Communication device and method

Abstract

Various aspects of the disclosure relate to communication devices and methods. A UE can receive a configuration for an uplink transmission from a base station. The UE can process a reference signal by applying a first multiplexing sequence associated with a first spreading factor to the reference signal, and transmit uplink data to the base station with the processed reference signal based on the configuration. In this way, the reference signal for the uplink transmission can be reliably transmitted, and multiplexing of multiple UEs in a same physical resource of the uplink transmission can be enhanced. Thus, uplink capacity can be enhanced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to wireless communication, and more specifically, to communication devices and methods for uplink transmission. Background Technology

[0002] A wireless communication system may include one or more network communication devices (such as base stations (BS)), which may also be referred to as eNodeB (eNB), next-generation NodeB (gNB), or other suitable terms. Each network communication device (such as a base station) may support wireless communication with one or more user communication devices, which may also be referred to as user equipment (UE) or other suitable terms. The wireless communication system may support wireless communication with one or more user communication devices by utilizing the resources of the wireless communication system (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, time slots, subframes, frames, etc.) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers)). Furthermore, the wireless communication system may support wireless communication across a variety of radio access technologies, including third-generation (3G) radio access technology, fourth-generation (4G) radio access technology, fifth-generation (5G) radio access technology, and other suitable radio access technologies beyond 5G (e.g., sixth-generation (6G)).

[0003] For Internet of Things (IoT) non-terrestrial networks (NTN), capacity enhancements supporting uplink are proposed. The aim is to study and specify enhancements to enable the multiplexing of multiple UEs via orthogonal coverage codes (OCC) for the Narrowband Physical Uplink Shared Channel (NPUSCH) and Narrowband Physical Random Access Channel (NPRACH). Summary of the Invention

[0004] This disclosure relates to methods, apparatus, and systems supporting uplink transmission. By applying multiplexing sequences to a reference signal to process the reference signal and transmitting uplink data together with the processed reference signal, multiple UEs can be multiplexed in the same physical resources for uplink transmission, thereby enhancing uplink capacity.

[0005] In one aspect, some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein may include: receiving configuration for uplink transmission from a base station via a transceiver at the UE; processing a reference signal by applying a first multiplexing sequence associated with a first spreading factor to the reference signal; and transmitting uplink data to the base station via the transceiver based on the configuration and the processed reference signal.

[0006] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, processing the reference signal may include: spreading the reference signal in consecutive symbols in the time domain based on a set of reference signal sequences, wherein the set of reference signal sequences is determined based at least on a binary sequence and a first multiplexing sequence.

[0007] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, transmitting uplink data along with a processed reference signal may include: determining a first set of time-domain locations of the reference signal based at least on a first spreading factor; and transmitting the reference signal on the first set of time-domain locations.

[0008] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the length of the first multiplexing sequence may be determined based on the first spreading factor.

[0009] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the length of the binary sequence may be determined based on at least one of the following: the number of repetitions for uplink data, the number of time slots in a resource element, the number of resource elements, or the first spreading factor.

[0010] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, processing the reference signal may include determining a first multiplexing sequence based on the identity matrix.

[0011] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, processing the reference signal may include: determining a second set of time-domain positions for the reference signal based on at least one of a first spreading factor or an index of a first multiplexing sequence; and mute the reference signal in the second set of time-domain positions.

[0012] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, processing the reference signal may include: spreading the reference signal in multiple resource elements of a resource in the time or frequency domain based on a first multiplexing sequence, wherein the length of the reference signal prior to spreading is determined based on uplink data frequency domain allocation and a first spreading factor.

[0013] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the spread spectrum reference signal may include: determining an offset between multiple resource elements based on the length of a reference signal prior to spread spectrum; and spreading the reference signal among the multiple resource elements based on the offset.

[0014] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, transmitting uplink data along with a processed reference signal may include processing the uplink data by applying a second multiplexing sequence associated with a second spreading factor to the uplink data.

[0015] Some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein may further include: determining the second spreading factor as the first spreading factor; or determining the first spreading factor based on the second spreading factor and the uplink data frequency domain allocation.

[0016] On the other hand, some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein may include: transmitting a configuration for uplink transmission to a UE via a transceiver at a base station; processing a reference signal by applying a first multiplexing sequence associated with a first spreading factor to the reference signal; and receiving uplink data from the UE via the transceiver based on the processed reference signal and the configuration.

[0017] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, processing the reference signal may include: spreading the reference signal in consecutive symbols in the time domain based on a set of reference signal sequences, wherein the set of reference signal sequences is determined based at least on a binary sequence and a first multiplexing sequence.

[0018] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, uplink data is received together with a processed reference signal by: determining a first time-domain location set of the reference signal based at least on a first spreading factor; and receiving the reference signal on the first time-domain location set.

[0019] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the length of the first multiplexing sequence may be determined based on the first spreading factor.

[0020] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the length of the binary sequence may be determined based on at least one of the following: the number of repetitions for uplink data, the number of time slots in a resource element, the number of resource elements, or the first spreading factor.

[0021] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, processing the reference signal may include determining a first multiplexing sequence based on the identity matrix.

[0022] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, processing the reference signal may include: determining a second set of time-domain positions for the reference signal based on at least one of a first spreading factor or an index of a first multiplexing sequence; and setting the reference signal in the second set of time-domain positions to zero.

[0023] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, processing the reference signal may include: spreading the reference signal in multiple resource elements of a resource in the time or frequency domain based on a first multiplexing sequence, wherein the length of the reference signal prior to spreading is determined based on uplink data frequency domain allocation and a first spreading factor.

[0024] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, the spread spectrum reference signal may include: determining an offset between multiple resource elements based on the length of a reference signal prior to spread spectrum; and spreading the reference signal among the multiple resource elements based on the offset.

[0025] In some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein, receiving uplink data along with a processed reference signal may include processing the uplink data by applying a second multiplexing sequence associated with a second spreading factor to the uplink data.

[0026] Some implementations of the methods and apparatus described herein may further include: determining the second spreading factor as the first spreading factor; or determining the first spreading factor based on the second spreading factor and the uplink data frequency domain allocation. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication system supporting uplink transmission according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated.

[0028] Figure 2 An example of a process supporting uplink transmission according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated.

[0029] Figure 3A The illustration depicts an example monotone uplink transmission according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0030] Figure 3B The illustration shows another example of a monotone uplink transmission according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0031] Figure 4A The illustration depicts an example of a multi-tone uplink transmission according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0032] Figure 4B The illustration shows another example of multi-tone uplink transmission according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0033] Figure 4C The illustration shows another example of multi-tone uplink transmission according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0034] Figure 4D The illustration shows another example of multi-tone uplink transmission according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0035] Figure 4E The illustration shows another example of multi-tone uplink transmission according to various aspects of this disclosure.

[0036] Figure 5 An example of a device supporting uplink transmission according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated.

[0037] Figure 6 An example of a processor supporting uplink transmission according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated.

[0038] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating a method for supporting uplink transmission according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown.

[0039] Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating another method for supporting uplink transmission according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0040] The principles of this disclosure will now be described with reference to some embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are described for illustrative purposes only and to assist those skilled in the art in understanding and implementing this disclosure, and do not impose any limitation on the scope of this disclosure. The disclosure described herein can be implemented in various ways other than those described below.

[0041] In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains.

[0042] References to "an embodiment," "example embodiment," "embodiment," "some embodiments," etc., in this disclosure indicate that the described embodiments(s) may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but not every embodiment must include that particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Furthermore, these phrases do not necessarily refer to the same(s) embodiments(s). Additionally, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, those skilled in the art will recognize that in conjunction with other embodiments (whether explicitly described or not) affecting such a feature, structure, or characteristic is within the scope of their knowledge. The term "embodiment" may be used interchangeably with "implementation."

[0043] It should be understood that although the terms “first” and “second” may be used in this document to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, without departing from the scope of implementation, a first element may also be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may also be referred to as a first element. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

[0044] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing a particular implementation only and is not intended to limit the example implementation. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,” “having,” “includes,” and / or “including” as used herein specify the presence of the stated features, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0045] As mentioned above, it is desirable to reuse multiple UEs in the same physical resources for uplink transmission using OCC in order to enhance uplink capacity.

