Coverage enhancement for PUSCH with DCI format 0_3

Abstract

An apparatus of a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: one or more processors coupled to a memory, the one or more processors configured to: receive configuration information indicating that a plurality of cells scheduled for uplink transmissions are scheduled using a configured downlink control information format; identify, based on the configuration information, one or more cells of the plurality of cells configured to support demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling for physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmissions; and transmit, on the one or more scheduled cells of the plurality of cells based on the configuration information, a PUSCH transmission with bundled DMRS signals.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present invention relate to wireless communication, including apparatus, systems, and methods for coverage enhancement of the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) using downlink control information (DCI) format 0-3 in cellular communication networks. Background Technology

[0002] The use of wireless communication systems is growing rapidly. In recent years, wireless devices, such as smartphones and tablets, have become increasingly complex and sophisticated. In addition to supporting telephone calls, many mobile devices now offer access to the Internet, email, text messaging, and navigation using the Global Positioning System (GPS), and are capable of operating complex applications that utilize these functionalities.

[0003] Long Term Evolution (LTE) has become the technology of choice for most wireless network operators worldwide, providing mobile broadband data and high-speed internet access to their user base. LTE was first proposed in 2004 and standardized for the first time in 2008. Since then, with the exponential growth in the use of wireless communication systems, the demand from wireless network operators to support higher capacity for a higher density of mobile broadband users has also increased. Research into new radio access technologies began in 2015, and in 2017, the first version of 5G New Radio (5G NR) was standardized.

[0004] 5G-NR (also known as NR for short) offers higher capacity for higher density mobile broadband users compared to LTE, while also supporting ultra-reliable and massive machine-type communication between devices, as well as lower latency and / or lower battery consumption. Additionally, NR allows for more flexible UE scheduling compared to current LTE. Therefore, ongoing development of 5G-NR is underway to take advantage of the potentially higher throughput at higher frequencies.

[0005] Wireless communication systems continue to evolve to support higher data rates and reliability. The latest 5G NR technology supports flexible scheduling of user equipment (UEs) across multiple cells to achieve higher throughput. However, when scheduling UEs across multiple cells, technologies that enhance coverage, such as demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling, can be disrupted. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The implementation relates to wireless communication, and more specifically to apparatus, systems, and methods for a user equipment (UE) device, the apparatus including one or more processors coupled to a memory, the one or more processors being configured to: receive configuration information indicating that multiple cells for uplink transmission are scheduled using a set downlink control information format; identify, based on the configuration information, one or more cells among the multiple cells that are configured to support demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling for Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission; and transmit PUSCH transmission with the bundled DMRS signal on the one or more scheduled cells among the multiple cells based on the configuration information.

[0007] Other embodiments relate to an apparatus for a next-generation node B (gNB) including one or more processors coupled to a memory, the processors being configured to: transmit configuration information to a user equipment (UE) instructing the scheduling of multiple cells for uplink transmission using a defined downlink control information format, such that the UE can identify, based on the configuration information, one or more cells among the multiple cells that are configured to support demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling for physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission; and decode, at the gNB, PUSCH transmissions with the bundled DMRS signals on the one or more scheduled cells among the multiple cells based on the configuration information.

[0008] The technologies described herein can be implemented in and / or used with a variety of different types of devices, including but not limited to unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), unmanned controllers (UACs), base stations, access points, cellular phones, tablet computers, wearable computing devices, portable media players, and any of a variety of other computing devices.

[0009] The present invention is intended to provide a brief overview of some of the subjects described in this document. Therefore, it should be understood that the features described above are merely illustrative and should not be construed as narrowing the scope or substance of the subjects described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subjects described herein will become apparent from the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. Attached Figure Description

[0010] A better understanding of the subject matter can be obtained by considering the following detailed description of various embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1A Example wireless communication systems according to some implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0011] Figure 1BExamples of base stations and access points communicating with user equipment (UE) devices according to some implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0012] Figure 2 Example block diagrams of base stations according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0013] Figure 3 Example block diagrams of servers according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0014] Figure 4 Exemplary block diagrams of a UE according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0015] Figure 5 Exemplary block diagrams of cellular communication circuits according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0016] Figure 6 Examples of baseband processor architectures for UEs according to some implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0017] Figure 7 Example block diagrams illustrating the interface of a baseband circuit according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0018] Figure 8 Examples of control plane protocol stacks based on some implementation schemes are shown.

[0019] Figure 9 Examples of user plane protocol stacks based on some implementation schemes are shown.

[0020] Figure 10 Example components of the core network according to some implementation schemes are shown.

[0021] Figure 11 Examples of wireless communication systems according to some implementation schemes are illustrated.

[0022] Figure 12 Examples of wireless communication systems for coverage enhancement of the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) using downlink control information (DCI) format 0_3 in cellular communication networks are illustrated according to some implementation schemes.

[0023] Figure 13A An example is illustrated where the time-domain DMRS bundling window is interrupted due to the start of PUSCH transmission on another cell, according to some implementation schemes.

[0024] Figure 13A An example is illustrated where the time-domain DMRS bundling window is interrupted due to the start of PUSCH transmission on another cell, according to some implementation schemes.

[0025] Figure 13BAn example of a time-domain DMRS bundled window interruption is illustrated during a gap in a bundled transmission according to some implementation schemes, involving PUSCH transmission on another cell.

[0026] Figure 13C An example is illustrated where the time-domain DMRS bundling window is interrupted due to the start of PUSCH transmission on another cell, according to some implementation schemes.

[0027] Figure 14 An example flowchart illustrates a method for coverage enhancement of the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) at the User Equipment (UE) in a cellular communication network using Downlink Control Information (DCI) format 0_3, according to some implementation schemes.

[0028] Figure 15 An example flowchart illustrates a method for providing coverage enhancement for the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) at a base station in a cellular communication network using downlink control information (DCI) format 0_3, according to some implementation schemes.

[0029] Although the features described herein may be subject to various modifications and alternatives, specific embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the accompanying drawings and described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that the drawings and their detailed description are not intended to limit one to the specific forms disclosed, but rather to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the substance and scope of the subject matter as defined by the appended claims. Detailed Implementation

[0030] the term The following is a glossary of terms used in this disclosure: Memory media—any of various types of nontransitory memory devices or storage devices. The term "memory media" is intended to include mounting media, such as CD-ROMs, floppy disks, or magnetic tape devices; computer system memory or random access memory, such as DRAM, DDR RAM, SRAM, EDO RAM, Rambus RAM, etc.; non-volatile memory, such as flash memory; magnetic media, such as hard disk drives or optical storage devices; registers or other similar types of memory elements, etc. Memory media may also include other types of nontransitory memory or combinations thereof. Furthermore, memory media may reside in a first computer system executing a program, or may reside in a different second computer system connected to the first computer system via a network such as the Internet. In the latter example, the second computer system may provide program instructions to the first computer for execution. The term "memory media" may include two or more memory media residing in different locations in different computer systems connected via, for example, a network. Memory media may store program instructions (e.g., embodied in a computer program) that can be executed by one or more processors.

[0031] Carrier media—such as memory media as described above, and physical transmission media such as buses, networks, and / or other physical transmission media that transmit signals such as electrical signals, electromagnetic signals, or digital signals.

[0032] Programmable hardware elements encompass a variety of hardware devices, which consist of multiple programmable functional blocks connected via programmable interconnects. Examples include FPGAs (Field-Programmable Gate Arrays), PLDs (Programmable Logic Devices), FPOAs (Field-Programmable Object Arrays), and CPLDs (Complex PLDs). Programmable functional blocks can range from fine-grained (combinational logic or lookup tables) to coarse-grained (arithmetic logic units or processor cores). Programmable hardware elements may also be referred to as "configurable logic units."

[0033] Computer system (or computer) — any of the various types of computing or processing systems, including personal computer systems (PCs), mainframe computer systems, workstations, network appliances, internet-connected appliances, personal digital assistants (PDAs), television systems, grid computing systems, or other devices or combinations thereof. In general, the term "computer system" can be broadly defined to encompass any device (or combination of devices) having at least one processor that executes instructions from a memory medium.

[0034] User equipment (UE) (or "UE device")—any of various types of computer system devices that are mobile or portable and perform wireless communication. Examples of UE devices include mobile phones or smartphones (e.g., iPhone). ™Based on Android ™ Telephones), portable gaming devices (e.g., Nintendo DS) ™ PlayStation Portable ™ Gameboy Advance ™ iPhone ™ ), laptops, wearable devices (e.g., smartwatches, smart glasses), PDAs, portable internet devices, music players, data storage devices, other handheld devices, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) (e.g., drones), UAV controllers (UACs), etc. Generally speaking, the term "UE" or "UE device" can be broadly defined to encompass any electronic device, computing device, and / or telecommunications device (or combination of devices) that is easily transportable by the user and capable of wireless communication.

[0035] Base station—The term “base station” has the full range of its common meaning and includes at least a wireless communication station that is installed in a fixed location and is used for communication as part of a wireless telephone system or radio system.

[0036] A processing element (or processor) is a component or combination of components capable of performing the functions of a device such as a user equipment or cellular network device. A processing element may include, for example: a processor and associated memory, portions or circuitry of individual processor cores, an entire processor core, a processor array, circuitry such as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), programmable hardware components such as a Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), and any combination thereof.

[0037] A channel is a medium used to transmit information from a transmitter to a receiver. It should be noted that because the characteristics of the term "channel" can vary depending on the wireless protocol, the term "channel" as used herein can be considered to be used in a standard manner consistent with the type of device to which the term is referenced. In some standards, channel bandwidth can be variable (e.g., depending on device capabilities, frequency band conditions, etc.). For example, LTE can support scalable channel bandwidths from 1.4 MHz to 20 MHz. 5G NR can support scalable channel bandwidths from 5 MHz to 100 MHz in Frequency Range 1 (FR1) and up to 400 MHz in FR2. In other radio access technologies, WLAN channels can be 22 MHz wide, while Bluetooth channels can be 1 MHz wide. Other protocols and standards may include different definitions of channels. Furthermore, some standards may define and use multiple types of channels, for example, different channels for uplink or downlink and / or different channels for different purposes such as data, control information, etc.

[0038] Frequency band—The term “frequency band” has the full range of its general meaning and includes at least a segment of spectrum (e.g., radio frequency spectrum) in which a channel is used or reserved for the same purpose.

[0039] Automatic—means that an action or operation is performed by a computer system (e.g., software executed by the computer system) or device (e.g., circuits, programmable hardware elements, ASICs, etc.) without requiring direct specification or execution of the action or operation through user input. Therefore, the term "automatically" is the opposite of an operation performed or specified manually by a user, where the user provides input to directly perform the operation. An automatic process can be initiated by user-provided input, but the subsequent actions performed "automatically" are not specified by the user; that is, they are not performed "manually," where the user specifies each action to be performed. For example, a user filling out a form by selecting each field and providing input specifying information (e.g., by typing information, selecting a checkbox, radio selection, etc.) is considered manually filling out the form, even though the computer system will update the form in response to the user's actions. The form can be automatically filled out by a computer system, where the computer system (e.g., software executed on the computer system) analyzes the fields of the form and fills out the form without any user input specifying answers for the fields. As indicated above, the user can invoke the automatic filling of the form but does not participate in the actual filling of the form (e.g., the user does not manually specify answers for the fields, but they are completed automatically). This manual provides various examples of operations that are automatically performed in response to actions taken by the user.

[0040] Approximately—means a value close to the correct or precise value. For example, approximately could mean a value within 1% to 10% of the precise (or expected) value. However, it should be noted that the actual threshold (or tolerance) can be application-dependent. For example, in some implementations, “approximately” may mean within 0.1% of a specified or expected value, while in various other implementations, the threshold may be, for example, 2%, 3%, 5%, etc., depending on the expectations or settings of the specific application.

[0041] Concurrency refers to the parallel execution or implementation of tasks, processes, or programs in a manner that at least partially overlaps. For example, concurrency can be achieved using “strong” or strict parallelism, where tasks are executed in parallel (at least partially) on corresponding computing elements; or using “weak parallelism,” where tasks are executed in an interleaved manner (e.g., by time multiplexing of execution threads).

[0042] Various components can be described as being "configured" to perform one or more tasks. In this context, "configured" is a broad expression generally meaning "having a structure" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Therefore, a component can be configured to perform a task even when it is not currently performing one (e.g., a set of electrical conductors can be configured to electrically connect one module to another, even when the two modules are not connected). In some contexts, "configured" can be a broad expression generally meaning "having a circuit" that performs one or more tasks during operation. Therefore, a component can be configured to perform a task even when it is not currently switched on. Typically, the circuit forming the structure corresponding to "configured" can include hardware circuitry.

[0043] For ease of description, various components may be described as performing one or more tasks. Such descriptions should be interpreted as including the phrase "configured to". Statements describing a component as configured to perform one or more tasks are explicitly intended not to invoke the interpretation of 35 USC § 112(f) for that component.

[0044] The example embodiments can be further understood by referring to the following description and related figures, wherein the same elements have the same reference numerals. The example embodiments relate to coverage enhancement for PUSCH in cellular communication networks utilizing DCI format 0_3.

[0045] An example implementation is described regarding communication between the next-generation node B (gNB) and user equipment (UE). However, references to the gNB or UE are provided for illustrative purposes only. The example implementation can be used with any electronic component that can establish a connection to the network and is configured with hardware, software, and / or firmware to support PUSCH coverage enhancements utilizing DCI format 0_3. Therefore, the gNB or UE described herein is used to represent any suitable type of electronic component.

[0046] Example implementations are also described regarding fifth-generation (5G) new radio (NR) networks that can configure UEs to assist in PUSCH coverage enhancements using DCI format 0_3 within cellular communication networks. However, references to 5G NR networks are provided for illustrative purposes only. The example implementations can be used with any suitable type of network.

