Random Access Message Discrimination

Abstract

A method, system, and device for wireless communication are described for discriminating random access response types so that a user equipment (UE) can identify a random access response intended for the UE. The UE may transmit a random access message that may be associated with a first type of random access response. A base station may be configured to communicate different types of random access responses and may configure the random access response and associated downlink control signals to correspond to the first type of random access response. The base station may transmit the downlink control signals to the UE by configuring different demodulation reference signals, different group identifiers, different search spaces or control resource sets, or different downlink control information. The UE may determine that the random access response is of the first type and may receive the random access response based on the decoded downlink control signals.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] cross reference This patent application claims priority to International Patent Application No. PCT / CN2019 / 115648 to LEI et al., entitled "RANDOM ACCESS MESSAGE DIFFERENTIATION," filed November 5, 2019, and assigned to the assignee of the present application, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0002] The following relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to random access message discrimination. [Background technology]

[0003] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcasts, and so on. These systems may be capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple-access systems include fourth-generation (4G) systems, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), or LTE-A Pro systems, and fifth-generation (5G) systems, sometimes referred to as New Radio (NR) systems. These systems may employ technologies such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), or discrete Fourier transform spread orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-S-OFDM). A wireless multiple-access communication system may include one or more base stations or one or more network access nodes, each simultaneously supporting communication for multiple communication devices, sometimes referred to as user equipment (UE). Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] The described techniques relate to improved methods, systems, devices, and apparatuses that support random access message discrimination. Generally, the described techniques provide for discriminating random access response types so that a user equipment (UE) can identify a random access response associated with a corresponding random access message transmitted by the UE. For example, a downlink control signal may indicate the type of random access response associated with the downlink control signal. In a first example, a radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) of the downlink control signal may be calculated such that different types of random access responses are associated with different RNTIs. Additionally or alternatively, one or more demodulation reference signals (DMRS) associated with the downlink control signal may indicate the type of random access response (e.g., via one or more DMRS patterns). In some cases, different search spaces or control resource sets (CORESETs) may be configured for different types of random access responses. In some cases, a field in the downlink control signal may indicate the type of random access response.

[0005] Thus, a UE may transmit a random access message to a base station to initiate communication with the base station. The random access message may be associated with a first type of random access response, and the first type may be based on one or more of a random access channel (RACH) procedure, UE capabilities, an uplink carrier, a response window length, etc. The base station may be configured to communicate different types of random access responses, such as types including a first type and a second type of random access response. The base station may receive the random access message and configure the random access response and an associated downlink control signal to correspond to the first type of random access response. For example, the downlink control signal may indicate that the random access response is of the first type. The base station may transmit a downlink control signal to the UE, and the UE may attempt to decode the downlink control signal and one or more other downlink control signals. Based on the attempted decoding, the UE may determine that the random access response is of the first type and may receive the random access response.

[0006] A method of wireless communication in a UE is described. The method may include transmitting a random access message associated with a first type random access response to a base station that supports first and second type random access responses during a random access procedure, decoding a set of downlink control signals within a search space of a downlink control channel to receive the first type random access response based on transmitting the first type random access message, and receiving the first type random access response for the UE in at least one of the set of downlink control signals based on decoding the set of downlink control signals.

[0007] An apparatus for wireless communication in a UE is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions may be executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: transmit a random access message associated with a first type random access response to a base station that supports the first type and a second type random access response during a random access procedure; decode a set of downlink control signals within a search space of a downlink control channel to receive the first type random access response based on transmitting the first type random access message; and receive the first type random access response for the UE in at least one of the set of downlink control signals based on decoding the set of downlink control signals.

[0008] Another apparatus for wireless communication in a UE is described. The apparatus may include means for transmitting a random access message associated with a first type random access response to a base station that supports first and second type random access responses during a random access procedure, decoding a set of downlink control signals within a search space of a downlink control channel to receive the first type random access response based on transmitting the first type random access message, and receiving the first type random access response for the UE in at least one of the set of downlink control signals based on decoding the set of downlink control signals.

[0009] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications in a UE is described, wherein the code may include instructions executable by a processor to: transmit a random access message associated with a first type random access response to a base station that supports the first type and a second type random access response during a random access procedure; decode a set of downlink control signals within a search space of a downlink control channel to receive the first type random access response based on transmitting the first type random access message; and receive the first type random access response for the UE in at least one of the set of downlink control signals based on decoding the set of downlink control signals.

[0010] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the first type and second type random access responses correspond to one or more of different types of random access procedures, different capabilities of the UE, different types of uplink carriers, or different lengths of random access response windows.

[0011] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the first type random access response may be multiplexed with at least one random access response to at least one other UE.

[0012] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, decoding the set of downlink control signals may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining a group RNTI associated with a group of UEs that includes the UE, where the group RNTI may be based on a random access response of a first type, and descrambling cyclic redundancy check (CRC) bits of the set of downlink control signals using the group RNTI, where downlink control messages corresponding to a second type fail to be descrambled.

[0013] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining that a first downlink control signal of the set of downlink control signals may be decodable using the group RNTI based on descrambling the CRC bits, and decoding the first downlink control signal based on the determination, wherein a first type random access response may be received based on decoding the first downlink control signal.

[0014] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining that a second downlink control signal of the set of downlink control signals may be undecodable using the group RNTI based on descrambling the CRC bits, and aborting decoding of the second downlink control signal based on the determination.

[0015] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, decoding the set of downlink control signals may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for extracting a DMRS associated with the downlink control channels and performing channel estimation based on decorrelation of the DMRS signals.

[0016] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining that a first downlink control signal of the set of downlink control signals may be decodable using the DMRS signal for channel estimation based on descrambling the CRC bits, and decoding the first downlink control signal based on the determination, wherein a first type random access response may be received based on decoding the first downlink control signal.

[0017] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining that a second downlink control signal of the set of downlink control signals may be undecodable using the DMRS signal for channel estimation based on descrambling the CRC bits, and aborting decoding of the second downlink control signal based on the determination.

[0018] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, determining the group RNTI may include an operation, feature, means, or instruction for calculating the group RNTI based on a random access response window length and a number of bits associated with the group RNTI.

[0019] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, determining the group RNTI may include an act, feature, means, or instruction for calculating the group RNTI based on a maximum value associated with a second group RNTI corresponding to the second type.

[0020] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, decoding the set of downlink control signals may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining that a first downlink control signal of the set of downlink control signals may be associated with a first type based on a mapping of a DMRS corresponding to the first downlink control signal, and decoding the first downlink control signal based on determining, wherein a random access response of the first type may be received based on decoding the first downlink control signal.

[0021] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the mapping of the DMRS includes one or more of a DMRS scrambling identifier, a frequency offset in the resource element mapping, an orthogonal cover code (OCC) pattern, or a code division multiplexing (CDM) pattern, or a combination thereof.

[0022] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the mapping of the DMRS includes information corresponding to a number of bits and indicating a type of random access response.

[0023] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining a group RNTI associated with a group of UEs that includes the UE based on the mapping of the DMRS, and descrambling CRC bits of a set of downlink control signals using the group RNTI.

[0024] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for generating a plurality of hypotheses corresponding to a mapping of a DMRS of a set of downlink control signals and performing cross-correlation based on the plurality of hypotheses and the set of downlink control signals, wherein a first downlink control signal may be determined to be associated with a first type based on performing the cross-correlation.

[0025] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, decoding the set of downlink control signals may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining that a first downlink control signal may be associated with a first type based on a CORESET or a search space associated with the first downlink control signal, or a combination thereof, and decoding the first downlink control signal based on determining, wherein a random access response of the first type may be received based on decoding the first downlink control signal.

[0026] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the CORESET or the search space or a combination thereof may be associated with a bandwidth part corresponding to a first type.

[0027] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, decoding the set of downlink control signals may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining that a first downlink control signal may be associated with a first type based on identifying a field of the first downlink control signal, and decoding the first downlink control signal based on determining, wherein a random access response of the first type may be received based on decoding the first downlink control signal.

[0028] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the field corresponds to one or more of a reserved field of downlink control information (DCI) or a DCI field dedicated to indicating the type of random access response, or a combination thereof.

[0029] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for: determining a group RNTI based on the transmitted random access message, the group RNTI being associated with a group of UEs that includes the UE; descrambling CRC bits of a set of downlink control signals using the group RNTI; determining that a first set of downlink control signals may be decodable and that a second set of downlink control signals may be undecodable based on descrambling the CRC bits using the group RNTI; and aborting decoding of the second set of downlink control signals based on determining that the second set of downlink control signals may be undecodable.

[0030] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for decoding a second field associated with a first set of downlink control signals, where the field of the first downlink control signal may be identified based on the decoding, and aborting decoding of one or more other random access responses associated with the first set of downlink control signals different from the first downlink control signal based on decoding the second field.

[0031] A method of wireless communication in a base station is described, which may include receiving from a UE a random access message associated with a first type random access response, where the base station supports first and second type random access responses during a random access procedure, determining a downlink control signal including the first type random access response at least partially in response to the received random access message, and transmitting the downlink control signal in a downlink control channel to the UE.

[0032] An apparatus for wireless communication in a base station is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory coupled to the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions may be executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to: receive from a UE a random access message associated with a first type random access response, where the base station supports first and second types of random access responses during a random access procedure; determine, at least in part in response to the received random access message, a downlink control signal including the first type random access response; and transmit the downlink control signal in a downlink control channel to the UE.

[0033] Another apparatus for wireless communications in a base station is described. The apparatus may include means for receiving from a UE a random access message associated with a first type random access response, where the base station supports first and second type random access responses during a random access procedure, determining, at least in part in response to the received random access message, a downlink control signal including the first type random access response, and transmitting the downlink control signal in a downlink control channel to the UE.

[0034] A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code for wireless communications in a base station is described, wherein the code may include instructions executable by a processor to: receive from a UE a random access message associated with a first type random access response, where the base station supports the first type and a second type random access response during a random access procedure; determine, at least in part in response to the received random access message, a downlink control signal including the first type random access response; and transmit the downlink control signal in a downlink control channel to the UE.

[0035] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for transmitting a first type random access response to the UE based on transmitting the downlink control signal to the UE.

[0036] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the first type and second type random access responses correspond to one or more of different types of random access procedures, different capabilities of the UE, different types of uplink carriers, or different lengths of random access response windows.

[0037] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the first type random access response may be multiplexed with at least one random access response to at least one other UE.

[0038] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, determining the downlink control signal may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining a group RNTI associated with a group of UEs that includes the UE, where the group RNTI may be based on the first type random access response, and scrambling CRC bits of the downlink control signal using the group RNTI.

[0039] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for scrambling one or more other CRC bits of one or more other downlink control signals of a second type using a second group RNTI that is different from the group RNTI, wherein the downlink control messages corresponding to the second type may not be decodable using the group RNTI.

[0040] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, determining the group RNTI may include an operation, feature, means, or instruction for calculating the group RNTI based on a random access response window length and a number of bits associated with the group RNTI.

[0041] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, determining the group RNTI may include an act, feature, means, or instruction for calculating the group RNTI based on a maximum value associated with a second group RNTI corresponding to the second type.

[0042] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, determining the downlink control signal may further include an operation, feature, means, or instruction for mapping a DMRS corresponding to the downlink control signal based on the first type random access response.

[0043] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the mapping of the DMRS includes one or more of a DMRS scrambling identifier, a frequency offset in the resource element mapping, an OCC pattern, or a CDM pattern, or a combination thereof.

[0044] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the mapping of the DMRS includes information corresponding to a number of bits and indicating a type of random access response.

[0045] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining a group RNTI associated with a group of UEs that includes the UE based on the mapping of the DMRS, and scrambling CRC bits of the downlink control signal using the group RNTI.

[0046] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, determining the downlink control signal may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining a CORESET or a search space, or a combination thereof, associated with the downlink control signal based on the first type random access response.

[0047] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the CORESET or search space may be associated with a bandwidth part corresponding to a first type.

[0048] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, determining the downlink control signal may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining a field of the downlink control signal based on the first type random access response.

[0049] In some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein, the field corresponds to one or more of a reserved field of the DCI or a DCI field dedicated to indicating the type of random access response, or a combination thereof.

