SRS Interference Randomization for CJT Operation

Abstract

A method, system and apparatus are disclosed. According to some embodiments, a network node is configured to cause a wireless device to transmit a sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission on multiple symbols in one or more slots, a configuration for the sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission, the configuration indicating an SRS resource set including at least one SRS resource and time hopping of the SRS transmission on the multiple symbols, receive the SRS transmission according to the configuration, and perform SRS measurements based on the received SRS transmission.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 336,849, filed April 29, 2022, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to wireless communications, and in particular to reference signal resource configuration based on time hopping (eg, cyclic shift hopping, comb offset hopping, etc.). [Background technology]

[0003] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has developed and is developing standards for fourth-generation (4G) (or Long Term Evolution (LTE)) and fifth-generation (5G) (or New Radio (NR)) wireless communication systems. Such systems provide, among other features, broadband communications between network nodes, such as base stations, and mobile wireless devices, as well as communications between network nodes and between wireless devices.

[0004] The next generation mobile radio communications system (5G), or NR, will support a diverse set of use cases and a diverse set of deployment scenarios, the latter including deployment at both low frequencies (hundreds of MHz) similar to LTE today, and at very high frequencies (mm-wave at tens of GHz).

[0005] Like LTE, NR will use OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) on ​​the downlink (i.e., from the network node, or gNB, to the wireless device (e.g., user equipment or UE). OFDM is also called CP-OFDM (Cyclic Prefix OFDM). On the uplink (i.e., from the wireless device to the network node), both CP-OFDM and DFT-spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM) will be supported. DFT-S-OFDM is also called Single Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA) in LTE.

[0006] Downlink transmission based on channel reciprocity - Patents.com A Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) is generally used for uplink channel measurements for UL scheduling and link adaptation purposes, where the SRS is sent by a wireless device and the UL channel is measured by a network node to determine the UL CSI. In a Time Division Duplex (TDD) system, the DL and UL channels are reciprocal, and therefore the SRS can also be used to obtain DL CSI, at least DL PMI. Compared with CSI-RS based DL CSI feedback, this saves the CSI feedback overhead and potentially also the feedback latency.

[0007] SRS is supported in NR for uplink channel sounding. Similar to LTE, configurable SRS bandwidth is supported in NR. SRS may be configurable in terms of density in the frequency domain (e.g., comb level) and / or in the time domain (including multi-symbol SRS transmissions).

[0008] A wireless device may be configured with one or more SRS resource sets, and each SRS resource set may include one or more SRS resources. Each SRS resource may correspond to an OFDM symbol l. 0 In slots starting from TIFF2025516210000002.tif7170 consecutive OFDM symbols and subcarrier k 0 In the time-frequency resource, with the number PRB starting from TIFF2025516210000003.tif may contain 6,170 SRS antenna ports.

[0009] SRS antenna port p in OFDM symbol l' in the SRS resource i The SRS sequence for is the Zadoff-Chu sequence with group number u ∈ {0,1,...,29} and base sequence number v ∈ {0,1} within the group. is a circularly shifted version of TIFF2025516210000004.tif5170, i.e. TIFF2025516210000005.tif81700≦n≦M ZC TIFF2025516210000006.tif7170, where TIFF2025516210000007.tif6170 is the length of the sequence, m is the number of RBs configured for SRS resources, TIFF2025516210000008.tif6170 is the number subcarriers per RB, and δ=log 2 (K TC ), and K TC ∈{2,4,8} is the set comb value, where the SRS sequence is TC Each subcarrier is occupied, TIFF2025516210000009.tif8170 is a cyclic shift, TIFF2025516210000010.tif7170 is set as shown in Table 6.4.1.4.2-1 in 3GPP TS38.211 V17.0.0, The maximum number of cyclic shifts that can be done is 8170. TIFF2025516210000012.tif28170

[0010] In the case of two SRS ports included in the SRS resource, the two SRS ports are mapped to the same comb offset but assigned two different cyclic shifts separated by π. In the case of four SRS ports included in the SRS resource, two possible port allocation options are supported (unless the transmit comb is 8, which is supported from 3GPP NR Rel-17 (i.e., 3GPP Release 17), in which only the second option is supported). In the first option, the four SRS ports are mapped to the same comb offset but assigned four different cyclic shifts separated by π / 2. In the second option, the first two SRS ports are assigned two different cyclic shifts separated by π on the same set of subcarriers (with the same first comb offset), and the last two SRS ports are assigned the same two different cyclic shifts as the first two SRS ports, but on a different set of subcarriers (with the same second comb offset).

[0011] Basic Sequence The TIFF2025516210000013.tif5170 standard specifies a sequence length of M ZC and is described in the 3GPP standards, for example in section 5.2.2 of 3GPP TS38.211 V17.0.0. TIFF2025516210000014.tif7170, and TIFF2025516210000015.tif7170 is the number of subcarriers configured for SRS resources.

[0012] In NR, a sequence group u is given by TIFF2025516210000016.tif7170, Where: TIFF2025516210000017.tif6170 is set by the upper layer, TIFF2025516210000018.tif7170 is the slot number in the wireless frame.

[0013] SRS group hopping and SRS sequence hopping If both group hopping and sequence hopping are disabled, TIFF2025516210000019.tif11170If group hopping is enabled and sequence hopping is disabled, TIFF2025516210000020.tif13170, where the pseudo-random sequence c(i) is specified in the 3GPP standard(s), e.g., in section 5.2.1 of TS38.211 V17.0.0, and is generated at the beginning of each radio frame. It is assumed to be initialized with TIFF2025516210000021.tif6170, TIFF2025516210000022.tif7170 is the number of OFDM symbols in the slot. If sequence hopping is enabled and group hopping is disabled, TIFF2025516210000023.tif18170, where the pseudo-random sequence c(i) is specified in the 3GPP standard(s), e.g., in section 5.2.1 of 3GPP TS38.211 V17.0.0, and is generated at the beginning of each radio frame. It can be initialized with TIFF2025516210000024.tif6170.

[0014] For wireless devices in the same serving cell, the same SRS sequence ID, , etc., are generally used so that the SRS ports assigned in the same time-frequency resource are orthogonal. TIFF2025516210000025.tif6170 is allocated for all wireless devices. For wireless devices in different cells, different SRS sequences are generally set so that inter-cell SRS interference is randomized.

[0015] SRS Bandwidth Generally, two kinds of sounding bandwidths are supported, one is wideband and the other is narrowband. For wideband, channel measurements over a large system bandwidth can be performed in a single OFDM symbol. On the other hand, in narrowband sounding, only a portion of the full bandwidth can be measured in each OFDM symbol, and thus multiple SRS OFDM symbols are needed for full bandwidth channel measurements. Frequency hopping is supported for narrowband SRS so that different portions of the full bandwidth can be measured in different SRS OFDM symbols.

[0016] The SRS bandwidth for a wireless device is configurable and is a multiple of four PRBs. The minimum SRS bandwidth is four PRBs, which is also called an SRS subband. An example of a wideband SRS and a narrowband SRS with a 10 MHz system bandwidth and a 15 kHz subcarrier spacing is shown in the example of FIG.

[0017] For narrowband SRS with frequency hopping (FH), the SRS is transmitted on different parts of the system bandwidth in different SRS OFDM symbols. For example, for a 10 MHz system with 15 kHz subcarrier spacing and an SRS bandwidth of 4 PRBs, a possible set of locations in the frequency domain for SRS transmission is shown in Figure 2. In this example, the entire bandwidth can be measured after 12 SRS OFDM symbols.

[0018] Different wireless devices can be multiplexed on the same time-frequency resource by allocating different cyclic shifts. Furthermore, the SRS signal can be transmitted over a subset of subcarriers in a set SRS bandwidth (i.e., K TC subcarriers), thereby increasing the SRS multiplexing capacity if the channel is sufficiently flat, and thus TCChannel measurements for each subcarrier are sufficient, so that ports allocated to different cyclic shifts do not interfere with each other.

[0019] SRS resource type The SRS resource may be periodic, semi-persistent, or aperiodic. In the case of periodic or semi-persistent SRS, the wireless device transmits the SRS periodically in some configured SRS slots. In the case of aperiodic SRS, the wireless device transmits the SRS only when the SRS is requested by the network node.

[0020] SRS power control SRS power control is used to determine an appropriate SRS transmit power so that the SRS is received at a network node at a desired power level, which is required to ensure that the SRS from all wireless devices in the same cell are received at approximately the same power level at the network node to avoid cross wireless device interference.

[0021] SRS power control in NR consists of two parts: open-loop power control and closed-loop power control. Open-loop power control is used to set the uplink transmit power based on the path loss estimate and several other factors including the target received power, the SRS bandwidth, a fractional power control factor, etc.

[0022] The closed-loop power control is based on explicit power control commands received from a network node. The power control commands are used to adjust the actual received SRS power based on the SRS transmit power at the network node. Either cumulative or non-cumulative closed-loop power adjustment is supported in NR. The closed-loop adjustment at a given time is also referred to as the power control adjustment state.

[0023] The path loss estimation is based on a downlink reference signal (RS). Such a DL RS is called a path loss reference RS. The DL path loss reference RS can be a CSI-RS or an SSB.

[0024] SRS transmission opportunity i is the slot index within a frame with system frame number SFN TIFF2025516210000026.tif7170, the first symbol S in the slot, and the number L of consecutive symbols.

