to predict the best update for the default LDPC encoding scheme or the best new LDPC encoding scheme. Step S702 can be performed after an active RRC connection is established between the UE 400 and the network node 600.

[0073] The method 700 then proceeds to step S704, where the processor 602 transmits the control information to the UE 400 (i.e., the processor 402). As previously described, this can be done using an SSB or a RAR during the RRC connection establishment procedure.

[0074] In an embodiment, the method 700 can include an additional step where the processor 602 receives an acknowledgement message from the UE 400 (i.e., the processor 402). The acknowledgement message indicates that the control information has been successfully received by the UE 400.

[0075] In an embodiment, the method 700 can include an additional step where the processor 602 generates initial information for the UE 400. As previously described, the initial information can indicate a parameter set (i.e., BG, SCD, and / or PCM) of a default LDPC encoding scheme to be applied to the wireless communication channel, or an ID of one of the preconfigured LDPC encoding schemes that should be selected as the default LDPC encoding scheme. The processor 602 then transmits the initial information to the UE 400 (i.e., the processor 402) prior to step S702.

[0076] In one embodiment, (e.g., after step S704) the method 700 can include an additional step in which the processor 602 generates and transmits additional information to the UE 400 (i.e., the processor 402), the additional information including an indication for the UE 400 to cancel the results of step S506 and return to the default LDPC encoding scheme.

[0077] Figure 8A signaling diagram 800 illustrating an explanation of the interaction between the UE 400 and the network node 600 according to the first example embodiment is shown. More specifically, the signaling diagram 800 corresponds to the case when the default LDPC coding scheme is informed to the UE 400 via an SSB. The signaling diagram 800 starts with step S802, in which the network node 600 performs an SSB transmission comprising an indication of the default LDPC coding scheme (i.e., a BG, a SCD, and / or a PCM). The indication carried in the SSB can be a unique indication (e.g., a bitmap) that points / selects one BG / SCD / PCM from a predefined plurality of BGs / SCDs / PCMs stored in the UE 400. For example, if a plurality of base graphs (e.g., 4 BGs) and associated SCDs (e.g., 8 SCDs per BG) are predefined for the UE 400, the SSB can indicate the BG via 2 bits and the SCD via 3 bits. Next, the signaling diagram 800 proceeds to step S804, in which the UE 400 detects the SSB and derives the information about the default LDPC from the SSB. Thereafter, the signaling diagram 800 enters step S806, in which the UE 400 performs a PRACH transmission for the network node 600. In the following steps S808 and S810, the network node 600 determines the BG / SCD / PCM to be used for data transmission in response to the PRACH reception and transmits a PRACH response (i.e., a Random Access Response (RAR)) to the UE 400. Since the SSB transmission already carried an indication of the applicable default BG / SCD / PCM, and the PRACH response can be encoded with the default BG / SCD / PCM according to the SSB indication. Furthermore, the signaling diagram 800 proceeds to step S812, in which the UE 400 decodes the PRACH response based on the default BG / SCD / PCM derived in step S804. During the next step S814, the default BG / SCD / PCM is applied by both the UE 400 and the network node 600 for the data channel. Next, the signaling diagram 800 enters step S816, in which the network node 600 determines an updated / new BG / SCD / PCM for the data channel. Step S816 can be performed after the UE 400 and the network node 600 have an established active RRC connection (e.g., a 5G RRC connection). As mentioned above, the need for such an update can result from an analysis of a decoding performance metric reported by the UE 400 to the network node 600. In the next step S818, the network node 600 signals the above-mentioned control information to the UE 400. It is also assumed that the control information includes an update timer. In response to the control information, the UE 400 sends an acknowledgement message to the network node 600 in the next step S820. Thereafter, the signaling diagram 800 proceeds to step S822, in which the UE 400 updates the LDPC coding scheme after the update timer expires.The signaling diagram 800 ends with step S824 in which both the UE 400 and the network node 600 apply the updated LDPC coding scheme to the data channel.