[0050] Some examples of the methods, apparatus, and non-transitory computer-readable media described herein may further include operations, features, means, or instructions for determining a group RNTI based on the received random access message, where the group RNTI is associated with a group of UEs that includes the UE, and scrambling CRC bits of downlink control signals using the group RNTI. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0051] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communication system that supports random access message discrimination, according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communication system that supports random access message discrimination, according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 3] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a messaging scheme that supports random access message discrimination, according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 illustrates an example process flow for supporting random access message discrimination, according to aspects of the present disclosure. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a device supporting random access message discrimination according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 6] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a device supporting random access message discrimination according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communications manager supporting random access message discrimination according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 8]FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system including a device that supports random access message discrimination, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 9] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a device supporting random access message discrimination according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a device supporting random access message discrimination according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a communications manager supporting random access message discrimination according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 12] FIG. 1 is a diagram of a system including a device that supports random access message discrimination, according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 13] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting random access message discrimination according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 14] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting random access message discrimination according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 15] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting random access message discrimination according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 16] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting random access message discrimination according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 17] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting random access message discrimination according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 18] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting random access message discrimination according to an aspect of the present disclosure. [Figure 19] 1 is a flowchart illustrating a method for supporting random access message discrimination according to an aspect of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0052] In some wireless communication systems, multiple user equipments (UEs) may each transmit a random access message (e.g., a random access signal) to a base station to initiate communication with the base station. The base station may transmit a random access response to each of the UEs (e.g., at least in part in response to the random access message). In some cases, each random access message may indicate a type of random access response associated with the respective random access message. For example, the random access response type may be based on UE capabilities, a random access channel (RACH) procedure type, a random access response window length, or an uplink carrier configuration, among other examples. A random access procedure opportunity (e.g., a RACH opportunity) may include time and frequency resources used by the UE to transmit the random access message and may be associated with a set of preambles (e.g., RACH preambles) for the random access procedure (e.g., RACH procedure). A UE transmitting a random access message may select a preamble associated with the RACH opportunity and include the preamble in the random access message. In some cases, the RACH preamble may indicate or be associated with a type of random access response (eg, different subsets of RACH preambles may be associated with different random access response types).

[0053] A UE may transmit a random access message to a base station (e.g., using a RACH opportunity), and the base station may transmit a random access response to the UE (e.g., in response to the random access message) to schedule communication resources, assign an identifier (ID), etc. The random access response may be scheduled via a downlink control signal, and the random access response or downlink control signal may indicate one or more intended recipient UEs. For example, the base station may transmit a downlink control signal scrambled with a group radio network temporary identifier (RNTI) associated with one or more intended recipient UEs. In some cases, the base station may multiplex multiple random access responses for UEs that share the same RACH opportunity. The base station may schedule the multiplexed random access responses via a downlink control signal and scramble the downlink control signal using an RNTI (e.g., a group RNTI such as a random access RNTI (RA-RNTI)) that applies to all of the UEs intended to receive the random access response.

[0054] For example, each UE transmitting a random access message on the same RACH occasion may determine (e.g., calculate) and use the same RNTI to decode downlink control signals. The RNTI may be determined based on the RACH occasion, which may repeat in consecutive radio frames. Thus, the same RACH occasion (e.g., having the same symbol, slot, and frequency index) across multiple radio frames may be associated with the same RNTI. A random access response may be transmitted within at least one radio frame from the associated random access message to avoid ambiguity between UEs sharing the same RNTI on different radio frames.

[0055] In some examples, the window length for a random access response may be different for different random access response types. For example, different window lengths may support latency reduction, various UE capabilities, or unlicensed spectrum use, among other examples. Thus, different types of random access responses may be associated with different respective window lengths. Random access messages corresponding to different types of random access responses may also share the same RACH opportunity (e.g., for transmitting the random access message), either in the same radio frame or in different radio frames. Thus, different types of random access responses that share the same RACH opportunity (e.g., have different response windows) may share the same RNTI, but the random access responses may be received at different times or in different radio frames. Sharing an RNTI across different types of random access responses in this manner may result in ambiguity for the UE when attempting to identify the random access response for the UE. Such ambiguity may result in reduced capacity when performing a RACH procedure.

[0056] For example, two random access messages transmitted by two different UEs may share the same RACH opportunity, with the first random access message corresponding to a first type of random access response (e.g., a first group) and the second random access message corresponding to a second type of random access response (e.g., a second group). A base station may receive the random access messages and transmit the random access responses at different times or within different radio frames. The two UEs determine an RNTI (e.g., a group RNTI) for each random access response, and because the random access messages share the same RACH opportunity, the random access responses may share the same RNTI (e.g., even if they are transmitted at different times). Thus, the two UEs may determine that one of the two random access responses corresponds to the respective UE or random access message without being able to identify which random access response is intended for which UE.

[0057] The present disclosure provides techniques for identifying a random access response, whereby a UE may identify a random access response associated with a corresponding random access message. For example, a downlink control signal may indicate a type of random access response associated with the downlink control signal. In a first example, the RNTI of the downlink control signal may be calculated such that different types of random access responses are associated with different RNTIs. Additionally or alternatively, one or more demodulation reference signals (DMRS) associated with the downlink control signal may indicate the type of random access response (e.g., via one or more DMRS patterns). In some cases, different search spaces or CORESETs may be configured for different types of random access responses. In some cases, a field in the downlink control signal may indicate the type of random access response.

[0058] Aspects of the present disclosure are initially described in the context of a wireless communication system. Aspects of the present disclosure are further illustrated and described with reference to messaging schemes, process flows, apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flowcharts related to random access message discrimination.

[0059] 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communication system 100 supporting random access message discrimination according to aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communication system 100 may include one or more base stations 105, one or more UEs 115, and a core network 130. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may be a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, an LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network, an LTE-A Pro network, or a New Radio (NR) network. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may support enhanced broadband communications, ultra-reliable (e.g., mission-critical) communications, low-latency communications, communications with low-cost and low-complexity devices, or any combination thereof.

[0060] The base stations 105 may be dispersed throughout a geographic area and may be devices in different forms or with different capabilities to form the wireless communication system 100. The base stations 105 and the UEs 115 may communicate wirelessly via one or more communication links 125. Each base station 105 may provide a coverage area 110 over which the UEs 115 and the base station 105 may establish one or more communication links 125. The coverage area 110 may be an example of a geographic area over which the base stations 105 and the UEs 115 may support communication of signals via one or more radio access technologies.

[0061] The UEs 115 may be dispersed throughout the coverage area 110 of the wireless communication system 100, and each UE 115 may be fixed, or mobile, or both at different times. The UEs 115 may be devices in different forms or with different capabilities. Some example UEs 115 are shown in FIG. 1. The UEs 115 described herein may be able to communicate with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115, base stations 105, or network equipment (e.g., core network nodes, relay devices, integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes, or other network equipment), as shown in FIG. 1.

[0062] The base stations 105 may communicate with the core network 130, with each other, or both. For example, the base stations 105 may interface with the core network 130 through one or more backhaul links 120 (e.g., via an S1, N2, N3, or other interface). The base stations 105 may communicate with each other over the backhaul links 120 (e.g., via an X2, Xn, or other interface), either directly (e.g., directly between the base stations 105) or indirectly (e.g., via the core network 130), or both. In some examples, the backhaul links 120 may be or include one or more wireless links.

[0063] One or more of the base stations 105 described herein may include or be referred to as a base transceiver station, radio base station, access point, radio transceiver, Node B, eNode B (eNB), Next Generation Node B or Giga Node B (any of which may be referred to as gNB), Home Node B, Home eNode B, or other suitable terminology by those skilled in the art.

[0064] The UE 115 may include or be referred to as a mobile device, wireless device, remote device, handheld device, or subscriber device, or some other suitable terminology, where a “device” may also be referred to as a unit, station, terminal, or client, among other examples. The UE 115 may also include or be referred to as a personal electronic device, such as a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, or a personal computer. In some examples, the UE 115 may include or be referred to as a wireless local loop (WLL) station, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or a machine-type communication (MTC) device, among other examples, which may be implemented in various items such as an appliance, a vehicle, a meter, among other examples.

[0065] The UEs 115 described herein may be able to communicate with various types of devices, such as other UEs 115, which may act as relays, as shown in FIG. 1, as well as base stations 105 and network equipment, including macro eNBs or gNBs, small cell eNBs or gNBs, or relay base stations, among other examples.

[0066] The UE 115 and the base station 105 may communicate wirelessly with each other over one or more carriers via one or more communication links 125. The term “carrier” may refer to a set of radio frequency spectrum resources having a defined physical layer structure for supporting the communication link 125. For example, a carrier used for the communication link 125 may include a portion (e.g., a bandwidth part (BWP)) of a radio frequency spectrum band operated according to one or more physical layer channels for a given radio access technology (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, NR). Each physical layer channel may carry collection signaling (e.g., synchronization signals, system information), control signaling coordinating operation for the carrier, user data, or other signaling. The wireless communication system 100 may support communication with the UE 115 using carrier aggregation or multi-carrier operation. The UE 115 may be configured with multiple downlink component carriers and one or more uplink component carriers according to a carrier aggregation configuration. Carrier aggregation can be used with both frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD) component carriers.

[0067] In some examples (e.g., in a carrier aggregation configuration), a carrier may also have acquisition or control signaling to coordinate operation with other carriers. A carrier may be associated with a frequency channel (e.g., an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA) Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number (EARFCN)) and may be arranged according to a channel raster for discovery by the UE 115. A carrier may be operated in a standalone mode, where initial acquisition and connection may be made by the UE 115 over the carrier, or the carrier may be operated in a non-standalone mode, where connection is anchored using a different carrier (e.g., of the same or different radio access technology).

[0068] The communication links 125 shown in the wireless communication system 100 may include uplink transmissions from the UE 115 to the base station 105 or downlink transmissions from the base station 105 to the UE 115. A carrier may carry downlink or uplink communications (e.g., in FDD mode) or may be configured to carry downlink and uplink communications (e.g., in TDD mode).

[0069] A carrier may be associated with a particular bandwidth of the radio frequency spectrum, and in some examples, the carrier bandwidth may be referred to as the carrier or the “system bandwidth” of the wireless communication system 100. For example, the carrier bandwidth may be one of several predetermined bandwidths for a particular radio access technology carrier (e.g., 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 40, or 80 megahertz (MHz)). The devices of the wireless communication system 100 (e.g., the base station 105, the UE 115, or both) may have a hardware configuration that supports communication on a particular carrier bandwidth or may be configurable to support communication on one of a set of carrier bandwidths. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may include a base station 105 or a UE 115 that supports simultaneous communication via carriers associated with multiple carrier bandwidths. In some examples, each served UE 115 may be configured to operate on a portion (e.g., a sub-band, BWP), or all, of the carrier bandwidth.

[0070] A signal waveform transmitted on a carrier may be composed of multiple subcarriers (e.g., using a multi-carrier modulation (MCM) technique such as orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM)). In a system employing an MCM technique, a resource element may consist of one symbol period (e.g., the duration of one modulation symbol) and one subcarrier, where the symbol period and subcarrier spacing are inversely related. The number of bits carried by each resource element may depend on the modulation scheme (e.g., the order of the modulation scheme, the coding rate of the modulation scheme, or both). Thus, the more resource elements the UE 115 receives and the higher the order of the modulation scheme, the higher the data rate of the UE 115 may be. Wireless communication resources may refer to a combination of radio frequency spectrum resources, time resources, and spatial resources (e.g., spatial layers or beams), and the use of multiple spatial layers may further increase the data rate or data integrity for communications with the UE 115.

[0071] One or more numerologies for a carrier may be supported, and a numerology may include a subcarrier spacing (Δf) and a cyclic prefix. A carrier may be divided into one or more BWPs with the same or different numerologies. In some examples, a UE 115 may be configured with multiple BWPs. In some examples, a single BWP for a carrier may be active at a given time, and communication for the UE 115 may be limited to one or more active BWPs.

[0072] The time interval for the base station 105 or the UE 115 may be, for example, T s =1 / (Δf max N f ) seconds, where Δf max may represent the maximum supported subcarrier spacing, and N fmay represent the maximum supported discrete Fourier transform (DFT) size. The communication resource time intervals may be organized according to radio frames, each having a specified duration (e.g., 10 milliseconds (ms)). Each radio frame may be identified by a system frame number (SFN) (e.g., ranging from 0 to 1023).

[0073] Each frame may include multiple consecutively numbered subframes or slots, and each subframe or slot may have the same duration. In some examples, a frame may be divided into subframes (e.g., in the time domain), and each subframe may be further divided into several slots. Alternatively, each frame may include a variable number of slots, and the number of slots may depend on the subcarrier spacing. Each slot may include several symbol periods (e.g., depending on the length of a cyclic prefix prepended to each symbol period). In some wireless communications systems 100, a slot may be further divided into multiple minislots containing one or more symbols. Excluding the cyclic prefix, each symbol period may include one or more (e.g., N f The duration of a symbol period may depend on the subcarrier spacing or the frequency band of operation.

[0074] A subframe, slot, minislot, or symbol may be the smallest scheduling unit (e.g., in the time domain) of the wireless communication system 100 and may be referred to as a transmission time interval (TTI). In some examples, the TTI duration (e.g., the number of symbol periods in a TTI) may be variable. Additionally or alternatively, the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communication system 100 may be dynamically selected (e.g., in bursts of shortened TTIs (sTTIs)).

