Waveform Management

Abstract

According to an embodiment in one aspect of the present invention, information is selectively transmitted in the physical uplink shared channel direction using a first waveform or a second waveform, the second waveform having a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform, and first and second power headroom information is provided to a network node that controls a cell to which the device is connected, and the device, such as a user equipment, is configured to select either to continue using the first waveform in the physical uplink shared channel or to switch to using the second waveform in the physical uplink shared channel.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This disclosure relates to the management of wireless communication processes. [Background technology]

[0002] In some wireless communication systems, multiple signal waveforms can be used in wireless communication between user equipment (UE) and access nodes, such as base stations. The signal waveform corresponds to the shape of the signal graph as a function of time. Examples of waveforms include sine waves, square waves, and triangular waves, but in communication systems, the waveform can take on a more complex shape depending on the modulation used. The modulation used in wireless communication systems can be of a higher order, and generally, the modulation scheme correlates with the characteristic waveform of that modulation scheme. [Overview of the Initiative]

[0003] In some embodiments, the subject matter of the independent claims is provided. Some embodiments are defined in the dependent claims. The scope of protection required for the various embodiments of the invention is defined by the independent claims. Embodiments not covered by the independent claims, exemplary embodiments, and features described herein are to be interpreted as useful examples for understanding the various embodiments of the invention.

[0004] According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus comprising at least one processing core and at least one memory containing computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code transmit information to the apparatus in the direction of a physical uplink shared channel using at least, selectively, a first waveform or a second waveform, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform, and provides first and second power headroom information to a network node controlling the cell to which the apparatus is connected, wherein the first power headroom information is up to the maximum allowable transmit power. Disclosed is a device that discloses the amount of energy between the maximum achievable transmit power and the first transmit power currently used by the device to transmit on a physical uplink shared channel using the first waveform, and second power headroom information that discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable power using the second waveform and the second transmit power that the device would use to transmit on the physical uplink shared channel if the device were to use the second waveform, and is configured to allow the device to choose whether to continue using the first waveform on the physical uplink shared channel or switch to using the second waveform on the physical uplink shared channel.

[0005] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus comprising at least one processing core and at least one memory containing computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code receive, by at least one processing core, information relating to the physical uplink channel direction using at least, selectively, a first waveform or a second waveform, the second waveform having a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform, and receives first and second power headroom information from user equipment (UEs) connected to cells controlled by the apparatus, the first power headroom information being the maximum allowable A device is disclosed which is configured to receive and to choose whether to continue using the first waveform on the physical uplink channel or to switch to using the second waveform on the physical uplink channel, and which discloses the amount of energy between the allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable transmit power and the first transmit power that the UE is currently using to transmit on the physical uplink channel using the first waveform, and the second power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable power using the second waveform and the second transmit power that the UE would use to transmit on the physical uplink channel if the UE were using the second waveform.

[0006] A third aspect of the present disclosure provides a method comprising: providing a device that selectively transmits information in the direction of a physical uplink shared channel using a first waveform or a second waveform, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform; providing first and second power headroom information to a network node controlling the cell to which the device is connected, wherein the first power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable transmit power and the first transmit power currently used by the device to transmit on the physical uplink shared channel using the first waveform; and the second power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable power using the second waveform and the second transmit power that the device would use to transmit on the physical uplink shared channel if the device were to use the second waveform; and selecting whether to continue using the first waveform on the physical uplink shared channel or to switch to using the second waveform on the physical uplink shared channel.

[0007] A fourth aspect of the present disclosure provides a method comprising: receiving, selectively using a first waveform or a second waveform, information relating to the orientation of a physical uplink channel, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform; receiving first and second power headroom information from a user equipment (UE) connected to a cell controlled by the device, wherein the first power headroom information discloses the amount of power between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable transmit power and the first transmit power currently used by the UE to transmit on the physical uplink channel using the first waveform, and the second power headroom information discloses the amount of power between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable power using the second waveform and the second transmit power that the UE would use to transmit on the physical uplink channel if the UE were to use the second waveform; and selecting whether to continue using the first waveform on the physical uplink channel or switch to using the second waveform on the physical uplink channel.

[0008] A fifth aspect of the present disclosure provides a device comprising: a transmitting means for selectively transmitting information in the direction of a physical uplink shared channel using a first waveform or a second waveform, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform; a providing means for providing first and second power headroom information to a network node controlling a cell to which the device is connected, wherein the first power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable transmit power and the first transmit power currently used by the device to transmit on the physical uplink shared channel using the first waveform, and the second power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable power using the second waveform and the second transmit power that the device would use to transmit on the physical uplink shared channel if the device were using the second waveform; and a means for selecting whether to continue using the first waveform on the physical uplink shared channel or to switch to using the second waveform on the physical uplink shared channel.

[0009] A sixth aspect of the present disclosure provides a device comprising: receiving means for selectively using a first waveform or a second waveform to receive information relating to the direction of a physical uplink channel, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform; receiving means for receiving first and second power headroom information from a user device (UE) connected to a cell controlled by the device, wherein the first power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable transmit power and the first transmit power currently used by the UE to transmit on the physical uplink channel using the first waveform, and the second power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable power using the second waveform and the second transmit power that the UE would use to transmit on the physical uplink channel if the UE were to use the second waveform; and means for selecting whether to continue using the first waveform on the physical uplink channel or to switch to using the second waveform on the physical uplink channel.

[0010] According to a seventh aspect of the present disclosure, when performed by at least one processor, the device transmits information to a physical uplink shared channel using at least, selectively, a first waveform or a second waveform, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform, and provides first and second power headroom information to a network node controlling the cell to which the device is connected, wherein the first power headroom information is the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable transmit power and the current power the device is currently using to transmit on the physical uplink shared channel using the first waveform. A non-transient computer-readable medium is provided that stores a set of computer-readable instructions causing the device to perform actions such as disclosing the amount of energy between the first transmit power being used and the second power headroom information disclosing the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable power using the second waveform and the second transmit power that the device would use to transmit on a physical uplink shared channel when the device is using the second waveform, and selecting whether to continue using the first waveform on the physical uplink shared channel or switch to using the second waveform on the physical uplink shared channel.

