Ul codebook configuration for near-field communications

Abstract

Systems and methods for Uplink (UL) codebook configuration for near- field communications are provided. In some embodiments, a method performed by a device for communicating with a network node includes: receiving an indication from the network node to apply one of: a Near-field UL codebook; and a Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook; and performing an UL transmission with the indicated Near-field UL codebook, or Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook. In this way, some embodiments enable proper UL codebook configuration for near-field communications. This, in turn, makes it possible to serve the near-field devices, improve the spectral efficiency for them, and reduce network interference.

Description

UL CODEBOOK CONFIGURATION FOR NEAR-FIELD COMMUNICATIONSRELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of provisional patent application serial number 63 / 520,638, filed August 20, 2023, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to codebook configuration.BACKGROUND

[0003] Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) is one of the key physical layer technologies in 5G. Here, a gNB with many, e.g., 64, antennas provides large array gains and / or performs spatial multiplexing of many users on the same time-frequency resources. Particularly, the received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) increases with the number of antennas. Hence, the spectral efficiency can be increased or, equivalently, the required power to satisfy a quality-of-service requirement can be decreased as the number of antennas increases.

[0004] Due to the success of MIMO, it is expected that beyond 5G and 6G systems will make use of even larger arrays at both the gNB side and the device side. Here, in some cases, depending on the array size, distance and frequency, the electromagnetic radiation field needs to be modeled by near-field spherical waves, which differs from the conventional planar-wave based radiation model. As a result, it may be required to consider the near-field MIMO communications in beyond 5G and 6G networks. Particularly, enhancements related to near-field communications have been suggested for possible study in 3GPP Rel-19.

[0005] Note. Even if the near-field communication is not considered in 3GPP Rel-19, it is one of the important concepts for 6G, since in the future the number of antennas at the gNBs / devices will for sure increase and also there is a chance for moving towards higher frequencies in 6G.

[0006] Implementing very large number of antennas results in fundamental changes of the electromagnetic characteristics. Generally, the electromagnetic radiation field can be divided into far-field and near-field regions. Far-field refers to the propagation range at which the direction and channel gain are approximately the same from all elements in the array to the transmitting / receiving antenna. The amplitude depends only on the propagation distance to the center of the receiver and the phase variations only depend on the incident angle. Also, the mismatch between the polarization of an antenna and of the incident wave is approximately thesame for all antennas in the far- field. On the other hand, if the receiver is in the near- field of the transmitter, the propagation distances are so short that there are noticeable amplitude variations over the receiver aperture. Also, the incident wave is arriving from distinctly different angular directions to different elements, thus, e.g., one must model the polarization on an element-by- element basis.

[0007] Theoretically, the boundary between these two regions is determined by the Fraunhofer distance (FD), also called the Rayleigh distance, which is determined based on the maximum allowable phase error in the antenna array. Outside the Fraunhofer distance, it is the far-field region, where the electromagnetic field can be approximately modeled by planar waves. Within the Fraunhofer distance, the near-field propagation becomes dominant, where the electromagnetic field has to be accurately modeled by spherical waves. For instance, Figures 1A-C demonstrates the Fraunhofer distance for different communication setups.

[0008] It is interesting to note that, as shown in Figure 1C, the probability of near-field communication increases significantly in the presence of repeaters, Intelligent Reflecting Surfaces (IRSs) or Network-Controlled Repeaters (NCRs), where devices might be in near-field as long as one of the gNB-IRS / NCR or the IRS / NCR-UE links is short. This is especially important because it has been theoretically shown that, for a proper performance of an IRS / NCR, it should be deployed either close to the gNB or the UE (i.e., the coverage hole to be covered by the IRS / NCR), where eitheror r2in Figure 1C is small. Here, the suggested objectives are channel model enhancement and precoding enhancement.SUMMARY

[0009] Systems and methods for Uplink (UL) codebook configuration for near-field communications are provided. In some embodiments, a method performed by a device for communicating with a network node includes: receiving an indication from the network node to apply one of: a Near-field UL codebook; and a Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook; and performing an UL transmission with the indicated Near-field UL codebook, or Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook. In this way, some embodiments enable proper UL codebook configuration for near-field communications. This, in turn, makes it possible to serve the near-field devices, improve the spectral efficiency for them, and reduce network interference.

[0010] In some embodiments, the device is one or more of: a User Equipment, UE; an Intelligent Reflecting Surface, IRS; a repeater; a Network-Controlled Repeater, NCR; a node in a Fixed Wireless Access, FWA, network; and nodes with similar functionalities.

[0011] In some embodiments, the method also includes: indicating to the network node whether the UE is in near-field or far-field.

[0012] In some embodiments, the method also includes: providing the network node with appropriate information such that the network node can determine whether the device is in near- field or far-field.

