Enhanced network-assisted signaling for multi-user, multi-input, multi-output receivers in wireless communications

Abstract

This disclosure describes a system, method, and device for receiving network-assisted multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) signaling. A user equipment (UE) device may decode a MU-MIMO setup field in a radio resource control (RRC) message transmitted from a next-generation NodeB device; determine that MU-MIMO transmission is enabled based on at least two bits in the MU-MIMO setup field; and determine a modulation scheme for co-scheduled UE devices based on those at least two bits.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] [Cross-reference of related applications] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 495,206, filed on 10 April 2023, and the disclosures of said U.S. Provisional Application are incorporated herein by reference as if they were described in their entirety.

[0002] This disclosure relates, in general terms, to systems and methods for wireless communications, and more particularly to network-assisted signaling for multi-user multiple input multiple output (MU-MIMO) receivers. [Background technology]

[0003] Wireless devices are becoming widespread and increasingly using wireless channels. 3rd Generation Partnership Program (3 rd The Generation Partnership Program (3GPP®) develops one or more standards for wireless communications. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0004] [Figure 1] This is a network diagram showing an exemplary network environment according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0005] [Figure 2] This figure shows an exemplary multi-user multi-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) transmission according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0006] [Figure 3]A diagram showing a MU-MIMO scenario where the number of code division multiplexing (CDM) groups without data is 1 according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the antenna port for the target user equipment is AP1000, and the antenna ports for the interfering user equipment are AP1001.

[0007] [Figure 4] A diagram showing a MU-MIMO scenario where the number of CDM groups without data is 2 according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the antenna ports for the target user equipment are AP1000 and AP1001, and the antenna ports for the interfering user equipment are AP1002 and AP1003.

[0008] [Figure 5] A diagram showing an exemplary non-aligned allocation under a single resource block transition for each layer according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0009] [Figure 6] A flowchart of an exemplary process for network-assisted signaling for a MU-MIMO receiver according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0010] [Figure 7] A diagram showing a network according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0011] [Figure 8] A diagram schematically showing a wireless network according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0012] [Figure 9] A block diagram showing components according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0013] [Figure 10] This figure shows a network according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0014] [Figure 11] This is a simplified block diagram of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted communication between user equipment and a wireless access network, according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0015] The following description and drawings are illustrated to the extent that those skilled in the art can practice specific embodiments. Other embodiments may incorporate structural, logical, electrical, process, algorithmic, and other modifications. Parts and features of some embodiments may be included in or substituted for parts and features of other embodiments. The embodiments described in the claims encompass all available equivalents of said claims.

[0016] Wireless devices can operate as defined by technical standards. For cellular telecommunications, the Third Generation Partnership Programme (3GPP®) defines communication techniques, including those for multi-user multi-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) communication. To increase download data throughput, base stations use multiple antenna arrays to simultaneously generate multiple beams for multiple users. This technique is known as MU-MIMO transmission.

[0017] User equipment (UE) demodulates the received signal using an advanced receiver, such as a reduced maximum likelihood (R-ML) receiver. To perform this receiver signal processing, the UE needs to know information about other users' parameters related to the demodulation reference signal (DMRS), as well as their modulation order and layer count. The UE may use either blind detection of these parameters at the expense of complexity and / or performance degradation from detection errors, or network-assisted signaling that informs the UE of other users' parameters at the expense of signaling overhead.

[0018] The network signaling scheme must be designed to minimize signaling overhead while delivering essential parameter information. Depending on the nature of the parameters, some parameters, such as modulation order and number of layers, need to be signaled for each transmission, and some of these parameters are configured semi-statically. For some parameters, desired user parameters may be assumed, or rules may be developed to avoid signaling overhead.

[0019] This disclosure provides an enhanced signaling scheme for MU-MIMO receivers on the UE side and designs a framework to alleviate downlink MU-MIMO scheduler constraints for more efficient resource utilization. To date, research in 3GPP® has focused on cases where all multi-user distributions share the same time-frequency resources, but this sharing may not be desirable considering the different sizes of downloaded data for different users.

[0020] In MU-MIMO, a gNB can transmit data to a paired UE. A gNB with n transmitter antennas can transmit up to n layers in total. Given that a UE can receive its own data for up to four layers using four receiver antennas, and a base station can have four transmitter antennas, there are many combinations of transmitting data using a given resource. Table 1 below shows the possible combinations in this scenario. If a UE has two receiver antennas, the combinations in bold in Table 1 are not possible. If there are three UEs in a MU-MIMO scenario, there can be many more combinations, including all cases with two UEs, as shown in Table 2 below.

[0021] Table 1: MIMO layer for two UE layers with four receiver antenna UEs [Table 1] Table 2: MIMO layer for three UE layers with four receiver antenna UEs [Table 2] Table 3 below shows the parameters required for the signal of another UE for the R-ML receiver.

[0022] Table 3: MU-MIMO information elements for R-ML receivers [Table 3] Table 3 provides a set of information elements that can be used to provide enhanced inter-user interference suppression for MU-MIMO transmission in the support information for R-ML receivers. The information elements can be signaled from the network to the UE by RRC signaling.

[0023] The existence of MU-MIMO transmission Information regarding the presence of MU-MIMO transmissions or the DMRS ports of other UEs can be achieved by either blind detection or network signaling of a "zero" constellation. Once the modulation order signaling of the interfering layers is determined, it becomes effective to collaboratively design the format. For example, at least 2-bit information DCI may be defined as follows: 00: No interference present. 01: Interference with QPSK. Interference with QAM at 10:16. Interference with 11:64QAM or 256QAM.

[0024] The same indicator "11" for 64QAM / 256QAM is motivated by the fact that 256QAM is extremely rare and even worse in MU-MIMO distribution.

[0025] Interfering layer's DMRS port Once the modulation order signaling of the interfering layers is determined, the port information is encoded by circular indexing with respect to the target UE's ports without adding any additional signaling overhead.

[0026] DL MU-MIMO Setup Indicator in BWP Configuration A 1-bit DL MU-MIMO setup indicator may be introduced in a BWP configuration. When this bit is set, the UE can make the following favorable MU-MIMO assumptions between paired UEs, including: - The same PDSCH distribution area between paired users. - Same precoding granularity, n SCID Fixed distribution rules regarding this. - Same DMRS-DownlinkConfig. [Table 4] The DMRS-DownlinkConfig must be aligned for the same DMRS symbol length, position, and dmrs-Type to ensure orthogonality between DMRS ports. For (scramblingID0, scramblingID1), the range may be limited to a total of four layers with a maximum of two CDM groups. Therefore, a maximum of two scrambling IDs may be set for randomization purposes, suggesting that it can be assumed that the same setting may apply to all users, at least within the same serving cell. The need for BWP-specific signaling configurations is justified by grouping users depending on user mobility or the number of Rx antennas, and different maxMIMO layers or additional DMRS may be applied to each BWP.

[0027] Port presence and modulation order signaling format A signaling format for {the presence of interfering MU-MIMO layers, DMRS ports, and modulation order} may be jointly defined. One possible design example is shown in Table 4 below, using the minimum signaling overhead for 2-bit or 6-bit modulation order signaling when maxMIMO-Layers=2 or 4, where maxMIMO-Layers represents the maximum number of MIMO layers that will be used for PDSCH in DL BWP.

[0028] Table 4: Signaling formats for {presence of interfering MU-MIMO layers, DMRS ports, and modulation order} [Table 5] DMRS sequence information in DCI format SCID Fixed rules for ∈{0,1} 1) For Rel-15 UE, different DMRS sequence initialization seeds n are used among different CDM group users, i.e., FDM unit DMRS multiplexing users. SCID It is desirable to assign ∈{0,1}. 2) Rel-16 introduced a method to reduce PAPR when a single user is assigned multiple CDM groups (higher-rank case). In this case, when n SCID = 0, two different scrambling IDs, scramblingID0 and scramblingID1, are applied to even and odd CDM groups (when n SCID = 1, odd and even CDM groups).

[0029] Therefore, under fixed rules 1) and 2), the desired UE can obtain the DMRS scrambling seed c init for the ports of other users by its own n SCID .

[0030] The role of the DMRS scrambling ID n SCID ∈ {0, 1} in 5G NR is as follows:

Number

number

number

number

[0031] When the higher-level parameter dmrs-Downlink is provided in DMRS-DownlinkConfig IE:

number

number

[0032] Considerations for non-aligned PDSCH scenarios Observation 1: Due to degrees of freedom in distribution in terms of RB region, modulation order, and number of layers, several limitations, such as x times the PRB bundle size or RBG size granularity, may be required in PDSCH distribution.

[0033] Observation 2. Even with RB allocation granularity, it is difficult to use network-assisted signaling in non-aligned scenarios.

[0034] Observation 3. One possible way of achieving non-aligned RB distribution is to control the number of distribution transitions in each layer. If not allowed, this becomes a fully aligned scenario.

[0035] As an example, non-aligned distribution can be performed when only a single distribution transition is allowed at each tier. The advantages of this approach can be summarized as follows: 1) The total number of partitions is N total partitions <=N transit +1+N transit *(N Int.layer -1) is the limit. 2)Total max.signalling overhead=N bit,Mod.order, presence* (N transit +1)*N Int.layer +N bit,RB index *(N total partitions -1 ) , Here, N Int.layer This is the # of the interfering layer, and N transit This is the number of RB distribution transitions for each interfering layer. The RB index for each partition region may be detected using blind detection. For case (a) with four layers (1+1+1+1), there are four partitions and six interfering users. If blind detection is used for partition boundary detection, twice the signaling overhead for modulation order information is required compared to the aligned PDSCH distribution case.

[0036] Another suggestion is to investigate the performance of blind detection of partition areas from the perspective of PRBs that require RAN4.

[0037] The above description is illustrative and not limiting. Numerous other examples, configurations, processes, algorithms, etc., may exist, some of which are described in more detail below. Here, the illustrative embodiments are described with reference to the attached drawings.

[0038] Figure 1 is a network diagram showing an exemplary network environment 100 according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0039] The wireless network 100 may include one or more UE120s and one or more RAN102s (e.g., gNBs) capable of communicating in accordance with 3GPP® communication standards. The UE120s may be non-stationary (e.g., not having a fixed location) mobile devices or stationary devices.

[0040] In some embodiments, UE120 and RAN102 may include one or more computer systems similar to those shown in Figures 11 to 13.

