Uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems
Patent Information
- Application Number
- EP2023926808
- Authority / Receiving Office
- EP · EP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2023-03-16
- Publication Date
- 2026-01-21
Smart Images

Figure CN2023081890_19092024_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
UPLINK AGGREGATION FOR DEVICES IN WIRELESS SYSTEMS
[0001] FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY
[0002] The following relates to wireless communication, including uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems.BACKGROUND
[0003] Wireless communications systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and so on. These systems may be capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing the available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power) . Examples of such multiple-access systems include fourth generation (4G) systems such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) systems, LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) systems, or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth generation (5G) systems which may be referred to as New Radio (NR) systems. These systems may employ technologies such as code division multiple access (CDMA) , time division multiple access (TDMA) , frequency division multiple access (FDMA) , orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) , or discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM) .
[0004] A wireless multiple-access communications system may include one or more network entities, each supporting wireless communication for communication devices, which may be known as user equipment (UE) . Some communications systems may support packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) duplication in which multiple UEs may transmit copies of a same data packet to a network entity.
[0005] SUMMARY
[0006] The described techniques relate to improved methods, systems, devices, and apparatuses that enable uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems. For example, the described techniques provide a framework for single frequency network (SFN) uplink aggregation in which multiple UEs transmit repetitions of or portions of a same data packet. In some examples, a first user equipment (UE) may transmit a coordination message to a second UE to trigger uplink aggregation with the second UE for transmission of a data packet. The coordination message may indicate an uplink aggregation mode for uplink aggregation. The first UE may generate an uplink message based on the coordination message. For example, a payload of the uplink message may include a copy of the data packet or a portion of the data packet based on the uplink aggregation mode indicated via the coordination message. The first UE, second UE, or both, may transmit the uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0007] FIGs. 1 and 2 each illustrate an example of a wireless communications system that supports uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
[0008] FIG. 3, 4, and 5 each illustrate an example of a process flow that supports uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
[0009] FIGs. 6 and 7 illustrate block diagrams of devices that support uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
[0010] FIG. 8 illustrates a block diagram of a communications manager that supports uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
[0011] FIG. 9 illustrates a diagram of a system including a device that supports uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
[0012] FIGs. 10 and 11 illustrate block diagrams of devices that support uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
[0013] FIG. 12 illustrates a block diagram of a communications manager that supports uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
[0014] FIG. 13 illustrates a diagram of a system including a device that supports uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.
[0015] FIGs. 14 through 16 illustrate flowcharts showing methods that support uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure.DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0016] Some wireless communications systems may be configured to support one or more relay technologies. For instance, wireless communications between communication devices, such as a network entity and a user equipment (UE) , may be impacted by external factors. External factors may include a physical blocking object, signal fading, or other phenomena. To support communications in the presence of such external factors, a wireless communications system may employ other communication devices, such as relays. For example, the UE may transmit an uplink message to a relay (e.g., another UE) and the relay may forward the uplink message to the network entity. The relay may be configured to route the uplink message such that the impact of one or more external factors may be reduced or avoided.
[0017] In some cases, the UE may be in close proximity to the relay, such that signals transmitted from the UE and the relay may experience a relatively similar pathloss, and the UE may use the relay for uplink aggregation. The UE may use the relay for uplink aggregation to satisfy latency or reliability constraints associated with an application. For instance, the UE may support one or more applications that have increased latency and reliability constraints, such as mission critical (MC) video for first responders (e.g., fire fighters and police officers) . To increase reliability of data traffic for such applications (e.g., such that the constrains may be satisfied) , the UE may use data packet duplication to generate multiple copies of a data packet. The UE may forward a copy of the data packet to the relay, and the UE and the relay may transmit respective copies of the data packet to the network entity. Accordingly, the network entity may receive multiple copies of the data packet from the UE and the relay via multiple (e.g., different) time and frequency resources. The network entity may combine (e.g., aggregate) the copies of the data packet to increase a reliability with which the data packet may be decoded. In some cases, however, transmitting multiple copies of the same data packet via multiple time and frequency resources may lead to increased overhead and reduce resource utilization within the wireless communications system. Further, the UE may support one or more other applications that may have increased throughput constraints, such as augmented reality (AR) or virtual reality (VR) applications, that may not be satisfied via some data packet duplication techniques. In some examples, the UE may use SFN aggregation in which the UE and the relay may use the same or at least partially overlapping time and frequency resources for uplink transmissions. In some cases, however, the UE and the relay may lack a mechanism for coordinating uplink transmissions to enable SFN aggregation.
[0018] Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to techniques for uplink aggregation for devices in a wireless system and, more specifically, to a framework for SFN uplink aggregation. In accordance with the framework, the UE may transmit a coordination message to the relay to trigger (e.g., enable, coordinate) SFN uplink aggregation with the relay, such that the UE and the relay may transmit a data packet or portions of a data packet using a same or at least partially overlapping time and frequency resource. The coordination message may indicate an uplink aggregation mode for the SFN uplink aggregation. For example, the coordination message may indicate a split uplink aggregation mode in which the UE and the relay may use the same or at least partially overlapping time and frequency resources to transmit portions of the data packet. Alternatively, the coordination message may indicate a duplication uplink aggregation mode in which the UE and the relay may use the same or at least partially overlapping time and frequency resources to transmit multiple copies of the same data packet. The coordination message may include other coordination information, such as scheduling information, transmission parameter information, and timing information, among other examples. In some examples, the network entity may be aware of SFN uplink aggregation at the UE and the relay, and may transmit multiple (e.g., different) uplink grants of an uplink resource (e.g., the same time and frequency resource) to the UE and the relay for transmission of the data packet. In some other examples, the network entity may be unaware of (e.g., transparent to) SFN uplink aggregation at the UE and the relay, and may transmit an uplink grant (e.g., a single uplink grant) of the uplink resource to the UE. The UE may share the uplink grant with the relay, for example, via the coordination message.
[0019] Aspects of the subject matter described herein may be implemented to realize one or more of the following potential advantages. For example, the techniques employed by the described communication devices (e.g., the UE, the relay, the network entity) may provide benefits and enhancements to the operation of the communication devices, including uplink communications. In some examples, operations performed by the described communication devices may provide improvements to resource utilization within a wireless communications system. Operations performed by the described communication devices to improve resource utilization may include transmitting a coordination message to a relay to coordinate transmission of an uplink message in an SFN manner. In some examples, operations performed by the described communication devices may also support increased reliability and throughput of wireless communications within the wireless communications system, among other benefits. Aspects of the disclosure are initially described in the context of wireless communications systems and process flows. Aspects of the disclosure are further illustrated by and described with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flowcharts that relate to uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems.
[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system 100 that supports uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communications system 100 may include one or more network entities 105, one or more UEs 115, and a core network 130. In some examples, the wireless communications system 100 may be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, an LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network, an LTE-A Pro network, a New Radio (NR) network, or a network operating in accordance with other systems and radio technologies, including future systems and radio technologies not explicitly mentioned herein.
[0021] The network entities 105 may be dispersed throughout a geographic area to form the wireless communications system 100 and may include devices in different forms or having different capabilities. In various examples, a network entity 105 may be referred to as a network element, a mobility element, a radio access network (RAN) node, or network equipment, among other nomenclature. In some examples, network entities 105 and UEs 115 may wirelessly communicate via one or more communication links 125 (e.g., a radio frequency (RF) access link) . For example, a network entity 105 may support a coverage area 110 (e.g., a geographic coverage area) over which the UEs 115 and the network entity 105 may establish one or more communication links 125. The coverage area 110 may be an example of a geographic area over which a network entity 105 and a UE 115 may support the communication of signals according to one or more radio access technologies (RATs) .
[0022] The UEs 115 may be dispersed throughout a coverage area 110 of the wireless communications system 100, and each UE 115 may be stationary, or mobile, or both at different times. The UEs 115 may be devices in different forms or having different capabilities. Some example UEs 115 are illustrated in FIG. 1. The UEs 115 described herein may be capable of supporting communications with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115 or network entities 105, as shown in FIG. 1.
[0023] As described herein, a node of the wireless communications system 100, which may be referred to as a network node, or a wireless node, may be a network entity 105 (e.g., any network entity described herein) , a UE 115 (e.g., any UE described herein) , a network controller, an apparatus, a device, a computing system, one or more components, or another suitable processing entity configured to perform any of the techniques described herein. For example, a node may be a UE 115. As another example, a node may be a network entity 105. As another example, a first node may be configured to communicate with a second node or a third node. In one aspect of this example, the first node may be a UE 115, the second node may be a network entity 105, and the third node may be a UE 115. In another aspect of this example, the first node may be a UE 115, the second node may be a network entity 105, and the third node may be a network entity 105. In yet other aspects of this example, the first, second, and third nodes may be different relative to these examples. Similarly, reference to a UE 115, network entity 105, apparatus, device, computing system, or the like may include disclosure of the UE 115, network entity 105, apparatus, device, computing system, or the like being a node. For example, disclosure that a UE 115 is configured to receive information from a network entity 105 also discloses that a first node is configured to receive information from a second node.
[0024] In some examples, network entities 105 may communicate with the core network 130, or with one another, or both. For example, network entities 105 may communicate with the core network 130 via one or more backhaul communication links 120 (e.g., in accordance with an S1, N2, N3, or other interface protocol) . In some examples, network entities 105 may communicate with one another via a backhaul communication link 120 (e.g., in accordance with an X2, Xn, or other interface protocol) either directly (e.g., directly between network entities 105) or indirectly (e.g., via a core network 130) . In some examples, network entities 105 may communicate with one another via a midhaul communication link 162 (e.g., in accordance with a midhaul interface protocol) or a fronthaul communication link 168 (e.g., in accordance with a fronthaul interface protocol) , or any combination thereof. The backhaul communication links 120, midhaul communication links 162, or fronthaul communication links 168 may be or include one or more wired links (e.g., an electrical link, an optical fiber link) , one or more wireless links (e.g., a radio link, a wireless optical link) , among other examples or various combinations thereof. A UE 115 may communicate with the core network 130 via a communication link 155.
[0025] One or more of the network entities 105 described herein may include or may be referred to as a base station 140 (e.g., a base transceiver station, a radio base station, an NR base station, an access point, a radio transceiver, a NodeB, an eNodeB (eNB) , a next-generation NodeB or a giga-NodeB (either of which may be referred to as a gNB) , a 5G NB, a next-generation eNB (ng-eNB) , a Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, or other suitable terminology) . In some examples, a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140) may be implemented in an aggregated (e.g., monolithic, standalone) base station architecture, which may be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within a single network entity 105 (e.g., a single RAN node, such as a base station 140) .
[0026] In some examples, a network entity 105 may be implemented in a disaggregated architecture (e.g., a disaggregated base station architecture, a disaggregated RAN architecture) , which may be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed among two or more network entities 105, such as an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open RAN (O-RAN) (e.g., a network configuration sponsored by the O-RAN Alliance) , or a virtualized RAN (vRAN) (e.g., a cloud RAN (C-RAN) ) . For example, a network entity 105 may include one or more of a central unit (CU) 160, a distributed unit (DU) 165, a radio unit (RU) 170, a RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) 175 (e.g., a Near-Real Time RIC (Near-RT RIC) , a Non-Real Time RIC (Non-RT RIC) ) , a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) 180 system, or any combination thereof. An RU 170 may also be referred to as a radio head, a smart radio head, a remote radio head (RRH) , a remote radio unit (RRU) , or a transmission reception point (TRP) . One or more components of the network entities 105 in a disaggregated RAN architecture may be co-located, or one or more components of the network entities 105 may be located in distributed locations (e.g., separate physical locations) . In some examples, one or more network entities 105 of a disaggregated RAN architecture may be implemented as virtual units (e.g., a virtual CU (VCU) , a virtual DU (VDU) , a virtual RU (VRU) ) .
[0027] The split of functionality between a CU 160, a DU 165, and an RU 170 is flexible and may support different functionalities depending on which functions (e.g., network layer functions, protocol layer functions, baseband functions, RF functions, and any combinations thereof) are performed at a CU 160, a DU 165, or an RU 170. For example, a functional split of a protocol stack may be employed between a CU 160 and a DU 165 such that the CU 160 may support one or more layers of the protocol stack and the DU 165 may support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. In some examples, the CU 160 may host upper protocol layer (e.g., layer 3 (L3) , layer 2 (L2) ) functionality and signaling (e.g., Radio Resource Control (RRC) , service data adaption protocol (SDAP) , Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) ) . The CU 160 may be connected to one or more DUs 165 or RUs 170, and the one or more DUs 165 or RUs 170 may host lower protocol layers, such as layer 1 (L1) (e.g., physical (PHY) layer) or L2 (e.g., radio link control (RLC) layer, medium access control (MAC) layer) functionality and signaling, and may each be at least partially controlled by the CU 160. Additionally, or alternatively, a functional split of the protocol stack may be employed between a DU 165 and an RU 170 such that the DU 165 may support one or more layers of the protocol stack and the RU 170 may support one or more different layers of the protocol stack. The DU 165 may support one or multiple different cells (e.g., via one or more RUs 170) . In some cases, a functional split between a CU 160 and a DU 165, or between a DU 165 and an RU 170 may be within a protocol layer (e.g., some functions for a protocol layer may be performed by one of a CU 160, a DU 165, or an RU 170, while other functions of the protocol layer are performed by a different one of the CU 160, the DU 165, or the RU 170) . A CU 160 may be functionally split further into CU control plane (CU-CP) and CU user plane (CU-UP) functions. A CU 160 may be connected to one or more DUs 165 via a midhaul communication link 162 (e.g., F1, F1-c, F1-u) , and a DU 165 may be connected to one or more RUs 170 via a fronthaul communication link 168 (e.g., open fronthaul (FH) interface) . In some examples, a midhaul communication link 162 or a fronthaul communication link 168 may be implemented in accordance with an interface (e.g., a channel) between layers of a protocol stack supported by respective network entities 105 that are in communication via such communication links.
[0028] In wireless communications systems (e.g., wireless communications system 100) , infrastructure and spectral resources for radio access may support wireless backhaul link capabilities to supplement wired backhaul connections, providing an IAB network architecture (e.g., to a core network 130) . In some cases, in an IAB network, one or more network entities 105 (e.g., IAB nodes 104) may be partially controlled by each other. One or more IAB nodes 104 may be referred to as a donor entity or an IAB donor. One or more DUs 165 or one or more RUs 170 may be partially controlled by one or more CUs 160 associated with a donor network entity 105 (e.g., a donor base station 140) . The one or more donor network entities 105 (e.g., IAB donors) may be in communication with one or more additional network entities 105 (e.g., IAB nodes 104) via supported access and backhaul links (e.g., backhaul communication links 120) . IAB nodes 104 may include an IAB mobile termination (IAB-MT) controlled (e.g., scheduled) by DUs 165 of a coupled IAB donor. An IAB-MT may include an independent set of antennas for relay of communications with UEs 115, or may share the same antennas (e.g., of an RU 170) of an IAB node 104 used for access via the DU 165 of the IAB node 104 (e.g., referred to as virtual IAB-MT (vIAB-MT) ) . In some examples, the IAB nodes 104 may include DUs 165 that support communication links with additional entities (e.g., IAB nodes 104, UEs 115) within the relay chain or configuration of the access network (e.g., downstream) . In such cases, one or more components of the disaggregated RAN architecture (e.g., one or more IAB nodes 104 or components of IAB nodes 104) may be configured to operate according to the techniques described herein.
