Time domain window adaptation for joint channel estimation and DMRS bundling

Abstract

Time domain window adaptation for joint channel estimation and DMRS bundling.SOLUTION: In accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the invention, for at least one of a physical uplink control channel or a physical uplink shared channel, determining a duration of one of the scheduled transmissions, determining at least one actual duration for which power consistency and phase continuity can be maintained, and configuring one or more time domain window durations to cover the duration of the one of the scheduled transmissions by: There is at least a method and apparatus that performs the steps of applying one or more time domain window durations based at least in part on the determined at least one actual duration, and performing at least one of modulation or demodulation of the scheduled transmission based on the determined one or more time domain window durations.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 9

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] [CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Application No. 17 / 388,206, filed July 29, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The entire contents of the above application are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The teachings of exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate generally to joint channel estimation over a PUxCH including a physical uplink control channel and / or a data channel, and more particularly to joint channel estimation over a PUxCH using time-domain windowing and DMRS bundling. [Background technology]

[0003] This section is intended to provide a background or context for the invention that is described in the claims. The description herein may include concepts that could be pursued, but not necessarily those that have been previously conceived and pursued. Thus, unless stated otherwise herein, nothing described in this section is prior art to the present specification and claims, and is not admitted to be prior art by virtue of being described in this section.

[0004] Certain abbreviations found in the specification and / or figures are defined as follows: DC: Downlink control indicator DL: Download DMRS: Demodulation Reference Signal FDD: Frequency Division Duplex FDRA: Frequency Domain Resource Allocation JCE: Joint Channel Estimation NR:New Radio PUCCHP: Physical Uplink Control Channel PUSCHP: Physical Uplink Shared Channel RRC: Radio Resource Control TDD: Time division duplex TD:W time domain window UCI: Uplink Control Indicator UL: Uplink

[0005] As of the time of this application, as demand for wireless access continues to increase, there is a need for further improvements in various aspects of communication systems, including improvements in the data rate, latency, reliability, and / or mobility of wireless communications in cellular wireless communication systems such as 5G NR. Such improvements relate to enhancing the coverage of such communications.

[0006] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention serve to further improve such operation. Summary of the Invention

[0007] This section includes possible examples and is not intended to be limiting.

[0008] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a network side device, such as an eNB / gNB 170 as in FIG. 5 , or a user equipment side device, such as a UE 11 as in FIG. 5 , comprises at least one processor and at least one non-transitory memory containing computer program code, wherein the at least one non-transitory memory containing computer program code is configured, using the at least one processor, to cause the device to perform the following steps: determine a period of one of a scheduled transmission for at least one of a physical uplink control channel or a physical uplink shared channel; determine at least one actual duration that can maintain power consistency and phase continuity; apply one or more time-domain window durations based at least in part on the determined at least one actual duration, such that the one or more time-domain window durations cover the one duration of the scheduled transmission; and perform at least one of modulation and demodulation of the scheduled transmission based on the determined one or more time-domain window durations.

[0009] In another example aspect of the present invention, there is a method that includes determining a duration of one of a scheduled transmission for at least one of a physical uplink control channel or a physical uplink shared channel; determining at least one actual duration during which power consistency and phase continuity can be maintained; applying one or more time-domain window durations based at least in part on the determined at least one actual duration such that the one or more time-domain window durations cover the duration of one of the scheduled transmissions; and performing at least one of modulation and demodulation of the scheduled transmission based on the determined one or more time-domain window durations.

[0010] Further exemplary embodiments are apparatus and methods including the apparatus and method of the preceding paragraph, where the gap between scheduled transmissions corresponds to one or more slots, at least one actual duration corresponding to each of the one or more time domain windows is configured to support at least one of an uplink transmission or a downlink transmission occurring between at least one consecutive scheduled transmission, each of the at least one actual duration being limited to a maximum duration based on a capability of the corresponding user equipment, at least one of the scheduled transmissions comprises a position and duration of one of the one or more time domain windows within a configured total duration of transmissions, and at least one of the scheduled transmissions uses a rule including starting a first time domain window of the one or more time domain windows with a first orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol of a first channel transmission within the determined duration.and at least one of the one or more time domain windows starting with a first orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol of a first scheduled transmission transmitted after an event that caused the power consistency and phase continuity to not be maintained, the one or more time domain windows ending with a last orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol of a scheduled transmission within a determined duration, the one or more time domain windows ending with a last orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol of a scheduled transmission transmitted before the event that caused the power consistency and phase continuity to not be maintained within a determined duration, the event that caused the power consistency and phase continuity to not be maintained including at least one of expiration of an unscheduled maximum unplanned gap between at least two consecutive scheduled transmissions or expiration of a maximum duration based on the capabilities of the corresponding user equipment, and The events causing phase continuity not to be maintained include at least one of reception or monitoring of a downlink channel by the user equipment, or other uplink transmissions from the user equipment configured differently from the considered scheduled transmission, or frequency hopping in the user equipment, and determining the duration of the one or more time domain windows is performed according to predefined rules known by the network node and the user equipment, and in case of joint channel estimation across different scheduled transmissions of different transport blocks, the duration for maintaining power consistency and phase continuity is dynamically or semi-statically indicated, and this indication is carried in at least one of a downlink control information, medium access control, radio resource control message, and / or the apparatus comprises at least part of a network node or a user equipment.

[0011] A non-transitory computer readable medium storing program code that, when executed by at least one processor, performs at least the method described in the preceding paragraph.

[0012] In another exemplary aspect of the present invention, there is an apparatus including: means for determining a duration of one of scheduled transmissions for at least one of a physical uplink control channel or a physical uplink shared channel; means for determining at least one actual duration that can maintain power consistency and phase continuity; means for applying one or more time-domain window durations based at least in part on the determined at least one actual duration, such that the one or more time-domain window durations cover the duration of one of the scheduled transmissions; and means for performing at least one of modulation or demodulation of the scheduled transmissions based on the determined one or more time-domain window durations.