[0011] According to an eighth aspect of the present disclosure, when performed by at least one processor, the device receives information regarding the physical uplink channel direction using at least, selectively, a first waveform or a second waveform, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform; and receives first and second power headroom information from user equipment (UEs) connected to cells controlled by the device, wherein the first power headroom information is the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable transmit power and is for transmission on the physical uplink channel using the first waveform. A non-transient computer-readable medium is provided that stores a set of computer-readable instructions causing the UE to receive, and to choose whether to continue using the first waveform on the physical uplink channel or switch to using the second waveform on the physical uplink channel, and second power headroom information which discloses the amount of power between the first transmit power currently used by the UE and the second power headroom information which discloses the amount of power between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable power using the second waveform and the second transmit power that the UE would use to transmit on the physical uplink channel if the UE were to use the second waveform. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] Figure 1 shows an exemplary system in at least some embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows an exemplary process in at least some embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an exemplary apparatus that can support at least some embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows signaling according to at least some embodiments of the present invention. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a flowchart of a method according to at least some embodiments of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] Here, a method for facilitating waveform switching in cellular communication is disclosed, where a user equipment (UE) provides assistance information to a base station, or more generally a network node, to assist in waveform switching. The assistance information may include power headroom reports or other power headroom information regarding one or more waveforms to enable the base station to select the waveforms to be used. The UE can switch waveforms in response to an explicit or implicit instruction from the base station or autonomously while maintaining consistency with the assistance information transmitted to the base station. Such switching brings technical advantages such as enabling communication at higher power and improving performance in low-coverage situations.

[0014] FIG. 1 shows an exemplary system in at least some embodiments of the present invention. This system is a cellular communication system, for example, also known as a specific 5th generation (5G), New Radio (NR), 5G-Advanced, 6G, or Long-Term Evolution (LTE) system specified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP (registered trademark)). Some embodiments of the present disclosure can also be implemented in non-cellular systems such as, for example, a wireless local area network (WLAN). The system includes a base station 130, which may be referred to as a gNB or an eNB, for example, depending on the specific technology on which the system is based. The base station 130 may be distributed in that it may include one or more base station apparatuses. For example, the base station 130 may include a centralized unit CU and one or more distributed units DU. The CU provides upper-layer support such as radio resource control (RRC), and the DU processes lower layers such as radio link control (RLC) and medium access control (MAC). In some embodiments, the base station 130 is a single device and is not distributed.

[0015] The base station 130 is connected to the core network (CN) 140. The CN 140 includes nodes such as a mobility management entity (MME), a subscriber data repository, and a gateway. These nodes function as an entire communication system and are not shown in FIG. 1 for clarity, but enable interworking with further networks. The exact names and specific functions of the core network nodes, as well as the way CN tasks are distributed among them, depend on the technology on which the system of FIG. 1 is based in each specific implementation. The CN 140 can be connected to further networks via a gateway

[0016] The base station 130 controls a cell, and the cell edge is schematically shown as edge 101 in FIG. 1. UEs (110, 120) are arranged within the cell, where UE 110 is close to the base station 130 and UE 120 is close to edge 101. UE 110 communicates with the base station 130 via a radio link 131, and UE 120 communicates with the base station 130 via a radio link 132. The radio links (131, 132) can each include an uplink (UL) and a downlink (DL) for communicating towards the base station 130 and the UE, respectively

[0017] Generally, some UEs may be stationary due to their nature of not changing their position, but UEs can move within the coverage area of a cell and move beyond edge 101 to the coverage area of another cell. Examples of such stationary UEs include communication modules of utility meters and closed-circuit video cameras, while examples of mobile UEs include smartphones, tablet computers, laptop computers, mobile phones, and connected car connection modules. Thus, even the same UE can be close to the cell edge 101 or far from the edge depending on its movement. Even for a stationary UE, if the network is reconfigured and edge 101 moves, the distance to the cell edge 101 may change

[0018] In NR, the Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) is an example of an uplink control channel used to transmit uplink control information (UCI), such as scheduling requests (SRs), and may also be used for beam fault recovery requests (BFRs) or link fault recovery requests, hybrid automatic retransmission request acknowledgments (HARQ-ACKs), and channel status information (CSIs). Typically, in UEs without coverage limitations, a cyclic prefix OFDM (CP-OFDM) waveform is used with the physical uplink channel, and if better coverage is required, a discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) waveform is used with the physical uplink channel. DFT-s-OFDM has a lower PAPR than CP-OFDM and is therefore generally more suitable for coverage-limited situations, such as UE120 near the cell edge 101. On the other hand, CP-OFDM has high spectral efficiency and is considered preferable when improved coverage is not required. An example of a physical uplink channel is the Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH).

[0019] The DFT-s-OFDM waveform has a lower PAPR compared to the CP-OFDM waveform, making it beneficial in scenarios where UL coverage is limited and power is limited. Dynamically switching between waveforms such as CP-OFDM and DFT-s-OFDM is also beneficial because the UE may roam to different parts of the cell's coverage area, as mentioned earlier. While the UL waveform may be set to the UE via RRC signaling, this results in a high signal load to achieve the waveform change. Therefore, it is beneficial to switch waveforms using a more optimized signaling solution that has a lower signal load and lower latency than RRC signaling.

[0020] When adapting the UE's transmit power, the base station can only be aware of the Maximum Power Reduction (MPR) requirements and the power headroom reported by the UE. The MPR defines the allowable reduction in the maximum power level for a specific combination of modulations used and the number and location of resource blocks allocated. For example, power can be dynamically reduced to comply with adjacent channel leakage power requirements. Some technologies enforce signal quality criteria at the UE. In some cases, the UE is permitted to reduce transmit power if scheduling is difficult from the perspective of the UE's power amplifier. The power reduction may be, for example, 2 dB. The MPR can be defined individually for different modulation schemes and waveforms. The Power Headroom Report (PHR), on the other hand, discloses the difference between the nominal maximum UE transmit power and the current power used for uplink transmission. In other words, the PHR discloses how much further the UE can increase its transmit power without exceeding its nominal maximum transmit power. PHR may be used, for example, to support power-aware packet scheduling, and may be provided, for example, from the UE to the base station in the MAC control element (MAC CE). Power headroom can be calculated as power headroom = UE maximum nominal transmit power - push power. In at least some systems, the signaled PHR can have a value between 0 and 63 that represents the power headroom at a granularity of 1 decibel (dB). In other words, the resolution of the PHR can be quite coarse in its ability to represent headroom. In coverage-limited scenarios, even a 1 dB or 1 / 2 dB change in transmit power can make a significant difference in communication. Power headroom also depends on the waveform used.

[0021] The actual power level, the transmit power instructed to the UE via power control commands, and the maximum transmit power that a particular UE implementation can provide for the current transmission are typically only known to the UE. Therefore, it is beneficial to make it easier for the base station to make more optimal waveform selections.

[0022] In an example of a 3GPP (registered trademark) system, the transmission power of a UE in PUSCH is determined as follows.