[0046] Embodiments of this disclosure provide a solution for uplink transmission. In this solution, a UE can receive a configuration for uplink transmission from a base station. The UE can process a reference signal by applying a first multiplexing sequence associated with a first spreading factor to the reference signal, and transmit uplink data to the base station based on this configuration along with the processed reference signal. In this way, the reference signal for uplink transmission can be reliably transmitted, and the multiplexing of multiple UEs in the same physical resources for uplink transmission can be enhanced. Therefore, uplink capacity can be increased.

[0047] Various aspects of this disclosure are described in the context of wireless communication systems.

[0048] Figure 1An example of a wireless communication system 100 supporting uplink transmission according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. The wireless communication system 100 may include one or more network entities (also referred to as network devices (NEs)). For convenience, network entities 102-1, 102-2, and 102-3 are shown and are collectively referred to below as one or more network entities 102. The wireless communication system 100 may also include one or more UEs 104, a core network 106, and a packet data network 108. The wireless communication system 100 may support various radio access technologies. In some implementations, the wireless communication system 100 may be a 4G network, such as an LTE network or an Advanced LTE (LTE-A) network. In some other implementations, the wireless communication system 100 may be a 5G network, such as an NR network. In other implementations, the wireless communication system 100 may be a combination of 4G and 5G networks, or other suitable radio access technologies, including IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), and IEEE 802.20. The wireless communication system 100 can support radio access technologies other than 5G. In addition, the wireless communication system 100 can support technologies such as Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA).

[0049] One or more network entities 102 may be distributed throughout a geographic area to form a wireless communication system 100. One or more network entities among the network entities 102 described herein may be, include, or may be referred to as network nodes, base stations, network elements, radio access networks (RANs), base transceiver stations, access points, NodeBs, eNodeBs (eNBs), next-generation NodeBs (gNBs), or other suitable terms. Network entities 102 and UE 104 may communicate via communication link 110, which may be a wireless or wired connection. For example, network entities 102 and UE 104 may perform wireless communication (e.g., receive signaling, send signaling) via a Uu interface.

[0050] Network entity 102 may provide one or more geographic coverage areas (also referred to as cells), and network entity 102 may support services (e.g., voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcasting, etc.) for one or more UEs 104 within that geographic coverage area. For example, network entity 102 and UE 104 may support wireless communication of signals associated with services (e.g., voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcasting, etc.) based on one or more radio access technologies. In some implementations, network entity 102 may be mobile, for example, a satellite associated with a non-terrestrial network. In some implementations, different geographic coverage areas associated with the same or different radio access technologies may overlap, but different geographic coverage areas may be associated with different network entities 102. The information and signals described herein may be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout the description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, light fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0051] One or more UEs 104 may be distributed throughout the geographic area of ​​the wireless communication system 100. UE 104 may include or be referred to as a mobile device, wireless device, remote device, remote unit, handheld device, subscriber device, or some other suitable term. In some implementations, UE 104 may be referred to as a unit, station, terminal, or client, etc. Alternatively or additionally, UE 104 may be referred to as an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or a Machine Type Communication (MTC) device, etc. In some implementations, UE 104 may be stationary within the wireless communication system 100. In some other implementations, UE 104 may be mobile within the wireless communication system 100.

[0052] One or more UEs 104 can be devices of different forms or with different capabilities. Figure 1 The diagram illustrates some examples of UE 104. UE 104 is capable of communicating with various types of devices, such as network entity 102, other UEs 104, or network devices (e.g., core network 106, packet data network 108, relay equipment, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, or another network device). Figure 1 As shown. Alternatively, UE 104 may support communication with other network entities 102 or UE 104 that may act as relays in wireless communication system 100.

[0053] UE 104 can also support direct wireless communication with other UE 104s via communication link 114. For example, UE 104 can support direct wireless communication with another UE 104 via a device-to-device (D2D) communication link. In some implementations, such as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) deployments, vehicle-to-everything (V2X) deployments, or cellular V2X deployments, communication link 114 may be referred to as a sidechain. For example, UE 104 can support direct wireless communication with another UE 104 via a PC5 interface.

[0054] Network entity 102 may support communication with core network 106 or with another network entity 102, or both. For example, network entity 102 may interface with core network 106 via one or more backhaul links 116 (e.g., via S1, N2, N2, or another network interface). Network entities 102 may communicate with each other via backhaul links 116 (e.g., via X2, Xn, or another network interface). In some implementations, network entities 102 may communicate directly with each other (e.g., between network entities 102). In some other implementations, network entities 102 may communicate with each other or indirectly (e.g., via core network 106). In some implementations, one or more network entities 102 may include sub-components, such as access network entities, which may be examples of access node controllers (ANCs). An ANC may communicate with one or more UEs 104 via one or more other access network transport entities (which may be referred to as radio headends, smart radio headends, or transmit-receive points (TRPs)).

[0055] As an example, network entity 102-1 can provide cell 112-1, and network entity 102-2 can provide cell 112-2. It should be understood that each of network entities 102-1 and 102-2 can provide more cells (not shown).

[0056] In one example, the network entity can be a satellite, such as network entity 102-3. Network entity 102-3 can be all or part of the eNB / gNB onboard. Communication link 110 between network entity 102-3 and UE 104, communication link 116 between network entity 102-3 and network entity 102-2, and communication link 116 between network entity 102-2 and core network 106 can be used in NTN transparent mode. Communication link 110 between satellite 102-3 and UE 104, and communication link 116 between network entity 102-3 (e.g., with an onboard base station) and core network 106 can be used in NTN regeneration mode.

[0057] In some implementations, network entity 102 can be configured with a decomposed architecture that can utilize protocol stacks physically or logically distributed across two or more network entities 102, such as an Integrated Access Backhaul (IAB) network, Open RAN (O-RAN) (e.g., a network configuration sponsored by the O-RAN Alliance), or Virtualized RAN (vRAN) (e.g., Cloud RAN (C-RAN)). For example, network entity 102 may include one or more of a Central Unit (CU), Distributed Unit (DU), Radio Unit (RU), RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) (e.g., near real-time RIC, non-real-time RIC), Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) system, or any combination thereof.

[0058] An RU can also be referred to as a radio head unit, intelligent radio head unit, remote radio head unit (RRH), remote radio unit (RRU), or TRP. In a decomposed RAN architecture, one or more components of network entity 102 can be co-located, or one or more components of network entity 102 can be located in distributed locations (e.g., separate physical locations). In some implementations, one or more network entities 102 in a decomposed RAN architecture can be implemented as virtual units (e.g., virtual CU (VCU), virtual DU (VDU), virtual RU (VRU)).

[0059] The functional decomposition between CU, DU, and RU can be flexible and can support different functions based on the functions performed at the CU, DU, or RU (e.g., network layer functions, protocol layer functions, baseband functions, radio frequency functions, and any combination thereof). For example, a protocol stack functional decomposition can be used between the CU and DU, allowing the CU to support one or more layers of the protocol stack and the DU to support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. In some implementations, the CU can host upper-layer protocol layer (e.g., Layer 3 (L3), Layer 2 (L2)) functions and signaling (e.g., Radio Resource Control (RRC), Serving Data Adaptation Protocol (SDAP), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP)). The CU can connect to one or more DUs or RUs, and one or more DUs or RUs can host lower-layer protocol layer functions and signaling, such as Layer 1 (L1) (e.g., Physical (PHY) layer) or L2 (e.g., Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, Media Access Control (MAC) layer), and each can be at least partially controlled by the CU 160.

[0060] Alternatively, a functional split of the protocol stack can be employed between the DU and RU, allowing the DU to support one or more layers of the protocol stack and the RU to support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. The DU can support one or more different cells (e.g., via one or more RUs). In some implementations, the functional split between the CU and DU, or between the DU and RU, can be within the protocol layer (e.g., some functions of the protocol layer can be performed by one of the CU, DU, or RU, while other functions of the protocol layer are performed by different items in the CU, DU, or RU).

[0061] The CU can be further functionally decomposed into CU control plane (CU-CP) and CU user plane (CU-UP) functions. The CU can be connected to one or more DUs via mid-range communication links (e.g., F1, F1-C, F1-U), and the DUs can be connected to one or more RUs via fronthaul communication links (e.g., open fronthaul (FH) interfaces). In some implementations, the mid-range or fronthaul communication links can be implemented based on interfaces (e.g., channels) between layers of a protocol stack supported by the respective network entity 102 communicating via such communication links.