[0025] A set of SRS resources q associated with a path loss reference RS with index k s In the SRS in, its transmit power at transmission opportunity i in slot in the bandwidth portion (BWP) of the carrier frequency of the serving cell and closed-loop index l (l=0,1) is TIFF2025516210000027.tif10170, where P CMAX (i) is the configured UE maximum output power for the carrier frequency of the serving cell at transmission opportunity i. P open-loop (i,k) is the open loop power regulation, P closed-loop (i,l) is the closed loop power regulation. P open-loop (i, k, q s ) is given by P open-loop (i, k, q s )=P O (q s )+P RB (i) + α(q s )PL(k) Here, P O (q s ) is the nominal SRS target received power, and P RB (i) is the power adjustment related to the number of RBs occupied by the SRS at transmission opportunity i, PL(k) is the path loss estimate based on the path loss reference RS with index k, and α(q s ) is the fractional path loss compensation factor. P O (q s ), k, and α(qs ) is an SRS resource set q s is set for.

[0026] In SRS closed loop power control, a wireless device can have a dedicated closed loop for SRS or share a closed loop for PUSCH in the same serving cell. This is configured by the upper layer parameter srs-PowerControlAdjustmentStates in each SRS resource set to select one among three options: use a dedicated closed loop for SRS, use a first closed loop, and use a second closed loop for PUSCH. If the closed loop(s) is shared with PUSCH, the PUSCH for PUSCH can be set to 1. closed-loop (i,l) also applies to the SRS transmitted in the SRS resource set.

[0027] In the dedicated closed loop set up for SRS, P closed-loop (i,l) is given by: where δ(i,l) is the transmit power control (TPC) command value received in DCI format 2.3 associated with the SRS at transmit opportunity i and closed-loop index l; TIFF2025516210000029.tif6170 indicates that the UE is 0 Since the TPC commands for l are sum of the TPC command values ​​received for the SRS and associated closed-loop index l.

[0028] SRS for antenna switching When a wireless device has more receive branches than transmit branches, only a subset of antenna ports are used for UL transmission. This is commonly referred to as xTyR, i.e., x receive branches and y transmit branches, where y=mx, where m is an integer. A complete DL channel may not be able to be obtained based on SRS transmission on a subset of antenna ports.

[0029] One way to help solve the problem is antenna switching, where the SRS is transmitted on different subsets of antenna ports at different times. An example is shown in FIG. 3, where there are four antennas and one transmit chain, i.e., 1T4R. The complete channel associated with the four antennas is sounded by transmitting a single-port SRS on one antenna port at a time on four OFDM symbols using antenna switching. In this example, the four OFDM symbols are spread over two slots. For that, two SRS resource sets need to be configured, one set for each of the two slots. Each of the two SRS resource sets contains two single-port SRS resources on two different OFDM symbols. The two SRS resource sets are triggered together. The same power control parameters need to be configured for the two SRS resource sets.

[0030] In general, for xTyR, complete channel sounding can be achieved by transmitting SRS on x antenna ports in each OFDM symbol and on m OFDM symbols. If m OFDM symbols are in the same slot, a single SRS resource set with m SRS resources can be configured. If m OFDM symbols are spread across z different slots, z SRS resource sets, each with y / z SRS resources, can be configured.

[0031] Joint DL transmission from multiple TRPs In NR Rel-16, non-coherent joint DL PDSCH transmission (NC-JT) is supported, where a subset of layers of the PDSCH may be transmitted from a first transmitting and receiving point (TRP) and the rest of the layers of the PDSCH may be transmitted from a second TRP. An example is shown in FIG. 4, where Layer 1 of the PDSCH is transmitted from TRP1 and Layer 2 of the PDSCH is transmitted from TRP2. When multiple antenna ports are deployed at each TRP, a precoding matrix is ​​applied to the PDSCH at each TRP, e.g., w 1 , in TRP2 2 The two TRPs may be in different physical locations.

[0032] In 3GPP NR Rel-18, coherent joint PDSCH transmission (CJT) from multiple TRPs will be introduced, where a PDSCH layer can be transmitted from up to four TRPs. An example in which the same PDSCH layer is transmitted on two TRPs is shown in Figure 5. When multiple antenna ports are deployed in each TRP, a precoding matrix will be applied to the PDSCH in each TRP. In addition, a cophasing factor will also be applied, so that the PDSCHs from the two TRPs are in phase and therefore coherently added at the wireless device.

[0033] However, in the case of reciprocity-based DL coherent joint transmission (CJT) from multiple TRPs, it may be important to arrive at SRS-based channel estimates from multiple different wireless devices at multiple different TRPs.

[0034] Since the SRS resource will be received at two TRPs, the difference in timing advance will cause additional interference for at least one of the two TRPs. Furthermore, the received power may vary significantly on the two TRPs, causing additional interference for at least one of the two TRPs. In short, cross-SRS interference is a potential issue for TDD CJT. Therefore, there is an open issue for reciprocity-based DL joint transmission. Summary of the Invention

[0035] Some embodiments advantageously provide methods, systems, and apparatus for reference signal resource configuration.

[0036] According to one or more embodiments, a method is provided for supporting channel sounding on multiple TRPs to reduce / randomize SRS interference between the multiple TRPs while supporting reciprocity-based DL joint transmission on the multiple TRPs. The method includes: Configuring SRS resources with cyclic shift hopping in a wireless device; Configuring an SRS resource with comb offset hopping in a wireless device; For multi-port radio devices, configure multi-port SRS resources with a new cyclic shift allocation formula that is more suitable for multi-TRP operation, and introduce dynamic switching between the new cyclic shift allocation and the legacy cyclic shift allocation. may include one or more of:

[0037] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a network node in communication with a wireless device is provided, the network node including a processing circuit configured to cause the wireless device to transmit a configuration for Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) transmissions on multiple symbols in one or more slots, the configuration indicating an SRS resource set including at least one SRS resource and time hopping of the SRS transmissions on the multiple symbols, receive the SRS transmissions according to the configuration, and perform SRS measurements based on the received SRS transmissions.

[0038] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a wireless device in communication with a network node is provided, the wireless device including: a processing circuit configured to receive a configuration for a Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) transmission on a plurality of symbols in one or more slots, the configuration indicating an SRS resource set including at least one SRS resource and time hopping of the SRS transmission on the plurality of symbols, and to perform the SRS transmission in accordance with the configuration.

[0039] According to another aspect of the disclosure, there is provided a method implemented by a network node in communication with a wireless device, the method including causing the wireless device to transmit a configuration for Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) transmission on multiple symbols in one or more slots, the configuration indicating an SRS resource set including at least one SRS resource and time hopping of the SRS transmission on the multiple symbols, receiving the SRS transmission according to the configuration, and performing SRS measurements based on the received SRS transmission.

[0040] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a method implemented by a wireless device in communication with a network node, the method including receiving a configuration for Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) transmission on multiple symbols in one or more slots, the configuration indicating an SRS resource set including at least one SRS resource and time hopping of the SRS transmission on the multiple symbols, and performing the SRS transmission according to the configuration.

[0041] A more complete understanding of the present embodiments, together with their attendant advantages and features, will be more readily appreciated by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: [Brief description of the drawings]

[0042] [Figure 1] FIG. 2 is a diagram of an example of a wideband SRS and a narrowband SRS. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example of a set of locations for SRS transmission. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example of an SRS used in antenna switching. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example of NC-JT. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram of an example of coherent joint PDSCH transmission from two TRPs. [Figure 6] 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary network architecture illustrating a communication system connected to a host computer via an intermediate network in accordance with principles of the present disclosure; [Figure 7] 1 is a block diagram of a host computer communicating with a wireless device via a network node, at least partially over a wireless connection, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 8]1 is a flowchart illustrating an example method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a network node, and a wireless device for executing a client application on a wireless device, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an example method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a network node, and a wireless device for receiving user data at a wireless device, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a network node, and a wireless device for receiving user data at a host computer from a wireless device, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] 1 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a network node, and a wireless device for receiving user data at a host computer, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] 4 is a flowchart of an example process in a network node according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] 1 is a flowchart of another example process in a network node, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] 4 is a flowchart of an example process in a wireless device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] 5 is a flowchart of another example process in a wireless device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] 1A-C are diagrams of examples of different cyclic shift hopping schemes according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 17] 10a-b are diagrams of other examples of different cyclic shift hopping schemes according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 18]1A-C are diagrams of examples of different comb hopping schemes according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 19] 11a-b are diagrams of other examples of different comb hopping schemes according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. [Figure 20] FIG. 1 is a diagram of TRP operation. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0043] As explained above, there are various open items regarding reciprocity-based joint transmission. For this reason, the NR Rel-18 Work Item Description (WID) on Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) Extensions for Downlink and Uplink includes the following objectives for future consideration: 4. Consider and specify, if justified, the extension of CSI collection for coherent JT targeting FR1 and up to four TRPs, assuming ideal backhaul and synchronization, and the same number of antenna ports across the TRPs, as follows: - Rel-16 / 17 Type II codebook refinement for CJT mTRP and its associated CSI reporting targeting FDD, taking into account throughput-overhead trade-off - SRS extensions to manage inter-TRP mutual SRS interference targeting the TDD CJT via SRS capacity extension and / or interference randomization, with the constraints of 1) without consuming additional resources for SRS, 2) reusing existing SRS comb structures, and 3) without new SRS root sequences. - Note: The maximum number of CSI-RS ports per resource remains the same as in Rel-17, i.e., 32.

[0044] Before describing the exemplary embodiments in detail, it should be noted that the embodiments reside primarily in a combination of device components and processing steps related to reference signal resource configuration based on and / or using time hopping (e.g., cyclic shift hopping, comb offset hopping, etc.). Accordingly, where appropriate, components are represented by conventional symbols in the drawings and only those specific details relevant to understanding the embodiments are shown, so as not to obscure the present disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the description herein. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the description.