[0013] In some embodiments, the method also includes: providing the network node with a device capability report supporting for UL codebook-based operation targeting near-field communication or joint near-field and far-field communication.

[0014] In some embodiments, the device capability report: corresponds to support of the Near- field UL codebook; corresponds to the Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook; and / or is based on Radio Resource Control (RRC) Medium Access Control - Control Element (MAC-CE) and / or Uplink Control Information (UCI) signaling.

[0015] In some embodiments, the device capability report includes one or more of: a capability to operate with a Near-field UL codebook; a capability to operate with a Joint near-field and far- field UL codebook; a capability to support dynamic switching between a Near-field UL codebook and a legacy type of UL codebook; a capability of supporting codebook subset restriction of a Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook; location information of the device; information about the pointing direction of the device array / panel; a number of antennas / panels, polarizations, and antennas / panels coordinates; an antennas’ constellation (X-by-Y); and a Line of Sight (LOS) detection and / or its probability.

[0016] In some embodiments, the indication is received based on: RRC; MAC-CE; and / or Downlink Control Information (DCI) signaling.

[0017] In some embodiments, the method also includes: receiving a sub-set restriction indication from the network node indicating which part of the Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook should be used. In some embodiments, the sub-set restriction indication: is received based on RRC; MAC-CE; and / or DCI signaling; includes information about the beginning and ending part of the joint codebook sub-set; includes information about the beginning and the size of the sub-set to be used; includes information about which Precoder Matrix Indicators (PMIs) of the Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook should be used; and / or includes information about whether the near-field parts or the far-field parts of the Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook should be used.

[0018] In some embodiments, the Near-field UL codebook or the Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook to be used is configured by the network node. In some embodiments, the UEreceives the Near-field UL codebook or the Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook from the specification and the network node indicates which codebook to use.

[0019] In some embodiments, the method also includes: along with receiving an indication from the network node about which UL codebook to use, receiving information from the network node whether the UE is detected to be in near-field or far-field. In some embodiments, the indication is received explicitly or implicitly. In some embodiments, the network node explicitly indicates which codebook to use. In some embodiments, the network node informs the UE whether it has been detected as near-field / far-field. In some embodiments, the UE uses this information to apply a near-field or a joint far-field and near-field UL codebook.

[0020] In some embodiments, the UE sends a request to the network node to use a near-field or a joint far-field and near-field UL codebook based on said indication. In some embodiments, the UE waits for a grant request from the network node prior to applying / switching to the requested UL codebook. In some embodiments, the UE operates in a Fifth Generation (5G) network.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] The accompanying drawing figures incorporated in and forming a part of this specification illustrate several aspects of the disclosure, and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

[0022] Figures 1A-C demonstrates the Fraunhofer distance for different communication setups;

[0023] Figure 2 illustrates a flowchart of some embodiments from the device perspective;

[0024] Figure 3 illustrates a flowchart of some embodiments from the gNB perspective;

[0025] Figure 4 shows an example of a communication system in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 5 shows a User Equipment device (UE) in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 6 shows a network node in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 7 is a block diagram of a host, which may be an embodiment of the host of Figure 4, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure described herein; and

[0029] Figure 8 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment in which functions implemented by some embodiments of the present disclosure may be virtualized.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The embodiments set forth below represent information to enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments and illustrate the best mode of practicing the embodiments. Upon reading the following description in light of the accompanying drawing figures, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of the disclosure and will recognize applications of these concepts not particularly addressed herein. It should be understood that these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the disclosure.

[0031] Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

[0032] There currently exist certain challenge(s). In the following, the “device” may refer to any one of a UE, an IRS, an NCR, an IAB, etc. Also, the proposed scheme is well applicable in the FWA networks.

[0033] The existing codebooks are designed according to the far-field assumption and are based on beamforming in different angles. In near-field, however, one may consider different codebooks with beamfocusing in which both the angle and distance are taken into account and energy of each beam is focused on a specific focal point. Particularly, for a device with large array (e.g., UE, NCR, IAB, RIS, FWA) using UL codebook-based operation, DFT based precoders are sub-optimal for a device located in near-field. How to indicate / configure a device with an enhanced UL codebook and how that codebook might look like is an open issue.

[0034] Certain aspects of the disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. In some embodiments disclosed herein, methods are proposed for UL codebook configuration for near-field communications. Here, the gNB may configure the device with a UL codebook targeting near-field communication where the new codebook is either a separate near-field codebook or a joint near-field and far-field UL codebook. With separate near / far-field codebooks, the gNB may indicate the device which one to use or the device can determine it based on some pre-configured / specified rule. With a joint near-field and far-field UL codebook, the device may receive a sub-set restriction indication from the gNB indicating which part of the joint near-field and far-field UL codebook should be used. Moreover, before receiving configuration, the device may send capability reports indicating, e.g., the support for UL codebook-based operation targeting near-field communication.