[0062] Core network 106 can support user authentication, access authorization, tracking, connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. Core network 106 can be an evolved packet core (EPC) or a 5G core (5GC), which may include control plane entities that manage access and mobility (e.g., Mobility Management Entity (MME), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF)) and user plane entities that route packets or interconnects to external networks (e.g., Serving Gateway (S-GW), Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (P-GW), or User Plane Function (UPF)). In some implementations, the control plane entities may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions, such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management (e.g., data bearers, signaling bearers, etc.) of one or more UEs 104 served by one or more network entities 102 associated with core network 106.

[0063] Core network 106 can communicate with packet data network 108 via one or more backhaul links 116 (e.g., via S1, N2, N2, or another network interface). Packet data network 108 may include application server 118. In some implementations, one or more UEs 104 may communicate with application server 118. UE 104 may establish a session (e.g., Protocol Data Unit (PDU) session, etc.) with core network 106 via network entity 102. Core network 106 can use the established session (e.g., an established PDU session) to route services (e.g., control information, data, etc.) between UE 104 and application server 118. A PDU session may be an example of a logical connection between UE 104 and core network 106 (e.g., one or more network functions of core network 106).

[0064] In the wireless communication system 100, network entity 102 and UE 104 can use the resources of the wireless communication system 100 (e.g., time resources (e.g., symbols, time slots, subframes, frames, etc.) or frequency resources (e.g., subcarriers, carriers)) to perform various operations (e.g., wireless communication). In some implementations, network entity 102 and UE 104 can support different resource structures. For example, network entity 102 and UE 104 can support different frame structures. In some implementations, such as in 4G, network entity 102 and UE 104 can support a single frame structure. In some other implementations, such as in 5G and other suitable radio access technologies, network entity 102 and UE 104 can support various frame structures (i.e., multiple frame structures). Network entity 102 and UE 104 can support various frame structures based on one or more digital technologies.

[0065] One or more digital technologies may be supported in the wireless communication system 100, and the digital technologies may include subcarrier spacing (SCS) and cyclic prefix. The first digital technology (e.g., μ =0) can be associated with the first SCS (e.g., 15kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix. In some implementations, the first digital technique (e.g., ...) associated with the first subcarrier spacing (e.g., 15kHz) is... μ =0) can utilize one time slot per subframe. Second digital technologies (e.g., μ =1) can be associated with the second SCS (e.g., 30kHz) and the normal cyclic prefix. The third digital technology (e.g., μ =2) can be associated with a third SCS (e.g., 60kHz) and a normal cyclic prefix or an extended cyclic prefix. Fourth digital technology (e.g., μ =3) can be associated with the fourth SCS (e.g., 120kHz) and the normal cyclic prefix. The fifth digital technology (e.g., μ=4) can be associated with the fifth SCS (e.g., 240kHz) and the normal cyclic prefix.

[0066] The time intervals of resources (e.g., communication resources) can be organized according to frames (also called radio frames). Each frame can have a duration, for example, 10 milliseconds (ms). In some implementations, each frame can include multiple subframes. For example, each frame can include 10 subframes, and each subframe can have a duration, for example, 1 ms. In some implementations, each frame can have the same duration. In some implementations, each subframe of a frame can have the same duration.

[0067] Alternatively or concurrently, the time intervals of resources (e.g., communication resources) can be organized according to time slots. For example, a subframe may include a certain number (e.g., quantity) of time slots. The number of time slots in each subframe may also depend on one or more digital technologies supported in the wireless communication system 100. For example, a first digital technology, a second digital technology, a third digital technology, a fourth digital technology, and a fifth digital technology (i.e., ...) associated with corresponding SCSs of 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz. μ =0、 μ =1、 μ =2、 μ =3、 μ =4) One time slot per subframe, two time slots per subframe, four time slots per subframe, eight time slots per subframe, and 16 time slots per subframe can be used respectively. Each time slot can include a certain number (e.g., quantity) of symbols (e.g., OFDM symbols). In some implementations, the number (e.g., quantity) of time slots in a subframe can depend on the digital technology. For a normal cyclic prefix, a time slot can include 14 symbols. For an extended cyclic prefix (e.g., for a 60kHz SCS), a time slot can include 12 symbols. The relationship between the number of symbols per time slot, the number of time slots per subframe, and the number of time slots per frame for both normal and extended cyclic prefixes can depend on the digital technology. It should be understood that for a first digital technology (e.g., ...) associated with a first SCS (e.g., 15kHz)... μ The reference of =0 can be used interchangeably between subframes and time slots.

[0068] In the wireless communication system 100, the electromagnetic (EM) spectrum can be divided into various categories, frequency bands, frequency channels, etc., based on frequency or wavelength. For example, the wireless communication system 100 can support one or more operating frequency bands, such as frequency range names FR1 (410MHz-7.125GHz), FR2 (24.25GHz-52.6GHz), FR3 (7.125GHz-24.25GHz), FR4 (52.6GHz-114.25GHz), FR4a or FR4-1 (52.6GHz-71GHz), and FR5 (114.25GHz-300GHz). In some implementations, network entity 102 and UE 104 can perform wireless communication on one or more operating frequency bands. In some implementations, FR1 can be used by network entity 102 and UE 104, along with other devices or apparatuses, for cellular communication services (e.g., control information, data). In some implementations, FR2 can be used by network entity 102 and UE 104, along with other devices or apparatuses, for short-range, high data rate capabilities.

[0069] FR1 can be associated with one or more digital technologies (e.g., at least three digital technologies). For example, FR1 can be associated with the following: a first digital technology (e.g., μ =0), which includes 15kHz SCS; second digital technology (e.g., μ =1), which includes 30kHz SCS; third digital technology (e.g., μ =2), which includes a 60kHz SCS. FR2 can be associated with one or more digital technologies (e.g., at least two digital technologies). For example, FR2 can be associated with a third digital technology (e.g., μ =2), which includes 60kHz SCS; fourth digital technology (e.g., μ =3), which includes 120kHz SCS.

[0070] As is known, uplink transmissions from different UEs can be multiplexed at the same physical resource in the uplink transmission, such as scheduled uplink resources or pre-configured uplink resources with the same time-frequency resource. A multiplexing sequence can be applied to uplink transmissions (cyclically, if necessary) to distinguish UEs, for example, starting from a reference time slot (or an absolute time slot, such as time slot #0). Regarding the PUR, it can be a dedicated PUR, where the uplink time-frequency resource can be exclusively used by one UE at a time; or a shared PUR, where the same uplink time-frequency resource can be used simultaneously by one or more UEs (e.g., up to two UEs).

[0071] Example uplink transmissions to which the multiplexing sequence is applied may include one or more of the following: Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) transmission (also referred to as PUSCH herein); or uplink reference signal transmission, such as demodulation reference signal (DMRS) for PUSCH; or uplink preamble (e.g., preamble for random access channel (RACH) or physical random access channel (PRACH), etc.). Taking IoT NTN, particularly for narrowband (NB) IoT (NBIoT), as an example, the uplink transmission may be NPUSCH (e.g., NPUSCH format 1 (which is used for uplink data rather than for feedback information)), or NPRACH (e.g., NPRACH preamble), or NPUSCH DMRS (which is a special type of physical layer signal used as a reference signal for decoding NPUSCH).

[0072] To support a large number of UEs across multiple cells, a large number of different DMRS sequences are needed for decoding uplink data. However, the transmission of DMRS sequences can overlap on the same physical resources.

[0073] In view of the above, embodiments of this disclosure provide a solution for reference signal transmission in uplink transmission. In the context of this disclosure, the term "reference signal" can refer to DMRS or any other suitable reference signal used for decoding uplink data. That is, this solution can be applied to the transmission of any suitable reference signal, including but not limited to DMRS. Figures 2 to 4E Please describe the solution in detail.

[0074] Figure 2 An example of a process 200 supporting uplink transmission according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. For discussion purposes, reference will be made to... Figure 1 Describe process 200. Process 200 may involve, for example, Figure 1 The UE 104 and network entity 102 (e.g., network entity 102-1) are shown. It should be understood that... Figure 2 The steps and their order are for illustrative purposes only and not for limitation.