[0045] As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, it will be understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes," and / or "including," as used herein, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0046] In the embodiments described herein, joining terms such as "in communication with" may be used to indicate electrical or data communication that may be accomplished, for example, by physical contact, induction, electromagnetic radiation, radio signaling, infrared signaling, or optical signaling. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that multiple components may interoperate and that modifications and variations are possible for accomplishing electrical and data communication.

[0047] The term "network node" as used herein may be any type of network node comprised in a wireless network, which may further comprise any of a base station (BS), radio base station, base transceiver station (BTS), base station controller (BSC), radio network controller (RNC), gNodeB (gNB), evolved NB (eNB), NB, MSR radio node such as multi-standard radio (MSR) BS, multi-cell / multicast coordination entity (MCE), integrated radio access backhaul transmission (IAB) node, relay node, donor node controlled relay, radio access point (AP), transmission point, transmitting node, remote radio unit (RRU), remote radio head (RRH), core network node (e.g., mobility management entity (MME), self-organizing network (SON) node, coordination node, positioning node, MDT node, etc.), external node (e.g., third party node, node outside the current network), node in a distributed antenna system (DAS), spectrum access system (SAS) node, element management system (EMS), etc. A network node may also comprise test equipment. As used herein, the term "wireless node" may also be used to denote a wireless device (WD) or a wireless network node.

[0048] In some embodiments, the non-limiting terms WD or user equipment (UE) are used interchangeably. The WD in this specification may be any type of wireless device capable of communicating with a network node or another WD via wireless signals. The WD may also be a wireless communication device, a target device, a D2D (device to device) WD, a machine-type WD or a WD capable of machine-to-machine communication (M2M), a low-cost and / or low-complexity WD, a sensor equipped with a WD, a tablet, a mobile terminal, a smartphone, a laptop embedded equipment (LEE), a laptop mounted equipment (LME), a USB dongle, a customer premises equipment (CPE), an Internet of Things (IoT) device, or a narrowband IoT (NB-IOT) device, etc.

[0049] Also, in some embodiments, the general term "radio network node" is used. The radio network node may be any type of radio network node, which may comprise a base station, a radio base station, a base transceiver station, a base station controller, a network controller, an RNC, an eNB, an NB, a gNB, a multi-cell / multicast coordination entity (MCE), an IAB node, a relay node, an access point, a radio access point, an RRU, or an RRH.

[0050] It should be noted that, although terminology from one particular wireless system, such as, for example, 3GPP LTE and / or NR, may be used in this disclosure, this should not be considered as limiting the scope of the disclosure to only the aforementioned systems. Other wireless systems, including, but not limited to, Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), and Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), may also benefit from utilizing the ideas covered within this disclosure.

[0051] It should be further noted that functionality described herein as being performed by a wireless device or network node may be distributed over multiple wireless devices and / or network nodes. In other words, it is contemplated that the functionality of the network nodes and wireless devices described herein is not limited to implementation by a single physical device, but may in fact be distributed among several physical devices.

[0052] In some embodiments, a general description element of the form "one of A and B" corresponds to A or B. In some embodiments, at least one of A and B corresponds to A, B or AB, or corresponds to one or more of A and B. In some embodiments, at least one of A, B, and C corresponds to one or more of A, B, and C, and / or A, B, C, or combinations thereof.

[0053] Unless otherwise specified, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that the terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning in accordance with the meaning of those terms in the context of this specification and related art, and are not to be interpreted in an ideal or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

[0054] Some embodiments provide for reference signal resource configuration.

[0055] Referring again to the drawings, in which like elements are referred to by like reference numerals, FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of a communication system 10, such as a 3GPP type cellular network that may support standards such as LTE and / or NR (5G), comprising an access network 12, such as a radio access network, and a core network 14, according to one embodiment. The access network 12 comprises a number of network nodes 16a, 16b, 16c (collectively referred to as network nodes 16), such as NBs, eNBs, gNBs or other types of wireless access points, each defining a corresponding coverage area 18a, 18b, 18c (collectively referred to as coverage area 18). Each network node 16a, 16b, 16c is connectable to the core network 14 over a wired or wireless connection 20. A first wireless device (WD) 22a located in the coverage area 18a is configured to wirelessly connect to or be paged by the corresponding network node 16a. A second WD 22b in the coverage area 18b can wirelessly connect to a corresponding network node 16b. Although multiple WDs 22a, 22b (collectively referred to as WDs 22) are shown in this example, the disclosed embodiments are equally applicable to situations where only one WD is in a coverage area or where only one WD connects to a corresponding network node 16. It should be noted that while only two WDs 22 and three network nodes 16 are shown for convenience, a communication system may include many more WDs 22 and network nodes 16.

[0056] It is also contemplated that the WD 22 may be in simultaneous and / or configured to communicate separately with more than one network node 16 and more than one type of network node 16. For example, the WD 22 may have dual connectivity with a network node 16 supporting LTE and the same or different network node 16 supporting NR. As an example, the WD 22 may be in communication with an eNB for LTE / E-UTRAN and a gNB for NR / NG-RAN.

[0057] The communication system 10 may itself be connected to a host computer 24, which may be embodied in hardware and / or software of a standalone server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server, or as a processing resource in a server farm. The host computer 24 may be owned or controlled by a service provider, or may be operated by or on behalf of the service provider. The connection 26, 28 between the communication system 10 and the host computer 24 may extend directly from the core network 14 to the host computer 24, or may extend through an optional intermediate network 30. The intermediate network 30 may be one of a public network, a private network, or a hosted network, or a combination of two or more of them. The intermediate network 30, if any, may be a backbone network or the Internet. In some embodiments, the intermediate network 30 may comprise two or more sub-networks (not shown).

[0058] The communication system of FIG. 6 as a whole enables connectivity between one of the connected WDs 22a, 22b and the host computer 24. The connectivity may be described as an over-the-top (OTT) connection. The host computer 24 and the connected WDs 22a, 22b are configured to communicate data and / or signaling via the OTT connection using the access network 12, the core network 14, any intermediate networks 30 and possible further infrastructure (not shown) as intermediaries. The OTT connection may be transparent in the sense that at least some of the participating communication devices through which the OTT connection passes are unaware of the routing of the uplink and downlink communications. For example, the network node 16 may not be or need not be informed regarding the past routing of an incoming downlink communication involving data originating from the host computer 24 to be forwarded (e.g., handed over) to the connected WD 22a. Similarly, network node 16 does not need to be aware of the future routing of outgoing uplink communications originating from WD 22 a and destined for host computer 24 .

[0059] The network node 16 is configured to include a configuration unit 32 configured to perform one or more network node 16 functions as described herein, such as with respect to reference signal resource configuration. The WD 22 is configured to include an RS unit 34 configured to perform one or more WD 22 functions as described herein, such as with respect to reference signal resource configuration.

[0060] Next, an exemplary implementation of the WD 22, the network node 16 and the host computer 24 described in the previous paragraph according to an embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7. In the communication system 10, the host computer 24 comprises hardware (HW) 38 including a communication interface 40 configured to set up and maintain wired or wireless connections with interfaces of different communication devices of the communication system 10. The host computer 24 further comprises a processing circuit 42, which may have storage and / or processing capabilities. The processing circuit 42 may include a processor 44 and a memory 46. In particular, in addition to or instead of a processor and memory such as a central processing unit, the processing circuit 42 may comprise an integrated circuit for processing and / or control, for example, one or more processors and / or processor cores and / or FPGAs (field programmable gate arrays) and / or ASICs (application specific integrated circuits) adapted to execute instructions. The processor 44 may be configured to access (e.g., write to and / or read from) the memory 46, which may include any type of volatile and / or non-volatile memory, such as cache and / or buffer memory and / or RAM (random access memory) and / or ROM (read only memory) and / or optical memory and / or EPROM (erasable programmable ROM).

[0061] The processing circuitry 42 may be configured to control any of the methods and / or processes described herein and / or cause such methods and / or processes to be performed, for example, by the host computer 24. The processor 44 corresponds to one or more processors 44 for performing the host computer 24 functions described herein. The host computer 24 includes a memory 46 configured to store data, programmatic software code, and / or other information described herein. In some embodiments, the software 48 and / or host application 50 may include instructions that, when executed by the processor 44 and / or the processing circuitry 42, cause the processor 44 and / or the processing circuitry 42 to perform the processes described herein with respect to the host computer 24. The instructions may be software associated with the host computer 24.

[0062] The software 48 may be executable by the processing circuitry 42. The software 48 includes a host application 50. The host application 50 may be operable to provide services to a remote user, such as the WD 22 connecting via an OTT connection 52 that terminates at the WD 22 and the host computer 24. In providing services to the remote user, the host application 50 may provide user data that is transmitted using the OTT connection 52. "User data" may be data and information, described herein as implementing the described functionality. In one embodiment, the host computer 24 may be configured to provide control and functionality to a service provider and may be operated by or on behalf of the service provider. The processing circuitry 42 of the host computer 24 may enable the host computer 24 to observe, monitor, control, transmit to, and / or receive from the network nodes 16 and / or WD 22. The processing circuitry 42 of the host computer 24 may include an information unit 54 configured to enable the service provider to one or more of store, analyze, transmit, receive, communicate, relay, forward, determine, configure, etc., information regarding reference signal resource configuration.

[0063] The communication system 10 further includes a network node 16 provided therein, the network node 16 including hardware 58 that enables the network node 16 to communicate with the host computer 24 and the WD 22. The hardware 58 may include a communication interface 60 for setting up and maintaining wired or wireless connections with interfaces of different communication devices of the communication system 10, as well as a wireless interface 62 for setting up and maintaining at least a wireless connection 64 with the WD 22 located in the coverage area 18 served by the network node 16. The wireless interface 62 may be formed as or include, for example, one or more RF transmitters, one or more RF receivers, and / or one or more RF transceivers. The communication interface 60 may be configured to facilitate a connection 66 to the host computer 24. The connection 66 may be direct, or the connection 66 may pass through the core network 14 of the communication system 10 and / or one or more intermediate networks 30 outside the communication system 10.