[0029] In the case of the techniques described herein applied in the context of a disaggregated RAN architecture, one or more components of the disaggregated RAN architecture may be configured to support uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems as described herein. For example, some operations described as being performed by a UE 115 or a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140) may additionally, or alternatively, be performed by one or more components of the disaggregated RAN architecture (e.g., IAB nodes 104, DUs 165, CUs 160, RUs 170, RIC 175, SMO 180) .
[0030] A UE 115 may include or may be referred to as a mobile device, a wireless device, a remote device, a handheld device, or a subscriber device, or some other suitable terminology, where the “device” may also be referred to as a unit, a station, a terminal, or a client, among other examples. A UE 115 may also include or may be referred to as a personal electronic device such as a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA) , a tablet computer, a laptop computer, or a personal computer. In some examples, a UE 115 may include or be referred to as a wireless local loop (WLL) station, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or a machine type communications (MTC) device, among other examples, which may be implemented in various objects such as appliances, or vehicles, meters, among other examples.
[0031] The UEs 115 described herein may be able to communicate with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115 that may sometimes act as relays as well as the network entities 105 and the network equipment including macro eNBs or gNBs, small cell eNBs or gNBs, or relay base stations, among other examples, as shown in FIG. 1.
[0032] The UEs 115 and the network entities 105 may wirelessly communicate with one another via one or more communication links 125 (e.g., an access link) using resources associated with one or more carriers. The term “carrier” may refer to a set of RF spectrum resources having a defined physical layer structure for supporting the communication links 125. For example, a carrier used for a communication link 125 may include a portion of a RF spectrum band (e.g., a bandwidth part (BWP) ) that is operated according to one or more physical layer channels for a given radio access technology (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR) . Each physical layer channel may carry acquisition signaling (e.g., synchronization signals, system information) , control signaling that coordinates operation for the carrier, user data, or other signaling. The wireless communications system 100 may support communication with a UE 115 using carrier aggregation or multi-carrier operation. A UE 115 may be configured with multiple downlink component carriers and one or more uplink component carriers according to a carrier aggregation configuration. Carrier aggregation may be used with both frequency division duplexing (FDD) and time division duplexing (TDD) component carriers. Communication between a network entity 105 and other devices may refer to communication between the devices and any portion (e.g., entity, sub-entity) of a network entity 105. For example, the terms “transmitting, ” “receiving, ” or “communicating, ” when referring to a network entity 105, may refer to any portion of a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140, a CU 160, a DU 165, a RU 170) of a RAN communicating with another device (e.g., directly or via one or more other network entities 105) .
[0033] Signal waveforms transmitted via a carrier may be made up of multiple subcarriers (e.g., using multi-carrier modulation (MCM) techniques such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM) ) . In a system employing MCM techniques, a resource element may refer to resources of one symbol period (e.g., a duration of one modulation symbol) and one subcarrier, in which case the symbol period and subcarrier spacing may be inversely related. The quantity of bits carried by each resource element may depend on the modulation scheme (e.g., the order of the modulation scheme, the coding rate of the modulation scheme, or both) , such that a relatively higher quantity of resource elements (e.g., in a transmission duration) and a relatively higher order of a modulation scheme may correspond to a relatively higher rate of communication. A wireless communications resource may refer to a combination of an RF spectrum resource, a time resource, and a spatial resource (e.g., a spatial layer, a beam) , and the use of multiple spatial resources may increase the data rate or data integrity for communications with a UE 115.
[0034] The time intervals for the network entities 105 or the UEs 115 may be expressed in multiples of a basic time unit which may, for example, refer to a sampling period of Ts = 1 / (Δfmax ·Nf) seconds, for which Δfmax may represent a supported subcarrier spacing, and Nf may represent a supported discrete Fourier transform (DFT) size. Time intervals of a communications resource may be organized according to radio frames each having a specified duration (e.g., 10 milliseconds (ms) ) . Each radio frame may be identified by a system frame number (SFN) (e.g., ranging from 0 to 1023) .
[0035] Each frame may include multiple consecutively-numbered subframes or slots, and each subframe or slot may have the same duration. In some examples, a frame may be divided (e.g., in the time domain) into subframes, and each subframe may be further divided into a quantity of slots. Alternatively, each frame may include a variable quantity of slots, and the quantity of slots may depend on subcarrier spacing. Each slot may include a quantity of symbol periods (e.g., depending on the length of the cyclic prefix prepended to each symbol period) . In some wireless communications systems 100, a slot may further be divided into multiple mini-slots associated with one or more symbols. Excluding the cyclic prefix, each symbol period may be associated with one or more (e.g., Nf) sampling periods. The duration of a symbol period may depend on the subcarrier spacing or frequency band of operation.
[0036] A subframe, a slot, a mini-slot, or a symbol may be the smallest scheduling unit (e.g., in the time domain) of the wireless communications system 100 and may be referred to as a transmission time interval (TTI) . In some examples, the TTI duration (e.g., a quantity of symbol periods in a TTI) may be variable. Additionally, or alternatively, the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communications system 100 may be dynamically selected (e.g., in bursts of shortened TTIs (sTTIs) ) .
[0037] Physical channels may be multiplexed for communication using a carrier according to various techniques. A physical control channel and a physical data channel may be multiplexed for signaling via a downlink carrier, for example, using one or more of time division multiplexing (TDM) techniques, frequency division multiplexing (FDM) techniques, or hybrid TDM-FDM techniques. A control region (e.g., a control resource set (CORESET) ) for a physical control channel may be defined by a set of symbol periods and may extend across the system bandwidth or a subset of the system bandwidth of the carrier. One or more control regions (e.g., CORESETs) may be configured for a set of the UEs 115. For example, one or more of the UEs 115 may monitor or search control regions for control information according to one or more search space sets, and each search space set may include one or multiple control channel candidates in one or more aggregation levels arranged in a cascaded manner. An aggregation level for a control channel candidate may refer to an amount of control channel resources (e.g., control channel elements (CCEs) ) associated with encoded information for a control information format having a given payload size. Search space sets may include common search space sets configured for sending control information to multiple UEs 115 and UE-specific search space sets for sending control information to a specific UE 115.
[0038] In some examples, a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140, an RU 170) may be movable and therefore provide communication coverage for a moving coverage area 110. In some examples, different coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may overlap, but the different coverage areas 110 may be supported by the same network entity 105. In some other examples, the overlapping coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may be supported by different network entities 105. The wireless communications system 100 may include, for example, a heterogeneous network in which different types of the network entities 105 provide coverage for various coverage areas 110 using the same or different radio access technologies.
[0039] The wireless communications system 100 may be configured to support ultra-reliable communications or low-latency communications, or various combinations thereof. For example, the wireless communications system 100 may be configured to support ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) . The UEs 115 may be designed to support ultra-reliable, low-latency, or critical functions. Ultra-reliable communications may include private communication or group communication and may be supported by one or more services such as push-to-talk, video, or data. Support for ultra-reliable, low-latency functions may include prioritization of services, and such services may be used for public safety or general commercial applications. The terms ultra-reliable, low-latency, and ultra-reliable low-latency may be used interchangeably herein.
[0040] In some examples, a UE 115 may be configured to support communicating directly with other UEs 115 via a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 135 (e.g., in accordance with a peer-to-peer (P2P) , D2D, or sidelink protocol) . In some examples, one or more UEs 115 of a group that are performing D2D communications may be within the coverage area 110 of a network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140, an RU 170) , which may support aspects of such D2D communications being configured by (e.g., scheduled by) the network entity 105. In some examples, one or more UEs 115 of such a group may be outside the coverage area 110 of a network entity 105 or may be otherwise unable to or not configured to receive transmissions from a network entity 105. In some examples, groups of the UEs 115 communicating via D2D communications may support a one-to-many (1: M) system in which each UE 115 transmits to each of the other UEs 115 in the group. In some examples, a network entity 105 may facilitate the scheduling of resources for D2D communications. In some other examples, D2D communications may be carried out between the UEs 115 without an involvement of a network entity 105.
[0041] In some systems, a D2D communication link 135 may be an example of a communication channel, such as a sidelink communication channel, between vehicles (e.g., UEs 115) . In some examples, vehicles may communicate using vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications, vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications, or some combination of these. A vehicle may signal information related to traffic conditions, signal scheduling, weather, safety, emergencies, or any other information relevant to a V2X system. In some examples, vehicles in a V2X system may communicate with roadside infrastructure, such as roadside units, or with the network via one or more network nodes (e.g., network entities 105, base stations 140, RUs 170) using vehicle-to-network (V2N) communications, or with both.
[0042] The core network 130 may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The core network 130 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) or 5G core (5GC) , which may include at least one control plane entity that manages access and mobility (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME) , an access and mobility management function (AMF) ) and at least one user plane entity that routes packets or interconnects to external networks (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW) , a Packet Data Network (PDN) gateway (P-GW) , or a user plane function (UPF) ) . The control plane entity may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management for the UEs 115 served by the network entities 105 (e.g., base stations 140) associated with the core network 130. User IP packets may be transferred through the user plane entity, which may provide IP address allocation as well as other functions. The user plane entity may be connected to IP services 150 for one or more network operators. The IP services 150 may include access to the Internet, Intranet (s) , an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) , or a Packet-Switched Streaming Service.
[0043] The wireless communications system 100 may operate using one or more frequency bands, which may be in the range of 300 megahertz (MHz) to 300 gigahertz (GHz) . Generally, the region from 300 MHz to 3 GHz is known as the ultra-high frequency (UHF) region or decimeter band because the wavelengths range from approximately one decimeter to one meter in length. UHF waves may be blocked or redirected by buildings and environmental features, which may be referred to as clusters, but the waves may penetrate structures sufficiently for a macro cell to provide service to the UEs 115 located indoors. Communications using UHF waves may be associated with smaller antennas and shorter ranges (e.g., less than 100 kilometers) compared to communications using the smaller frequencies and longer waves of the high frequency (HF) or very high frequency (VHF) portion of the spectrum below 300 MHz.
[0044] The wireless communications system 100 may utilize both licensed and unlicensed RF spectrum bands. For example, the wireless communications system 100 may employ License Assisted Access (LAA) , LTE-Unlicensed (LTE-U) radio access technology, or NR technology using an unlicensed band such as the 5 GHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band. While operating using unlicensed RF spectrum bands, devices such as the network entities 105 and the UEs 115 may employ carrier sensing for collision detection and avoidance. In some examples, operations using unlicensed bands may be based on a carrier aggregation configuration in conjunction with component carriers operating using a licensed band (e.g., LAA) . Operations using unlicensed spectrum may include downlink transmissions, uplink transmissions, P2P transmissions, or D2D transmissions, among other examples.
[0045] A network entity 105 (e.g., a base station 140, an RU 170) or a UE 115 may be equipped with multiple antennas, which may be used to employ techniques such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications, or beamforming. The antennas of a network entity 105 or a UE 115 may be located within one or more antenna arrays or antenna panels, which may support MIMO operations or transmit or receive beamforming. For example, one or more base station antennas or antenna arrays may be co-located at an antenna assembly, such as an antenna tower. In some examples, antennas or antenna arrays associated with a network entity 105 may be located at diverse geographic locations. A network entity 105 may include an antenna array with a set of rows and columns of antenna ports that the network entity 105 may use to support beamforming of communications with a UE 115. Likewise, a UE 115 may include one or more antenna arrays that may support various MIMO or beamforming operations. Additionally, or alternatively, an antenna panel may support RF beamforming for a signal transmitted via an antenna port.
[0046] The network entities 105 or the UEs 115 may use MIMO communications to exploit multipath signal propagation and increase spectral efficiency by transmitting or receiving multiple signals via different spatial layers. Such techniques may be referred to as spatial multiplexing. The multiple signals may, for example, be transmitted by the transmitting device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Likewise, the multiple signals may be received by the receiving device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Each of the multiple signals may be referred to as a separate spatial stream and may carry information associated with the same data stream (e.g., the same codeword) or different data streams (e.g., different codewords) . Different spatial layers may be associated with different antenna ports used for channel measurement and reporting. MIMO techniques include single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO) , for which multiple spatial layers are transmitted to the same receiving device, and multiple-user MIMO (MU-MIMO) , for which multiple spatial layers are transmitted to multiple devices.
[0047] Beamforming, which may also be referred to as spatial filtering, directional transmission, or directional reception, is a signal processing technique that may be used at a transmitting device or a receiving device (e.g., a network entity 105, a UE 115) to shape or steer an antenna beam (e.g., a transmit beam, a receive beam) along a spatial path between the transmitting device and the receiving device. Beamforming may be achieved by combining the signals communicated via antenna elements of an antenna array such that some signals propagating along particular orientations with respect to an antenna array experience constructive interference while others experience destructive interference. The adjustment of signals communicated via the antenna elements may include a transmitting device or a receiving device applying amplitude offsets, phase offsets, or both to signals carried via the antenna elements associated with the device. The adjustments associated with each of the antenna elements may be defined by a beamforming weight set associated with a particular orientation (e.g., with respect to the antenna array of the transmitting device or receiving device, or with respect to some other orientation) .
[0048] The wireless communications system 100 may be a packet-based network that operates according to a layered protocol stack. In the user plane, communications at the bearer or PDCP layer may be IP-based. An RLC layer may perform packet segmentation and reassembly to communicate via logical channels. A MAC layer may perform priority handling and multiplexing of logical channels into transport channels. The MAC layer also may implement error detection techniques, error correction techniques, or both to support retransmissions to improve link efficiency. In the control plane, an RRC layer may provide establishment, configuration, and maintenance of an RRC connection between a UE 115 and a network entity 105 or a core network 130 supporting radio bearers for user plane data. A PHY layer may map transport channels to physical channels.
[0049] The wireless communications system 100 may be configured to support one or more relay technologies. For example, within the wireless communications system 100, a UE 115 may use a relay (e.g., another UE 115) for uplink aggregation in which the UE 115 and the relay may transmit multiple copies of a data packet to a network entity 105 via multiple (e.g., different) time and frequency resources. In some cases, however, transmitting multiple copies of the same data packet via multiple time and frequency resources may lead to increased overhead and reduce resource utilization within the wireless communications system 100. The UE 115 may use SFN aggregation in which the UE 115 and the relay may use one or more same time and frequency resources for uplink transmissions. In some cases, however, the UE 115 and the relay may lack a mechanism, much less an effective mechanism, for coordinating uplink transmissions to enable SFN aggregation.
[0050] In some examples, the UE 115 may support a framework for SFN uplink aggregation, in which the UE 115 may transmit a coordination message to the relay to trigger (e.g., enable, coordinate) SFN uplink aggregation with the relay. Accordingly, the UE 115 and the relay may transmit a data packet (or portions of a data packet) using a same time and frequency resource. The coordination message may indicate an uplink aggregation mode for the SFN uplink aggregation. For example, the coordination message may indicate a split uplink aggregation mode or a duplication uplink aggregation mode. The UE 115 may generate a first uplink message based on the coordination message. A payload of the first uplink message may include a copy of the data packet or a portion of the data packet based on the uplink aggregation mode indicated via the coordination message. The UE 115 may transmit the first uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode. For example, the UE 115 may transmit the first uplink message via a same time and frequency resource that the relay may use to transmit a second uplink message, which may include a copy of the data packet or another portion of the data packet (e.g., based on the coordination message) . The network entity 105 may receive and combine the first uplink message and the second uplink message, for example, to decode the data packet. Transmitting the first uplink message and the second uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode may enable the UE 115 and the relay to increase a reliability with which the network entity 105 may decode the data packet, among other benefits.