[0013] According to the exemplary embodiment described in the above paragraph, at least the means for determining, applying, and executing comprises a network interface and computer program code stored on a computer-readable medium and executed by at least one processor.

[0014] A further exemplary embodiment is an apparatus including the apparatus of the preceding paragraph, wherein at least one of the configured scheduled transmissions is for at least one of a physical uplink control channel or a physical uplink shared channel, a gap between the scheduled transmissions corresponds to one or more slots, at least one actual duration corresponding to each of one or more time domain windows is configured to support at least one of an uplink transmission or a downlink transmission occurring between successive transmissions of at least one of the scheduled transmissions, each of the at least one actual duration being limited to a maximum duration based on a capability of a corresponding user equipment, at least one of the scheduled transmissions includes a position and duration of one of the one or more time domain windows within a configured total duration of transmission, and at least one of the scheduled transmissions includes a step of starting a first time domain window of the one or more time domain windows from a first orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol of a first channel transmission within the determined duration; and starting at least one of the number of time domain windows with a first Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing symbol of a first scheduled transmission transmitted after an event that caused power consistency and phase continuity to be not maintained, wherein the one or more time domain windows end with a last Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing symbol of a scheduled transmission within a determined duration, and the one or more time domain windows end with a last Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing symbol of a scheduled transmission transmitted before the event that caused power consistency and phase continuity to be not maintained within a determined duration, the event that caused power consistency and phase continuity to be not maintained includes at least one of expiration of an unscheduled maximum unplanned gap between at least two consecutive scheduled transmissions or expiration of a maximum duration based on the capabilities of the corresponding user equipment, and the event that caused power consistency and phase continuity to be not maintained is a change in reception or monitoring of a downlink channel by the user equipment, or another uplink transmission from the user equipment that is configured differently from the considered scheduled transmission;or frequency hopping in a user equipment, and determining the duration of the plurality of time domain windows is according to a predefined rule known by the network node and the user equipment, and in case of joint channel estimation across different scheduled transmissions of different transport blocks, the period for maintaining power consistency and phase continuity is indicated dynamically or semi-statically, and / or the indication is carried in at least one of downlink control information, a medium access control - control element or a radio resource control message, and / or the apparatus comprises at least part of a network node or a user equipment.

[0015] A communication system including a network side device and a user equipment side device that perform the above-described operations. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of various embodiments of the present disclosure will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals are used to designate like or equivalent elements. The drawings are illustrated to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale. [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates non-back-to-back PUxCH repetitions with a DL reception opportunity between repetitions 2 and 3. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 illustrates non-back-to-back PUSCH repetitions with a PUCCH transmission between repetitions 2 and 3. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 shows an example of a maximum duration that is less than the duration of a set number of PUxCH repetitions. [Figure 4]FIG. 4 shows that defining TDW equal to the maximum time duration is a viable solution only for PUxCH repetitions that occur in back-to-back physical slots. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a high-level block diagram of various devices that may be used in implementing various aspects of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of dynamic network operations (eg, scheduling) that may break the phase continuity and power consistency across PUxCH repetitions. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 shows an example of TDW adaptation depending on the real time h of PUSCH repetitions transmitted for non-back-to-back physical slots in an FDD deployment. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 shows an example of TDW adaptation depending on the "actual duration" PUSCH repetitions transmitted for non-back-to-back physical slots in a TDD deployment. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 illustrates a method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention that may be performed by an apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to joint channel estimation over the PUxCH using time domain windowing and DMRS bundling.

[0018] It should be noted that any reference to a PUxCH herein is non-limiting and may be meant to refer to at least one of a physical uplink control channel and / or a physical uplink data type channel. Exemplary embodiments of this invention may be directed to normative work performed in the context of joint channel estimation across PUSCH transmissions and, where applicable, the discussed operation of PUCCH enhancements at the time of filing this application.

[0019] [Joint channel estimation and DMRS bundling] Joint channel estimation and DMRS bundling are the same concept and have the same goal: improving the channel estimation quality for demodulation of the PUxCH at the receiver (gNB) by jointly using DMRS symbols among multiple scheduled transmissions (potentially in different slots) associated with at least one of the physical uplink control channel or physical uplink shared channel that meet the necessary conditions for maintaining power consistency and phase continuity. In fact, bundling two DMRS signals to provide more reliable channel estimation can only be achieved if they are subject to very similar, if not identical, channel conditions.

[0020] These conditions include not only the response of the surrounding environment but also the response of the transmit and receive circuitry. Therefore, even if the environmental response does not change over the time span of multiple PUSCH / PUCCH transmissions, care must be taken to ensure that (at least) the UE's transmit circuitry response does not change either, which can be ensured by the UE maintaining power consistency and phase continuity across different transmissions.

[0021] In light of this, it appears that the parties involved in the 3GPP® RAN1 standardization discussions are striving to converge on a common design for the PUSCH and PUCCH as much as possible. Consistent with this understanding, the exemplary embodiment of the present invention assumes that the terms "DMRS bundle" and "joint channel estimation" are equivalent.

[0022] Time Domain Window The time-domain window (TDW) is Defined as the duration over which the UE is expected to maintain power coherence and phase continuity .

[0023] Maximum duration The UE may be able to maintain power consistency and phase continuity up to a certain maximum duration that depends on the UE's capabilities. Therefore, the maximum duration for which the UE can maintain power consistency and phase continuity is defined by 3GPP RAN1. The maximum duration is not less than the duration of the time domain window. The maximum duration is not less than the duration of the time domain window.