[0075] like Figure 2 As shown, network entity 102 can send uplink transmission configuration 210 to UE 104. In some embodiments, the uplink transmission configuration may include configuration of reference signal (e.g., DMRS) transmission and configuration of uplink data transmission. It should be understood that the uplink transmission configuration may include any combination of the above information or any other suitable information or combination of information.

[0076] In some embodiments, the configuration of the reference signal transmission may indicate the spreading factor of the reference signal (also referred to herein as the first spreading factor for convenience). In some embodiments, the configuration of the reference signal transmission may indicate the multiplexing sequence associated with the first spreading factor (also referred to herein as the first multiplexing sequence for convenience). In some embodiments, the configuration of the reference signal transmission may indicate the physical resources used for the reference signal transmission. In some embodiments, the configuration of the reference signal transmission may indicate one or more parameters related to the generation of the reference signal sequence. It should be understood that the configuration of the reference signal transmission may include any combination of the above information or any other suitable information or combination of information.

[0077] In some embodiments, the configuration of uplink data transmission may indicate the spreading factor of the uplink data (also referred to herein as the second spreading factor for convenience). In some embodiments, the configuration of uplink data transmission may indicate the multiplexing sequence associated with the second spreading factor (also referred to herein as the second multiplexing sequence for convenience). In some embodiments, the configuration of uplink data transmission may indicate the physical resources used for uplink data transmission. It should be understood that the configuration of uplink data transmission may include any combination of the above information or any other suitable information or combination of information.

[0078] Continue to refer to Figure 2 UE 104 can process the 220 reference signal by applying a first multiplexing sequence to the reference signal. The first multiplexing sequence is associated with a first spreading factor. In some embodiments, UE 104 can determine the first spreading factor (i.e., the spreading factor of the reference signal) based at least on a second spreading factor (i.e., the spreading factor of the uplink data). In some embodiments, the second spreading factor can be determined by higher-layer parameters or any other suitable method.

[0079] In some embodiments, UE 104 may determine the second spreading factor as the first spreading factor. In some embodiments, UE 104 may determine the first spreading factor based on the second spreading factor and the uplink data frequency domain allocation (e.g., the number of subcarriers). For example, the first spreading factor may be determined based on the following equation (1). if ,but ;otherwise (1) in M occ,data Indicates the second spreading factor. K Represents positive integers. N sc Indicates the uplink data frequency domain allocation. M occThis represents the first spreading factor. In this example, it is assumed that... N sc ≥ M occ,data .

[0080] For illustration, example values ​​of the first spreading factor, determined by the second spreading factor and the uplink data frequency domain, can be described in Table 1 below. Table 1 In Table 1, for N sc and M occ,data In some configurations, X indicates that uplink transmissions with OCC operation are not supported under these configurations. In this case, a fallback to uplink transmissions without OCC operation is possible. It should be understood that the values ​​in Table 1 are merely examples, and this disclosure is not limited in this respect.

[0081] Continue to refer to Figure 2 In some embodiments, UE 104 may spread the 221 reference signal in consecutive symbols in the time domain based on a first multiplexing sequence. In this way, reference signals from different UEs can be multiplexed on the same physical resources.

[0082] In some embodiments, the first multiplexed sequence may be associated with information of UE 104, such as UE 104's identity (ID), Cell Radio Network Temporary Identity (C-RNTI), or UE 104-specific RRC configuration. In some embodiments, the first multiplexed sequence may include Walsh codes. In some embodiments, the first multiplexed sequence may include a Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) sequence.

[0083] In some embodiments, for the monotone case, UE 104 may spread the reference signal in consecutive symbols in the time domain based on a reference signal sequence. In some embodiments for the multitone case, UE 104 may spread the reference signal in consecutive symbols in the time domain based on multiple reference signal sequences.

[0084] In some embodiments, the reference signal sequence for uplink transmission may be preprocessed by a first multiplexed sequence having a first spreading factor. In some embodiments, the reference signal sequence may be determined based at least on a binary sequence and the first multiplexed sequence. In some embodiments, the length of the binary sequence may be determined based on at least one of the following: the number of repetitions of uplink data, the number of time slots in a resource element (RU), the number of RUs, or the first spreading factor. In some embodiments, the length of the first multiplexed sequence may be determined based on the first spreading factor.

[0085] For example, the reference signal sequence for a single subcarrier (e.g., NPUSCH) can be determined based on the following equation (2). in , (2) in The reference signal sequence representing a single subcarrier. Represents a binary sequence. j Represents the imaginary part of a complex number. Represents an orthogonal sequence related to cell ID information. Indicates the first multiplexed sequence. m This represents the m-th element of the first multiplexed sequence. M occ Indicates the first spreading factor. Indicates the number of times the uplink data is repeated. This represents the number of time slots in the RU. N RU This represents the number of RUs.

[0086] In some embodiments, binary sequence It can be defined as a scrambling sequence and can be used at the start of NPUSCH transmission. c init =25 (as an example) to initialize. The length can be determined by the first spreading factor. M occ To determine (for example, In some embodiments, it may be possible to determine When calculating the length, use the ceiling operation ceil(x).

[0087] In some embodiments, Examples can be defined as shown in Table 2. For example, ,in cellID This represents the community ID. It should be understood that... It may take any other suitable form, and this disclosure does not limit that aspect. Table 2

[0088] In some embodiments, as Walsh codes Examples can be defined as shown in Table 3. It should be understood that... It may take any other suitable form, and this disclosure does not limit that aspect. Table 3

[0089] In some embodiments, in the case of monotone, for NPUSCH format 1, It can be 16. In some embodiments, N RU It can be configured by the higher level as {1,2,3,4,5,6,8}.

[0090] It should be understood that equation (2) is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit this disclosure. Any other suitable form is also possible.

[0091] To illustrate, we will combine Figure 3A Describe some examples. Figure 3A An example single-tone uplink transmission 300A according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. In this example, the SCS is 15 kHz.

[0092] like Figure 3A As shown, in uplink transmission 310, M occ =2, and each reference signal symbol set includes two symbols. OCC operations can be performed on the reference signals on both symbols. The starting symbol indices corresponding to reference signal symbol sets 311, 312, and 313 are determined to be 6, 20, and 34, respectively. The other symbols are used to carry uplink data.

[0093] Continue to refer to Figure 3A In uplink transmission 320, M occ =3, and each reference signal symbol set includes three symbols. OCC operations can be performed on the reference signals on the three symbols. The starting symbol indices corresponding to reference signal symbol sets 321 and 322 are determined to be 9 and 30, respectively. The other symbols are used to carry uplink data.

[0094] Continue to refer to Figure 3A In uplink transmission 330, M occ =4, and each reference signal symbol set includes four symbols. OCC operations can be performed on the reference signals on the four symbols. The starting symbol indices corresponding to reference signal symbol sets 331 and 332 are determined to be 12 and 40, respectively. The other symbols are used to carry uplink data. It should be understood that reference signal symbol set 332 may also include four symbols, and only a portion of reference signal symbol set 332 is shown here.

[0095] return Figure 2In some embodiments, UE 104 may determine the first multiplexing sequence 222 based on the identity matrix. The first multiplexing sequence may be determined such that reference signal transmissions from different UEs do not overlap on the same resources. For example, the multiplexing sequences applied to different UEs may be determined as {1 0 0 0}; {0 1 0 0}; {0 0 1 0}; {0 0 0 1}. One of the multiplexing sequences may be based on the index of the first multiplexing sequence (referred to herein as...). m occ To determine this. For example, for m occ =1, {0 1 0 0} can be determined as the first multiplexed sequence of the reference signal.

[0096] refer to Figure 2 In some embodiments, UE 104 may set the reference signals in the time-domain location set (also referred to herein as the second time-domain location set for convenience) to zero 223. The second time-domain location set may be determined such that reference signal transmissions from different UEs do not overlap on physical resources.

[0097] In some embodiments, UE 104 may be based on the index of the first spreading factor or the first multiplexing sequence (e.g., m occ The second time-domain location set is determined by at least one of the following equations (1). For example, the reference signal symbol can be set to zero when the time slot index satisfies the following equation (3). ,in (3) in n Indicates the time slot index. M occ Indicates the first spreading factor. m occ Indicates the index of the first multiplexed sequence.

[0098] It should be understood that equation (3) is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit this disclosure. Any other suitable form is also possible.