[0041] One or more exemplary UE120 and / or RAN102 may be operable by one or more users 110. A UE may have several distinct characteristics, each forming its function. For example, a single addressable unit may simultaneously be a portable UE, a quality-of-service (QoS) UE, a dependent UE, and a hidden UE. UE120 (e.g., 124, 126, or 128) and / or RAN102 may include, but are not limited to, any suitable processor-driven device, including mobile or non-mobile devices, such as static devices. For example, the UE120 is used in software-enabled APs (SoftAPs), personal computers (PCs), wearable wireless devices (e.g., bracelets, watches, glasses, rings, etc.), desktop computers, mobile computers, laptop computers, ultrabook® computers, notebook computers, tablet computers, server computers, handheld computers, handheld devices, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, sensor devices, PDA® devices, handheld PDA® devices, onboard devices, offboard devices, hybrid devices (e.g., combining cellular phone functionality with PDA® device functionality), consumer devices, automotive devices, non-automotive devices, mobile or portable devices, non-mobile or non-portable devices, mobile phones, cellular phones, PCS devices, PDA® devices incorporating wireless communication devices, mobile or portable GPS devices, DVB devices, relatively small computing devices, non-desktop computers, "carry small live large" (CSLL) devices, and ultra-mobile devices. device: UMD), ultra-mobile PC (UMPC), mobile internet deviceDevice (MID), "origami" devices or computing devices, devices supporting dynamically configurable computing (DCC), context-aware devices, video devices, audio devices, A / V devices, set-top boxes (STB), Blu-ray disc (BD) players, BD recorders, digital video disc (DVD) players, high-definition (HD) DVD players, DVD recorders, HD DVD recorders, personal video recorders (PVR), broadcast HD receivers, video sources, audio sources, video syncs, audio syncs, stereo tuners, broadcast radio receivers, flat panel displays, personal media players (PMP), digital video cameras (DVC), digital audio players, speakers, audio receivers, audio amplifiers, gaming devices, data sources, data syncs, digital still cameras (digital still This list may include cameras (DSC), media players, smartphones, televisions, music players, or similar devices. Other devices, including smart devices such as lamps, environmental controls, automotive components, home components, and appliances, may also be included in this list.

[0042] As used herein, the term “Internet of Things (IoT) device” is used to refer to any object (e.g., appliance, sensor, etc.) that has an addressable interface (e.g., Internet protocol (IP) address, Bluetooth® identifier (ID), near-field communication (NFC) ID, etc.) and can transmit information to one or more other devices via a wired or wireless connection. IoT devices may have a passive communication interface such as a quick response (QR) code, radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag, NFC tag, or the like, or an active communication interface such as a modem, transceiver, transmitter-receiver, or the like. IoT devices may have a specific set of attributes that are incorporated into and / or controlled / monitored by a central processing unit (CPU), microprocessor, ASIC, or similar, and that can be configured for connection to an IoT network such as a local ad-hoc network or the Internet. These attributes may include, for example, device states or statuses such as whether the IoT device is on or off, open or closed, idle or active, available or busy for task execution, cooling or heating functions, environmental monitoring or recording functions, light emission functions, sound emission functions, etc. For example, IoT devices may include, but are not limited to, refrigerators, toasters, ovens, microwave ovens, freezers, dishwashers, dishes, hand tools, washing machines, clothes dryers, stoves, air conditioners, thermostats, televisions, lighting fixtures, vacuum cleaners, sprinklers, electric meters, gas meters, etc., insofar as the device has an addressable communication interface for communication with an IoT network.IoT devices may include mobile phones, desktop computers, laptop computers, tablet computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs®), etc. Therefore, an IoT network may consist of a combination of devices that do not typically have internet connectivity (e.g., dishwashers) and "legacy" internet-accessible devices (e.g., laptops or desktop computers, mobile phones, etc.).

[0043] Any of the UE120s (e.g., UE124, 126, 128) and UE120s may be configured to communicate with each other wirelessly or via one or more communication networks 130 and / or 135. The UE120s may communicate with each other peer-to-peer or directly, with or without using RAN102. Any of the communication networks 130 and / or 135 may include, but are not limited to, any one of any combination of different types of suitable communication networks, such as a broadcast network, a cable network, a public network (e.g., the Internet), a private network, a wireless network, a cellular network, or any other suitable private and / or public network. Furthermore, any of the communication networks 130 and / or 135 may have any suitable communication range associated with it, which may include, for example, a cellular network. In addition, any of the communication networks 130 and / or 135 may include, but are not limited to, coaxial cables, twisted pair wires, optical fibers, hybrid fiber coaxial (HFC) media, microwave terrestrial transceivers, radio frequency communication media, white space communication media, very high frequency communication media, satellite communication media, or any combination thereof, any type of media on which network traffic can be carried.

[0044] Any of the UE120 (e.g., UE124, 126, 128) and RAN102 may include one or more communication antennas. The one or more communication antennas may be any suitable type of antenna corresponding to the communication protocols used by the UE120 (e.g., UE124, 126, and 128) and RAN102. Some non-limiting examples of suitable communication antennas include cellular antennas, antennas conforming to 3GPP® family standards, directional antennas, non-directional antennas, dipole antennas, folded dipole antennas, patch antennas, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennas, omnidirectional antennas, quasi-omnidirectional antennas, or similar. The one or more communication antennas may be communicatively coupled to and / or from the UE120 and / or RAN102 to wireless components for transmitting and / or receiving signals such as communication signals.

[0045] Any of the UE120 (e.g., UE124, 126, 128) and RAN102 may be configured to perform directional transmission and / or directional reception in conjunction with wireless communication in a wireless network. Any of the UE120 (e.g., UE124, 126, 128) and RAN102 may be configured to perform such directional transmission and / or reception using a set of multiple antenna arrays (e.g., a DMG antenna array or similar). Each of the multiple antenna arrays may be used for transmission and / or reception in each specific direction or range of directions. Any of the UE120 (e.g., UE124, 126, 128) and RAN102 may be configured to perform any given directional transmission toward one or more defined transmission sectors. Any of the UE120 (e.g., UE124, 126, 128) and RAN102 may be configured to perform any given directional reception from one or more defined reception sectors.

[0046] MIMO beamforming in a wireless network may be achieved using RF beamforming and / or digital beamforming. In some embodiments, in the execution of a given MIMO transmission, the UE120 and / or RAN102 may be configured to perform MIMO beamforming using all or a subset of its one or more communication antennas.

[0047] Any of the UE120 (e.g., UE124, 126, 128) and RAN102 may include any suitable radio and / or transceiver for transmitting and / or receiving radio frequency (RF) signals in bandwidths and / or channels corresponding to the communication protocols used by any of the UE120 and RAN102 to communicate with each other. The radio component may include hardware and / or software for modulating and / or demodulating the communication signals according to a pre-established transmission protocol. The radio component may further include hardware and / or software instructions for communicating via one or more 3GPP® protocols and using 3GPP® bandwidths. The radio component may include any known receiver and baseband suitable for communication via the communication protocol. The radio component may further include a low-noise amplifier (LNA), additional signal amplifiers, an analog-to-digital (A / D) converter, one or more buffers, and a digital baseband.

[0048] In one or more embodiments, referring to Figure 1, one or more of the UE120 may replace the RAN102 with frame 140. Frame 140 may include UL and DL frames containing MU-MIMO frames, which signal MU-MIMO frames (e.g., DCI, RRC, etc.), and other frames as described herein.

[0049] It should be understood that the above explanation is for illustrative purposes only and not limiting.

[0050] Figure 2 shows an exemplary multi-user multi-input multi-output (MU-MIMO) transmission 200 according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0051] Referring to Figure 2, the gNB202 may transmit data to multiple UEs paired with it (e.g., paired UE1, paired UE2) using MU-MIMO. A gNB202 with Ntx antennas can transmit up to Ntx layers in total. Given that a paired UE can receive data from up to four layers using four receiving (Rx) antennas, and the gNB202 has four transmitting antennas, there are many possible combinations that can be used to transmit data using a given resource. These combinations are shown in Tables 1 and 2 above.

[0052] Figure 3 shows a MU-MIMO scenario according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, in which the number of data-less code division multiplexing (CDM) groups is 1, the antenna port for the target user device is AP1000, and the antenna port for the interfering user device is AP1001.

[0053] In particular, Figure 3 shows an example of two layers (1,1) for target UE302 and interfering UE304, where antenna port (AP) number = 1000 + DMRS port (P) = 0,1. The number of CDM groups without data is the number of RE groups, which are not used for data transmission and are used for DMRS signals. DMRS ports 0 and 1 share the same location but are covered by different orthogonal code division multiplexing (CDM) codes for adjacent DMRS REs, i.e., [+1 +1] for port 0 and [+1 -1] for port 1.

[0054] Figure 4 shows a MU-MIMO scenario according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, in which there are two data-less CDM groups, the antenna ports for the target user equipment are AP1000 and AP1001, and the antenna ports for the interfering user equipment are AP1002 and AP1003.

[0055] In particular, Figure 4 shows an example of four layers (2,2) for target UE402 and interfering UE404. Antenna port (AP) number = 1000 + DMRS port (P) = 0, 1, 2, 3. Different CDM groups are frequency-division multiplexed (e.g., FDM).

[0056] Figure 5 shows an exemplary non-aligned distribution under layer-by-layer single resource block migration according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0057] Referring to Figure 5, in case (a), BWP502 has four partitions (e.g., P1 to P4) and six interfering users (e.g., I1 to I6), and one target UE504.

[0058] In case (b), BWP502 has two target UEs (e.g., UE504 and UE506), three partitions (e.g., P1 to P3), and four interfering users.

[0059] In case (c), BWP502 has one target UE504, three partitions, and six interfering users.

[0060] In case (d), BWP502 has one target UE504, two partitions, and two interfering users.

[0061] The advantages of this method can be summarized as follows: 1) The total number of partitions is N total partitions<=N transit +1+N transit *(N Int.layer -1) is the limit. 2)Total max.signalling overhead=N bit,Mod.order, presence* (N transit +1)*N Int.layer +N bit,RB index *(N total partitions -1 ) , Here, N Int.layer This is the # of the interfering layer, and N transit This represents the number of RB distribution transitions for each interfering layer. The RB index for each partition region may be detected using blind detection.

[0062] If blind detection works well for partition boundary detection, twice the signaling overhead for modulation order information is required compared to the aligned PDSCH distribution case.