Number

[0023] Here, the upper limit of the transmission power is P CMAX,f,c (i), which is defined as the maximum output power set by the UE. The UE sets the P CMAX,f,c as long as P CMAX_L,f,c ≦P CMAX,f,c ≦P CMAX_H,f,c within the range, and for each slot, the P CMAX,f,c value can be set, where P CMAX_L,f,c = MIN{P EMAX,c -ΔT C,c , P PowerClass -ΔP PowerClass ) - MAX(MAX(MPR(c) + ΔMPR c , A - MPR c ) + ΔT IB,c +ΔT C,c +ΔT RxSRS , P - MPR c )}, and P CMAX_H,f,c = MIN{P EMAX,c , P PowerClass -ΔP PowerClass}. These terms are described in the 3GPP (registered trademark) technical standards TS38.101-1 / 38.101-2 / 38.101-3. Importantly, the base station does not recognize the P CMAX,f,c (i) value used by the UE. The base station only recognizes the boundary of P CMAX,f,c (i).

[0024] The method disclosed in this specification incorporates a waveform support signal from the UE to the base station and, in some embodiments, a waveform selection command from the base station to the UE.

[0025] Examples of the support information received at the base station 130 from the UEs (110, 120) include P for both waveforms embedded in the PHR Cmax、c.This includes power headroom information in the form of waveform-specific power headroom values, such as the following. Waveform-specific power headroom values ​​may be specific to both the waveform and the modulation and coding scheme (MCS). Waveform-supported information can be embedded in the PHR and / or scheduling request SR transmitted from the UE to the base station. In addition, or alternatively, separate power headroom reports (PHRs) may be provided by the UE for multiple waveforms. Instead of separate PHRs, the support information may include multiple waveform-specific power headroom values ​​related to one or more waveforms, embedded in a single power headroom report. In some embodiments, the support information relates to two waveforms having the same physical resource block (PRB) allocation and MCS. Waveform-specific power headroom values ​​may include a representation of the power headroom values ​​of another waveform expressed relative to the power headroom value of one waveform in a PHR dedicated to one waveform. Generally, power headroom information may include PHRs dedicated to a particular waveform so that multiple such PHRs can be transmitted by the UE to deliver power headroom information specific to multiple waveforms, or power headroom information may include waveform-specific power headroom values ​​included in PHRs dedicated to other waveforms, such as DFT-s-OFDM-specific power headroom values ​​included in CP-OFDM PHRs.

[0026] The supporting information may include, for example, a single bit indicating that DFT-s-OFDM is preferred for current push transmissions. Alternatively, multiple bits may be used to indicate that DFT-s-OFDM is preferred in predefined scenarios. The supporting information may also cover multiple PRB ranges and / or multiple modulation schemes.

[0027] For pi / 2 BPSK scenarios, the support information can cover both pi / 2 BPSK without power boost and / or pi / 2 BPSK with power boost. Power boost may be limited to a pre-configured specific bandwidth and may be accompanied by duty cycle limitations. For QPSK scenarios, it can cover both scenarios without spectrum expansion and / or FDSS with spectrum expansion.

[0028] Figure 2 shows an exemplary process in at least some embodiments of the present invention. The process is performed in the UE. In step 210, the UE operates according to a first waveform, such as one configured using RRC signaling. In step 220, the UE receives a configuration from the base station for another second waveform. This configuration may include a definition of radio resources to be used with the second waveform. The UE saves the configuration but does not yet put it into use, continuing to operate with the first waveform. In step 230, the UE receives a configuration for transmitting waveform support information to the base station. This configuration may include a definition of a container that provides the support information and information that should be included in the support information provided to the base station. Steps (220, 230) may be performed at least partially simultaneously.

[0029] A configuration for transmitting waveform support information may also include a description of at least one trigger event to trigger the transmission of waveform support information to the base station. The trigger event may include the reception of a request for support information at the UE, or the meeting of at least one criterion at the UE. The trigger event may be based on a fixed timer so that support information is provided at set fixed time intervals, such as every 5 seconds or every 30 seconds. Another example of a trigger event is that the path loss of the radio path between the UE and the base station changes by more than a first threshold. A further example of a trigger event is that the UE changes the applied MPR by more than a set value. Yet another example is the determination that the difference in power values, such as transmit power, set maximum transmit power, or power headroom, between a first waveform and a second waveform in a predefined scenario changes by more than a second threshold, which can also be expressed in decibels, for example. The transmit power may be the transmit power of a specific channel, such as PUSCH. Yet another option is that power values ​​such as maximum transmit power or power headroom may exceed a third threshold.

[0030] In step 240, the UE determines that at least one of the trigger events has occurred at the UE, and in response, in step 250, the UE transmits waveform support information to the base station. As described above, the support information may include, for example, first and second power headroom information associated with the first and second waveforms, respectively. As described above, the first and second power headroom information may be provided in separate PRHs, in one PRH, or in actual separate messages.

[0031] In step 260, the UE autonomously switches to a second waveform in response to instructions from the base station, or based on transmitted waveform support information or the characteristics of the circumstances under which the waveform support information was transmitted. The base station may, for example, transmit instructions for waveform change in the Downlink Control Information (DCI) field, or explicitly or implicitly instruct waveform change using a specific type of DCI. Alternatively, MAC CE may be used to switch between different waveforms. Waveform-specific power headroom is one criterion for switching, but other criteria may also be applied as described herein. Furthermore, the number of waveforms is not limited to two, but may be three or more.

[0032] Next, the operation of the system will be described by example. In the first example, extended power headroom reporting is used as waveform support information. Generally, separate first and second power headroom information is transmitted for the first and second waveforms, respectively. As described above, power headroom information identifies how much power the UE can use without exceeding the UE's nominal maximum transmit power. Due to differences in waveform characteristics, switching to a different waveform, such as a low PAPR waveform, can increase the power headroom, potentially allowing the UE to use more power.

[0033] In this embodiment, the UE is configured to provide separate power headroom reports for the DFT-s-OFDM and OFDM. These can be done via one or two MAC messages. Alternatively, an existing PHR can be used for the current waveform (i.e., the PUSCH waveform carrying the PHR). This is the first power headroom information. This PHR is enhanced to carry waveform-specific values ​​related to other waveforms as other power headroom information, such that the same PHR has both the first and second power headroom information. Relative information as waveform-specific values, where the power headroom information is expressed relative to the power headroom of the waveform being used, can provide good accuracy and thus also solve the problem of low resolution in PHR messages of cell-edge UEs. This can be done, for example, with 2 to 4 bits. The waveform-specific values ​​can define how many decibels the power headroom of the second waveform differs from the power headroom of the first waveform, which is expressed as an absolute value via the PHR.