[0099] To illustrate, we will combine Figure 3B Describe some example uplink transmissions. Figure 3B The illustration shows another example of a single-tone uplink transmission 300B according to various aspects of this disclosure. In this example, the SCS is 15 kHz.

[0100] like Figure 3B As shown, in uplink transmission 340, M occ=2, and a single reference signal symbol exists within each time slot. The reference signal transmissions of UE#1 and UE#2 can be distinguished by setting the reference signal symbols in time slots #1, #3 and #5 of UE#1 to zero and the reference signal symbols in time slots #0, #2 and #4 of UE#2 to zero.

[0101] Continue to refer to Figure 3B In uplink transmission 350, M occ =3, and each time slot contains a single reference signal symbol. The reference signal transmissions of UE#1, UE#2 and UE#3 can be distinguished by setting the reference signal symbols in time slots #1, #2, #4 and #5 of UE#1 to zero, the reference signal symbols in time slots #0, #2, #3 and #5 of UE#2 to zero, and the reference signal symbols in time slots #0, #1, #3 and #4 of UE#3 to zero.

[0102] Return to Figure 2 In some embodiments, UE 104 may spread the 234 reference signal in multiple resource elements of a resource in the time or frequency domain based on a first multiplexing sequence.

[0103] In some embodiments, UE 104 may determine the length of the reference signal before spreading based on the uplink data frequency domain allocation and the first spreading factor. In other words, the length of the reference signal before spreading may be scaled by the spreading factor of the reference signal. For example, the length of the reference signal before spreading may be determined based on the following equation (4). (4) in L rs Indicates the length of the reference signal before spread spectrum. N sc Indicates the uplink data frequency domain allocation. M occ This represents the first spreading factor.

[0104] It should be understood that equation (4) is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit this disclosure. Any other suitable form is also possible.

[0105] In some embodiments, UE 104 may determine the offset between multiple resource elements based on the length of the reference signal before spreading, and spread the reference signal in the multiple resource elements based on the offset.

[0106] In some embodiments, a reference signal sequence of multiple tones can be determined based on the following equation (5). in , (5) in A reference signal sequence representing multiple pitches. Indicates and The value corresponds to the predefined value. Indicates the first multiplexed sequence. This indicates the number of subcarriers of the RU. M occ Indicates the first spreading factor. j Represents the imaginary part of a complex number. m Let m be the m-th element of the first multiplexed sequence, and α This represents the cyclic shift value configured by higher-level parameters.

[0107] It should be understood that equation (5) is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit this disclosure. Any other suitable form is also possible.

[0108] In some embodiments, the OCC operation of the reference signal can be performed before DFT precoding. M occ Performing / spreading within resource elements, and the offsets between these resource elements can be... L rs Or 1. In some embodiments, the OCC operation of the reference signal can be performed within two consecutive resource elements. In some embodiments, the OCC operation of the reference signal can be performed at an offset of L rs Execute within two consecutive resource elements.

[0109] In some embodiments, UE 104 can process uplink data by applying a second multiplexing sequence associated with a second spreading factor to the uplink data. In some embodiments, UE 104 can spread the uplink data across symbols in the time domain. In some embodiments, UE 104 can use the second multiplexing sequence to spread the uplink data for each symbol in the time domain. For example, the spread uplink data can be determined based on the following equation (6). ,in (6) in This indicates uplink data after spreading using the second multiplexed sequence. This represents the uplink data before spread spectrum distribution. M occ,data Indicates the second spreading factor. Indicates the second multiplexed sequence. m ′ represents the second multiplexing sequence. m 'element.

[0110] In another example, the spread-spectrum uplink data can be determined based on the following equation (7). in (7) in This indicates uplink data after spreading using the second multiplexed sequence. This represents the uplink data before spread spectrum distribution. M occ,data Indicates the second spreading factor. Indicates the second multiplexed sequence. m ′ represents the second multiplexing sequence. m 'element.

[0111] It should be understood that equations (6) and (7) are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Any other suitable form is also possible.

[0112] To illustrate, we will combine Figures 4A to 4E Describe some example uplink transmissions. Figure 4A The illustration depicts an example of a multi-tone uplink transmission 400A according to various aspects of this disclosure. In this example, the UE is configured with data spread spectrum. M occ,data =2, and N sc =6. Therefore, M occ =2, and the length of the reference signal before spreading for each symbol is 3 (i.e., L rs =3). The length of the reference signal after spread spectrum for each symbol is equal to... N sc (That is, 6). For example... Figure 4A As shown, the OCC operation of the reference signal can be performed in two resource elements (e.g., samples) before DFT precoding, and the offset between the two resource elements is... L rs OCC operations on uplink data can be performed across two symbols (e.g., two consecutive symbols).

[0113] Figure 4B The illustration shows another example of a multi-tone uplink transmission 400B according to various aspects of this disclosure. In this example, the UE is configured with data spread spectrum. M occ,data =3, and N sc =6. Therefore, M occ=3, and the length of the reference signal before spreading for each symbol is 2 (i.e., L rs =2). The length of the reference signal after spread spectrum for each symbol is equal to N sc (That is, 6). For example... Figure 4B As shown, the OCC operation for the reference signal can be performed over three consecutive resource elements (e.g., samples) before DFT precoding, with an offset of 1 between the resource elements. The OCC operation for the uplink data can be performed over three consecutive symbols.

[0114] Figure 4C The illustration shows another example of a multi-tone uplink transmission 400C according to various aspects of this disclosure. In this example, the UE is configured with data spread spectrum. M occ,data =4, and N sc =12. Therefore, M occ =4, and the length of the reference signal before spreading for each symbol is 3 (i.e., L rs =3). The length of the reference signal after spread spectrum for each symbol is equal to... N sc (That is, 12). For example... Figure 4C As shown, the OCC operation for the reference signal can be performed over four consecutive resource elements (e.g., samples) prior to DFT precoding, with an offset of 1 between the resource elements. The OCC operation for the uplink data can be performed over four consecutive symbols.

[0115] Figure 4D The illustration shows another example of a multi-tone uplink transmission 400D according to various aspects of this disclosure. In this example, the UE is configured with data spread spectrum. M occ,data =2, and N sc =12. Therefore, M occ =2, and the length of the reference signal before spreading for each symbol is 6 (i.e., L rs =6). The length of the reference signal after spread spectrum for each symbol is equal to... N sc (That is, 12). For example... Figure 4D As shown, the OCC operation of the reference signal can be performed in two resource elements (e.g., samples) before DFT precoding, and the offset between the resource elements is... L rs OCC operations on uplink data can be performed between two symbols.

[0116] Figure 4E The illustration depicts another example of a multi-tone uplink transmission 400E according to various aspects of this disclosure. In this example, the UE is configured with data spread spectrum. M occ,data =2, and N sc =6. Therefore, M occ =3, and the length of the reference signal for each symbol is 3 (i.e., L rs =3). For example Figure 4E As shown, the remaining resource elements in the reference signal symbol are set to zero. The position of the reference signal is determined by the index of the first multiplexing sequence. OCC operations for uplink data can be performed between two symbols.

[0117] Continue to refer to Figure 2 UE 104 may transmit 230 uplink data along with processed reference signals. In some embodiments, UE 104 may transmit the processed reference signals on physical resources. In some embodiments, UE 104 may determine a set of time-domain locations of reference signals (also referred to herein as a first time-domain location set for convenience) and transmit reference signals (i.e., a sequence of reference signals) on the first time-domain location set.

[0118] In some embodiments, UE 104 may determine a first time-domain location set of reference signals based at least on a first spreading factor. In some embodiments, the reference signals may be mapped to symbol indices, and the mapped symbol indices may be determined based on the first spreading factor and the index of the reference signal symbol set. Each reference signal symbol set may include... M occ One reference signal symbol.

[0119] For example, for a 15kHz SCS, the symbol index of the mapping can be determined based on the following equation (8). (8) in l The symbol index representing the mapping. M occ Indicates the first spreading factor. k This represents the k-th reference signal symbol set transmitted in the uplink. P Indicates the number of symbols within the uplink time slot (e.g., P =7), Q The symbol index representing the reference signal within the uplink time slot (e.g., Q =3).