[0075] Physical channels may be multiplexed on carriers according to various techniques. Physical control channels and physical data channels may be multiplexed on downlink carriers using, for example, one or more of a time division multiplexing (TDM) technique, a frequency division multiplexing (FDM) technique, or a hybrid TDM-FDM technique. A control region (e.g., CORESET) for a physical control channel may be defined by a number of symbol periods and may span the system bandwidth of the carrier or a subset of the system bandwidth. One or more control regions (e.g., CORESET) may be configured for a set of UEs 115. For example, one or more of the UEs 115 may monitor or search the control region for control information according to one or more search space sets, and each search space set may include one or more control channel candidates at one or more aggregation levels arranged in tandem. The aggregation level for the control channel candidates may refer to the number of control channel resources (e.g., control channel elements (CCEs)) associated with coded information for a control information format having a given payload size. The search space sets may include a common search space set configured to send control information to multiple UEs 115 and a UE-specific search space set for sending control information to a specific UE 115.

[0076] In some examples, the base stations 105 may be mobile and thus may provide communication coverage areas to moving geographic coverage areas 110. In some examples, different geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may overlap, but the different geographic coverage areas 110 may be supported by the same base station 105. In other examples, overlapping geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may be supported by different base stations 105. The wireless communication system 100 may include a heterogeneous network, for example, where different types of base stations 105 provide coverage to various geographic coverage areas 110 using the same or different radio access technologies.

[0077] The wireless communication system 100 may be configured to support ultra-reliable communications, or low-latency communications, or various combinations thereof. For example, the wireless communication system 100 may be configured to support ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) or mission-critical communications. The UE 115 may be designed to support ultra-reliable, low-latency, or critical functionality (e.g., mission-critical functionality). Ultra-reliable communications may include private or group communications and may be supported by one or more mission-critical services, such as mission-critical push-to-talk (MCPTT), mission-critical video (MCVideo), or mission-critical data (MCData). Support for mission-critical functionality may include service prioritization, and the mission-critical services may be used for public safety or general commercial applications. The terms ultra-reliable, low-latency, mission-critical, and ultra-reliable low-latency may be used interchangeably herein.

[0078] In some examples, the UE 115 may also be able to communicate directly with other UEs 115 over a device-to-device (D2D) communication link 135 (e.g., using a peer-to-peer (P2P) or D2D protocol). One or more UEs 115 utilizing D2D communication may be within the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 105. Other UEs 115 in such a group may be outside the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 105 or may not otherwise be able to receive transmissions from the base station 105. In some examples, a group of UEs 115 communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system in which each UE 115 transmits to all other UEs 115 in the group. In some examples, the base station 105 facilitates scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication occurs between UEs 115 without the involvement of the base station 105.

[0079] The core network 130 may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The core network 130 may be an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) or 5G Core (5GC), which may include at least one control plane entity (e.g., a mobility management entity (MME), an access and mobility management function (AMF)) that manages access and mobility and at least one user plane entity (e.g., a serving gateway (S-GW), a packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW), or a user plane function (UPF)) that routes packets or interconnects with external networks. The control plane entity may manage non-access stratum (NAS) functions, such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management for UEs 115 served by base stations 105 associated with the core network 130. User IP packets may be forwarded through a user plane entity, which may provide IP address allocation as well as other functions. The user plane entity may be connected to network operator IP services 150. Operator IP services 150 may include access to the Internet, an intranet, an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS), or packet-switched streaming services.

[0080] Some of the network devices, such as the base station 105, may include sub-components, such as an access network entity 140, which may be an example of an access node controller (ANC). Each access network entity 140 may communicate with the UE 115 through one or more other access network transmitting entities 145, which may be referred to as a radio head, a smart radio head, or a transmit / receive point (TRP). Each access network transmitting entity 145 may include one or more antenna panels. In some configurations, various functions of each access network entity 140 or base station 105 may be distributed across various network devices (e.g., radio heads and ANCs) or integrated within a single network device (e.g., the base station 105).

[0081] The wireless communication system 100 may typically operate using one or more frequency bands in the range of 300 megahertz (MHz) to 300 gigahertz (GHz). The 300 MHz to 3 GHz region is commonly known as the ultra-high frequency (UHF) region or decimeter band because wavelengths range in length from approximately 1 decimeter to 1 meter. Although UHF waves may be shielded or redirected by buildings and environmental features, these waves can penetrate structures sufficiently for a macrocell to serve UEs 115 located indoors. Transmission of UHF waves may be associated with smaller antennas and shorter distances (e.g., less than 100 kilometers) compared to transmissions using lower frequencies and longer waves in the shortwave (HF) or very high frequency (VHF) portions of the spectrum below 300 MHz.

[0082] The wireless communication system 100 may utilize both licensed and unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bands. For example, the wireless communication system 100 may employ License Assisted Access (LAA), LTE Unlicensed (LTE-U), or NR technology in an unlicensed band, such as the 5 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band. When operating in an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, devices such as the base station 105 and the UE 115 may employ carrier sensing for collision detection and avoidance. In some examples, operation in an unlicensed band may be based on a carrier aggregation configuration in conjunction with component carriers operating in a licensed band (e.g., LAA). Operation in an unlicensed spectrum may include downlink transmissions, uplink transmissions, P2P transmissions, or D2D transmissions, among other examples.

[0083] The base station 105 or the UE 115 may be equipped with multiple antennas, which may be used to employ techniques such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communications, or beamforming. The antennas of the base station 105 or the UE 115 may be located in one or more antenna arrays or antenna panels that may support MIMO operation or transmit or receive beamforming. For example, one or more base station antennas or antenna arrays may be collocated in an antenna assembly such as an antenna tower. In some examples, antennas or antenna arrays associated with the base station 105 may be located in diverse geographic locations. The base station 105 may have an antenna array with several rows and columns of antenna ports that the base station 105 may use to support beamforming of communications with the UE 115. Similarly, the UE 115 may have one or more antenna arrays that can support various MIMO or beamforming operations. Additionally or alternatively, the antenna panel may support radio frequency beamforming for signals transmitted through the antenna ports.

[0084] A base station 105 or a UE 115 may use MIMO communications to exploit multipath signal propagation and increase spectral efficiency by transmitting or receiving multiple signals via different spatial layers. Such techniques may be referred to as spatial multiplexing. Multiple signals may be transmitted by a transmitting device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas, for example. Similarly, multiple signals may be received by a receiving device via different antennas or different combinations of antennas. Each of the multiple signals may be referred to as a separate spatial stream and may carry bits related to the same data stream (e.g., the same codeword) or different data streams (e.g., different codewords). Different spatial layers may be associated with different antenna ports used for channel measurement and reporting. MIMO techniques include single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO), in which multiple spatial layers are transmitted to the same receiving device, and multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO), in which multiple spatial layers are transmitted to multiple devices.

[0085] Beamforming, sometimes referred to as spatial filtering, directional transmission, or directional reception, is a signal processing technique that may be used at a transmitting or receiving device (e.g., a base station 105 or a UE 115) to shape or steer an antenna beam (e.g., a transmit beam or a receive beam) along a spatial path between the transmitting and receiving devices. Beamforming may be achieved by combining signals communicated through antenna elements of an antenna array such that some signals propagating at a particular orientation relative to the antenna array experience constructive interference, while other signals experience destructive interference. Adjusting signals communicated through antenna elements may include the transmitting or receiving device applying an amplitude offset, a phase offset, or both to signals carried through antenna elements associated with the device. The adjustment associated with each of the antenna elements may be defined by a beamforming weight set associated with a particular orientation (e.g., relative to the antenna array of the transmitting or receiving device, or relative to some other orientation).

[0086] The wireless communication system 100 may be a packet-based network operating according to a layered protocol stack. In the user plane, communications at the bearer or Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer may be IP-based. The Radio Link Control (RLC) layer may perform packet segmentation and reassembly for communications on logical channels. The Medium Access Control (MAC) layer may perform priority handling and multiplexing of logical channels onto transport channels. The MAC layer may also use error detection techniques, error correction techniques, or both to support retransmissions at the MAC layer to improve link efficiency. In the control plane, the Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol layer may establish, configure, and maintain RRC connections between the UE 115 and the base station 105 or core network 130, which support radio bearers for user plane data. In the physical layer, transport channels may be mapped to physical channels.

[0087] The UE 115 may engage in a random access procedure to establish communication with the base station 105. For example, two or more UEs 115 may send different random access messages to the base station, and the random access messages may share the same RACH opportunity (e.g., the same symbol, slot, and frequency index). The first random access message may correspond to a first type of random access response, and the second random access message may correspond to a second type of random access response. The base station 105 may receive the random access messages and send random access responses at different times or within different radio frames. In some cases, the UE 115 may not be able to identify which random access response is intended for which UE 115.

[0088] Thus, the base station 105 may differentiate random access responses such that the UE 115 may identify the random access response associated with a corresponding random access message. For example, a downlink control signal may indicate the type of random access response associated with the downlink control signal. The RNTI of the downlink control signal may be calculated such that different types of random access responses are associated with different RNTIs. Additionally or alternatively, one or more DMRSs associated with the downlink control signal may indicate the type of random access response. In some cases, different search spaces or CORESETs may be configured for different types of random access responses, or a field in the downlink control signal may indicate the type of random access response.

[0089] 2 illustrates an example of a wireless communication system 200 supporting random access message discrimination according to aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the wireless communication system 200 may implement aspects of the wireless communication system 100. The wireless communication system 200 may include a base station 105-a and UEs 115-a and 115-b, which may be examples of the base station 105 and UE 115 described with reference to FIG. 1. The UEs 115-a and 115-b may transmit random access messages 205 (e.g., random access messages 205-a and 205-b) to the base station 105-a to initiate communication with the base station 105-a. The base station 105-a may transmit a random access response 215-a to the UE 115-a and a random access response 215-b to the UE 115-b (e.g., in response to the random access messages 205-a and 205-b). In some cases, each random access message 205 may indicate a type of random access response 215 associated with the respective random access message 205. For example, the type of random access response 215 may be based on one or more random access groups, such as a group based on UE capabilities, RACH procedure type, random access response window, or uplink carrier configuration, among other examples. The base station 105-a may support multiple types of random access responses 215 (e.g., for different groups of UEs 115).

[0090] A RACH opportunity (e.g., a time and frequency resource for the random access message 205) may be associated with a set of RACH preambles (e.g., 64 preambles). A UE 115 transmitting a random access message 205 in a RACH opportunity may select a preamble to be included in the random access message 205. In some cases, the RACH preamble may include or be associated with a type of random access response 215. For example, a first set of preambles for a RACH opportunity (e.g., the first 32 preambles) may correspond to a UE 115 performing a two-stage RACH procedure, and a second set of preambles for a RACH opportunity (e.g., the remaining 32 preambles) may correspond to a UE 115 performing a four-stage RACH procedure. Additionally or alternatively, a third set of RACH preambles may correspond to UEs 115 having a first type of capability (e.g., UEs 115 having reduced capabilities), and a fourth set of RACH preambles may correspond to UEs 115 having a second type of capability (e.g., other UEs 115, such as UEs 115 having premium capabilities). The preamble selected by the UE 115 and transmitted via the random access message 205 may indicate one or more of these groups and thus the type of random access response 215.

[0091] The UE 115 may transmit a random access message 205 to the base station 105, and the base station 105 may transmit a random access response 215 to the UE 115 (e.g., in response to the random access message 205) to schedule communication resources, assign an ID, etc. The random access response 215 may be scheduled via a downlink control signal 210, and the random access response 215 or the downlink control signal 210 may indicate one or more intended recipient UEs 115. For example, the base station 105 may transmit the downlink control signal 210 scrambled with a group RNTI associated with one or more intended recipient UEs 115.

[0092] In some cases, the base station 105 may multiplex multiple random access responses 215 within the same MAC protocol data unit (PDU) for UEs 115 that share the same RACH opportunity (e.g., the same symbol, slot, and frequency index), and the MAC PDU may be scheduled by downlink control signals 210 scrambled by the RNTI that applies to each of the UEs 115. In some examples, the window length for the random access response 215 may be different for different random access response types. For example, a first window length may be used for UEs 115 that use lower latency communication to support a particular latency for the random access response 215. Additionally or alternatively, a second window length (e.g., a larger window length) may be used for UEs 115 with reduced capabilities to accommodate a relaxed timeline for the random access response 215. In some cases, a third window length may be used for UEs 115 operating on unlicensed spectrum to account for the time taken by the network to acquire a channel for sending the random access response 215 (e.g., the third window length may be longer to avoid losing subsequent random access responses 215). Thus, different types of random access responses 215 may be associated with different respective window lengths.