[0064] In the embodiment shown, the hardware 58 of the network node 16 further includes processing circuitry 68. The processing circuitry 68 may include a processor 70 and a memory 72. In particular, in addition to or instead of a processor and memory, such as a central processing unit, the processing circuitry 68 may comprise integrated circuits for processing and / or control, e.g., one or more processors and / or processor cores and / or FPGAs and / or ASICs, adapted to execute instructions. The processor 70 may be configured to access (e.g., write to and / or read from) the memory 72, which may include any type of volatile and / or non-volatile memory, e.g., cache and / or buffer memory and / or RAM and / or ROM and / or optical memory and / or EPROM.

[0065] Thus, the network node 16 further has software 74 stored, for example, internally in the memory 72 or in an external memory accessible by the network node 16 via an external connection (e.g., a database, a storage array, a network storage device, etc.). The software 74 may be executable by the processing circuitry 68. The processing circuitry 68 may be configured to control any of the methods and / or processes described herein and / or cause such methods and / or processes to be performed, for example, by the network node 16. The processor 70 corresponds to one or more processors 70 for performing the network node 16 functions described herein. The memory 72 is configured to store data, programmatic software code and / or other information described herein. In some embodiments, the software 74 may include instructions that, when executed by the processor 70 and / or the processing circuitry 68, cause the processor 70 and / or the processing circuitry 68 to perform the processes described herein with respect to the network node 16. For example, the processing circuitry 68 of the network node 16 may include a configuration unit 32 configured to perform one or more network node 16 functions as described herein, such as with respect to reference signal resource configuration.

[0066] The communication system 10 further includes the already mentioned WD 22. The WD 22 may have hardware 80, which may include a wireless interface 82 configured to set up and maintain a wireless connection 64 with a network node 16 serving the coverage area 18 in which the WD 22 is currently located. The wireless interface 82 may be formed as or may include, for example, one or more RF transmitters, one or more RF receivers, and / or one or more RF transceivers.

[0067] The hardware 80 of the WD 22 further includes processing circuitry 84. The processing circuitry 84 may include a processor 86 and memory 88. In particular, the processing circuitry 84 and memory 88 are similar to the processing circuitry 68 and memory 72, in addition to or in place of a processor and memory, such as a central processing unit.

[0068] Thus, the WD 22 may further comprise software 90, which may be stored, for example, in memory 88 in the WD 22 or in an external memory accessible by the WD 22 (e.g., a database, a storage array, a network storage device, etc.). The software 90 may be executable by the processing circuitry 84. The software 90 may include a client application 92. The client application 92 may be operable to provide services to a human or non-human user via the WD 22 with the support of the host computer 24. At the host computer 24, a running host application 50 may communicate with the running client application 92 via an OTT connection 52 that terminates at the WD 22 and the host computer 24. In providing services to the user, the client application 92 may receive request data from the host application 50 and provide user data in response to the request data. The OTT connection 52 may transfer both the request data and the user data. The client application 92 may interact with the user to generate the user data that the client application 92 provides.

[0069] The processing circuitry 84 may be configured to control any of the methods and / or processes described herein and / or cause such methods and / or processes to be performed, for example, by the WD 22. The processor 86 corresponds to one or more processors 86 for performing the WD 22 functions described herein. The WD 22 includes a memory 88 configured to store data, programmatic software code, and / or other information described herein. In some embodiments, the software 90 and / or the client application 92 may include instructions that, when executed by the processor 86 and / or the processing circuitry 84, cause the processor 86 and / or the processing circuitry 84 to perform the processes described herein with respect to the WD 22. For example, the processing circuitry 84 of the WD 22 may include an RS unit 34 configured to perform one or more wireless device functions as described herein, such as with respect to reference signal resource configuration.

[0070] In some embodiments, the internal workings of network node 16, WD 22, and host computer 24 may be as shown in FIG. 7, and separately, the surrounding network topology may be that of FIG.

[0071] 7, OTT connection 52 is depicted abstractly to show communication between host computer 24 and WD 22 via network nodes 16, without explicit reference to intermediary devices and the exact routing of messages through those devices. The network infrastructure may determine the routing, and the network infrastructure may be configured to hide the routing from WD 22 or from the service provider operating host computer 24, or both. While OTT connection 52 is active, the network infrastructure may also make decisions to dynamically change the routing (e.g., based on load balancing considerations or reconfiguration of the network).

[0072] The wireless connection 64 between the WD 22 and the network node 16 follows the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of the OTT services provided to the WD 22 using the OTT connection 52, of which the wireless connection 64 may form the final segment. More precisely, the teachings of some of these embodiments may improve data rates, latency, and / or power consumption, thereby providing benefits such as reduced user latency, relaxed limits on file sizes, better responsiveness, extended battery life, etc.

[0073] In some embodiments, measurement procedures may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rates, latencies, and other factors that one or more embodiments improve upon. There may further be an optional network function for reconfiguring the OTT connection 52 between the host computer 24 and the WD 22 in response to fluctuations in the measurement results. The measurement procedures and / or the network function for reconfiguring the OTT connection 52 may be implemented in the software 48 of the host computer 24 or in the software 90 of the WD 22, or both. In an embodiment, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with the communication devices through which the OTT connection 52 passes, and the sensors may participate in the measurement procedures by providing values ​​of the monitored quantities exemplified above, or other physical quantities from which the software 48, 90 may calculate or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguration of the OTT connection 52 may include message formats, retransmission settings, preferred routing, etc., and the reconfiguration need not affect the network node 16, and the reconfiguration may be unknown or imperceptible to the network node 16. Some such procedures and functions may be known and practiced in the art. In some embodiments, the measurements may involve proprietary WD signaling that facilitates host computer 24 measurements of throughput, propagation time, latency, etc. In some embodiments, the measurements may be implemented in that software 48, 90 causes OTT connection 52 to be used to send messages, particularly empty or "dummy" messages, while software 48, 90 monitors propagation times, errors, etc.

[0074] Thus, in some embodiments, host computer 24 includes processing circuitry 42 configured to provide user data and communication interface 40 configured to forward the user data to the cellular network for transmission to WD 22. In some embodiments, the cellular network also includes network node 16 having a wireless interface 62. In some embodiments, network node 16 is configured to implement, and / or processing circuitry 68 of network node 16 is configured to implement, the functions and / or methods described herein for preparing / initiating / maintaining / supporting / terminating transmissions to WD 22 and / or preparing / terminating / maintaining / supporting / terminating in receipt of transmissions from WD 22.

[0075] In some embodiments, host computer 24 includes processing circuitry 42 and communications interface 40 configured to receive user data originating from a transmission from WD 22 to network node 16. In some embodiments, WD 22 includes a wireless interface 82 and / or processing circuitry 84 configured to implement and / or perform functions and / or methods described herein for preparing / initiating / maintaining / supporting / terminating a transmission to network node 16 and / or preparing / terminating / maintaining / supporting / terminating in receipt of a transmission from network node 16.

[0076] 6 and 7 show various "units," such as the configuration unit 32 and the RS unit 34, as being within their respective processors, it is contemplated that these units may be implemented such that portions of the units are stored in corresponding memories within the processing circuitry. In other words, the units may be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and software within the processing circuitry.

[0077] FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method implemented in a communication system, such as the communication systems of FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, according to one embodiment. The communication system may include a host computer 24, a network node 16, and a WD 22, which may be as described with reference to FIG. 7. In a first step of the method, the host computer 24 provides user data (block S100). In an optional sub-step of the first step, the host computer 24 provides the user data by executing a host application, such as the host application 50, for example (block S102). In a second step, the host computer 24 initiates a transmission carrying the user data to the WD 22 (block S104). In an optional third step, the network node 16 transmits the user data carried in the transmission initiated by the host computer 24 to the WD 22 (block S106), according to the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In an optional fourth step, the WD 22 executes a client application, such as, for example, client application 92, associated with the host application 50 executed by the host computer 24 (block S108).

[0078] FIG. 9 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method implemented in a communication system, such as, for example, the communication system of FIG. 6, according to one embodiment. The communication system may include a host computer 24, a network node 16, and a WD 22, which may be as described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. In a first step of the method, the host computer 24 provides user data (block S110). In an optional sub-step (not shown), the host computer 24 provides the user data by executing a host application, such as, for example, the host application 50. In a second step, the host computer 24 initiates a transmission carrying the user data to the WD 22 (block S112). The transmission may proceed via the network node 16 in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In an optional third step, the WD 22 receives the user data carried in the transmission (block S114).

[0079] FIG. 10 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method implemented in a communication system, such as the communication system of FIG. 6, according to one embodiment. The communication system may include a host computer 24, a network node 16, and a WD 22, which may be as described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. In an optional first step of the method, the WD 22 receives input data provided by the host computer 24 (block S116). In an optional sub-step of the first step, the WD 22 executes a client application 92, which provides user data in response to the received input data provided by the host computer 24 (block S118). Additionally or alternatively, in an optional second step, the WD 22 provides the user data (block S120). In an optional sub-step of the second step, the WD provides the user data by executing a client application, such as the client application 92 (block S122). In providing the user data, the executed client application 92 may further take into account user input received from a user. Regardless of the particular manner in which the user data was provided, WD 22 may, in an optional third sub-step, initiate transmission of the user data to host computer 24 (block S124). In a fourth step of the method, host computer 24 receives the user data transmitted from WD 22 (block S126) in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure.