[0047] Throughout this specification, various information elements (IEs) are referred to by specific names. It should be understood that these names are merely examples, and the IEs carrying the information referenced throughout this specification may be referenced by various entities under other names.

[0048] Figure 1A and Figure 1B Communication system Figure 1A A simplified example wireless communication system according to some implementation schemes is illustrated. It should be noted that... Figure 1A The system described herein is merely one example of a possible system, and the features of this disclosure can be implemented in any of a variety of systems as needed.

[0049] As shown in the figure, the example wireless communication system includes a base station 102A, which communicates with one or more user equipments 106A, 106B to 106N, etc., via a transmission medium. Each user equipment may be referred to herein as a "user equipment" (UE). Therefore, user equipment 106 is referred to as a UE or UE device.

[0050] Base station (BS) 102A may be a transceiver base station (BTS) or a cell site (“cellular base station”), and may include hardware that enables wireless communication with UE 106A to UE 106N.

[0051] The communication area (or coverage area) of a base station may be referred to as a "cell". Base station 102A and UE 106 can be configured to communicate via a transmission medium using any of a variety of Radio Access Technologies (RATs), also known as wireless communication technologies or telecommunications standards, such as GSM, UMTS (associated with air interfaces such as WCDMA or TD-SCDMA), LTE, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), 5G New Radio (5G NR), HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD), etc. Note that if base station 102A is implemented in the context of LTE (also known as Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), its alternative location may be referred to as 'eNodeB' or 'eNB'. Note that if base station 102A is implemented in a 5G NR environment, its alternative location may be referred to as "gNodeB" or "gNB".

[0052] As shown in the figure, base station 102A can also be configured to communicate with network 100 (e.g., in various possibilities, the core network of a cellular service provider, telecommunications networks such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and / or the Internet). Therefore, base station 102A facilitates communication between user equipments and / or between user equipments and network 100. Specifically, cellular base station 102A can provide UE 106 with various telecommunications capabilities, such as voice, SMS, and / or data services.

[0053] Base station 102A and other similar base stations (such as base stations 102B, ..., 102N) operating according to the same or different cellular communication standards can therefore be provided as a network of cells that can provide continuous or nearly continuous overlapping services to UE 106A-106N and similar devices over a geographical area via one or more cellular communication standards.

[0054] Therefore, although base station 102A can act as such Figure 1A The illustrated UE 106A-N is a "serving cell," but each UE 106 may also be able to receive signals (and possibly within its communication range) from one or more other cells (which may be provided by base stations 102B-N and / or any other base stations), which may be referred to as "neighboring cells." Such cells may also facilitate communication between user equipments and / or between user equipments and network 100. These cells may include "macro" cells, "micro" cells, "pecimen" cells, and / or any other cells of various other granularities providing a service area size. For example, Figure 1A The illustrated base station 102A-B could be a macro cell, while base station 102N could be a micro cell. Other configurations are also possible.

[0055] In some implementations, base station 102A may be a next-generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station or a “gNB”. In some implementations, the gNB may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) network. Furthermore, a gNB cell may include one or more transition and receive points (TRPs). Additionally, a UE capable of operating according to 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0056] It should be noted that UE 106 may be able to communicate using multiple wireless communication standards. For example, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using wireless networking (e.g., Wi-Fi) and / or peer-to-peer wireless communication protocols (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi peer-to-peer, etc.) other than at least one cellular communication protocol (e.g., GSM, UMTS (associated with, for example, WCDMA or TD-SCDMA air interfaces), LTE, LTE-A, 5G NR, HSPA, 3GPP2 CDMA2000 (e.g., 1xRTT, 1xEV-DO, HRPD, eHRPD, etc.)). If desired, UE 106 may also be configured, or alternatively, to communicate using one or more Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS, such as GPS or GLONASS), one or more mobile television broadcasting standards (e.g., ATSC-M / H or DVB-H) and / or any other wireless communication protocol. Other combinations of wireless communication standards (including more than two wireless communication standards) are also possible.

[0057] Figure 1B User equipment 106 (e.g., one of devices 106A to 106N) communicating with base station 102 and access point 112 according to some embodiments is illustrated. UE 106 can be a device with cellular and non-cellular communication capabilities (e.g., Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.), such as a mobile phone, handheld device, computer or tablet computer, or virtually any type of wireless device.

[0058] UE 106 may include a processor configured to execute program instructions stored in memory. UE 106 may execute any method implementation of the method implementations described herein by executing such stored instructions. Alternatively or additionally, UE 106 may include programmable hardware elements, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) configured to perform any of the method implementations described herein or any portion thereof.

[0059] UE 106 may include one or more antennas for communicating using one or more wireless communication protocols or technologies. In some embodiments, UE 106 may be configured to communicate using, for example, CDMA2000 (1xRTT / 1xEV-DO / HRPD / eHRPD), LTE / Advanced LTE, or 5G NR using a single shared radio component and / or GSM, LTE, Advanced LTE, or 5G NR using a single shared radio component. The shared radio component may be coupled to a single antenna or to multiple antennas (e.g., for MIMO) for performing wireless communication. Generally, the radio component may include any combination of baseband processor, analog RF signal processing circuitry (e.g., including filters, mixers, oscillators, amplifiers, etc.) or digital processing circuitry (e.g., for digital modulation and other digital processing). Similarly, the radio component may use the aforementioned hardware to implement one or more receive chains and transmit chains. For example, UE 106 may share one or more portions of the receive chain and / or transmit chain among multiple wireless communication technologies (such as those discussed above).

[0060] In some implementations, UE 106 may include independent transmit and / or receive chains (e.g., including independent antennas and other radio components) for each wireless communication protocol configured to communicate therewith. As another possibility, UE 106 may include one or more radio components shared among multiple wireless communication protocols, as well as one or more radio components uniquely used by a single wireless communication protocol. For example, UE 106 may include shared radio components for communication using either LTE or 5G NR (or LTE or 1xRTT, or LTE or GSM), and separate radio components for communication using each of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Other configurations are also possible.

[0061] Figure 2 Block diagram of a base station Figure 2 Example block diagrams of base station 102 according to some implementation schemes are shown. It should be noted that... Figure 2 The base station shown is merely one example of a possible base station. As illustrated, base station 102 may include processor 204, which executes program instructions for base station 102. Processor 204 may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU) 240, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 204 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 260 and read-only memory (ROM) 250) or into other circuitry or devices.

[0062] Base station 102 may include at least one network port 270. Network port 270 may be configured to be coupled to a telephone network and provide access to multiple devices, such as UE device 106, as described above in Figure 1 and... Figure 2 Access to the telephone network described in the text.

[0063] Network port 270 (or an additional network port) may also be configured, or alternatively configured, to be coupled to a cellular network, such as the core network of a cellular service provider. The core network may provide mobility-related services and / or other services to multiple devices, such as UE device 106. In some cases, network port 270 may be coupled to a telephone network via the core network, and / or the core network may provide a telephone network (e.g., in other UE devices served by a cellular service provider).

[0064] In some implementations, base station 102 may be a next-generation base station, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) base station, or a “gNB”. In such implementations, base station 102 may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) network. Furthermore, base station 102 may be considered a 5G NR cell and may include one or more transition and receive points (TRPs). Additionally, UEs capable of operating according to 5G NR may be connected to one or more TRPs within one or more gNBs.

[0065] Base station 102 may include at least one antenna 234, and may include multiple antennas. At least one antenna 234 may be configured to operate as a wireless transceiver and may be further configured to communicate with UE device 106 via radio component 230. Antenna 234 communicates with radio component 230 via communication link 232. Communication link 232 may be a receive link, a transmit link, or both. Radio component 230 may be configured to communicate via various wireless communication standards, including but not limited to 5G NR, LTE, LTE-A, GSM, UMTS, CDMA2000, Wi-Fi, etc.

[0066] Base station 102 can be configured to perform wireless communication using multiple wireless communication standards. In some instances, base station 102 may include multiple radio components that enable base station 102 to communicate according to multiple wireless communication technologies. For example, as one possibility, base station 102 may include an LTE radio component for performing communication according to LTE and a 5G NR radio component for performing communication according to 5G NR. In this case, base station 102 may be able to operate as both an LTE base station and a 5G NR base station. As another possibility, base station 102 may include a multimode radio component capable of performing communication according to any of multiple wireless communication technologies (e.g., 5G NR and Wi-Fi, LTE and Wi-Fi, LTE and UMTS, LTE and CDMA2000, UMTS and GSM, etc.).

[0067] As further described herein, BS 102 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting specific implementations of the features described herein. The processor 204 of base station 102 may be configured, for example, to implement or support some or all of the methods described herein by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium). Alternatively, processor 204 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or further), in conjunction with one or more of other components 230, 232, 234, 240, 250, 260, 270, the processor 204 of BS 102 may be configured to implement or support some or all of the features described herein.

[0068] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 204 may comprise one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in processor 204. Therefore, processor 204 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 204. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 204.

[0069] Furthermore, as described herein, radio component 230 may comprise one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in radio component 230. Therefore, radio component 230 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of radio component 230. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of radio component 230.

[0070] Figure 3 Server block diagram Figure 3 Example block diagrams of server 104 according to some implementation schemes are shown. Note that... Figure 3 The server shown is merely one example of a possible server. As illustrated, server 104 may include processor 344 capable of executing program instructions for server 104. Processor 344 may also be coupled to memory management unit (MMU) 374, which may be configured to receive addresses from processor 344 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 364 and read-only memory (ROM) 354) or into other circuitry or devices.

[0071] Server 104 can be configured to provide network access functionality to multiple devices, such as base station 102 and UE device 106, for example, as further described herein.

[0072] In some implementations, server 104 may be part of a radio access network, such as a 5G New Radio (5G NR) access network. In some implementations, server 104 may be connected to a legacy evolved packet core (EPC) network and / or to an NR core (NRC) network.

[0073] As described herein, server 104 may include hardware and software components for implementing or supporting the implementation of the features described herein. Processor 344 of server 104 may be configured, for example, to implement or support some or all of the methods described herein by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium). Alternatively, processor 344 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array), or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit), or a combination thereof. Alternatively (or further), in conjunction with one or more of other components 354, 364, and / or 374, processor 344 of server 104 may be configured to implement or support some or all of the features described herein.

[0074] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 344 may comprise one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in processor 344. Therefore, processor 344 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 344. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 344.

[0075] Figure 4 Block diagram of a base station Figure 4A simplified block diagram of a communication device 106 according to some implementation schemes is shown. Note that... Figure 4 The block diagram of the communication device is merely one example of possible communication devices. According to the implementation, the communication device 106 may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop computer, notebook computer, or portable computing device), a tablet computer, an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), a UAV controller (UAC), and / or a combination of devices, as well as other devices. As shown, the communication device 106 may include a set of components 400 configured to perform core functions. For example, this set of components may be implemented as a system-on-a-chip (SOC), which may include portions for various purposes. Alternatively, the set of components 400 may be implemented as individual components or groups of components for various purposes. The set of components 400 may be (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) coupled to various other circuitry of the communication device 106.

[0076] For example, communication device 106 may include various types of memory (e.g., including NAND flash memory 410), input / output interfaces such as connector I / F 420 (e.g., for connection to a computer system; docking station; charging station; input devices such as microphone, camera, keyboard; output devices such as speaker; etc.), a display 460 that may be integrated with or external to the communication device 106, and cellular communication circuitry 430 such as for 5G NR, LTE, GSM, etc., and short- to medium-range wireless communication circuitry 429 (e.g., Bluetooth). ™ (and WLAN circuitry). In some embodiments, communication device 106 may include wired communication circuitry (not shown), such as, for example, a network interface card for Ethernet.

[0077] Cellular communication circuitry 430 may be coupled (e.g., communicatively grounded; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 435 and 436 as shown. Short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuitry 429 may also be coupled (e.g., communicatively grounded; directly or indirectly) to one or more antennas, such as antennas 437 and 438 as shown. Alternatively, short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuitry 429 may be coupled (e.g., communicatively grounded; directly or indirectly) to antennas 435 and 436 in addition to or instead of being coupled to antennas 437 and 438. Short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuitry 429 and / or cellular communication circuitry 430 may include multiple receive chains and / or multiple transmit chains for receiving and / or transmitting multiple spatial streams, such as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) configuration.

[0078] In some embodiments, as further described below, the cellular communication circuit 430 may include dedicated receive chains for multiple RATs (including and / or coupled to (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) dedicated processors and / or radio components) (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR). Furthermore, in some embodiments, the cellular communication circuit 430 may include a single transmit chain that can be switched between radio components dedicated to a specific RAT. For example, a first radio component may be dedicated to a first RAT, such as LTE, and may communicate with a dedicated receive chain and a transmit chain shared with additional radio components, such as a second radio component that may be dedicated to a second RAT (e.g., 5G NR) and may communicate with a dedicated receive chain and a shared transmit chain.

[0079] The communication device 106 may also include one or more user interface elements and / or be configured to be used with one or more user interface elements. The user interface elements may include any of a variety of elements, such as a display 460 (which may be a touch screen display), a keyboard (which may be a discrete keyboard or may be implemented as part of a touch screen display), a mouse, a microphone and / or a speaker, one or more cameras, one or more buttons, and / or any of a variety of other elements capable of providing information to the user and / or receiving or interpreting user input.