[0093] The random access messages 205-a and 205-b may share the same RACH opportunity, the random access message 205-a may correspond to a first type random access response 215-a, and the random access message 205-b may correspond to a second type random access response 215-b. In some cases, the base station 105-a may transmit the random access responses 215-a and 215-b at different times or in different radio frames. To avoid ambiguity and support random access response identification while reducing complexity for the UE 115, the base station 105-a may distinguish between the random access responses 215-a and 215-b using methods described herein.

[0094] The present disclosure provides techniques for discriminating between random access responses 215, whereby a UE 115 (e.g., UEs 115-a and 115-b) may identify a random access response 215 associated with a corresponding random access message 205. For example, a downlink control signal 210 may indicate a type of random access response 215 associated with the downlink control signal 210. A base station 105 (e.g., base station 105-a) may use one or more methods to configure the downlink control signal 210 to discriminate between random access responses 215 for different groups of UEs 115. A UE 115 (e.g., UEs 115-a and / or 115-b) may use information associated with the downlink control signal 210 to determine whether a random access response 215 is associated with the UE 115 or a different UE 115. For example, the base station 105-a may prepare random access responses 215-a and 215-b along with corresponding downlink control signals 210-a and 210-b, which may convey or indicate information regarding the type of the random access response 215.

[0095] In a first example, the base station 105-a may use a formula to calculate the RNTI associated with the downlink control signals 210-a and 210-b, such that different types of random access responses 215 may be associated with different RNTIs (e.g., different group RNTIs). In one example, the RNTI may be given by the formula: RNTI=mod(off+1+s id +14×t id +14×80×(f id +8×(ul id +mod(SFN, 2 K ))), 2 Q ), (1) where mod is the modular operation, off is the offset constant corresponding to the random access response type discrimination, and s id is the index of the first OFDM symbol of the RACH opportunity, 0≦s id <14 and t id is the index of the first slot of the RACH opportunity in the system frame, where 0≦t id <80 and f id is the index of the RACH opportunity in the frequency domain, where 0≦f id <8 and ul id is the uplink carrier used for random access preamble transmission, where normal uplink (NUL) carrier ul id =0 and Supplemental Uplink (SUL) carrier ul id = 1, SFN is the SFN of the RACH opportunity, K is a parameter associated with the random access response window length, where the window length is 10 × 2 K ms, and Q is the number of bits allocated to the RNTI, where Q≧16.

[0096] The group RNTI (G-RNTI) calculated using equation (1), or a similar equation, may have different RNTI values for different types of random access responses 215 (e.g., different RACH procedure types, different UE capabilities, different response window lengths, or different uplink carriers). For example, the offset parameter (e.g., off) may be set to a value of zero for a four-stage RACH procedure and set to the maximum four-stage RACH RNTI value for a two-stage RACH procedure. Additionally or alternatively, when calculating the RNTI for a UE 115 having a first set of capabilities (e.g., reduced capabilities), the offset parameter may be set to the maximum RNTI value of a UE 115 having a second set of capabilities (e.g., other UEs 115).

[0097] For example, the UE 115-a may calculate an RNTI using an equation similar to equation (1) and may attempt to descramble the cyclic redundancy check (CRC) of the downlink control signals 210-a and 210-b (e.g., descramble the CRC bits) using the RNTI. Similarly, the base station 105-a may calculate a first RNTI corresponding to the downlink control signal 210-a and a second RNTI corresponding to the downlink control signal 210-b. The base station 105-a may scramble the CRC of the downlink control signals 210-a and 210-b using the corresponding RNTI. In some cases, the first RNTI calculated by the base station 105-a may be the same RNTI as the RNTI calculated by the UE 115-a, and the second RNTI may be a different RNTI (e.g., corresponding to a different type of random access response 215, such as random access response 215-b). Thus, the UE 115-a may successfully descramble the CRC of the downlink control signal 210-a but fail to descramble the CRC of the downlink control signal 210-b.

[0098] The UE 115-a may determine that the downlink control signal 210-a and the corresponding random access response 215-a are wanted (e.g., based on descrambling the CRC) and may continue decoding the downlink control signal 210-a (e.g., and the corresponding random access response 215-a). Accordingly, the UE 115-a may determine that the downlink control signal 210-b and the corresponding random access response 215-b are unwanted (e.g., based on failing to descramble the CRC) and may cease decoding the downlink control signal 210-b (e.g., and the corresponding random access response 215-b).

[0099] In a second example, the random access response type may be indicated or may be based on the DMRS mapping (e.g., DMRS resource mapping) of the corresponding downlink control signal 210. For example, the DMRS mapping may convey information in the form of a number of bits (e.g., one bit or two bits) indicating the type of the random access response 215. In some cases, the DMRS mapping may indicate different types of random access responses 215 via one or more of different DMRS scrambling IDs, different frequency offsets within resource element (RE) mappings, different orthogonal cover code (OCC) patterns for the DMRS, or different code division multiplexing (CDM) patterns for the DMRS (e.g., within a multi-symbol CORESET or search space). The UE 115 may be configured with one or more relationships between the DMRS mapping and the random access response type and may use the one or more relationships to identify the type of the random access response 215. In some cases, the DMRS pattern may be used in conjunction with the RNTI method described herein to indicate the type of the random access response 215.

[0100] For example, the base station 105-a may configure (e.g., using one or more methods) the DMRS mapping of the downlink control signals 210-a and 210-b according to the respective types of the random access responses 215-a and 215-b. For example, the base station 105-a may configure the DMRS mapping of the downlink control signals 210-a according to a first mapping corresponding to a first type of random access response 215 (e.g., the random access response 215-a) and may configure the DMRS mapping of the downlink control signals 210-b according to a second mapping corresponding to a second type of random access response 215 (e.g., the random access response 215-b). The UE 115-a may attempt to decode the downlink control signals 210-a and 210-b and may encounter the DMRS mapping of each respective downlink control signal 210. The UE 115-a may determine that the downlink control signal 210-a is associated with a first type of random access response 215 based on the DMRS mapping, which may be the type of the random access response 215-a associated with the random access message 205-a. Similarly, the UE 115-a may determine that the downlink control signal 210-b is not associated with the random access message 205-a based on the associated DMRS mapping. Accordingly, the UE 115-a may decode the downlink control signal 210-a and the corresponding random access response 215-a and may decide to discontinue decoding the downlink control signal 210-b and the random access response 215-b.

[0101] In a third example, the base station 105-a may transmit downlink control signals 210-a and 210-b within CORESETs or search spaces corresponding to the respective types of random access responses 215-a and 215-b. For example, the base station 105-a may transmit downlink control signals 210-a within a first CORESET corresponding to a first type of random access response 215 (e.g., random access response 215-a) and may transmit downlink control signals 210-b within a second CORESET corresponding to a second type of random access response 215 (random access response 215-b). The UE 115-a may monitor the first CORESET for responses to the random access message 205-a (e.g., the UE 115-a may be configured with or receive instructions to monitor the first CORESET) and may receive downlink control signals 210-a within the first CORESET. In some cases, different CORESETs or search spaces may be included in different BWPs. For example, a different BWP may be configured for a reduced capability UE 115 to conserve power.

[0102] In a fourth example, the base station 105 may indicate the type of random access response 215 in an associated downlink control signal 210. In some cases, the indication may be included in a field of downlink control information (DCI), such as a reserved or unused field of an existing DCI format. In some other cases, the indication may be included in a DCI format that defines a field for information (e.g., discrimination information) corresponding to the type of random access response 215.

[0103] For example, the base station 105-a may calculate an RNTI corresponding to the downlink control signals 210-a and 210-b and may use the RNTI to scramble the CRC of the downlink control signals 210-a and 210-b. The UE 115-a may attempt to descramble the CRC of the downlink control signals 210-a and 210-b based on the RNTI calculated by the UE 115-a and may succeed in descrambling the downlink control signals 210-a. In some cases, the UE 115-a may fail to descramble the CRC of the downlink control signals 210-b and abandon decoding the downlink control signals 210-b and the corresponding random access response 215-b. In some other cases, the UE 115-a may successfully descramble the downlink control signals 210-b using the RNTI assigned to the UE 115-a.

[0104] The UE 115-a may proceed to decode the downlink control signal 210 (e.g., downlink control signals 210-a and 210-b) associated with the successfully descrambled CRC. The UE 115-a may use information in the downlink control signal 210 (e.g., fields in the DCI) to determine the type of random access response 215 associated with the corresponding downlink control signal 210. If the type of the random access response 215 matches the type associated with the random access message 205-a, the UE 115-a may determine that a downlink control signal 210 is desired and may decode the corresponding random access response 215. For example, the UE 115-a may determine that a downlink control signal 210-a (e.g., corresponding to the same type of random access response 215 as the random access message 205-a) is desired based on the respective fields in the downlink control signals 210-a and 210-b. The UE 115-a may also determine that the downlink control signal 210-b (e.g., corresponding to a different type of random access response 215) is unsolicited. Accordingly, the UE 115-a may decode the random access response 215-a and may refrain from decoding the random access response 215-b.

[0105] Based on one or more of the techniques described herein, the UE 115-a may use the information in the random access response 215-a to initiate communication (e.g., uplink and / or downlink communication) with the base station 105-a.

[0106] 3 illustrates an example of a messaging scheme 300 supporting random access message discrimination according to aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the messaging scheme 300 may implement aspects of the wireless communication system 100 or 200. For example, the base station 105 may transmit a downlink control signal 305 (e.g., DCI) to the UE 115, where the downlink control signal 305 may indicate a type of random access response 325 associated with the downlink control signal 305. The UE 115 and the base station 105 may be examples of the UE 115 and the base station 105 described with respect to FIGS. 1 and 2. The UE 115 may use information in the downlink control signal 305 to determine whether the random access response 325 is intended for the UE 115 (e.g., based on the type of the random access response 325). The base station 105 may transmit the random access response 325, and the UE 115 may receive or refrain from decoding the random access response 325 based on the information in the downlink control signal 305.

[0107] In a first example, the base station 105 may determine an RNTI associated with the downlink control signal 305 such that the RNTI may be associated with the type of the random access response 325. The base station 105 may determine the RNTI for the downlink control signal 305 (e.g., based on the type of the random access response 325) and may use the RNTI to scramble the CRC 310 of the downlink control signal 305. The UE 115 may determine the RNTI associated with the desired type of random access response 325 associated with the UE 115 and may attempt to descramble the CRC 310 using the RNTI. In some cases, the RNTI determined by the base station 105 may be a different RNTI than the RNTI calculated by the UE 115, and the UE 115 may fail to descramble the CRC 310 and abandon decoding the downlink control signal 305 and the random access response 325. In some cases, the RNTI determined by the base station 105 may be the same RNTI as the RNTI calculated by the UE 115, and the UE 115 may successfully descramble the CRC 310 and continue to decode the downlink control signal 305 and the random access response 325.

[0108] In a second example, the base station 105 may indicate the type of random access response 325 via the mapping of the DMRS 315 associated with the downlink control signal 305. The type of random access response 325 may be indicated via one or more of a DMRS scrambling ID, a frequency offset within the RE mapping, an OCC pattern for the DMRS 315, or a CDM pattern for the DMRS 315. In some cases, the number of DMRS scrambling IDs available to the network may be configured to match the number of possible random access response types. The DMRS 315 may have semi-persistent mapping patterns and parameters (e.g., signaled via RRC), and the UE 115 may attempt to match a mapping pattern or one or more other parameters with a known mapping pattern or parameter associated with the type of random access response 325. For example, the UE 115 may generate multiple hypotheses for the DMRS 315 (e.g., a DMRS sequence) and may perform a cross-correlation of the multiple hypotheses with the DMRS 315 in the received downlink control signal 305 (e.g., where each hypothesis may be associated with a type of random access response 325). If the UE 115 is unable to correlate one or more hypotheses with the DMRS 315, the UE 115 may generate one or more new hypotheses and perform another cross-correlation.

[0109] The DMRS 315 may convey random access response type information to the UE 115 corresponding to a number of bits (e.g., 1 bit or 2 bits). In some cases, the indication of the random access response type via the DMRS 315 may be used jointly with the RNTI associated with the type of the random access response 325. In some cases, the indication of the type of the random access response 325 via the DMRS 315 may be used independently of the RNTI associated with the type of the random access response 325. When the DMRS 315 and the RNTI are used together, the RNTI value may be determined using the same method as when determined separately, or may be determined using a different (e.g., simplified) method. For example, information mapped in whole or in part to the DMRS 315 may be omitted or modified when determining the RNTI (e.g., uplink carrier information).

[0110] If the DMRS 315 conveys information indicating that the type of the random access response 325 is different from the type desired by the UE 115, the UE 115 may stop decoding the downlink control signals 305 and the random access response 325. If the DMRS 315 conveys information indicating that the type of the random access response 325 is the same type as the type desired by the UE 115, the UE 115 may continue decoding the downlink control signals 305 and the random access response 325.