[0035] Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages. The proposed embodiments enable proper UL codebook configuration for near-field communications. This, in turn, makes it possible to serve the near-field devices, improve thespectral efficiency for them and reduce network interference. In this way, the proposed embodiments address one of the points of interest in 6G.

[0036] As explained above, as the number of antennas on the transmitter or the receiver and / or the carrier frequency (or, in general, the array size) increases, the near-field region may reach up to a few hundred meters. Also, the electromagnetic characteristics in the near- and far-field differ significantly, which may affect the communication performance. Particularly, the existing codebooks are designed based on the far-field assumption while, for a device with large array using UL codebook-based operation, DFT based precoders are sub-optimal for a device located in near-field. As a result, the codebook design and configuration require enhancement in near-field communications. In some embodiments disclosed herein, these problems are addressed with the systems and methods to configure UL codebook for near-field communications.

[0037] In general, to support proper communication in both near- and far-fields, one may consider different types of UL codebooks:One option is to consider separated codebooks for near-field and far-field communications. Another option is to consider a joint near-field and far-field UL codebook and use only part of it, depending on the device position.

[0038] Note that, as opposed to existing codebooks which are designed based on the far-field assumption and are based on beamforming in different angles, in near-field, one may consider different codebooks with beamfocusing in which both the angle and distance are taken into account and energy of each beam is focused on a specific focal point.

[0039] Some embodiments of the present disclosure are summarized in the pseudo-claims herein. Figures 2 and 3 show a flowchart of some embodiments from the device and the gNB perspectives, respectively. Dashed lines represent the optional steps and the order of optional steps are interchangeable. The details of the proposed scheme are explained as follows:

[0040] In Step (206) of Figure 2, corresponding to Step (306) of Figure 3, the gNB sends an indication to the device to apply one of a Near-field UL codebook, or a Joint near-field and far- field UL codebook. In one embodiment, such an indication may be based on RRC, MAC-CE or DO signaling. In another embodiment, along with the gNB sending the device an indication about which UL codebook to use, the gNB may send the device information whether it has been detected to be in near- or far-field.

[0041] In one detailed embodiment, the UL DCI format that is used to schedule PUSCH contains a first field that indicates how the “Precoding information and number of layers” field (e.g., as defined in 3GPP TS 38.212) is interpreted. When the first field is set to a first value, then the “Precoding information and number of layers” field indicates a precoder matrix index (and thecorresponding number of layers) from a far-field UL codebook. When the first field is set to a second value, then the “Precoding information and number of layers” field indicates a precoder matrix index (and the corresponding number of layers) from a near-field UL codebook.

[0042] In an alternative detailed embodiment, when the first field is set to a first value, then the “Precoding information and number of layers” field indicates an index corresponding to a far- field precoder matrix (and the corresponding number of layers) from a joint near-field and far- field UL codebook. When the first field is set to a second value, then the “Precoding information and number of layers” field indicates an index corresponding to a near-field precoder matrix (and the corresponding number of layers) from a joint near-field and far-field UL codebook.

[0043] The above detailed embodiments are also applicable to the case where the first field can be used to interpret a “Precoding information” field wherein the number of layers is not indicated in the “Precoding information” field. In one embodiment, the Near-field UL codebook or the Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook to be used by the device may be configured by the gNB. In another embodiment, the device may receive the Near-field UL codebook or the Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook from the specification and the gNB indicates which codebook to use.

[0044] In one embodiment, with a Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook, the gNB may send the device a sub-set restriction indication indicating which part of the Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook should be used by the device. Here, the sub-set restriction indication may be sent based on RRC, MAC-CE or DCI signaling. Also, the sub-set restriction indication may include information about whether the near-field parts or the far-field parts of the Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook should be used. In one embodiment, the sub-set restriction indication may include information about the beginning and the ending part of the joint codebook sub-set. In another embodiment, the sub-set restriction indication may include information about the beginning and the size of the sub-set to be used. In yet another embodiment, the sub-set restriction indication may include information about which precoder matrix indicators (PMIs) of the Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook should be used. In one embodiment, the subset restriction is based on the distance between the gNB and device, such that only precoders corresponding to certain distances between gNB and UE is applied. In one related embodiment, the gNB signals a distance range, e.g., by indicating a start distance and an end distance, and all the precoders in the Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook associated with that distance range are included in the sub-set.

[0045] In one embodiment, the UE is configured with one Near-field UL codebook and one far-field UL codebook (e.g., UL legacy codebooks in NR and / or LTE), and where dynamicsignaling using DO and / or MAC-CE can be used to switch between the Near-field UL codebook and the UL far-field codebook.