[0034] When 3 bits are used, the signaling value ranges from [0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5] dB, and the values ​​are positive or negative depending on which waveform is used as the reference for the PHR. For example, assuming that the DFT-s-OFDM waveform always provides higher transmit power compared to CP-OFDM, these values ​​will be positive if the reference waveform used for PHR calculations is CP-OFDM, and negative otherwise. Another option is to have a signaling that includes both positive and negative values. In this case, the waveform-specific values ​​are directly expressed relative to the current waveform.

[0035] In the second embodiment, the power headroom report is used to represent the difference between the currently used transmit push power and the maximum achievable power in the current configuration from the UE. This difference, delta, may be determined separately for the first and second waveforms and provided to the base station. The delta value may be provided in the same message or in separate messages, in particular, the same message or separate messages may be an extended PHR report that includes delta. In this case, the deltas provided separately for the first and second waveforms become the first power headroom information and the second power headroom information, respectively. The maximum achievable power differs from the UE's nominal maximum transmit power because it is situation-dependent. In particular, the maximum achievable power depends on the waveform, PRB allocation, UE implementation, and modulation scheme. Therefore, dynamically switching to other waveforms provides more accurate information about how much power can be obtained than comparing it to the nominal maximum UE power. This is because, in any configuration, it is unlikely that the UE will be configured to transmit exactly at the nominal maximum UE transmit power.

[0036] The third example describes implicit waveform switching activated / deactivated by the UE. Implicit waveform switching is activated when the UE reports that the power headroom value falls below or exceeds a pre-configured threshold, or in some embodiments, exceeds it. This may be based, for example, on the value of downlink control information (DCI) from the base station. The threshold may be set by the base station for the UE. Depending on the waveform used for the PHR, separate thresholds may apply. Lower thresholds may be used for CP-OFDM PHRs, and higher thresholds may be used for DFT-s-OFDM PHRs. Implicit signaling may be combined with the power headroom reporting described above, using either the nominal maximum UE transmit power or the maximum achievable power in the current configuration from the UE.

[0037] An implicit switching instruction may indicate a switch from a CP-OFDM waveform to a DFT-s-OFDM waveform based on certain DCI parameter values. The base station can indicate the selected waveform by scheduling a PUSCH with such values. When such an implicit switching is activated, the base station selects an MCS value, such as BPSK or QPSK, from a predefined or configured set of MCS values ​​and instructs the UE to transmit in a DFT-s-OFDM waveform if the value is below a threshold, or if the number of PRBs is below a certain threshold.

[0038] In another embodiment of the implicit indication, a waveform change is indicated if the UL grant parameter signaled via DCI causes a change in transmit power that exceeds the determined limit of transmit power change with respect to the transmit power used to determine the latest PHR.

[0039] The limit of the determined transmit power change can be the reported power headroom value minus a set threshold, where Limit = Power Headroom - Threshold. Therefore, if the UE reports a larger power headroom, a larger transmit power change is required before the DFT-s-OFDM waveform is selected.

[0040] For example, the DFT-s-OFDM waveform is selected when a change in transmit power exceeds (power headroom value - threshold) due to PRB allocation.

[0041]

number

[0042] Here,

number

[0043] In the implicit signaling in the third example, the base station scheduling needs to change the transmit power so that both the base station and the UE have the same interpretation of which waveform to use. Such changes can be caused by PRB allocation, MCS (which may change the MCS offset of the Transmit Power Control (TPC)), and closed-loop TPC commands. Changes in estimated path loss can be excluded. Therefore, the changes in transmit power calculated to determine the implicit signaling of the waveform may differ from the changes in transmit power used in PUSCH transmissions, which include the effects of estimated path loss.

[0044] In the fourth example, autonomous waveform switching is activated by the UE in response to waveform support information, without any implicit or explicit instruction from the base station to switch waveforms. When the UE reports that the power headroom value of the current waveform is below or above a threshold in some embodiments, autonomous waveform switching to / from DFT-s-OFDM is performed in both the gNB and the UE. Subsequently, after a certain period of time following the report, the UE receives a DCI from the base station containing fields related to the new activated waveform.

[0045] For a certain period after reporting, if waveform support information is transmitted in a MAC packet data unit (PDU), the UE is given an opportunity to request the base station to retransmit the MAC message or to indicate that the transmission or reception of waveform support information failed. In this way, even if PHR detection fails at the base station, the UE will not switch waveforms, and ambiguity regarding the waveform to be used between the base station and the UE is avoided. This is shown in Figure 4.

[0046] The method disclosed herein provides a way for a base station to facilitate more optimal waveform selection. For example, when the transmit power is limited by the performance of the radio frequency (RF) (the MPR difference between the two waveforms is 1.5 dB for QPSK). In this scenario, the base station may receive the following PHR report:

[0047] 1) The PHR of CP-OFDM (=transmitted waveform in this embodiment) is 1 dB.

[0048] 2) The PHR of DFT-s-OFDM is 2dB.

[0049] Based on this, the base station will recognize that when scheduling PUSCH, DFT-s-OFDM may be a better waveform candidate, at least with equivalent or greater bandwidth allocation. PUSCH may be scheduled with more PRB allocations than the number of PRBs reported for PUSCH in the PHR. On the other hand, if the base station schedules PUSCH with similar or narrower frequency allocations, it may prefer CP-OFDM, as some positive power headroom has also been reported for CP-OFDM. This decision may also be influenced by power control commands sent from the base station after the PHR, and / or performance differences between CP-OFDM / DFT-s-OFDM receivers at the base station.

[0050] Regarding the difference between waveform-specific values ​​embedded in a PHR and multiple PHRs for different waveforms, it should be noted that with embedded waveform-specific values, the reported values ​​show a different metric than the PHR and have a smaller dynamic range, allowing for finer resolutions such as 0.5 dB with fewer bits. The UE may report a value that shows only the difference to the current waveform's PHR value, expressed as an absolute value. In another embodiment, the UE can select a set transmit power P CMAX,c P presents the lower bound. CMAX_L,f,c Report the difference to the same P. The base station is also P CMAX_L,f,c It is possible to make a decision.

[0051] In other words, the advantage of waveform-specific values ​​embedded in a PHR over multiple PHRs is that the selection of reported values ​​and associated reference points results in a smaller quantization size, leading to improved accuracy, and a smaller bit field size due to a smaller reported range. Fewer bits are required per value, making it easier for UEs to report multiple values, such as multiple push assignments like actual and virtual push assignments. Reporting multiple values ​​allows base stations to gain a more complete understanding of the desired waveform, facilitating more efficient waveform selection.