[0024] It is clear that the maximum duration is related to the capabilities that the UE has, which it may or may not report to the gNB. This differs from the TDW discussed earlier, which is the period / "constant" that the gNB expects certain characteristics of the transmission to be stable, i.e., the capabilities of phase continuity and power consistency.

[0025] It should be emphasized that the conditions for JCE application are violated when there is downlink reception between two PUxCH repetitions for which JCE is enabled in order to maintain power consistency and phase continuity. In other words, DL reception does not maintain phase continuity and power consistency. Figure 1 illustrates an example of this phenomenon, where a configured DL reception opportunity occurs between non-contiguous (time-staggered) PUxCH repetitions. Furthermore, if JCE is enabled and an UL channel is transmitted between two PUxCH repetitions, this second UL channel cannot have a different configuration in terms of the number and position of PRBs in order to maintain phase continuity. Figure 2 illustrates a scenario of non-contiguous PUSCH repetitions in which configured periodic PUCCH transmissions occur between the second and third repetitions. In this case, if the PUCCH transmissions are configured differently (in terms of PRBs), the UE cannot maintain phase continuity between repetitions 2 and 3. In this case, joint channel estimation at the receiver is not possible. A similar example can be considered for PUCCH repetitions in which PUSCH transmissions occur between two repetitions for which DMRS bundling is enabled. It is worth observing that this is a very likely scenario, considering that the periodic PUCCH resources are configured at higher layers and are likely to be different from the resources dynamically assigned to the UE for PUSCH transmissions (with repetition).

[0026] According to the above, it is as follows: 1. The UE is expected to maintain power consistency and phase continuity over a certain number of slots. 2. Define the number of slots in which the UE is expected to maintain power consistency and phase continuity. 3. DL / UL transmissions other than those for which JCE is enabled may occur at any time within any time period for which the UE is expected to maintain phase continuity and power consistency. This is due to both the complexity and (partial) predictability of network behavior, e.g., scheduling decisions other than those related to the PUxCH repetition and / or JCE configuration provided to the UE. 4. The maximum duration at the UE (which is related to the device capabilities, not the configuration) may not be sufficient to cover the time duration of all configured PUxCH repetitions. This situation is illustrated in Figure 3, where, without loss of generality, the FDD slot structure is taken into account.

[0027] From a gNB perspective, the most convenient configuration is: ● Any number of PUxCH repetitions can be configured within a specified range depending on coverage needs. ● The UE can maintain power consistency and phase continuity across all configured PUxCH repetitions to maximize channel estimation accuracy, thereby maximizing link budget benefits and resulting in the greatest increase in PUxCH coverage.

[0028] On the other hand, considering items 3 and 4 in the list above, it is quite easy to see that the more repetitions configured, the less likely the UE is to maintain the required conditions due to the presence of other UL / DL transmissions between repetitions and / or due to insufficient capacity. This means that always defining a single TDW (i.e. all repetitions covered by one single time domain window) may not be practically appropriate or feasible.

[0029] The problem then is to identify a good framework for TDW definition such that every iteration is covered by one or more time-domain windows. Other options are not excluded.

[0030] One simple solution is to define the TDW to be equal to the "maximum possible duration", where the first TDW starts on the first PUxCH repetition (on the first OFDM symbol of the PUxCH), as shown in Figure 4. The TDW is then repeated within the repetition duration.

[0031] This simple solution may work well for PUxCH repetitions transmitted over back-to-back physical slots. However, this solution is not optimal for PUxCH repetitions transmitted over non-back-to-back physical slots. Indeed, in this case, DL / UL transmissions other than those for which JCE is enabled may occur at any time within any time duration for which the UE is expected to maintain phase continuity and power consistency, as further discussed above. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a highly efficient solution for defining a time-domain window for JCE, and its flexibility and efficiency are independent of whether PUxCH repetitions are performed over back-to-back or non-back-to-back physical slots.

[0032] Design goals according to exemplary embodiments in this context include: ● Efficiency, ● Flexibility, ● Minimal impact when signals are present, and ● Maximum detectability and impact on specifications.

[0033] Before describing exemplary embodiments of the present invention in further detail, reference is made to Figure 5, which is a block diagram of one possible, non-limiting example system in which exemplary embodiments may be implemented.

[0034] As shown in FIG. 5, user equipment (UE) 110 is in wireless communication with wireless network 100. The UE is a wireless, typically mobile, device capable of accessing the wireless network. The UE 110 includes one or more processors 120, one or more memories 125, and one or more transceivers 130 interconnected via one or more buses 127. Each of the one or more transceivers 130 includes a receiver (Rx) 132 and a transmitter (Tx) 133. The one or more buses 127 may be an address bus, a data bus, or a control bus, and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, optical fiber, or other optical communication equipment. The one or more transceivers 130 are connected to one or more antennas 128. The one or more memories 125 include computer program code 123. The UE 110 may include a bundling module 140 configured to execute exemplary embodiments of the present invention described herein. The bundling module 140 may be implemented in hardware by itself as part of a processor and / or computer program code of the UE 110. The bundling module 140 is composed of one or both of portions 140-1 and / or 140-2, which may be implemented in many ways. The bundling module 140 may be implemented in hardware as bundling module 140-1, such as implemented as part of one or more processors 120. The bundling module 140-1 may also be implemented as an integrated circuit or via other hardware, such as a programmable gate array. In another example, the bundling module 140 may be implemented as bundling module 140-2 implemented as computer program code 123 and executed by one or more processors 120. Furthermore, it should be noted that the bundling modules 140-1 and / or 140-2 are optional. For example, the one or more memories 125 and the computer program code 123, together with the one or more processors 120, may be configured to cause the user equipment 110 to perform one or more operations described herein.The UE 110 communicates with the eNB / gNB 170 via a wireless link 111.