[0046] In one embodiment, the indication may be received by the device explicitly or implicitly. An example of explicit indication where the gNB explicitly indicates which codebook to use. An example of an implicit indication where the gNB informs the device whether it has been detected as near-field / far-field. The device then uses this information to apply a near-field or a joint far-field and near-field (or a subset of it) UL codebook.

[0047] Finally, in an optional Step (204) of Figure 2, corresponding to optional Step (304) of Figure 3, the device may send a request to the gNB to use a near-field or a joint far-field and near- field (or a subset of it) UL codebook. Then, in such a case, the device may wait for a grant request from the gNB prior to applying / switching to the requested UL codebook whether its request is accepted or not.

[0048] In Step (208), the UE performs UL transmission using one or more precoders from the Near-field UL codebook, or Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook. Accordingly, in Step (308) of Figure 3, the gNB controls the UL transmission over the indicated near-field UL codebook, or joint near-field and far-field UL codebook.

[0049] In an optional Step (200) of Figure 2, corresponding to optional Step (300) of Figure 3, prior to sending an indication to the device to apply the proper UL codebook, the gNB may receive an indication from the device indicating (an estimation) whether the device is in near-field or far-field. Here, as a non-limiting example, the device may perform different, e.g., RSRP, measurements, understand that it is in near-field or far-field and inform the gNB accordingly. Alternatively, the gNB may receive appropriate information from the device such that the gNB itself can determine whether the device is in near-field or far-field. For instance, the gNB may exploit information about the path loss, timing advance, positioning information for the device, the array size of the device, etc. to determine whether the device is in the near-field or far-field.

[0050] In another optional Step (202) of Figure 2, corresponding to optional Step (302) of Figure 3, the gNB may receive the device capability report supporting for UL codebook-based operation targeting near-field communication or joint near-field and far-field communication. Here, the capability report may correspond to support of a Near-field UL codebook or a Joint near- field and far-field UL codebook. Also, the capability report may be based on RRC, MAC-CE or UCI signaling. In one embodiment, the device capability report may include one or more of: a. Capability to operate with a Near-field UL codebook; b. Capability to operate with a Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook;c. Capability to support dynamic switching between a Near-field UL codebook and a legacy type of UL codebook; d. Capability of supporting codebook subset restriction of a Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook; e. Location information of the device; f. Information about the pointing direction of the device array / panel; g. Number of antennas / panels, polarizations, antennas / panels coordinates, etc.; h. Antennas’ constellation (X-by-Y); i. LOS detection and / or its probability; and j- ■ ■ ■

[0051] Finally, the gNB may receive the device capability report from one of: k. the device; l. high layers; m. Operations, Administration and Maintenance (0AM); and n. another network node.

[0052] In this way, the proposed method enables proper UL codebook configuration for near- field communications, which improves the spectral efficiency and reduces the interference in the network.

[0053] Figure 4 shows an example of a communication system 400 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0054] In the example, the communication system 400 includes a telecommunication network 402 that includes an access network 404, such as a Radio Access Network (RAN), and a core network 406, which includes one or more core network nodes 408. The access network 404 includes one or more access network nodes, such as network nodes 410A and 410B (one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 410), or any other similar Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP Access Points (APs). Moreover, as will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunication network 402 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORAN network nodeis a node in the telecommunication network 402 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any node in the telecommunication network 402, including one or more network nodes 410 and / or core network nodes 408.

[0055] Examples of an ORAN network node include an Open Radio Unit (O-RU), an Open Distributed Unit (O-DU), an Open Central Unit (O-CU), including an O-CU Control Plane (O- CU-CP) or an O-CU User Plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non- real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). The network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an Al, Fl, Wl, El, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN access node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies. The network nodes 410 facilitate direct or indirect connection of User Equipment (UE), such as by connecting UEs 412A, 412B, 412C, and 412D (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 412) to the core network 406 over one or more wireless connections.

[0056] Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 400 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 400 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0057] The UEs 412 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 410 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 410 arearranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with the UEs 412 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunication network 402 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunication network 402.

[0058] In the depicted example, the core network 406 connects the network nodes 410 to one or more hosts, such as host 416. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 406 includes one more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 408) that are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 408. Example core network nodes include functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier De-Concealing Function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0059] The host 416 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 404 and / or the telecommunication network 402, and may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 416 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0060] As a whole, the communication system 400 of Figure 4 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system 400 may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable Second, Third, Fourth, or Fifth Generation (2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G) standards, or any applicable future generation standard (e.g., Sixth Generation (6G)); Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (WiFi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the WorldwideInteroperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, LiFi, and / or any Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox.