[0111] In a third example, the base station 105 may indicate the type of the random access response 325 within the downlink control signal 305 (e.g., within the payload of the downlink control signal 305). In some cases, the indication may be included within a field 320 (e.g., 2 or 3 bits) of the DCI, such as a reserved or unused field 320 of an existing DCI format. In some other cases, the indication may be included within a field 320 (e.g., 2 or 3 bits) of the DCI format that defines a field 320 for information (e.g., discrimination information) corresponding to the type of the random access response 325.

[0112] If the downlink control signal 305 indicates that the type of the random access response 325 is different from the type desired by the UE 115, the UE 115 may stop decoding the downlink control signal 305 and the random access response 325. If the downlink control signal 305 indicates that the type of the random access response 325 is the same type as the type desired by the UE 115, the UE 115 may continue decoding the downlink control signal 305 and the random access response 325.

[0113] In any of the examples described herein, the UE 115 may use information in the downlink control signal 305 to determine the type of the random access response 325. If the type is desired by the UE 115, the UE 115 may determine that a random access response 325 is desired and may decode the random access response 325 based on the downlink control signal 305.

[0114] 4 illustrates an example process flow 400 supporting random access message discrimination according to aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, process flow 400 may be implemented by or related to aspects of wireless communication systems 100 or 200. Process flow 400 may also implement aspects of messaging scheme 300. Process flow 400 may be implemented by base station 105-b and UE 115-c, which may be examples of base station 105 and UE 115 described with respect to FIGS. 1-3. In some cases, base station 105-b may send a random access response to UE 115-c and may indicate the type of the random access response via downlink control signals associated with the random access response.

[0115] In the following description of process flow 400, operations between the UE 115-c and the base station 105-b may be transmitted in an order different from that shown, or operations performed by the base station 105-b or the UE 115-c may be performed in a different order or at a different time. Some operations may be omitted from process flow 400, or other operations may be added to process flow 400. Although the base station 105-b and the UE 115-c are shown performing the operations of process flow 400, some aspects of some operations may also be performed by another wireless device.

[0116] At 405, the UE 115-c may initiate a random access procedure by sending a random access message associated with a first type random access response to the base station 105-b. The base station 105-b may support the first type and the second type random access response, among other possible types of random access responses, during the random access procedure.

[0117] At 410, the base station 105-b may determine a downlink control signal including a first type of random access response based on the received random access message. The base station 105-b may determine the downlink control signal to include information indicating that the random access response is of the first type. For example, the RNTI of the downlink control signal may be calculated based on the type of the random access response. Additionally or alternatively, one or more DMRSs associated with the downlink control signal may indicate the type of the random access response (e.g., via one or more DMRS patterns). In some cases, a search space or CORESET may be configured for the type of random access response, or a field in the downlink control signal may indicate the type of the random access response.

[0118] At 415, the base station 105-b may transmit a downlink control signal to the UE 115-c in a downlink control channel (e.g., a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH)). The downlink control signal may include or be associated with a first type random access response.

[0119] At 420, the base station 105-b may transmit a second downlink control signal corresponding to a second type of random access response (eg, intended for a different UE 115).

[0120] At 425, the UE 115-c may decode multiple downlink control signals within a search space of a downlink control channel (e.g., to receive a first type random access response) based on transmitting the random access message. For example, the UE 115-c may decode multiple downlink control signals from the base station 105-b. In some cases, the UE 115-c may decode multiple downlink control signals within the search space based on the search space being associated with the first type random access response.

[0121] In some cases, the multiple downlink signals may include at least one downlink signal corresponding to a first type random access response and one downlink signal corresponding to a second type random access response. In some cases, the UE 115-c may decode the downlink control signal, attempt to descramble a CRC of the downlink control signal, compare the DMRS pattern of the downlink control signal, and / or decode one or more fields of the downlink control signal. In some cases, based on decoding the downlink control signal, the UE 115-c may continue to decode the downlink control signal and the corresponding random access response (e.g., due to a CRC passing, a matching DMRS pattern, or a field indicating the first type).

[0122] In some cases, the UE 115-c may decode the second downlink control signal, attempt to descramble the CRC of the second downlink control signal, compare the DMRS pattern of the second downlink control signal, and / or decode one or more fields of the second downlink control signal. In some cases, based on decoding the second downlink control signal, the UE 115-c may abandon decoding the second downlink control signal and the corresponding random access response (e.g., due to a CRC failure, a mismatched DMRS pattern, or a field indicating the second type).

[0123] At 430, the base station 105-b may transmit a first type random access response to the UE 115-c based on transmitting the downlink control signal to the UE 115-c. The UE 115-c may receive the first type random access response based on decoding the multiple downlink control signals (e.g., including the downlink control signal and the second downlink control signal). The UE 115-c may use information in the random access response to initiate communication (e.g., uplink and / or downlink communication) with the base station 105-b.

[0124] 5 shows a block diagram 500 of a device 505 supporting random access message discrimination according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The device 505 may be an example of an aspect of a UE 115 as described herein. The device 505 may include a receiver 510, a communications manager 515, and a transmitter 520. The device 505 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0125] The receiver 510 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., information regarding the control channel, the data channel, and random access message discrimination, etc.). The information may be passed to other components of the device 505. The receiver 510 may be an example of an aspect of the transceiver 820 described with respect to FIG. 8. The receiver 510 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0126] The communications manager 515 may transmit a random access message associated with the first type random access response to a base station that supports the first and second types of random access responses during a random access procedure, decode a plurality of downlink control signals in a search space of a downlink control channel to receive the first type random access response based on transmitting the first type random access message, and receive the first type random access response for the UE in at least one of the plurality of downlink control signals based on decoding the plurality of downlink control signals. The communications manager 515 may be an example of an aspect of the communications manager 810 described herein.

[0127] Communications manager 515, or a subcomponent thereof, may be implemented in hardware, code executed by a processor (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of communications manager 515, or a subcomponent thereof, may be performed by a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0128] The communications manager 515 or its subcomponents may be physically located in various locations, including being distributed such that portions of the functionality are implemented by one or more physical components at different physical locations. In some examples, the communications manager 515 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the communications manager 515 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components, including, but not limited to, an input / output (I / O) component, a transceiver, a network server, another computing device, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0129] The transmitter 520 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device 505. In some examples, the transmitter 520 may be co-located with the receiver 510 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 520 may be an example of an embodiment of the transceiver 820 described with reference to FIG. 8. The transmitter 520 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0130] Activities performed by communications manager 515 as described herein may be implemented to realize one or more potential benefits. For example, communications manager 515 may improve communication reliability and reduce communication latency at UE 115 by enabling UE 115 to identify random access responses intended for UE 115, which may shorten transmission delays, improve transmission accuracy, and reduce retransmissions. Similarly, communications manager 515 may conserve power and increase battery life at UE 115 by identifying random access responses with reduced complexity for UE 115.

[0131] 6 shows a block diagram 600 of a device 605 supporting random access message discrimination according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The device 605 may be an example of an aspect of the device 505 or the UE 115 as described herein. The device 605 may include a receiver 610, a communications manager 615, and a transmitter 635. The device 605 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0132] The receiver 610 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., information regarding the control channel, the data channel, and random access message discrimination, etc.). The information may be passed to other components of the device 605. The receiver 610 may be an example of an aspect of the transceiver 820 described with respect to FIG. 8. The receiver 610 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0133] Communications manager 615 may be an example of an aspect of communications manager 515 as described herein. Communications manager 615 may include a random access message transmitting component 620, a control signal decoding component 625, and a random access response receiving component 630. Communications manager 615 may be an example of an aspect of communications manager 810 as described herein.

[0134] The random access message transmitting component 620 may transmit a random access message associated with the first type random access response to a base station that supports the first and second types of random access responses during the random access procedure. The control signal decoding component 625 may decode multiple downlink control signals within a search space of a downlink control channel to receive the first type random access response based on transmitting the first type random access message. The random access response receiving component 630 may receive the first type random access response for the UE in at least one of the multiple downlink control signals based on decoding the multiple downlink control signals.

[0135] The transmitter 635 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device 605. In some examples, the transmitter 635 may be co-located with the receiver 610 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 635 may be an example of an embodiment of the transceiver 820 described with reference to FIG. 8. The transmitter 635 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0136] A processor of the UE 115 (e.g., controlling the receiver 610, the transmitter 635, or the transceiver 820 described with respect to FIG. 8) may improve communication reliability and accuracy by enabling the UE 115 to identify a random access response intended for the UE 115, which may improve reliability and reduce latency (e.g., via implementation of system components described with respect to FIG. 7). Additionally, the processor of the UE 115 may identify one or more aspects of the downlink control signals to perform the processes described herein. The processor of the UE 115 may identify a random access response intended for the UE 115 to conserve power and increase battery life at the UE 115 (e.g., by identifying a random access response with reduced complexity for the UE 115).

[0137] 7 shows a block diagram 700 of a communications manager 705 supporting random access message discrimination according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The communications manager 705 may be an example of an aspect of communications manager 515, communications manager 615, or communications manager 810 described herein. The communications manager 705 may include a random access message transmission component 710, a control signal decoding component 715, a random access response reception component 720, an RNTI component 725, a DMRS component 730, a search space component 735, and a downlink control field component 740. Each of these modules may be in direct or indirect communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0138] The random access message transmitting component 710 may transmit a random access message associated with the first type random access response to a base station that supports the first type and the second type random access response during a random access procedure.

[0139] The control signal decoding component 715 may decode, based on transmitting the first type random access message, a plurality of downlink control signals within a search space of the downlink control channel to receive a first type random access response.

[0140] The random access response receiving component 720 may receive a first type of random access response for the UE in at least one of the plurality of downlink control signals based on decoding the plurality of downlink control signals. In some cases, the first type and second type random access responses correspond to one or more of different types of random access procedures, different capabilities of the UE, different types of uplink carriers, or different lengths of random access response windows. In some cases, the first type random access response is multiplexed with at least one random access response for at least one other UE.

[0141] The RNTI component 725 may determine a group RNTI associated with a group of UEs including the UE, where the group RNTI is based on the first type random access response. In some examples, the RNTI component 725 may descramble CRC bits of the multiple downlink control signals using the group RNTI, where a downlink control message corresponding to a second type fails to descramble. In some examples, the RNTI component 725 may determine that a first downlink control signal of the multiple downlink control signals is decodable using the group RNTI based on descrambling the CRC bits. In some examples, the RNTI component 725 may decode the first downlink control signal based on determining, where the first type random access response is received based on decoding the first downlink control signal.

[0142] In some examples, the RNTI component 725 may determine that a second downlink control signal of the plurality of downlink control signals is undecodable using the group RNTI based on descrambling the CRC bits. In some examples, the RNTI component 725 may abort decoding of the second downlink control signal based on the determination. In some examples, the RNTI component 725 may calculate the group RNTI based on the random access response window length and the number of bits associated with the group RNTI. In some examples, the RNTI component 725 may calculate the group RNTI based on the maximum value associated with the second group RNTI corresponding to the second type.

[0143] The DMRS component 730 may extract a DMRS associated with the downlink control channel and perform channel estimation based on decorrelation of the DMRS signal. In some examples, the DMRS component 730 may determine that a first downlink control signal of the plurality of downlink control signals is decodable using the DMRS signal for channel estimation based on descrambling the CRC bits. In some examples, the DMRS component 730 may decode the first downlink control signal based on the determining, and a first type of random access response is received based on decoding the first downlink control signal. In some examples, the DMRS component 730 may determine that a second downlink control signal of the plurality of downlink control signals is not decodable using the DMRS signal for channel estimation based on descrambling the CRC bits. In some examples, the DMRS component 730 may abort decoding of the second downlink control signal based on the determining.

[0144] The DMRS component 730 may determine that a first downlink control signal of the plurality of downlink control signals is associated with a first type based on the mapping of the DMRS corresponding to the first downlink control signal. In some examples, the DMRS component 730 may decode the first downlink control signal based on the determining, and a random access response of the first type is received based on decoding the first downlink control signal. In some examples, the DMRS component 730 may determine a group RNTI associated with a group of UEs including the UE based on the mapping of the DMRS.

[0145] In some examples, the DMRS component 730 may descramble CRC bits of the multiple downlink control signals using the group RNTI. In some examples, the DMRS component 730 may generate multiple hypotheses corresponding to DMRS mapping of the multiple downlink control signals. In some examples, the DMRS component 730 may perform cross-correlation based on the multiple hypotheses and the multiple downlink control signals, and a first downlink control signal is determined to be associated with a first type based on performing the cross-correlation.

[0146] In some cases, the DMRS mapping includes one or more of a DMRS scrambling identifier, a frequency offset in resource element mapping, an OCC pattern, or a CDM pattern, or a combination thereof. In some cases, the DMRS mapping includes information corresponding to a number of bits and indicating a type of random access response.