[0035] The eNB / gNB 170 (NR / 5G Node B or possibly evolved NB) is a base station (e.g., for LTE, Long Term Evolution) that provides access to the wireless network 100 by wireless devices such as the UE 110. The eNB / gNB 170 includes one or more processors 152, one or more memories 155, one or more network interfaces (N / WI / F(s)) 161, and one or more transceivers 160 interconnected via one or more buses 157. Each of the one or more transceivers 160 includes a receiver Rx 162 and a transmitter Tx 163. The one or more transceivers 160 are connected to one or more antennas 158. The one or more memories 155 include computer program code 153. The eNB / gNB 170 includes a bundling module 150 configured to perform the exemplary embodiments of the present invention described herein. The bundling module 150 may be comprised of one or both of portions 150-1 and / or 150-2, which may be implemented in many ways. The bundling module 150 may be implemented in hardware by itself or as part of a processor and / or computer program code of the eNB / gNB 170. The bundling module 150-1 is implemented as part of one or more processors 152. The bundling module 150-1 may also be implemented as an integrated circuit or through other hardware such as a programmable gate array. In another example, the bundling module 150 may be implemented as a bundling module 150-2 implemented as computer program code 153 and executed by one or more processors 152. Furthermore, it should be noted that the bundling modules 150-1 and / or 150-2 are optional. For example, the one or more memories 155 and the computer program code 153 may be configured to cause the eNB / gNB 170, using the one or more processors 152, to perform one or more operations as described herein. The one or more network interfaces 161 communicate over a network, such as via links 176 and 131.Two or more eNBs / gNBs 170 may communicate using, for example, link 176. Link 176 may be wired or wireless or both and may implement, for example, an X2 interface.

[0036] The one or more buses 157 may be an address bus, a data bus, or a control bus, and may include any interconnection mechanism, such as a series of lines on a motherboard or integrated circuit, optical fiber or other optical communication equipment, a wireless channel, etc. For example, one or more transceivers 160 may be implemented as a remote radio head (RRH) 195, with other elements of the eNB / gNB 170 in a physically separate location from the RRH, and the one or more buses 157 may be implemented in part as fiber optic cables to connect the other elements of the eNB / gNB 170 to the RRH 195.

[0037] While the description herein indicates that a gcell performs the functions, it will be apparent that the gNB forming the cell performs the functions, and the cell forms part of the gNB, i.e. there may be multiple cells per gNB.

[0038] The wireless network 100 may include a Network Control Element (NCE), a Serving Gateway (SGW), a Mobile Mobile Communications (MME), a Mobile Phone Network (UDM), a Serving Gateway (PCF), a User Data Management Function (UDM), a Policy Control (PCF), an Access and Mobility (AMF), an Access and Mobility (SMF), a Session Management (SMF), a Location Management Function (LMF), a Location Management Component (LMC), and / or an Authentication Server (AUSF) function, which may provide connectivity with further networks, such as telephone networks and / or data networks (e.g., the Internet), and which is configured to perform any 5G and / or NR operations in addition to or instead of operations of other standards at the time of filing. The NCE / MME / SGW / UDM / PCF / AMM / SMF / LMF / LMC 190 may be configured to perform operations in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention in any of the following communication technologies: LTE, NR, 5G, and / or any standards-based communication technologies in operation or under discussion at the time of filing.

[0039] The eNB / gNB 170 is coupled to the NCE / MME / SGW / UDM / PCF / AMM / SMF / LMF / LMC 190 via a link 131. The link 131 may be implemented, for example, as an S1 interface or an N2 interface. The NCE / MME / SGW / UDM / PCF / AMM / SMF / LMF / LMC 190 includes one or more processors 175, one or more memories 171, and one or more network interfaces (N / WI / F(s)) 180, interconnected via one or more buses 185. The one or more memories 171 include computer program code 173. The one or more memories 171 and the computer program code 173, together with the one or more processors 175, are configured to cause the NCE / MME / SGW / UDM / PCF / AMM / SMF / LMF / LMC 190 to perform one or more operations. Additionally, the NCE / MME / SGW / UDM / PCF / AMM / SMF / LMF / LMC 190, like other devices, is equipped to perform operations such as by controlling the UE 110 and / or eNB / gNB 170 for 5G and / or NR operations in addition to operations of any other standards implemented or discussed at the time of this application.

[0040] The wireless network 100 may implement network virtualization, which is the process of combining hardware and software network resources and network functions into a single software-based management entity: a virtual network. Network virtualization includes platform virtualization and is often combined with resource virtualization. Network virtualization can be classified as either external, which consolidates many networks or portions of networks into a virtual unit, or internal, which provides network-like functionality to software containers on a single system. It should be noted that the resulting virtualized entities of network virtualization are still implemented at some level using hardware such as processors 152 and 175 and memory 155 and 171, and that such virtualized entities produce technical effects.

[0041] The computer-readable memories 125, 155, and 171 may be of any type suitable for the local technology environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as semiconductor-based memory devices, flash memory, magnetic memory devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory. The computer-readable memories 125, 155, and 171 may be means for performing storage functions. The processors 120, 152, and 175 may be of any type suitable for the local technology environment and may include, by way of non-limiting example, one or more of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a microprocessor, a digital signal processor (DSP), and a processor based on a multi-core processor architecture. The processors 120, 152, and 175 may be means for performing functions described herein and other functions for controlling network devices such as the UE 110, the eNB / gNB 170, and / or the NCE / MME / SGW / UDM / PCF / AMM / SMF / LMF / LMC 190 in FIG. 5.