[0120] In another example, for a 3.75 kHz SCS, the symbol index of the mapping can be determined based on the following equation (9). (9) in l The symbol index representing the mapping. M occ Indicates the first spreading factor. k This represents the k-th reference signal symbol set transmitted in the uplink (e.g., k ≥0), P Indicates the number of symbols within the uplink time slot (e.g., P =7), Q The symbol index representing the reference signal within the uplink time slot (e.g., Q =4).

[0121] In other words, continuous symbols can be used for reference signal transmission (e.g., a reference signal symbol set), and reference signals within the reference signal symbol set can be multiplexed with the first multiplexing sequence. For example, for a 15kHz SCS, the symbol index of the first reference signal (i.e., the starting reference signal) in the reference signal symbol set can be determined by the following equation (10). The time period of the reference signal (e.g., the reference signal symbol set) can be ( M occ (7) symbols. (10) in l The symbol index representing the mapping. M occ Indicates the first spreading factor. k This represents the k-th reference signal symbol set transmitted in the uplink. P Indicates the number of symbols within the uplink time slot (e.g., P =7), Q The symbol index representing the reference signal within the uplink time slot (e.g., Q =3).

[0122] It should be understood that equations (8) to (10) are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Any other suitable form is also possible.

[0123] Continue to refer to Figure 2 Network entity 102 can perform a 240 decoding operation on the received uplink transmission. In some embodiments, network entity 102 can process a 241 reference signal by applying a first multiplexing sequence to the reference signal.

[0124] In some embodiments, network entity 102 may spread reference signals in consecutive symbols in the time domain based on a set of reference signal sequences. The set of reference signal sequences may be determined based at least on a binary sequence and a first multiplexed sequence. In some embodiments, the length of the first multiplexed sequence may be determined based on a first spreading factor. In some embodiments, the length of the binary sequence may be determined based on at least one of the following: the number of repetitions for uplink data, the number of time slots in a resource element, the number of resource elements, or the first spreading factor.

[0125] In some embodiments, network entity 102 may determine the first multiplexing sequence based on the identity matrix.

[0126] In some embodiments, network entity 102 may determine a second time-domain location set for a reference signal based on at least one of the following: an index of a first spreading factor or a first multiplexing sequence; and setting the reference signal in the second time-domain location set to zero.

[0127] In some embodiments, network entity 102 may spread a reference signal across multiple resource elements in the time or frequency domain based on a first multiplexing sequence. The length of the reference signal before spreading may be determined based on uplink data frequency domain allocation and a first spreading factor. In some embodiments, network entity 102 may determine the offset between multiple resource elements based on the length of the reference signal before spreading. Based on the offset, network entity 102 may spread the reference signal across multiple resource elements.

[0128] refer to Figure 2 Network entity 102 can receive or determine uplink data 242 based on the processed reference signal and the configuration. In some embodiments, network entity 102 can determine a first time-domain location set of the reference signal based at least on a first spreading factor, and receive the reference signal at the first time-domain location set. In some embodiments, network entity 102 can process or acquire uplink data by applying a second multiplexing sequence associated with a second spreading factor to the received uplink data.

[0129] It should be understood that some of steps 241 and 242 can be performed in a manner similar to that described for UE 104 in step 220, and therefore, for the sake of brevity, other details will not be repeated here.

[0130] So far, a solution for uplink transmission has been described. Using procedure 200, reference signals for uplink transmission can be reliably transmitted, and the multiplexing of multiple UEs within the same physical resources for uplink transmission can be enhanced. Therefore, uplink capacity can be increased. It should be understood that the operations in procedure 200 can be performed individually or in any suitable combination.

[0131] Figure 5 An example of a device 500 supporting uplink transmission according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. Device 500 may be an example of a UE 104 as described herein. Device 500 may support wireless communication with one or more network entities 102, UE 104, or any combination thereof. Device 500 may include components for bidirectional communication, including components for transmitting and receiving communications (such as processor 502, memory 504, transceiver 506, and optional I / O controller 508). These components may communicate electronically or be otherwise coupled (e.g., operational ground, communication ground, functional ground, electronic ground, electrical ground) via one or more interfaces (e.g., bus).

[0132] Processor 502, memory 504, transceiver 506, or various combinations thereof, or various components thereof, may be examples of components used to perform various aspects of the present disclosure described herein. For example, processor 502, memory 504, transceiver 506, or various combinations thereof, or components thereof, may support methods for performing one or more of the operations described herein.

[0133] In some implementations, processor 502, memory 504, transceiver 506, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in a communication management circuitry system). The hardware may include a processor, digital signal processor (DSP), application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, configured to or otherwise supporting components for performing the functions described in this disclosure. In some implementations, processor 502 and memory 504 coupled to processor 502 may be configured to perform one or more functions described herein (e.g., by executing instructions stored in memory 504 by processor 502).

[0134] For example, according to the examples disclosed herein, processor 502 may support wireless communication at device 500. In some embodiments where device 500 is implemented as UE 104, processor 502 may be configured to operate to support components for: receiving configuration for uplink transmission from a base station; processing a reference signal by applying a first multiplexing sequence associated with a first spreading factor to the reference signal; and transmitting uplink data to the base station based on the configuration and the processed reference signal. In some embodiments where device 500 is implemented as network entity 102, processor 502 may be configured to operate to support components for: transmitting configuration for uplink transmission to the UE; processing the reference signal by applying a first multiplexing sequence associated with a first spreading factor to the reference signal; and receiving uplink data from the UE based on the processed reference signal and the configuration.

[0135] Processor 502 may include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., general-purpose processors, DSPs, CPUs, microcontrollers, ASICs, FPGAs, programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some implementations, processor 502 may be configured to use a memory controller to operate a memory array. In some other implementations, the memory controller may be integrated into processor 502. Processor 502 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 504) to cause device 500 to perform various functions of this disclosure.

[0136] Memory 504 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). Memory 504 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code, including instructions that, when executed by processor 502, cause device 500 to perform the various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or another type of memory. In some implementations, the code may not be directly executed by processor 502, but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein. In some implementations, memory 504 may include a basic I / O system (BIOS) that controls basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0137] I / O controller 508 can manage the input and output signals of device 500. I / O controller 508 can also manage peripheral devices not integrated into device 500. In some implementations, I / O controller 508 can represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral device. In some implementations, I / O controller 508 can utilize an operating system such as iOS®, Android®, MS Windows®, OS / 2®, UNIX®, Linux®, or other known operating systems. In some implementations, I / O controller 508 can be implemented as part of a processor, such as processor 506. In some implementations, a user can interact with device 500 via I / O controller 508 or via hardware components controlled by I / O controller 508.

[0138] In some implementations, device 500 may include a single antenna 510. However, in other implementations, device 500 may have more than one antenna 510 (i.e., multiple antennas), including multiple antenna panels or antenna arrays capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. Transceiver 506 may communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas 510, wired or wireless links, as described herein. For example, transceiver 506 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. Transceiver 506 may also include a modem for modulating packets, providing modulated packets to one or more antennas 510 for transmission, and demodulating packets received from one or more antennas 510. Transceiver 506 may include one or more transmit chains, one or more receive chains, or combinations thereof.

[0139] The transmission chain can be configured to generate and transmit signals (e.g., control information, data, packets). The transmission chain may include at least one modulator for modulating data onto a carrier signal, preparing the signal for transmission over a wireless medium. At least one modulator may be configured to support one or more techniques, such as amplitude modulation (AM), frequency modulation (FM), or digital modulation schemes such as phase shift keying (PSK) or quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM). The transmission chain may also include at least one power amplifier configured to amplify the modulated signal to an appropriate power level suitable for transmission over a wireless medium. The transmission chain may also include one or more antennas 510 for transmitting the amplified signal into the air or wireless medium.

[0140] The receiver chain can be configured to receive signals (e.g., control information, data, packets) via a wireless medium. For example, the receiver chain may include one or more antennas 510 for receiving signals over the air or via a wireless medium. The receiver chain may include at least one amplifier (e.g., a low-noise amplifier (LNA)) configured to amplify the received signal. The receiver chain may include at least one demodulator configured to demodulate the received signal and acquire transmitted data by reversing the modulation technique applied during signal transmission. The receiver chain may include at least one decoder for decoding the demodulated signal to receive the transmitted data.