[0147] The search space component 735 may determine that the first downlink control signal is associated with the first type based on a CORESET or a search space, or a combination thereof, associated with the first downlink control signal. In some examples, the search space component 735 may decode the first downlink control signal based on the determining, and a random access response of the first type is received based on decoding the first downlink control signal. In some cases, the CORESET or the search space, or a combination thereof, is associated with a bandwidth part corresponding to the first type.

[0148] The downlink control field component 740 may determine that a first downlink control signal is associated with a first type based on identifying a field of the first downlink control signal. In some examples, the downlink control field component 740 may decode the first downlink control signal based on determining, and a random access response of the first type is received based on decoding the first downlink control signal. In some cases, the field corresponds to one or more of a reserved field of the DCI or a DCI field dedicated to indicating the type of random access response, or a combination thereof.

[0149] In some examples, the downlink control field component 740 may determine a group RNTI based on the transmitted random access message, the group RNTI being associated with a group of UEs that includes the UE. In some examples, the downlink control field component 740 may descramble CRC bits of multiple downlink control signals using the group RNTI. In some examples, the downlink control field component 740 may determine that a first set of downlink control signals is decodable and that a second set of downlink control signals is not decodable based on descrambling the CRC bits using the group RNTI.

[0150] In some examples, the downlink control field component 740 may abort decoding of the second set of downlink control signals based on determining that the second set of downlink control signals is undecodable. In some examples, the downlink control field component 740 may decode a second field associated with the first set of downlink control signals, the field of the first downlink control signal being identified based on the decoding. In some examples, the downlink control field component 740 may abort decoding of one or more other random access responses associated with the first set of downlink control signals that are different from the first downlink control signals based on decoding the second field.

[0151] 8 shows a diagram of a system 800 including a device 805 supporting random access message discrimination according to an aspect of the disclosure. The device 805 may be an example of or may include components of a device 505, a device 605, or a UE 115 as described herein. The device 805 may include components for two-way voice and data communication, including components for transmitting and receiving communications, including a communications manager 810, an I / O controller 815, a transceiver 820, an antenna 825, a memory 830, and a processor 840. These components may be in electronic communication via one or more buses (e.g., bus 845).

[0152] The communications manager 810 may transmit a random access message associated with the first type random access response to a base station that supports the first type and the second type random access response during a random access procedure, decode a plurality of downlink control signals in a search space of a downlink control channel to receive the first type random access response based on transmitting the first type random access message, and receive the first type random access response for the UE in at least one of the plurality of downlink control signals based on decoding the plurality of downlink control signals.

[0153] The I / O controller 815 may manage input and output signals for the device 805. The I / O controller 815 may also manage peripheral devices not integrated into the device 805. In some cases, the I / O controller 815 may represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral device. In some cases, the I / O controller 815 may use an operating system such as iOS®, ANDROID®, MS-DOS®, MS-WINDOWS®, OS / 2®, UNIX®, LINUX®, or another known operating system. In other cases, the I / O controller 815 may represent or interact with a modem, keyboard, mouse, touchscreen, or similar device. In some cases, the I / O controller 815 may be implemented as part of the processor. In some cases, a user may interact with the device 805 through the I / O controller 815 or through hardware components controlled by the I / O controller 815.

[0154] The transceiver 820 may communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas, wired links, or wireless links, as described above. For example, the transceiver 820 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 820 may also include a modem for modulating packets, providing the modulated packets to an antenna for transmission, and demodulating packets received from the antenna.

[0155] In some cases, a wireless device may include a single antenna 825. However, in some cases, a device may have two or more antennas 825 that may be capable of simultaneously transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions.

[0156] The memory 830 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). The memory 830 may store computer-readable computer-executable code 835, which includes instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform various functions described herein. In some cases, the memory 830 may include a basic I / O system (BIOS), which may control basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices, among other things.

[0157] Processor 840 may include intelligent hardware devices (e.g., general-purpose processors, DSPs, CPUs, microcontrollers, ASICs, FPGAs, programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, processor 840 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In other cases, the memory controller may be integrated into processor 840. Processor 840 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory (e.g., memory 830) to cause device 805 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting random access message discrimination).

[0158] The code 835 may include instructions for implementing aspects of the present disclosure, including instructions for supporting wireless communication. The code 835 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as system memory or other type of memory. In some cases, the code 835 may not be directly executable by the processor 840, but may (e.g., when compiled and executed) cause a computer to perform functions described herein.

[0159] 9 shows a block diagram 900 of a device 905 supporting random access message discrimination according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The device 905 may be an example of an aspect of a base station 105 as described herein. The device 905 may include a receiver 910, a communications manager 915, and a transmitter 920. The device 905 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0160] The receiver 910 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., information related to the control channel, the data channel, and random access message discrimination, etc.). The information may be passed to other components of the device 905. The receiver 910 may be an example of an aspect of the transceiver 1220 described with reference to FIG. 12. The receiver 910 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0161] The communications manager 915 may receive from the UE a random access message associated with a first type random access response, where the base station supports first and second type random access responses during the random access procedure, determine a downlink control signal including the first type random access response at least in part in response to the received random access message, and transmit the downlink control signal in a downlink control channel to the UE. The communications manager 915 may be an example of an aspect of the communications manager 1210 described herein.

[0162] Communications manager 915, or its subcomponents, may be implemented in hardware, code executed by a processor (e.g., software or firmware), or any combination thereof. If implemented in code executed by a processor, the functions of communications manager 915, or its subcomponents, may be performed by a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in this disclosure.

[0163] The communications manager 915 or its subcomponents may be physically located in various locations, including being distributed such that portions of its functionality are implemented by one or more physical components at different physical locations. In some examples, the communications manager 915 or its subcomponents may be separate and distinct components according to various aspects of the present disclosure. In some examples, the communications manager 915 or its subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components, including, but not limited to, an I / O component, a transceiver, a network server, another computing device, one or more other components described in this disclosure, or combinations thereof according to various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0164] The transmitter 920 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device 905. In some examples, the transmitter 920 may be co-located with the receiver 910 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 920 may be an example of an aspect of the transceiver 1220 described with reference to FIG. 12. The transmitter 920 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0165] 10 shows a block diagram 1000 of a device 1005 supporting random access message discrimination according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The device 1005 may be an example of an aspect of a device 905 or a base station 105 as described herein. The device 1005 may include a receiver 1010, a communications manager 1015, and a transmitter 1035. The device 1005 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0166] The receiver 1010 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., information related to the control channel, the data channel, and random access message discrimination, etc.). The information may be passed to other components of the device 1005. The receiver 1010 may be an example of an aspect of the transceiver 1220 described with reference to FIG. 12. The receiver 1010 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0167] Communications manager 1015 may be an example of an aspect of communications manager 915 as described herein. Communications manager 1015 may include a random access message receiving component 1020, a downlink control signal component 1025, and a downlink control signal transmitting component 1030. Communications manager 1015 may be an example of an aspect of communications manager 1210 as described herein.

[0168] The random access message receiving component 1020 may receive a random access message associated with a first type random access response from the UE, and the base station supports first and second type random access responses during the random access procedure. The downlink control signal component 1025 may determine a downlink control signal including the first type random access response at least in part in response to the received random access message. The downlink control signal transmitting component 1030 may transmit the downlink control signal to the UE in a downlink control channel.

[0169] The transmitter 1035 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device 1005. In some examples, the transmitter 1035 may be co-located with the receiver 1010 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 1035 may be an example of an aspect of the transceiver 1220 described with reference to FIG. 12. The transmitter 1035 may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

[0170] 11 shows a block diagram 1100 of a communications manager 1105 supporting random access message discrimination according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The communications manager 1105 may be an example of an aspect of communications manager 915, communications manager 1015, or communications manager 1210 described herein. The communications manager 1105 may include a random access message receiving component 1110, a downlink control signal component 1115, a downlink control signal transmitting component 1120, a random access response transmitting component 1125, an RNTI determining component 1130, a DMRS determining component 1135, a search space determining component 1140, and a control field determining component 1145. Each of these modules may be in direct or indirect communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0171] The random access message receiving component 1110 may receive a random access message associated with a first type random access response from the UE, and the base station supports the first type and the second type random access response during the random access procedure.

[0172] The downlink control signal component 1115 may determine, at least in part in response to the received random access message, a downlink control signal including a first type of random access response.

[0173] A downlink control signal transmitting component 1120 may transmit downlink control signals to the UE in a downlink control channel.

[0174] The random access response transmitting component 1125 may transmit a first type of random access response to the UE based on transmitting the downlink control signal to the UE. In some cases, the first type and second type of random access responses correspond to one or more of different types of random access procedures, different capabilities of the UE, different types of uplink carriers, or different lengths of random access response windows. In some cases, the first type of random access response is multiplexed with at least one random access response for at least one other UE.

[0175] The RNTI determination component 1130 may determine a group RNTI associated with a group of UEs including the UE, where the group RNTI is based on the first type of random access response. In some examples, the RNTI determination component 1130 may scramble CRC bits of a downlink control signal using the group RNTI. In some examples, the RNTI determination component 1130 may scramble one or more other CRC bits of one or more other downlink control signals of a second type using a second group RNTI that is different from the group RNTI, where a downlink control message corresponding to the second type is not decodable using the group RNTI.

[0176] In some examples, the RNTI determination component 1130 may calculate the group RNTI based on the random access response window length and the number of bits associated with the group RNTI. In some examples, the RNTI determination component 1130 may calculate the group RNTI based on the maximum value associated with a second group RNTI corresponding to the second type.

[0177] The DMRS determination component 1135 may map a DMRS corresponding to the downlink control signal based on the first type of random access response. In some examples, the DMRS determination component 1135 may determine a group RNTI associated with a group of UEs that includes the UE based on the mapping of the DMRS. In some examples, the DMRS determination component 1135 may scramble CRC bits of the downlink control signal using the group RNTI.

[0178] In some cases, the DMRS mapping includes one or more of a DMRS scrambling identifier, a frequency offset in resource element mapping, an OCC pattern, or a CDM pattern, or a combination thereof. In some cases, the DMRS mapping includes information corresponding to a number of bits and indicating a type of random access response.

[0179] The search space determination component 1140 may determine a CORESET or a search space, or a combination thereof, associated with the downlink control signal based on the first type of random access response. In some cases, the CORESET or the search space is associated with a bandwidth part corresponding to the first type.

[0180] The control field determination component 1145 may determine a field of the downlink control signal based on the first type of random access response. In some cases, the field corresponds to one or more of a reserved field of the DCI or a DCI field dedicated to indicating the type of random access response, or a combination thereof. In some examples, the control field determination component 1145 may determine a group RNTI based on the received random access message, the group RNTI being associated with a group of UEs that includes the UE. In some examples, the control field determination component 1145 may scramble CRC bits of the downlink control signal using the group RNTI.

[0181] 12 shows a diagram of a system 1200 including a device 1205 supporting random access message discrimination according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The device 1205 may be an example of or may include components of a device 905, a device 1005, or a base station 105 as described herein. The device 1205 may include components for two-way voice and data communication, including components for transmitting and receiving communications, including a communications manager 1210, a network communications manager 1215, a transceiver 1220, an antenna 1225, a memory 1230, a processor 1240, and an inter-station communications manager 1245. These components may be in electronic communication via one or more buses (e.g., bus 1250).

[0182] The communications manager 1210 may receive from the UE a random access message associated with a first type random access response, where the base station supports the first type and the second type random access response during the random access procedure; determine, at least in part in response to the received random access message, a downlink control signal including the first type random access response; and transmit the downlink control signal to the UE in a downlink control channel.

[0183] The network communications manager 1215 may manage communications with a core network (e.g., via one or more wired backhaul links). For example, the network communications manager 1215 may manage the forwarding of data communications for client devices, such as one or more UEs 115.

[0184] The transceiver 1220 may communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas, wired links, or wireless links, as described above. For example, the transceiver 1220 may represent a wireless transceiver or may communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 1220 may also include a modem for modulating packets, providing the modulated packets to an antenna for transmission, and demodulating packets received from the antenna.

[0185] In some cases, a wireless device may include a single antenna 1225. However, in some cases, a device may have two or more antennas 1225 that may be capable of simultaneously transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions.

[0186] The memory 1230 may include RAM, ROM, or a combination thereof. The memory 1230 may store computer-readable code 1235 including instructions that, when executed by a processor (e.g., the processor 1240), cause the device to perform various functions described herein. In some cases, the memory 1230 may include a BIOS, which may control basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices, among other things.

[0187] Processor 1240 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic components, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof). In some cases, processor 1240 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In some cases, the memory controller may be integrated into processor 1240. Processor 1240 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in memory (e.g., memory 1230) to cause device 1205 to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting random access message discrimination).