[0042] It should be noted that any functionality or functionalities according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention of devices such as those shown in FIG. 5, e.g., UE 110 and / or eNB / gNB 170, may also be implemented by other network nodes, e.g., wireless or wired relay nodes (also known as integrated access and / or backhaul (IAB) nodes). In the case of IAB, the UE functionality may be implemented by a mobile termination (MT) unit of the IAB node, and the gNB functionality may be implemented by a data unit (DU) unit of the IAB node. These devices may be linked to UE 110, as in FIG. 5, via at least wireless link 111 and / or via NCE / MME / SGW / UDM / PCF / AMM / SMF / LMF / LMC 190, as in FIG. 5, using link 199 to other network(s) / Internet.

[0043] In general, various embodiments of user equipment 110 may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones such as smartphones, tablets, personal digital assistants (PDAs) with wireless communication capabilities, portable computers with wireless communication capabilities, image capture devices such as digital cameras with wireless communication capabilities, gaming devices with wireless communication capabilities, music storage and playback devices with wireless communication capabilities, internet appliances that enable wireless internet access and browsing, tablets with wireless communication capabilities, and portable units or terminals incorporating combinations of such capabilities.

[0044] In accordance with at least the exemplary embodiment of the present invention described in the preceding paragraphs, a user equipment (UE 110 in FIG. 5 ) of a communication network (network 100 in FIG. 5 ) includes means (one or more transceivers 130, memory(s) 125, computer program code 123 and / or bundling module 140-2, and processor(s) 120 and / or bundling module 140-1 in FIG. 5 ) for determining information including a physical uplink control channel resource set allocation and an indication of a subcarrier control channel resource set allocation, and means (one or more transceivers 130, memory(s) 125, computer program code 123 and / or bundling module 140-2, and processor(s) 120 and / or bundling module 140-1 in FIG. 5 ) for determining, based on said information, at least one of a size or allocation of subcarrier spacing for allocation of a physical uplink control channel resource set. and means (similar to FIG. 5 , one or more transceivers 130, memory(s) 125, computer program code 123 and / or bundling module 140-2, and processor(s) 120 and / or bundling module 140-1) for transmitting information related to the physical uplink control channel to a communications network using the determined at least one size and allocation of one or more physical uplink control channel resources.

[0045] In an exemplary embodiment of the invention according to the above paragraph, at least the means for determining and transmitting comprises a non-transitory computer-readable medium [memory(s) 125 of FIG. 5] encoded with a computer program [computer program code 123 of FIG. 5 and / or bundling module 140-2] executable by at least one processor [processor(s) 120 and / or bundling module 140-1 of FIG. 5].

[0046] A non-transitory computer-readable medium (memory(s) 155 in FIG. 5) storing program code (computer program code 153 and / or bundling module 150-2 in FIG. 5), which is executed by at least one processor (processor(s) 120 and / or bundling module 150-1 in FIG. 5) to perform at least the operations as described in the above paragraphs.

[0047] As also mentioned above, exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a very efficient solution for the definition of time domain windows for JCE, and its flexibility and efficiency is independent of whether the PUxCH repetitions are performed over back-to-back physical slots or non-back-to-back physical slots.

[0048] As explained earlier, TDW is UE maintains power consistency and phase continuity In general, the UE is expected to maintain power consistency and phase continuity across all configured PUxCH repetitions, which maximizes channel estimation accuracy at the gNB. However, for the most common case of non-back-to-back PUxCHs, a common use case at least in TDD deployments, the most likely outcome is that UL / DL operation occurs between two consecutive PUxCH repetitions. 1. The expected network behavior dynamics, e.g., scheduling (Fig. 6 shows an example graph where the gap between iterations corresponds to one or more slots), and 2. Possible limitations in the UE's capabilities (Figure 3 shows an example in this sense) that force the UE to interrupt phase continuity in response.

[0049] Therefore, instead of being able to maintain power consistency and phase continuity over a single TDW covering the entire nominal duration of a PUxCH repetition, the UE may be able to do so over multiple shorter durations. For simplicity, the concept of actual duration is introduced and will be used hereafter to refer to such shorter durations. It is important to note that in this context, actual duration is not a set, fixed duration, but a variable, UE-determined duration over which power consistency and phase continuity are maintained.

[0050] The solution presented in this paper to solve the problems described in this application is based on the concept of real duration and is called TDW adaptation. This solution is characterized by at least the following points: ● One or more 15DWs are used to cover the total time duration of the configured PUxCH repetitions. Each TDW is adapted to correspond to a real duration, the latter being defined on the fly by the UE according to a set of predefined rules known to both the UE and the gNB, rather than as a configured parameter. The actual duration of each cannot exceed the maximum duration according to the corresponding UE capabilities. ● No signaling exchange is required between the UE and the gNB to perform TDW adaptation. No signaling overhead and no issues related to backward compatibility with previous DCI formats. ● There is no ambiguity in the gNB where it is assumed that the JCE is applicable on each TDW.

[0051] A summary of novel aspects according to at least some example embodiments of this invention includes the following. ● The concept of actual duration is introduced to handle both DL and UL transmissions that occur between two consecutive PUCCH and / or PUSCH transmissions. ● Variable TDW duration is assumed at both the UE and the gNB based on actual network behavior rather than explicit configuration. ● There is no signaling from the gNB (or UE) to maximize the effectiveness of the solution; and • Prescribe a new set of rules that define a framework for identifying actual durations on the fly and adapting TDW durations accordingly.

[0052] If there is more than one actual duration, i.e. more than one TDW per repeat sequence of the PUxCH, it is adapted according to: • UE capabilities, i.e. maximum duration, if any; ● Whether frequency hopping is enabled and which frequency hopping scheme is configured, and ● In the case of repetition of PUxCH via non-back-to-back physical slots, it also depends on: "Maximum unplanned gap" between two logically consecutive PUxCHs, Whether the UE is expected to monitor DL ​​reception, and / or Whether the UE is expected to make other UL transmissions between two PUxCH repetitions with different configurations than the PUxCH repetition considered.