[0080] The communication device 106 may also include one or more smart cards 445 with SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) functionality, such as one or more UICC (Universal Integrated Circuit Card) cards 445. It should be noted that the term "SIM" or "SIM entity" is intended to include any of various types of SIM implementations or SIM functions, such as one or more UICC cards 445, one or more eUICCs, one or more eSIMs, removable or embedded, etc. In some embodiments, the UE 106 may include at least two SIMs. Each SIM may execute one or more SIM applications and / or otherwise implement SIM functionality. Thus, each SIM may be a single smart card that can be embedded, for example, soldered to a circuit board in the UE 106, or each SIM 410 may be implemented as a removable smart card. Therefore, a SIM may be one or more removable smart cards (such as UICC cards, sometimes referred to as "SIM cards"), and / or SIM 410 may be one or more embedded cards (such as embedded UICCs (eUICCs), sometimes referred to as "eSIMs" or "eSIM cards"). In some implementations (such as when the SIM includes an eUICC), one or more SIMs within the SIM can implement embedded SIM (eSIM) functionality; in such implementations, a single SIM within the SIM can execute multiple SIM applications. Each SIM may include components such as a processor and / or memory; instructions for performing SIM / eSIM functionality may be stored in memory and executed by the processor. In some implementations, UE 106 may include, as needed, a combination of removable smart cards and fixed / non-removable smart cards (such as one or more eUICC cards implementing eSIM functionality). For example, UE 106 may include two embedded SIMs, two removable SIMs, or a combination of one embedded SIM and one removable SIM. Various other SIM configurations are also envisioned.

[0081] As described above, in some implementations, UE 106 may include two or more SIMs. Including two or more SIMs in UE 106 allows UE 106 to support two different phone numbers and allows UE 106 to communicate on two or more corresponding networks. For example, the first SIM may support a first RAT (such as LTE), and the second SIM 106 may support a second RAT (such as 5G NR). Other specific implementations and RATs are also possible. In some implementations, when UE 106 includes two SIMs, UE 106 may support Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDA) functionality. DSDA functionality allows UE 106 to connect to two networks simultaneously (and use two different RATs), or allows two connections supported by two different SIMs using the same or different RATs to be maintained simultaneously on the same or different networks. DSDA functionality also allows UE 106 to receive voice calls or data traffic simultaneously on either phone number. In some implementations, voice calls may be packet-switched communications. In other words, voice calls can be received using LTE-based Voice (VoLTE) technology and / or NR-based Voice (VoNR) technology. In some implementations, UE 106 may support Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDS) functionality. DSDS functionality allows either of the two SIMs in UE 106 to remain in standby while awaiting a voice call and / or data connection. In DSDS, when a call / data connection is established on one SIM, the other SIM is no longer active. In some implementations, DSDx functionality (DSDA or DSDS functionality) can be implemented using a single SIM (e.g., eUICC) that performs multiple SIM applications for different carriers and / or RATs.

[0082] As shown, the SOC 400 may include a processor 402 and display circuitry 404. The processor executes program instructions for the communication device 106, and the display circuitry performs graphics processing and provides display signals to the display 460. The processor 402 may also be coupled to a memory management unit (MMU) 440 (which may be configured to receive addresses from the processor 402 and translate those addresses into locations in memory (e.g., memory 406, read-only memory (ROM) 450, NAND flash memory 410)) and / or coupled to other circuitry or devices (such as display circuitry 404, short-to-medium range wireless communication circuitry 429, cellular communication circuitry 430, connector I / F 420, and / or display 460). The MMU 440 may be configured to perform memory protection and page table translation or setup. In some embodiments, the MMU 440 may be included as part of the processor 402.

[0083] As described herein, communication device 106 may include hardware and software components for implementing the features described above to communicate a scheduling profile for power saving to the network. For example, processor 402 of communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium). Alternatively (or in addition), processor 402 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or in addition), in conjunction with one or more of other components 400, 404, 406, 410, 420, 429, 430, 440, 445, 450, 460, processor 402 of communication device 106 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein.

[0084] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 402 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, processor 402 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 402. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 402.

[0085] Additionally, as described herein, the cellular communication circuit 430 and the short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuit 429 may each include one or more processing elements. In other words, one or more processing elements may be included in the cellular communication circuit 430, and similarly, one or more processing elements may be included in the short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuit 429. Therefore, the cellular communication circuit 430 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 430. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the cellular communication circuit 430. Similarly, the short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuit 429 may include one or more ICs configured to perform the functions of the short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuit 429. Furthermore, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of the short-to-medium-range wireless communication circuit 429.

[0086] Figure 5 Block diagram of cellular communication circuit Figure 5 Exemplary simplified block diagrams of cellular communication circuits according to some implementation schemes are shown. It should be noted that... Figure 5The block diagram of the cellular communication circuit is merely one example of a possible cellular communication circuit. According to the implementation, the cellular communication circuit 530 (which may be the cellular communication circuit 430) may be included in a communication device such as the communication device 106 described above. As noted above, among other devices, the communication device 106 may be a user equipment (UE) device, a mobile device or mobile station, a wireless device or wireless station, a desktop computer or computing device, a mobile computing device (e.g., a laptop computer, notebook computer, or portable computing device), a tablet computer, and / or a combination of these devices.

[0087] The cellular communication circuit 530 may (e.g., communicatively; directly or indirectly) be coupled to one or more antennas, such as ( Figure 4 Antennas 435a-b and 436 are shown in the diagram. In some embodiments, cellular communication circuitry 530 may include dedicated receive chains for various RATs (including and / or coupled to (e.g., communicatively ground; directly or indirectly) dedicated processors and / or radio components) (e.g., a first receive chain for LTE and a second receive chain for 5G NR). For example, as... Figure 5 As shown, the cellular communication circuit 530 may include a modem 510 and a modem 520. The modem 510 may be configured for communication according to a first RAT (e.g., such as LTE or LTE-A), and the modem 520 may be configured for communication according to a second RAT (e.g., such as 5G NR).

[0088] As shown, modem 510 may include one or more processors 512 and memory 516 communicating with processors 512. Modem 510 may communicate with radio frequency (RF) front end 535. RF front end 535 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, RF front end 535 may include receiver circuitry (RX) 532 and transmitter circuitry (TX) 534. In some embodiments, receiver circuitry 532 may communicate with downlink (DL) front end 550, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via antenna 335a.

[0089] Similarly, modem 520 may include one or more processors 522 and memory 526 communicating with processor 522. Modem 520 may communicate with RF front end 540. RF front end 540 may include circuitry for transmitting and receiving radio signals. For example, RF front end 540 may include receiving circuitry 542 and transmitting circuitry 544. In some embodiments, receiving circuitry 542 may communicate with DL front end 560, which may include circuitry for receiving radio signals via antenna 335b.

[0090] In some implementations, switch 570 may couple transmitting circuitry 534 to uplink (UL) front-end 572. Additionally, switch 570 may couple transmitting circuitry 544 to UL front-end 572. UL front-end 572 may include circuitry for transmitting radio signals via antenna 336. Therefore, when cellular communication circuitry 530 receives an instruction to transmit according to a first RAT (e.g., supported by modem 510), switch 570 may be switched to a first state allowing modem 510 to transmit signals according to the first RAT (e.g., via a transmission chain including transmitting circuitry 534 and UL front-end 572). Similarly, when cellular communication circuitry 530 receives an instruction to transmit according to a second RAT (e.g., supported by modem 520), switch 570 may be switched to a second state allowing modem 520 to transmit signals according to the second RAT (e.g., via a transmission chain including transmitting circuitry 544 and UL front-end 572).

[0091] As described herein, modem 510 may include hardware and software components for implementing the features described above or for UL data used in time-division multiplexing NSA NR operation, as well as various other techniques described herein. For example, processor 512 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium). Alternatively (or in addition), processor 512 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or in addition), processor 512 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein by combining one or more of other components 530, 532, 534, 535, 550, 570, 572, 335a, 335b, and 336.

[0092] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 512 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, processor 512 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 512. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 512.

[0093] For example, by executing program instructions stored on a memory medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable memory medium), processor 522 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein. Alternatively (or in addition), processor 522 may be configured as a programmable hardware element such as a FPGA (Field-Programmable Gate Array) or as an ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit). Alternatively (or in addition), in conjunction with one or more of other components 540, 542, 544, 550, 570, 572, 335a, 335b, and 336, processor 522 may be configured to implement some or all of the features described herein.

[0094] Furthermore, as described herein, processor 522 may include one or more processing elements. Therefore, processor 522 may include one or more integrated circuits (ICs) configured to perform the functions of processor 522. Additionally, each integrated circuit may include circuitry (e.g., a first circuit, a second circuit, etc.) configured to perform the functions of processor 522.

[0095] In some implementations, processors 512, 522 may be configured for PUSCH coverage enhancement using DCI format 0_3 in cellular communication networks, as further described herein.

[0096] Figure 6 Block diagram of the baseband processor architecture for UE Figure 6 Example components of device 600 according to some implementation schemes are illustrated. It should be noted that... Figure 6 The device described is merely one example of a possible system, and the features of this disclosure can be implemented in any type of UE as needed.

[0097] In some embodiments, device 600 may include application circuitry 602, baseband circuitry 604, radio frequency (RF) circuitry 606, front-end module (FEM) circuitry 608, one or more antennas 610, and power management circuitry (PMC) 612 (at least coupled together as shown). Components of the illustrated device 600 may be included in UE 106 or RAN node 102A. In some embodiments, device 600 may include fewer components (e.g., the RAN node may not utilize application circuitry 602, but instead include a processor / controller to process IP data received from the EPC). In some embodiments, device 600 may include additional components such as, for example, memory / storage devices, displays, cameras, sensors, or input / output (I / O) interfaces. In other embodiments, the components described below may be included in more than one device (e.g., the circuitry may be individually included in more than one device for a cloud-RAN (C-RAN) specific implementation).

[0098] Application circuitry 602 may include one or more application processors. For example, application circuitry 602 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The one or more processors may include any combination of general-purpose processors and special-purpose processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). These processors may be coupled to or may include memory / storage devices and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory / storage device to enable various applications or operating systems to run on device 600. In some embodiments, the processor of application circuitry 602 may process IP data packets received from the EPC.

[0099] Baseband circuitry 604 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. Baseband circuitry 604 may include one or more baseband processors or control logic components to process baseband signals received from the receive signal path of RF circuitry 606 and generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path of RF circuitry 606. Baseband processing circuitry 604 may interact with application circuitry 602 to generate and process baseband signals and control the operation of RF circuitry 606. For example, in some embodiments, baseband circuitry 604 may include a third-generation (3G) baseband processor 604A, a fourth-generation (4G) baseband processor 604B, a fifth-generation (5G) baseband processor 604C, or other existing, under development, or future generations of baseband processors 604D (e.g., second-generation (2G), sixth-generation (6G), etc.). Baseband circuitry 604 (e.g., one or more of baseband processors 604A-D) may process various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via RF circuitry 606. In other embodiments, some or all of the functions of the baseband processors 604A-D may be included in modules stored in memory 604G and executed via a central processing unit (CPU) 604E. Radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation / demodulation, encoding / decoding, and radio frequency shifting. In some embodiments, the modulation / demodulation circuitry of the baseband circuitry 604 may include Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), pre-decoding, or constellation mapping / demapping functionality. In some embodiments, the encoding / decoding circuitry of the baseband circuitry 604 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or low-density parity-check (LDPC) encoder / decoder functionality. Implementations of the modulation / demodulation and encoder / decoder functions are not limited to these examples, and other suitable functions may be included in other embodiments.

[0100] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 604 may include one or more audio digital signal processors (“DSPs”) 604F. The audio DSP 604F may include elements for compression / decompression and echo cancellation, and in other embodiments may include other suitable processing elements. In some embodiments, components of the baseband circuitry may be suitably combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on the same circuit board. In some embodiments, some or all of the components of the baseband circuitry 604 and the application circuitry 602 may be implemented together, for example, on a system-on-a-chip (SOC).

[0101] In some implementations, baseband circuit 604 can provide communication compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some implementations, baseband circuit 604 can support communication with the Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN) or other Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (WMAN), Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), or Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPAN). Implementations in which baseband circuit 604 is configured to support radio communication with more than one radio protocol may be referred to as multimode baseband circuits.

[0102] RF circuit 606 enables communication with a wireless network via a non-solid medium using modulated electromagnetic radiation. In various embodiments, RF circuit 606 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc., to facilitate communication with the wireless network. RF circuit 606 may include a receive signal path that includes circuitry for down-converting the RF signal received from FEM circuit 608 and providing a baseband signal to baseband circuit 604. RF circuit 606 may also include a transmit signal path that includes circuitry for up-converting the baseband signal provided by baseband circuit 604 and providing an RF output signal for transmission to FEM circuit 608.

[0103] In some embodiments, the receive signal path of RF circuit 606 may include mixer circuit 606a, amplifier circuit 606b, and filter circuit 606c. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of RF circuit 606 may include filter circuit 606c and mixer circuit 606a. RF circuit 606 may also include synthesizer circuit 606d for synthesizing frequencies used by mixer circuit 606a in both the receive and transmit signal paths. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 606a in the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert the RF signal received from FEM circuit 608 based on the synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuit 606d. Amplifier circuit 606b may be configured to amplify the down-converted signal, and filter circuit 606c may be a low-pass filter (LPF) or band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signal to generate an output baseband signal. The output baseband signal may be provided to baseband circuit 604 for further processing. In some implementations, these output baseband signals may be zero-frequency baseband signals, but this is not necessary. In some implementations, the mixer circuit 606a in the receiving signal path may include a passive mixer, but the scope of the implementations is not limited in this respect.

[0104] In some implementations, the mixer circuit 606a of the transmit signal path may be configured to up-convert the input baseband signal based on the synthesis frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 606d to generate an RF output signal for the FEM circuit 608. The baseband signal may be provided by the baseband circuit 604 and may be filtered by the filter circuit 606c.

[0105] In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 606a for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 606a for the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature downconversion and quadrature upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 606a for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 606a for the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 606a for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 606a for the transmit signal path may be arranged for direct downconversion and direct upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 606a for the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 606a for the transmit signal path may be configured for superheterodyne operation.