[0051] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a wireless communications system 200 that supports uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communications system 200 may implement or be implemented at one or more aspects of the wireless communications system 100. For example, the wireless communications system 200 may include a UE 215-a, a UE 215-b, and a network entity 205, which may be examples of the corresponding devices illustrated by and described with reference to FIG. 1. The network entity 205 may communicate with the UE 215-a via a communication link 220-a and the UE 215-b via a communication link 220-b. The communications links 220 may be examples of a communication link 125 illustrated by and described with reference to FIG. 1. For example, the communication links 220 may be examples of a downlink or an uplink (e.g., an access link, a Uu interface) . The UEs 215 may communicate via a sidelink 225 (e.g., a sidelink communication link) . The sidelink 225 may be an example of a D2D communication link 135 (e.g., a PC5 interface) illustrated by and described with reference to FIG. 1. The network entity 205 may serve a cell providing a coverage area 210, which may be an example of a coverage area 110 illustrated by and described with reference to FIG. 1.
[0052] The wireless communications system 200 may be configured to support relay technology (e.g., the relaying of message (s) via wireless communication links 220) . For example, the UEs 215 may transmit a message to the network entity 205 directly, such as via the communication links 220 (e.g., a Uu uplink) . Additionally, or alternatively, the UEs 215 may transmit uplink messages to the network entity 205 indirectly via a relay. In some examples, the wireless communications system 200 may support relay technology to enhance cell-edge user experience. For example, the network entity 205 may serve one or more cell-edge users. As described herein, a cell-edge user may be an example of a UE located at a cell-edge (e.g., an edge of a cell) . In some examples of the wireless communications system 200, the UE 215-a and the UE 215-b may operate as cell-edge users. That is, the UE 215-a and the UE 215-b may, in some examples, operate at an edge of the coverage area 210 of a cell. In such examples, the UE 215-a and the UE 215-b may be some distance from the network entity 205 and wireless communications between the network entity 205 and the UEs 215 may be impacted by external factors, such as a physical blocking object, signal fading, or other phenomena. To support communications for cell-edge users, the wireless communications system 200 may use other wireless nodes (e.g., relays, repeaters) configured to route communications such that the external factors may be reduced or avoided. For example, the UEs 215 may use relays to forward communications (e.g., messages, data packets) from the UEs 215 to the network entity 205. In some examples, use of relays may be a relatively efficient way to increase throughput for cell-edge users.
[0053] The wireless communications system 200 may support multiple types of relays with multiple (e.g., different) functionalities. In some examples, relays (e.g., relay technology) may be classified according to a layer used to forward the data packets. In other words, relay technology may be classified according to which layer may be used to forward data. For example, an L1 relay may be an example of a relay device that supports amplify-and-forward (AF) functionalities to relay communications between two or more wireless devices (e.g., the network entity 205 and one or both of the UEs 215) . In some examples, an L1 relay may be associated with a relatively simple implementation and increased noise (e.g., a noise associated with communications forwarded via the L1 relay may be amplified) . An L2 relay may be an example of a relay device that supports decode-and-forward functionalities, such as an IAB device. In some examples, an L2 relay may be associated with emission of noise and one or more processing delays (e.g., added processing delays) , such as processing delays associated with demodulating, decoding, re-encoding, and re-modulating. Additionally, or alternatively, use of an L2 relay may include one or more radio control functions between the network entity 205 and the L2 relay (e.g., a relay node) . An L3 relay may be an example of a relay device that supports user data processing and regeneration functionalities. In some examples, an L3 relay may be associated with emission of noise and one or more pressing delays (e.g., added processing delays, such as at L1 and L3) .
[0054] In some examples, the UE 215-a or the UE 215-b may be an example of a relay UE. For example, the wireless communications system 200 may be an example of an in-vehicle network in which the UE 215-a may be an example of a mobile device (e.g., a cell phone) and the UE 215-b may be an example of a device with which a vehicle may be equipped. That is, the UE 215-b may be affixed to (e.g., located on or within) the vehicle. In some examples, the UE 215-a may transmit a message to the UE 215-b (e.g., via the sidelink 225) and the UE 215-b may forward the message to the network entity 205 via the communication link 220-b (e.g., a Uu uplink) . In some examples, the UE 215-a may be relatively close to the UE 215-b. For example, a user of the UE 215-a may be a driver or passenger of the vehicle that the UE 215-b may be affixed to. In such examples, because the UE 215-a and the UE 215-b may be relatively close (e.g., geographically close to each other) the UE 215-a and the UE 215-b signals received at (or transmitted from) the UE 215-a and the UE 215-b may experience a relatively similar pathloss. In such an example, the UE 215-a (e.g., a source UE) and the UE 215-b (e.g., a relay UE) may use uplink UE aggregation, for example, to enable one or more enhancements for uplink communications. That is, the UEs 215 may support one or more uplink radio link enhancements through the utilization of UE aggregation.
[0055] For example, the wireless communications system 200 may support an increased quantity of advanced services, such as via one or more applications. To support relatively advanced services, the wireless communications system 200 (e.g., an NR system) may support (e.g., achieve) a relatively higher uplink system performance, such as increased coverage, increased throughput, and improved service continuity, among other examples, compared to other systems (e.g., LTE) . In other words, to support relatively advanced applications, the wireless communications system 200 may provide increased performance, such as throughput, coverage, and reliability. For example, the wireless communications system 200 may support AR or VR, video calls, and personal video broadcast, which may use a data rate in a range of about 10 mega-bytes per second (Mbps) to about 30 Mbps. Additionally, or alternatively, the wireless communications system 200 may support relatively advanced services for enhanced public safety, such as MC transmission, MC push-to-talk (MCPTT) , and MC video (e.g., for fire fighters and police officials) , which may use relatively higher data rate and have relatively lower latency (e.g., relative to other public safety services) . That is, the UEs 215 (e.g., and the network entity 205) may support one or more applications that have increased latency and reliability constraints.
[0056] In some examples, the UEs 215 may use UE aggregation to support relatively higher uplink system performance (e.g., for relatively advanced services) . That is, UE aggregation may lead to improved uplink performance including increased throughput (e.g., via UE aggregation with data packet splitting) and reliability (e.g., via UE aggregation with data packet duplication) . To increase reliability of data traffic for some applications, such as applications with increased latency and reliability constraints, the UEs 215 may use packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) duplication. For example, the UE 215-a (e.g., the source UE) may use PDCP duplication to generate multiple (e.g., two) copies of a data packet and forward one copy of the data packet to the UE 215-b (e.g., the relay UE) for transmission. In such an example, the UE 215-a and the UE 215-b may transmit (e.g., may each transmit) a respective copy of the data packet to the network entity 205. The network entity 205 may combine the copy of the data packet received from the UE 215-a with the copy of the data packet received from the UE 215-b (e.g., for decoding) . Combining multiple copies of the data packet may lead to an increased reliability with which the data packet may be decoded. In some examples, however, the UE 215-a and the UE 215-b may use multiple (e.g., different) time and frequency resources to transmit the multiple copies of the data packet. Transmitting multiple copies of the same data packet via different time and frequency resources may lead to increased overhead and reduce resource utilization. Further, in some examples, PDCP duplication techniques may fail to satisfy increased throughput constraints associated with some applications (e.g., AR or VR applications) .
[0057] In some examples, the wireless communications system 200 may enable SFN aggregation. For example, the UEs 215 may support SFN aggregation in which a source UE (e.g., the UE 215-a) and a relay UE (e.g., the UE 215-b) may use one or more same time and frequency resources for uplink transmissions. For example, the UE 215-a and the UE 215-b may use a same time and frequency resource to transmit multiple copies of a same data packet. That is, the UE 215-a and the UE 215-b may each use the same time and frequency resource to transmit a respective copy of the same data packet. Using the same time and frequency resource to transmit multiple copies of the same data packet to the network entity 205 may enable the UE 215-a and the UE 215-b to increase a reliability with which the network entity 205 may decode the data packet and increase resource utilization, among other possible benefits.
[0058] Alternatively, or alternatively, the UE 215-a and the UE 215-b may use a same time and frequency resource to transmit portions of the same data packet. That is, the data packet may be split (e.g., divided, partitioned) into multiple portions and the UE 215-a and the UE 215-b may use the same time and frequency resources to transmit a respective portion of the data packet. Using the same time and frequency resource to transmit portions of a same data packet to the network entity 205 may enable the UE 215-a and the UE 215-b to increase throughput of wireless communications with the network entity 205 and increased resource utilization, among other possible benefits. In other words, UE aggregation in an SFN manner may virtually increase uplink transmission power, which may lead to improved uplink performance. In some examples, however, the UEs 215 may lack a mechanism for coordinating transmission of multiple copies of a same data packet or portions of a same data packet (or both) to enable SFN aggregation. In other words, the UEs 215 may lack a mechanism for coordinating parameters or time and frequency resources (or both) , such that the UEs 215 may transmit a same data packet using SFN aggregation.
[0059] One or more techniques for uplink aggregation for devices in wireless communications system 200, and other systems described herein, may provide a framework (e.g., one or more procedures) to enable uplink SFN aggregation. That is, one or more techniques for uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems, as described herein, may provide a framework for coordination between the UEs 215 (e.g., configurations and parameters) , such that the UEs 215 may transmit uplink signaling in a same (or at least partially overlapping) set of time or frequency resources (e.g., a framework to enable SFN aggregation) . In some examples, such techniques may enable transmission of an uplink grant from the network entity 205 to the UEs 215 and acknowledgment of the uplink grant by both UEs. Additionally, or alternatively, such techniques may enable one or more uplink data retransmission schemes.
[0060] In other words, with coordination between a source UE and a coordinated UE (e.g., and a network entity, such as a base station) , a same transport block (e.g., data packet) may be transmitted on the same one or more time and frequency resources (e.g., in an SFN manner) . That is, the UEs 215 and the network entity 205 may support uplink UE aggregation in an SFN manner to transmit a same data packet (or portions of a same data packet) using the same time and frequency resource. For example, UE transmission power may be considered an uplink throughput bottleneck (e.g., because a base station may have a relatively high transmit power and power savings and heat protection may cause a UE to have a relatively low transmit power, thereby creating a bottleneck) . In such an example, by applying uplink UE aggregation in an SFN manner, uplink transmission power may be increased (e.g., theoretically doubled) and reliability and throughput may be improved.
[0061] For example, the UE 215-a may transmit a coordination message 230 to the UE 215-b (e.g., via the sidelink 225) to trigger uplink aggregation with the UE 215-b for transmission of a data packet. The coordination message 230 may indicate an uplink aggregation mode for uplink aggregation. For example, the UEs 215 may support multiple types (e.g., two or more different types) of SFN uplink aggregation. In some examples, the UEs 215 may support an uplink aggregation type that may include data packet splitting and another uplink aggregation type that may include data packet duplication (e.g., PDCP duplication) . That is, the UEs 215 (e.g., and the network entity 205) may support a split uplink aggregation mode in which the UE 215-a and the UE 215-b may use the same time and frequency resources to transmit portions of a same data packet. With data packet splitting, the UE 215-b (e.g., the coordinated UE) may generate a portion of the same packet and request to transmit the portion with the UE 215-a (e.g., the source UE) . That is, to conserve uplink resources (e.g., and virtually increase uplink transmission power) , the UE 215-a may enable data packet splitting (e.g., aggregation) in an SFN manner. Additionally, the UEs 215 (e.g., and the network entity 205) may support a duplication uplink aggregation mode in which the UE 215-a and the UE 215-b may use the same time and frequency resources to transmit multiple copies (e.g., duplicates) of a same data packet. With data packet duplication (e.g., PDCP duplication) , the UE 215-b (e.g., the coordinated UE) may generate a duplication (e.g., a copy) of the same packet and request to transmit the copy with the UE 215-a (e.g., the source UE) . That is, to conserve uplink resources (e.g., and virtually increase uplink transmission power) , the UE 215-a may enable data packet duplication (e.g., aggregation) in an SFN manner. To enable SFN uplink aggregation with the UE 215-b, the UE 215-a may transmit the coordination message 230 to the UE 215-b. That is, a source UE may transmit a coordination message to trigger (e.g., enable) SFN uplink aggregation with a coordinated UE. The coordination message 230 may indicate a type of SFN uplink aggregation (e.g., may indicate the split uplink aggregation mode or the duplication uplink aggregation mode) . For example, to enable data packet splitting in an SFN manner, the coordination message 230 may indicate the split uplink aggregation mode (e.g., split: : SFN may be indicated in the coordination message) . Additionally, to enable data packet duplication (e.g., to conserve uplink resources while virtually increasing uplink transmission power) , the coordination message 230 may indicate the duplication uplink aggregation mode (e.g., duplication: : SFN may be indicated in the coordination message) .
[0062] The coordination message 230 may include other (e.g., additional) coordination information. For example, the coordination message 230 may include scheduling information. In other words, the UE 215-a may use the coordination message 230 (or another sidelink message) to indicate scheduling information to the UE 215-b. That is, a source UE may inform a coordinated UE of uplink resource scheduling information, such that both the source UE and the coordinated UE may transmit a same transport block (or portions of a same transport block) in an SFN manner. Additionally, or alternatively, the coordination message 230 may include transmission parameter information. For example, the UE 215-a may use the coordination message 230 (or another sidelink message) to indicate a first set of one or more parameters for uplink aggregation to the UE 215-b. That is, beamforming or precoding information may be included in the coordination message 230. In such an example, a second set of one or more transmission parameters used at the UE 215-b for uplink aggregation with the UE 215-a may be based on (e.g., include) the first set of parameters indicated via the coordination message 230. The first set of transmission parameters may include one or more parameters that may be indicated via a CSI report, a compressed representation of a precoder matrix, or any combination thereof. That is, CSI report parameters (e.g., PMI, RI, and CQI) or a compressed precoder matrix may be shared between the UE 215-a and the UE 215-b (e.g., via the coordination message 230 or via one or more other sidelink messages) . In some examples, the coordination message 230 may include timing information. That is, timing information (e.g., a timing error or a timing advance value) may be shared in the coordination message 230 (e.g., so the UEs 215 may be time-aligned) .
[0063] In some examples, the other (e.g., additional) coordination information may be indicated to the UE 215-a from the UE 215-b. For example, another coordination message (e.g., an additional coordination message) may be shared from the UE 215-b to the UE 215-a, such that the UE 215-a may determine a transmission timing or precoder (or both) based on information indicated from the UE 215-b. In some examples, the UE 215-a may receive an indication of a first set of one or more parameters for uplink aggregation from the UE 215-b. In such an example, a second set of one or more transmission parameters used at the UE 215-a for uplink aggregation with the UE 215-b may be based on (e.g., include) the first set of parameters indicated to the UE 215-a. In some examples, with such coordination information (e.g., with information shared between the UEs 215 via one or more coordination messages) , transmission of the data packet (or portions of the data packet) from both of the UEs 215 may be better aligned in time, frequency, and space, such that the network entity 205 may combine the received uplink signal (e.g., carrying the data packet (s) ) coherently, which may lead to a higher likelihood of decoding success at the network entity 205.
[0064] In some examples, coordination information may be shared between the UEs 215 via control signaling. For example, the UE 215-a may use control signaling, such as a MAC control element (CE) or sidelink control information (SCI) to transmit the coordination message 230. That is, the coordination message 230 may be carried by a MAC CE or SCI (e.g., an SCI-2 format) , which may be an example of a control element in sidelink. In some examples, the UE 215-a (or the UE 215-b) may refrain from indicating some coordination information to the UE 215-b, for example, to conserve overhead or bandwidth (e.g., if relatively low dimension MIMO is applied) . The coordination message 230 (or another sidelink message) may, in some examples, indicate whether the UE 215-b may request one or more uplink resources (e.g., for the uplink aggregation) .