[0080] 11 is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method implemented in a communication system, such as the communication system of FIG. 6, according to one embodiment. The communication system may include a host computer 24, a network node 16, and a WD 22, which may be as described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. In an optional first step of the method, the network node 16 receives user data from the WD 22 (block S128), in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. In an optional second step, the network node 16 initiates a transmission of the received user data to the host computer 24 (block S130). In a third step, the host computer 24 receives the user data carried in a transmission initiated by the network node 16 (block S132).

[0081] 12 is a flow chart of an example process in the network node 16 according to some embodiments of the disclosure. One or more blocks described herein may be implemented by one or more elements of the network node 16, such as by one or more of the processing circuitry 68 (including the configuration unit 32), the processor 70, the radio interface 62 and / or the communication interface 60. The network node 16 is configured to indicate (block S134) a configuration of an RS resource set with at least one reference signal (RS) resource as described herein. The network node 16 is configured to receive (block S136) RS signaling associated with the RS resource set based on at least one of a cyclic shift hopping associated with the configuration, a cyclic shift mapping associated with the configuration, and a comb offset hopping associated with the configuration, as described herein.

[0082] According to one or more embodiments, at least one of cyclic shift hopping, cyclic shift mapping, and comb offset hopping is performed according to at least one of per OFDM symbol per RS ​​transmission opportunity and per RS ​​transmission opportunity only. According to some embodiments, cyclic shift hopping is configured to be performed after a predefined number of occurrences of OFDM symbols, e.g., after the same SRS sequence is transmitted / repeated on the same bandwidth in R consecutive OFDM symbols within one SRS transmission opportunity. According to some embodiments, the comb offset is based on a predefined pseudo-random hopping pattern. According to one or more embodiments, the cyclic shift mapping assigns cyclic shifts for RS ports associated with the same RS resource.

[0083] FIG. 13 is a flow chart of another example process in network node 16 according to some embodiments of the disclosure. One or more blocks described herein may be implemented by one or more elements of network node 16, such as by one or more of processing circuitry 68 (including configuration unit 32), processor 70, radio interface 62 and / or communication interface 60. Network node 16 is configured to cause WD 22 to transmit a configuration for SRS transmission on multiple symbols in one or more slots as described herein, the configuration indicating an SRS resource set including at least one SRS resource and time hopping of the SRS transmission on the multiple symbols (block S138). Network node 16 is configured to receive SRS transmission according to the configuration as described herein (block S140). Network node 16 is configured to perform SRS measurements based on the received SRS transmission as described herein (block S142).

[0084] According to some embodiments, the time hopping follows a set hopping pattern over at least one of an assigned number of cyclic shifts and comb offsets for hopping, and at least a subset of the assigned number of cyclic shifts and comb offsets is applied at each hop.

[0085] According to some embodiments, the configured hopping pattern is configured one of per SRS resource and per SRS resource set and applied to multiple SRS ports associated with at least one SRS resource and one of the SRS resource sets, and at least a subset of the assigned number of cyclic shifts and comb offsets is applied to the multiple SRS ports at each hop.

[0086] According to some embodiments, the configured hopping pattern is defined by a hopping offset that is applied at each hop to an initial set of at least one of a cyclic shift and a comb offset configured for multiple SRS ports.

[0087] According to some embodiments, the hopping offset is a function of at least one of a symbol index and a slot index.

[0088] According to some embodiments, a configured hopping pattern is applied within each of one or more slots, and hopping is performed every symbol or every integer number of symbols.

[0089] According to some embodiments, the configured hopping pattern is applied on a slot-by-slot basis, and hopping is performed from slot to slot.

[0090] According to some embodiments, the configured hopping pattern is applied over multiple symbols in one or more slots, and hopping is performed symbol-by-symbol or every integer number of symbols across one or more slots.

[0091] According to some embodiments, the configured hopping pattern is a pseudo-random hopping pattern.

[0092] According to some embodiments, a pseudo-random hopping pattern is used to implement time hopping of the SRS transmissions over at least one of the assigned number of cycle shifts and comb offsets.

[0093] According to some embodiments, the starting position of the pseudo-random hopping pattern for the at least one SRS resource is one of: based on a configured SRS sequence for the at least one SRS resource; and based on an RNTI associated with the WD22.

[0094] According to some embodiments, the pseudo-random hopping pattern is one of: the same for multiple SRS ports associated with an SRS resource set; the same for multiple SRS ports associated with at least one SRS resource; and different from another pseudo-random hopping pattern implemented for another SRS port.

[0095] 14 is a flowchart of an example process in the WD 22 according to some embodiments of the disclosure. One or more blocks described herein may be implemented by one or more elements of the WD 22, such as by one or more of the processing circuitry 84 (including the RS unit 34), the processor 86, the radio interface 82, and / or the communication interface 60. The WD 22 is configured to receive an indication of a configuration of an RS resource set having at least one RS resource as described herein (block S144). The WD 22 is configured to cause transmission of RS signaling associated with the RS resource set according to at least one of a cyclic shift hopping associated with the configuration, a cyclic shift mapping associated with the configuration, and a comb offset hopping associated with the configuration (block S146) as described herein.

[0096] 15 is a flowchart of another example process in the WD 22 according to some embodiments of the disclosure. One or more blocks described herein may be implemented by one or more elements of the WD 22, such as by one or more of the processing circuitry 84 (including the RS unit 34), the processor 86, the wireless interface 82, and / or the communication interface 60. The WD 22 is configured to receive a configuration for SRS transmission on multiple symbols in one or more slots as described herein, the configuration indicating an SRS resource set including at least one SRS resource and time hopping of the SRS transmission on the multiple symbols (block S148). The WD 22 is configured to implement the SRS transmission according to the configuration as described herein (block S150).

[0097] According to some embodiments, the time hopping follows a set hopping pattern over at least one of an assigned number of cyclic shifts and comb offsets for hopping, and at least a subset of the assigned number of cyclic shifts and comb offsets is applied at each hop.

[0098] According to some embodiments, the configured hopping pattern is configured one of per SRS resource and per SRS resource set and applied to multiple SRS ports associated with at least one SRS resource and one of the SRS resource sets, and at least a subset of the assigned number of cyclic shifts and comb offsets is applied to the multiple SRS ports at each hop.

[0099] According to some embodiments, the configured hopping pattern is defined by a hopping offset that is applied at each hop to an initial set of at least one of a cyclic shift and a comb offset configured for multiple SRS ports.

[0100] According to some embodiments, the hopping offset is a function of at least one of a symbol index and a slot index.

[0101] According to some embodiments, a configured hopping pattern is applied within each of one or more slots, and hopping is performed every symbol or every integer number of symbols.

[0102] According to some embodiments, the configured hopping pattern is applied on a slot-by-slot basis, and hopping is performed from slot to slot.

[0103] According to some embodiments, the configured hopping pattern is applied over multiple symbols in one or more slots, and hopping is performed symbol-by-symbol or every integer number of symbols across one or more slots.

[0104] According to some embodiments, the configured hopping pattern is a pseudo-random hopping pattern.

[0105] According to some embodiments, a pseudo-random hopping pattern is used to implement time hopping of the SRS transmissions over at least one of the assigned number of cycle shifts and comb offsets.

[0106] According to some embodiments, a starting position of the pseudo-random hopping pattern for the at least one SRS resource is based on one of a configured SRS sequence for the at least one SRS resource and a Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) associated with the wireless device.

[0107] According to some embodiments, the pseudo-random hopping pattern is one of: the same for multiple SRS ports associated with an SRS resource set; the same for multiple SRS ports associated with at least one SRS resource; and different from another pseudo-random hopping pattern implemented for another SRS port.

[0108] Having described the general process flow of the configurations of the present disclosure and provided examples of hardware and software configurations for implementing the processes and functions of the present disclosure, the following sections provide configuration details and examples for reference signal resource setting based on time hopping (e.g., cyclic shift hopping, comb offset hopping).

[0109] Some embodiments provide reference signal resource configuration. One or more WD 22 functions described below may be performed by one or more of the processing circuitry 84, the processor 86, the RS unit 34, etc. One or more network node 16 functions described below may be performed by one or more of the processing circuitry 68, the processor 70, the configuration unit 32, etc.

[0110] Example 1 (cyclic shift hopping) Some embodiments described herein relate to different ways of implementing cyclic shift hopping on different SRS transmissions (either per OFDM symbol per SRS transmission opportunity, only per SRS transmission opportunity, or both per OFDM symbol and per SRS transmission opportunity). An example where each SRS transmission opportunity contains four OFDM symbols is shown in Figures 16a, 16b, and 16c.

[0111] FIG. 16a illustrates an example of cyclic shift hopping per OFDM symbol per SRS transmission opportunity, where the cyclic shifts assigned to a set of SRS ports vary over different OFDM symbols within each SRS transmission opportunity.

[0112] FIG. 16b shows an example of cyclic shift hopping per SRS transmission opportunity, where the cyclic shift assignment does not change over different OFDM symbols within each SRS transmission opportunity, but changes from one SRS transmission occasion to another occasion.

[0113] FIG. 16c shows an example of cyclic shift hopping per OFDM symbol and per SRS transmission opportunity, where the cyclic shift assignment varies over different OFDM symbols within each SRS transmission opportunity and also varies from SRS transmission opportunity to SRS transmission opportunity (from one SRS transmission occasion to another SRS transmission occasion).

[0114] In another embodiment, cyclic shift hopping is performed on N' consecutive (e.g., repeated) OFDM symbols per SRS transmission opportunity, as shown in Figure 17a, where the cyclic shift assignment changes after N' = 2 OFDM symbols. The same cyclic shift hopping pattern is applied to each SRS transmission opportunity. In another example, Figure 17b illustrates the case where the cyclic shift assignment changes after N' = 2 OFDM symbols and also changes across the SRS transmission opportunity.