[0188] The inter-station communications manager 1245 may manage communications with other base stations 105 and may include a controller or scheduler for controlling communications with the UE 115 in cooperation with the other base stations 105. For example, the inter-station communications manager 1245 may coordinate scheduling for transmissions to the UE 115 for various interference mitigation techniques, such as beamforming or joint transmission. In some examples, the inter-station communications manager 1245 may provide an X2 interface within the LTE / LTE-A wireless communications network technology for communications between the base stations 105.

[0189] Code 1235 may include instructions for implementing aspects of the present disclosure, including instructions for supporting wireless communication. Code 1235 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as system memory or other type of memory. In some cases, code 1235 may not be directly executable by processor 1240, but may (e.g., when compiled and executed) cause a computer to perform functions described herein.

[0190] FIG. 13 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1300 for supporting random access message discrimination according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The operations of method 1300 may be implemented by the UE 115 or components thereof, as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1300 may be performed by a communications manager such as those described with reference to FIGS. 5-8. In some examples, the UE may execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the UE to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0191] At 1305, the UE may transmit a random access message associated with the first type random access response to a base station that supports the first and second types of random access responses during the random access procedure. The operations of 1305 may be performed according to methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1305 may be performed by a random access message transmission component such as those described with reference to FIGS. 5-8.

[0192] At 1310, the UE may decode multiple downlink control signals within a search space of a downlink control channel to receive a first type random access response based on having transmitted the first type random access message. The operations of 1310 may be performed according to methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1310 may be performed by a control signal decoding component such as those described with reference to FIGS. 5-8.

[0193] At 1315, the UE may receive a first type of random access response for the UE in at least one of the plurality of downlink control signals based on decoding the plurality of downlink control signals. The operations of 1315 may be performed in accordance with methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1315 may be performed by a random access response receiving component such as those described with reference to FIGS. 5-8.

[0194] FIG. 14 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1400 for supporting random access message discrimination according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The operations of method 1400 may be implemented by the UE 115 or components thereof, as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1400 may be performed by a communications manager such as those described with reference to FIGS. 5-8. In some examples, the UE may execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the UE to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0195] At 1405, the UE may transmit a random access message associated with the first type random access response to a base station that supports the first and second types of random access responses during the random access procedure. The operations of 1405 may be performed according to methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1405 may be performed by a random access message transmission component such as those described with reference to FIGS. 5-8.

[0196] At 1410, the UE may decode multiple downlink control signals within a search space of a downlink control channel to receive a first type random access response based on having transmitted the first type random access message. The operations of 1410 may be performed in accordance with methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1410 may be performed by a control signal decoding component such as those described with reference to FIGS. 5-8.

[0197] At 1415, the UE may determine a group RNTI associated with a group of UEs including the UE, the group RNTI being based on the first type random access response. The operations of 1415 may be performed according to methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1415 may be performed by an RNTI component, such as those described with reference to FIGS. 5-8.

[0198] At 1420, the UE may descramble CRC bits of the plurality of downlink control signals using the group RNTI, where downlink control messages corresponding to the second type fail to be descrambled. The operations of 1420 may be performed according to methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1420 may be performed by an RNTI component, such as those described with reference to FIGS. 5-8.

[0199] At 1425, the UE may receive a first type of random access response for the UE in at least one of the plurality of downlink control signals based on decoding the plurality of downlink control signals. The operations of 1425 may be performed in accordance with methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1425 may be performed by a random access response receiving component such as those described with reference to FIGS. 5-8.

[0200] FIG. 15 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1500 for supporting random access message discrimination according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The operations of method 1500 may be implemented by the UE 115 or components thereof, as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1500 may be performed by a communications manager such as those described with reference to FIGS. 5-8. In some examples, the UE may execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the UE to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0201] At 1505, the UE may transmit a random access message associated with the first type random access response to a base station that supports the first and second types of random access responses during the random access procedure. The operations of 1505 may be performed according to methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1505 may be performed by a random access message transmission component such as those described with reference to FIGS. 5-8.

[0202] At 1510, the UE may decode multiple downlink control signals within a search space of a downlink control channel to receive a first type random access response based on having transmitted the first type random access message. The operations of 1510 may be performed according to methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1510 may be performed by a control signal decoding component such as those described with reference to FIGS. 5-8.

[0203] At 1515, the UE may determine that a first downlink control signal of the plurality of downlink control signals is associated with a first type based on the mapping of the DMRS corresponding to the first downlink control signal. The operations of 1515 may be performed according to methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1515 may be performed by a DMRS component, such as those described with reference to FIGS. 5-8.

[0204] At 1520, the UE may decode a first downlink control signal based on determining, and a first type of random access response is received based on decoding the first downlink control signal. The operations of 1520 may be performed in accordance with methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1520 may be performed by a DMRS component, such as those described with reference to FIGS. 5-8.

[0205] At 1525, the UE may receive, based on decoding the plurality of downlink control signals, a first type of random access response for the UE in at least one of the plurality of downlink control signals. The operations of 1525 may be performed in accordance with methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1525 may be performed by a random access response receiving component such as those described with reference to FIGS. 5-8.

[0206] FIG. 16 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1600 for supporting random access message discrimination according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The operations of method 1600 may be implemented by the UE 115 or components thereof, as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1600 may be performed by a communications manager such as those described with reference to FIGS. 5-8. In some examples, the UE may execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the UE to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0207] At 1605, the UE may transmit a random access message associated with the first type random access response to a base station that supports the first and second types of random access responses during the random access procedure. The operations of 1605 may be performed according to methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1605 may be performed by a random access message transmission component such as those described with reference to FIGS. 5-8.

[0208] At 1610, the UE may decode multiple downlink control signals within a search space of a downlink control channel to receive a first type random access response based on having transmitted the first type random access message. The operations of 1610 may be performed according to methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1610 may be performed by a control signal decoding component such as those described with reference to FIGS. 5-8.

[0209] At 1615, the UE may determine that the first downlink control signal is associated with the first type based on a CORESET or a search space, or a combination thereof, associated with the first downlink control signal. The operations of 1615 may be performed in accordance with methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1615 may be performed by a search space component such as those described with reference to FIGS. 5-8.

[0210] At 1620, the UE may decode a first downlink control signal based on determining, and a first type of random access response is received based on decoding the first downlink control signal. The operations of 1620 may be performed in accordance with methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1620 may be performed by a search space component such as those described with reference to FIGS. 5-8.

[0211] At 1625, the UE may receive a first type random access response for the UE in at least one of the plurality of downlink control signals based on decoding the plurality of downlink control signals. The operations of 1625 may be performed in accordance with methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1625 may be performed by a random access response receiving component such as those described with reference to FIGS. 5-8.

[0212] FIG. 17 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1700 for supporting random access message discrimination according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The operations of method 1700 may be implemented by the UE 115 or components thereof, as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1700 may be performed by a communications manager such as those described with reference to FIGS. 5-8. In some examples, the UE may execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the UE to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0213] At 1705, the UE may transmit a random access message associated with the first type random access response to a base station that supports the first and second types of random access responses during the random access procedure. The operations of 1705 may be performed according to methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1705 may be performed by a random access message transmission component such as those described with reference to FIGS. 5-8.

[0214] At 1710, the UE may decode multiple downlink control signals within a search space of a downlink control channel to receive a first type random access response based on having transmitted the first type random access message. The operations of 1710 may be performed in accordance with methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1710 may be performed by a control signal decoding component such as those described with reference to FIGS. 5-8.

[0215] At 1715, the UE may determine that the first downlink control signal is associated with the first type based on identifying a field of the first downlink control signal. The operations of 1715 may be performed according to methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1715 may be performed by a downlink control field component, as described with reference to FIGS. 5-8.

[0216] At 1720, the UE may decode a first downlink control signal based on determining, and a first type of random access response is received based on decoding the first downlink control signal. The operations of 1720 may be performed in accordance with methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1720 may be performed by a downlink control field component, as described with reference to FIGS. 5-8.

[0217] At 1725, the UE may receive, based on decoding the plurality of downlink control signals, a first type of random access response for the UE in at least one of the plurality of downlink control signals. The operations of 1725 may be performed in accordance with methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1725 may be performed by a random access response receiving component such as those described with reference to FIGS. 5-8.

[0218] FIG. 18 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1800 for supporting random access message discrimination according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The operations of method 1800 may be implemented by a base station 105 or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1800 may be performed by a communications manager as described with reference to FIGS. 9-12. In some examples, the base station may execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the base station to perform functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the base station may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0219] At 1805, the base station may receive from the UE a random access message associated with a first type random access response, the base station supporting the first type and the second type random access response during the random access procedure. The operations of 1805 may be performed in accordance with methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1805 may be performed by a random access message receiving component such as those described with reference to FIGS. 9-12.

[0220] At 1810, the base station may determine, at least in part, a downlink control signal including a first type of random access response in response to the received random access message. The operations of 1810 may be performed according to methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1810 may be performed by a downlink control signal component, as described with reference to FIGS. 9-12.

[0221] At 1815, the base station may transmit downlink control signals to the UE in a downlink control channel. The operations of 1815 may be performed in accordance with methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1815 may be performed by a downlink control signal transmission component, as described with reference to FIGS. 9-12.

[0222] FIG. 19 shows a flowchart illustrating a method 1900 for supporting random access message discrimination according to an aspect of the present disclosure. The operations of method 1900 may be implemented by a base station 105 or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of method 1900 may be performed by a communications manager as described with reference to FIGS. 9-12. In some examples, the base station may execute a set of instructions to control functional elements of the base station to perform functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the base station may use dedicated hardware to perform aspects of the functions described below.

[0223] At 1905, the base station may receive a random access message associated with a first type random access response from the UE, where the base station supports first and second types of random access responses during the random access procedure. The operations of 1905 may be performed according to methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1905 may be performed by a random access message receiving component such as those described with reference to FIGS. 9-12.

[0224] At 1910, the base station may determine, at least in part, a downlink control signal including a first type of random access response in response to the received random access message. The operations of 1910 may be performed according to methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1910 may be performed by a downlink control signal component, as described with reference to FIGS. 9-12.

[0225] At 1915, the base station may transmit downlink control signals to the UE in a downlink control channel. The operations of 1915 may be performed in accordance with methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1915 may be performed by a downlink control signal transmission component, as described with reference to FIGS. 9-12.

[0226] At 1920, the base station may transmit a first type of random access response to the UE based on transmitting the downlink control signal to the UE. The operation of 1920 may be performed in accordance with methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operation of 1920 may be performed by a random access response transmission component such as those described with reference to FIGS. 9-12.

[0227] It should be noted that the methods described herein represent possible implementations, that operations and steps may be rearranged or possibly modified, and that other implementations are possible. Furthermore, aspects from two or more of these methods may be combined.

[0228] Although aspects of an LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR system may be described as examples, and LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR terminology may be used throughout much of the description, the techniques described herein may be applicable to networks other than LTE, LTE-A, LTE-A Pro, or NR. For example, the techniques described may be applicable to various other wireless communication systems, such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, and other systems and radio technologies not explicitly mentioned herein.

[0229] The information and signals described herein may be represented using any of a wide variety of technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referred to throughout the description may be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

[0230] The various example blocks and components described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed using a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, a CPU, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0231] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored on or transmitted via a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or code. Other examples and implementations are within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described herein may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or any combination thereof. Features implementing the functions may also be physically located in various locations, including being distributed such that portions of the functions are implemented in different physical locations.

[0232] Computer-readable media includes both non-transitory computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Non-transitory storage media may be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disc (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included within the definition of computer-readable media. As used herein, disk and disc include CDs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, where disks typically reproduce data magnetically and discs reproduce data optically using lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0233] As used herein, including in the claims, "or" used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items ending with a phrase such as "at least one of" or "one or more of") indicates an inclusive list, such as, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Also, the phrase "based on" as used herein should not be construed as a reference to a closed set of conditions. For example, an example step described as "based on condition A" may be based on both condition A and condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, the phrase "based on" as used herein should be construed similarly to the phrase "based at least in part on."

[0234] In the accompanying figures, similar components or features may have the same reference label. Furthermore, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label with a dash and a second label that distinguishes between the similar components. If only a first reference label is used herein, the description is applicable to any of the similar components having the same first reference label, regardless of a second reference label, or other subsequent reference label.

[0235] The description set forth herein with reference to the accompanying drawings describes exemplary configurations and does not represent every example that may be implemented or that falls within the scope of the claims. As used herein, the term "example" means "serving as an example, instance, or illustration" and does not mean "preferred" or "advantageous over other examples." The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing an understanding of the described techniques. However, these techniques may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.