[0052] Figure 3 shows an exemplary apparatus that can support at least some embodiments of the present invention. Illustrated is apparatus 300, which may include, for example, UE110 in Figure 1 or, in applicable parts, base station 130. Applicable to apparatus 300 is a processor 310, which may include a single-core or multi-core processor, for example, a single-core processor including one processing core, and a multi-core processor including one or more processing cores. The processor 310 may generally include a control unit. The processor 310 may include multiple processors. The processor 310 may also include a control unit. The processing cores may include, for example, a Cortex-A8 processing core manufactured or designed by ARM Holdings, or a Zen processing core designed by Advanced Micro Devices. The processor 310 may include at least one Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and / or Intel Atom processor. The processor 310 may include at least one application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The processor 310 may include at least one field-programmable gate array (FPGA). The processor 310 may be a means for performing steps of a method such as transmitting, providing, selecting, executing, and receiving in the device 300. The processor 310 may be configured to perform operations at least partially by computer instructions.

[0053] A processor may include a circuit, and may be configured as one or more circuits, and the circuit or circuit may be configured to perform steps of a method according to an embodiment described herein. As used herein, the term "circuit" may mean one or more or all of the following: (a) a hardware-only circuit implementation, such as an implementation in analog and / or digital circuits only; (b) a combination of hardware circuit and software, where applicable, (i) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuit(s) and software / firmware; (ii) a hardware processor(s) having software (including digital signal processor(s)), software and memory(s), and any part that works to enable a device such as a mobile phone or base station to perform various functions; and (c) a hardware circuit(s) and / or processor(s) (e.g., firmware) that requires software, such as a microprocessor(s) or part of a microprocessor(s), but which may not be present if the software is not necessary for operation.

[0054] This definition of circuit applies to all use of the term in this application, including in all claims. As a further example, in the use of this embodiment, the term circuit also includes not only a hardware circuit or processor (or more processors) or a part of a hardware circuit or processor and the accompanying software and / or firmware implementation. The term circuit also includes, for example, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a portable device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, cellular network device, or other computing or network device, where applicable to the elements of a particular claim.

[0055] The device 300 may include memory 320. Memory 320 may include random access memory and / or permanent memory. Memory 320 may include at least one RAM chip. Memory 320 may include, for example, semiconductor memory, magnetic memory, optical memory and / or holographic memory. At least a portion of memory 320 may be accessible to the processor 310. At least a portion of memory 320 may be configured within the processor 310. Memory 320 may be means for storing information. Memory 320 may include computer instructions configured to be executed by the processor 310. If computer instructions configured to cause the processor 310 to perform a particular operation are stored in memory 320, and the device 300 as a whole is configured to be executed under the direction of the processor 310 using computer instructions from memory 320, then the processor 310 and / or at least one of its processing cores can be considered configured to perform the particular operation described above. At least a portion of memory 320 may be configured within the processor 310. The memory 320 may be located outside the device 300, at least in part, but may be accessible from the device 300.

[0056] The device 300 may include a transmitter 330. The device 300 may also include a receiver 340. The transmitter 330 and the receiver 340 may be configured to transmit and receive information, respectively, according to at least one cellular or non-cellular standard. The transmitter 330 may include one or more transmitters. The receiver 340 may include multiple receivers. The transmitter 330 and / or the receiver 340 may be configured to operate according to standards such as GSM, Broadband Code Division Multiple Access, WCDMA®, 5G, New Radio (NR), Long-Term Evolution (LTE), IS-95, Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Ethernet®, and / or Global Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMAX®).

[0057] The device 300 may include a Near Field Communication (NFC) transceiver 350. The NFC transceiver 350 may support at least one NFC technology, such as NFC, Bluetooth®, Wibree®, or a similar technology.

[0058] The user device 300 may include a user interface (UI) 360. The UI 360 may include at least one of a display, a keyboard, a touchscreen, a vibrator arranged to send signals to the user by vibrating the user device 300, a speaker, and a microphone. The user can operate the device 300 via the UI 360, for example, by answering incoming calls, making phone and video calls, browsing the internet, managing digital files stored in memory 320 or the cloud accessible via the transmitter 330 and receiver 340 or via the NFC transceiver 350, and / or playing games.

[0059] The user device 300 includes or is configured to accept a user ID module 370. The user ID module 370 may include, for example, a subscriber ID module (SIM) card that can be installed in the device 300. The user ID module 370 may include information that identifies the subscription of the user of the device 300. The user ID module 370 may include encryption information that can be used to verify the identity of the user of the device 300 and / or to encrypt communicated information and to facilitate billing of the user of the device 300 for communications made through the device 300.

[0060] The processor 310 may include a transmitter arranged to output information from the processor 310 to other devices connected to the device 300 via electrical wiring inside the device 300. Such a transmitter may include, for example, a serial bus transmitter arranged to output information to and store it in a memory 320 via at least one electrical wire. Instead of a serial bus, the transmitter may include a parallel bus transmitter. Similarly, the processor 310 may include a receiver arranged to receive information in the processor 310 from other devices provided in the device 300 via electrical wiring inside the device 300. Such a receiver may include, for example, a serial bus receiver arranged to receive information from a receiver 340 via at least one electrical wire for processing in the processor 310. Instead of a serial bus, the receiver may also include a parallel bus receiver.

[0061] The device 300 may include further devices not shown in Figure 3. For example, if the device 300 is a smartphone, it may include at least one digital camera. Some devices 300 may include a rear camera and a front camera, the rear camera for digital photography and the front camera for video calls. The device 300 may include, at least in part, a fingerprint sensor positioned to authenticate the user of the device 300. In some embodiments, the device 300 may lack at least one of the above-described devices. For example, some devices 300 may lack an NFC transceiver 350 and / or a user ID module 370.

[0062] The processor 310, memory 320, transmitter 330, receiver 340, NFC transceiver 350, UI 360, and / or user ID module 370 can be interconnected in numerous different ways by electrical wiring within the device 300. For example, each of the aforementioned devices can be individually connected to a master bus within the device 300 so that the devices can exchange information. However, as those skilled in the art will understand, this is merely an example, and depending on the embodiment, various methods can be selected to interconnect at least two of the aforementioned devices without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0063] Figure 4 shows signaling according to at least some embodiments of the present invention. On the vertical axis, the UE 110 in Figure 1 is positioned on the left and the base station 130 in Figure 1 is positioned on the right. Time progresses from top to bottom. The signaling in Figure 4 relates to autonomous switching by the UE.