[0063] Figure 6 shows a flowchart of an exemplary process 600 for network-assisted signaling for a MU-MIMO receiver, according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0064] In block 602, the UE device may decode the MU-MIMO setup field received in the RRC message from the gNB. The MU-MIMO setup field may include at least two bits signaling whether MU-MIMO transmission is enabled and which modulation scheme is for the co-scheduled UE, including the UE device.

[0065] In block 604, the device may determine that MU-MIMO transmission is enabled based on at least two bits in the MU-MIMO setup field.

[0066] In block 606, the device may determine a modulation scheme for co-scheduled UE devices based on at least two bits.

[0067] These embodiments are not intended to be limiting.

[0068] Figure 7 shows network 700 according to various embodiments. Network 700 may operate in a manner consistent with the 3GPP technical specifications for LTE or 5G / NR systems. However, the exemplary embodiments are not limited thereto, and the embodiments described may be applied to other networks that benefit from the principles described herein, such as future 3GPP systems or similar.

[0069] Network 700 may include UE702, which may include any mobile or non-mobile computing device designed to communicate with RAN704 via an over-the-air connection. UE702 may be coupled to RAN704 for communication via a Uu interface. UE702 may be, but is not limited to, smartphones, tablet computers, wearable computing devices, desktop computers, laptop computers, automotive infotainment, automotive entertainment devices, instrument clusters, head-up display devices, onboard diagnostic devices, dashboard mobile devices, mobile data terminals, electronic engine management systems, electronic / engine control units, electronic / engine control modules, embedded systems, sensors, microcontrollers, control modules, engine management systems, network appliances, machine-type communication devices, M2M or D2D devices, IoT devices, etc.

[0070] In some embodiments, the network 700 may include multiple UEs directly coupled to one another via a sidelink interface. The UEs may be M2M / D2D devices that communicate using physical sidelink channels, such as, but not limited to, PSBCH, PSDCH, PSSCH, PSCCH, PSFCH, etc.

[0071] In some embodiments, the UE702 may also communicate with the AP706 via an over-the-air connection. The AP706 may manage a WLAN connection that can function to offload some / all network traffic from the RAN704. The connection between the UE702 and the AP706 may be consistent with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, and the AP706 may be a Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi®) router. In some embodiments, the UE702, RAN704, and AP706 may utilize cellular WLAN aggregation (e.g., LWA / LWIP). Cellular WLAN aggregation may involve the RAN704 configuring the UE702 to utilize both cellular radio resources and WLAN resources.

[0072] RAN704 may include one or more access nodes, e.g., AN708. AN708 may terminate the air interface protocol for UE702 by providing access layer protocols including RRC, PDCP, RLC, MAC, and L1 protocols. In this configuration, AN708 may enable data / voice connectivity between CN720 and UE702. In some embodiments, AN708 may be implemented in a discrete device or as one or more software entities running on a server computer as part of a virtual network, which may be referred to as CRAN or a virtual baseband unit pool. AN708 may be referred to as BS, gNB, RAN node, eNB, ng-eNB, NodeB, RSU, TRxP, TRP, etc. AN708 may be a macrocell base station, or a low-power base station for providing femtocells, picocells, or other similar cells having a smaller coverage area, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to a macrocell.

[0073] In embodiments where RAN704 includes multiple ANs, they may be coupled to each other via an X2 interface (if RAN704 is an LTE RAN) or an Xn interface (if RAN704 is a 5G RAN). In some embodiments, the X2 / Xn interface may be separated into a control / user plane interface, which may allow ANs to communicate information related to handover, data / context transfer, mobility, load management, interference adjustment, etc.

[0074] Each AN of RAN704 may manage one or more cells, cell groups, component carriers, etc., to provide an air interface for network access to UE702. UE702 may be simultaneously connected to multiple cells provided by the same or different ANs of RAN704. For example, UE702 and RAN704 may use carrier aggregation to enable UE702 to connect to multiple component carriers, each corresponding to a Pcell or Scell. In a dual connectivity scenario, the first AN may be a master node providing an MCG, and the second AN may be a secondary node providing an SCG. The first / second ANs may be any combination of eNBs, gNBs, ng-eNBs, etc.

[0075] The RAN704 may provide an air interface via a licensed or unlicensed spectrum. To operate in the unlicensed spectrum, the node may use LAA, eLAA, and / or feLAA mechanisms based on CA technology using PCell / Scell. Before accessing the unlicensed spectrum, the node may perform medium / carrier sensing operations based, for example, on a listen-before-talk (LBT) protocol.

[0076] In a V2X scenario, UE702 or AN708 may be, or may function as, an RSU that refers to any traffic infrastructure entity used for V2X communication. The RSU may be implemented in, or by, a suitable AN or stationary (or relatively stationary) UE. An RSU implemented in, or by, a UE may be referred to as a “UE-type RSU”; an eNB may be referred to as an “eNB-type RSU”; a gNB may be referred to as a “gNB-type RSU”; and so on. In one example, the RSU is a computing device coupled to roadside radio frequency circuitry that provides connectivity support to passing vehicle UEs. The RSU may include an intersection map geometry, traffic statistics, internal data storage circuitry that stores the medium, and applications / software that detect and control oncoming vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The RSU may provide very low latency communication required for high-speed events such as collision avoidance, traffic warnings, and the like. In addition, or alternatively, the RSU may provide other cellular / WLAN communication services. The components of the RSU may be packaged in a weatherproof enclosure suitable for outdoor installation and may include a network interface controller that provides wired connectivity (e.g., Ethernet®) to a traffic signaling controller or backhaul network.

[0077] In some embodiments, RAN704 may be an LTE RAN710 having an eNB, eNB712, for example. The LTE RAN710 may provide an LTE air interface having the following characteristics: 15kHz SCS; CP-OFDM waveform for DL ​​and SC-FDMA waveform for UL; turbo code for data and TBCC for control; etc. The LTE air interface may rely on CSI-RS for CSI acquisition and beam management; PDSCH / PDCCH DMRS for PDSCH / PDCCH demodulation; and CRS for channel estimation for cell discovery and initial acquisition, channel quality measurement, and coherent demodulation / detection at UE. The LTE air interface may operate in the sub-6GHz band.

[0078] In some embodiments, the RAN704 may be an NG-RAN714 having a gNB, e.g., gNB716, or an ng-eNB, e.g., ng-eNB718. The gNB716 may connect to a 5G-enabled UE using a 5G NR interface. The gNB716 may connect to the 5G core through an NG interface, which may include an N2 interface or an N3 interface. The ng-eNB718 may also connect to the 5G core through an NG interface, or it may connect to the UE via an LTE air interface. The gNB716 and ng-eNB718 may connect to each other through an Xn interface.

[0079] In some embodiments, the NG interface may be divided into two parts: an NG user plane (NG-U) interface (e.g., N3 interface) that carries traffic data between the NG-RAN714 node and the UPF748, and an NG control plane (NG-C) interface (e.g., N2 interface) that is a signaling interface between the NG-RAN714 node and the AMF744.

[0080] NG-RAN714 may provide a 5G NR air interface having the following characteristics: variable SCS; CP-OFDM for DL, CP-OFDM and DFT-s-OFDM for UL; polar, iterative, simplex for data, and LDPC for Reed-Muller coding and control. The 5G NR air interface may rely on CSI-RS, PDSCH / PDCCH DMRS, similar to an LTE air interface. The 5G NR air interface does not need to use CRS, but may use PBCH DMRS for PBCH demodulation; PTRS for phase tracking for PDSCH; and a tracking reference signal for time tracking. The 5G NR air interface may operate on the FR1 band, including the sub-6GHz band, or the FR2 band, including the 24.25GHz to 52.6GHz band. The 5G NR air interface may include SSB, which is an area of ​​the downlink resource grid including PSS / SSS / PBCH.

[0081] In some embodiments, a 5G NR air interface may utilize BWPs for various purposes. For example, BWPs can be used for dynamic adaptation of SCSs. For instance, UE702 can be configured with multiple BWPs, each BWP configuration having a different SCS. When a BWP change is indicated to UE702, the transmission SCS is also changed. Another use case example of BWPs relates to power saving. In particular, multiple BWPs can be configured for UE702 with different amounts of frequency resources (e.g., PRBs) to support data transmission under different traffic load scenarios. BWPs with fewer PRBs can be used for data transmission with low traffic loads, while enabling power saving in UE702 and, in some cases, gNB716. BWPs with more PRBs can be used for scenarios with higher traffic loads. RAN704 is communicably coupled to CN720, which contains network elements that provide customers / subscribers (e.g., users of UE702) with various functions to support data and telecommunications services. The components of CN720 may be implemented in one physical node or separate physical nodes. In some embodiments, NFV may be used to virtualize some or all of the functions provided by the network elements of CN720 on physical computing / storage resources in servers, switches, etc. Logical instantiation of CN720 may be referred to as network slices, and logical instantiation of parts of CN720 may be referred to as network subslices.

[0082] In some embodiments, CN720 may be LTE CN722, which may also be referred to as EPC. LTE CN722 may include MME724, SGW726, SGSN728, HSS730, PGW732, and PCRF734 coupled to one another through an interface (or “reference point”) as shown. The functions of the elements of LTE CN722 can be briefly introduced as follows:

[0083] The MME724 may track the current location of the UE702 and implement mobility management functions to facilitate paging, bearer enable / disable, handover, gateway selection, authentication, etc.

[0084] SGW726 may terminate the S1 interface toward the RAN and route data packets between the RAN and LTE CN722. SGW726 may be a local mobility anchor point for RAN node handovers and may provide an anchor for 3GPP inter-node mobility. Other roles may include lawful interception, billing, and any policy enforcement.

[0085] SGSN728 may track the location of UE702 and perform security functions and access control. In addition, SGSN728 may perform EPC node signaling for mobility between different RAT networks; PDN and S-GW selection as specified by MME724; MME selection for handover, etc. An S3 reference point between MME724 and SGSN728 may enable the exchange of user and bearer information for mobility between idle / active 3GPP access networks.

[0086] The HSS730 may include a database for network users, including subscription-related information, to support network entities in handling communication sessions. The HSS730 can provide support for routing / roaming, authentication, authorization, name / address resolution, location dependency, etc. An S6a reference point between the HSS730 and MME724 may enable the transfer of subscription and authentication data to authenticate / authorize user access to the LTE CN720.