[0236] The description herein is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein. [Explanation of symbols]

[0237] 100 Wireless Communication System 105 Base station 105-a base station 105-b base station 110 Coverage Area 115 User Equipment (UE) 115-a UE 115-b UE 120 backhaul links 125 communication links 130 Core Network 135 Peer-to-Peer (P2P) or Device-to-Device (D2D) Communication Links 140 Access Network Entity 145 Access Network Transmission Entity 150 Network Operator IP Services 200 Wireless Communication Systems 205 Random Access Message 205-a Random Access Message 205-b Random Access Message 210 Downlink Control Signal 210-a Downlink control signal 210-b Downlink control signal 215 Random Access Response 215-a Random Access Response 215-b Random Access Response 300 messaging method 305 Downlink Control Signal 310 Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) 315 Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) 320 Downlink Control Information (DCI) Fields 325 Random Access Response 400 Process Flow 405 Process Flow Points 410 Process Flow Points 415 Process Flow Points 420 Process Flow Points 425 Process Flow Points 430 Process Flow Points 500 Block Diagram 505 devices 510 receiver 515 Communications Manager 520 Transmitter 600 Block Diagram 605 devices 610 Receiver 615 Communications Manager 620 Random Access Message Transmission Component 625 Control Signal Decoding Components 630 Random Access Response Reception Component 635 Transmitter 700 Block Diagram 705 Communications Manager 710 Random Access Message Transmission Component 715 Control Signal Decoding Component 720 Random Access Response Reception Component 725 Wireless Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) Components 730 DMRS Components 735 Search space components 740 Downlink Control Field Component 800 System 805 Devices 810 Communications Manager 815 I / O Controller 820 Transceiver 825 Antenna 830 memory 835 computer-readable computer-executable code 840 processor 845 Bus 900 Block Diagram 905 devices 910 Receiver 915 Communications Manager 920 Transmitter 1000 Block Diagram 1005 devices 1010 receiver 1015 Communications Manager 1020 Random Access Message Reception Component 1025 Downlink Control Signal Components 1030 Downlink Control Signal Transmission Component 1035 Transmitter 1100 Block Diagram 1105 Communications Manager 1110 Random Access Message Reception Component 1115 Downlink Control Signal Component 1120 Downlink Control Signal Transmission Component 1125 Random Access Response Transmission Component 1130 RNTI Determination Components 1135 DMRS Decision Components 1140 Search Space Determination Component 1145 Control Field Determination Component 1200 System 1205 devices 1210 Communications Manager 1215 Network Communications Manager 1220 transceiver 1225 Antenna 1230 memory 1235 computer readable code 1240 processor 1245 Interstation Communication Manager 1250 Bus

Claims

1. 1. A method for wireless communication in a user equipment (UE), comprising: transmitting a random access message associated with a first type random access response to a base station that supports the first type and second type random access responses during a random access procedure; decoding a plurality of downlink control signals within a search space of a downlink control channel to receive the random access response of the first type based at least in part on transmitting the random access message of the first type; receiving the random access response of the first type for the UE in at least one of the plurality of downlink control signals based at least in part on decoding the plurality of downlink control signals; decoding the plurality of downlink control signals; determining that a first downlink control signal of the plurality of downlink control signals is associated with a first type based at least in part on a mapping of a demodulation reference signal corresponding to the first downlink control signal among a plurality of mappings corresponding to a plurality of types of random access response; and decoding the first downlink control signal based at least in part on the determining, wherein the random access response of the first type is received based at least in part on decoding the first downlink control signal.

2. The first and second types of random access responses correspond to one or more of different types of random access procedures, different capabilities of the UE, different types of uplink carriers, or different lengths of random access response windows; or the random access response of the first type is multiplexed with at least one random access response for at least one other UE; or The step of decoding the plurality of downlink control signals comprises: determining a group radio network temporary identifier associated with a group of UEs including the UE, the group radio network temporary identifier being based at least in part on the random access response of the first type; descrambling cyclic redundancy check bits of the plurality of downlink control signals using the group radio network temporary identifier, wherein downlink control messages corresponding to the second type fail the descrambling; and the method includes: determining, based at least in part on descrambling the cyclic redundancy check bits, that a first downlink control signal of the plurality of downlink control signals is decodable using the group radio network temporary identifier; 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: decoding the first downlink control signal based at least in part on the determining, wherein the random access response of the first type is received based at least in part on decoding the first downlink control signal.

3. determining that a second downlink control signal of the plurality of downlink control signals is not decodable using the group radio network temporary identifier based at least in part on descrambling the cyclic redundancy check bits; and c. ... determining the group wireless network temporary identifier, calculating the group wireless network temporary identifier based at least in part on a random access response window length and a number of bits associated with the group wireless network temporary identifier; or determining the group wireless network temporary identifier, Alternatively, the method may include calculating the group wireless network temporary identifier based at least in part on a maximum value associated with a second group wireless network temporary identifier corresponding to the second type. extracting a demodulation reference signal associated with the downlink control channel; performing channel estimation based at least in part on decorrelation of the demodulation reference signal, and decoding the plurality of downlink control signals is based at least in part on the performing channel estimation; determining that a first downlink control signal of the plurality of downlink control signals is decodable using the demodulation reference signal for channel estimation based at least in part on descrambling the cyclic redundancy check bits; 3. The method of claim 2, further comprising: decoding the first downlink control signal based at least in part on the determining, wherein the random access response of the first type is received based at least in part on decoding the first downlink control signal.

4. The mapping of the demodulation reference signal includes one or more of a demodulation reference signal scrambling identifier, a frequency offset within resource element mapping, an orthogonal cover code pattern, or a code division multiplexing pattern, or a combination thereof; or The step of mapping the demodulation reference signal includes information corresponding to a number of bits and indicating a type of random access response, or The method comprises: determining a group radio network temporary identifier associated with a group of UEs including the UE based at least in part on the mapping of the demodulation reference signal; and descrambling cyclic redundancy check bits of the plurality of downlink control signals using the group radio network temporary identifier, or The method comprises: generating a plurality of hypotheses corresponding to said mapping of demodulation reference signals of said plurality of downlink control signals; and performing a cross-correlation based at least in part on the plurality of hypotheses and the plurality of downlink control signals, wherein the first downlink control signal is determined to be associated with the first type based at least in part on performing the cross-correlation.

5. 1. A method for wireless communication in a base station, comprising: receiving a random access message associated with a first type random access response from a user equipment (UE), wherein the base station supports the first type and a second type random access response during a random access procedure; determining, at least in part in response to the received random access message, a downlink control signal including the random access response of the first type; transmitting the downlink control signal to the UE in a downlink control channel; the step of determining the downlink control signal includes mapping a demodulation reference signal corresponding to the downlink control signal based at least in part on the first type of random access response among a plurality of mappings corresponding to a plurality of types of random access responses.

6. The method comprises: transmitting the random access response of the first type to the UE based at least in part on transmitting the downlink control signal to the UE; or The first and second types of random access responses correspond to one or more of different types of random access procedures, different capabilities of the UE, different types of uplink carriers, or different lengths of random access response windows; or the random access response of the first type is multiplexed with at least one random access response for at least one other UE; or determining the downlink control signal comprises: determining a group radio network temporary identifier associated with a group of UEs including the UE, the group radio network temporary identifier being based at least in part on the random access response of the first type; and scrambling cyclic redundancy check bits of the downlink control signal using the group radio network temporary identifier.

7. scrambling one or more other cyclic redundancy check bits of one or more other downlink control signals of the second type using a second group radio network temporary identifier different from the group radio network temporary identifier, wherein downlink control messages corresponding to the second type are not decodable using the group radio network temporary identifier; or determining the group wireless network temporary identifier, calculating the group wireless network temporary identifier based at least in part on a random access response window length and a number of bits associated with the group wireless network temporary identifier; or determining the group wireless network temporary identifier, 6. The method of claim 5, comprising calculating the group wireless network temporary identifier based at least in part on a maximum value associated with a second group wireless network temporary identifier corresponding to the second type.

8. The mapping of the demodulation reference signal includes one or more of a demodulation reference signal scrambling identifier, a frequency offset within resource element mapping, an orthogonal cover code pattern, or a code division multiplexing pattern, or a combination thereof; or The step of mapping the demodulation reference signal includes information corresponding to a number of bits and indicating a type of random access response, or the method further comprises: determining a group radio network temporary identifier associated with a group of UEs including the UE based at least in part on the mapping of the demodulation reference signal; and scrambling cyclic redundancy check bits of the downlink control signal using the group radio network temporary identifier.

9. 1. An apparatus for wireless communication in a user equipment (UE), comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; instructions stored in the memory, the instructions comprising: transmitting a random access message associated with a first type random access response to a base station that supports the first type and second type random access responses during a random access procedure; decoding a plurality of downlink control signals within a search space of a downlink control channel to receive the random access response of the first type based at least in part on transmitting the random access message of the first type; and and receiving the random access response of the first type for the UE in at least one of the plurality of downlink control signals based at least in part on decoding the plurality of downlink control signals; the instructions for decoding the plurality of downlink control signals determining that a first downlink control signal of the plurality of downlink control signals is associated with a first type based at least in part on a mapping of a demodulation reference signal corresponding to the first downlink control signal among a plurality of mappings corresponding to a plurality of types of random access response; and decoding the first downlink control signal based at least in part on the determining, wherein the random access response of the first type is received based at least in part on decoding the first downlink control signal.

10. The first and second types of random access responses correspond to one or more of different types of random access procedures, different capabilities of the UE, different types of uplink carriers, or different lengths of random access response windows; or the random access response of the first type is multiplexed with at least one random access response for at least one other UE; or The instructions for decoding the plurality of downlink control signals further comprise: determining a group radio network temporary identifier associated with a group of UEs including the UE, the group radio network temporary identifier based at least in part on the random access response of the first type; and descrambling cyclic redundancy check bits of the downlink control messages using the group radio network temporary identifier, wherein downlink control messages corresponding to the second type fail the descrambling; and The instructions may further include: determining, based at least in part on descrambling the cyclic redundancy check bits, that a first downlink control signal of the plurality of downlink control signals is decodable using the group radio network temporary identifier; and decoding the first downlink control signal based at least in part on the determining, wherein the random access response of the first type is received based at least in part on decoding the first downlink control signal.

11. The instructions may further include: determining that a second downlink control signal of the plurality of downlink control signals is not decodable using the group radio network temporary identifier based at least in part on descrambling the cyclic redundancy check bits; aborting decoding of the second downlink control signal based at least in part on the determining; or The instructions for determining the group wireless network temporary identifier include: or is executable by the processor to cause the device to calculate the group wireless network temporary identifier based at least in part on a random access response window length and a number of bits associated with the group wireless network temporary identifier; The instructions for determining the group wireless network temporary identifier include:

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the apparatus is executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to calculate the group wireless network temporary identifier based at least in part on a maximum value associated with a second group wireless network temporary identifier corresponding to the second type.

12. 1. An apparatus for wireless communication at a base station, comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; instructions stored in the memory, the instructions comprising: receiving a random access message associated with a first type random access response from a user equipment (UE), wherein the base station supports the first type and a second type random access response during a random access procedure; determining, at least in part in response to the received random access message, a downlink control signal including the random access response of the first type; and and transmitting the downlink control signal to the UE in a downlink control channel; the instructions for determining the downlink control signal are executable by the processor to cause the device to map a demodulation reference signal corresponding to the downlink control signal based at least in part on the first type of random access response among a plurality of mappings corresponding to a plurality of types of random access response.

13. The instructions may further include: or is executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to transmit the random access response of the first type to the UE based at least in part on transmitting the downlink control signal to the UE; The first and second types of random access responses correspond to one or more of different types of random access procedures, different capabilities of the UE, different types of uplink carriers, or different lengths of random access response windows; or the random access response of the first type is multiplexed with at least one random access response for at least one other UE; or The instructions for determining the downlink control signal may further comprise: determining a group radio network temporary identifier associated with a group of UEs including the UE, the group radio network temporary identifier based at least in part on the random access response of the first type; and scrambling cyclic redundancy check bits of the downlink control signal using the group radio network temporary identifier.

14. The instructions may further include: the processor is operable to cause the device to scramble one or more other cyclic redundancy check bits of one or more other downlink control signals of the second type using a second group radio network temporary identifier different from the group radio network temporary identifier, wherein downlink control messages corresponding to the second type are not decodable using the group radio network temporary identifier; or The instructions for determining the group wireless network temporary identifier include: or is executable by the processor to cause the device to calculate the group wireless network temporary identifier based at least in part on a random access response window length and a number of bits associated with the group wireless network temporary identifier; The instructions for determining the group wireless network temporary identifier include:

14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the apparatus is executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to calculate the group wireless network temporary identifier based at least in part on a maximum value associated with a second group wireless network temporary identifier corresponding to the second type.

15. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause said computer to carry out the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

16. A computer program comprising instructions which, when executed by a computer, cause said computer to carry out the steps of the method according to any one of claims 5 to 8.

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