[0065] For example, the UE 215-a may request (e.g., via a scheduling request or a buffer status report (BSR) ) one or more uplink resources for transmission of the data packet on behalf of the UE 215-b. That is, the UE 215-a may transmit a scheduling request to the network entity 205 to request one or more uplink resources for transmission of a data packet. In such examples, the coordination message 230 may indicate a grant (e.g., an uplink grant) of an uplink resource for the UE 215-b. That is, the UE 215-a may request and forward an uplink grant to the UE 215-b. The uplink grant indication may, in some examples, use a sidelink resource indication format. In other words, one of the UEs 215 may request uplink resources on behalf of the other of the UEs 215 and share the requested uplink resources with the other of the UEs 215 via sidelink. In some other examples, the UEs 215 may request one or more uplink resource separately. In such examples, the coordination message 230 may request that the UE 215-b obtain a grant (e.g., another uplink grant, a separate uplink grant) for the uplink resource. In other words, uplink resources for transmission of the data packet using uplink aggregation (e.g., in an SFN manner) may be requested by each of the UEs 215 (e.g., separately) . The UE 215-a may transmit the scheduling request for one or more uplink resources via control signaling. That is, the UE 215-a may use control signaling, such as a MAC CE format, to request uplink resources (e.g., for duplication type: : SFN) .
[0066] The network entity 205 (e.g., a gNB) may allocate an uplink resource to the UE 215-a (e.g., and the UE 215-b) based on interference. For example, the network entity 205 may be aware of uplink aggregation at the UEs 215. In such examples, to allocate a suitable uplink resource, the network entity 205 may consider one or more interference metrics associated with wireless communications at the UEs 215, such as a peak to average power ratio (PAPR) or in-band emission (IBE) , among other examples. In some other examples, uplink aggregation may be transparent to the network entity 205. That is, uplink aggregation (e.g., duplication: : SFN) may be transparent from a network entity perspective (e.g., a gNB perspective) , such that the network entity 205 (e.g., a gNB) may be unaware that a data packet is transmitted from both of the UEs 215. In other words, the UE 215-a may request uplink resources (e.g., via the scheduling request) and receive an uplink grant in response to the scheduling request. In some examples, such as examples in which uplink aggregation may be transparent to the network entity 205, the UE 215-a may forward the uplink grant to the UE 215-b via sidelink. In some other examples, the UE 215-a may request (e.g., via the coordination message 230) that the UE 215-b obtain another uplink grant (e.g., separately) .
[0067] The UE 215-a may generate an uplink message 235-a based on the uplink aggregation mode indicated via the coordination message 230. For example, a payload of the uplink message 235-a may include the data packet (e.g., a copy of the data packet) based on the coordination message 230 indicating the duplication uplink aggregation mode. In some other examples, the payload of the uplink message 235-a may include a portion of the data packet based on the coordination message 230 indicating the split uplink aggregation mode. Additionally, the UE 215-b may generate an uplink message 235-b based on the uplink aggregation mode indicated via the coordination message 230. For example, a payload of the uplink message 235-b may include the data packet (e.g., a copy of the data packet) based on the coordination message 230 indicating the duplication uplink aggregation mode. In some other examples, the uplink message 235-b may include another portion of the data packet based on the coordination message 230 indicating the split uplink aggregation mode. The UE 215-a and the UE 215-b may transmit the uplink messages 235 in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode. For example, the UEs 215 may transmit the uplink messages 235 using a same uplink resource. In some examples, by transmitting the uplink messages in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode (e.g., by performing uplink aggregation in an SFN manner) , the UEs 215 may increase a performance of uplink communications within the wireless communications system 200, among other possible benefits.
[0068] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a process flow 300 that supports uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The process flow 300 may implement or be implemented at one or more aspects of the wireless communications system 100 and the wireless communications system 200. For example, the process flow 300 may be implemented at a UE 315-a and UE 315-b, which may be examples of a UE illustrated by and described with reference to FIGs. 1 and 2. The process flow may also be implemented at a network entity 305, which may be an example of a network entity illustrated by and described with reference to FIGs. 1 and 2. The operations performed at the UEs 315 and the network entity 305 may support improvements to communications between the UEs 315 and the network entity 305, among other benefits. In the following description of the process flow 300, the operations performed at the UEs 315 and the network entity 305 may occur in a different order than the example order shown. Additionally, the operations performed at the UEs 315 and the network entity 305 may be performed at different times. Some operations may be combined and some operations may be omitted. In the example of FIG. 3, the UE 315-a may be an example of a source UE and the UE 315-b may be an example of a relay UE, which may also be referred to as a coordinated UE.
[0069] The UEs 315 may support a framework for SFN uplink aggregation. For example, the UEs 315 may support uplink UE aggregation in an SFN manner to transmit a same data packet (or portions of a same data packet) using a same one or more time and frequency resource. In the example of FIG. 3, the network entity 305 may be transparent to uplink aggregation (e.g., SFN uplink aggregation) at the UEs 315. That is, uplink aggregation (e.g., duplication: : SFN, split: : SFN) may be transparent from a network entity perspective (e.g., a gNB perspective) , such that the network entity 305 may be unaware that the same data packet is transmitted from both of the UEs 315. In some examples, being transparent to uplink aggregation may enable the network entity 305 to conserver (e.g., save) overhead.
[0070] The UEs 315 may communicate (e.g., via a sidelink) to coordinate the SFN uplink aggregation. For example, the UE 315-a may transmit one or more sidelink messages to coordinate (e.g., discover, configure) the UE 315-b. In some examples, discovery of a relay or coordinated UE (e.g., for uplink UE aggregation in an SFN manner) may be based on one or more procedures for sidelink relays. For example, the UE 315-a (e.g., the source UE) may be an initiator of a transmission and may determine an aggregation type for SFN uplink aggregation. As such, the UE 315-a may indicate the determined aggregation type to the UE 315-b (e.g., the coordinated UE) via a coordination message. In other words, for the source UE to initiate a type of uplink UE aggregation (e.g., PDCP duplication) with the coordinated UE in an SFN manner, the source UE may inform the coordinated UE of the aggregation type (e.g., aggregation type: : SFN) . In some examples, the UEs 315 may support multiple uplink aggregation types. For example, the UEs 315 may support an uplink aggregation type that includes data packet splitting and another uplink aggregation type that includes data packet duplication (e.g., PDCP duplication) . That is, the UEs 315 may support a split uplink aggregation mode in which the UE 315-a and the UE 315-b may use the same time and frequency resources to transmit portions of a same data packet. Additionally, the UEs 315 may support a duplication uplink aggregation mode in which the UE 315-a and the UE 315-b may use the same time and frequency resources to transmit multiple copies (e.g., duplicates) of a same data packet.
[0071] In some examples, at 320, the UE 315-a may transmit a scheduling request for transmission of a data packet to the network entity 305. For example, the UE 315-a may use the scheduling request to request one or more uplink resources for transmission of the data packet from the UE 315-a and the UE 315-b. That is, the UE 315-a may use the scheduling request to request one or more uplink resources for transmission of the data packet on behalf of the UE 315-b. In some examples, the UE 315-a may transmit the scheduling request at 320 via control signaling. That is, the UE 315-a may use control signaling, such as a MAC CE format, to request uplink resources (e.g., for duplication type: : SFN) .
[0072] In some examples, at 325, the UE 315-a may receive an uplink grant from the network entity 305 (e.g., in response to the scheduling request transmitted at 320) . The uplink grant may indicate (e.g., allocate, schedule, be for) an uplink resource for transmission of the data packet. In some examples, such as examples in which the network entity 305 may be unaware of uplink aggregation at the UEs 315, the UE 315-a may indicate (e.g., forward) the uplink grant of the uplink resource (e.g., obtained at the UE 315-a via the uplink grant) to the UE 315-b. That is, the UE 315-a may request and forward an uplink grant to the UE 315-b. In other words, the UE 315-a may transmit the scheduling request (e.g., to request uplink resources) , receive the uplink grant (e.g., in response to the scheduling request) , and forward the uplink grant to the UE 315-b via sidelink, such that the network entity 305 may be transparent to uplink UE aggregation at the UEs 315. In some examples, the UE 315-a may forward the uplink grant to the UE 315-b via a coordination message.
[0073] At 330, the UE 315-a may transmit the coordination message to the UE 315-b for uplink aggregation with the UE 315-b for transmission of the data packet. The coordination message may be an example of a coordination message illustrated by and described with reference to FIG. 2. For example, the coordination message may indicate a type of SFN uplink aggregation (e.g., an uplink aggregation mode) . The coordination message may indicate a split uplink aggregation mode (e.g., split: : SFN) to enable data packet splitting in an SFN manner. Alternatively, the coordination message may indicate a duplication uplink aggregation mode (e.g., duplication: : SFN) to enable data packet duplication. In some examples, the coordination message may indicate the uplink grant of the uplink resource for transmission of the data packet.
[0074] At 335, the UE 315-a may generate a first uplink message based on the coordination message transmitted at 330. A payload of the first uplink message may include at least a portion of the data packet based on the uplink aggregation mode. For example, the first uplink message may include a first portion of the data packet based on the coordination message indicating the split uplink aggregation mode. In some other examples, the first uplink message may include the data packet (e.g., or a copy of the data packet) based on the coordination message indicating the duplication uplink aggregation mode.
[0075] At 340, the UE 315-b may generate a second uplink message based on the coordination message transmitted at 330. A payload of the second uplink message may include at least another portion of the data packet based on the uplink aggregation mode. For example, the second uplink message may include a second portion of the data packet based on the coordination message indicating the split uplink aggregation mode. In some other examples, the second uplink message may include the data packet (e.g., a copy of the data packet) based on the coordination message indicating the duplication uplink aggregation mode.
[0076] At 345, the UE 315-a may transmit the first uplink message to the network entity 305. The UE 315-a may transmit the first uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode. For example, the UE 315-a may transmit the first uplink message via the uplink resources.
[0077] At 350, the UE 315-b may transmit the second uplink message to the network entity 305 in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode. For example, the UE 315-b may transmit the second uplink message via the uplink resources (e.g., a same time and frequency resource that the UE 315-a may use to transmit the first uplink message) . That is, the UE 315-a and the UE 315-b may transmit the data packet (e.g., a same transport block or respective portions of a same transmit block) to the network entity 305 on the uplink resource (e.g., a same scheduled resource, the same time and frequency domain resource) . In some examples, by transmitting the first uplink message and the second uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode, the UEs 315 may increase a reliability or throughput (or both) of uplink communications with the network entity 305, among other possible benefits.
[0078] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a process flow 400 that supports uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The process flow 400 may implement or be implemented at one or more aspects of the wireless communications system 100, the wireless communications system 200, and the process flow 300. For example, the process flow 400 may be implemented at a UE 415-a and UE 415-b, which may be examples of a UE illustrated by and described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 3. The process flow may also be implemented at a network entity 405, which may be an example of a network entity illustrated by and described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 3. The operations performed at the UEs 415 and the network entity 405 may support improvements to communications between the UEs 415 and the network entity 405, among other benefits. In the following description of the process flow 400, the operations performed at the UEs 415 and the network entity 405 may occur in a different order than the example order shown. Additionally, the operations performed at the UEs 415 and the network entity 405 may be performed at different times. Some operations may be combined and some operations may be omitted.
[0079] In the example of FIG. 4, the UE 415-a may be an example of a source UE and the UE 415-b may be an example of a relay UE, which may also be referred to as a coordinated UE. The UEs 415 and the network entity 405 may support a framework for SFN uplink aggregation. For example, the UEs 415 and the network entity 405 may support uplink UE aggregation in an SFN manner to transmit a same data packet (or portions of a same data packet) using a same one or more time and frequency resource. The network entity 405 (e.g., a gNB) may be aware of the uplink aggregation behavior (e.g., SFN uplink aggregation) at the UEs 415. That is, the network entity 405 may be aware that the UEs 415 may perform uplink transmissions (e.g., of the data packet) in an SNF manner. In some examples, being aware of the uplink aggregation behavior at the UEs 415 may lead to one or more benefits for uplink resource scheduling at the network entity 405. For example, being aware of uplink aggregation at the UEs 415 may enable the network entity 405 to reduce interference or scheduling conflicts associated with the UEs 415.
[0080] At 420, the UE 415-a (e., the source UE) may transmit a coordination message to the UE 415-b (e.g., the coordinated UE) for uplink aggregation with the UE 415-b for transmission of a data packet. The coordination message may be an example of a coordination message illustrated by and described with reference to FIGs. 2 and 3. For example, the coordination message may indicate an uplink aggregation mode for uplink aggregation. In some examples, the UE 415-a may send the coordination message to the UE 415-b at 420 so that a same data packet (e.g., the data packet) may be duplicated at a particular anchor (e.g., an L2 anchor, such as PDCP) . In such examples, the coordination message may indicate a duplication uplink aggregation mode. In some other examples, the UE 415-a may send the coordination message to the UE 415-b at 420 so that the data packet may be split between the UE 415-a and the UE 415-b. In such examples, the coordination message may indicate a split uplink aggregation mode.
[0081] In some examples, the coordination message may request that the UE 415-b obtain a grant for the uplink resource (e.g., to transmit the data packet or a portion of the data packet using uplink aggregation in accordance with the indicated uplink aggregation mode) . In such examples, the UE 415-a and the UE 415-b may request (e.g., separately) the uplink resource (e.g., a same uplink resource) for transmission of the data packet.
[0082] For example, at 425, the UE 415-a may transmit a first scheduling request to the network entity 405. The first scheduling request may be an example of a scheduling request illustrated by and described with reference to FIGs. 2 and 3. For example, the first scheduling request may be a control message that requests transmission of the data packet from the UE 415-a.
[0083] In some examples, at 430, the UE 415-b may transmit a second scheduling request to the network entity 405. The second scheduling request may also be an example of a scheduling request illustrated by and described with reference to FIGs. 2 and 3. For example, the second scheduling request may be another control message that requests transmission of the data packet from the UE 415-b.
[0084] In some examples, at 435, the UE 415-a may receive a first uplink grant from the network entity 405. The first uplink grant may be an example of an uplink grant illustrated by and described with reference to FIGs. 2 and 3. For example, the first uplink grant may be a grant of an uplink resource for transmission of the data packet from the UE 415-a (e.g., and the UE 415-b) . The UE 415-a may receive the first uplink grant in response to transmitting the first scheduling request.
[0085] In some examples, at 440, the UE 415-b may receive a second uplink grant from the network entity 405. The second uplink grant may be another example of an uplink grant illustrated by and described with reference to FIGs. 2 and 3. For example, the second uplink grant may be a grant of the uplink resource for transmission of the data packet from the UE 415-b (e.g., and the UE 415-a) . The UE 415-b may receive the second uplink grant in response to transmitting the second scheduling request.