[0087] PGW732 may terminate an SGi interface toward a data network (DN) 736, which may include an application / content server 738. PGW732 may route data packets between LTE CN722 and the data network 736. PGW732 may be coupled to SGW726 by an S5 reference point to facilitate user plane tunneling and tunnel management. PGW732 may further include nodes for policy enforcement and billing data collection (e.g., PCEF). In addition, the SGi reference point between PGW732 and the data network 736 may be an operator-external public, private PDN, or intra-operator packet data network, for example, for provisioning IMS services. PGW732 may be coupled to PCRF734 via a Gx reference point. PCRF734 is the policy and billing control element of LTE CN722. PCRF734 may be communicatively coupled to the application / content server 738 to determine appropriate QoS and billing parameters for the service flow. PCRF732 may provision the associated rules to the PCEF (via Gx reference points) using appropriate TFT and QCI.

[0088] In some embodiments, CN720 may be 5GC740. 5GC740 may include AUSF742, AMF744, SMF746, UPF748, NSSF750, NEF752, NRF754, PCF756, UDM758, and AF760 coupled to one another via interfaces (or “reference points”), as shown. The functions of the elements of 5GC740 can be briefly introduced as follows: AUSF742 may store data for authentication of UE702 and handle authentication-related functions. AUSF742 may facilitate a common authentication framework for various access types. In addition to communicating with other elements of 5GC740 via reference points as shown, AUSF742 may present a Nausf service-based interface.

[0089] AMF744 may enable other functions of 5GC740 to communicate with UE702 and RAN704, and to subscribe to notifications regarding mobility events related to UE702. AMF744 may be responsible for registration management (e.g., registering UE702), connectivity management, reachability management, mobility management, lawful interception of AMF-related events, and access authentication and authorization. AMF744 may provide transport for SM messages between UE702 and SMF746 and may act as a transparent proxy for routing SM messages. AMF744 may also provide transport for SMS messages between UE702 and SMSF. AMF744 may interact with AUSF742 and UE702 to perform various security anchor and context management functions. Furthermore, AMF744 may be the termination point of the RAN CP interface, which may include or be the N2 reference point between RAN704 and AMF744; AMF744 may be the termination point of NAS(N1) signaling and may perform NAS encryption and integrity protection. AMF744 may support NAS signaling with UE702 via the N3 IWF interface.

[0090] SMF746 may be responsible for SM (e.g., session establishment, tunnel management between UPF748 and AN708); UE IP address allocation and management (including optional authorization); selection and control of UP functions; configuring traffic steering in UPF748 to route traffic to appropriate destinations; terminating interfaces toward policy control functions; controlling parts of policy enforcement, billing, and QoS; lawful interception (for SM events and interfaces to LI systems); terminating the SM portion of NAS messages; downlink data notification; initiating AN-specific SM information transmitted to AN708 via AMF744 through N2; and determining the SSC mode of a session. SM may refer to the management of a PDU session, and PDU session or “session” may refer to a PDU connectivity service that provides or enables the exchange of PDUs between UE702 and data network 736.

[0091] UPF748 may function as an anchor point for intra-RAT and inter-RAT mobility, an external PDU session point for interconnects to data network 736, and a branching point to support multi-homed PDU sessions. UPF748 may also perform packet routing and forwarding, perform packet inspection, enforce the user plane portion of policy rules, lawfully intercept packets (UP collection), perform traffic usage reporting, perform QoS handling for the user plane (e.g., packet filtering, gating, UL / DL rate enforcement), perform uplink traffic verification (e.g., SDF vs. QoS flow mapping), perform transport-level packet marking on uplinks and downlinks, and perform downlink packet buffering and downlink data notification triggers. UPF748 may include an uplink classifier to support routing traffic flows to the data network.

[0092] NSSF750 may select a set of network slice instances to serve UE702. NSSF750 may, if necessary, determine mappings to authorized NSSAIs and joined S-NSSAIs. NSSF750 may determine a set or list of candidate AMFs to be used to serve UE702, based on a suitable configuration and, optionally, by querying NRF754. The selection of a set of network slice instances for UE702 may be triggered by AMF744, which may be used to register UE702 by interacting with NSSF750, thereby resulting in changes to the AMF. NSSF750 may interact with AMF744 via the N22 reference point; and may communicate with another NSSF in the visited network via the N31 reference point (not shown). In addition, NSSF750 may present an Nnssf service-based interface.

[0093] NEF752 may securely expose services and capabilities provided by 3GPP network functions for third parties, internal exposure / redistribution, AFs (e.g., AF760), edge computing, or fog computing systems. In such embodiments, NEF752 may authenticate, authorize, or throttle AFs. NEF752 may translate information exchanged with AF760 and information exchanged with internal network functions. For example, NEF752 may translate between AF service identifiers and internal 5GC information. NEF752 may receive information from other NFs based on the exposed capabilities of those NFs. This information may be stored in NEF752 as structured data or in a data storage NF using a standardized interface. The stored information may then be redistributed by NEF752 to other NFs and AFs, or used for other purposes such as analysis. In addition, NEF752 may present an Nnef service-based interface. The NRF754 may support service discovery functionality, receive NF discovery requests from NF instances, and provide NF instances with information about discovered NF instances. The NRF754 also maintains information about available NF instances and the services they support. As used herein, the terms “instantiate,” “instantiate,” and similar terms may refer to the creation of an instance, and “instance” may refer to the specific occurrence of an object that may occur, for example, during the execution of program code. In addition, the NRF754 may present an Nnrf service-based interface. PCF756 may provide policy rules to control plane functions to enforce them and may support a unified policy framework to manage network behavior. PCF756 may implement a frontend to access subscription information related to policy decisions in the UDR of UDM758. In addition to communicating with functions via reference points as shown, PCF756 presents an Npcf service-based interface. UDM758 may handle subscription-related information to support network entities handling communication sessions and may store subscription data for UE702. For example, subscription data may be communicated between UDM758 and AMF744 via an N8 reference point. UDM758 may include two parts: an application frontend and a UDR. The UDR may store subscription data and policy data for UDM758 and PCF756, and / or structured data for publication and application data for NEF752 (including a PFD for application discovery and application request information for multiple UE702). The Nudr service-based interface may be presented by the UDR to enable UDM758, PCF756, and NEF752 to access specific sets of stored data and to read, update (e.g., add, modify), delete, and enroll in the UDR for notification of changes to the relevant data in the UDR. The UDM may include a UDM-FE, which is responsible for credential processing, location management, enrollment management, etc. Several different frontends may serve the same user in different transactions. The UDM-FE accesses enrollment information stored in the UDR and performs authentication credential processing, user identification handling, access authorization, registration / mobility management, and enrollment management. In addition to communicating with other NFs via reference points as shown, UDM758 may present a Nudr service-based interface. AF760 may provide application influence over traffic routing, provide access to the NEF, and interact with the policy framework for policy control.

[0094] In some embodiments, the 5GC740 may enable edge computing by selecting operator / third-party services that should be geographically close to the point where the UE702 is attached to the network. This can reduce latency and load on the network. To provide an edge computing implementation, the 5GC740 may select a UPF748 near the UE702 and perform traffic steering from the UPF748 to the data network 736 via the N6 interface. This may be based on UE subscriber data, UE location, and information provided by the AF760. In this way, the AF760 may influence UPF (re)selection and traffic routing. If the AF760 is considered a trusted entity based on the operator's deployment, the network operator may allow the AF760 to directly interact with the relevant NF. In addition, the AF760 may present a NAF service-based interface. The data network 736 may represent various network operator services, internet access, or third-party services that may be provided by one or more servers, including, for example, an application / content server 738.

[0095] Figure 8 schematically shows wireless network 800 according to various embodiments. The wireless network 800 may include a UE 802 that wirelessly communicates with AN 804. The UE 802 and AN 804 are similar to and substantially interchangeable with similarly named components described elsewhere in this specification. The UE 802 may be communicatively coupled to AN 804 via connection 806. Connection 806 is shown as an air interface enabling communicative coupling and may be consistent with cellular communication protocols such as LTE or 5G NR protocols operating at mmWave or sub-6GHz frequencies. The UE 802 may include a host platform 808 coupled to a modem platform 810. The host platform 808 may include an application processing circuit 812 that can be coupled to a protocol processing circuit 814 of the modem platform 810. The application processing circuit 812 may run various applications on the UE 802, which are the source and / or sink destination of application data. The application processing circuit 812 may further implement one or more layer operations for sending / receiving application data to and from the data network. These layer operations may include transport (e.g., UDP) and internet (e.g., IP) operations. The protocol processing circuit 814 may implement one or more of the layer operations to facilitate the transmission or reception of data over connection 806. Layer operations implemented by the protocol processing circuit 814 may include, for example, MAC, RLC, PDCP, RRC, and NAS operations. The modem platform 810 may further include a digital baseband circuit 816 that can implement one or more layer operations that are “below” layer operations performed by the protocol processing circuit 814 in the network protocol stack.These operations may include PHY operations such as HARQ-ACK functionality, scrambling / descrambling, coding / decoding, layer mapping / demapping, modulation symbol mapping, received symbol / bitmetric determination, multi-antenna port precoding / decoding (which may include one or more of space-time, space-frequency, or space coding), reference signal generation / detection, preamble sequence generation and / or decoding, synchronous sequence generation / detection, control channel signal blind decoding, and one or more other related functions. The modem platform 810 may further include a transmit circuit 818, a receive circuit 820, an RF circuit 822, and an RF front end (RFFE) 824, the RFFE 824 which may include or be connected to one or more antenna panels 826. In short, the transmitting circuit 818 may include a digital-to-analog converter, a mixer, an intermediate frequency (IF) component, etc.; the receiving circuit 820 may include an analog-to-digital converter, a mixer, an IF component, etc.; the RF circuit 822 may include a low-noise amplifier, a power amplifier, a power tracking component, etc.; and the RFFE 824 may include a filter (e.g., a surface / bulk acoustic wave filter), a switch, an antenna tuner, a beamforming component (e.g., a phase array antenna component), etc. The selection and configuration of the components of the transmitting circuit 818, the receiving circuit 820, the RF circuit 822, the RFFE 824, and the antenna panel 826 (collectively referred to as the "transmitting / receiving components") may be specific to implementation details, such as whether the communication is TDM or FDM at mmWave or sub-6 GHz frequencies. In some embodiments, the transmitting / receiving components may be configured in multiple parallel transmit / receive chains, and may be located on the same or different chips / modules, etc. In some embodiments, the protocol processing circuit 814 may include one or more instances of control circuits (not shown) to provide control functions for the transmit / receive components.UE reception may be established by and through antenna panel 826, RFFE 824, RF circuit 822, receiving circuit 820, digital baseband circuit 816, and protocol processing circuit 814. In some embodiments, antenna panel 826 may receive transmissions from AN804 by received beamforming signals received by multiple antennas / antenna elements of one or more antenna panels 826.