[0061] In some examples, the telecommunication network 402 is a cellular network that implements 3GPP standardized features. Accordingly, the telecommunication network 402 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunication network 402. For example, the telecommunication network 402 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / massive Internet of Things (loT) services to yet further UEs.

[0062] In some examples, the UEs 412 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 404 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 404. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-Radio Access Technology (RAT) or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of WiFi, New Radio (NR), and LTE, i.e. being configured for Multi-Radio Dual Connectivity (MR-DC), such as Evolved UMTS Terrestrial RAN (E-UTRAN) NR - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0063] In the example, a hub 414 communicates with the access network 404 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 412C and / or 412D) and network nodes (e.g., network node 410B). In some examples, the hub 414 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 414 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 406 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 414 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs. Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 410, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 414. As another example, the hub 414 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 414 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a Virtual Reality (VR) headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 414 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 414 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example,the hub 414 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0064] The hub 414 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 41 OB. The hub 414 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 414 and UEs (e.g., UE 412C and / or 412D), and between the hub 414 and the core network 406. In other examples, the hub 414 is connected to the core network 406 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection. Moreover, the hub 414 may be configured to connect to a Machine-to-Machine (M2M) service provider over the access network 404 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 410 while still connected via the hub 414 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 414 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 410B. In other embodiments, the hub 414 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and the network node 410B, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0065] Figure 5 shows a UE 500 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, a UE refers to a device capable, configured, arranged, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other UEs. Examples of a UE include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), wireless camera, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, Laptop Embedded Equipment (LEE), Laptop Mounted Equipment (LME), smart device, wireless Customer Premise Equipment (CPE), vehicle, vehicle-mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, etc. Other examples include any UE identified by the 3GPP, including a Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT) UE, a Machine Type Communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0066] A UE may support Device-to-Device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V), Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I), or Vehicle - to-Everything (V2X). In other examples, a UE may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user who owns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, a UE may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller).Alternatively, a UE may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0067] The UE 500 includes processing circuitry 502 that is operatively coupled via a bus 504 to an input / output interface 506, a power source 508, memory 510, a communication interface 512, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain UEs may utilize all or a subset of the components shown in Figure 5. The level of integration between the components may vary from one UE to another UE. Further, certain UEs may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0068] The processing circuitry 502 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 510. The processing circuitry 502 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or Digital Signal Processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 502 may include multiple Central Processing Units (CPUs).

[0069] In the example, the input / output interface 506 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into the UE 500. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0070] In some embodiments, the power source 508 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used. The power source 508 may further include powercircuitry for delivering power from the power source 508 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of the UE 500 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Delivering power may be, for example, for charging of the power source 508. Power circuitry may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from the power source 508 to make the power suitable for the respective components of the UE 500 to which power is supplied.

[0071] The memory 510 may be or be configured to include memory such as Random Access Memory (RAM), Read Only Memory (ROM), Programmable ROM (PROM), Erasable PROM (EPROM), Electrically EPROM (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 510 includes one or more application programs 514, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 516. The memory 510 may store, for use by the UE 500, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0072] The memory 510 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as Redundant Array of Independent Disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, High Density Digital Versatile Disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, Holographic Digital Data Storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini Dual In-line Memory Module (DIMM), Synchronous Dynamic RAM (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as a tamper resistant module in the form of a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) including one or more Subscriber Identity Modules (SIMs), such as a Universal SIM (USIM) and / or Internet Protocol Multimedia Services Identity Module (ISIM), other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as a ‘SIM card.’ The memory 510 may allow the UE 500 to access instructions, application programs, and the like stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system, may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 510, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0073] The processing circuitry 502 may be configured to communicate with an access network or other network using the communication interface 512. The communication interface 512 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 522. The communication interface 512 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capable of wireless communication (e.g., another UE or a networknode in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 518 and / or a receiver 520 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 518 and receiver 520 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., the antenna 522) and may share circuit components, software, or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0074] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 512 may include cellular communication, WiFi communication, LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short- range communications such as Bluetooth, NFC, location-based communication such as the use of the Global Positioning System (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband CDMA (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, NR, UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, Transmission Control Protocol / Internet Protocol (TCP / IP), Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), Quick User Datagram Protocol Internet Connection (QUIC), Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0075] Regardless of the type of sensor, a UE may provide an output of data captured by its sensors, through its communication interface 512, via a wireless connection to a network node. Data captured by sensors of a UE can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another UE. The output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0076] As another example, a UE comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, the UE may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0077] A UE, when in the form of an loT device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, city wearable technology, extended industrial application, and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a television, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smartspeaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, an electrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a head-mounted display for Augmented Reality (AR) or VR, a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. A UE in the form of an loT device comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the UE 500 shown in Figure 5.