[0086] Additionally, or alternatively, one (or both) of the UEs 415 may transmit an indication of (e.g., may inform) the network entity 405 of the other of the UEs 415. For example, the UE 415-a or the UE 415-b (or both) may inform the network entity 405 that the UEs 415 are in a same cluster. That is, one (or both) of the UEs 415 may inform the network entity 405 that the other of the UEs 415 are in a same cluster. In other words, the source UE or the coordinated UE (or both) may inform the network entity (e.g., a gNB) about the other UE in the same cluster. For example, the UE 415-a and the UE 415-b may be connected via a sidelink (e.g., a PC5 link, a PC5 interface) , such that the UEs 415 may transmit and receive sidelink communications. In such an example, the sidelink (e.g., the PC5 interface) used for sidelink communication between the UE 415-a and the UE 415-b may be associated with an identifier (ID) , such as a PC5 L1 source ID. Additionally, the UE 415-a and the UE 415-b may be connected in-network. That is, the UE 415-a and the UE 415-b may be connected to the network entity 405 via respective Uu links (e.g., the UE 415-a and the UE 415-b may each establish a Uu interface with the network entity 405) . That is, the UEs 415 may have a sidelink connection with each another and respective Uu connections with the network entity 405. In such examples, the PC5 L1 source ID may be known by both the UEs 415 and the network entity 405. For example, the UEs 415 may request a PC5 L1 source ID and the network entity may assign the PC5 L1 source ID in response to the request. As such, both of the UEs 415 may be aware the PC5 L1 source ID. The PC5 L1 source ID may be used for group-based control and data transmission or receptions (or both) . The network entity 405 may use the PC5 L1 source ID to correlate the UEs 415, schedule the uplink resource (e.g., a same uplink resource) for the UEs 415, and transmit an uplink grant of the uplink resource to both of the UEs 415 (e.g., separately transmit the first uplink grant to the UE 415-a and the second uplink grant to the UE 415-b) .
[0087] For example, the network entity 405 may schedule sidelink resources for the UE 415-a to assist the UE 415-a for sidelink communications (e.g., with the UE 415-b) . In such an example, the network entity 405 may use (e.g., be aware of) the PC5 L1 ID of the UE 415-a to schedule the sidelink resources. Additionally, the network entity 405 (e.g., and the UEs 415) may use another ID, such as a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) to schedule uplink resources for the UEs 415. For example, the network entity 405 may use a first cell-RNTI (C-RNTI) to schedule uplink resources for the UE 415-a and a second C-RNTI to schedule uplink resources for the UE 415-b. In some examples, the network entity 405 may be aware of the PC5 L1 ID and the first C-RNTI (e.g., a C-RNTI value associated with the UE 415-a) . Accordingly, the network entity 405 may use the PC5 L1 ID, the first C-RNTI, or both, to allocate the uplink resource to the UEs 415 for transmission of the data packet. For example, the network entity 405 may use the first C-RNTI to identify the UE 415-a and the PC5 L1 ID to identify the UE 415-b (e.g., to associate the UE 415-b with the UE 415-a) , such that the network entity 405 may allocate the uplink resource to the UEs 415 for transmission of the data packet based on respective resource scheduling (e.g., uplink scheduling, downlink scheduling) associated with the UE 415-a and the UE 415-b. In other words, the network entity 405 may allocate the uplink resource to the UE 415-a in response to the first scheduling request and to the UE 415-b in response to the second scheduling request and the uplink resource may be based on an RNTI, an ID associated with a sidelink communications link (e.g., the PC5 L1 ID) , or both. Additionally, or alternatively, the uplink resource may be based on a group-RNTI (G-RNTI) . That is, the UEs 415 may use a G-RNTI to request one or more uplink resources for uplink aggregation. In some examples, the UE 415-a may indicate the G-RNTI to the UE 415-b, which the UE 415-b (e.g., and the UE 415-a) may use for receiving uplink grants from the network entity 405. In such an example, the UE 415-a may refrain from forwarding scheduled uplink resource for multiple transmissions or retransmissions. The UE 415-a may indicate the G-RNTI to the UE 415-b via the coordination message or one or more other sidelink messages.
[0088] At 445, the UE 415-a may generate a first uplink message based on the coordination message transmitted at 420. The first uplink message may be an example of an uplink message illustrated by and described with reference to FIGs. 2 and 3. For example, a payload of the first uplink message may include at least a portion of the data packet based on the uplink aggregation mode. In some examples, the first uplink message may include a first portion of the data packet based on the coordination message indicating the split uplink aggregation mode. In some other examples, the first uplink message may include the data packet (e.g., a copy of the data packet) based on the coordination message indicating the duplication uplink aggregation mode.
[0089] At 450, the UE 415-b may generate a second uplink message based on the coordination message transmitted at 420. The second uplink message may be another examples of an uplink message illustrated by and described with reference to FIGs. 2 and 3. For example, a payload of the second uplink message may include at least another portion of the data packet based on the uplink aggregation mode. In some examples, the second uplink message may include a second portion of the data packet based on the coordination message indicating the split uplink aggregation mode. In some other examples, the second uplink message may include the data packet (e.g., another copy of the data packet) based on the coordination message indicating the duplication uplink aggregation mode.
[0090] At 455, the UE 415-a may transmit the first uplink message to the network entity 405. The UE 415-a may transmit the first uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode. For example, the UE 415-a may transmit the first uplink message via the uplink resource.
[0091] At 460, the UE 415-b may transmit the second uplink message to the network entity 405 in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode. That is, the UE 415-b may transmit the second uplink message via the uplink resource (e.g., a same time and frequency resource that the UE 415-a may use to transmit the first uplink message) . In some examples, by transmitting the first uplink message and the second uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode, the UEs 415 may increase a reliability or throughput (or both) of uplink communications with the network entity 405, among other possible benefits.
[0092] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a process flow 500 that supports uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The process flow 500 may implement or be implemented at one or more aspects of the wireless communications system 100, the wireless communications system 200, the process flow 300, and the process flow 400. For example, the process flow 500 may be implemented at a UE 515-a and UE 515-b, which may be examples of a UE illustrated by and described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 4. The process flow may also be implemented at a network entity 505, which may be an example of a network entity illustrated by and described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 4. The operations performed at the UEs 515 and the network entity 505 may support improvements to communications between the UEs 515 and the network entity 505, among other benefits.
[0093] In the following description of the process flow 500, the operations performed at the UEs 515 and the network entity 505 may occur in a different order than the example order shown. Additionally, the operations performed at the UEs 515 and the network entity 505 may be performed at different times. Some operations may be combined and some operations may be omitted. The UEs 515 and the network entity 505 may support a framework for SFN uplink aggregation. For example, the UEs 515 and the network entity 505 may support uplink UE aggregation in an SFN manner to transmit a same data packet (or portions of a same data packet) using a same one or more time and frequency resource. In the example of FIG. 5, the UE 515-a may be an example of a source UE and the UE 515-b may be an example of a coordinated UE. Additionally, in the example of FIG. 5, the network entity 505 may be aware or unaware of uplink aggregation at the UEs 515.
[0094] At 520, the UE 515-a (e., the source UE) may transmit a first coordination message to the UE 515-b (e.g., the coordinated UE) for uplink aggregation with the UE 515-b for transmission of a data packet. The first coordination message may be an example of a coordination message illustrated by and described with reference to FIGs. 2 through 4. For example, the first coordination message may indicate a first uplink aggregation mode for uplink aggregation. In some examples, such as examples in which the network entity 505 may be aware of uplink aggregation at the UEs 515, the first coordination message may indicate a request for the UE 515-b to obtain an uplink grant for an uplink resource for transmission of the data packet (or a portion of the data packet) . In some other examples, such as examples in which the network entity 505 may be unaware of uplink aggregation at the UEs 515, the first coordination message may indicate a grant of an uplink resource for transmission of the data packet (or a portion of the data packet) .
[0095] For example, at 525, the UE 515-a may transmit a first scheduling request to the network entity 505. The first scheduling request may be an example of a scheduling request illustrated by and described with reference to FIGs. 2 through 4. For example, the network entity 505 may be aware of uplink aggregation at the UEs 515 and the first scheduling request may be a control message that requests transmission of the data packet from the UE 515-a. In some other examples, the network entity 505 may be unaware of uplink aggregation at the UEs 515 and the first scheduling request may be a control message that requests transmission of the data packet from the UE 515-a and the UE 515-b. That is, the UE 515-a may request an uplink resource on behalf of the UE 515-b.
[0096] In some examples, at 530, the UE 515-a may receive an uplink grant from the network entity 505 in response to the scheduling request. The uplink grant may be an example of an uplink grant illustrated by and described with reference to FIGs. 2 through 4. For example, the uplink grant may schedule (e.g., indicate) an uplink resource for transmission of the data packet (or a portion of the data packet) from the UE 515-a (e.g., and the UE 515-b) . In some examples, such as example in which the network entity 505 may be unaware of (e.g., transparent to) uplink aggregation at the UEs 515, the UE 515-a may indicate the uplink grant of the uplink resource for transmission of the data packet or a portion of the data packet to the UE 515-b (e.g., via the first coordination message or one or more other sidelink messages) .
[0097] At 535, the UE 515-a may generate a first uplink message based on the first coordination message transmitted at 520. A payload of the first uplink message may include at least a portion of the data packet based on the first uplink aggregation mode. For example, the first uplink message may include a first portion of the data packet based on the first coordination message indicating a split uplink aggregation mode. In some other examples, the first uplink message may include the data packet (e.g., a copy of the data packet) based on the first coordination message indicating a duplication uplink aggregation mode.
[0098] At 540, the UE 515-b may generate a second uplink message based on the first coordination message transmitted at 520. A payload of the second uplink message may include at least another portion of the data packet based on the first uplink aggregation mode. For example, the second uplink message may include a second portion of the data packet based on the first coordination message indicating the split uplink aggregation mode. In some other examples, the second uplink message may include the data packet (e.g., another copy of the data packet) based on the first coordination message indicating the duplication uplink aggregation mode.
[0099] At 545, the UE 515-a may transmit the first uplink message to the network entity 505. The UE 515-a may transmit the first uplink message in accordance with the first uplink aggregation mode. For example, the UE 515-a may transmit the first uplink message via the uplink resource.
[0100] At 550, the UE 515-b may transmit the second uplink message to the network entity 405 in accordance with the first uplink aggregation mode. That is, the UE 515-b may transmit the second uplink message via the uplink resource (e.g., a same time and frequency resource that the UE 515-a may use to transmit the first uplink message) .
[0101] In response to receiving the data packet (or multiple copies of the data packet) from the UEs 515, the network entity 505 may attempt to decode the received data packet (or the received copies of the data packet) . In some examples, however, the network entity 505 may fail to successfully decode the data packet (or the multiple copies of the data packet) . In such an example, the network entity 505 may request retransmission of the data packet. In other words, upon receiving the data packet (e.g., duplicated uplink data) , the network entity 505 (e.g., a gNB) may decode and request uplink retransmission, for example, if a decoding failure occurs.
[0102] For example, at 555, the UE 515-a may receive a retransmission request from the network entity 505. The retransmission request may be an example of a control message that requests retransmission of the data packet. The retransmission request may indicate another uplink resources for the retransmission (e.g., may indicate an uplink retransmission resource) . In some examples, such as examples in which the network entity 505 may be aware of uplink aggregation at the UEs 515 (e.g., for gNB-centric scheduling) , the retransmission request may indicate a transmission mode for retransmission of the data packet. That is, the network entity 505 may determine a transmission mode that the UE 515-a (e.g., and the UE 515-b) may use for retransmission of the data packet (e.g., may determine a retransmission type, may determine a transmission mode) . For example, the network entity 505 may be aware of uplink aggregation at the UEs 515 and may indicate (e.g., via the retransmission request) whether the uplink aggregation may be used for retransmission of the data packet. That is, the network entity 505 may be aware of uplink UE aggregation behavior at the UEs 515 and may instruct whether the coordination (e.g., of uplink aggregation) may be used for retransmission of the data packet. In some examples, the transmission mode may include a same uplink aggregation mode as was used for a previous transmission of the data packet (e.g., the first uplink aggregation mode use for transmission of the data packet at 545 and 550) or a different uplink aggregation mode than was used for the previous transmission of the data packet. In some other examples, the transmission mode may indicate for the UE 515-a to refrain from using uplink aggregation. That is, the transmission mode may be unassociated with uplink aggregation.
[0103] The network entity 505 may determine the transmission mode based on a priority level or a packet delay budget (PDB) associated with the data packet. That is, the transmission mode may be dependent on a packet priority and a remaining PDB of the data packet (e.g., and one or more other uplink packets) . For example, the network entity 505 (e.g., a gNB) may be aware of uplink aggregation (e.g., uplink aggregation behavior) at the UEs 515 and uplink scheduling information associated with the UEs 515. Additionally, in some examples, the network entity 505 may determine that decoding of the data packet is unsuccessful. In such examples, the network entity 505 may use the uplink scheduling information associated with the UEs 515 to determine whether the uplink retransmission resource conflicts with scheduling at the UE 515-a or the UE 515-b (or both) . In some examples, the network entity 505 may identify a lack of a conflict between the uplink retransmission resource and the scheduling at the UEs 515. In such examples, the network entity 505 may request (e.g., or schedule the uplink retransmission resource) retransmission of the data packet (e.g., a relatively high priority transport block) using uplink aggregation, such that the data packet may be transmitted relatively quickly (e.g., based on other relatively low priority traffic) . Additionally, or alternatively, the network entity 505 may determine the transmission mode based on in-band emission (IBE) . For example, the network entity 505 may select the transmission mode such that in-band leakage (e.g., IBE leakage) may be reduced. In some examples, the network entity 505 may schedule the uplink retransmission resource such that one or more slots (or one or more subframes) that may have a relatively high leakage transmission (e.g., that may be allocated for transmissions in which IBE leakage may be relatively high) may be avoided and interference may be relatively low.
[0104] In some other examples, such as examples in which the network entity 505 may be unaware of uplink aggregation at the UEs 515, the UE 515-a (e.g., the source UE) may determine the transmission mode to use for retransmission of the data packet (e.g., may determine the retransmission type, may determine the retransmission mode) . That is, the UE 515-a may determine whether to use a same uplink aggregation mode as was used for a previous transmission of the data packet (e.g., the first uplink aggregation mode use for transmission of the data packet at 545 and 550) , a different uplink aggregation mode than was used for the previous transmission of the data packet, or to refrain from using uplink aggregation. In other words, the UE 515-a may determine whether aggregated retransmission with the UE 515-b may be repeated or whether the UE 515-a may retransmit the data packet by itself. In some examples, the UE 515-a may determine the transmission mode based on scheduling information associated with the UE 515-b.
[0105] For example, at 560, the UE 515-a may receive a scheduling indication from the UE 515-b. The scheduling indication may indicate scheduling information associated with communications (e.g., uplink communications) at the UE 515-b. In other words, the source UE may obtain information regarding when the coordinated UE may have a scheduled transmission. In such an example, the UE 515-a may determine the transmission mode (e.g., the retransmission type) based on the scheduling information indicated via the scheduling indication received at 560. In other words, the UE 515-a may determine the transmission mode through coordination with the UE 515-b. In some examples, the UE 515-a may determine that the uplink retransmission resource (e.g., indicated to the UE 515-a via the retransmission request) conflicts with scheduling at the UE 515-b (e.g., the coordinated UE’s own scheduling) . In such examples, the UE 515-a (e.g., the source UE) may refrain from using uplink aggregation to retransmit the data packet (e.g., the UE 515-a may retransmit the packet by itself) . In some other examples, the UE 515-a may determine a lack of scheduling conflicts with the uplink retransmission resource at the UE 515-b. In such examples, the UE 515-a (e.g., the source UE) may determine to use the first uplink aggregation mode or another uplink aggregation mode (e.g., different from the first uplink aggregation mode) for retransmission of the data packet.