[0064] In step 410, UE 110 determines power headroom information for a first and second waveform, such as CP-OFDM and DFT-s-ODFM, respectively. In step 420, UE 110 provides the first and second power headroom information to base station 130. For example, this may be provided to the base station by additionally including the second power headroom information as a waveform-specific value related to the second waveform, DFT-s-ODFM, in the PHR for the currently used CP-OFDM waveform. The waveform-specific value describes the power headroom when DFT-s-OFDM is used instead of CP-OFDM, relative to the power headroom reported for CP-OFDM in the CP-OFDM PHR. For example, the waveform-specific value may indicate that an additional 1.5 dB of power can be used when the second waveform, DFT-s-ODFM, is used instead of CP-OFDM, and the power headroom for CP-OFDM is reported as +1 dB.

[0065] Both the UE and the base station are configured to respond to such power headroom reports by switching to the use of DFT-s-OFDM in PUSCH without separate instructions from the base station. The base station makes this decision in step 430 based on the report in step 420, and the UE waits in step 440 for a possible error message from the base station, as described herein. If the base station fails to correctly receive the PHR in step 420, the base station is unaware that the UE is planning to autonomously switch to the second waveform, and a radio link error may occur. Therefore, in step 440, the UE switches to the second waveform after confirming that the base station has not reported an error in decoding the PHR 420. In step 450, the uplink shared channel is transmitted from UE 110 using the second waveform.

[0066] Here, we have described power headroom reporting using the nominal maximum UE transmit power as a reference, but similar processing can also be obtained when the UE signals the available power for both waveforms in terms of the maximum achievable power in the current configuration, as described above in relation to the second embodiment. In other words, the first and second power headroom information may be defined by referring to either the nominal maximum UE transmit power or the maximum achievable power in the current configuration. The current configuration may include parameter values ​​used in the transmission of the physical uplink channel, such as PRB allocation and modulation scheme.

[0067] Figure 5 is a flowchart of a method according to at least some embodiments of the present invention. The steps of the illustrated method may be performed, for example, in the UE110 or in a control device configured to control its function if installed therein.

[0068] Step 510 includes the device selectively transmitting information in the direction of a physical uplink shared channel using either a first waveform or a second waveform, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform. Step 520 includes providing first and second power headroom information to a base station controlling the cell to which the device is connected, wherein the first power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or maximum achievable transmit power currently used by the device to transmit on the physical uplink shared channel using the first waveform and the first transmit power; and the second power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or maximum achievable power using the second waveform and the second transmit power that the device would use to transmit on the physical uplink shared channel if it had been using the second waveform. Finally, step 530 includes choosing whether to continue using the first waveform on the physical uplink shared channel or to switch to using the second waveform on the physical uplink shared channel.

[0069] It should be understood that the embodiments of the invention disclosed herein are not limited to any specific structure, process step, or material disclosed herein, but extend to equivalents thereof that would be recognized by a person ordinarily skilled in the art. Furthermore, it should be understood that the terms used herein are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit them.

[0070] Throughout this specification, any reference to an embodiment or embodiment means that any particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in relation to the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present invention. Therefore, while the phrases "in one embodiment" or "in a particular embodiment" appear in various places throughout this specification, they do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment. Where numerical values ​​are referred to using terms such as "about" or "substantially" in these embodiments, the exact numerical values ​​are also disclosed.

[0071] In this specification, multiple items, structural elements, components, and / or materials may be shown in common lists for convenience. However, these lists should be interpreted as if each component in the list were a distinct and uniquely identified component. Therefore, individual components in such lists should not be interpreted as de facto equivalents of other components in the same list based solely on their presentation in a common group, without contrary indication. Furthermore, various exemplary embodiments and examples of the Invention may be referenced herein along with alternatives for their various components. It should be understood that such embodiments, exemplary examples, and alternatives are not to be interpreted as de facto equivalents of each other, but are to be considered distinct and independent expressions of the Invention.

[0072] Furthermore, the described features, structures, or properties can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. The preceding description has provided numerous specific details, such as length, width, and shape, to provide a full understanding of embodiments of the invention. However, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention can be implemented without one or more specific details, or using other methods, components, materials, etc. In other embodiments, well-known structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the invention.

[0073] While the embodiments described above illustrate the principles of the present invention in one or more specific applications, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that numerous modifications can be made in terms of form, usage, and details of implementation without exercising inventive capabilities and without departing from the principles and concepts of the present invention. Accordingly, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the claims set forth below.

[0074] In this specification, the verbs “to include” and “to have” are used as open limitations, not to exclude or require the presence of uncited features. Features described in the claims may be freely combined with each other unless otherwise explicitly stated. Furthermore, throughout this document, it should be understood that the use of “a” or “an,” i.e., the singular form, does not exclude the plural form. [Industrial applicability]

[0075] At least some embodiments of the present invention find industrial applications in wireless cellular communications. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0076] ARQ Automatic Resend Request BPSK Binary Phase Shift Keying CP-OFDM Cyclic Prefix OFDM DFT-s-OFDM (Discrete Fourier Transform - Diffusion OFDM) FDSS Frequency Domain Spectrum Shaping HARQ Hybrid ARQ MPR Maximum Power Reduction OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) PAPR (Peak-to-Average Power Ratio) PH Power Headroom PHR Power Headroom Report PUCCH Physical Uplink Control Channel PUSCH Physical Uplink Shared Channel QPSK (Quaternary Phase Shift Keying)

