Channel formats with flexible duration in wireless communications

Abstract

Aspects of the present specification describe determining a channel format for transmitting uplink communications in a slot, wherein the channel format is selected from multiple channel formats based at least partially on the payload size of the uplink communications; determining a start symbol and an end symbol of the uplink channel duration of the slot for transmitting uplink communications; determining a portion of the channel format to be used for transmitting uplink communications in the slot based at least partially on the start symbol and the end symbol; and transmitting uplink communications in the slot, wherein transmitting the uplink communications is based on the portion of the channel format.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] Cross-reference in related applications

[0002] This patent application claims priority to U.S. Regular Application No. 15 / 969,477, filed May 2, 2018, with the title of invention "CHANNEL FORMATS WITH FLEXIBLE DURATION IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS", and U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 502,421, filed May 5, 2017, with the title of invention "CHANNEL FORMATS WITH FLEXIBLE DURATION IN WIRELESS COMMUNICATIONS", which are assigned to the assignee of this application and are hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

[0003] The embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication systems, and in particular, to providing channel formats having flexible durations. Background Technology

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, and broadcast. These systems may be multiple-access systems 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 Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) systems, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) systems, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) systems, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) systems, and Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) systems.

[0005] These multiple access technologies have been adopted in various telecommunications standards to provide common protocols that enable different wireless devices to communicate at local, national, regional, and even global levels. For example, fifth-generation (5G) wireless communication technology (which may be referred to as 5G new radio (5G NR)) is expected to extend and support various use scenarios and applications for current generations of mobile networks. In one embodiment, 5G communication technology may include services such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) addressing human-centric use cases for access to multimedia content, services, and data; ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) with specified specifications for latency and reliability; and large-scale machine-type communications capable of allowing the transmission of relatively low volumes of non-latency-sensitive information and a very large number of connected devices. However, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, further improvements in 5G communication technology and beyond may be desired.

[0006] Generally, in 5G, Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other wireless communications, a User Equipment (UE) may communicate with Node B over allocated channel resources that may include portions of frequency over time periods, such as multiple Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiplexing (SC-FDM) symbols, etc. In LTE, for example, the UE may be allocated channel resources in a subframe that may include two half-slots, each having a duration substantially of 1 millisecond and six or seven symbols. The two half-slots may be allocated to use different frequency resources for communications where inter-slot frequency hopping is configured. Additionally, LTE may use Code Division Multiplexing (CDM) to achieve additional diversity in communications, which may include using cyclic shifts, Walsh cover codes, pre-discrete Fourier transform (DFT) Walsh cover codes, etc., to generate communications for transmission over channel resources.

[0007] In 5G NR, time division duplexing (TDD) frame structures are proposed to have multiple slots, each slot typically containing multiple symbols including a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) portion of symbols and an uplink short burst (ULSB) portion of symbols, whereby the UE can transmit some control data in the ULSB portion. The slots can be aggregated to reduce PDCCH / ULSB occurrences. Additionally, in 5G NR, an uplink long burst may be configured, which may use between 4 and 14 consecutive symbols in the slot. means of solving the problem

[0008] The following presents a simplified overview of one or more modes to provide a basic understanding of these modes. This overview is not a comprehensive overview of all modes under consideration, nor is it intended to identify the core or decisive elements of all modes, or to describe the scope of any or all modes. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts of one or more modes in a simplified form as an introduction to the more detailed descriptions to be provided later.

[0009] According to one example, a method for wireless communication is provided. The method comprises the steps of: determining a channel format for transmitting uplink communications in a slot, wherein the channel format is selected from multiple channel formats based at least partially on the payload size of the uplink communications; determining a start symbol and an end symbol of the uplink channel duration of the slot for transmitting uplink communications; determining a portion of the channel format to be used for transmitting uplink communications in the slot based at least partially on the start symbol and the end symbol; and transmitting uplink communications in the slot, wherein the step of transmitting uplink communications is based on the portion of the channel format.

[0010] In another example, a device for wireless communication is provided. The device includes a transceiver for communicating one or more wireless signals through at least a transmitter and one or more antennas, a memory configured to store commands, and one or more processors coupled to communicate with the transceiver and the memory. The one or more processors determine a channel format for transmitting uplink communications in a slot, wherein the channel format is selected from multiple channel formats based at least partially on the payload size of the uplink communications; determine a start symbol and an end symbol of the uplink channel duration of the slot for transmitting uplink communications; determine a portion of the channel format to be used for transmitting uplink communications in the slot based at least partially on the start symbol and the end symbol; and transmit uplink communications in the slot, wherein transmitting uplink communications is configured to transmit said uplink communications based on the portion of the channel format.

[0011] In another example, a device for wireless communication is provided, the device comprises means for determining a channel format for transmitting uplink communications in a slot, said channel format being selected from multiple channel formats based at least partially on the payload size of the uplink communications; means for determining a start symbol and an end symbol of an uplink channel duration of a slot for transmitting uplink communications; means for determining a portion of a channel format to be used for transmitting uplink communications in a slot based at least partially on the start symbol and the end symbol; and means for transmitting uplink communications in a slot, said uplink communications being transmitted based on a portion of the channel format.