[0053] Next, the following rules are defined to determine the position and duration of each TDW within the duration of the entire configured and scheduled PUxCH repetition: ● TDW starts from the first OFDM symbol, TDW is the [first TDW] of the first PUxCH repeat, o [any other TDW] of the first PUxCH repetition transmitted after the event that caused the power consistency and phase continuity to be violated, ● The TDW ends at the last OFDM symbol. 〇 [Last TDW] of the last PUxCH repeat, o [any other TDW] of the PUxCH repetitions transmitted before the event that destroys power integrity and phase continuity, ● The integrity and phase continuity of the power supply is destroyed when any of the following events occur: o Exceeding the "Maximum duration" according to UE capabilities, o Exceeding the "maximum unplanned gap" between two consecutive PUxCH transmissions according to RAN4 requirements, If frequency hopping is enabled in the PUxCH repetition, the UE changes frequency hops. The UE is expected to monitor / receive DL reception opportunities, and / or The UE intends to send an UL transmission with a different configuration than that used for the configured and scheduled PUxCH recurrence.

[0054] Surprisingly, the above definition can be used for both FDD and TDD deployments, without requiring any "duplexing scheme-specific" optimizations / modifications. To support this statement, two examples are provided in Figures 7 and 8, which illustrate how the TDW(s) defined in accordance with the present invention are determined / adapted for the case of PUSCH repetitions transmitted on non-consecutive physical slots in FDD and TDD deployments, respectively. In Figure 7, an FDD deployment is assumed. In this case, the event that violates power consistency and phase continuity is the monitoring / reception of DL reception opportunities (or UL transmissions with different configurations). In Figure 8, a TDD deployment with slot structure DDSUU is assumed. In this case, power consistency and phase continuity are violated because the time duration between two consecutive PUSCH repetitions is greater than the "maximum unplanned gap."

[0055] It should be noted that the inventive steps according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention may specifically call for standardization activities including at least the following: 1. The concept of actual duration is introduced into the specification, 2. The definition of TDW depends on the concept of actual duration, 3. A new set of rules must be defined to determine the position and adaptive duration of each TDW according to its actual duration.

[0056] One of the main advantages of exemplary embodiments of the present invention is that no signaling is required to support this functionality, and its detectability is ensured by the fact that it requires explicit specification influence in the form of the definition of rules that determine the location and duration of each TDW.

[0057] FIG. 9 illustrates a method according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, which may be performed by an apparatus such as the apparatus of claim 5.

[0058] FIG. 9 illustrates operations that may be performed by a network equipment such as, but not limited to, a network node such as an eNB / gNB 170 as in FIG. 5 or a user equipment such as a UE 110 as in FIG. 5.

[0059] As shown in step 910 of Figure 9, a duration of one of the scheduled transmissions may be determined for at least one of the physical uplink control channel or the physical uplink shared channel. As shown in step 920 of Figure 9, at least one actual duration for which power consistency and phase continuity may be maintained is determined. As shown in step 930 of Figure 9, one or more time-domain window durations are applied based at least in part on the determined at least one actual duration, such that the one or more time-domain window durations cover the duration of one of the scheduled transmissions. Then, as shown in step 940 of Figure 9, at least one of modulation and demodulation of the scheduled transmission is performed based on the determined one or more time-domain window durations.

[0060] In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention described in the paragraph above, at least one of the configured scheduled transmissions is for at least one of the physical uplink control channel or the physical uplink shared channel.

[0061] In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention described in the above paragraph, the gap between scheduled transmissions corresponds to one or more slots.

[0062] At least one actual duration corresponding to each of the one or more time domain windows is configured to support at least one of an uplink transmission or a downlink transmission occurring between successive transmissions of the at least one scheduled transmission.

[0063] According to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention described in the paragraph above, according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention described in the paragraph above, each of the at least one actual duration is limited to a maximum duration based on the capabilities of the corresponding user equipment.

[0064] In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention described in the paragraphs above, at least one of the scheduled transmissions comprises the location and duration of one of a plurality of time domain windows within the total time duration of the configured transmissions.

[0065] In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention described in the preceding paragraph, at least one of the scheduled transmissions uses a rule that includes the steps of: starting a first time domain window of the one or more time domain windows with a first orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol of a first channel transmission within the determined duration; and starting at least one of the one or more time domain windows with a first orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol of a first scheduled transmission transmitted after the event that caused power consistency and phase continuity to be lost.

[0066] According to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention described in the paragraph above, the one or more time domain windows end with the last OFDM symbol of a scheduled transmission within the determined duration.

[0067] In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention described in the paragraph above, the multiple time domain windows end with the last OFDM symbol of the scheduled transmission sent prior to the event that causes power consistency and phase continuity to not be maintained within the determined duration.

[0068] In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention described in the paragraphs above, the events that cause power consistency and phase continuity to not be maintained include at least one of the expiration of a maximum unscheduled unplanned gap between at least two consecutive scheduled transmissions or the expiration of a maximum duration based on the capabilities of the corresponding user equipment.

[0069] In accordance with the exemplary embodiments of the present invention described in the above paragraphs, events that cause power consistency and phase continuity to not be maintained include at least one of reception or monitoring of a downlink channel by the user equipment, or other uplink transmissions from the user equipment that are configured differently from the considered scheduled transmission, or frequency hopping at the user equipment.

[0070] According to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention described in the above paragraphs, determining the duration of the multiple time domain windows is done according to predefined rules known by the network node and the user equipment.

[0071] In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention described in the paragraph above, for joint channel estimation across different scheduled transmissions of different transport blocks, the period for maintaining power consistency and phase continuity is dynamically or semi-statically indicated.