[0141] Figure 6 An example of a processor 600 supporting uplink transmission according to various aspects of this disclosure is illustrated. Processor 600 may be an example of a processor configured to perform various operations according to the examples described herein. Processor 600 may include a controller 602 configured to perform various operations according to the examples described herein. Processor 600 may optionally include at least one memory 604, such as an L1 / L2 / L3 cache. Additionally or alternatively, processor 600 may optionally include one or more arithmetic logic units (ALUs) 606. One or more of these components may be electronically communicated or otherwise coupled (e.g., operative ground, communicative ground, functional ground, electronic ground, electrical ground) via one or more interfaces (e.g., buses).

[0142] Processor 600 may be a processor chipset and includes a protocol stack (e.g., a software stack) executed by the processor chipset to perform various operations (e.g., receive, acquire, retrieve, send, output, forward, store, determine, identify, access, write, read) according to the examples described herein. The processor chipset may include one or more cores, one or more caches (e.g., memory local to the processor chipset or included in the processor chipset (e.g., processor 600)) or other memory (e.g., random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), dynamic RAM (DRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM), static RAM (SRAM), ferroelectric RAM (FeRAM), magnetic RAM (MRAM), resistive RAM (RRAM), flash memory, phase-change memory (PCM), etc.).

[0143] Controller 602 can be configured to manage and coordinate various operations of processor 600 (e.g., signaling, receiving, acquiring, retrieving, transmitting, outputting, forwarding, storing, determining, identifying, accessing, writing, and reading) to enable processor 600 to support various operations of the UE according to the examples described herein. For example, controller 602 can operate as a control unit of processor 600 to generate control signals for managing the operation of various components of processor 600. These control signals include enabling or disabling functional units, selecting data paths, initiating memory accesses, and coordinating operation timing.

[0144] Controller 602 may be configured to fetch (e.g., fetch, retrieve, receive) instructions from memory 604 and determine subsequent instructions(s) to be executed, enabling processor 600 to support various operations according to the examples described herein. Controller 602 may be configured to track the memory addresses of instructions associated with memory 604. Controller 602 may be configured to decode instructions to determine the operations to be performed and the operands involved. For example, controller 602 may be configured to interpret instructions and determine control signals to be output to other components of processor 600, enabling processor 600 to support various operations according to the examples described herein. Additionally or alternatively, controller 602 may be configured to manage data flow within processor 600. Controller 602 may be configured to control data transfers between registers, arithmetic logic unit (ALU), and other functional units of processor 600.

[0145] Memory 604 may include one or more caches (e.g., memory or other memory, such as RAM, ROM, DRAM, SDRAM, SRAM, MRAM, flash memory, etc., local to or included in processor 600). In some implementations, memory 604 may reside within or on the processor chipset (e.g., local to processor 600). In some other implementations, memory 604 may reside outside the processor chipset (e.g., remote from processor 600).

[0146] Memory 604 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code, including instructions that, when executed by processor 600, cause processor 600 to perform the various functions described herein. The code may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as system memory or another type of memory. Controller 602 and / or processor 600 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory 604 to cause processor 600 to perform various functions. For example, processor 600 and / or controller 602 may be coupled to or coupled to memory 604, and processor 600, controller 602, and memory 604 may be configured to perform the various functions described herein. In some examples, processor 600 may include multiple processors, and memory 604 may include multiple memories. One or more of the multiple processors may be coupled to one or more of the multiple memories, which may be configured individually or collectively to perform the various functions described herein.

[0147] One or more ALU 606s can be configured to support a variety of operations as described in the examples herein. In some implementations, one or more ALU 606s may reside within or on a processor chipset (e.g., processor 600). In some other implementations, one or more ALU 606s may reside outside the processor chipset (e.g., processor 600). One or more ALU 606s can perform one or more calculations on data, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. For example, one or more ALU 606s can receive input operands and an opcode that determines the operation to be performed. One or more ALU 606s are configured with a variety of logic and arithmetic circuitry, including adders, subtractors, shifters, and logic gates, to process and manipulate data according to the operation. Alternatively or additionally, one or more ALU 606s may support logical operations such as AND, OR, XOR, NOR, and NAND, enabling one or more ALU 606s to handle conditional operations, comparisons, and bitwise operations.

[0148] According to the examples disclosed herein, processor 600 can support wireless communication. In some embodiments where processor 600 is implemented at UE 104, processor 600 can be configured to operate to support components for: receiving configuration for uplink transmission from a base station at the UE; processing a reference signal by applying a first multiplexing sequence associated with a first spreading factor to the reference signal; and transmitting uplink data to the base station based on the configuration and the processed reference signal. In some embodiments where processor 600 is implemented at network entity 102, processor 600 can be configured to operate to support components for: transmitting configuration for uplink transmission to the UE; processing the reference signal by applying a first multiplexing sequence associated with a first spreading factor to the reference signal; and receiving uplink data from the UE based on the processed reference signal and the configuration.

[0149] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating a method 700 supporting uplink transmission according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown. Operation of method 700 can be implemented by a device or components thereof as described herein. For example, operation of method 700 can be performed by a UE 104 as described herein. In some implementations, the device can execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the device to perform the described functions. Alternatively or additionally, the device can use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the described functions.

[0150] At box 710, method 700 may include receiving configuration for uplink transmissions from network entity 102. The operation of 710 can be performed according to examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of 710 may be derived from references... Figure 1 The device described is used to perform the execution.

[0151] At block 720, method 700 may include processing the reference signal by applying a first multiplexing sequence associated with the first spreading factor to the reference signal. The operation of 720 may be performed according to examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of 720 may be determined by, as in the reference... Figure 1 The device described is used to perform the execution.

[0152] In some embodiments, processing the reference signal may include: spreading the reference signal in consecutive symbols in the time domain based on a set of reference signal sequences, wherein the set of reference signal sequences is determined based at least on a binary sequence and a first multiplexed sequence. In some embodiments, the length of the first multiplexed sequence may be determined based on a first spreading factor. In some embodiments, the length of the binary sequence may be determined based on at least one of the following: the number of repetitions for uplink data, the number of time slots in a resource element, the number of resource elements, or the first spreading factor.

[0153] In some embodiments, processing the reference signal may include determining a first multiplexing sequence based on the identity matrix.

[0154] In some embodiments, processing the reference signal may include: determining a second time-domain location set for the reference signal based on at least one of a first spreading factor or an index of a first multiplexing sequence; and setting the reference signal in the second time-domain location set to zero.

[0155] In some embodiments, processing the reference signal may include: spreading the reference signal in multiple resource elements of a resource in the time or frequency domain based on a first multiplexing sequence, wherein the length of the reference signal before spreading is determined based on uplink data frequency domain allocation and a first spreading factor. In some embodiments, the spread reference signal may include: determining an offset between multiple resource elements based on the length of the reference signal before spreading; and spreading the reference signal in multiple resource elements based on the offset.

[0156] At box 730, method 700 may include: transmitting uplink data to the base station based on the configuration along with a processed reference signal. The operation of 730 can be performed according to examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of 730 may be derived from, as in the reference... Figure 1 The device described is used to perform the execution.

[0157] In some embodiments, transmitting uplink data along with the processed reference signal may include: determining a first time-domain location set of the reference signal based at least on a first spreading factor; and transmitting the reference signal on the first time-domain location set.

[0158] In some embodiments, transmitting uplink data along with a processed reference signal may include processing the uplink data by applying a second multiplexing sequence associated with a second spreading factor to the uplink data.

[0159] In some embodiments, method 700 may further include: determining a second spreading factor as a first spreading factor; or determining a first spreading factor based on a second spreading factor and uplink data frequency domain allocation.

[0160] Figure 8 A flowchart illustrating another method 800 supporting uplink transmission according to various aspects of this disclosure is shown. Operation of method 800 can be implemented by a device or components thereof as described herein. For example, operation of method 800 can be performed by a network entity 102 as described herein. In some implementations, the device can execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the device to perform the described functions. Alternatively or additionally, the device can use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the described functions.

[0161] At block 810, method 800 may include sending configuration for uplink transmission to UE 104. The operation of 810 can be performed according to examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of 810 may be provided by reference to [reference needed]. Figure 1 The device described is used to perform the execution.

[0162] At block 820, method 800 may include processing the reference signal by applying a first multiplexing sequence associated with the first spreading factor to the reference signal. The operation of 820 may be performed according to examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of the operation of 820 may be determined by, as in the reference... Figure 1 The device described is used to perform the execution.