[0106] In some embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be analog baseband signals, but the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, RF circuit 606 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry, and baseband circuit 604 may include a digital baseband interface for communicating with RF circuit 606.

[0107] In some dual-mode implementations, separate radio IC circuits may be provided to process signals for each spectrum, but the scope of the implementation is not limited in this respect.

[0108] In some implementations, synthesizer circuit 606d may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional-N / N+1 synthesizer, but the scope of implementations is not limited in this respect, as other types of frequency synthesizers may also be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 606d may be a Δ-∑ synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

[0109] Synthesizer circuit 606d can be configured to synthesize an output frequency based on a frequency input and a divider control input for use by mixer circuit 606a of RF circuit 606. In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 606d may be a fractional N / N+1 synthesizer.

[0110] In some implementations, the frequency input may be provided by a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO), but this is not necessary. The divider control input may be provided by the baseband circuitry 604 or the application processor 602 according to the desired output frequency. In some implementations, the divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a lookup table based on the channel indicated by the application processor 602.

[0111] The synthesizer circuit 606d of the RF circuit 606 may include a frequency divider, a delay-locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer, and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the frequency divider may be a dual-mode divider (DMD), and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by N or N+1 (e.g., based on carry) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, the DLL may include a cascaded, tunable delay element, a phase detector, a charge pump, and a set of D-type flip-flops. In these embodiments, the delay elements may be configured to divide the VCO cycle into Nd equal phase groups, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. Thus, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

[0112] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 606d may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and used in conjunction with quadrature generator and frequency divider circuitry to generate multiple signals having multiple different phases relative to each other at the carrier frequency. In some embodiments, the output frequency may be the LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, RF circuitry 606 may include an IQ / polarity converter.

[0113] FEM circuit 608 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 610, amplify the received signals, and provide an amplified version of the received signals to RF circuit 606 for further processing. FEM circuit 608 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry configured to amplify transmit signals provided by RF circuit 606 for transmission by one or more of the one or more antennas 610. In various embodiments, amplification via the transmit or receive signal path may be performed only in RF circuit 606, only in FEM 608, or in both RF circuit 606 and FEM 608.

[0114] In some embodiments, FEM circuit 608 may include a TX / RX switch for switching between transmit and receive mode operation. The FEM circuit may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuit may include an LNA for amplifying the received RF signal and providing the amplified received RF signal as an output (e.g., provided to RF circuit 606). The transmit signal path of FEM circuit 608 may include a power amplifier (PA) for amplifying (e.g., provided by RF circuit 606) the input RF signal; and one or more filters for generating an RF signal for subsequent transmission (e.g., through one or more antennas in one or more antennas 610).

[0115] In some implementations, the PMC 612 manages the power supplied to the baseband circuitry 604. Specifically, the PMC 612 controls power selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-DC conversion. The PMC 612 is typically included when the device 600 can be battery powered, for example, when the device is included in a UE. The PMC 612 can improve power conversion efficiency while providing the desired implementation size and thermal characteristics.

[0116] Although Figure 6A PMC 612 is shown coupled only to the baseband circuit 604, but in other embodiments, the PMC 612 may be coupled additionally or alternatively to other components such as, but not limited to, the application circuit 602, the RF circuit 606, or the FEM 608, and perform similar power management operations for these other components.

[0117] In some implementations, the PMC 612 may control or otherwise become part of various power-saving mechanisms of the device 600. For example, if the device 600 is in the Radio Resource Control_Connected (RRC_Connected) state, where the device is still connected to the RAN node because it expects to receive traffic immediately, it may enter a state called Discontinuous Receive Mode (DRX) after a period of inactivity. During this state, the device 600 may power down for short intervals, thereby saving power.

[0118] If there is no data traffic activity during the extended period, device 600 can transition to the RRC_Idle state, in which the device disconnects from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback or handover. Device 600 enters a very low power state and performs paging, in which the device periodically wakes up again to listen to the network, and then powers off again. Device 600 may be unable to receive data in this state, and to receive data, it will transition back to the RRC_Connected state.

[0119] An additional power-saving mode renders the device unusable for a period exceeding the paging interval (from seconds to hours). During this time, the device is completely unconnected to the network and may be completely powered off. Any data transmitted during this period will incur significant latency, which is assumed to be acceptable.

[0120] The processor of application circuit 602 and the processor of baseband circuit 604 can be used to execute elements of one or more instances of the protocol stack. For example, the processor of baseband circuit 604 can be used individually or in combination to perform layer 3, layer 2, or layer 1 functions, while the processor of application circuit 604 can utilize data received from these layers (e.g., packet data) and further perform layer 4 functions (e.g., transmit communication protocol (TCP) and user datagram protocol (UDP) layers). As mentioned herein, layer 3 (L3) may include the Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 2 (L2) may include the Media Access Control (MAC) layer, the Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and the Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, which will be described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 1 (L1) may include the physical (PHY) layer of the UE / RAN node, which will be described in further detail below. Therefore, baseband circuit 604 can be used to encode messages for transmission between the UE and gNB, or to decode messages received between the UE and gNB.

[0121] For example, baseband circuit 604 can be used to: encode configuration information at gNB indicating multiple cells for uplink transmission to be sent to the UE using a set downlink control information format, so that the UE can identify one or more cells among the multiple cells that are configured to support demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundles for physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission based on the configuration information; and decode PUSCH transmissions with bundled DMRS signals on one or more cells among the multiple cells based on the configuration information at gNB.

[0122] In another embodiment, baseband circuitry 604 can be used at the UE to decode configuration information indicating the scheduling of multiple cells for uplink transmission using a defined downlink control information format. This configuration information enables the UE to identify one or more cells among the multiple cells that are configured to support demodulation reference signals (DMRS) bundled for Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission. These examples are not intended to be limiting. The baseband circuitry can be used as previously described.

[0123] Figure 7 Block diagram of the baseband circuit interface Figure 7 Example interfaces of baseband circuits according to some implementation schemes are illustrated. Note that... Figure 7 The baseband circuit is merely one example of a possible circuit, and the features of this disclosure can be implemented in any of various systems as needed.

[0124] As discussed above, Figure 6The baseband circuit 604 may include processors 604A-604E and a memory 604G utilized by the processors. Each of the processors 604A-604E may respectively include a memory interface 704A-704E for transferring / receiving data to / from the memory 604G.

[0125] The baseband circuit 604 may further include: one or more interfaces for communicatively coupling to other circuits / devices, such as a memory interface 712 (e.g., an interface for transferring data to / receiving data from a memory external to the baseband circuit 604); and an application circuit interface 714 (e.g., for...). Figure 6 The application circuit 602 is an interface for transmitting data / receiving data from the application circuit; the RF circuit interface 716 (e.g., for transmitting data to / from the application circuit) Figure 6 RF circuit 606 is an interface for transmitting / receiving data from / from the RF circuit; wireless hardware connectivity interface 718 (e.g., for connecting to / from near field communication (NFC) components, Bluetooth). ® Components (e.g., Bluetooth) ® Low power consumption, Wi-Fi ® Interfaces for transmitting / receiving data from components and other communication components); and power management interface 720 (e.g., an interface for transmitting or receiving power or control signals to / from the PMC 612).

[0126] Figure 8 Control plane protocol stack Figure 8 This is an example of a control plane protocol stack according to some implementation schemes. In this implementation scheme, control plane 800 is shown as a communication protocol stack between UE 106a (or alternatively, UE 106b), RAN node 102A (or alternatively, RAN node 102B) and Mobility Management Entity (MME) 621.

[0127] PHY layer 801 can transmit or receive information used by MAC layer 802 through one or more air interfaces. PHY layer 801 can further perform link adaptive or adaptive modulation and decoding (AMC), power control, cell search (e.g., for initial synchronization and handover purposes), and other measurements used by higher layers (such as RRC layer 805). PHY layer 801 can also further perform: error detection of the transport channel, forward error correction (FEC) decoding / decoding of the transport channel, modulation / demodulation of the physical channel, interleaving, rate matching, mapping to the physical channel, and multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna processing.

[0128] MAC layer 802 can perform the following: mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing MAC service data units (SDUs) from one or more logical channels onto a transport block (TB) to be delivered to the PHY via the transport channel, demultiplexing MAC SDUs from a transport block (TB) delivered from the PHY via the transport channel onto one or more logical channels, multiplexing MAC SDUs onto a TB, scheduling information reporting, error correction via Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request (HARQ), and logical channel prioritization.

[0129] RLC layer 803 can operate in multiple modes, including Transparent Mode (TM), Unacknowledged Mode (UM), and Acknowledged Mode (AM). RLC layer 803 can perform the transmission of higher-layer protocol data units (PDUs), error correction via Automatic Repeat Request (ARQ) for AM data transmission, and concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs for UM and AM data transmission. RLC layer 803 can also re-segment RLC data PDUs used for AM data transmission, reorder RLC data PDUs used for UM and AM data transmission, detect duplicate data used for UM and AM data transmission, discard RLC SDUs used for UM and AM data transmission, detect protocol errors used for AM data transmission, and perform RLC re-establishment.

[0130] PDCP layer 804 can perform header compression and decompression of IP data, maintain PDCP sequence numbers (SNs), perform sequential delivery of upper-layer PDUs during lower-layer re-establishment, eliminate duplication of lower-layer SDUs during lower-layer re-establishment for radio bearers mapped on RLC AM, encrypt and decrypt control plane data, perform integrity protection and integrity verification of control plane data, control timer-based data discarding, and perform security operations (e.g., encryption, decryption, integrity protection, integrity verification, etc.).

[0131] The main services and functions of RRC layer 805 may include broadcasting system information (e.g., included in the Master Information Block (MIB) or System Information Block (SIB) related to the Non-Access Stratum (NAS), broadcasting system information related to the Access Stratum (AS), paging, establishment, maintenance, and release of RRC connections between the UE and E-UTRAN (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), establishment, configuration, maintenance, and release of point-to-point radio bearers, security functions including key management, mobility between Radio Access Technologies (RATs), and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting. The MIB and SIB may include one or more Information Elements (IEs), each of which may include a separate data field or data structure.

[0132] UE 106 and RAN node 102A can use the Uu interface (e.g., the LTE-Uu interface) to exchange control plane data via a protocol stack including PHY layer 801, MAC layer 802, RLC layer 803, PDCP layer 804 and RRC layer 805.

[0133] The Non-Access Stratum (NAS) protocol 806 forms the highest layer of the control plane between UE 106 and MME 621. NAS protocol 806 supports the mobility and session management procedures of UE 106 to establish and maintain IP connectivity between UE 106 and P-GW 623.

[0134] The S1 Application Protocol (S1-AP) layer 815 supports the functions of the S1 interface and includes the Basic Procedure (EP). The EP is the interaction unit between RAN node 102A and CN 1020. S1-AP layer services can include two sets: UE-associated services and non-UE-associated services. These services perform functions including, but not limited to: E-UTRAN Radio Access Bearer (E-RAB) management, UE capability indication, mobility, NAS signaling transmission, RAN Information Management (RIM), and configuration transmission.

[0135] The Flow Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) layer (optionally referred to as the SCTP / IP layer) 814 may be based in part on the IP protocol supported by the IP layer 813 to ensure reliable delivery of signaling messages between the RAN node 102A and the MME 621. The L2 layer 812 and the L1 layer 811 may refer to the communication links (e.g., wired or wireless) used by the RAN node and the MME to exchange information.

[0136] RAN node 102A and MME 621 can use the S1-MME interface to exchange control plane data through a protocol stack including L1 layer 811, L2 layer 812, IP layer 813, SCTP layer 814 and S1-AP layer 815.

[0137] Figure 9 User plane protocol stack Figure 9 This is an example of a user plane protocol stack according to some implementation schemes. In this implementation, user plane 900 is shown as a communication protocol stack between UE 106A (or alternatively, UE 106B or 106N), RAN node 102A (or alternatively, RAN node 102B), S-GW 622, and P-GW 623. User plane 900 may utilize at least some of the same protocol layers as control plane 800. For example, UE 106A and RAN node 102A may use a Uu interface (e.g., an LTE-Uu interface) to exchange user plane data via a protocol stack including PHY layer 801, MAC layer 802, RLC layer 803, and PDCP layer 804.

[0138] The General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) tunneling protocol for the user plane (GTP-U) layer 904 can be used to carry user data within the GPRS core network and between the radio access network and the core network. For example, the transmitted user data can be packets in any of the IPv4, IPv6, or PPP formats. The UDP and IP Security (UDP / IP) layer 903 provides checksums for data integrity, port numbers for addressing different functions at the source and destination, and encryption and authentication for selected data streams. RAN node 102A and S-GW 622 can exchange user plane data using the S1-U interface via a protocol stack including L1 layer 811, L2 layer 812, UDP / IP layer 903, and GTP-U layer 904. S-GW 622 and P-GW 623 can exchange user plane data using the S5 / S8a interface via a protocol stack including L1 layer 811, L2 layer 812, UDP / IP layer 903, and GTP-U layer 904. (As described above...) Figure 8 The NAS protocol discussed here supports the mobility and session management process of UE 106 to establish and maintain IP 913 connectivity between UE 106 and P-GW 623.

[0139] Figure 10 Core network Figure 10 Example architectures of system 1000, including core network (CN) 1020, are illustrated according to various implementation schemes. CN 1020 may be the core network of a 5G system (which may be referred to as 5GC). System 1000 is shown to include UE 1001, which may be the same as or similar to UE 106A, 106B, or 106N previously discussed; (R)AN 1010, which may be the same as or similar to BS 102A or 102N previously discussed; and data network (DN) 1003, which may be, for example, operator services, Internet access, or third-party services; and CN 1020. CN 1020 may include multiple network functions, including Authentication Server Function (AUSF) 1022; Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 1021; Session Management Function (SMF) 1024; Network Exposure Function (NEF) 1023; Policy Control Function (PCF) 1026; Network Repository Function (NRF) 1025; Unified Data Management (UDM) 1027; Application Function (AF) 1028; User Plane Function (UPF) 1002; and Network Slice Selection Function (NSSF) 1029. In some cases, these network functions may be implemented as virtualization software-based functions / services.