[0077] Technical items [Item 1] An apparatus comprising at least one processing core and at least one memory containing computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are provided to the apparatus by the at least one processing core, Selectively transmitting information in the direction of a physical uplink shared channel using either a first waveform or a second waveform, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform. To provide a network node controlling the cell to which the device is connected with first and second power headroom information, wherein the first power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable transmit power and the first transmit power currently used by the device to transmit on the physical uplink shared channel using the first waveform, and the second power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable power using the second waveform and the second transmit power that the device would use to transmit on the physical uplink shared channel if the device were using the second waveform. Selecting whether to continue using the first waveform on the physical uplink shared channel or to switch to using the second waveform on the physical uplink shared channel, A device configured to perform a certain action. [Item 2] The apparatus according to item 1, configured to provide the first and second power headroom information separately in two different power headroom reports. [Item 3] The apparatus described in item 1, configured to provide the first and second power headroom information in a single power headroom report. [Item 4] The apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the apparatus is configured to perform the selection at least in part based on the first and second power headroom information without receiving an explicit command from the base station. [Item 5] The apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the apparatus is configured to perform the selection at least in part on a command received from the base station in response to the provision of the first and second power headroom information. [Item 6] The apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the apparatus is configured to provide the base station with the first and second power headroom information in response to the fulfillment of a trigger condition. [Item 7] The apparatus according to item 6, wherein the trigger condition includes one or more of the following conditions: a set time has elapsed since the last provision of the first and second power headroom information; the path loss between the apparatus and the base station has changed by more than a first threshold change; the apparatus has changed the maximum power reduction value of the apparatus; or the difference between the first and second waveforms in transmit power, power headroom, or set maximum transmit power has changed by more than a second threshold change. [Item 8] The apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 7, wherein the maximum allowable transmit power is the nominal maximum allowable transmit power of the apparatus in any setting, or the maximum allowable transmit power of the apparatus based on the user equipment power class of the apparatus. [Item 9] The apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 7, wherein the maximum achievable transmit power is the maximum achievable transmit power of the apparatus in the settings used when the first and second power headroom information is provided to the base station. [Item 10] The apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 9, wherein the apparatus is configured to provide the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable power using the second waveform and the second transmit power that the apparatus would use to transmit on the physical uplink shared channel when the apparatus uses the second waveform, expressed relative to the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or achievable transmit power and the first transmit power. [Item 11] The apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 10, wherein the maximum allowable transmit power, the first transmit power, and the second transmit power are determined relative to a set reference transmit, which may differ from the transmit on the physical uplink shared channel, and the setting of the reference transmit includes at least one of the modulation scheme and the frequency position of the resource block. [Item 12] An apparatus comprising at least one processing core and at least one memory containing computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are provided to the apparatus by the at least one processing core, Selectively receiving information regarding the physical uplink channel direction using a first waveform or a second waveform, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform. Receiving first and second power headroom information from a user device (UE) connected to a cell controlled by the device, wherein the first power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable transmit power and the first transmit power currently used by the UE to transmit on the physical uplink channel using the first waveform, and the second power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable power using the second waveform and the second transmit power that the UE would use to transmit on the physical uplink channel if the UE were using the second waveform. Selecting whether to continue using the first waveform on the physical uplink channel or to switch to using the second waveform on the physical uplink channel, A device configured to perform a certain action. [Item 13] The apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 12, wherein the first waveform is cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CP-OFDM) and the second waveform is discrete Fourier transform spreading orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-s-OFDM). [Item 14] The device selectively transmits information in the direction of a physical uplink shared channel using either a first waveform or a second waveform, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform. To provide a network node controlling the cell to which the device is connected with first and second power headroom information, wherein the first power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or achievable transmit power and the first transmit power currently used by the device to transmit on the physical uplink shared channel using the first waveform, and the second power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable power using the second waveform and the second transmit power that the device would use to transmit on the physical uplink shared channel if the device were using the second waveform. Selecting whether to continue using the first waveform on the physical uplink shared channel or to switch to using the second waveform on the physical uplink shared channel, Methods that include... [Item 15] The method described in item 14, configured to provide the first and second power headroom information separately in two different power headroom reports. [Item 16] The method according to item 14, configured to provide the first and second power headroom information in a single power headroom report. [Item 17] The method according to any one of items 14 to 16, wherein the device is configured to perform the selection at least in part based on the first and second power headroom information without receiving explicit instructions from the base station. [Item 18] The method according to any one of items 14 to 16, wherein the device is configured to perform the selection at least in part on a command received from the base station in response to the provision of the first and second power headroom information. [Item 19] The method according to any one of items 14 to 18, wherein the device is configured to provide the base station with the first and second power headroom information in response to the fulfillment of a trigger condition in the device. [Item 20] The device selectively receives information regarding the physical uplink shared channel direction using either a first or second waveform, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform. Receiving first and second power headroom information from a user device (UE) connected to a cell controlled by the device, wherein the first power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable transmit power and the first transmit power currently used by the UE to transmit on the physical uplink channel using the first waveform, and the second power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable power using the second waveform and the second transmit power that the UE would use to transmit on the physical uplink channel if the UE were using the second waveform. The choice is to continue using the first waveform on the physical uplink channel or to switch to using the second waveform on the physical uplink channel. Methods that include... [Item 21] The method according to any one of items 14 to 20, wherein the first waveform is cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CP-OFDM) and the second waveform is discrete Fourier transform spreading orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-s-OFDM). [Item 22] A means for selectively transmitting information in the direction of a physical uplink shared channel using a first waveform or a second waveform, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform. Means for providing first and second power headroom information to a network node controlling a cell to which the device is connected, wherein the first power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable transmit power and the first transmit power currently used by the device to transmit on the physical uplink shared channel using the first waveform, and the second power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable power using the second waveform and the second transmit power that the device would use to transmit on the physical uplink shared channel if the device were using the second waveform. Means for selecting whether to continue using the first waveform on the physical uplink shared channel or to switch to using the second waveform on the physical uplink shared channel, A device equipped with the following features. [Item 23] A means for receiving information about the physical uplink channel direction, using selectively a first waveform or a second waveform, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform. Means for receiving first and second power headroom information from user equipment (UE) connected to a cell controlled by the device, wherein the first power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable transmit power and the first transmit power currently used by the UE to transmit on the physical uplink channel using the first waveform, and the second power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable power using the second waveform and the second transmit power that the UE would use to transmit on the physical uplink channel if the UE were using the second waveform; Means for selecting whether to continue using the first waveform on the physical uplink channel or to switch to using the second waveform on the physical uplink channel, A device equipped with the following features. [Item 24] When executed by at least one processor, the device has at least, Selectively transmitting information in the direction of a physical uplink shared channel using either a first waveform or a second waveform, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform. The present invention provides first and second power headroom information to a network node controlling the cell to which the device is connected, wherein the first power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable transmit power and the first transmit power currently used by the device to transmit on the physical uplink shared channel using the first waveform, and the second power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable power using the second waveform and the second transmit power that the device would use to transmit on the physical uplink shared channel if the device were using the second waveform. Selecting whether to continue using the first waveform on the physical uplink shared channel or to switch to using the second waveform on the physical uplink shared channel, A non-transient computer-readable medium that stores a set of computer-readable instructions for executing a program. [Item 25] When executed by at least one processor, the device has at least, Selectively receiving information regarding the physical uplink channel direction using a first waveform or a second waveform, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform. Receiving first and second power headroom information from user equipment (UE) connected to a cell controlled by the device, wherein the first power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or maximum achievable transmit power and the first transmit power currently used by the UE to transmit on the physical uplink channel using the first waveform, and the second power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or maximum achievable power using the second waveform and the second transmit power that the UE would use to transmit on the physical uplink channel if the UE were using the second waveform. The choice is to continue using the first waveform on the physical uplink channel or to switch to using the second waveform on the physical uplink channel. A non-transient computer-readable medium that stores a set of computer-readable instructions for executing a program.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising at least one processing core and at least one memory containing computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are provided to the apparatus by the at least one processing core, Selectively transmitting information in the direction of a physical uplink shared channel using either a first waveform or a second waveform, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform. To provide first and second power headroom information to a network node controlling the cell to which the device is connected, wherein the first power headroom information discloses the amount of power between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable transmit power and the first transmit power currently used by the device to transmit on the physical uplink shared channel using the first waveform, and the second power headroom information discloses the amount of power between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable power using the second waveform and the second transmit power that the device would use to transmit on the physical uplink shared channel if the device were using the second waveform. The selection involves either continuing to use the first waveform on the physical uplink shared channel or switching to using the second waveform on the physical uplink shared channel, wherein the device is configured to perform the selection at least partially based on the first and second power headroom information without receiving an explicit command from the base station to select a particular waveform. A device configured to perform a certain action.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, configured to provide the first and second power headroom information separately in two different power headroom reports.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1, configured to provide the first and second power headroom information in a single power headroom report.

4. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the apparatus is configured to perform the selection at least in part on a command received from the base station in response to the provision of the first and second power headroom information.

5. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the apparatus is configured to provide the base station with the first and second power headroom information in response to the fulfillment of a trigger condition in the apparatus.

6. The trigger condition is, The set time has elapsed since the last provision of the first and second power headroom information. The path loss between the device and the base station has changed by more than a first threshold change amount. The device has changed the maximum power reduction value of the device, or The difference in transmission power between the first and second waveforms, The difference in power headroom between the first and second waveforms, or The difference between the first and second waveforms, the set maximum transmit power, If any of the following changes beyond the second threshold change amount, The apparatus according to claim 5, comprising one or more of the following conditions.

7. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the maximum allowable transmit power is the nominal maximum allowable transmit power of the apparatus in any setting, or the maximum allowable transmit power of the apparatus based on the user equipment power class of the apparatus.

8. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the maximum achievable transmit power is the maximum achievable transmit power of the apparatus in the settings used when the first and second power headroom information is provided to the base station.

9. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the apparatus is configured to provide the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable power using the second waveform and the second transmit power that the apparatus would use to transmit on the physical uplink shared channel when the apparatus uses the second waveform, expressed relative to the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or achievable transmit power and the first transmit power.

10. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the maximum allowable transmit power, the first transmit power, and the second transmit power are determined relative to a set reference transmit, which may differ from the transmit on the physical uplink shared channel, and the setting of the reference transmit includes at least one of a modulation scheme and the frequency position of a resource block.

11. An apparatus comprising at least one processing core and at least one memory containing computer program code, wherein the at least one memory and the computer program code are provided to the apparatus by the at least one processing core, Selectively receiving information regarding the physical uplink channel direction using a first waveform or a second waveform, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform. Receiving first and second power headroom information from user equipment (UE) connected to a cell controlled by the device, wherein the first power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or maximum achievable transmit power and the first transmit power currently used by the UE to transmit on the physical uplink channel using the first waveform, and the second power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or maximum achievable power using the second waveform and the second transmit power that the UE would use to transmit on the physical uplink channel if the UE were using the second waveform. The selection involves either continuing to use the first waveform on the physical uplink channel or switching to using the second waveform on the physical uplink channel, wherein the device is configured to perform the selection at least partially based on the first and second power headroom information without receiving an explicit command from the base station to select a particular waveform. A device configured to perform a certain action.

12. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first waveform is cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (CP-OFDM) and the second waveform is discrete Fourier transform spreading orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DFT-s-OFDM).

13. The device selectively transmits information in the direction of a physical uplink shared channel using either a first waveform or a second waveform, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform. To provide first and second power headroom information to a network node controlling the cell to which the device is connected, wherein the first power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or achievable transmit power and the first transmit power currently used by the device to transmit on the physical uplink shared channel using the first waveform, and the second power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable power using the second waveform and the second transmit power that the device would use to transmit on the physical uplink shared channel if the device were using the second waveform. The selection involves either continuing to use the first waveform on the physical uplink shared channel or switching to using the second waveform on the physical uplink shared channel, wherein the device is configured to perform the selection at least partially based on the first and second power headroom information without receiving an explicit command from the base station to select a particular waveform. Methods that include...

14. The device selectively receives information regarding the physical uplink channel direction using either a first or second waveform, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform. Receiving first and second power headroom information from user equipment (UE) connected to a cell controlled by the device, wherein the first power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or maximum achievable transmit power and the first transmit power currently used by the UE to transmit on the physical uplink channel using the first waveform, and the second power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or maximum achievable power using the second waveform and the second transmit power that the UE would use to transmit on the physical uplink channel if the UE were using the second waveform. The selection involves either continuing to use the first waveform on the physical uplink channel or switching to using the second waveform on the physical uplink channel, wherein the device is configured to perform the selection at least partially based on the first and second power headroom information without receiving an explicit command from the base station to select a particular waveform. Methods that include...

15. When executed by at least one processor, the device has at least, Selectively transmitting information in the direction of a physical uplink shared channel using either a first waveform or a second waveform, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform. To provide a network node controlling the cell to which the device is connected with first and second power headroom information, wherein the first power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable transmit power and the first transmit power currently used by the device to transmit on the physical uplink shared channel using the first waveform, and the second power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or the maximum achievable power using the second waveform and the second transmit power that the device would use to transmit on the physical uplink shared channel if the device were using the second waveform. The selection involves either continuing to use the first waveform on the physical uplink shared channel or switching to using the second waveform on the physical uplink shared channel, wherein the device is configured to perform the selection at least partially based on the first and second power headroom information without receiving an explicit command from the base station to select a particular waveform. A non-transient computer-readable medium that stores a set of computer-readable instructions that execute a certain command.

16. When executed by at least one processor, the device has at least, Selectively receiving information regarding the physical uplink channel direction using a first waveform or a second waveform, wherein the second waveform has a lower peak-to-average power ratio than the first waveform. Receiving first and second power headroom information from user equipment (UE) connected to a cell controlled by the device, wherein the first power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or maximum achievable transmit power and the first transmit power currently used by the UE to transmit on the physical uplink channel using the first waveform, and the second power headroom information discloses the amount of energy between the maximum allowable transmit power or maximum achievable power using the second waveform and the second transmit power that the UE would use to transmit on the physical uplink channel if the UE were using the second waveform. The selection involves either continuing to use the first waveform on the physical uplink channel or switching to using the second waveform on the physical uplink channel, wherein the device is configured to perform the selection at least partially based on the first and second power headroom information without receiving an explicit command from the base station to select a particular waveform. A non-transient computer-readable medium that stores a set of computer-readable instructions for executing a program.

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