[0078] Figure 9 A signaling diagram 900 illustrating an explanation of the interaction between the UE 400 and the network node 600 according to a second example embodiment is shown. More specifically, the signaling diagram 900 corresponds to the case when the default LDPC coding scheme is informed to the UE 400 via the RAR. The signaling diagram 900 starts with step S902 in which the network node 600 performs SSB transmission. Next, the signaling diagram 900 proceeds to step S904 in which the UE 400 detects the SSB. Thereafter, the signaling diagram 900 enters step S906 in which the UE 400 performs PRACH transmission for the network node 600. In the next steps S908 and S910, the network node 600 determines the default BG / SCD / PCM and indicates the default BG / SCD / PCM in a control channel scheduling a data channel carrying the PRACH response. Again, the indication carried in the control channel can be a unique indication (e.g., a bitmap) pointing / selecting one BG / SCD / PCM from the predefined BG / SCD / PCMs stored in the UE 400. This can be a dedicated downlink control information (DCI) field in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) scheduling the PRACH response. Alternatively, a sequence-based PRACH response can be used, where the sequence can carry the default BG / SCD / PCM. Further, the signaling diagram 900 proceeds to step S912 in which the UE 400 decodes the PRACH response and determines the default BG / SCD / PCM for the data channel. During the next step S914, the default BG / SCD / PCM is applied to the data channel by both the UE 400 and the network node 600. Next, the signaling diagram 900 enters step S916 in which the network node 600 determines an updated / new BG / SCD / PCM for the data channel. Step S916 can be performed after the UE 400 and the network node 600 have an established active RRC connection, like a 5G RRC connection. As mentioned above, the need for such an update can result from an analysis of the decoding performance metrics reported by the UE 400 to the network node 600. In the next step S918, the network node 600 signals the above-mentioned control information to the UE 400. It is also assumed that the control information includes an update timer. In response to the control information, the UE 400 sends an acknowledgement message to the network node 600 in the next step S920. Thereafter, the signaling diagram 900 proceeds to step S922 in which the UE 400 updates the LDPC coding scheme after the update timer expires. The signaling diagram 900 ends with step S924 in which both the UE 400 and the network node 600 apply the updated LDPC coding scheme to the data channel.

[0079] Figure 10 Parts of the LDPC BG 1000 that can be used to indicate any desired update are shown. Similar BGs can be used to indicate the parameter set of a new LDPC encoding scheme. Assume that the LDPC BG 1000 is the default BG (i.e., used in the default LDPC encoding scheme) with defined dimensions (X rows and Y columns). These dimensions can be changed or updated by signaling control information, as discussed above according to the methods 500 and 700. When multiple parts are used to define the default LDPC BG 1000 (as shown Figure 10 ), the network node 600 can indicate the change or update of one or more parts of the default LDPC BG 100 as follows: If the LDPC BG dimensions are defined by parts Al, Bl, Cl, Dl, and El, where each part can be a matrix with dimensions Kl*Ll, Kl*L2, Kl*L3, K2*(L1+L2), and K2*L3, respectively, the UE 400 can receive the new dimensions related to Al / Bl / Cl / Dl / El via RRC / MAC signaling; The UE 400 can receive the change of non-zero elements in each part, which defines the check node and variable node association in the LDPC BG 1000, where the additional indication indicates which part of the LDPC BG 1000 the update is applied to; The change of non-zero elements can be a bit stream that indicates the non-zero elements in that part of the LDPC BG 1000, where the number of rows and columns of the part of the BG constitutes the dimensions of the bit stream; If the LDPC BG dimensions are defined as shown Figure 10 and an update for Al is indicated, the non-zero elements can be updated using Kl*Ll bits via RRC / MAC signaling.

[0080] It should be noted that each step or operation of the methods 500, 700 and signaling diagrams 800, 900 or any combination of steps or operations can be implemented by various means, such as hardware, firmware, and / or software. As an example, one or more of the above steps or operations can be embodied by processor-executable instructions, data structures, program modules, and other suitable data representations. Moreover, the processor-executable instructions embodying the above steps or operations can be stored on a corresponding data carrier and executed by the processor 402 or 602. The data carrier can be implemented as any computer-readable storage medium configured to be readable by said at least one processor to perform the processor-executable instructions. Such computer-readable storage medium can include volatile and non-volatile media, removable and non-removable media. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media comprise media implemented in any method or technology for storing information. More specifically, computer-readable media include, but are not limited to, information delivery media, RAM, ROM, EPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD), holographic media or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage and other magnetic storage devices.