[0096] UE transmission may be established by and through the protocol processing circuit 814, digital baseband circuit 816, transmitting circuit 818, RF circuit 822, RFFE 824, and antenna panel 826. In some embodiments, the transmitting components of UE804 may apply spatial filters to the data to be transmitted in order to form a transmit beam emitted by the antenna elements of antenna panel 826. Similar to UE802, AN804 may include a host platform 828 coupled to a modem platform 830. The host platform 828 may include an application processing circuit 832 coupled to the protocol processing circuit 834 of the modem platform 830. The modem platform may further include a digital baseband circuit 836, transmitting circuit 838, receiving circuit 840, RF circuit 842, RFFE circuit 844, and antenna panel 846. The components of AN804 may be similar to and substantially interchangeable with the similarly named components of UE802. In addition to performing data transmission / reception as described above, the components of AN808 may perform various logical functions, including RNC functions such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management, and data packet scheduling. Figure 9 is a block diagram showing components capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-temporary machine-readable storage medium) and performing any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, according to some exemplary embodiments. Specifically, Figure 9 shows an illustrative representation of hardware resources 900, including one or more processors (or processor cores) 910, one or more memory / storage devices 920, and one or more communication resources 930, each of which can be communicatively coupled via a bus 940 or other interface circuitry. In embodiments where node virtualization (e.g., NFV) is utilized, a hypervisor 902 may be run to provide an execution environment for one or more network slices / subslice to utilize the hardware resources 900.

[0097] Processor 910 may include, for example, processors 912 and 914. Processor 910 may be, for example, a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a DSP such as a baseband processor, an ASIC, an FPGA, a radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor (including those discussed herein), or any suitable combination thereof.

[0098] The memory / storage device 920 may include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. The memory / storage device 920 may include, but is not limited to, any type of volatile, non-volatile, or semi-volatile memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, solid-state storage, etc.

[0099] The communication resource 930 may include interconnectors or network interface controllers, components, or other suitable devices for communicating with one or more peripheral devices 904 or one or more databases 906 or other network elements via the network 908. For example, the communication resource 930 may include wired communication components (e.g., for coupling via USB, Ethernet®, etc.), cellular communication components, NFC components, Bluetooth® (or Bluetooth® Low Energy) components, Wi-Fi® components, and other communication components.

[0100] Instruction 950 may include software, programs, applications, applets, apps, or other executable code to cause at least one of the processors 910 to execute any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. Instruction 950 may reside entirely or partially in at least one of the processors 910 (e.g., in the processor's cache memory), the memory / storage device 920, or any suitable combination thereof. Furthermore, any portion of instruction 950 may be transferred to the hardware resource 900 from any combination of the peripheral device 904 or the database 906. Thus, the memory of processor 610, the memory / storage device 920, the peripheral device 904, and the database 906 are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media.

[0101] Figure 10 shows a network according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0102] Network 1000 may operate in a manner consistent with the 3GPP technical specifications or the technical report for 6G systems. In some examples, Network 1000 may operate concurrently with Network 700. For example, in some examples, Network 1000 may share one or more frequency or bandwidth resources with Network 700. In one particular example, a UE (e.g., UE1002) may be configured to operate in both Network 1000 and Network 700. Such a configuration may be based on a UE that includes circuitry configured to communicate with the frequency and bandwidth resources of both Network 1000 and Network 700. In general, some elements of Network 1000 may share one or more characteristics with elements of Network 700. For brevity and clarity, such elements may not be repeated in the description of Network 1000.

[0103] Network 1000 may include UE1002, which may include any mobile or non-mobile computing device designed to communicate with RAN1008 via an over-the-air connection. UE1002 may be, for example, similar to UE702. UE1002 may be, but is not limited to, smartphones, tablet computers, wearable computing devices, desktop computers, laptop computers, in-vehicle infotainment systems, in-vehicle entertainment devices, instrument clusters, head-up display devices, on-board diagnostic devices, dashboard mobile devices, mobile data terminals, electronic engine management systems, electronic / engine control units, electronic / engine control modules, embedded systems, sensors, microcontrollers, control modules, engine management systems, network appliances, machine-type communication devices, M2M or D2D devices, IoT devices, etc.

[0104] Although not specifically shown in Figure 10, in some examples, network 1000 may include multiple UEs directly coupled to one another via a sidelink interface. The UEs may be M2M / D2D devices communicating using physical sidelink channels, e.g., PSBCH, PSDCH, PSSCH, PSCCH, PSFCH, etc., but not limited to these. Similarly, although not specifically shown in Figure 10, UE 1002 may be communicatively coupled to an AP such as AP 706 as described with respect to Figure 7. In addition, although not specifically shown in Figure 10, in some examples, RAN 1008 may include one or more ANs such as AN 708 as described with respect to Figure 10. RAN 1008 and / or the ANs of RAN 1008 may be referred to using base station (BS), RAN node, or any other term or name.

[0105] UE1002 and RAN1008 may be configured to communicate via an air interface which may be referred to as a sixth-generation (6G) air interface. A 6G air interface may include one or more features such as communication in terahertz (THz) or sub-THz bandwidths, or co-communication and sensing. As used herein, the term “co-communication and sensing” may refer to a system that enables wireless communication and radar-based sensing via various types of multiplexing. As used herein, THz or sub-THz bandwidth may refer to communication in the 80 GHz and above frequency ranges. Such frequency ranges may be additionally or alternatively referred to as “millimeter wave” or “mmWave” frequency ranges.

[0106] RAN1008 may enable communication between UE1002 and 6G core network (CN)1010. Specifically, RAN1008 may facilitate the transmission and reception of data between UE1002 and 6G CN1010. 6G CN1010 may include various functions such as NSSF750, NEF752, NRF754, PCF756, UDM758, AF760, SMF746, and AUSF742. 6G CN1010 may additionally include UPF748 and DN736, as shown in Figure 10.

[0107] In addition, RAN1008 may include various additional functions in addition to, or as a replacement for, the functions of legacy cellular networks such as 4G or 5G networks. Two such functions may include a Compute Control Function (Comp CF) 1024 and a Compute Service Function (Comp SF) 1036. Comp CF 1024 and Comp SF 1036 may be part of or functions of the compute service plane. Comp CF 1024 may be a control plane function that provides functions such as managing Comp SF 1036, generating and managing compute task contexts (e.g., create, read, modify, delete), and interacting with the underlying compute infrastructure for compute resource management. Comp SF 1036 may be a user plane function that acts as a gateway interface connecting compute service users (UE 1002, etc.) and compute nodes behind Comp SF instances. Some functions of Comp SF1036 may include: parsing computing service data received from users to compute tasks that can be performed by computing nodes; maintaining a service mesh ingress gateway or service API gateway; enforcing service and billing policies; performance monitoring and telemetry collection, etc. In some examples, a Comp SF1036 instance may function as a user plane gateway for a cluster of computing nodes. A Comp CF1024 instance may control one or more Comp SF1036 instances. Two other such functions may include a Communication Control Function (Comm CF) 1028 and a Communication Service Function (Comm SF) 1038, which may be part of the communication service plane.Comm CF1028 may be a control plane function for managing Comm SF1038, creating / configuring / releasing communication sessions, and managing the communication session context. Comm SF1038 may be a user plane function for data transport. Comm CF1028 and Comm SF1038 may be considered upgrades to SMF746 and UPF748 described in relation to the 5G system in Figure 7. The upgrades provided by Comm CF1028 and Comm SF1038 may enable service-aware transport. For legacy (e.g., 4G or 5G) data transport, SMF746 and UPF748 may still be used.

[0108] Two other such functions may include a Data Control Function (Data CF) 1022 and a Data Service Function (Data SF) 1032, which may be part of the data service plane. The Data CF 1022 may be a control plane function and provide functions such as Data SF 1032 management, data service creation / configuration / release, and data service context management. The Data SF 1032 is a user plane function and may act as a gateway between data service users (e.g., UE 1002 and various functions of 6G CN 1010) and data service endpoints behind the gateway. Specific functions may include: parsing data service user data, forwarding it to the corresponding data service endpoint, generating billing data, and reporting data service status. Another such function may be a Service Orchestration and Chaining Function (SOCF) 1020 that can discover, orchestrate, and chain up communication / computing / data services provided by functions within the network. Upon receiving a service request from a user, SOCF1020 may interact with one or more of Comp CF1024, Comm CF1028, and Data CF1022 to identify Comp SF1036, Comm SF1038, and Data SF1032 instances, configure service resources, and generate a service chain that may include multiple Comp SF1036, Comm SF1038, and Data SF1032 instances and their associated compute endpoints. Within the generated service chain, workload processing and data movement may then occur. SOCF1020 may be responsible for maintaining, updating, and releasing the created service chain.

[0109] Another such function may be a service registration function (SRF) 1014, which may function as a registry for system services provided in the user plane, such as services provided by service endpoints behind the Comp SF1036 and Data SF1032 gateways, and services provided by UE1002. SRF1014 may be considered a counterpart to NRF754, which may function as a registry for network functions.

[0110] Other such functions may include an evolved service communication proxy (eSCP) and a service infrastructure control function (SICF) 1026, which may provide a service communication infrastructure for control plane services and user plane services. The eSCP may relate to a 5G service communication proxy (SCP) with added user plane service communication proxy capabilities. Thus, the eSCP is represented in two parts: eCSP-C1012 and eSCP-U1034 for the control plane service communication proxy and user plane service communication proxy, respectively. SICF 1026 may control and configure eCSP instances in terms of service traffic routing policies, access rules, load balancing configurations, performance monitoring, etc.

[0111] Another such function is AMF1044. AMF1044 may be similar to 744 but has additional functions. Specifically, AMF1044 may include potential functional repartitioning, such as moving the message forwarding function from AMF1044 to RAN1008.

[0112] Another such function is the service orchestration exposure function (SOEF)1018. The SOEF may be configured to expose service orchestration and chaining services to external users such as applications.

[0113] UE1002 may include an additional function referred to as a computing client service function (comp CSF) 1004. comp CSF 1004 may have both control plane and user plane functions and may interact with corresponding network-side functions such as SOCF 1020, Comp CF 1024, Comp SF 1036, Data CF 1022, and / or Data SF 1032 for service discovery, request / response, and computation task workload exchange. comp CSF 1004 may also interact with network-side functions to determine whether a computing task should be executed on elements of UE1002, RAN 1008, and / or 6G CN 1010.