[0072] In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention described in the paragraph above, this indication is included in at least one of the following messages: downlink control information, medium access control, radio resource control.

[0073] According to the exemplary embodiment of the invention described in the above paragraphs, the apparatus forms at least part of a network node or user equipment.

[0074] A non-transitory computer readable medium (memory(ies) 125 and / or memory(ies) 155 in FIG. 5) storing program code (computer program code 123 and / or computer program code 153 and / or bundling module 140-2 and / or bundling module 150-2 in FIG. 5), which program code is executed by at least one processor (processor 120 and / or processor 152 and / or bundling module 140-1 and / or bundling module 150-1 in FIG. 5) to perform at least the operations as described in the above paragraphs.

[0075] In accordance with the exemplary embodiment of the present invention described above, a means for determining one duration of a scheduled transmission for at least one of the physical uplink control channel or the physical uplink shared channel (memory(s) 125 and / or memory(s) 155, computer program code 123 and / or computer program code 153 and / or bundling module 140-2 and / or bundling module 150-2, and processor 120 and / or processor 152 and / or bundling module 140-1 and / or bundling module 150-1, as in FIG. 5 ) is provided to determine power consistency and phase continuity. means for determining at least one actual duration that may be maintained; and means for applying, based at least in part on the determined at least one actual duration, (memory(s) 125 and / or memory(s) 155, computer program code 123 and / or computer program code 153, and / or bundling module 140-2 and / or bundling module 150-2, and / or processor 120 and / or processor 152 and / or bundling module 140-1 and / or bundling module 150-1 (as in FIG. 5 )), durations of multiple time-domain windows such that the multiple time-domain window durations cover one duration of the scheduled transmission; and means for applying, based at least in part on the determined multiple time-domain window durations, (memory 125 and / or memory 155, computer program code 123 and / or computer program code 153 and / or bundling module 140-2 and / or bundling module 150-2, as in FIG. 5 ) durations of multiple time-domain windows such that the multiple time-domain window durations cover one duration of the scheduled transmission.and processor 120 and / or processor 152 and / or bundling module 140-1 and / or bundling module 150-1) means for performing at least one of modulation or demodulation of the scheduled transmission.

[0076] In an exemplary embodiment of the invention according to the above paragraph, at least the determining, applying, and executing means are comprised in a non-transitory computer-readable medium [memory(s) 125 and / or memory(s) 155 as in FIG. 5 ] encoded with a computer program [computer program code 123 and / or computer program code 153 and / or bundling module 140-2 and / or bundling module 150-2] executable by at least one processor [processor 120 and / or processor 152 and / or bundling module 140-1 and / or bundling module 150-1 as in FIG. 5 ].

[0077] Additionally, in accordance with exemplary embodiments of the present invention, there is circuitry for performing operations in accordance with the exemplary embodiments of the present invention disclosed herein. This circuitry can include any type of circuitry, including content encoding circuitry, content decoding circuitry, processing circuitry, image generation circuitry, data analysis circuitry, etc. Furthermore, this circuitry can include discrete circuitry, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and / or field programmable gate array circuits (FPGAs), etc., as well as processors specifically configured by software to perform their respective functions, or dual-core processors with software and corresponding digital signal processors, etc. Furthermore, the necessary inputs to and outputs from the circuitry, the functions performed by the circuitry, and the circuitry's interconnections (possibly via inputs and outputs) with other components, which may include other circuits, are provided to perform the exemplary embodiments of the present invention described herein.

[0078] In accordance with the exemplary embodiments of the invention disclosed in this application, a "circuit" is provided that: (a) hardware-only circuit implementation (e.g., implementation using only analog and / or digital circuitry); (b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software; (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuitry and software / firmware; and (ii) software (including digital signal processor(s), any portion of the software, and hardware processor(s) with memory(s) that cooperate to cause a device, such as a mobile phone or a server, to perform various functions, such as functions or operations according to the exemplary embodiments of the invention disclosed herein); and (c) It may include at least one or more or all of the following: hardware circuitry and processors, such as microprocessors or portions of microprocessors, that require software (e.g., firmware) to operate but may not be present when the software is not necessary for operation.

[0079] This definition of "circuit" applies to all uses of the term in this application, including the claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term "circuit" also covers simply a processor(s) or portion of a processor and its(their) accompanying software and / or firmware implementation. The term "circuit" also covers, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or an application processor integrated circuit for a mobile phone, or similar integrated circuits in a server, cellular network device, or other network device, if applicable to the particular claim element.

[0080] In general, various embodiments may be implemented in hardware or special-purpose circuits, software, logic, or any combination thereof. For example, some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software that may be executed by a controller, microprocessor, or other computing device, but the invention is not limited thereto. While various aspects of the invention may be illustrated and described using block diagrams, flowcharts, or some other pictorial representations, it will be appreciated that these blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques, or methods described herein may be implemented in, by way of non-limiting example, hardware, software, firmware, special-purpose circuits or logic, general-purpose hardware or controller, or other computing device, or some combination thereof.

[0081] Embodiments of the present invention can be implemented in a variety of components, such as integrated circuit modules. The design of integrated circuits is generally a highly automated process. Complex and powerful software tools are available for converting logic-level designs into semiconductor circuit designs that can be etched onto semiconductor substrates.

[0082] The word "exemplary" is used herein to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. All embodiments described in this detailed description are exemplary embodiments provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the invention and do not limit the scope of the invention, which is defined by the claims.

[0083] The foregoing description provides, by way of illustrative and non-limiting example, a complete and informative description of the best method and apparatus presently contemplated by the inventors for carrying out the invention. However, various modifications and adaptations will become apparent to those skilled in the relevant art in view of the foregoing description, when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the appended claims. However, all such and similar variations of the teachings of this invention will still fall within the scope of this invention.