[0140] UPF 1002 can act as an anchor point for mobility within and between RATs, an external Packet Data Unit (PDU) session point interconnected with DN 1003, and a branch point supporting multihomed PDU sessions. A PDU session is a logical connection between the UE and the DN. UPF 1002 can also perform packet routing and forwarding, packet inspection, user plane portion of policy rules, lawful packet interception (user plane (UP) collection), traffic usage reporting, quality of service (QoS) processing on the user plane (e.g., packet filtering, gating, UL / DL rate enforcement), uplink traffic verification (e.g., Service Data Flow (SDF) to QoS flow mapping), transport level packet marking in uplink and downlink, and downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggering. UPF 1002 may include an uplink classifier to support traffic flow routing to the data network. DN 1003 may represent various network operator services, Internet access, or third-party services. DN 1003 may include or be similar to the previously discussed application server 104. UPF 1002 can interact with SMF1024 via the N4 reference point between SMF 1024 and UPF 1002.

[0141] AUSF 1022 stores data for UE 1001 authentication and handles authentication-related functionality. AUSF 1022 facilitates a common authentication framework for various access types. AUSF 1022 can communicate with AMF 1021 via the N12 reference point between AMF 1021 and AUSF 1022; and with UDM 1027 via the N13 reference point between UDM 1027 and AUSF 1022. Additionally, AUSF 1022 can present an interface based on Nausf services.

[0142] AMF 1021 is responsible for registration management (e.g., registering UE 1001, etc.), connection management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception of AMF-related events, and access authentication and authorization. AMF 1021 can be the termination point of the N11 reference point between AMF 1021 and SMF 1024. AMF 1021 provides transport for SM messages between UE 1001 and SMF 1024 and acts as a transparent proxy for routing SM messages. AMF 1021 can also be used between UE 1001 and SMSF (… Figure 10AMF 1021 provides transmission of Short Message Service (SMS) messages between (not shown). AMF 1021 can act as a Security Anchor Function (SEAF), which may include interaction with AUSF 1022 and UE 1001, and reception of an intermediate key established due to the UE 1001 authentication process. In the case of authentication using the Universal User Identity Module (UMTS), AMF 1021 may retrieve secure material from AUSF 1022. AMF 1021 may also include a Security Context Management (SCM) function, which receives a key from the SEAF for deriving a network-specific access key. Furthermore, AMF 1021 may be the termination point of the RAN Control Plane (CP) interface, which may include or may be the N2 reference point between (R)AN 1010 and AMF 1021; and AMF 1021 may be the termination point of NAS (N1) signaling, and perform NAS encryption and integrity protection.

[0143] AMF 1021 can also support NAS signaling with UE 1001 via a Non-3GPP Interoperability Function (N3IWF) interface. N3IWF can be used to provide access to untrusted entities. N3IWF can be the termination point for the N2 interface between (R)AN 1010 and AMF 1021 for the control plane, and can be the termination point for the N3 reference point between (R)AN 1010 and UPF 1002 for the user plane. Therefore, AMF 1021 can process N2 signaling for PDU sessions from SMF 1024 and AMF 1021, encapsulate / decapsulate packets for IPSec and N3 tunneling, mark N3 user plane packets in the uplink, and perform QoS corresponding to the N3 packet marking, while taking into account the QoS requirements associated with such markings received via N2. The N3IWF can also relay uplink and downlink control plane non-access stratum (NAS) signaling between UE 1001 and AMF 1021 via the N1 reference point between UE 1001 and AMF 1021, and relay uplink and downlink user plane packets between UE 1001 and UPF 1002. The N3IWF also provides a mechanism for establishing an Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) tunnel using UE 1001. AMF 1021 can present an interface based on Namf services and can be the N14 reference point between two AMF 1021s, as well as the AMF 1021 and the 5G Equipment Identity Register (5G-EIR). Figure 10 The endpoint of the N17 reference point (not shown).

[0144] UE 1001 may need to register with AMF 1021 to receive network services. Registration Management (RM) is used to register UE 1001 with or deregister it from the network (e.g., AMF 1021) and to establish a UE context in the network (e.g., AMF 1021). UE 1001 can operate in RM-REGISTERED or RM-DEREGISTERED states. In RM-DEREGISTERED state, UE 1001 does not register with the network, and the UE context in AMF 1021 does not maintain valid location or routing information for UE 1001; therefore, AMF 1021 cannot reach UE 1001. In RM-REGISTERED state, UE 1001 registers with the network, and the UE context in AMF 1021 can maintain valid location or routing information for UE 1001; therefore, AMF 1021 can reach UE 1001. In RM-REGISTERED state, UE 1001 can perform mobility registration update procedures, periodic registration update procedures triggered by the expiration of periodic update timers (e.g., notifying the network that UE 1001 is still active), and registration update procedures to update UE capability information or renegotiate protocol parameters with the network, etc.

[0145] The AMF 1021 can store one or more RM contexts for UE 1001, where each RM context is associated with a specific access to the network. The RM context can be a data structure, database object, etc., indicating or storing registration status and periodic update timers, particularly for each access type. The AMF 1021 can also store 5GC Mobility Management (MM) contexts that are the same as or similar to the Evolved Packet Services (EPS) Mobility Management (E) MM contexts discussed earlier. In various implementations, the AMF 1021 can store UE 1001's CE Mode B restriction parameters in the associated MM context or Registration Management (RM) context. The AMF 1021 can also derive values ​​from UE usage setting parameters already stored in the UE context (and / or MM / RM context) when needed.

[0146] Connection Management (CM) can be used to establish and release signaling connections between UE 1001 and AMF 1021 via the N1 interface. Signaling connections are used to enable NAS signaling exchange between UE 1001 and CN 1020, and include signaling connections between the UE and AN (e.g., RRC connections for non-3GPP access or UE-N3IWF connections) and N2 connections between the AN (e.g., AN 1010) and AMF 1021 for UE 1001. UE 1001 can operate in one of two CM states (CM-IDLE mode or CM-CONNECTED mode). When UE 1001 operates in CM-IDLE state / mode, UE 1001 may not have a NAS signaling connection established with AMF 1021 via the N1 interface, and (R)AN 1010 signaling connections (e.g., N2 and / or N3 connections) may exist for UE 1001. When UE 1001 operates in CM-CONNECTED state / mode, UE 1001 may have a NAS signaling connection established with AMF 1021 via the N1 interface, and may have a (R)AN 1010 signaling connection (e.g., N2 and / or N3 connection) for UE 1001. Establishing an N2 connection between (R)AN 1010 and AMF 1021 allows UE 1001 to transition from CM-IDLE mode to CM-CONNECTED mode, and UE 1001 can transition from CM-CONNECTED mode to CM-IDLE mode when the N2 signaling between (R)AN 1010 and AMF 1021 is released.

[0147] SMF 1024 is responsible for Session Management (SM), session establishment, modification, and publication (including tunnel maintenance between UPF and AN nodes); UE IP address allocation and management (including optional authorization); selection and control of UP functions; configuration of UPF traffic redirection to route traffic to the correct destination; termination of the interface toward policy control functions; policy enforcement and QoS control portions; lawful interception (for SM events and interfaces with the LI system); termination of the SM portion of NAS messages; downlink data notification; initiation of AN-specific SM information sent to the AN via N2 through the AMF; and determination of the SSC mode of the session. SM may refer to the management of PDU sessions, and a PDU session or "session" may refer to the PDU connectivity service that provides or enables PDU exchange between UE 1001, identified by the Data Network Name (DNN), and Data Network (DN) 1003. A PDU session can be established upon request from UE 1001, modified upon request from both UE 1001 and CN 1020, and released upon request from both UE 1001 and CN 1020 using NAS SM signaling exchanged via the N1 reference point between UE 1001 and SMF1024. Upon request from the application server, CN 1020 can trigger a specific application within UE 1001. In response to receiving a trigger message, UE 1001 can pass the trigger message (or relevant portions / information of the trigger message) to one or more identified applications within UE 1001. The identified application within UE 1001 can establish a PDU session to a specific data network name (DNN). SMF 1024 can check whether the UE 1001 request matches the user subscription information associated with UE 1001. In this regard, SMF 1024 can retrieve and / or request to receive update notifications regarding SMF1024 level subscription data from UDM 1027.

[0148] The SMF 1024 may include the following roaming functionalities: handling local execution to apply QoS SLAB Virtual Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMN); charging data collection and charging interface (VPLMN); lawful interception (for SM events and interfaces with the LI system, in the VPLMN); and support for interaction with external DNs to transmit signaling for PDU session authorization / authentication via external DNs. In roaming scenarios, an N16 reference point between two SMF 1024s may be included in System 1000, which may be located between another SMF 1024 in the visited network and an SMF 1024 in the home network. Additionally, the SMF 1024 may present an interface based on NSMF services.

[0149] The NEF 1023 provides components for securely exposing services and capabilities provided by 3GPP network functions to third parties, internal exposure / re-exposure, application functions (e.g., AF 1028), edge computing, or fog computing systems. In such implementations, the NEF 1023 can authenticate, authorize, and / or restrict AFS. The NEF 1023 can also translate information exchanged with AF 1028 and information exchanged with internal network functions. For example, the NEF 1023 can translate between AF service identifiers and internal SCC information. The NEF 1023 can also receive information from other network functions (NFs) based on their exposure capabilities. This information can be stored as structured data at the NEF 1023 or stored at a data storage NF using a standardized interface. The stored information can then be re-exposed by the NEF 1023 to other NFs and AFs, and / or used for other purposes such as analysis. Additionally, the NEF 1023 can present an interface based on Nnef services.

[0150] The NRF 1025 supports service discovery, receiving NF discovery requests from NF instances and providing information about discovered NF instances to them. The NRF 1025 also maintains information about available NF instances and the services they support. As used herein, terms such as "instantiation" can refer to the creation of an instance, and "instance" can refer to the concrete occurrence of an object, which may occur, for example, during the execution of program code. Additionally, the NRF 1025 can present an interface based on Nnrf services.

[0151] The PCF 1026 can provide policy rules for control plane functions to enforce those functions and also supports a unified policy framework for managing network behavior. The PCF 1026 can also implement a front-end (FE) to access subscription information related to policy decisions in the UDR of the UDM 1027. The PCF 1026 can communicate with the AMF 1021 via the N15 reference point between the PCF 1026 and the AMF 1021, which can include the PCF 1026 in the visited network and the AMF 1021 in roaming scenarios. PCF 1026 can communicate with AF 1028 via the NS reference point between PCF 1026 and AF 1028; and communicate with SMF 1024 via the N7 reference point between PCF 1026 and SMF 1024. System 1000 and / or CN 1020 may also include an N24 reference point between PCF 1026 (in the home network) and PCF 1026 in the visited network. In addition, PCF 1026 may present an interface based on NPCF services.

[0152] UDM 1027 can handle subscription-related information to support network entities in managing communication sessions and can store UE1001's subscription data. For example, subscription data can be communicated between UDM 1027 and AMF 1021 via the NS reference point between UDM 1027 and AMF. UDM 1027 may include two parts: Application FE and UDR ( Figure 10 (FE and UDR are not shown). The UDR may store subscription data and policy data of UDM1027 and PCF1026, and / or structured data for exposure of NEF1023, as well as application data (including PFD for application detection and application request information for multiple UEs 1001). The interface based on the Nadr service may be presented by the UDR to allow UDM1027, PCF1026, and NEF1023 to access a specific set of stored data, and to read, update (e.g., add, modify), delete, and subscribe to notifications of relevant data changes in the UDR. The UDM may include UDM-FE, which is responsible for handling credentials, location management, subscription management, etc. Several different front-ends may serve the same user in different transactions. The UDM-FE accesses subscription information stored in the UDR and performs authentication credential processing, user identification processing, access authorization, registration / mobility management, and subscription management. The UDR may interact with SMF1024 via the N10 reference point between UDM1027 and SMF1024. The UDM 1027 also supports SMS management, with SMS-FE implementing similar application logic as previously discussed. Additionally, the UDM 1027 can present an interface based on Nudm services.

[0153] AF 1028 can provide application influence on traffic routing, provide access to the NCE, and interact with the policy framework for policy control. The NCE can be a mechanism allowing CN 1020 and AF 1028 to provide information to each other via NEF 1023, which can be used in edge computing implementations. In such implementations, network operators and third-party services can be hosted near the UE 1001 access point to achieve efficient service delivery through reduced end-to-end latency and load on the transport network. For edge computing implementations, 5GC can select UPF 1002 near UE 1001 and perform traffic redirection from UPF 1002 to DN 1003 via the N6 interface. This can be based on UE subscription data, UE location, and information provided by AF 1028. In this way, AF 1028 can influence UPF (re)selection and traffic routing. Based on operator deployment, when AF 1028 is considered a trusted entity, the network operator can allow AF 1028 to interact directly with the relevant NF. In addition, the AF 1028 can present an interface based on Naf services.

[0154] NSSF 1029 can select a set of network slice instances to serve UE 106. If needed, NSSF 1029 can also determine the allowed network slice selection assistance information (NSSAI) and the mapping to the subscribed individual NSSAI (S-NSSAI). NSSF 1029 can also determine the AMF set, or list of candidate AMFs 1021, for serving UE 1001 based on appropriate configuration and possibly by querying NRF 1025. The selection of a set of network slice instances for UE 1001 can be triggered by AMF 1021, where UE 1001 registers through interaction with NSSF 1029, which can result in a change to AMF 1021. NSSF 1029 can interact with AMF 1021 via the N22 reference point between AMF 1021 and NSSF 1029; and via the N31 reference point (…). Figure 10 (Not shown) communicates with another NSSF 1029 in the visited network. Additionally, the NSSF 1029 can present an interface based on the Nnssf service.