[0114] UE1002 and / or Comp CSF1004 may include a service mesh proxy 1006. The service mesh proxy 1006 may function as a proxy for service-to-service communication in the user plane. The capabilities of the service mesh proxy 1006 may include addressing, security, load balancing, and / or similar.

[0115] Figure 11 shows a simplified block diagram of artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted communication between user equipment and a wireless access network, according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0116] Figure 11 shows an exemplary artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted communication architecture. More specifically, an AI / machine learning (ML) model may be used or leveraged to facilitate over-the-air communication between the UE1105 and RAN1110, as will be described in further detail below.

[0117] In this example, UE1105 and RAN1110 operate in a manner consistent with the 3GPP technical specifications and / or the technical report for 6G systems. In some examples, wireless cellular communication between UE1105 and RAN1110 may be part of, or concurrent with, networks 700, 1000, and / or any other networks described herein.

[0118] UE1105 is similar to UE702, UE1002, and / or any other UE described herein, and may share one or more features with them. UE1105 may be, but is not limited to, a smartphone, tablet computer, wearable computer device, desktop computer, laptop computer, automotive infotainment, automotive entertainment device, instrument cluster, head-up display device, onboard diagnostic device, dashtop mobile device, mobile data terminal, electronic engine management system, electronic / engine control unit, electronic / engine control module, embedded system, sensor, microcontroller, control module, engine management system, network appliance, machine-type communication device, M2M or D2D device, IoT device, etc. RAN1110 is similar to RAN714, RAN1008, and / or any other RAN described herein, and may share one or more features with them.

[0119] As can be seen in Figure 11, the AI-related elements of UE1105 may be the same as those of RAN1110. For the purposes of this specification, descriptions of various elements will be provided from the perspective of UE1105, but it will be understood that such descriptions will apply to equally named / numbered elements of RAN1110 unless otherwise explicitly mentioned.

[0120] As previously stated, the UE1105 may include various elements or functions related to AI / ML. Such elements may be implemented as hardware, software, firmware, and / or any combination thereof. For example, one or more of the elements may be implemented as part of the same hardware (e.g., a chip or multiprocessor chip), software (e.g., a computing program), or firmware as another element.

[0121] One such element may be a data repository 1115. The data repository 1115 may be responsible for data collection and storage. Specifically, the data repository 1115 may collect and store RAN configuration parameters, measured data, key performance indicators (KPIs), model performance metrics, etc., for model training, updating, and inference. More generally, the collected data is stored in the repository. The stored data can be discovered and extracted from the data repository 1115 by other elements. For example, as can be seen, the inference data selection / filter element 1150 may retrieve data from the data repository 1115. In various examples, UE 1105 may be configured to discover and request data from the data repository 1115 in the RAN, and vice versa. More generally, the data repository 1115 of UE805 may be communicatively coupled with the data repository 1115 of RAN1110 so that the respective data repositories of UE and RAN can share the data collected with each other.

[0122] Another such element may be a training data selection / filtering function block 1120. The training data selection / filtering function block 1120 may be configured to generate training, validation, and test datasets for model training. The training data may be extracted from a data repository 1115. The data may be selected / filtered based on the specific AI / ML model to be trained. The data may optionally be transformed / expanded / preprocessed (e.g., normalized) before being loaded into the dataset. The training data selection / filtering function block 1120 may label the data in the dataset for supervised learning. The generated dataset may then be fed into the model training function block 1125.

[0123] As described above, another such element may be the model training function block 1125. This function block may be responsible for training and updating (retraining) the AI / ML model. The selected model may be trained using a feed-in dataset (including training, validation, and testing) from the training data selection / filtering function block. The model training function block 1125 may generate a trained and tested AI / ML model ready for deployment. The generated trained and tested model can be stored in the model repository 1135.

[0124] Model repository 1135 may be responsible for storing and publishing AI / ML models (both trained and untrained). Trained / updated models may be stored in model repository 1135. Models and model parameters may be discovered and requested by other functional blocks (e.g., training data selection / filter functional block 1120 and / or model training functional block 1125). In some examples, UE1105 may discover and request AI / ML models from model repository 1135 in RAN1110. Similarly, RAN1110 may be able to discover and / or request AI / ML models from model repository 1135 in UE1105. In some examples, RAN1110 may configure models and / or model parameters in model repository 1135 in UE1105.

[0125] Another such element may be the model management function block 1140. The model management function block 1140 may be responsible for managing the AI / ML models generated by the model training function block 1125. Such management functions may include deploying the trained models, monitoring model performance, etc. In model deployment, the model management function block 1140 may allocate and schedule hardware and / or software resources for inference based on the received trained and tested models. As used herein, “inference” refers to the process of using the trained AI / ML models to generate data analysis, actions, policies, etc., based on input inference data. In performance monitoring, based on wireless performance KPIs and model performance metrics, the model management function block 1140 may determine whether to terminate the running model, start model retraining, select a different model, etc. In the example, the model management function block 1140 of RAN 1110 may be able to configure model management policies in UE 1105 as shown.

[0126] Another such element may be the inference data selection / filtering function block 1150. The inference data selection / filtering function block 1150 may be responsible for generating a dataset for model inference in the inference function block 1145, as described below. Specifically, the inference data may be extracted from the data repository 1115. The inference data selection / filtering function block 1150 may select and / or filter the data based on the deployed AI / ML model. The data may be transformed / enhanced / preprocessed according to the same transformation / enhanced / preprocessing as in training data selection / filtering, as described with respect to function block 1120. The generated inference dataset may be fed into the inference function block 1145.

[0127] Another such element may be the inference function block 1145. The inference function block 1145 may be responsible for performing inference as described above. Specifically, the inference function block 1145 may consume the inference dataset provided by the inference data selection / filtering function block 1150 and generate one or more results. Such results may be or include data analysis, actions, policies, etc. The results may be provided to the performance measurement function block 1130.

[0128] The performance measurement function block 1130 may be configured to measure model performance metrics (e.g., accuracy, model bias, runtime latency, etc.) of the deployed and running model based on the inference results for monitoring purposes. The model performance data may be stored in the data repository 1115.

[0129] The following examples relate to further embodiments.

[0130] In one or more embodiments, at least one of the components shown in one or more of the aforementioned figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and / or methods as described in the following Exemplary Section. For example, a baseband circuit as described above in relation to one or more of the aforementioned figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described below. In another example, a circuit associated with a UE, base station, network element, etc., as described above in relation to one or more of the aforementioned figures may be configured to operate according to one or more of the examples described in the following Exemplary Section.

[0131] The term “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example, instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as “exemplary” is not necessarily construed as being preferable or advantageous to other embodiments. The terms “computing device,” “user device,” “communication station,” “station,” “handheld device,” “mobile device,” “wireless device,” and “user equipment” (UE) are used herein to mean wireless communication devices such as cellular phones, smartphones, tablets, netbooks, wireless terminals, laptop computers, femtocells, high data rate (HDR) subscriber stations, access points, printers, point-of-sale (POW) devices, access terminals, or other personal communication system (PCS) devices. Devices may be mobile or stationary.

[0132] Where used herein, the term “communicate” is intended to include transmitting, receiving, or both transmitting and receiving. This may be particularly useful in claims when describing an organization of data that is transmitted by one device and received by another device, but only the functionality of one of those devices is required to infringe the claim. Similarly, a bidirectional exchange of data between two devices (where both devices transmit and receive during the exchange) may be described as “communication” when only the functionality of one of those devices is claimed. Where used herein in relation to wireless communication signals, the term “communicate” includes transmitting and / or receiving wireless communication signals. For example, a wireless communication unit capable of communicating wireless communication signals may include a wireless transmitter that transmits wireless communication signals to at least one other wireless communication unit, and / or a wireless communication receiver that receives wireless communication signals from at least one other wireless communication unit.

[0133] Where used herein, unless otherwise specified, the use of ordinal adjectives such as “first,” “second,” “third,” etc., to describe a common object simply indicates that different instances of similar objects are being referred to, and is not intended to suggest that the objects thus described must be in a given sequence, either temporally, spatially, sequentially, or in any other way.

[0134] The term “access point” (AP), as used herein, may refer to a fixed station. An access point may also be referred to as an access node, base station, advanced node B (eNodeB), or any other similar technical term known in the art. An access terminal may also be referred to as a mobile station, user equipment (UE), wireless communication device, or any other similar technical term known in the art. The embodiments disclosed herein generally relate to wireless networks. Some embodiments may relate to wireless networks operating in accordance with one of the IEEE 802.11 standards.

[0135] Several embodiments may be used in conjunction with various devices and systems, such as personal computers (PCs), desktop computers, mobile computers, laptop computers, notebook computers, tablet computers, server computers, handheld computers, handheld devices, personal digital assistant (PDA) devices, handheld PDA devices, onboard devices, offboard devices, hybrid devices, automotive devices, non-automotive devices, mobile or portable devices, consumer devices, non-mobile or non-portable devices, wireless communication stations, wireless communication devices, wireless access points (APs), wired or wireless routers, wired or wireless modems, video devices, audio devices, audio-video (A / V) devices, wired or wireless networks, wireless area networks, wireless video area networks (WVANs), local area networks (LANs), wireless LANs (WLANs), personal area networks (PANs), wireless PANs (WPANs), and the like.

[0136] Some embodiments may be used in conjunction with one-way and / or two-way wireless communication systems, cellular radiotelephone communication systems, mobile phones, cellular phones, wireless phones, personal communication system (PCS) devices, PDA devices incorporating wireless communication devices, mobile or portable global positioning system (GPS) devices, devices incorporating GPS receivers or transceivers or chips, devices incorporating RFID elements or chips, multiple input multiple output (MIMO) transceivers or devices, single input multiple output (SIMO) transceivers or devices, multiple input single output (MISO) transceivers or devices, devices having one or more internal and / or external antennas, digital video broadcast (DVB) devices or systems, multistandard wireless devices or systems, wired or wireless handheld devices, such as smartphones, wireless application protocol (WAP) devices, or similar.