[0115] In some embodiments, when cyclic shift hopping is performed on multiple SRS transmission opportunities, the number of consecutive SRS transmission opportunities over which cyclic shift hopping is performed is also set as a higher layer parameter. For example, when cyclic shift hopping is performed on M′=2 adjacent SRS transmission opportunities and the cyclic shift cs 1 and cs 2 Assuming that M′=2 adjacent SRS transmission opportunities are applied over those M′=2 adjacent SRS transmission opportunities, the cyclic shift hopping pattern is repeated on the subsequent M′=2 adjacent transmission opportunities. An example is shown below. TIFF2025516210000030.tif17170

[0116] In one embodiment, the number of jumps or cyclic shifts performed at each hop is a fixed number, which may be indicated in WD 22, for example, per SRS resource, per SRS resource set, or per SRS port. In one embodiment, a new RRC field is introduced in the SRS-Config IE described in the 3GPP standard(s), such as, for example, in 3GPP TS 38.331, as described below. TIFF2025516210000031.tif94170

[0117] In this case, all SRS ports included in the SRS resource may hop as many cyclic shifts as configured by the parameter "cyclicShift-n2-hopping" or "cyclicShift-n2-hopping" (either per OFDM symbol per SRS transmission opportunity, per SRS transmission opportunity only, both per OFDM symbol and per SRS transmission opportunity, per N' OFDM symbols per SRS transmission opportunity, or per N' OFDM symbols over M' SRS transmission opportunities). In some embodiments, the cyclic shift hopping pattern may be predefined in the 3GPP specifications in a table and row index corresponding to one of the cyclic shift hopping patterns, set as an RRC parameter in the SRS-Config IE as part of the SRS resource. Different tables of cyclic shift hopping patterns may be predefined in the 3GPP specifications for different values ​​of N' and / or M'. The values ​​of N' and / or M' may also be set as part of the SRS resource in the SRS-Config IE to indicate to the WD22 which cyclic shift hopping pattern table to follow.

[0118] In one embodiment, a parameter controlling the number of cyclic shifts to jump for each cyclic shift hop may be dynamically indicated by the MAC-CE or DCI. For aperiodic SRS, a new bit field may be introduced in the DCI, which is used to indicate the number of cyclic shifts to jump for each hop for the SRS resource set triggered by the same DCI. In this case, the network node may control how the cyclic shift hopping for different WD22 may be performed based on the mutual SRS interference experienced during the previous SRS transmission. In a similar manner, the MAC-CE may be used to update the number of cyclic shifts to jump for each cyclic shift hop based on the mutual SRS interference experienced during the previous SRS transmission. The MAC-CE based solution may be applicable to one or more of aperiodic SRS, semi-persistent SRS, and periodic SRS.

[0119] In one embodiment, the number of cyclic shifts jumped at each hop follows a pre-configured (fixed or pseudo-random) hopping pattern. For interference randomization, it may be important that different hopping patterns may be configured for different SRS resources. In fact, if all SRS resources (configured for different WD22s) use the same hopping pattern, the interference situation may look the same for every SRS transmission opportunity. Therefore, it may be important that a specific starting position in the hopping pattern, called a "pseudo-random CS hopping pattern offset", may be configured for a WD22. In one embodiment, the "pseudo-random CS hopping pattern offset" is implicitly indicated for a certain WD22, for example, based on the RNTI or the configured sequence ID for a certain SRS resource. In one embodiment, the "pseudo-random CS hopping pattern offset" is explicitly configured for a WD22, either per WD22, or per serving cell, or per UL BWP, or per SRS resource set, or per SRS resource, or per SRS port. One schematic example of how this may look is shown below.

[0120] The "pseudo-random CS hopping pattern offset" is configured for each SRS resource as shown below. TIFF2025516210000032.tif86170

[0121] In one embodiment, it is merely expected that WD 22 is set to a number of cyclic shifts per hop that is less than the total number of cyclic shifts for that SRS resource divided by the number of SRS ports for that SRS resource.

[0122] In one embodiment, whether the pre-configured pseudo-random hopping pattern for cyclic shift should be applied for WD 22 may be dynamically indicated by MAC-CE or DCI. For aperiodic SRS, a new bit field may be introduced in DCI, which is used to turn on / off the pre-configured pseudo-random hopping pattern for SRS resource set triggered by the same DCI. In this case, the network node 16 may control how the cyclic shift hopping is implemented for different WD 22 based on the mutual SRS interference experienced during previous SRS transmission. In a similar manner, the MAC-CE may be used to turn on / off the pre-configured pseudo-random hopping pattern for cyclic shift based on the mutual SRS interference experienced during previous SRS transmission. The MAC-CE based solution may be applicable to one or more of aperiodic SRS, semi-persistent SRS, and periodic SRS.

[0123] In one embodiment, the network node 16 RRC configures a Boolean parameter, for example, specifying whether cyclic shift hopping is enabled or disabled, as shown below. In this case, the predefined cyclic shift hopping pattern to be used is determined using legacy RRC parameters (eg, SRS sequence ID, configured cyclic shift, etc.).

[0124] Next, some examples are provided of how existing NR SRS formulas / specifications can be updated to support cyclic shift hopping.

[0125] In legacy (i.e., 3GPP Rel-16) NR, antenna port p i Cyclic shift α for i but, The image is given by TIFF2025516210000034.tif39170, where: TIFF2025516210000035.tif6170 is included in the higher layer parameter transmissionComb (i.e., the RRC configured cyclic shift for that SRS resource). TIFF2025516210000036.tif5170.

[0126] In one embodiment, if cyclic shift hopping is enabled, the above equation is updated as follows: TIFF2025516210000037.tif39170, where TIFF2025516210000038.tif7170, where TIFF2025516210000039.tif7170 is a cyclic shift hopping function, TIFF2025516210000040.tif7170 is the SRS symbol in the slot, TIFF2025516210000041.tif7170 is the slot number within the frame for subcarrier setting μ.

[0127] In one embodiment, if cyclic shift hopping is not enabled, TIFF2025516210000042.tif7170.

[0128] In one embodiment, the cyclic shift hopping function is the same on all slots, i.e. TIFF2025516210000043.tif7170. In one example of this embodiment (note that there are a variety of different ways to implement cyclic shift hopping), the cyclic shift hopping function is: Given by TIFF2025516210000044.tif13170.

[0129] This means that at least an odd number of TIFF2025516210000045.tif5170 may help ensure that the configured SRS resources will use different cyclic shifts in different SRS symbols.

[0130] Next, to demonstrate the use of randomizing SRS interference via cyclic shift hopping, k TC = 2, therefore An example is illustrated in TIFF2025516210000046.tif6170. In this example, eight one-port SRS resources, numbered 0 through 7, are on the same bandwidth, on the same comb offset, and on the same TIFF2025516210000047.tif is scheduled on 7170 symbols. In this example, However, due to the delay spread of the channel, the cyclic shift TIFF2025516210000049.tif7170 is a cyclic shift image allocated to SR resource n-1. TIFF2025516210000050.tif7170 has the disadvantage of mutual SRS interference. Below is a list of occupied cyclic shifts for each SRS resource with cyclic shift hopping (i.e., according to the above formula) and without cyclic shift hopping. 1 port SRS resource 0 TIFF2025516210000051.tif5170 is set ○ With / without cyclic shift hopping: TIFF2025516210000052.tif7170 1 port SRS resource 1 TIFF2025516210000053.tif5170 is set ○ Without cyclic shift hopping: TIFF2025516210000054.tif7170 ○ With cyclic shift hopping: TIFF2025516210000055.tif7170 1 port SRS resource 2 TIFF2025516210000056.tif5170 is set ○ With / without cyclic shift hopping: TIFF2025516210000057.tif7170 1 port SRS resource 3 TIFF2025516210000058.tif5170 is set ○ Without cyclic shift hopping: TIFF2025516210000059.tif7170 ○ With cyclic shift hopping: TIFF2025516210000060.tif7170 1 port SRS resource 4 TIFF2025516210000061.tif5170 is set ○ With / without cyclic shift hopping: TIFF2025516210000062.tif7170 1 port SRS resource 5 TIFF2025516210000063.tif5170 is set ○ Without cyclic shift hopping: TIFF2025516210000064.tif7170 ○ With cyclic shift hopping: TIFF2025516210000065.tif7170 1 port SRS resource 6 TIFF2025516210000066.tif5170 is set ○ With / without cyclic shift hopping: TIFF2025516210000067.tif7170 1 port SRS resource 7 TIFF2025516210000068.tif5170 is set ○ Without cyclic shift hopping: TIFF2025516210000069.tif7170 ○ With cyclic shift hopping: TIFF2025516210000070.tif7170

[0131] In cyclic shift hopping, a set of adjacent cyclic shifts for the SRS resource is TIFF2025516210000071.tif7170 symbols. For example, for SRS resource 2, the interfering SRS resources are SRS resource 1 in the first symbol, SRS resource 7 in the second symbol, SRS resource 5 in the third symbol, and SRS resource 3 in the fourth symbol. This is in contrast to legacy NR (i.e., no cyclic shift hopping), where SRS resource 2 will experience interference from SRS resource 1 on all four SRS symbols. Thus, interference will build up constructively when combining SRSs received on multiple symbols without cyclic shift hopping, but interference does not build up constructively with cyclic shift hopping.

[0132] In one embodiment, the cyclic shift hopping pattern is determined according to a predefined table.