[0155] As previously discussed, CN 1020 may include a Short Message Service Function (SMSF), which is responsible for SMS subscription checks and verification, as well as relaying SM messages to and / or from UE 1001 or other entities such as SMS-GMSC / IWMSC / SMS routers. SMS may also interact with AMF 1021 and UDM 1027 to notify UE 1001 of its availability for SMS transmission (e.g., setting a UE unreachable flag and notifying UDM 1027 when UE 1001 is available for SMS).

[0156] CN 1020 may also include Figure 10 Other elements not shown include data storage systems / architecture, 5G-EIR, Secure Edge Protection Agent (SEPP), etc. Data storage systems may include Structured Data Storage Network Function (SDSF), Unstructured Data Storage Function (UDSF), etc. Any network function (NF) can be transmitted via any NF and UDSF ( Figure 10 The N18 reference point (not shown) is used to store unstructured data in or retrieve unstructured data from the UDSF (e.g., UE context). Individual NFs can share a UDSF to store their respective unstructured data, or each NF can have its own UDSF located at or near its location. Additionally, the UDSF can present an interface based on Nudsf services (…). Figure 10(Not shown). 5G-EIR can be an NF that checks the status of a Permanent Equipment Identifier (PEI) to determine whether a specific piece of equipment / entity should be blacklisted from the network; and SEPP can be a non-transparent agent that performs topology hiding, message filtering, and policing on the control plane interface between PLMNs.

[0157] Furthermore, there can be more reference points and / or service-based interfaces between NF services; however, for clarity, Figure 10 These interfaces and reference points are omitted. In one example, CN 1020 may include an Nx interface, which is an inter-CN interface between the Mobility Management Entity (MME) and AMF 1021 to enable interoperability between CN 1020 and CNs in the 4G system. Other example interfaces / reference points may include an interface based on N5G-EIR services presented by 5G-EIR, reference point N27 between the NRF in the visited network and the NRF in the home network; and reference point N31 between the NSSF in the visited network and the NSSF in the home network.

[0158] Figure 11 Wireless communication system In 3GPP Release 18, first released in December 2021, and in updates including but not limited to those up to January 2024, a new DCI format 0_3 has been specified for multi-carrier enhancements. This new DCI format (hereinafter referred to as "DCI format 0_3") enables the scheduling of multiple Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmissions across multiple cells, with up to four cells scheduled from a set of up to four configured cells. However, multi-cell scheduling is limited to one PUSCH transmission per cell. Additionally, it has been agreed that this multi-cell scheduling using DCI format 0_3 can be used to support slot-based PUSCH repetition.

[0159] Several uplink coverage enhancements were introduced in 3GPP Release 17, first released in December 2019, and in updates including but not limited to those up to June 2022, including upgrades to PUSCH repetition type A. For example, enhancements include support for demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling and corresponding determination of time-domain windows as described in Section 6.1.7 of 3GPP Technical Specification (TS) 38.214 v17.7.0, which allows the UE to perform channel estimation using DMRS symbols across multiple time slots. This is combined with DMRS bundling support for PUSCH repetition type A. Furthermore, as outlined in Section 6.1.2.1 of 3GPP TS 38.214 v17.7.0, multi-slot transport block transmission is now supported, allowing the UE to transmit a single transport block across multiple time slots for robustness. This also supports multi-slot DMRS bundling. Additionally, Enhanced PUSCH Repetition Type A, as defined in Section 6.1.2.1 of 3GPPTS 38.214 v17.7.0, determines the actual transmission slots. Some of these scheduled slots may be dropped from the repetition sequence, for example, due to conflicts, resulting in a difference between the configured repetition slots and the actual transmission slots.

[0160] To overcome these challenges, the various implementations presented herein provide a solution for combining 3GPP Release 18 multi-cell scheduling with the newly introduced DCI format 0_3 to support 3GPP Release 17 uplink coverage enhancement features. Key aspects considered in conjunction with the proposed solution include, for example, the configuration of demodulation reference signals (DMRS) bundles across co-schedulable cells; handling simultaneous physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmissions across multiple cells when configuring DMRS bundles; defining the constraints and impacts on the time-domain window of DMRS bundles in multi-cell scheduling scenarios; and enhancing user equipment (UE) capability reporting to indicate support from 3GPP Release 17 for one or more bundle features to be used in 3GPP Release 18 multi-connectivity.

[0161] In one example, the UE can be configured with a set of cells supported by scheduling using DCI format 0_3, where DMRS bundling for PUSCH can be enabled for only one cell within the set. In a second example, more than one cell in the set can be configured with DMRS bundling; however, the actual scheduled cell is limited to one cell with bundling. In a third example, DMRS bundling can be used to schedule more than one cell, and furthermore, more than one cell can be actually scheduled with bundling, provided that the jointly scheduled bundled cells belong to the same frequency band corresponding to in-band carrier aggregation.

[0162] Figure 11An example illustration of a wireless communication system 1100 in which UE 106 communicates with multiple cells is provided. For example, the wireless communication system 1100 includes at least one base station (BS) 102. BS 102 may provide communication services to a specific geographical area or frequency domain and may be referred to as a "site". The site may be divided into multiple areas or cells, including a first cell (e.g., cell 1), a second cell (e.g., cell 2), and a third cell (cell 3). These multiple areas or cells may also be referred to as sectors, and each sector or cell may have a different cell identifier (ID).

[0163] UE 106 can be a stationary device or a mobile device. BS 102 can refer to a station communicating with UE 106. One or more of the first cell (e.g., cell 1), the second cell (e.g., cell 2), and the third cell (cell 3) can indicate a portion of the area covered by BS 102, and can refer to various coverage areas such as megacells, macrocells, microcells, picocells, and femtocells.

[0164] In one implementation, the UE may be configured with a set of cells (cell 1, cell 2, and / or cell 3) that support scheduling using DCI format 0_3, wherein DMRS bundling for PUSCH may be enabled only for: 1) one cell in the set (e.g., cell 1 only); 2) more than one cell in the set may be configured with DMRS bundling (e.g., cell 1 and cell 2), however, the cells actually scheduled are limited to having bundling in only one cell; and / or 3) more than one cell (e.g., cells 1, 2, and 3) may be scheduled, provided that those jointly scheduled bundled cells belong to the same frequency band corresponding to in-band carrier aggregation.

[0165] Figure 12 Wireless communication system Figure 12 Examples of additional wireless communication systems with a multi-cell arrangement 400 for coverage enhancement of PUSCH using DCI format 0_3 are illustrated according to various exemplary embodiments. In one example, gNB 106 includes cell 1, cell 2, and cell 3. However, the cells for coverage enhancement of PUSCH using DCI format 0_3 may or may not be included in the same base station; for example, one or more cells in the cell may be included as non-gNB 102 (e.g., as...). Figure 11 This is part of another base station (as illustrated). Furthermore, it should be understood that the number of cells (e.g., three) is merely exemplary and more or fewer cells may be scheduled for UE 106.

[0166] exist Figure 12In a first specific implementation example, a set of cells (cell 1, cell 2, and / or cell 3) can be scheduled using DCI format 0_3, wherein DMRS bundling for PUSCH can be enabled only for: 1) one cell within the set (e.g., cell 1 only); 2) more than one cell in the set can be configured with DMRS bundling (e.g., cell 1 and cell 2), however, the cells actually scheduled are limited to having DMRS bundling in only one cell; and / or 3) more than one cell (e.g., cells 1, 2, and 3) can be scheduled, provided that those bundled cells that are jointly scheduled belong to the same frequency band corresponding to in-band carrier aggregation. That is, UE 106 can be configured with a set of cells (e.g., cells 1, 2, and / or 3) that can be scheduled using DCI format 0_3, and DMRS bundling for PUSCH can be supported using one of the following options. In option 1, only one cell within the set is configured with DMRS bundling. In Option 2, more than one cell within the set can be configured with DMRS binding, but only one cell among all co-scheduled cells can be configured with DMRS binding. In Option 3, more than one cell within the set can be configured with DMRS binding, and more than one actually co-scheduled cell among the actually co-scheduled cells can also be configured with DMRS binding.

[0167] It should also be noted that in a specific implementation, if more than one of the co-scheduled cells belongs to the same frequency band (i.e., in-band carrier), then those cells can be configured with DMRS bundling.

[0168] exist Figure 12 In a second specific implementation example, UE 106 may be configured with a set of cells (e.g., cell 1, cell 2, and cell 3), which may 1) be scheduled using DCI format 0_3, and 2) support DMRS bundling for PUSCH, but with one or more restrictions as options regarding simultaneous transmission on cells within the set, wherein the restrictions may be as follows: Restriction 1) When at least one cell from the set of cells is configured with DMRS bundling, simultaneous transmission on the cell is not permitted / allowed; Restriction 2) When at least one of the cells from the set that are actually co-scheduled is configured with DMRS bundling, simultaneous transmission on the cell is not permitted / allowed; When a cell is configured with DMRS bundling, simultaneous transmission on the cell is not permitted / permitted; Restriction 3) When at least two cells from the set are configured with DMRS bundling and belong to different frequency bands (i.e., inter-band carriers) or the same frequency band (i.e., intra-band carriers), simultaneous transmission on the cell is not permitted / permitted; Restriction 4) When at least two actually co-scheduled cells from the set are configured with DMRS bundling and belong to different frequency bands (i.e., inter-band carriers) or the same frequency band (i.e., intra-band carriers), simultaneous transmission on the cell is not permitted / permitted.

[0169] To further illustrate the second specific implementation example above, consider the following. In the first restriction configuration, simultaneous PUSCH transmission is not permitted / permitted on a cell when at least one cell in the set has DMRS bundling enabled. For example, if cell 1 is enabled for DMRS bundling, simultaneous PUSCH transmission is not permitted / permitted on cells 2 and 3. That is, if cell 1 is scheduled for PUSCH transmission, simultaneous PUSCH transmission on cells 2 and 3 is not permitted because DMRS bundling is enabled on cell 1.

[0170] In the second restriction, simultaneous PUSCH transmission is either permitted or prohibited on a cell when at least one of the co-scheduled cells has a bundled configuration. For example, suppose cell 1 has a DMRS bundle enabled for PUSCH transmission. Suppose cell 1 and cell 2 are co-scheduled by base station 102 or the network. Therefore, simultaneous transmission cannot occur on cell 3, which is a remaining or "non-co-scheduled" cell.

[0171] In the third restriction, simultaneous transmission is not permitted / permitted if at least two cells from a set of cells are configured with DMRS and belong to different frequency bands (e.g., inter-band carrier aggregation) or the same frequency band (intra-band carrier aggregation).

[0172] For example, suppose cells 1 and 2 are configured with DMRS bundling enabled for PUSCH transmission. The third restriction indicates that simultaneous transmission cannot occur on cell 3 regardless of the scheduling decision, because at least two configured cells (cell 1 and / or cell 2) have bundling enabled. This applies whether the bundled cells are in separate frequency bands (Case 1—inter-band carriers) or the same frequency band (Case 2—intra-band carriers). Therefore, if cells 1 and 2 are in different frequency bands, parallel transmission is restricted on cell 3. Similarly, even if cells 1 and 2 are in the same frequency band, simultaneous transmission cannot occur on cell 3 due to the presence of two configured bundled cells.

[0173] In the fourth restriction, simultaneous transmission is not permitted / permitted on a cell when at least one of the actually co-scheduled cells from the set is configured with DMRS bundling. For example, suppose cell 1 and cell 2 are configured with DMRS bundling enabled for PUSCH transmission. The fourth restriction indicates that simultaneous transmission is restricted if at least two cells in the set actively co-scheduled by the base station are configured with bundling. Additionally, the bundled co-scheduled cells must belong to different frequency bands (inter-band carrier – case 1) or the same frequency band (intra-band carrier – case 3). Therefore, if cell 1 and cell 2 are selected for co-scheduling, and cell 1 and cell 2 come from separate frequency bands, parallel transmission cannot occur on cell 3. Furthermore, if cell 2 and cell 3 are co-selected, and they belong to the same frequency band, simultaneous transmission cannot occur on cell 1.

[0174] Figures 13a, 13b, and 13c: Time-domain windows In a third specific implementation example, UE 102 may be configured with a set of cells (e.g., cells 1-3) that can be scheduled using DCI format 0_3 and support DMRS bundling for PUSCH. However, one or more of the following events may interrupt the time-domain window used for DMRS bundling. In one example, an event may be defined as anything that causes an interruption in the phase continuity and / or power consistency of the signals received during the time-domain window.

[0175] In the first option of the third specific implementation example, an interruption event may occur if transmissions exist on any other cell (other than the cell configured with DMRS bundling) during the time-domain window: a) if a transmission currently in progress on the cell configured with DMRS bundling begins on any other cell, the DMRS bundling is interrupted and the time-domain window is shortened, such as... Figure 13A As illustrated, and b) if a transmission exists on any other cell during the gap between two transmissions on a cell, the DMRS bundle is interrupted and the time-domain window is shortened, as... Figure 13B exemplified.