[0081] Although example embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein, it should be noted that any various changes and modifications can be made in the embodiments of the present disclosure without departing from the scope of legal protection defined by the appended claims. In the appended claims, the word “comprising” does not exclude other elements or operations, and the indefinite article “a” or “an” does not exclude a plurality. The fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the UE at least to: apply a default low-density parity-check (LDPC) encoding scheme to a wireless communication channel established between the UE and a network node in the wireless communication network, the default LDPC encoding scheme characterized by a parameter set comprising (i) a base graph (BG) and (ii) at least one of a shift coefficient design (SCD) and a parity check matrix (PCM); receive control information from the network node, the control information comprising an indication for the UE to: update the parameter set of the default LDPC encoding scheme, or define a new LDPC encoding scheme that is not the default LDPC encoding scheme, the new LDPC encoding scheme characterized by a parameter set comprising (i) a BG and (ii) at least one of a SCD and a PCM; and update the parameter set of the default LDPC encoding scheme or define the new LDPC encoding scheme based on the control information.

2. The UE of claim 1, wherein the UE is further caused to receive initial information from the network node, the initial information comprising the parameter set of the default LDPC encoding scheme to be applied to the wireless communication channel.

3. The UE of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory further stores a set of preconfigured LDPC coding schemes, each LDPC coding scheme having an identifier (ID) and including a set of parameters, the set of parameters including: (i) a BG and (ii) at least one of a SCD and a PCM, and wherein the UE is further caused to: receive initial information from the network node, the initial information comprising (i) an ID of a target LDPC encoding scheme from the set of LDPC encoding schemes and (ii) an indication for the UE to select the target LDPC encoding scheme as the default LDPC encoding scheme; and select the default LDPC encoding scheme based on the initial information.

4. The UE of claim 2 or 3, wherein the UE is caused to receive the initial information via a synchronization signal block (SSB) or a random access response (RAR).

5. The UE of claim 1, wherein the at least one memory further stores a preconfigured set of LDPC encoding schemes, each LDPC encoding scheme associated with a different network scenario in the wireless communication network, and wherein the UE is further caused to select the default LDPC encoding scheme from the set of LDPC encoding schemes based on the network scenario currently occurring in the wireless communication network.

6. The UE of any one of claims 1-5, wherein the control information further comprises, for the parameter set of the default LDPC encoding scheme or the new LDPC encoding scheme, at least one of: dimensions of the BG or a portion of the BG; an indication of which portion of the BG is valid for the dimensions of the BG or the portion of the BG; a bitmap defining non-zero elements in the BG or the portion of the BG; a position of each non-zero element in the non-zero elements in the BG or the portion of the BG; a maximum dimension of a shift size of the SCD or the PCM; a number of SCDs applicable to the BG and / or a number of entries for each of the SCDs; a lifting size of the SCD; and a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) length and / or polynomial for a code block dimension obtained by using the BG, the SCD, and / or the PCM.

7. The UE of any one of claims 1-6, wherein the control information further comprises an indication for the UE to define the new LDPC encoding scheme or update the parameter set of the default LDPC encoding scheme after expiration of a predefined time period.

8. The UE of any one of claims 1-7, wherein prior to receiving the control information, the UE is further caused to: receive, from the network node, a request for a decoding performance metric associated with the default LDPC encoding scheme; and in response to the request, transmit, to the network node, a UE report comprising the decoding performance metric.

9. The UE of any one of claims 1-8, wherein the UE is further configured to, after updating the parameter set of the default LDPC encoding scheme or defining the new LDPC encoding scheme, receive, from the network node, additional information comprising an indication for the UE to return to the default LDPC encoding scheme.

10. The UE of any one of claims 1-9, wherein the UE is further caused to transmit, to the network node, an acknowledgement message indicating that the control information has been successfully received.

11. A network node in a wireless communication network, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the network node at least to: generate control information for a user equipment (UE) in the wireless communication network, the control information comprising an indication for the UE to: update a parameter set of a default low density parity check (LDPC) encoding scheme currently applied to a wireless communication channel established between the UE and the network node, the parameter set comprising: (i) a base graph (BG), and (ii) at least one of a shift coefficient design (SCD) and a parity check matrix (PCM); or define a new LDPC encoding scheme that is not the default LDPC encoding scheme, the new LDPC encoding scheme characterized by a parameter set comprising: (i) a BG, and (ii) at least one of a SCD and a PCM; and transmit the control information to the UE.