[0137] Several embodiments include one or more wireless communication protocols, such as radio frequency (RF), infrared (IR), frequency-division multiplexing (FDM), orthogonal FDM (OFDM), time-division multiplexing (TDM), time-division multiple access (TDMA), extended TDMA (E-TDMA), general packet radio service (GPRS), extended GPRS, code-division multiple access (CDMA), wideband CDMA (WCDMA®), CDMA2000, single-carrier CDMA, multi-carrier CDMA, multi-carrier modulation (MDM), and discrete multitone ( It may be used in conjunction with one or more types of wireless communication signals and / or systems conforming to multi-tone (DMT), Bluetooth (registered trademark), Global Positioning System (GPS), Wi-Fi, Wi-Max, ZigBee (registered trademark), ultra-wideband (UWB), global system for mobile communications (GSM (registered trademark)), 2G, 2.5G, 3G, 3.5G, 4G, fifth generation (5G) mobile networks, 3GPP, long term evolution (LTE), LTE Advanced, enhanced data rates for GSM (registered trademark) Evolution (EDGE), or similar. Other embodiments may be used in various other devices, systems, and / or networks.

[0138] Various embodiments are described below.

[0139] Example 1 is a user equipment (UE) device for receiving network-assisted multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) signaling, the UE device comprising a processing circuit coupled to storage for storing information associated with the MU-MIMO signaling, the processing circuit being configured to decode a MU-MIMO setup field in a radio resource control (RRC) message transmitted from a next-generation NodeB (gNB); determine that MU-MIMO transmission is enabled based on at least two bits in the MU-MIMO setup field; and determine a modulation scheme for co-scheduled UE devices based on at least two bits.

[0140] Example 2 may include the UE device of Example 1 and / or any other example herein, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to configure a first parameter for demodulation reference signal and physical downlink shared control channel (PDSCH) distribution using a second parameter of the second UE device, based on signaling by at least one of downlink control information (DCI) or the RRC message, in response to the determination that the MU-MIMO transmission is enabled.

[0141] Example 3 may include a UE device of Example 2 and / or any other example herein, wherein the first parameter includes a demodulation reference signal configuration, a scrambling identifier setting rule, and a precoding granularity.

[0142] Example 4 may include a UE device of Example 2 and / or any other example herein, wherein the first parameter includes the same distribution region as the second UE device in at least one of the time or frequency resources.

[0143] Example 5 may include the UE device of Example 1 and / or any other example herein, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to decode port presence information and modulation order of the interfering layer being signaled in the DCI field.

[0144] Example 6 may include a UE device of Example 5 and / or any other example herein, wherein the DCI field uses a variable-size format depending on the maximum number of MIMO layers in the bandwidth portion.

[0145] Example 7 may include a UE device of Example 5 and / or any other example herein, wherein the DCI field includes fields that jointly represent interference presence, modulation order, and port location in a cyclical order.

[0146] Example 8 may include a UE device of Example 5 and / or any other example herein, wherein the DCI field corresponds to two or more antenna ports of the UE device.

[0147] Example 9 may include a UE device of Example 1 and / or any other example herein, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to detect MU-MIMO scheduler flexibility, which defines a scheduler constraint as the maximum number of allowed resource allocation transitions per interfering layer.

[0148] Example 10 is a computer-readable storage medium comprising instructions, wherein when the instructions are executed by a processing circuit of a user equipment (UE) device for receiving network-assisted multi-user multi-input multi-output (MU-MIMO) signaling, the instructions cause the processing circuit to perform the following steps: decode a MU-MIMO setup field in a radio resource control (RRC) message transmitted from a next-generation NodeB (gNB); determine that MU-MIMO transmission is enabled based on at least two bits in the MU-MIMO setup field; and determine a modulation scheme for co-scheduled UE devices based on at least two bits.

[0149] Example 11 may include a computer-readable storage medium of Example 10 and / or any other example herein, wherein the execution of the instruction causes the processing circuit to further perform a procedure to configure a first parameter for demodulation reference signals and physical downlink shared control channel (PDSCH) distribution using a second parameter of a second UE device, based on signaling by at least one of downlink control information (DCI) or the RRC message, in response to the processing circuit determining that the MU-MIMO transmission is enabled.

[0150] Example 12 may include a computer-readable storage medium of Example 11 and / or any other example herein, wherein the first parameter includes a demodulation reference signal configuration, a scrambling identifier setting rule, and a precoding granularity.

[0151] Example 13 may include a computer-readable storage medium of Example 11 and / or any other example herein, wherein the first parameter includes the same distribution area as the second UE device in at least one of the time or frequency resources.

[0152] Example 14 may include the computer-readable storage medium of Example 10, wherein the execution of the instruction further causes the processing circuit to decode the port presence information and modulation order of the interfering layer signaled in the DCI field.

[0153] Example 15 may include a computer-readable storage medium of Example 14 and / or any other example herein, wherein the DCI field uses a variable-size format depending on the maximum number of MIMO layers in the bandwidth portion.

[0154] Example 16 may include a computer-readable storage medium of Example 14 and / or any other example herein, wherein the DCI field includes fields that jointly represent interference presence, modulation order, and port location in a cyclical order.

[0155] Example 17 may include a computer-readable storage medium of Example 14 and / or any other example herein, wherein the DCI field corresponds to two or more antenna ports of the UE device.

[0156] Example 18 is a method for receiving network-assisted multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) signaling, which may include the steps of: a processing circuit in a user equipment (UE) device decoding a MU-MIMO setup field in a radio resource control (RRC) message transmitted from a next-generation NodeB (gNB); the processing circuit determining that MU-MIMO transmission is enabled based on at least two bits in the MU-MIMO setup field; and the processing circuit determining a modulation scheme for co-scheduled UE devices based on at least two bits.

[0157] Example 19 may include a computer-readable storage medium that has instructions for performing the method of Example 18.

[0158] Example 20 may include an apparatus that has means for carrying out the method of Example 18.

[0159] Example 21 is one or more non-temporary computer-readable media containing instructions, the instructions may include non-temporary computer-readable media that, when the instructions are executed by one or more processors of the electronic device, cause one or more elements of the methods described in or related to any of Examples 1 to 20, or any other method or process described herein.

[0160] Example 22 may include a device comprising logic, modules, and / or circuits that perform one or more elements of the methods described in or related to any of Examples 1 to 21, or any other method or process described herein.

[0161] Example 23 may include a method, technique, or process, or part or portion thereof, described in or related to any of Examples 1 to 21.

[0162] Example 24 is an apparatus comprising one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media, wherein the one or more computer-readable media, when executed by the one or more processors, have instructions that cause the one or more processors to perform any of the methods, techniques, or processes, or parts thereof, described in or related to any of Examples 1 to 21.

[0163] Example 25 may include a method of communication in a wireless network as illustrated and described herein.

[0164] Example 26 may include a system for providing wireless communication as illustrated and described herein.

[0165] Example 27 may include a device for providing wireless communication as illustrated and described herein.

[0166] The embodiments relating to this disclosure are particularly disclosed in the appended claims covering methods, storage media, devices and computer program products, and any feature mentioned in one claim category, e.g., a method, may also be claimed in another claim category, e.g., a system. Dependent or referential references in the appended claims are selected solely for formal reasons. However, any subject matter resulting from any intentional referential reference to any prior claim (especially multiple dependencies) may also be claimed, thereby disclosing any combination of claims and their features, which may be claimed regardless of the dependencies selected in the appended claims. Claimable subject matter includes not only the combinations of features shown in the appended claims, but also any other combination of features in the claims, and each feature mentioned in the claims may be combined with any other feature or combination of features in the claims. Furthermore, any embodiment and feature described or shown herein may be claimed in a separate claim, and / or in any combination with any embodiment or feature described or shown herein, or any feature of the appended claims. The foregoing descriptions of one or more implementations are illustrative and explanatory, but are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of embodiments to the exact forms disclosed. Modifications and variations are possible in view of the above teachings or can be obtained from the practice of various embodiments.

[0167] Specific aspects of this disclosure are described above with reference to block and flow diagrams of systems, methods, apparatus, and / or computer program products according to various implementations. It will be understood that one or more blocks in block diagrams and flow diagrams, and combinations of blocks in block diagrams and flow diagrams, may each be implemented by computer executable program instructions. Similarly, some blocks in block diagrams and flow diagrams may not necessarily be executed in the order presented, or may not be executed at all, according to some implementations.

[0168] These computer executable program instructions may be loaded onto a dedicated computer or other specific machine, processor, or other programmable data processing device to generate a specific machine, such that the instructions executed on the computer, processor, or other programmable data processing device create means for implementing one or more functions specified in one or more blocks of a flow diagram. These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or memory, which can instruct a computer or other programmable data processing device to function in a specific manner so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium generate a product containing instruction means for implementing one or more functions specified in one or more blocks of a flow diagram. As an example, a specific implementation may provide a computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium in which computer-readable program code or program instructions are internally implemented, and the computer-readable program code is adapted to be executed to implement one or more functions specified in one or more blocks of a flow diagram. Furthermore, computer program instructions may be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing device such that instructions executed on the computer or other programmable device provide elements or steps that implement the functions specified in one or more blocks of the flowchart, thereby causing a series of operating elements or steps to be executed on the computer or other programmable device and generating a computer implementation process.

[0169] Therefore, the blocks in block diagrams and flowcharts support combinations of means for performing a specified function, combinations of elements or stages for performing a specified function, and means of program instructions for performing a specified function. It will also be understood that each block in block diagrams and flowcharts, and combinations of blocks in block diagrams and flowcharts, may be implemented by a dedicated hardware-based computer system, or a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions, for performing a specified function, element, or stage.

[0170] In particular, conditional words such as "can," "could," "might," or "may," unless otherwise specifically mentioned or understood differently in the context in which they are used, are generally intended to convey that a particular implementation may include certain features, elements, and / or behaviors, while other implementations may not. Therefore, such conditional words are generally not intended to suggest that features, elements, and / or behaviors are required in any form for one or more implementations, or that one or more implementations necessarily include logic for determining, with or without user input or prompting, whether these features, elements, and / or behaviors should be included or performed in any particular implementation.

[0171] It will be apparent that many modifications and other implementations of the disclosure described herein have the benefit of the teachings presented in the foregoing description and the accompanying drawings. Therefore, it should be understood that this disclosure is not limited to the specific implementations disclosed, and that modifications and other implementations are intended to be within the scope of the appended claims. Certain terms are used herein, but they are used only in a general and descriptive sense and not for limiting purposes.

[0172] For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions are applicable to the examples and embodiments discussed herein.