[0078] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, a UE may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another UE and / or a network node. The UE may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, the UE may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, a UE may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship, an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0079] In practice, any number of UEs may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first UE might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second UE that is a remote controller operating the drone. When the user makes changes from the remote controller, the first UE may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g., by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second UE can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, a UE might comprise the sensor and the actuator and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0080] Figure 6 shows a network node 600 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configured, arranged, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment in a telecommunication network. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, APs (e.g., radio APs), Base Stations (BSs) (e.g., radio BSs, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs), NR Node Bs (gNBs)), and O-RAN nodes or components of an O-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0081] Base stations may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may be referred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. A base station may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. A network node may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units, distributed units (e.g., in an O-RAN access node), and / or Remote Radio Units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such RRUs may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a Distributed Antenna System (DAS).

[0082] Other examples of network nodes include multiple Transmission Point (multi- TRP) 5G access nodes, Multi-Standard Radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as Radio Network Controllers (RNCs) or BS Controllers (BSCs), Base Transceiver Stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, Multi-Cell / Multicast Coordination Entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0083] The network node 600 includes processing circuitry 602, memory 604, a communication interface 606, and a power source 608. The network node 600 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and an RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 600 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 600 may be configured to support multiple RATs. In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memory 604 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 610 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 600 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 600, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, Zigbee, Z-wave, Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN), Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within the network node 600.

[0084] The processing circuitry 602 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, CPU, DSP, ASIC, FPGA, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 600 components, such as the memory 604, to provide network node 600 functionality.

[0085] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 602 includes a System on a Chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 602 includes one or more of Radio Frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 612 and baseband processing circuitry 614. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 612 and the baseband processing circuitry 614 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of the RF transceiver circuitry 612 and the baseband processing circuitry 614 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0086] The memory 604 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, RAM, ROM, mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD), or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable, and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 602. The memory 604 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 602 and utilized by the network node 600. The memory 604 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 602 and / or any data received via the communication interface 606. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 602 and the memory 604 are integrated.

[0087] The communication interface 606 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data between a network node, access network, and / or UE. As illustrated, the communication interface 606 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 616 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. The communication interface 606 also includes radio front-end circuitry 618 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, the antenna 610. The radio front-end circuitry 618 comprises filters 620 and amplifiers 622. The radio front-end circuitry 618 may be connected to the antenna 610 and the processing circuitry 602. The radio front-end circuitry 618 may be configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna 610 and the processing circuitry 602. The radio front-end circuitry 618 mayreceive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 618 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of the filters 620 and / or the amplifiers 622. The radio signal may then be transmitted via the antenna 610. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 610 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 618. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 602. In other embodiments, the communication interface 606 may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0088] In certain alternative embodiments, the network node 600 does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 618; instead, the processing circuitry 602 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 610. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 612 is part of the communication interface 606. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 606 includes the one or more ports or terminals 616, the radio front-end circuitry 618, and the RF transceiver circuitry 612 as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 606 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 614, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0089] The antenna 610 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 610 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 618 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 610 is separate from the network node 600 and connectable to the network node 600 through an interface or port.

[0090] The antenna 610, the communication interface 606, and / or the processing circuitry 602 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and / or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node 600. Any information, data, and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node, and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 610, the communication interface 606, and / or the processing circuitry 602 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by the network node 600. Any information, data, and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node, and / or any other network equipment.

[0091] The power source 608 provides power to the various components of the network node 600 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 608 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 600 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 600 may beconnectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid or an electricity outlet) via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 608. As a further example, the power source 608 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.

[0092] Embodiments of the network node 600 may include additional components beyond those shown in Figure 6 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 600 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 600 and to allow output of information from the network node 600. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 600.

[0093] Figure 7 is a block diagram of a host 700, which may be an embodiment of the host 416 of Figure 4, in accordance with various aspects described herein. As used herein, the host 700 may be or comprise various combinations of hardware and / or software including a standalone server, a blade server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, a virtual machine, container, or processing resources in a server farm. The host 700 may provide one or more services to one or more UEs.

[0094] The host 700 includes processing circuitry 702 that is operatively coupled via a bus 704 to an input / output interface 706, a network interface 708, a power source 710, and memory 712. Other components may be included in other embodiments. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the devices of previous figures, such as Figures 5 and 6, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the host 700.

[0095] The memory 712 may include one or more computer programs including one or more host application programs 714 and data 716, which may include user data, e.g. data generated by a UE for the host 700 or data generated by the host 700 for a UE. Embodiments of the host 700 may utilize only a subset or all of the components shown. The host application programs 714 may be implemented in a container-based architecture and may provide support for video codecs (e.g., Versatile Video Coding (VVC), High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC), Advanced Video Coding (AVC), Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG), VP9) and audio codecs (e.g., Free Lossless Audio Codec (FLAC), Advanced Audio Coding (A AC), MPEG, G.711), including transcoding for multiple different classes, types, or implementations of UEs (e.g., handsets, desktop computers,wearable display systems, and heads-up display systems). The host application programs 714 may also provide for user authentication and licensing checks and may periodically report health, routes, and content availability to a central node, such as a device in or on the edge of a core network. Accordingly, the host 700 may select and / or indicate a different host for Over-The-Top (OTT) services for a UE. The host application programs 714 may support various protocols, such as the HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) protocol, Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP), Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Dynamic Adaptive Streaming over HTTP (DASH or MPEG-DASH), etc.