12. The network node of claim 11, wherein the network node is further caused to, prior to sending the control information, generate initial information for the UE, the initial information comprising the parameter set of the default LDPC encoding scheme to be applied to the wireless communication channel; and transmitting the initial information to the UE.

13. The network node of claim 11, wherein the network node is further configured to, prior to transmitting the control information, generating initial information for the UE, the initial information including: (i) an identifier (ID) of a target LDPC encoding scheme from a set of LDPC encoding schemes pre-configured for the UE, and (ii) an indication for the UE to select the target LDPC encoding scheme as the default LDPC encoding scheme; and transmitting the initial information to the UE.

14. The network node of claim 12 or 13, wherein the network node is caused to transmit the initial information via a synchronization signal block (SSB) or a random access response (RAR) transmission.

15. The network node of any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the control information further comprises, for the numerology of the default LDPC encoding scheme or the new LDPC encoding scheme, at least one of: a dimension of the BG or a portion of the BG; an indication of which portion of the BG is valid for the dimension of the BG or the portion of the BG; a bitmap defining non-zero elements in the BG or the portion of the BG; a location of each of the non-zero elements in the BG or the portion of the BG; a maximum dimension of a shift size of the SCD or the PCM; a number of SCDs applicable to the BG and / or a number of entries for each of the SCDs; a lifting size of the SCD; and a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) length and / or polynomial for a code block dimension obtained by using one of the BG, the SCD, and the PCM.

16. The network node of any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein the control information further comprises an indication for the UE to define the new LDPC encoding scheme or update the numerology of the default LDPC encoding scheme after expiration of a pre-defined time period.

17. The network node of any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein prior to transmitting the control information, the network node is further caused to: transmit, to the UE, a request for a decoding performance metric associated with the default LDPC encoding scheme; receive, from the UE, a UE report comprising the decoding performance metric; and generate the control information based on the decoding performance metric.

18. The network node of claim 17, wherein the network node is caused to generate the control information by using a machine learning algorithm.

19. The network node of any one of claims 11 to 18, wherein the network node is further configured to, after transmitting the control information, generate additional information for the UE, the additional information comprising an indication for the UE to return to the default LDPC encoding scheme; and transmit the additional information to the UE.

20. A method of wireless communication, comprising: receiving, from a network node, control information comprising a default LDPC encoding scheme for a user equipment (UE) and a new LDPC encoding scheme for the UE; applying the default LDPC encoding scheme to a first set of information for the UE; and applying the new LDPC encoding scheme to a second set of information for the UE.

20. The network node of any one of claims 11 to 19, wherein the network node is further caused to receive an acknowledgement message from the UE, the acknowledgement message indicating that the control information has been successfully received by the UE.

21. A method for operating a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication network, comprising: applying a default low-density parity-check (LDPC) coding scheme to a wireless communication channel established between the UE and a network node in the wireless communication network, the default LDPC coding scheme characterized by a parameter set comprising: (i) a base graph (BG), and (ii) at least one of a shift coefficient design (SCD) and a parity check matrix (PCM); receiving control information from the network node, the control information comprising an indication for the UE to: update the parameter set of the default LDPC coding scheme; or define a new LDPC coding scheme that is not the default LDPC coding scheme, the new LDPC coding scheme characterized by a parameter set comprising: (i) a BG, and (ii) at least one of a SCD and a PCM; and based on the control information, update the parameter set of the default LDPC coding scheme or the defined new LDPC coding scheme.

22. A method for operating a network node in a wireless communication channel, comprising: generating control information for a user equipment (UE) in the wireless communication network, the control information comprising an indication for the UE to: update a parameter set of a default low-density parity-check (LDPC) coding scheme currently applied to a wireless communication channel established between the UE and the network node, the parameter set comprising: (i) a base graph (BG), and (ii) at least one of a shift coefficient design (SCD) and a parity check matrix (PCM); define a new LDPC coding scheme that is not the default LDPC coding scheme, the new LDPC coding scheme characterized by a parameter set comprising: (i) a BG, and (ii) at least one of a SCD and a PCM; and transmitting the control information to the UE.

23. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium, wherein the computer readable storage medium stores computer code, which, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform the method of claim 21.

24. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium, wherein the computer readable storage medium stores computer code, which, when executed by at least one processor, causes the at least one processor to perform the method of claim 22.

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