[0176] Figure 13AAn example is illustrated where a time-domain DMRS bundling window is interrupted due to the commencement of PUSCH transmission on another cell, according to some implementation schemes. For example, a transmission timeline is depicted for cells 1 and 2 to illustrate the interruption of the time-domain DMRS bundling window. Cell 1 is depicted as having PUSCH transmissions scheduled across three time slots, and this cell further has a DMRS bundling configuration spanning these time slots, referred to as the nominal time-domain window (or time-domain DMRS bundling window). However, cell 2 has a PUSCH transmission that begins in the middle of the configured time-domain DMRS bundling window on cell 1. This illustrates an event where the simultaneous commencement of PUSCH transmission on another cell results in a shortened nominal bundling time duration. That is, the simultaneous transmission begins on cell 2 in the middle of an ongoing transmission on cell 1, which is configured with DMRS bundling, and the DMRS bundling is interrupted.

[0177] Figure 13B An example of a time-domain DMRS bundled window interruption is illustrated during a gap in a bundled transmission according to some implementation schemes, involving PUSCH transmission on another cell.

[0178] For example, a transmission timeline is depicted for cells 1 and 2 to illustrate another scenario where a time-domain DMRS bundling window is interrupted on two disjoint transmission segments. As depicted, cell 1 has PUSCH transmissions with DMRS bundling scheduled on a first time slot and a third time slot 3, leaving a transmission gap in the middle or in a second time slot. Cell 2 then begins PUSCH transmission during this gap period (e.g., during a second time slot). This illustrates a transmission collision event where PUSCH transmission on cell 2 occurs during the gap period, and the DMRS bundling is interrupted and the time-domain window shortens.

[0179] In the second option of the third specific implementation example, the UE may be configured with a set of cells that can be scheduled using DCI format 0_3 and support DMRS bundling for PUSCH. One or more of the following can be considered as events that interrupt the time-domain window for DMRS bundling, i.e., events that cause an interruption of the phase continuity and / or power consistency of the received signal during the time-domain window. In the first option, an event occurs if there is a transmission change in any cell of other cells during the time-domain window for the cell for which DMRS bundling is configured, such as Figure 13C As illustrated. It should be noted that an outage may occur if 1) other cells are in the same frequency band as the cell on which DMRS is configured (i.e., intra-band) or 2) other cells are in different frequency bands as the cell on which DMRS is configured (i.e., inter-band).

[0180] Figure 13CExamples are illustrated where the time-domain DMRS bundling window is interrupted due to the commencement of PUSCH transmission on another cell, according to some implementation schemes. For instance, transmission timelines are depicted for cells 1 and 2, illustrating the interruption of the DMRS bundling time-domain window due to a change in PUSCH transmission mode on another cell. Figure 13C As depicted, both Cell 1 and Cell 2 initially had PUSCH transmissions during the first time slot duration. However, Cell 1 continued transmission in time slot 2, while Cell 2 ceased PUSCH transmission activity, resulting in a change in transmission state. This change event on Cell 2 affected the phase continuity assumption for the DMRS bundling window on Cell 1.

[0181] In an additional example (e.g., the fourth specific implementation example), if a UE reports support for a UE feature group (FG) for 3GPP Rel-18 multi-cell scheduling (DCI format 0_3) and also reports support for one or more UE FGs for 3GPP Rel-17 uplink coverage enhancement, then the UE support is expected to be reported as a combination of Rel-18 multi-cell scheduling and Rel-17 UL coverage enhancement supported by the UE.

[0182] In an additional example, if the UE reports support for UE FG for 3GPP Rel-18 multi-cell scheduling (DCI format 0_3), the UE may additionally report support for a combination of 3GPP Rel-18 multi-cell scheduling and 3GPP Rel-17 UL coverage enhancements.

[0183] It should be noted that a prerequisite for the UE is that the UE supports 3GPP Rel-17 uplink coverage enhancements independently of 3GPP Rel-18 multi-cell scheduling. In the first option, the UE may only report general support for 3GPP Rel-18 multi-cell scheduling and 3GPP Rel-17 UL coverage enhancements. In this case, to support specific features of 3GPP Rel-17 UL coverage enhancements, the corresponding 3GPP Rel-17 UE capabilities are followed. In the second option, the UE may report support for specific features from 3GPP Rel-17 UL coverage enhancements and 3GPP Rel-18 multi-cell scheduling, such as DMRS bundling only, or Multi-Slot Transport Blocks (TBoMS only), or PUSCH repetition type A only with actual slot counts, or a combination of these features.

[0184] In the additional example, the UE can independently report support for 3GPP Rel-17 UL coverage enhancement features and 3GPP Rel-18 multi-cell scheduling (i.e., introducing a new UE FG for features based on 3GPP Rel-17 UL coverage enhancement). In this scenario, the UE may support only or not only the legacy 3GPP Rel-17 UL coverage enhancement; that is, there are no prerequisites for the UE to support 3GPP Rel-17 UL coverage enhancement independently of 3GPP Rel-18 multi-cell scheduling.

[0185] Figure 14 : Provides physical downlink control information (DCI) in cellular communication networks using format 0_3. Flowchart of methods for enhancing coverage of the line link shared channel (PUSCH) Figure 14 A flowchart illustrating an example of a method for coverage enhancement of the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) in a cellular communication network using downlink control information (DCI) format 0_3, according to some implementation schemes. Figure 14 The methods shown can also be used in conjunction with any of the systems, methods, or apparatuses illustrated in the figures, as well as other devices. In various embodiments, some of the method elements shown may be performed concurrently in a different order than those shown, or may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed as needed.

[0186] According to one embodiment, a method 1400 for coverage enhancement of the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) using downlink control information (DCI) format 0_3 in a cellular communication network is disclosed. Method 1400 includes receiving configuration information indicating that multiple cells for uplink transmission are scheduled using a set downlink control information format, as shown in block 1402.

[0187] In one example, the downlink control information format is set to Downlink Control Information (DCI) format 0_3. In an additional example, the configuration information includes one or more of the following: an indication that only a single cell among a plurality of cells is configured to support DMRS bundles for PUSCH transmission; an indication that one or more cells among a plurality of cells are configured to support DMRS bundles for PUSCH transmission, wherein only a single cell among the co-scheduled cells is configured to support DMRS bundles for PUSCH transmission; or an indication that one or more cells among a plurality of cells are configured to support DMRS bundles for PUSCH transmission, wherein one or more cells among the plurality of cells that are co-scheduled cells are configured to support DMRS bundles for PUSCH transmission.

[0188] In the additional example, the configuration information includes one or more of the following: an indication to restrict simultaneous uplink transmission on these cells when at least one of a plurality of cells is configured to support DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission; an indication to restrict simultaneous uplink transmission on these cells when at least one of a plurality of cells is jointly scheduled for uplink transmission and is configured to support DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission; an indication to restrict simultaneous uplink transmission when at least two of the scheduled cells are configured to support DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission and are assigned to different frequency bands corresponding to inter-band carriers or frequency bands corresponding to intra-band carriers; or an indication to restrict simultaneous uplink transmission when at least two cells jointly scheduled for uplink transmission are configured to support DMRS bundling and are assigned to different frequency bands corresponding to inter-band carriers or frequency bands corresponding to intra-band carriers.

[0189] Method 1400 includes: identifying one or more cells among a plurality of cells that are configured to support demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundles for transmission of the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) based on configuration information, as in block 1404.

[0190] Method 1400 includes: transmitting PUSCH with bundled DMRS signals on one or more scheduled cells based on configuration information in a plurality of cells, as in block 1406.

[0191] Method 1400 further includes: determining one or more interruptible events that interrupt the time-domain window used for transmitting the bundled DMRS signal. That is, method 1400 further includes: determining one or more interruptible events that interrupt the time-domain window used for transmitting the bundled DMRS signal via PUSCH. In one example, interrupting the time-domain window causes phase discontinuities and power inconsistencies during the transmission of the bundled DMRS signal. In another example, interrupting the time-domain window causes phase discontinuities and power inconsistencies during the transmission of the bundled DMRS signal.

[0192] In some implementations, an interruption event may include: a second PUSCH transmission occurring in a time-domain window in a cell that is not configured to support DMRS bundling; or an additional PUSCH transmission occurring in a time-domain window in a second cell of a plurality of cells during the interval between PUSCH transmissions to one or more cells of a plurality of cells that are configured to support DMRS bundling.

[0193] In some implementations, an interruption event may include a transmission change on PUSCH transmission in one or more cells that are configured to support DMRS bundling.

[0194] In some implementations, an interruption event may include a transmission change on the PUSCH transmission of one or more cells configured to support DMRS bundling, wherein the one or more cells belong to similar frequency bands corresponding to in-band carriers.

[0195] In some implementations, the disruptive event may include a transmission change on the PUSCH transmission of one or more cells configured to support DMRS bundling, wherein the one or more cells belong to different frequency bands corresponding to inter-band carriers.

[0196] Method 1400 further includes performing at least one of the following: sending capability information indicating support for multi-cell communication based on downlink control information format 0_3, and / or sending capability information indicating support for one or more PUSCH coverage enhancements.

[0197] In some implementations, an apparatus is configured to cause user equipment (UE) to perform the operation of method 1400.

[0198] Figure 15 : Assist in providing downlink control information (DCI) format 0_3 for objects in cellular communication networks Flowchart of a method for enhancing coverage of the uplink shared channel (PUSCH) Figure 15 A flowchart illustrating an example of a method for assisting in providing coverage enhancement for the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) in a cellular communication network using downlink control information (DCI) format 0_3, according to some implementation schemes. Figure 15 The methods shown can also be used in conjunction with any of the systems, methods, or apparatuses illustrated in the figures, as well as other devices. In various embodiments, some of the method elements shown may be performed concurrently in a different order than those shown, or may be omitted. Additional method elements may also be performed as needed.

[0199] According to one embodiment, a method 1500 for assisting in providing coverage enhancement for the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) in a cellular communication network using downlink control information (DCI) format 0_3 at a base station includes: sending configuration information to a user equipment (UE) that instructs multiple cells for uplink transmission to be scheduled using a set downlink control information format, such that the UE can identify one or more cells among the multiple cells that are configured to support demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundles for PUSCH transmission based on the configuration information, as shown in block 1502.

[0200] Method 1500 further includes decoding, at the gNB, PUSCH transmissions with bundled DMRS signals on one or more scheduled cells based on configuration information from multiple cells, as shown in box 1504. In one example, the downlink control information format is configured as downlink control information (DCI) format 0_3.

[0201] In some implementations, the configuration information includes one or more of the following: an indication that only a single cell among a plurality of cells is configured to support DMRS bundles for PUSCH transmission; an indication that one or more cells among a plurality of cells are configured to support DMRS bundles for PUSCH transmission, wherein only a single cell among the co-scheduled cells is configured to support DMRS bundles for PUSCH transmission; or an indication that one or more cells among a plurality of cells are configured to support DMRS bundles for PUSCH transmission, wherein one or more cells among the plurality of cells that are co-scheduled cells are configured to support DMRS bundles for PUSCH transmission.

[0202] In some implementations, the configuration information includes one or more of the following: an indication to restrict simultaneous uplink transmission on cells when at least one of a plurality of cells is configured to support DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission; an indication to restrict simultaneous uplink transmission on cells when at least one of a plurality of cells is co-scheduled for uplink transmission and configured to support DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission; an indication to restrict simultaneous uplink transmission when at least two of the scheduled cells are configured to support DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission and are assigned to different frequency bands corresponding to inter-band carriers or frequency bands corresponding to intra-band carriers; or an indication to restrict simultaneous uplink transmission when at least two cells co-scheduled for uplink transmission are configured to support DMRS bundling and are assigned to different frequency bands corresponding to inter-band carriers or frequency bands corresponding to intra-band carriers.

[0203] In some implementations, method 1500 may further include: determining one or more interruptible events that interrupt the time-domain window used to transmit the bundled DMRS signal.

[0204] In some implementations, one or more interruptible events include: interrupting the time-domain window resulting in one or more of a phase discontinuity or power inconsistency during the transmission of the bundled DMRS signal.

[0205] In some implementations, one or more interruptible events include one or more of the following: a second PUSCH transmission occurring in a time-domain window in a cell that is not configured to support DMRS bundling; or an additional PUSCH transmission occurring in a second cell in a time-domain window during the interval between PUSCH transmissions to one or more cells that are configured to support DMRS bundling.

[0206] In some implementations, one or more disruptive events include: transmission changes occurring on PUSCH transmissions in one or more cells that are configured to support DMRS bundling.

[0207] In some implementations, one or more disruptive events include: a transmission change on PUSCH transmission in one or more cells configured to support DMRS bundling, wherein the one or more cells belong to similar frequency bands corresponding to in-band carriers.

[0208] In some implementations, one or more disruptive events include: a transmission change on the PUSCH transmission of one or more cells configured to support DMRS bundling, wherein the one or more cells belong to different frequency bands corresponding to inter-band carriers.

[0209] In some implementations, method 1500 may further include performing at least one of the following: receiving from the UE capability information indicating support for multi-cell communication based on downlink control information format 0_3; and receiving from the UE capability information indicating support for one or more PUSCH coverage enhancements.

[0210] In some embodiments, a next-generation node B (gNB) can perform any of the method steps in the method steps. In some embodiments, a user equipment (UE) can perform any of the operations described herein.

[0211] In some embodiments, an apparatus is disclosed that is configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to perform any operation of method 1500.

[0212] Embodiments of this disclosure may be implemented in any of a variety of forms. For example, some embodiments may be implemented as computer-implemented methods, computer-readable storage media, or computer systems. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more custom-designed hardware devices such as ASICs. Other embodiments may be implemented using one or more programmable hardware elements such as FPGAs.

[0213] In some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium may be configured to store program instructions and / or data, wherein, if executed by a computer system, the program instructions cause the computer system to perform a method, such as any method embodiment of the method embodiments described herein, or any combination of method embodiments described herein, or any subset or combination of any such subset of any method embodiments described herein.