[0163] In some embodiments, processing the reference signal may include: spreading the reference signal in consecutive symbols in the time domain based on a set of reference signal sequences, wherein the set of reference signal sequences is determined based at least on a binary sequence and a first multiplexed sequence. In some embodiments, the length of the first multiplexed sequence may be determined based on a first spreading factor. In some embodiments, the length of the binary sequence may be determined based on at least one of the following: the number of repetitions for uplink data, the number of time slots in a resource element, the number of resource elements, or the first spreading factor.

[0164] In some embodiments, processing the reference signal may include determining a first multiplexing sequence based on the identity matrix.

[0165] In some embodiments, processing the reference signal may include: determining a second time-domain location set for the reference signal based on at least one of a first spreading factor or an index of a first multiplexing sequence; and setting the reference signal in the second time-domain location set to zero.

[0166] In some embodiments, processing the reference signal may include: spreading the reference signal in multiple resource elements of a resource in the time or frequency domain based on a first multiplexing sequence, wherein the length of the reference signal before spreading is determined based on uplink data frequency domain allocation and a first spreading factor. In some embodiments, the spread reference signal may include: determining an offset between multiple resource elements based on the length of the reference signal before spreading; and spreading the reference signal in multiple resource elements based on the offset.

[0167] At block 830, method 800 may include receiving uplink data from UE 104 based on the processed reference signal and the configuration. Operation of 830 can be performed according to examples as described herein. In some implementations, aspects of operation of 830 may be determined by reference... Figure 1 The device described is used to perform the execution.

[0168] In some embodiments, receiving uplink data together with a processed reference signal may include: determining a first time-domain location set of the reference signal based at least on a first spreading factor; and receiving the reference signal at the first time-domain location set.

[0169] In some embodiments, receiving uplink data together with a processed reference signal may include processing the uplink data by applying a second multiplexing sequence associated with a second spreading factor to the uplink data.

[0170] In some embodiments, method 800 may further include: determining a second spreading factor as a first spreading factor; or determining a first spreading factor based on a second spreading factor and uplink data frequency domain allocation.

[0171] It should be understood that the operations of methods 700 and 800 correspond to the combination Figures 2 to 4E The operation described is described, and therefore, for the sake of brevity, other details will not be repeated in this article.

[0172] It should be noted that the methods described in this paper describe possible implementations, and the operations and steps can be rearranged or otherwise modified, and other implementations are also possible. Furthermore, aspects from two or more methods can be combined.

[0173] The various illustrative blocks and components disclosed herein can be implemented or executed using a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, CPU, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware component or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any processor, controller, microcontroller or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0174] The functions described herein can be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions can be stored on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or code. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described herein can be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or any combination thereof. Features implementing the functions can also be physically located in various locations, including being distributed such that portions of the functions are implemented in different physical locations.

[0175] Computer-readable media include both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media, with communication media including any medium that facilitates the transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Non-transitory storage media can be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer. For example, non-transitory computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), flash memory, optical disc (CD) ROM or other optical disc storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor.

[0176] As used herein, including in the claims, the article “a” preceding an element is unrestricted and should be understood to mean “at least one” or “one or more” of those elements. The terms “a,” “at least one,” “one or more,” and “at least one of one or more” are interchangeable. As used herein, including in the claims, the use of “or” in a list of items (e.g., a list of items beginning with phrases such as “at least one of…” or “one or more of…” or “one or two of…”) indicates an inclusive list, such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Furthermore, as used herein, the phrase “based on” should not be construed as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an example step described as “based on condition A” without departing from the scope of this disclosure could be based on both condition A and condition B. In other words, as used herein, the phrase “based on” should be interpreted in the same manner as the phrase “at least partially based on.” Furthermore, as used herein, including in the claims, “set” can include one or more elements.

[0177] The description provided herein is intended to enable those skilled in the art to make or use this disclosure. Various modifications to this disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Therefore, this disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A user equipment, comprising: processor; as well as A transceiver, the transceiver being coupled to the processor, The processor is configured as follows: The transceiver receives configuration for uplink transmission from the base station. The reference signal is processed by applying a first multiplexing sequence associated with a first spreading factor to the reference signal; as well as Uplink data is transmitted to the base station via the transceiver based on the configuration and the processed reference signal.

2. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to process the reference signal in the following manner: The reference signal is spread in consecutive symbols in the time domain based on a set of reference signal sequences, wherein the set of reference signal sequences is determined based at least on a binary sequence and the first multiplexing sequence.

3. The user equipment of claim 2, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the uplink data together with the processed reference signal in such a manner as follows: A first time-domain location set of the reference signal is determined at least based on the first spreading factor; and The reference signal is transmitted over the first time-domain location set.

4. The user equipment according to claim 2, wherein the length of the first multiplexing sequence is determined based on the first spreading factor.

5. The user equipment of claim 2, wherein the length of the binary sequence is determined based on at least one of the following: the number of repetitions of the uplink data, the number of time slots in a resource unit, the number of resource units, or the first spreading factor.

6. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to process the reference signal in the following manner: The first multiplexed sequence is determined based on the identity matrix.

7. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to process the reference signal in such a manner as: A second time-domain location set for the reference signal is determined based on at least one of the first spreading factor or the index of the first multiplexing sequence; and Set the reference signal in the second time-domain location set to zero.

8. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to process the reference signal in the following manner: The reference signal is spread in multiple resource elements of a resource in the time or frequency domain based on the first multiplexing sequence, wherein the length of the reference signal prior to spreading is determined based on the uplink data frequency domain allocation and the first spreading factor.

9. The user equipment of claim 8, wherein the processor is configured to spread the reference signal by: The offset between the plurality of resource elements is determined based on the length of the reference signal prior to the spread spectrum; and The reference signal is spread across the plurality of resource elements based on the offset.

10. The user equipment of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to transmit the uplink data together with the processed reference signal in such a manner that: The uplink data is processed by applying a second multiplexing sequence associated with a second spreading factor to the uplink data.

11. The user equipment of claim 10, wherein the processor is further configured to: The second spreading factor is determined as the first spreading factor; or The first spreading factor is determined based on the second spreading factor and the uplink data frequency domain allocation.

12. A base station, comprising: processor; as well as A transceiver, the transceiver being coupled to the processor, The processor is configured as follows: The transceiver sends the configuration for uplink transmission to the user equipment. The reference signal is processed by applying a first multiplexing sequence associated with a first spreading factor to the reference signal; as well as Uplink data is received from the user equipment via the transceiver based on the processed reference signal and the configuration.

13. The base station of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to process the reference signal in the following manner: The reference signal is spread in consecutive symbols in the time domain based on a set of reference signal sequences, wherein the set of reference signal sequences is determined based at least on a binary sequence and the first multiplexing sequence.

14. The base station of claim 13, wherein the processor is configured to receive the uplink data together with the processed reference signal in such a manner that: A first time-domain location set of the reference signal is determined at least based on the first spreading factor; and The reference signal is received at the first time-domain location set.

15. The base station of claim 13, wherein the length of the first multiplexing sequence is determined based on the first spreading factor.

16. The base station of claim 13, wherein the length of the binary sequence is determined based on at least one of the following: the number of repetitions of the uplink data, the number of time slots in a resource element, the number of resource elements, or the first spreading factor.

17. The base station of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to process the reference signal in the following manner: The first multiplexed sequence is determined based on the identity matrix.

18. The base station of claim 12, wherein the processor is configured to process the reference signal in such a manner as follows: A second time-domain location set for the reference signal is determined based on at least one of the first spreading factor or the index of the first multiplexing sequence; and Set the reference signal in the second time-domain location set to zero.

19. A processor for wireless communication, comprising: At least one memory; as well as The controller, coupled to the at least one memory, is configured such that the processor: Receive configuration for uplink transmission from the base station; The reference signal is processed by applying a first multiplexing sequence associated with a first spreading factor to the reference signal; as well as Based on the configuration, uplink data is transmitted to the base station along with the processed reference signal.

20. A method performed by a user equipment, the method comprising: Receive configuration for uplink transmission from the base station; The reference signal is processed by applying a first multiplexing sequence associated with a first spreading factor to the reference signal; as well as Based on the configuration, uplink data is transmitted to the base station along with the processed reference signal.

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