[0096] Figure 8 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 800 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices, and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more Virtual Machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 800 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as a network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment 800 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface.

[0097] Applications 802 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment 800 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0098] Hardware 804 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 806 (also referred to as hypervisors or VM Monitors (VMMs)), provide VMs 808 A and 8O8B (one or more of which may be generally referred to as VMs 808), and / or perform any of the functions, features, and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualizationlayer 806 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to the VMs 808.

[0099] The VMs 808 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking, or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 806. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 802 may be implemented on one or more of the VMs 808, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as Network Function Virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers and customer premise equipment.

[0100] In the context of NFV, a VM 808 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 808, and that part of the hardware 804 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs 808, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more VMs 808 on top of the hardware 804 and corresponds to the application 802.

[0101] The hardware 804 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. The hardware 804 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, the hardware 804 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g., such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 810, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of the applications 802. In some embodiments, the hardware 804 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a RAN or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 812 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0102] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions, and methods disclosed herein. Determining,calculating, obtaining, or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box or nested within multiple boxes, in practice computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.

[0103] In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer- readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hardwired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole and / or by end users and a wireless network generally.

[0104] Those skilled in the art will recognize improvements and modifications to the embodiments of the present disclosure. All such improvements and modifications are considered within the scope of the concepts disclosed herein.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method performed by a device for communicating with a network node, the method comprising: receiving (206) an indication from the network node to apply one of: a Near-field Uplink, UL, codebook; and a Joint near-field and far- field UL codebook; and performing (208) a UL transmission with the indicated Near-field UL codebook, or Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the device is one or more of: a User Equipment, UE; an Intelligent Reflecting Surface, IRS; a repeater; a Network-Controlled Repeater, NCR; a node in a Fixed Wireless Access, FWA, network; and nodes with similar functionalities.

3. The method of any of claims 1-2 further comprising: indicating (200) to the network node whether the device is in near-field or far-field.

4. The method of any of claims 1-2 further comprising: providing (200) the network node with appropriate information such that the network node can determine whether the device is in near-field or far-field.

5. The method of any of claims 1-4 further comprising: providing (202) the network node with a device capability report indicating support for UL codebook-based operation targeting near-field communication or joint near-field and far-field communication.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the device capability report: indicates support of the Near-field UL codebook; or indicates support of the Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook; and / or where the device capability is based on Radio Resource Control, RRC, Medium Access Control - Control Element, MAC-CE, and / or Uplink Control Information, UCI, signaling.

7. The method of any of claims 5-6 wherein the device capability report includes one or more of:a capability to support dynamic switching between a Near-field UL codebook and a legacy type of UL codebook; a capability of supporting codebook subset restriction of a Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook; location information of the device; information about a pointing direction of an antenna panel of the device; a number of antennas, antenna panels, antenna polarizations, and sets of antenna panel coordinates; an antennas’ constellation ; and an indication of a Line of Sight, LOS, detection and / or its probability.

8. The method of any of claims 1-7 wherein the indication is received based on at least one of: RRC; MAC-CE; and / or Downlink Control Information, DO, signaling.

9. The method of any of claims 1-8 further comprising: receiving a sub-set restriction indication from the network node indicating which part of the Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook should be used.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the sub-set restriction indication: is received based on at least one of: RRC; MAC-CE; and / or DCI signaling; includes information about the beginning and ending part of the joint codebook sub-set; includes information about the beginning and the size of the codebook sub-set to be used; includes information about which Precoder Matrix Indicators, PMIs, of the Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook should be used; and / or includes information about whether the near-field parts or the far-field parts of the Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook should be used.

11. The method of any of claims 1-10 wherein the Near-field UL codebook or the Joint near- field and far-field UL codebook to be used is configured by the network node.

12. The method of any of claims 1-11 wherein the Near-field UL codebook or the Joint near- field and far-field UL codebook are selected from a plurality of predetermined codebooks specified in a standard specification and the network node indicates which of the plurality of predetermined codebooks to use.

13. The method of any of claims 1-12 further comprising: receiving information from the network node indicating whether the device is detected to be in near-field or far- field.