[0106] Additionally, or alternatively, the UE 515-a may determine the transmission mode based on a priority level of an application or a PDB. For example, the data packet may be associated with data traffic generated in accordance with an application. The application may be associated with one or more quality of service (QoS) parameters, which may include a priority level and a PDB. As such, the data packet may be transmitted (e.g., a retransmitted) in accordance with the priority level and the PDB. Accordingly, the transmission mode may be dependent on the application priority or a remaining PDB of the data packet, or both. In some examples, the PDB may be relatively tight. In such examples, the UE 515-a may enable uplink aggregation, such that the network entity 505 (e.g., the receiver) may decode the traffic relatively quickly and with increased reliability. In some other examples, the UEs 515 and the network entity 505 may be operating within an in-vehicle network (e.g., the UE 515-b may be an example of a device affixed to a vehicle) and the data packet may be associated with basic safety message (BSM) traffic, which may have a relatively high priority level. In such examples, the UE 515-a may enable uplink aggregation such that the data packet may be duplicated and the network entity 505 may decode the data packet with increased (e.g., enhanced) reliability.
[0107] In some examples, at 565, the UE 515-a may transmit a second coordination message to the UE 515-b for uplink aggregation with the UE 515-b for retransmission of the data packet. For example, the transmission mode (e.g., determined at the network entity 505 or the UE 515-a) may include an uplink aggregation mode (e.g., the first uplink aggregation mode or another uplink aggregation mode) . In such an example, the UE 515-a may transmit the second coordination message to the UE 515-b to coordinate uplink aggregation for retransmission of the data packet. The second coordination message may be another example of a coordination message illustrated by and described with reference to FIGs. 2 through 4. For example, the second coordination message may indicate a second uplink aggregation mode for uplink aggregation. The second uplink aggregation mode may be a same uplink aggregation mode as the first uplink aggregation mode or a different uplink aggregation mode than the first uplink aggregation mode.
[0108] In some examples, at 570, the UE 515-a may generate a third uplink message based on the second coordination message transmitted at 565. A payload of the third uplink message may include at least a portion of the data packet based on the second uplink aggregation mode. For example, the third uplink message may include a third portion of the data packet (e.g., a same portion as the first portion of the data packet or a different portion from the first portion of the data packet) based on the second coordination message indicating a split uplink aggregation mode. In some other examples, the third uplink message may include the data packet (e., a copy of the data packet) based on the second coordination message indicating a duplication uplink aggregation mode.
[0109] At 575, the UE 515-b may generate a fourth uplink message based on the second coordination message transmitted at 565. A payload of the fourth uplink message may include at least another portion of the data packet based on the second uplink aggregation mode. For example, the fourth uplink message may include a fourth portion of the data packet (e.g., a same portion as the second portion of the data packet or a different portion from the second portion of the data packet) based on the second coordination message indicating the split uplink aggregation mode. In some other examples, the fourth uplink message may include the data packet (e.g., another copy of the data packet) based on the coordination message indicating the duplication uplink aggregation mode.
[0110] At 580, the UE 515-a may transmit the third uplink message to the network entity 505. The UE 515-a may transmit the third uplink message in accordance with the second uplink aggregation mode. For example, the UE 515-a may transmit the third uplink message via the uplink retransmission resource.
[0111] At 585, the UE 515-b may transmit the fourth uplink message to the network entity 505 in accordance with the second uplink aggregation mode. That is, the UE 515-b may transmit the fourth uplink message via the uplink retransmission resource (e.g., a same time and frequency resource that the UE 515-a may use to transmit the third uplink message) . In some examples, by retransmitting the data packet in accordance with the second uplink aggregation mode, the UEs 515 may increase a reliability or throughput (or both) of uplink communications with the network entity 505, among other possible benefits.
[0112] FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram 600 of a device 605 that supports uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 605 may be an example of aspects of a UE 115 as described herein. The device 605 may include a receiver 610, a transmitter 615, and a communications manager 620. The device 605 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses) .
[0113] The receiver 610 may provide a means for receiving information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems) . Information may be passed on to other components of the device 605. The receiver 610 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.
[0114] The transmitter 615 may provide a means for transmitting signals generated by other components of the device 605. For example, the transmitter 615 may transmit information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems) . In some examples, the transmitter 615 may be co-located with a receiver 610 in a transceiver module. The transmitter 615 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.
[0115] The communications manager 620, the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or various combinations thereof or various components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems as described herein. For example, the communications manager 620, the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or various combinations or components thereof may support a method for performing one or more of the functions described herein.
[0116] In some examples, the communications manager 620, the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in communications management circuitry) . The hardware may include a processor, a digital signal processor (DSP) , a central processing unit (CPU) , an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) , a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, a microcontroller, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure. In some examples, a processor and memory coupled with the processor may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., by executing, by the processor, instructions stored in the memory) .
[0117] Additionally, or alternatively, in some examples, the communications manager 620, the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in code (e.g., as communications management software or firmware) executed by a processor. If implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of the communications manager 620, the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or various combinations or components thereof may be performed by a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, a microcontroller, or any combination of these or other programmable logic devices (e.g., configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure) .
[0118] In some examples, the communications manager 620 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or both. For example, the communications manager 620 may receive information from the receiver 610, send information to the transmitter 615, or be integrated in combination with the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, or both to obtain information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.
[0119] The communications manager 620 may support wireless communication at a first UE (e.g., the device 605) in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 620 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, to a second UE (e.g., another of the device 605) , a coordination message for uplink aggregation with the second UE for transmission of a data packet, where the coordination message indicates an uplink aggregation mode for uplink aggregation. The communications manager 620 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for generating an uplink message based on the coordination message, where a payload of the uplink message includes at least a portion of the data packet based on the uplink aggregation mode. The communications manager 620 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting the uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode.
[0120] Additionally, or alternatively, the communications manager 620 may support wireless communication at a first UE (e.g., the other of the device 605) in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 620 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from a second UE (e.g., the device 605) , a coordination message for uplink aggregation with the second UE for transmission of a data packet, where the coordination message indicates an uplink aggregation mode for uplink aggregation. The communications manager 620 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for generating an uplink message based on the coordination message, where a payload of the uplink message includes at least a portion of the data packet based on the uplink aggregation mode. The communications manager 620 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting the uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode.
[0121] By including or configuring the communications manager 620 in accordance with examples as described herein, the device 605 (e.g., a processor controlling or otherwise coupled with the receiver 610, the transmitter 615, the communications manager 620, or a combination thereof) may support techniques for more efficient utilization of communication resources.
[0122] FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram 700 of a device 705 that supports uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 705 may be an example of aspects of a device 605 or a UE 115 as described herein. The device 705 may include a receiver 710, a transmitter 715, and a communications manager 720. The device 705 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses) .
[0123] The receiver 710 may provide a means for receiving information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems) . Information may be passed on to other components of the device 705. The receiver 710 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.
[0124] The transmitter 715 may provide a means for transmitting signals generated by other components of the device 705. For example, the transmitter 715 may transmit information such as packets, user data, control information, or any combination thereof associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels related to uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems) . In some examples, the transmitter 715 may be co-located with a receiver 710 in a transceiver module. The transmitter 715 may utilize a single antenna or a set of multiple antennas.
[0125] The device 705, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various aspects of uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems as described herein. For example, the communications manager 720 may include a coordination message component 725, an uplink message component 730, an uplink aggregation component 735, or any combination thereof. The communications manager 720 may be an example of aspects of a communications manager 620 as described herein. In some examples, the communications manager 720, or various components thereof, may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the receiver 710, the transmitter 715, or both. For example, the communications manager 720 may receive information from the receiver 710, send information to the transmitter 715, or be integrated in combination with the receiver 710, the transmitter 715, or both to obtain information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.
[0126] The communications manager 720 may support wireless communication at a first UE (e.g., the device 705) in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The coordination message component 725 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, to a second UE (e.g., another of the device 705) , a coordination message for uplink aggregation with the second UE for transmission of a data packet, where the coordination message indicates an uplink aggregation mode for uplink aggregation. The uplink message component 730 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for generating an uplink message based on the coordination message, where a payload of the uplink message includes at least a portion of the data packet based on the uplink aggregation mode. The uplink aggregation component 735 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting the uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode.
[0127] Additionally, or alternatively, the communications manager 720 may support wireless communication at a first UE (e.g., the other of the device 705) in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The coordination message component 725 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from a second UE (e.g., the device 705) , a coordination message for uplink aggregation with the second UE for transmission of a data packet, where the coordination message indicates an uplink aggregation mode for uplink aggregation. The uplink aggregation component 735 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for generating an uplink message based on the coordination message, where a payload of the uplink message includes at least a portion of the data packet based on the uplink aggregation mode. The uplink message component 730 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting the uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode.
[0128] FIG. 8 illustrates a block diagram 800 of a communications manager 820 that supports uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The communications manager 820 may be an example of aspects of a communications manager 620, a communications manager 720, or both, as described herein. The communications manager 820, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various aspects of uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems as described herein. For example, the communications manager 820 may include a coordination message component 825, an uplink message component 830, an uplink aggregation component 835, an uplink resource component 840, a parameter indication component 845, a retransmission request component 850, an uplink resource request component 855, a transmission mode component 860, a scheduling information component 865, or any combination thereof. Each of these components may communicate, directly or indirectly, with one another (e.g., via one or more buses) .
[0129] The communications manager 820 may support wireless communication at a first UE in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The coordination message component 825 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, to a second UE, a coordination message for uplink aggregation with the second UE for transmission of a data packet, where the coordination message indicates an uplink aggregation mode for uplink aggregation. The uplink message component 830 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for generating an uplink message based on the coordination message, where a payload of the uplink message includes at least a portion of the data packet based on the uplink aggregation mode. The uplink aggregation component 835 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting the uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode.
[0130] In some examples, the uplink resource component 840 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving a control message that indicates a grant of an uplink resource for the uplink message, where the uplink message is transmitted via the uplink resource.
[0131] In some examples, the uplink resource request component 855 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, to a network entity, a second control message that requests transmission of the data packet, where the grant is received from the network entity in response to the second control message, and where the coordination message indicates the grant of the uplink resource. In some examples, the uplink resource is based on an RNTI, an ID associated with a sidelink communications link, or both.
[0132] In some examples, the uplink resource request component 855 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, to a network entity, a second control message that requests transmission of the data packet, where the control message is received from the network entity in response to the second control message, and where the coordination message requests the second UE to obtain a second grant for the uplink resource.
[0133] In some examples, to support transmitting the coordination message, the coordination message component 825 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, in the coordination message, a G-RNTI associated with the first UE and the second UE.
[0134] In some examples, to support transmitting the coordination message, the coordination message component 825 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, in the coordination message, an indication of one or more transmission parameters for uplink aggregation with the second UE for transmission of the data packet, and where the uplink message is transmitted in accordance with the one or more transmission parameters.
[0135] In some examples, the parameter indication component 845 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from the second UE, an indication of a first set of transmission parameters associated with the second UE, where the uplink message is transmitted in accordance with a second set of transmission parameters, the second set of transmission parameters based on the first set of transmission parameters.
[0136] In some examples, the retransmission request component 850 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving a control message that requests retransmission of the data packet. In some examples, the uplink message component 830 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting a second uplink message in response to the control message, where a second payload of the second uplink message includes at least the portion of the data packet.
[0137] In some examples, to support receiving the control message, the transmission mode component 860 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, in the control message, an indication of a transmission mode of a set of multiple transmission modes for the retransmission of the data packet, where the set of multiple transmission modes includes at least the uplink aggregation mode, and where the second payload is based on the transmission mode.
[0138] In some examples, the scheduling information component 865 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from the second UE, an indication of scheduling information associated with communications at the second UE, where the second uplink message is transmitted in accordance with a transmission mode of a set of multiple transmission modes based on the scheduling information, where the set of multiple transmission modes includes at least the uplink aggregation mode, and where the second payload is based on the transmission mode.
[0139] Additionally, or alternatively, the communications manager 820 may support wireless communication at a first UE in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, the coordination message component 825 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from a second UE, a coordination message for uplink aggregation with the second UE for transmission of a data packet, where the coordination message indicates an uplink aggregation mode for uplink aggregation. In some examples, the uplink aggregation component 835 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for generating an uplink message based on the coordination message, where a payload of the uplink message includes at least a portion of the data packet based on the uplink aggregation mode. In some examples, the uplink message component 830 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting the uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode.
[0140] In some examples, the uplink resource component 840 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving an indication of a grant of an uplink resource for the uplink message, where the uplink message is transmitted via the uplink resource.
[0141] In some examples, the uplink resource request component 855 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, to a network entity, a second control message that requests transmission of the data packet, where the grant is received from the network entity in response to the second control message.
[0142] In some examples, to support receiving the coordination message, the coordination message component 825 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, in the coordination message, an indication of a request to obtain the grant for the uplink resource, where the second control message is transmitted in response to the coordination message.
[0143] In some examples, to support receiving the coordination message, the coordination message component 825 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, in the coordination message, a G-RNTI associated with the first UE and the second UE, where the second control message indicates the G-RNTI, and where the uplink resource is based on the G-RNTI.
[0144] In some examples, to support receiving the coordination message, the coordination message component 825 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, in the coordination message, the indication of the grant.
[0145] In some examples, to support receiving the coordination message, the parameter indication component 845 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, in the coordination message, an indication of one or more transmission parameters for uplink aggregation with the second UE for transmission of the data packet, and where the uplink message is transmitted in accordance with the one or more transmission parameters.
[0146] In some examples, the parameter indication component 845 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, to the second UE, an indication of one or more transmission parameters for uplink aggregation with the second UE for transmission of the data packet, where the uplink message is transmitted in accordance with the one or more transmission parameters.
[0147] In some examples, the coordination message component 825 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from the second UE, a second coordination message for uplink aggregation with the second UE for retransmission of the data packet, where the second coordination message indicates a second uplink aggregation mode for uplink aggregation. In some examples, the uplink message component 830 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for generating a second uplink message based on the second coordination message, where a second payload of the second uplink message includes at least the portion of the data packet based on the second uplink aggregation mode. In some examples, the uplink aggregation component 835 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting the second uplink message in accordance with the second uplink aggregation mode.
[0148] In some examples, the scheduling information component 865 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, to the second UE, an indication of scheduling information associated with the first UE, where the second uplink aggregation mode is based on the scheduling information.
[0149] FIG. 9 illustrates a diagram of a system 900 including a device 905 that supports uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 905 may be an example of or include the components of a device 605, a device 705, or a UE 115 as described herein. The device 905 may communicate (e.g., wirelessly) with one or more network entities 105, one or more UEs 115, or any combination thereof. The device 905 may include components for bi-directional voice and data communications including components for transmitting and receiving communications, such as a communications manager 920, an input / output (I / O) controller 910, a transceiver 915, an antenna 925, a memory 930, code 935, and a processor 940. These components may be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more buses (e.g., a bus 945) .
[0150] The I / O controller 910 may manage input and output signals for the device 905. The I / O controller 910 may also manage peripherals not integrated into the device 905. In some cases, the I / O controller 910 may represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral. In some cases, the I / O controller 910 may utilize an operating system such as or another known operating system. Additionally, or alternatively, the I / O controller 910 may represent or interact with a modem, a keyboard, a mouse, a touchscreen, or a similar device. In some cases, the I / O controller 910 may be implemented as part of a processor, such as the processor 940. In some cases, a user may interact with the device 905 via the I / O controller 910 or via hardware components controlled by the I / O controller 910.
[0151] In some cases, the device 905 may include a single antenna 925. However, in some other cases, the device 905 may have more than one antenna 925, which may be capable of concurrently transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions. The transceiver 915 may communicate bi-directionally, via the one or more antennas 925, wired, or wireless links as described herein. For example, the transceiver 915 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 915 may also include a modem to modulate the packets, to provide the modulated packets to one or more antennas 925 for transmission, and to demodulate packets received from the one or more antennas 925. The transceiver 915, or the transceiver 915 and one or more antennas 925, may be an example of a transmitter 615, a transmitter 715, a receiver 610, a receiver 710, or any combination thereof or component thereof, as described herein.