[0214] In some implementations, the device (e.g., UE 106) may be configured to include a processor (or a set of processors) and a memory medium, wherein the memory medium stores program instructions, and the processor is configured to read from and execute the program instructions from the memory medium, wherein the program instructions are executable to implement any of the various method implementations described herein (or any combination of method implementations described herein, or any subset of any method implementations described herein, or any combination of such subsets). The device may be implemented in any of the various forms.

[0215] By interpreting each message / signal X received by the user equipment (UE) in the downlink as a message / signal X sent by the base station, and interpreting each message / signal Y sent by the UE in the uplink as a message / signal Y received by the base station, any of the methods described herein for operating the UE can serve as the basis for a corresponding method for operating the base station.

[0216] Although the above embodiments have been described in considerable detail, many variations and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art once the above disclosure is fully understood. It is intended that the following claims be construed as encompassing all such variations and modifications.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: One or more processors coupled to the memory, said one or more processors being configured to: Receive configuration information, which indicates that multiple cells for uplink transmission are scheduled using a set downlink control information format; Based on the configuration information, identify one or more cells among the plurality of cells that are configured to support demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling for transmission of the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH); as well as The PUSCH transmission with the bundled DMRS signal is transmitted on one or more scheduled cells based on the configuration information in the plurality of cells.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the set downlink control information format is DCI format 0_3.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the configuration information includes one or more of the following: Only one of the plurality of cells is configured to support an indication of DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission; One or more of the plurality of cells are configured to support an indication of DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission, wherein only a single cell among the co-scheduled cells is configured to support DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission; or One or more of the plurality of cells are configured to support an indication of DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission, wherein one or more of the plurality of cells that are co-scheduled cells are configured to support DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the configuration information includes one or more of the following: Instructions to restrict simultaneous uplink transmissions on the cell when at least one of the plurality of cells is configured to support DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission; Instructions to restrict simultaneous uplink transmission on the cell when at least one of the plurality of cells is jointly scheduled for uplink transmission and configured to support DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission; Instructions to restrict simultaneous uplink transmission when at least two cells in the scheduled cells are configured to support DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission and are assigned to different frequency bands corresponding to inter-band carriers or frequency bands corresponding to intra-band carriers. or Instructions to limit simultaneous uplink transmissions when at least two cells co-scheduled for uplink transmissions are configured to support DMRS bundling and assigned to different frequency bands corresponding to inter-band carriers or frequency bands corresponding to intra-band carriers.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: determine one or more interruptible events that interrupt the time-domain window of the bundled DMRS signal for transmission of the PUSCH.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein interrupting the time-domain window results in one or more of a phase discontinuity or power inconsistency during the transmission of the bundled DMRS signal.

7. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the one or more interruptible events include one or more of the following: A second PUSCH transmission occurs in the time window of one of the plurality of cells that is not configured to support DMRS bundling; or During the interval between PUSCH transmissions to one or more of the plurality of cells that are configured to support DMRS bundling, a second cell in one of the plurality of cells performs an additional PUSCH transmission in the time domain window.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the one or more interruptible events include: A transmission change occurs in the PUSCH transmission of one or more cells that are configured to support DMRS bundling among the plurality of cells.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the one or more interruptible events include: A transmission change occurs on the PUSCH transmission of one or more cells in the plurality of cells that are configured to support DMRS bundling, wherein the one or more cells in the plurality of cells belong to different carriers within a frequency band corresponding to in-band carrier aggregation.

10. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the one or more interruptible events include: A transmission change occurs on the PUSCH transmission of one or more cells in the plurality of cells that are configured to support DMRS bundling, wherein the one or more cells in the plurality of cells belong to different frequency bands corresponding to inter-band carriers.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to perform at least one of the following: Sending information indicating the capability to support multi-cell communication based on downlink control information format 0_3; and Send information indicating the ability to support enhanced support for one or more PUSCH coverages bundled with DMRS.

12. An apparatus for a next-generation node B (gNB), the apparatus comprising: One or more processors coupled to the memory, said one or more processors being configured to: Send configuration information to the user equipment (UE) indicating that multiple cells for uplink transmission are scheduled using a set downlink control information format, so that the UE can identify one or more cells among the multiple cells that are configured to support demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundles for physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission based on the configuration information. as well as At the gNB, the PUSCH transmission with the bundled DMRS signal on one or more scheduled cells based on the configuration information of the plurality of cells is decoded.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the set downlink control information format is downlink control information (DCI) format 0-3.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the configuration information includes one or more of the following: Only one of the plurality of cells is configured to support an indication of DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission; One or more of the plurality of cells are configured to support an indication of DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission, wherein only a single cell among the co-scheduled cells is configured to support DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission; or One or more of the plurality of cells are configured to support an indication of DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission, wherein one or more of the plurality of cells that are co-scheduled cells are configured to support DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the configuration information includes one or more of the following: Instructions to restrict simultaneous uplink transmissions on the cell when at least one of the plurality of cells is configured to support DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission; Instructions to restrict simultaneous uplink transmission on the cell when at least one of the plurality of cells is jointly scheduled for uplink transmission and configured to support DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission; Instructions to restrict simultaneous uplink transmission when at least two cells in the scheduled cells are configured to support DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission and are assigned to different frequency bands corresponding to inter-band carriers or frequency bands corresponding to intra-band carriers. or Instructions to limit simultaneous uplink transmissions when at least two cells co-scheduled for uplink transmissions are configured to support DMRS bundling and assigned to different frequency bands corresponding to inter-band carriers or frequency bands corresponding to intra-band carriers.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: determine one or more interruptible events that interrupt the time-domain window of the bundled DMRS signal for transmission of the PUSCH.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein interrupting the time-domain window results in one or more of a phase discontinuity or power inconsistency during the transmission of the bundled DMRS signal.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the one or more interruptible events include at least one of the following: A second PUSCH transmission occurs in the time window of one of the plurality of cells that is not configured to support DMRS bundling; or During the interval between PUSCH transmissions to one or more of the plurality of cells that are configured to support DMRS bundling, a second cell in one of the plurality of cells performs an additional PUSCH transmission in the time domain window.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the one or more interruptible events include: A transmission change occurs in the PUSCH transmission of one or more cells that are configured to support DMRS bundling among the plurality of cells.

20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the one or more interruptible events include: A transmission change occurs on the PUSCH transmission of one or more cells in the plurality of cells that are configured to support DMRS bundling, wherein the one or more cells in the plurality of cells belong to different carriers within a frequency band corresponding to in-band carrier aggregation.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the one or more interruptible events include: A transmission change occurs on the PUSCH transmission of one or more cells in the plurality of cells that are configured to support DMRS bundling, wherein the one or more cells in the plurality of cells belong to different frequency bands corresponding to inter-band carriers.

22. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to perform at least one of the following: The UE receives capability information indicating support for multi-cell communication based on downlink control information format 0_3; and The UE receives capability information indicating support for one or more PUSCH coverage enhancements bundled with DMRS.

23. A method for providing coverage enhancement for the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) at a User Equipment (UE) using a defined downlink control information format, the method comprising: The UE receives configuration information indicating that multiple cells for uplink transmission are scheduled using a set downlink control information format. Based on the configuration information, identify one or more cells among the plurality of cells that are configured to support demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundling for transmission of the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH); as well as The PUSCH transmission with the bundled DMRS signal is transmitted on one or more scheduled cells based on the configuration information in the plurality of cells.

24. The method according to claim 23, wherein the set downlink control information format is downlink control information (DCI) format 0-3.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein the configuration information includes one or more of the following: Only one of the plurality of cells is configured to support an indication of DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission; One or more of the plurality of cells are configured to support an indication of DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission, wherein only a single cell among the co-scheduled cells is configured to support DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission; or One or more of the plurality of cells are configured to support an indication of DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission, wherein one or more of the plurality of cells that are co-scheduled cells are configured to support DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein the configuration information includes one or more of the following: Instructions to restrict simultaneous uplink transmissions on the cell when at least one of the plurality of cells is configured to support DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission; Instructions to restrict simultaneous uplink transmission on the cell when at least one of the plurality of cells is jointly scheduled for uplink transmission and configured to support DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission; or Instructions to restrict simultaneous uplink transmission when at least two cells in the scheduled cells are configured to support DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission and are assigned to different frequency bands corresponding to inter-band carriers or frequency bands corresponding to intra-band carriers. or Instructions to limit simultaneous uplink transmissions when at least two cells co-scheduled for uplink transmissions are configured to support DMRS bundling and assigned to different frequency bands corresponding to inter-band carriers or frequency bands corresponding to intra-band carriers.

27. The method according to claim 23, further comprising: Identify one or more interruptible events that interrupt the time-domain window of the bundled DMRS signal transmitted by the PUSCH.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein interrupting the time-domain window results in one or more of a phase discontinuity or power inconsistency during the transmission of the bundled DMRS signal.

29. The method of claim 27, wherein the one or more interruptible events include one or more of the following: A second PUSCH transmission occurs in the time window of one of the plurality of cells that is not configured to support DMRS bundling; or During the interval between PUSCH transmissions to one or more of the plurality of cells that are configured to support DMRS bundling, a second cell in one of the plurality of cells performs an additional PUSCH transmission in the time domain window.

30. The method of claim 27, wherein the one or more interruptible events comprise: A transmission change occurs in the PUSCH transmission of one or more cells that are configured to support DMRS bundling among the plurality of cells.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the one or more interruptible events comprise: A transmission change occurs on the PUSCH transmission of one or more cells in the plurality of cells that are configured to support DMRS bundling, wherein the one or more cells in the plurality of cells belong to different carriers within a frequency band corresponding to in-band carrier aggregation.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the one or more interruptible events comprise: A transmission change occurs on the PUSCH transmission of one or more cells in the plurality of cells that are configured to support DMRS bundling, wherein the one or more cells in the plurality of cells belong to different frequency bands corresponding to inter-band carriers.

33. The method of claim 27, further comprising performing at least one of the following: Sending information indicating the capability to support multi-cell communication based on downlink control information format 0_3; and Send information indicating the ability to support enhanced support for one or more PUSCH coverages bundled with DMRS.

34. An apparatus configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to perform any of the methods described according to claims 23 to 33.

35. A method for providing coverage enhancement for the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) at a next-generation node B (gNB) using a defined downlink control information format, the method comprising: Send configuration information to the user equipment (UE) indicating that multiple cells for uplink transmission are scheduled using a set downlink control information format, so that the UE can identify one or more cells among the multiple cells that are configured to support demodulation reference signal (DMRS) bundles for physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission based on the configuration information. as well as At the gNB, the PUSCH transmission with the bundled DMRS signal on one or more scheduled cells based on the configuration information of the plurality of cells is decoded.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein the set downlink control information format is downlink control information (DCI) format 0-3.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein the configuration information includes one or more of the following: Only one of the plurality of cells is configured to support an indication of DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission; One or more of the plurality of cells are configured to support an indication of DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission, wherein only a single cell among the co-scheduled cells is configured to support DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission; or One or more of the plurality of cells are configured to support an indication of DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission, wherein one or more of the plurality of cells that are co-scheduled cells are configured to support DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission.

38. The method of claim 35, wherein the configuration information includes one or more of the following: Instructions to restrict simultaneous uplink transmissions on the cell when at least one of the plurality of cells is configured to support DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission; Instructions to restrict simultaneous uplink transmission on the cell when at least one of the plurality of cells is jointly scheduled for uplink transmission and configured to support DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission; Instructions to restrict simultaneous uplink transmission when at least two cells in the scheduled cells are configured to support DMRS bundling for PUSCH transmission and are assigned to different frequency bands corresponding to inter-band carriers or frequency bands corresponding to intra-band carriers. or Instructions to limit simultaneous uplink transmissions when at least two cells co-scheduled for uplink transmissions are configured to support DMRS bundling and assigned to different frequency bands corresponding to inter-band carriers or frequency bands corresponding to intra-band carriers.

39. The method according to claim 35, further comprising: Identify one or more interruptible events that interrupt the time-domain window of the bundled DMRS signal transmitted by the PUSCH.

40. The method of claim 39, wherein interrupting the time-domain window results in one or more of a phase discontinuity or power inconsistency during the transmission of the bundled DMRS signal.

41. The method of claim 39, wherein the one or more interruptible events include one or more of the following: A second PUSCH transmission occurs in the time window of one of the plurality of cells that is not configured to support DMRS bundling; or During the interval between PUSCH transmissions to one or more of the plurality of cells that are configured to support DMRS bundling, a second cell in one of the plurality of cells performs an additional PUSCH transmission in the time domain window.

42. The method of claim 39, wherein the one or more interruptible events comprise: A transmission change occurs in the PUSCH transmission of one or more cells that are configured to support DMRS bundling among the plurality of cells.

43. The method of claim 39, wherein the one or more interruptible events comprise: A transmission change occurs on the PUSCH transmission of one or more cells in the plurality of cells that are configured to support DMRS bundling, wherein the one or more cells in the plurality of cells belong to similar frequency bands corresponding to in-band carriers.

44. The method of claim 43, wherein the one or more interruptible events comprise: A transmission change occurs on the PUSCH transmission of one or more cells in the plurality of cells that are configured to support DMRS bundling, wherein the one or more cells in the plurality of cells belong to different carriers within a frequency band corresponding to in-band carrier aggregation.

45. The method of claim 39, further comprising performing at least one of the following: The UE receives capability information indicating support for multi-cell communication based on downlink control information format 0_3; and The UE receives capability information indicating support for one or more PUSCH coverage enhancements bundled with DMRS.

46. ​​An apparatus configured to cause a next-generation node B (gNB) to perform any of the methods described according to claims 35 to 45.

47. A user equipment (UE) configured to perform any of the operations described herein.

48. A next-generation node B (gNB) configured to perform any of the operations described herein.

49. A computer program product comprising computer instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, perform any of the operations described herein.

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