14. The method of any of claims 1-13 wherein the indication is received explicitly or implicitly.

15. The method of any of claims 1-14 wherein the indication includes distance information indicating whether the device is detected to be in near-field or far-field and wherein the device uses the distance information to apply a near-field UL codebook or a joint far-field and near-field UL codebook.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the device sends a request to the network node to use a near-field or a joint far-field and near-field UL codebook based on said distance indication.

17. The method of any of claims 1-16 wherein the device waits for a trigger / request from the network node prior to applying the indicated UL codebook.

18. The method of any of claims 1-17 wherein the device operates in a Fifth Generation, 5G, network.

19. A method performed by a network node for communicating with a device, the method comprising: sending (306) an indication to the device to apply one of a Near-field Uplink, UL, codebook, or a Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook when performing an UL transmission; and controlling (308) the UL transmission performed with the indicated Near-field UL codebook, or Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising: receiving (300) an indication from the device indicating whether the device is in near-field or far-field.

21. The method of any of claims 19-20 further comprising: receiving (300), from the device, appropriate information such that the network node can determine whether the device is in near-field or far-field.

22. The method of any of claims 19-21 further comprising: receiving (302) a device capability report indicating support for UL codebook-based operation targeting near-field communication or joint near-field and far-field communication.

23. The method of claim 22 wherein the device capability report is received based on Radio Resource Control, RRC, Medium Access Control - Control Element, MAC-CE, and / or Uplink Control Information, UCI, signaling.

24. The method of any of claims 19-23 wherein the device capability report includes one or more of: a capability to support dynamic switching between a Near-field UL codebook and a legacy type of UL codebook; a capability of supporting codebook subset restriction of a Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook; location information of the device; information about a pointing direction of an antenna panel of the device; a number of antennas, antenna panels, antenna polarizations, and sets of antenna panel coordinates; an antennas’ constellation; and an indication of a Line of Sight, LOS, detection and / or its probability.

25. The method of any of claims 19-24 wherein the indication is sent based on at least one of: RRC; MAC-CE; and / or Downlink Control Information, DCI, signaling.

26. The method of any of claims 19-25 wherein the device capability report is received from one of: the device; high layers; Operations, Administration and Maintenance, 0AM; and another network node.

27. The method of any of claims 19-26 further comprising:sending the device a sub-set restriction indication indicating which part of the Joint nearfield and far-field UL codebook should be used.

28. The method of any of claims 19-27 wherein the sub-set restriction indication: is sent based on at least one of: RRC; MAC-CE; and / or DCI signaling; includes information about the beginning and ending part of the joint codebook sub-set; includes information about the beginning and the size of the codebook sub-set to be used; includes information about which Precoder Matrix Indicators, PMIs, of the Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook should be used; and / or includes information about whether the near-field parts or the far-field parts of the Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook should be used.

29. The method of any of claims 19-28 wherein the Near-field UL codebook or the Joint near- field and far-field UL codebook to be used by the device is configured by the network node.

30. The method of any of claims 19-29 wherein the Near-field UL codebook or the Joint near- field and far-field UL codebook are selected from a plurality of predetermined codebooks specified in a standard specification and the network node indicates which of the plurality of predetermined codebooks to use.

31. The method of any of claims 19-30, wherein the indication includes distance information indicating whether the device is detected to be in near-field or far-field.

32. The method of any of claims 19-31 wherein the network node controls the UL transmission by sending a precoder matrix indication for one or more precoders of the indicated Near-field UL codebook, or Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook.

33. The method of any of claims 19-32 wherein the network node receives a request from the device to use a near-field or a joint far-field and near-field UL codebook.

34. The method of claim 33 wherein the network node indicates to the device whether it grants or it rejects the request from the device.

35. The method of any of claims 19-34 wherein the indication is sent explicitly or implicitly.

36. A User Equipment, UE, (500) comprising processing circuitry (502) and memory (510), the memory (510) comprising instructions to cause the UE (500) to: receive an indication from the network node (600) to apply one of: a Near-field Uplink, UL, codebook; and a Joint near-field and far- field UL codebook; and perform an UL transmission with the indicated Near-field UL codebook, or Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook.

37. The UE (500) of claim 36 further operable to implement the features of any of claims 2-20.

38. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method according to any one of claims 1 to 18.

39. A network node (600) comprising processing circuitry (602) and memory (604), the memory (604) comprising instructions to cause the network node (600) to: send an indication to a User Equipment, UE, (500) to apply one of a Near-field Uplink, UL, codebook, or a Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook when performing an UL transmission; and control the UL transmission performed with the indicated Near-field UL codebook, or Joint near-field and far-field UL codebook.

40. The network node (600) of claim 39 further operable to implement the features of any of claims 20-35.

41. A computer-readable medium comprising instructions which, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to carry out the method according to any one of claims 19 to 35.

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