[0133] In one example of this embodiment, the cyclic shift hopping pattern (e.g., according to a tabulated or predefined function) is: TIFF2025516210000072.tif6170 cyclic shifts span only a subset (e.g., 1 / 2) of the cyclic shifts, so that the legacy SRS resources can be configured with cyclic shifts in the remaining set of cyclic shifts without interfering with the new SRS resources for which cyclic shift hopping is configured. Note that this is true in the above example. In fact, no cyclic shift hopping occurs in the even numbered cyclic shifts. Thus, they can be allocated to legacy WD22s that do not support cyclic shift hopping, or to WD22s that support cyclic shift hopping but for which cyclic shift hopping is not configured.

[0134] In one embodiment, the SRS iterations If TIFF2025516210000073.tif7170 is configured (with / without frequency hopping), the cyclic shift does not hop before R SRS symbols are sounded. In this case, for example, TIFF2025516210000074.tif5170 is valid.

[0135] where n SRS counts the number of non-repeating SRS symbols (for aperiodic SRS, TIFF2025516210000075.tif5170).

[0136] In another embodiment, the cyclic shift hopping pattern is a cyclic shift index TIFF2025516210000076.tif7170, i.e., antenna port p i Cyclic shift α for i but, is given by TIFF2025516210000077.tif13170, where: TIFF2025516210000078.tif7170 is a predefined cyclic shift hopping pattern and is a function of OFDM symbol index and slot index within a radio frame, where l' is the OFDM symbol index within the SRS transmission opportunity. Alternatively, l' can be the OFDM symbol index within the slot. For cyclic shift hopping within each SRS transmission opportunity, TIFF2025516210000079.tif7170. In the case of cyclic shift hopping for each SRS transmission opportunity, TIFF2025516210000080.tif7170.

[0137] Example 2 (Comb offset hopping) In these embodiments, different ways of implementing comb offset hopping on different SRS transmissions (either per OFDM symbol per SRS transmission opportunity, only per SRS transmission opportunity, or both per OFDM symbol and per SRS transmission opportunity) are provided. An example in which each SRS transmission opportunity contains four OFDM symbols is shown in Figures 18a, 18b, and 18c.

[0138] Figure 18a shows an example of comb offset hopping per OFDM symbol per SRS transmission opportunity, where the comb offsets assigned to a set of SRS ports vary over different OFDM symbols within each SRS transmission opportunity. Figure 18b shows an example of comb offset hopping per SRS transmission opportunity, where the comb offset assignment does not change over different OFDM symbols within each SRS transmission opportunity, but changes per SRS transmission opportunity. Figure 18c shows an example of comb offset hopping per OFDM symbol and per SRS transmission opportunity, where the comb offset assignment changes over different OFDM symbols within each SRS transmission opportunity, and also changes per SRS transmission opportunity.

[0139] In another embodiment, the comb offset hopping is performed over P' consecutive OFDM symbols per SRS transmission opportunity, as shown in Figure 19a, and the comb offset is hopped over N' = 2 OFDM symbols. The same comb offset hopping pattern is applied to each SRS transmission opportunity. In another embodiment, as shown in Figure 19b, the comb offset is hopped over P' = 2 OFDM symbols and is also hopped across the SRS transmission opportunity.

[0140] In some embodiments, when comb offset hopping is performed on an SRS transmission opportunity, the number of consecutive SRS transmission opportunities on which comb offset hopping is performed is also set as a higher layer parameter. For example, when comb offset hopping is performed on Q′=2 adjacent SRS transmission opportunities, and the comb offset comb 1 and comb 2Assuming that Q′=2 adjacent SRS transmission opportunities are applied, the comb offset hopping pattern is repeated on the subsequent Q′=2 adjacent transmission opportunities. An example is shown below. TIFF2025516210000081.tif17170

[0141] In one embodiment, the number of comb offsets jumped at each hop is a fixed number that may be indicated in WD 22, for example, per SRS resource, SRS resource set, or per SRS port. In one embodiment, a new RRC field is introduced in the SRSconfig IE, roughly as shown below. In this case, all SRS ports included in the SRS resource may hop as many comb offsets as configured by the parameter "combOffset-n2-hopping" or "combOffset-n2-hopping" (either per OFDM symbol per SRS transmission opportunity, only per SRS transmission opportunity, both per OFDM symbol and per SRS transmission opportunity, per P' OFDM symbols per SRS transmission opportunity, or per P' OFDM symbols over Q' SRS transmission opportunities). In some embodiments, the comb offset hopping pattern may be predefined in the 3GPP specification in a table and row index corresponding to one of the comb offset hopping patterns set as an RRC parameter in the SRS-Config IE as part of the SRS resource. Different tables of comb offset hopping patterns may be predefined in the 3GPP specification for different values ​​of P' and / or Q'. The values ​​of P' and / or Q' may also be set as part of the SRS resources in the SRS-Config IE to indicate to the WD 22 which Comb Offset hopping pattern table to follow.

[0142] In one embodiment, a parameter controlling the number of comb offsets to jump for each comb offset hop may be dynamically indicated by the MAC-CE or DCI. For aperiodic SRS, a new bit field may be introduced in the DCI, which is used to indicate the number of comb offsets to jump for each hop for the SRS resource set triggered by the same DCI. In this case, the network node 16 may control how the comb offset hopping for different WDs 22 may be performed based on the mutual SRS interference experienced during the previous SRS transmission. In a similar manner, the MAC-CE may be used to update the number of comb offsets to jump for each comb offset hop based on the mutual SRS interference experienced during the previous SRS transmission. The MAC-CE based solution may be applicable to one or more of aperiodic SRS, semi-persistent SRS, and periodic SRS.

[0143] In one embodiment, the number of comb offsets jumped at each hop follows a pre-configured pseudo-random hopping pattern. In order to properly randomize interference, it may be important that different WD22s use different kinds of pseudo-random hopping patterns, because if each WD22 uses the same pseudo-random hopping pattern, the interference situation for every SRS transmission opportunity may be similar or the same. Therefore, it may be important that a specific starting position in the pseudo-random hopping pattern, called a "pseudo-random comb offset hopping pattern offset", may be configured for a WD22. In one embodiment, the "pseudo-random comb offset hopping pattern offset" is implicitly indicated for a WD22, for example, based on the RNTI or the configured sequence ID for a certain SRS resource. In one embodiment, the "pseudo-random comb offset hopping pattern offset" is explicitly configured for a WD22, either per WD22, or per serving cell, or per UL BWP, or per SRS resource set, or per SRS resource, or per SRS port. One schematic example in which the "pseudo-random comb offset hopping pattern offset" is configured for each SRS resource is shown below. TIFF2025516210000083.tif89170 In one embodiment, it is merely expected that WD22 will be set to a number of comb offsets per hop that is less than the comb factor for that SRS resource.

[0144] In one embodiment, whether the pre-configured pseudo-random hopping pattern for cyclic shift should be applied for WD 22 may be dynamically indicated by MAC-CE or DCI. For aperiodic SRS, a new bit field may be introduced in DCI, which is used to turn on / off the pre-configured pseudo-random hopping pattern for SRS resource set triggered by the same DCI. In this case, the network node 16 may control how the cyclic shift hopping is implemented for different WD 22 based on the mutual SRS interference experienced during previous SRS transmission. In a similar manner, the MAC-CE may be used to turn on / off the pre-configured pseudo-random hopping pattern for cyclic shift based on the mutual SRS interference experienced during previous SRS transmission. The MAC-CE based solution may be applicable to one or more of aperiodic SRS, semi-persistent SRS, and periodic SRS.

[0145] In another embodiment, the existing comb offset is set for each WD 22 and is the initial comb offset. i Actual Comb Offset for TIFF2025516210000084.tif8170, Slot determined by TIFF2025516210000085.tif9170 OFDM symbol ' in TIFF2025516210000086.tif7170, Where: TIFF2025516210000087.tif7170 is the configured com offset for the SRS resource, K TC is the total number of comb offsets configured in the cell (e.g., 2 or 4), TIFF2025516210000088.tif7170 is a hopping pattern.

[0146] In one example of this embodiment, a comb offset hopping pattern (e.g., according to a tabulated or predefined function) may span only a subset (e.g., 1 / 2) of the available comb offsets, such that legacy SRS resources may be configured with comb offsets in the remaining set of comb offsets without interfering with the new SRS resources for which comb offset hopping is configured.

[0147] Example 3 (New cyclic shift mapping in SRS resource) In these embodiments, a new cyclic shift mapping rule on SRS ports belonging to the same SRS resource is provided, and this new cyclic shift mapping rule may be more suitable for multi-TRP operation than other procedures. The legacy cyclic shift mapping rule aims to separate the cyclic shift between different SRS ports of the same SRS resource as much as possible to maximize robustness against delay spread for different SRS ports. If this WD22 is the only WD22 using a certain comb and comb offset in a certain SRS transmission opportunity, the legacy cyclic shift mapping rule may be optimal since it maximizes robustness against delay spread. However, if two or more WD22 are transmitting SRS simultaneously using the same comb and comb offset, the legacy cyclic shift mapping rule often becomes suboptimal because the difference in delay between SRS ports of different WD22 is larger than the difference in delay between different SRS ports of the same WD22. This is especially true for multi-TRP operation, where different WD22 may have different delays for different TRPs. An example of this is shown in Figure 20, where UE1 (WD22) has a large delay towards TRP2 and a short delay towards TRP1, and UE2 (WD22) has a short delay towards TRP2 and a long delay towards TRP1. In this case, using the legacy cyclic shift mapping, where the robustness between SRS ports is maximized between different SRS ports per TRP, is sub-optimal as the delay between the SRS ports of different UEs / WD22s would be significantly larger.