[0152] The memory 930 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM) . The memory 930 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 935 including instructions that, when executed by the processor 940, cause the device 905 to perform various functions described herein. The code 935 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or another type of memory. In some cases, the code 935 may not be directly executable by the processor 940 but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform functions described herein. In some cases, the memory 930 may contain, among other things, a basic I / O system (BIOS) which may control basic hardware or software operation such as the interaction with peripheral components or devices.
[0153] The processor 940 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof) . In some cases, the processor 940 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some other cases, a memory controller may be integrated into the processor 940. The processor 940 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 930) to cause the device 905 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems) . For example, the device 905 or a component of the device 905 may include a processor 940 and memory 930 coupled with or to the processor 940, the processor 940 and memory 930 configured to perform various functions described herein.
[0154] The communications manager 920 may support wireless communication at a first UE (e.g., the device 905) in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 920 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting, to a second UE (e.g., another of the device 905) , a coordination message for uplink aggregation with the second UE for transmission of a data packet, where the coordination message indicates an uplink aggregation mode for uplink aggregation. The communications manager 920 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for generating an uplink message based on the coordination message, where a payload of the uplink message includes at least a portion of the data packet based on the uplink aggregation mode. The communications manager 920 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting the uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode.
[0155] Additionally, or alternatively, the communications manager 920 may support wireless communication at a first UE (e.g., the other of the device 905) in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 920 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for receiving, from a second UE (e.g., the device 905) , a coordination message for uplink aggregation with the second UE for transmission of a data packet, where the coordination message indicates an uplink aggregation mode for uplink aggregation. The communications manager 920 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for generating an uplink message based on the coordination message, where a payload of the uplink message includes at least a portion of the data packet based on the uplink aggregation mode. The communications manager 920 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for transmitting the uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode.
[0156] By including or configuring the communications manager 920 in accordance with examples as described herein, the device 905 may support techniques for improved communication reliability, reduced latency, and more efficient utilization of communication resources.
[0157] In some examples, the communications manager 920 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, monitoring, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the transceiver 915, the one or more antennas 925, or any combination thereof. Although the communications manager 920 is illustrated as a separate component, in some examples, one or more functions described with reference to the communications manager 920 may be supported by or performed by the processor 940, the memory 930, the code 935, or any combination thereof. For example, the code 935 may include instructions executable by the processor 940 to cause the device 905 to perform various aspects of uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems as described herein, or the processor 940 and the memory 930 may be otherwise configured to perform or support such operations.
[0158] FIG. 10 illustrates a block diagram 1000 of a device 1005 that supports uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 1005 may be an example of aspects of a network entity 105 as described herein. The device 1005 may include a receiver 1010, a transmitter 1015, and a communications manager 1020. The device 1005 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses) .
[0159] The receiver 1010 may provide a means for obtaining (e.g., receiving, determining, identifying) information such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof (e.g., I / Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units) associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with a protocol stack) . Information may be passed on to other components of the device 1005. In some examples, the receiver 1010 may support obtaining information by receiving signals via one or more antennas. Additionally, or alternatively, the receiver 1010 may support obtaining information by receiving signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof.
[0160] The transmitter 1015 may provide a means for outputting (e.g., transmitting, providing, conveying, sending) information generated by other components of the device 1005. For example, the transmitter 1015 may output information such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof (e.g., I / Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units) associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with a protocol stack) . In some examples, the transmitter 1015 may support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more antennas. Additionally, or alternatively, the transmitter 1015 may support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the transmitter 1015 and the receiver 1010 may be co-located in a transceiver, which may include or be coupled with a modem.
[0161] The communications manager 1020, the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, or various combinations thereof or various components thereof may be examples of means for performing various aspects of uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems as described herein. For example, the communications manager 1020, the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, or various combinations or components thereof may support a method for performing one or more of the functions described herein.
[0162] In some examples, the communications manager 1020, the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in hardware (e.g., in communications management circuitry) . The hardware may include a processor, a DSP, a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, a microcontroller, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure. In some examples, a processor and memory coupled with the processor may be configured to perform one or more of the functions described herein (e.g., by executing, by the processor, instructions stored in the memory) .
[0163] Additionally, or alternatively, in some examples, the communications manager 1020, the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, or various combinations or components thereof may be implemented in code (e.g., as communications management software or firmware) executed by a processor. If implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of the communications manager 1020, the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, or various combinations or components thereof may be performed by a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, an ASIC, an FPGA, a microcontroller, or any combination of these or other programmable logic devices (e.g., configured as or otherwise supporting a means for performing the functions described in the present disclosure) .
[0164] In some examples, the communications manager 1020 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, or both. For example, the communications manager 1020 may receive information from the receiver 1010, send information to the transmitter 1015, or be integrated in combination with the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, or both to obtain information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.
[0165] The communications manager 1020 may support wireless communication at a network entity (e.g., the device 1005) in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 1020 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for obtaining, from a first UE, a first uplink message in accordance with an uplink aggregation mode, where a first payload of the first uplink message includes at least a first portion of a data packet based on the uplink aggregation mode. The communications manager 1020 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for obtaining, from a second UE, a second uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode, where a second payload of the second uplink message includes at least a second portion of the data packet based on the uplink aggregation mode. The communications manager 1020 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for decoding the first uplink message and the second uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode based on the first payload and the second payload.
[0166] By including or configuring the communications manager 1020 in accordance with examples as described herein, the device 1005 (e.g., a processor controlling or otherwise coupled with the receiver 1010, the transmitter 1015, the communications manager 1020, or a combination thereof) may support techniques for more efficient utilization of communication resources.
[0167] FIG. 11 illustrates a block diagram 1100 of a device 1105 that supports uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 1105 may be an example of aspects of a device 1005 or a network entity 105 as described herein. The device 1105 may include a receiver 1110, a transmitter 1115, and a communications manager 1120. The device 1105 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses) .
[0168] The receiver 1110 may provide a means for obtaining (e.g., receiving, determining, identifying) information such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof (e.g., I / Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units) associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with a protocol stack) . Information may be passed on to other components of the device 1105. In some examples, the receiver 1110 may support obtaining information by receiving signals via one or more antennas. Additionally, or alternatively, the receiver 1110 may support obtaining information by receiving signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof.
[0169] The transmitter 1115 may provide a means for outputting (e.g., transmitting, providing, conveying, sending) information generated by other components of the device 1105. For example, the transmitter 1115 may output information such as user data, control information, or any combination thereof (e.g., I / Q samples, symbols, packets, protocol data units, service data units) associated with various channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, information channels, channels associated with a protocol stack) . In some examples, the transmitter 1115 may support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more antennas. Additionally, or alternatively, the transmitter 1115 may support outputting information by transmitting signals via one or more wired (e.g., electrical, fiber optic) interfaces, wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof. In some examples, the transmitter 1115 and the receiver 1110 may be co-located in a transceiver, which may include or be coupled with a modem.
[0170] The device 1105, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various aspects of uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems as described herein. For example, the communications manager 1120 may include a payload component 1125 an uplink aggregation component 1130, or any combination thereof. The communications manager 1120 may be an example of aspects of a communications manager 1020 as described herein. In some examples, the communications manager 1120, or various components thereof, may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the receiver 1110, the transmitter 1115, or both. For example, the communications manager 1120 may receive information from the receiver 1110, send information to the transmitter 1115, or be integrated in combination with the receiver 1110, the transmitter 1115, or both to obtain information, output information, or perform various other operations as described herein.
[0171] The communications manager 1120 may support wireless communication at a network entity (e.g., the device 1105) in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The payload component 1125 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for obtaining, from a first UE, a first uplink message in accordance with an uplink aggregation mode, where a first payload of the first uplink message includes at least a first portion of a data packet based on the uplink aggregation mode. The payload component 1125 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for obtaining, from a second UE, a second uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode, where a second payload of the second uplink message includes at least a second portion of the data packet based on the uplink aggregation mode. The uplink aggregation component 1130 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for decoding the first uplink message and the second uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode based on the first payload and the second payload.
[0172] FIG. 12 illustrates a block diagram 1200 of a communications manager 1220 that supports uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The communications manager 1220 may be an example of aspects of a communications manager 1020, a communications manager 1120, or both, as described herein. The communications manager 1220, or various components thereof, may be an example of means for performing various aspects of uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems as described herein. For example, the communications manager 1220 may include a payload component 1225, an uplink aggregation component 1230, a grant indication component 1235, a transmission request component 1240, a transmission mode indication component 1245, or any combination thereof. Each of these components may communicate, directly or indirectly, with one another (e.g., via one or more buses) which may include communications within a protocol layer of a protocol stack, communications associated with a logical channel of a protocol stack (e.g., between protocol layers of a protocol stack, within a device, component, or virtualized component associated with a network entity 105, between devices, components, or virtualized components associated with a network entity 105) , or any combination thereof.
[0173] The communications manager 1220 may support wireless communication at a network entity in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. The payload component 1225 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for obtaining, from a first UE, a first uplink message in accordance with an uplink aggregation mode, where a first payload of the first uplink message includes at least a first portion of a data packet based on the uplink aggregation mode. In some examples, the payload component 1225 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for obtaining, from a second UE, a second uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode, where a second payload of the second uplink message includes at least a second portion of the data packet based on the uplink aggregation mode. The uplink aggregation component 1230 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for decoding the first uplink message and the second uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode based on the first payload and the second payload.
[0174] In some examples, the grant indication component 1235 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for outputting, to the first UE, a control message that indicates a grant of an uplink resource for transmission of the data packet, where obtaining at least the first uplink message is based on the grant.
[0175] In some examples, the grant indication component 1235 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for obtaining, from the first UE, a second control message that request transmission of the data packet, where the grant is output in response to the second control message.
[0176] In some examples, the transmission request component 1240 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for obtaining, from the second UE, a third control message that requests transmission of the data packet. In some examples, the grant indication component 1235 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for outputting, to the second UE, a fourth control message that indicates a second grant of the uplink resource for transmission of the data packet, where obtaining the second uplink message is based on the second grant.
[0177] In some examples, to support obtaining the third control message, the grant indication component 1235 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for obtaining, in the third control message, a G-RNTI associated with the first UE and the second UE, where the uplink resource is based on the G-RNTI. In some examples, the uplink resource is based on an RNTI, an ID associated with a sidelink communication link, or both.
[0178] In some examples, the transmission request component 1240 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for outputting, to the first UE, a control message that requests retransmission of the data packet. In some examples, the payload component 1225 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for obtaining, from the first UE, a third uplink message in response to the control message, where a third payload of the third uplink message includes at least the first portion of the data packet.
[0179] In some examples, the payload component 1225 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for obtaining, from the second UE, a fourth uplink message in response to the control message, where a fourth payload of the fourth uplink message includes at least the second portion of the data packet, and where the third uplink message and the fourth uplink message are obtained in accordance with a transmission mode of a set of multiple transmission modes that includes at least the uplink aggregation mode. In some examples, the uplink aggregation component 1230 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for decoding the third uplink message and the fourth uplink message in accordance with the transmission mode.
[0180] In some examples, to support outputting the control message, the transmission mode indication component 1245 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for outputting, in the control message, an indication of the transmission mode for the retransmission of the data packet, and where the third payload of the third uplink message and the fourth payload of the fourth uplink message are based on the transmission mode.
[0181] FIG. 13 illustrates a diagram of a system 1300 including a device 1305 that supports uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The device 1305 may be an example of or include the components of a device 1005, a device 1105, or a network entity 105 as described herein. The device 1305 may communicate with one or more network entities 105, one or more UEs 115, or any combination thereof, which may include communications over one or more wired interfaces, over one or more wireless interfaces, or any combination thereof. The device 1305 may include components that support outputting and obtaining communications, such as a communications manager 1320, a transceiver 1310, an antenna 1315, a memory 1325, code 1330, and a processor 1335. These components may be in electronic communication or otherwise coupled (e.g., operatively, communicatively, functionally, electronically, electrically) via one or more buses (e.g., a bus 1340) .
[0182] The transceiver 1310 may support bi-directional communications via wired links, wireless links, or both as described herein. In some examples, the transceiver 1310 may include a wired transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with another wired transceiver. Additionally, or alternatively, in some examples, the transceiver 1310 may include a wireless transceiver and may communicate bi-directionally with another wireless transceiver. In some examples, the device 1305 may include one or more antennas 1315, which may be capable of transmitting or receiving wireless transmissions (e.g., concurrently) . The transceiver 1310 may also include a modem to modulate signals, to provide the modulated signals for transmission (e.g., by one or more antennas 1315, by a wired transmitter) , to receive modulated signals (e.g., from one or more antennas 1315, from a wired receiver) , and to demodulate signals. In some implementations, the transceiver 1310 may include one or more interfaces, such as one or more interfaces coupled with the one or more antennas 1315 that are configured to support various receiving or obtaining operations, or one or more interfaces coupled with the one or more antennas 1315 that are configured to support various transmitting or outputting operations, or a combination thereof. In some implementations, the transceiver 1310 may include or be configured for coupling with one or more processors or memory components that are operable to perform or support operations based on received or obtained information or signals, or to generate information or other signals for transmission or other outputting, or any combination thereof. In some implementations, the transceiver 1310, or the transceiver 1310 and the one or more antennas 1315, or the transceiver 1310 and the one or more antennas 1315 and one or more processors or memory components (for example, the processor 1335, or the memory 1325, or both) , may be included in a chip or chip assembly that is installed in the device 1305. In some examples, the transceiver may be operable to support communications via one or more communications links (e.g., a communication link 125, a backhaul communication link 120, a midhaul communication link 162, a fronthaul communication link 168) .
[0183] The memory 1325 may include RAM and ROM. The memory 1325 may store computer-readable, computer-executable code 1330 including instructions that, when executed by the processor 1335, cause the device 1305 to perform various functions described herein. The code 1330 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or another type of memory. In some cases, the code 1330 may not be directly executable by the processor 1335 but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform functions described herein. In some cases, the memory 1325 may contain, among other things, a BIOS which may control basic hardware or software operation such as the interaction with peripheral components or devices.
[0184] The processor 1335 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, a CPU, an FPGA, a microcontroller, a programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof) . In some cases, the processor 1335 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some other cases, a memory controller may be integrated into the processor 1335. The processor 1335 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., the memory 1325) to cause the device 1305 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems) . For example, the device 1305 or a component of the device 1305 may include a processor 1335 and memory 1325 coupled with the processor 1335, the processor 1335 and memory 1325 configured to perform various functions described herein. The processor 1335 may be an example of a cloud-computing platform (e.g., one or more physical nodes and supporting software such as operating systems, virtual machines, or container instances) that may host the functions (e.g., by executing code 1330) to perform the functions of the device 1305. The processor 1335 may be any one or more suitable processors capable of executing scripts or instructions of one or more software programs stored in the device 1305 (such as within the memory 1325) . In some implementations, the processor 1335 may be a component of a processing system. A processing system may generally refer to a system or series of machines or components that receives inputs and processes the inputs to produce a set of outputs (which may be passed to other systems or components of, for example, the device 1305) . For example, a processing system of the device 1305 may refer to a system including the various other components or subcomponents of the device 1305, such as the processor 1335, or the transceiver 1310, or the communications manager 1320, or other components or combinations of components of the device 1305. The processing system of the device 1305 may interface with other components of the device 1305, and may process information received from other components (such as inputs or signals) or output information to other components. For example, a chip or modem of the device 1305 may include a processing system and one or more interfaces to output information, or to obtain information, or both. The one or more interfaces may be implemented as or otherwise include a first interface configured to output information and a second interface configured to obtain information, or a same interface configured to output information and to obtain information, among other implementations. In some implementations, the one or more interfaces may refer to an interface between the processing system of the chip or modem and a transmitter, such that the device 1305 may transmit information output from the chip or modem. Additionally, or alternatively, in some implementations, the one or more interfaces may refer to an interface between the processing system of the chip or modem and a receiver, such that the device 1305 may obtain information or signal inputs, and the information may be passed to the processing system. A person having ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that a first interface also may obtain information or signal inputs, and a second interface also may output information or signal outputs.