[0173] When used herein, the term “circuit” refers to, is part of, or includes hardware components such as electronic circuits, logic circuits, processors (shared, dedicated, or grouped) and / or memories (shared, dedicated, or grouped), application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable devices (FPDs) (e.g., field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), complex PLDs (CPLDs), high-capacity PLDs (HCPLDs), structured ASICs, or programmable SoCs), digital signal processors (DSPs), etc., configured to provide the functions described. In some embodiments, a circuit may run one or more software or firmware programs to provide at least some of the functions described. The term “circuit” may also refer to a combination of one or more hardware elements (or combinations of circuits used in an electrical or electronic system) and program code used to perform the functions of that program code. In these embodiments, the combination of hardware elements and program code may be referred to as a particular type of circuit.

[0174] When used herein, the term “processor circuit” refers to, part of, or includes a circuit capable of sequentially and automatically executing a sequence of arithmetic or logical operations, or recording, storing, and / or transferring digital data. A processing circuit may include one or more processing cores that execute instructions, and one or more memory structures that store program and data information. The term “processor circuit” may also refer to one or more application processors, one or more baseband processors, physical central processing units (CPUs), single-core processors, dual-core processors, triple-core processors, quad-core processors, and / or any other device capable of executing or otherwise operating computer executable instructions such as program code, software modules, and / or function processes. A processing circuit may include more hardware accelerators, which may be microprocessors, programmable processing devices, or similar. One or more hardware accelerators may include, for example, computer vision (CV) and / or deep learning (DL) accelerators. The terms “Application Circuit” and / or “Baseband Circuit” may be considered synonymous with “Processor Circuit” and may be referred to as “Processor Circuit.” The term “Interface Circuit,” as used herein, refers to, is part of, or includes a circuit that enables the exchange of information between two or more components or devices. The term “Interface Circuit” may refer to one or more hardware interfaces, such as a bus, I / O interface, peripheral component interface, network interface card, and / or similar.

[0175] As used herein, the terms “User Equipment” or “UE” refer to a device having wireless communication capabilities and may describe a remote user of network resources in a communication network. The terms “User Equipment” or “UE” may be considered synonymous with and referred to as client, mobile, mobile device, mobile terminal, user terminal, mobile unit, mobile station, mobile user, subscriber, user, remote station, access agent, user agent, receiver, radio equipment, reconfigurable radio equipment, reconfigurable mobile device, etc. Furthermore, the terms “User Equipment” or “UE” may include any type of wireless / wired device or any computing device including a wireless communication interface.

[0176] The term “Network Element,” as used herein, refers to physical or virtualized equipment and / or infrastructure used to provide wired or wireless communication network services. The term “Network Element” may be considered synonymous with and / or referred to as network-connected computers, networking hardware, network equipment, network nodes, routers, switches, hubs, bridges, wireless network controllers, RAN devices, RAN nodes, gateways, servers, virtualized VNFs, NFVIs, and / or similar.

[0177] As used herein, the term “computer system” refers to any type of interconnected electronic devices, computer devices, or components thereof. In addition, the terms “computer system” and / or “system” may refer to various components of a computer that are interconnected in a communicative manner. Furthermore, the terms “computer system” and / or “system” may refer to multiple computer devices and / or multiple computing systems that are interconnected in a communicative manner and configured to share computing and / or networking resources.

[0178] The terms “appliance,” “computer appliance,” or similar terms, as used herein, refer to a computer device or computer system having program code (e.g., software or firmware) specifically designed to provide a particular computing resource. A “virtual appliance” is a virtual machine image implemented by a hypervisor-based device that virtualizes or emulates a computer appliance, or otherwise is dedicated to providing a particular computing resource.

[0179] The term “resource,” as used herein, means physical or virtual devices, physical or virtual components within a computing environment, and / or physical or virtual components within a particular device, such as computer devices, mechanical devices, memory space, processor / CPU time, processor / CPU usage, processor and accelerator load, hardware time or usage, power, input / output operation, ports or network sockets, channel / link allocation, throughput, memory usage, storage, networks, databases and applications, workload units, and / or similar. “Hardware resources” may mean compute, storage, and / or network resources provided by physical hardware elements. “Virtualization resources” may mean compute, storage, and / or network resources provided to applications, devices, systems, etc., by a virtualization infrastructure. The terms “network resources” or “communication resources” may mean resources accessible by computer devices / systems via a communication network. The term “system resources” may mean any kind of shared entity for providing services, and may include compute and / or network resources. System resources may be considered as a set of coherent functions, network data objects, or services that reside on a single host or multiple hosts and are accessible through a server that is clearly identifiable.

[0180] As used herein, the term "channel" refers to any tangible or intangible transmitting medium used to communicate data or data streams. The term "channel" may be synonymous with and / or equivalent to any other similar term indicating a path or medium through which data is communicated, such as "communication channel," "data communication channel," "transmit channel," "data transmission channel," "access channel," "data access channel," "link," "data link," "carrier," "radio frequency carrier," and / or other similar terms indicating a path or medium through which data is communicated. In addition, as used herein, the term "link" refers to a connection between two devices via a RAT for the purpose of transmitting and receiving information.

[0181] The terms “instantiate” and “instantiate” and similar terms, as used herein, refer to the creation of an instance. “Instance” also refers to the specific occurrence of an object that may occur, for example, during the execution of program code.

[0182] The terms “coupled” and “communicatively coupled,” along with their derivatives, are used herein. The term “coupled” may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with one another, that two or more elements are indirectly in contact with one another but still cooperate or interact with one another, and / or that one or more other elements are coupled or connected between elements that are said to be coupled to one another. The term “directly coupled” may mean that two or more elements are in direct contact with one another. The term “communicatively coupled” may mean that two or more elements can come into contact with one another by communication, including through wires or other interconnect connections, through wireless communication channels or links, and / or similar.

[0183] The term "information element" refers to a structural element that contains one or more fields. The term "field" refers to the individual contents of an information element or data element that contains content.

[0184] Unless otherwise used herein, terms, definitions, and abbreviations may be consistent with those defined in 3GPP TR 21.905 v16.0.0 (2019-06) and / or any other 3GPP standard. For the purposes of this document, the following abbreviations (shown in Table 5) may apply to the examples and embodiments discussed herein.

[0185] Table 5: Abbreviations [Table 6-1] [Table 6-2] [Table 6-3] [Table 6-4] [Table 6-5] [Table 6-6] [Table 6-7] [Table 6-8] [Table 6-9]

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE) device for receiving network-assisted multi-user multi-input multi-output (MU-MIMO) signaling, wherein the UE device comprises a processing circuit coupled to storage for storing information associated with the MU-MIMO signaling, and the processing circuit is: Decoding the MU-MIMO setup field in radio resource control (RRC) messages transmitted from next-generation NodeB (gNB); Based on at least two bits in the MU-MIMO setup field, it is determined that MU-MIMO transmission is enabled; and Based on at least two bits, determine the modulation scheme for the co-scheduled UE device. A UE device configured to perform the following actions.

2. In response to determining that the MU-MIMO transmission is enabled, the processing circuit: Based on signaling by at least one of downlink control information (DCI) or the RRC message, a second parameter of a second UE device is used to configure a first parameter for demodulation reference signal and physical downlink shared control channel (PDSCH) distribution. The UE device according to claim 1, further configured to perform the following:

3. The UE device according to claim 2, wherein the first parameter includes a demodulation reference signal configuration, a scrambling identifier setting rule, and a precoding granularity.

4. The UE device according to claim 2, wherein the first parameter includes the same distribution region as the second UE device in at least one of time or frequency resources.

5. The UE device according to claim 1, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to decode port presence information and modulation order of interfering layers signaled in the DCI field.

6. The UE device according to claim 5, wherein the DCI field uses a variable-size format depending on the maximum number of MIMO layers in the bandwidth portion.

7. The UE device according to claim 5, wherein the DCI field includes fields that jointly represent interference presence, modulation order, and port location in a cyclical order.

8. The UE device according to claim 5, wherein the DCI field corresponds to two or more antenna ports of the UE device.

9. The aforementioned processing circuit is Detecting MU-MIMO scheduler flexibility by defining scheduler constraints as the maximum number of resource allocation transitions allowed per interfering layer. The UE device according to claim 1 or claim 5, further configured to perform the following:

10. A wireless communication device for a user equipment (UE) device for receiving network-assisted multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) signaling, Means for decoding the MU-MIMO setup field in a radio resource control (RRC) message transmitted from a next-generation NodeB (gNB); Means for determining that MU-MIMO transmission is enabled based on at least two bits in the MU-MIMO setup field; and Means for determining a modulation scheme for a co-scheduled UE device based on at least two bits. A wireless communication device that performs the operation comprising the following functions.

11. The aforementioned operation is performed in response to the determination that the MU-MIMO transmission is enabled. Means for configuring a first parameter for demodulation reference signal and physical downlink shared control channel (PDSCH) distribution using a second parameter of a second UE device based on signaling by at least one of downlink control information (DCI) or the RRC message. The wireless communication device according to claim 10, further comprising the following:

12. The wireless communication device according to claim 11, wherein the first parameter includes a demodulation reference signal configuration, a scrambling identifier setting rule, and a precoding granularity.

13. The wireless communication device according to claim 11, wherein the first parameter includes the same distribution area as the second UE device in at least one of time or frequency resources.

14. The aforementioned operation is, Means for decoding port presence information and modulation order of interfering layers signaled in the DCI field The wireless communication device according to claim 10, further comprising the following:

15. The wireless communication device according to claim 14, wherein the DCI field uses a variable-size format depending on the maximum number of MIMO layers in the bandwidth portion.

16. The wireless communication device according to claim 14, wherein the DCI field includes a field that jointly represents interference presence, modulation order, and port location in a cyclical order.

17. The wireless communication device according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the DCI field corresponds to two or more antenna ports of the UE device.

18. A method for receiving network-assisted multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MU-MIMO) signaling, The user equipment (UE) device's processing circuitry decodes the MU-MIMO setup field in the radio resource control (RRC) message transmitted from the next-generation NodeB (gNB); The processing circuit determines, based on at least two bits in the MU-MIMO setup field, that MU-MIMO transmission is enabled; and The processing circuit determines a modulation scheme for the co-scheduled UE device based on at least two bits. A method that includes [a certain feature].

19. A computer program comprising an instruction to cause the processing circuit to execute the method according to claim 18.

20. An apparatus comprising means for carrying out the method described in claim 18.

21. A computer-readable storage medium for storing the computer program described in claim 19.

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