[0148] In one embodiment, a new cyclic shift mapping rule is defined where SRS ports of the same SRS resource have fewer cyclic shifts between their SRS ports compared to the legacy cyclic shift mapping rule. For example, for a two-port SRS resource with Comb 4, the two SRS ports may be associated with, for example, cyclic shift 0 and cyclic shift 6. In the new cyclic shift mapping rule, the two SRS ports may instead be associated with cyclic shift 0 and cyclic shift N, where N is a number less than 6.

[0149] In one embodiment, the number of cyclic shifts between SRS ports of an SRS resource may be explicitly configured for a WD 22, either per WD 22, or per serving cell, or per UL BWP, or per SRS resource set, or per SRS resource, or per SRS port. One schematic example is shown below, in which the number of cyclic shifts between adjacent SRS ports is configured per SRS resource in parameters "cyclicShift-n2-separation" and "cyclicShift-n4-separation". TIFF2025516210000089.tif93170 In one embodiment, the number of cyclic shifts between SRS ports of an SRS resource may be dynamically updated using the MAC-CE or DCI.

[0150] Although cyclic shift hopping and comb hopping have been described separately, they may be used together with SRS repetition or frequency hopping to improve interference randomization.

[0151] It should be noted that one or more of the above three embodiments may be combined (ie, configured simultaneously).

[0152] Thus, one or more of the embodiments described herein provide one or more of the following advantages. - The cyclic shift and / or comb offset method randomizes the mutual SRS interference, which improves the CSI quality in one or more TRPs. Furthermore, the cyclic shift allocation pattern between ports of the same SRS resource (belonging to the same wireless device 22) reduces mutual SRS interference between different WDs 22 in multi-TRP operation, which may be important since the delay between different WDs 22 is expected to be larger than the delay between different ports of a WD 22 (which may be even worse in a multi-TRP scenario where different WDs 22 may be time-aligned to different TRPs).

[0153] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the concepts described herein may be embodied as a method, a data processing system, a computer program product, and / or a computer storage medium storing an executable computer program. Thus, the concepts described herein may take the form of an entirely hardware embodiment, an entirely software embodiment, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects, all of which may be generally referred to herein as a "circuit" or "module." Any process, step, action, and / or function described herein may be performed by and / or associated with a corresponding module, which may be implemented in software and / or firmware and / or hardware. Furthermore, the present disclosure may take the form of a computer program product on a tangible computer usable storage medium having computer program code embodied in the medium that can be executed by a computer. Any suitable tangible computer readable medium may be utilized, including hard disks, CD-ROMs, electronic storage devices, optical storage devices, or magnetic storage devices.

[0154] Some embodiments have been described herein with reference to flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams of methods, systems and computer program products. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and / or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general purpose computer (to create a special purpose computer), a special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to create a machine, such that the instructions, executing via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions / acts specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart and / or block diagram.

[0155] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory or storage medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory create an article of manufacture that includes instruction means that implement the functions / acts specified in one or more blocks of the flowcharts and / or block diagrams.

[0156] Computer program instructions may also be loaded into a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to create a computer-implemented process, such that the instructions executing on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide steps for implementing the functions / acts specified in one or more blocks of the flowcharts and / or block diagrams.

[0157] It should be understood that the functions / acts noted in the blocks may occur out of the order noted in the operational illustrations. For example, two blocks shown in succession may in fact be performed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be performed in the reverse order, depending on the functions / acts involved. Although some of the figures include arrows on communication paths to indicate the primary direction of communication, it should be understood that communication may occur in the opposite direction to that of the illustrated arrows.

[0158] Many different embodiments have been disclosed herein with reference to the above description and drawings. It will be understood that literally describing and illustrating every combination and subcombination of these embodiments would be unduly repetitive and unclear. Thus, all embodiments may be combined in any manner and / or combination, and the present specification, including the drawings, is intended to constitute a complete written description of every combination and subcombination of the embodiments described herein and of the manner and process of making and using them, and to support claims to any such combination or subcombination.

[0159] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein are not limited to what has been particularly shown and described hereinabove. Various modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings without departing from the scope of the following claims.

Claims

1. A network node (16) communicating with a wireless device (22), wherein the network node (16) comprises a processing circuit (68) and is configured to cause the processing circuit (68) to send to the wireless device (22) settings for sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission over a plurality of symbols in one or more slots, the settings comprising an SRS resource set including at least one SRS resource, and time hopping of the SRS transmission over the plurality of symbols, send settings for sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission indicating the above, receive the SRS transmission according to the settings, and perform SRS measurements based on the received SRS transmission. A network node (16) configured as described above.

2. The network node (16) according to claim 1, wherein the time hopping is according to a hopping pattern set on at least one of a number of assigned cyclic shifts and comb offsets for hopping, and at least one subset of the number of assigned cyclic shifts and comb offsets is applied at each hop.

3. The hopping pattern set is set for one of each SRS resource and each SRS resource set, applied to a plurality of SRS ports associated with one of the at least one SRS resource and the SRS resource set, and at least one subset of the number of assigned cyclic shifts and comb offsets is applied to the plurality of SRS ports at each hop. The network node (16) according to claim 2.

4. The network node (16) according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the set hopping pattern is defined by a hopping offset applied at each hop to an initial set of at least one of a cyclic shift and a comb offset set for the plurality of SRS ports.

5. The network node (16) according to claim 4, wherein the hopping offset is a function of at least one of a symbol index and a slot index.

6. The network node (16) according to claim 2, wherein the set hopping pattern is applied within each of the one or more slots, and the hopping is performed symbol-by-symbol or every integer number of symbols. **Claim 7** The network node (16) according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the set hopping pattern is applied slot-by-slot, and the hopping is performed from slot to slot. **Claim 8** The network node (16) according to any one of claims 2 to 5, wherein the set hopping pattern is applied over the plurality of symbols in the one or more slots, and the hopping is performed symbol-by-symbol or every integer number of symbols over the one or more slots. **Claim 9** The network node (16) according to any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein the set hopping pattern is a pseudo-random hopping pattern. **Claim 10** The network node (16) according to claim 9, wherein the pseudo-random hopping pattern is used to perform time hopping of the SRS transmission onto at least one of the assigned number of cyclic shifts and comb offsets. **Claim 11** The start position of the pseudo-random hopping pattern for the at least one SRS resource is based on a set SRS sequence for the at least one SRS resource, and based on a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) associated with the wireless device (22), and is one of the above. The network node (16) according to claim 9. **Claim 12** The pseudo-random hopping pattern is the same for a plurality of SRS ports associated with the SRS resource set, the same for a plurality of SRS ports associated with the at least one SRS resource, and is different from another pseudo-random hopping pattern implemented for another SRS port, and is one of the above. The network node (16) according to claim 9. **Claim 13** A wireless device (22) communicating with the network node (16), the wireless device (22) comprising a processing circuit (84) and the processing circuit (84) is Receiving a configuration for transmitting a sounding reference signal (SRS) over a plurality of symbols in one or more slots, the configuration comprising: an SRS resource set including at least one SRS resource; time hopping of the SRS transmission over the plurality of symbols; Receiving a configuration for transmitting a sounding reference signal (SRS) indicating the above; Performing SRS transmission according to the configuration; A wireless device (22) configured to perform the above.

14. The wireless device (22) according to claim 13, wherein the time hopping is according to a configured hopping pattern on at least one of a number of cyclic shifts and a comb offset assigned for hopping, and at least one subset of the number of cyclic shifts and the comb offset is applied at each hop.

15. The configured hopping pattern is: configured for one of each SRS resource and each SRS resource set; applied to a plurality of SRS ports associated with one of the at least one SRS resource and the SRS resource set; at least one subset of the number of cyclic shifts and the comb offset is applied to the plurality of SRS ports at each hop. The wireless device (22) according to claim 14.

16. The wireless device (22) according to claim 14 or 15, wherein the configured hopping pattern is defined by a hopping offset applied at each hop to an initial set of at least one of a cyclic shift and a comb offset configured for the plurality of SRS ports.

17. The wireless device (22) according to claim 16, wherein the hopping offset is a function of at least one of a symbol index and a slot index.

18. The wireless device (22) according to claim 14, wherein the configured hopping pattern is applied within each of the one or more slots, and the hopping is performed symbol by symbol or every integer number of symbols.

19. The wireless device (22) according to any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein the configured hopping pattern is applied slot by slot, and the hopping is performed from slot to slot.

20. The wireless device (22) according to any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein the set hopping pattern is applied over the plurality of symbols in the one or more slots, and the hopping is performed symbol by symbol or every integer number of symbols over the one or more slots.

21. The wireless device (22) according to any one of claims 14 to 20, wherein the set hopping pattern is a pseudo-random hopping pattern.

22. The wireless device (22) according to claim 21, wherein the pseudo-random hopping pattern is used to perform time hopping of the SRS transmission on at least one of the assigned number of cyclic shifts and comb offsets.

23. The start position of the pseudo-random hopping pattern for the at least one SRS resource is based on the set SRS sequence for the at least one SRS resource, and based on a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) associated with the wireless device, and is one of the above, the wireless device (22) according to claim 21.

24. The pseudo-random hopping pattern is the same for a plurality of SRS ports associated with the SRS resource set, the same for a plurality of SRS ports associated with the at least one SRS resource, and different from another pseudo-random hopping pattern implemented for another SRS port, and is one of the above, the wireless device (22) according to claim 21.

25. A method implemented by a network node (16) configured to communicate with a wireless device (22), the method comprising any one of claims 1 to 12.

26. A method implemented by a wireless device (22) configured to communicate with a network node (16), the method comprising any one of claims 13 to 24.

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