[0185] In some examples, a bus 1340 may support communications of (e.g., within) a protocol layer of a protocol stack. In some examples, a bus 1340 may support communications associated with a logical channel of a protocol stack (e.g., between protocol layers of a protocol stack) , which may include communications performed within a component of the device 1305, or between different components of the device 1305 that may be co-located or located in different locations (e.g., where the device 1305 may refer to a system in which one or more of the communications manager 1320, the transceiver 1310, the memory 1325, the code 1330, and the processor 1335 may be located in one of the different components or divided between different components) .
[0186] In some examples, the communications manager 1320 may manage aspects of communications with a core network 130 (e.g., via one or more wired or wireless backhaul links) . For example, the communications manager 1320 may manage the transfer of data communications for client devices, such as one or more UEs 115. In some examples, the communications manager 1320 may manage communications with other network entities 105, and may include a controller or scheduler for controlling communications with UEs 115 in cooperation with other network entities 105. In some examples, the communications manager 1320 may support an X2 interface within an LTE / LTE-A wireless communications network technology to provide communication between network entities 105.
[0187] The communications manager 1320 may support wireless communication at a network entity (e.g., the device 1305) in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. For example, the communications manager 1320 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for obtaining, from a first UE, a first uplink message in accordance with an uplink aggregation mode, where a first payload of the first uplink message includes at least a first portion of a data packet based on the uplink aggregation mode. The communications manager 1320 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for obtaining, from a second UE, a second uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode, where a second payload of the second uplink message includes at least a second portion of the data packet based on the uplink aggregation mode. The communications manager 1320 may be configured as or otherwise support a means for decoding the first uplink message and the second uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode based on the first payload and the second payload.
[0188] By including or configuring the communications manager 1320 in accordance with examples as described herein, the device 1305 may support techniques for improved communication reliability, reduced latency, and more efficient utilization of communication resources.
[0189] In some examples, the communications manager 1320 may be configured to perform various operations (e.g., receiving, obtaining, monitoring, outputting, transmitting) using or otherwise in cooperation with the transceiver 1310, the one or more antennas 1315 (e.g., where applicable) , or any combination thereof. Although the communications manager 1320 is illustrated as a separate component, in some examples, one or more functions described with reference to the communications manager 1320 may be supported by or performed by the transceiver 1310, the processor 1335, the memory 1325, the code 1330, or any combination thereof. For example, the code 1330 may include instructions executable by the processor 1335 to cause the device 1305 to perform various aspects of uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems as described herein, or the processor 1335 and the memory 1325 may be otherwise configured to perform or support such operations.
[0190] FIG. 14 illustrates a flowchart showing a method 1400 that supports uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1400 may be implemented by a UE or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1400 may be performed by a UE 115 as described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 9. In some examples, a UE may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the UE may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.
[0191] At 1405, the method may include transmitting, to a second UE, a coordination message for uplink aggregation with the second UE for transmission of a data packet, where the coordination message indicates an uplink aggregation mode for uplink aggregation. The operations of 1405 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1405 may be performed by a coordination message component 825 as described with reference to FIG. 8.
[0192] At 1410, the method may include generating an uplink message based on the coordination message, where a payload of the uplink message includes at least a portion of the data packet based on the uplink aggregation mode. The operations of 1410 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1410 may be performed by an uplink message component 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.
[0193] At 1415, the method may include transmitting the uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode. The operations of 1415 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1415 may be performed by an uplink aggregation component 835 as described with reference to FIG. 8.
[0194] FIG. 15 illustrates a flowchart showing a method 1500 that supports uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1500 may be implemented by a network entity or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1500 may be performed by a network entity as described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 5 and 10 through 13. In some examples, a network entity may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the network entity to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the network entity may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.
[0195] At 1505, the method may include obtaining, from a first UE, a first uplink message in accordance with an uplink aggregation mode, where a first payload of the first uplink message includes at least a first portion of a data packet based on the uplink aggregation mode. The operations of 1505 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1505 may be performed by a payload component 1225 as described with reference to FIG. 12.
[0196] At 1510, the method may include obtaining, from a second UE, a second uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode, where a second payload of the second uplink message includes at least a second portion of the data packet based on the uplink aggregation mode. The operations of 1510 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1510 may be performed by a payload component 1225 as described with reference to FIG. 12.
[0197] At 1515, the method may include decoding the first uplink message and the second uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode based on the first payload and the second payload. The operations of 1515 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1515 may be performed by an uplink aggregation component 1230 as described with reference to FIG. 12.
[0198] FIG. 16 illustrates a flowchart showing a method 1600 that supports uplink aggregation for devices in wireless systems in accordance with one or more aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1600 may be implemented by a UE or its components as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1600 may be performed by a UE 115 as described with reference to FIGs. 1 through 9. In some examples, a UE may execute a set of instructions to control the functional elements of the UE to perform the described functions. Additionally, or alternatively, the UE may perform aspects of the described functions using special-purpose hardware.
[0199] At 1605, the method may include receiving, from a second UE, a coordination message for uplink aggregation with the second UE for transmission of a data packet, where the coordination message indicates an uplink aggregation mode for uplink aggregation. The operations of 1605 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1605 may be performed by a coordination message component 825 as described with reference to FIG. 8.
[0200] At 1610, the method may include generating an uplink message based on the coordination message, where a payload of the uplink message includes at least a portion of the data packet based on the uplink aggregation mode. The operations of 1610 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1610 may be performed by an uplink aggregation component 835 as described with reference to FIG. 8.
[0201] At 1615, the method may include transmitting the uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode. The operations of 1615 may be performed in accordance with examples as disclosed herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1615 may be performed by an uplink message component 830 as described with reference to FIG. 8.
[0202] It should be noted that the methods described herein describe possible implementations, and that the operations and the steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified and that other implementations are possible. Further, aspects from two or more of the methods may be combined.
[0203] Although aspects of an LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR system may be described for purposes of example, and LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR terminology may be used in much of the description, the techniques described herein are applicable beyond LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR networks. For example, the described techniques may be applicable to various other wireless communications systems such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) , Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi) , IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX) , IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, as well as other systems and radio technologies not explicitly mentioned herein.
[0204] 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 voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.
[0205] The various illustrative blocks and components described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed using a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, a CPU, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor but, in the alternative, the processor may be any processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A 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 in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration) .
[0206] The functions described herein may be implemented using hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented using software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored as or transmitted using one or more instructions or code of a computer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of the disclosure and appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, functions described herein may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or combinations of any of these. Features implementing functions may also be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at different physical locations.
[0207] Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one location to another. A non-transitory storage medium may be any available medium that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM) , flash memory, compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that may be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL) , or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of computer-readable medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, include CD, laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD) , floppy disk and Blu-ray disc. Disks may reproduce data magnetically, and discs may reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.
[0208] As used herein, including in the claims, “or” as used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items prefaced by a phrase such as “at least one of” or “one or more 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) . Also, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shall not be construed as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an example step that is described as “based on condition A” may be based on both a condition A and a condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase “based on” shall be construed in the same manner as the phrase “based at least in part on. ”
[0209] The term “determine” or “determining” encompasses a variety of actions and, therefore, “determining” can include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (such as via looking up in a table, a database or another data structure) , ascertaining and the like. Also, “determining” can include receiving (e.g., receiving information) , accessing (e.g., accessing data stored in memory) and the like. Also, “determining” can include resolving, obtaining, selecting, choosing, establishing, and other such similar actions.
[0210] In the appended figures, similar components or features may have the same reference label. Further, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label by a dash and a second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If just the first reference label is used in the specification, the description is applicable to any one of the similar components having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label, or other subsequent reference label.
[0211] The description set forth herein, in connection with the appended drawings, describes example configurations and does not represent all the examples that may be implemented or that are within the scope of the claims. The term “example” used herein means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration, ” and not “preferred” or “advantageous over other examples. ” The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of the described techniques. These techniques, however, may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.
[0212] The description herein is provided to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to a person having ordinary skill in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.
Claims
1.An apparatus for wireless communication at a first user equipment (UE) , comprising:a memory; anda processor coupled to the memory and configured to:transmit, to a second UE, a coordination message for uplink aggregation with the second UE for transmission of a data packet, wherein the coordination message indicates an uplink aggregation mode for uplink aggregation;generate an uplink message based at least in part on the coordination message, wherein a payload of the uplink message comprises at least a portion of the data packet based at least in part on the uplink aggregation mode; andtransmit the uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode.2.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:receive a control message that indicates a grant of an uplink resource for the uplink message, wherein the uplink message is transmitted via the uplink resource.3.The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to:transmit, to a network entity, a second control message that requests transmission of the data packet, wherein the grant is received from the network entity in response to the second control message, and wherein the coordination message indicates the grant of the uplink resource.4.The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the uplink resource is based at least in part on a radio network temporary identifier, an identifier associated with a sidelink communications link, or both.5.The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the processor is further configured to:transmit, to a network entity, a second control message that requests transmission of the data packet, wherein the control message is received from the network entity in response to the second control message, and wherein the coordination message requests the second UE to obtain a second grant for the uplink resource.6.The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the processor is further configured to:transmit, in the coordination message, a group radio network temporary identifier associated with the first UE and the second UE.7.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:transmit, in the coordination message, an indication of one or more transmission parameters for uplink aggregation with the second UE for transmission of the data packet, and wherein the uplink message is transmitted in accordance with the one or more transmission parameters.8.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured:receive, from the second UE, an indication of a first set of transmission parameters associated with the second UE, wherein the uplink message is transmitted in accordance with a second set of transmission parameters, the second set of transmission parameters based at least in part on the first set of transmission parameters.9.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:receive a control message that requests retransmission of the data packet; andtransmit a second uplink message in response to the control message, wherein a second payload of the second uplink message comprises at least the portion of the data packet.10.The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:receive, in the control message, an indication of a transmission mode of a plurality of transmission modes for the retransmission of the data packet, wherein the plurality of transmission modes includes at least the uplink aggregation mode, and wherein the second payload is based at least in part on the transmission mode.11.The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the processor is further configured to:receive, from the second UE, an indication of scheduling information associated with communications at the second UE, wherein the second uplink message is transmitted in accordance with a transmission mode of a plurality of transmission modes based at least in part on the scheduling information, wherein the plurality of transmission modes includes at least the uplink aggregation mode, and wherein the second payload is based at least in part on the transmission mode.12.An apparatus for wireless communication at a network entity, comprising:a memory; anda processor coupled to the memory and configured to:obtain, from a first user equipment (UE) , a first uplink message in accordance with an uplink aggregation mode, wherein a first payload of the first uplink message comprises at least a first portion of a data packet based at least in part on the uplink aggregation mode;obtain, from a second UE, a second uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode, wherein a second payload of the second uplink message comprises at least a second portion of the data packet based at least in part on the uplink aggregation mode; anddecode the first uplink message and the second uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode based at least in part on the first payload and the second payload.13.The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to:output, to the first UE, a control message that indicate a grant of an uplink resource for transmission of the data packet, wherein obtaining at least the first uplink message is based at least in part on the grant.14.The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the processor is further configured to:obtain, from the first UE, a second control message that request transmission of the data packet, wherein the grant is output in response to the second control message.15.The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processor is further configured to:obtain, from the second UE, a third control message that requests transmission of the data packet; andoutput, to the second UE, a fourth control message that indicate a second grant of the uplink resource for transmission of the data packet, wherein obtaining the second uplink message is based at least in part on the second grant.16.The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to:obtain, in the third control message, a group radio network temporary identifier associated with the first UE and the second UE, wherein the uplink resource is based at least in part on the group radio network temporary identifier.17.The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the uplink resource is based at least in part on a radio network temporary identifier, an identifier associated with a sidelink communication link, or both.18.The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured to:output, to the first UE, a control message that request retransmission of the data packet; andobtain, from the first UE, a third uplink message in response to the control message, wherein a third payload of the third uplink message comprises at least the first portion of the data packet.19.The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the processor is further configured to:obtain, from the second UE, a fourth uplink message in response to the control message, wherein a fourth payload of the fourth uplink message comprises at least the second portion of the data packet, and wherein the third uplink message and the fourth uplink message are obtained in accordance with a transmission mode of a plurality of transmission modes that includes at least the uplink aggregation mode; anddecode the third uplink message and the fourth uplink message in accordance with the transmission mode.20.The apparatus of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to:output, in the control message, an indication of the transmission mode for the retransmission of the data packet, and wherein the third payload of the third uplink message and the fourth payload of the fourth uplink message be based at least in part on the transmission mode.21.An apparatus for wireless communication at a first user equipment (UE) , comprising:a memory; anda processor coupled to the memory and configured to:receive, from a second UE, a coordination message for uplink aggregation with the second UE for transmission of a data packet, wherein the coordination message indicates an uplink aggregation mode for uplink aggregation;generate an uplink message based at least in part on the coordination message, wherein a payload of the uplink message comprises at least a portion of the data packet based at least in part on the uplink aggregation mode; andtransmit the uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode.22.The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to:receive an indication of a grant of an uplink resource for the uplink message, wherein the uplink message is transmitted via the uplink resource.23.The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the processor is further configured to:transmit, to a network entity, a second control message that requests transmission of the data packet, wherein the grant is received from the network entity in response to the second control message.24.The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the processor is further configured to:receive, in the coordination message, an indication of a request to obtain the grant for the uplink resource, wherein the second control message is transmitted in response to the coordination message.25.The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the processor is further configured to:receive, in the coordination message, a group radio network temporary identifier associated with the first UE and the second UE, wherein the second control message indicates the group radio network temporary identifier, and wherein the uplink resource is based at least in part on the group radio network temporary identifier.26.The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the processor is further configured to:receive, in the coordination message, the indication of the grant.27.The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to:receive, in the coordination message, an indication of one or more transmission parameters for uplink aggregation with the second UE for transmission of the data packet, and wherein the uplink message is transmitted in accordance with the one or more transmission parameters.28.The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to:transmit, to the second UE, an indication of one or more transmission parameters for uplink aggregation with the second UE for transmission of the data packet, wherein the uplink message is transmitted in accordance with the one or more transmission parameters.29.The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the processor is further configured to:receive, from the second UE, a second coordination message for uplink aggregation with the second UE for retransmission of the data packet, wherein the second coordination message indicates a second uplink aggregation mode for uplink aggregation;generate a second uplink message based at least in part on the second coordination message, wherein a second payload of the second uplink message comprises at least the portion of the data packet based at least in part on the second uplink aggregation mode; andtransmit the second uplink message in accordance with the second uplink aggregation mode.30.A method for wireless communication at a first user equipment (UE) , comprising:transmitting, to a second UE, a coordination message for uplink aggregation with the second UE for transmission of a data packet, wherein the coordination message indicates an uplink aggregation mode for uplink aggregation;generating an uplink message based at least in part on the coordination message, wherein a payload of the uplink message comprises at least a portion of the data packet based at least in part on the uplink aggregation mode; andtransmitting the uplink message in accordance with the uplink aggregation mode.