[0084] The terms "connected," "coupled," or variations thereof refer to a direct or indirect connection or coupling between two or more elements, and it should be noted that this may encompass the presence of one or more intermediate elements between two "connected" or "coupled" elements. The coupling or connection between elements can be physical, logical, or a combination thereof. As employed herein, two elements are considered to be "connected" or "coupled" by the use of one or more wires, cables, and / or printed electrical connections, as well as by the use of electromagnetic energy, such as electromagnetic energy having wavelengths in the radio frequency range, microwave range, and optical (both visible and invisible) range, as some non-limiting and non-exhaustive examples.

[0085] Moreover, some of the features of the preferred embodiments of the present invention may be used to advantage without the corresponding use of other features. Thus, the foregoing description should be considered merely as illustrative of the principles of the present invention, and not in limitation thereof.

Claims

1. 1. An apparatus comprising at least one processor and at least one non-transitory memory containing computer program code, The at least one non-transitory memory containing the computer program code is used by the at least one processor to cause the device to: determining a time period set by the network node for scheduled transmissions associated with at least one of a physical uplink control channel or a physical uplink shared channel; determining at least one actual duration within said period, wherein power consistency and phase continuity are maintained over said at least one actual duration; determining one or more time-domain windows to cover the period based at least in part on the determined at least one actual duration; configured to maintain power consistency and phase continuity during the one or more time domain windows; the one or more time domain windows end with a last orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol of the scheduled transmission transmitted before an event that causes power consistency and phase continuity to not be maintained within the determined period of time.

2. 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to determine a first one of the time domain windows to start from a first orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol of a first one of the scheduled transmissions.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the gap between scheduled transmissions corresponds to one or more slots.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each of the at least one actual duration is limited to a maximum duration based on the capabilities of a corresponding user equipment.

5. At least one of the scheduled transmissions comprises: starting a first time domain window of the one or more time domain windows from a first orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol of a first channel transmission within the determined time period; or 10. The apparatus of claim 1, using a rule that includes at least one of starting at least one of the one or more time domain windows from a first orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol of a first scheduled transmission that is transmitted after an event that caused power consistency and phase continuity to be lost.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the one or more time domain windows end with a last orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol of the scheduled transmission within the determined period.

7. Events that cause power consistency and phase continuity to be lost include: exceeding a maximum unplanned gap between at least two consecutive scheduled transmissions, or exceeding said maximum duration based on the capabilities of the corresponding user equipment; The apparatus of claim 4 , comprising at least one of:

8. Events that cause power consistency and phase continuity to be lost include: Receiving or monitoring a downlink channel by said device; or the transmission from the device of another uplink transmission having a different configuration than the scheduled transmission; or frequency hopping in the device; The apparatus of claim 1 , comprising at least one of:

9. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein determining the one or more time domain windows follows a predefined rule known by the network node and the apparatus.

10. 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein for joint channel estimation across different scheduled transmissions of different transport blocks, a period for maintaining power consistency and phase continuity is dynamically or semi-statically indicated.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the indication is carried in at least one of downlink control information, a medium access control-control element, or a radio resource control message.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the apparatus comprises a user equipment.

13. 1. A method comprising: determining a time period configured by the network node for scheduled transmissions associated with at least one of a physical uplink control channel or a physical uplink shared channel; determining at least one actual duration within said period, wherein power consistency and phase continuity are maintained over said at least one actual duration; determining one or more time domain windows to cover the period based at least in part on the determined at least one actual duration; maintaining power consistency and phase continuity during one or more time domain windows; Including, wherein the one or more time domain windows end with a last orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol of the scheduled transmission transmitted before an event that causes power consistency and phase continuity to not be maintained within the determined period of time.

14. 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining a first one of the time domain windows to start with a first orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol of a first one of the scheduled transmissions.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the gap between scheduled transmissions corresponds to one or more slots.

16. At least one of the scheduled transmissions uses a rule including at least one of the following: The said rule is: starting a first time domain window of the one or more time domain windows from a first orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol of a first channel transmission within the determined time period; or starting at least one of the one or more time domain windows from a first orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol of a first scheduled transmission transmitted after the event that caused power consistency and phase continuity to be lost; 14. The method of claim 13, comprising:

17. 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the one or more time domain windows end with a last orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol of the scheduled transmission within the determined period.

18. Events that cause power consistency and phase continuity to be lost include: Exceeding the maximum unplanned gap between at least two consecutive scheduled transmissions or the maximum duration based on the capabilities of the corresponding user equipment; The method of claim 13 , comprising at least one of:

19. Events that cause power consistency and phase continuity to be lost include: Receiving or monitoring a downlink channel by the user equipment; or - the transmission from the user equipment of another uplink transmission having a different configuration from the scheduled transmission; or Frequency hopping in user equipment; 18. The method of claim 13, comprising at least one of:

20. 1. A computer program product for use in a computer, comprising a computer readable medium having computer program code embodied therein, The computer program code code for determining a time period configured by the network node for scheduled transmissions associated with at least one of a physical uplink control channel or a physical uplink shared channel; code for determining at least one actual duration within said period, wherein power consistency and phase continuity are maintained over said at least one actual duration; code for determining one or more time domain windows to cover the period based at least in part on the determined at least one actual duration; code for maintaining power consistency and phase continuity during said one or more time domain windows; Including, the one or more time domain windows end with a last orthogonal frequency division multiplexing symbol of the scheduled transmission transmitted before an event that causes power consistency and phase continuity to not be maintained within the determined period of time.

21. Apparatus comprising means for carrying out the method of any one of claims 13 to 18.

22. 19. A computer program comprising code for performing the method of any one of claims 13 to 18 when the computer program is executed by at least one processor.

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