[0012] In another example, a computer-readable medium is provided comprising code executable by one or more processors for wireless communication. The code comprises: a code for determining a channel format for transmitting uplink communications in a slot, wherein the channel format is selected from multiple channel formats based at least partially on the payload size of the uplink communications; a code for determining a start symbol and an end symbol of an uplink channel duration in a slot for transmitting uplink communications; a code for determining a portion of the channel format to be used for transmitting uplink communications in a slot based at least partially on the start symbol and the end symbol; and a code for transmitting uplink communications in a slot, wherein transmitting the uplink communications is based on a portion of the channel format.

[0013] In another example, a method for wireless communication is provided. The method comprises the steps of: marking a start symbol and an end symbol for an uplink channel duration; determining a channel format for receiving communications through an uplink channel during an uplink channel duration in a slot, wherein the channel format is one of multiple channel formats and is based on at least a payload size; and receiving uplink communications through an uplink channel and according to the channel format during an uplink channel duration.

[0014] In another example, a device for wireless communication is provided, the device comprises a transceiver for communicating one or more wireless signals through at least a transmitter and one or more antennas, a memory configured to store commands, and one or more processors coupled to communicate with the transceiver and the memory. The one or more processors are configured to indicate a start symbol and an end symbol of an uplink channel duration, determine a channel format for receiving communications through an uplink channel during an uplink channel duration in a slot, said channel format being one of multiple channel formats and based on at least a payload size, and to receive uplink communications through an uplink channel and according to the channel format during an uplink channel duration.

[0015] In another example, a device for wireless communication is provided, the device comprises means for indicating a start symbol and an end symbol of an uplink channel duration, means for determining a channel format for receiving communications through an uplink channel during an uplink channel duration in a slot, wherein the channel format is one of multiple channel formats and is based at least on a payload size, and means for receiving uplink communications through an uplink channel and according to the channel format during an uplink channel duration.

[0016] In another example, a computer-readable medium is provided comprising code executable by one or more processors for wireless communication. The code comprises: a code for indicating a start symbol and an end symbol for an uplink channel duration; a code for determining a channel format for receiving communications through an uplink channel during an uplink channel duration in a slot, wherein the channel format is one of multiple channel formats and is based at least on a payload size; and a code for receiving uplink communications through an uplink channel and according to the channel format during an uplink channel duration.

[0017] To achieve the aforementioned purpose and related purposes, one or more embodiments include features that are sufficiently described below and specifically stated in the claims. The following description and the accompanying drawings provide details of certain exemplary features of one or more embodiments. However, these features represent only some of the various ways in which the principles of the various embodiments may be employed, and this description is intended to include all such embodiments and their equivalents. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0018] The disclosed embodiments will be described below together with the attached drawings, which are provided to illustrate the disclosed embodiments without limiting them, and like names indicate like elements. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a base station according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a UE according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for transmitting uplink communications according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a method for configuring uplink communications according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 illustrates examples of channel formats according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. FIGS. 7a and 7b illustrate examples of slot configurations according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 illustrates examples of selected portions of a channel format according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a MIMO communication system including a base station and a UE according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0019] Various embodiments are now described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, a number of specific details are presented to provide a thorough understanding of one or more embodiments. However, it may be evident that these embodiments(s) could be practiced without these specific details.

[0020] The described features generally relate to providing flexible channel designs for use with various channel durations in wireless communications. For example, in wireless communication technologies such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio (NR), etc., wireless communications may be scheduled over parts of the frequency spectrum over time or otherwise occur. Parts of the frequency spectrum over time may be defined using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiplexing (SC-FDM) symbols, etc., and may be grouped into collections of symbols that define slots. For example, a slot may include 14 symbols (e.g., where the symbols are associated with a normal cyclic prefix (CP)), 12 symbols (e.g., where the symbols are associated with an extended CP), etc., depending on the configuration of the wireless communication technology. Furthermore, for example, a slot may have a duration of approximately 1 millisecond (ms), and each symbol may have substantially the same duration within the slot (e.g., 1 / 14 or 1 / 12 ms, depending on the configuration). Additionally, for example, wireless communication technology may define a transmit time interval (TTI), and the TTI includes one or more symbols within the slot (e.g., 1-symbol TTI, 2-symbol TTI, etc.), the entire slot (e.g., 1-symbol TTI), etc.

[0021] In these examples, multi-slot structures having different configurations of uplink and downlink symbols within a given slot may be defined; thus, the number and / or arrangement of uplink symbols within a given slot may vary based on the configuration. Accordingly, the examples described herein relate to providing channel designs having flexible durations and / or corresponding to certain channel formats. In one example, multiple available channel formats may be defined for different payload sizes of data to be transmitted through the corresponding channel(s), and at least a portion of one of the channel formats may be determined for use by the device in performing wireless communications. For example, a channel format may be selected based on the payload size, and a portion of one of the channel formats may be determined based on an allocated channel duration. In one example, channel formats may be defined by a fixed demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) pattern for transmitting a DM-RS according to a given channel format and / or such that a selected portion of one of the channel formats may include at least one DM-RS. Additionally, for example, channel formats may be defined to include at least one supported frequency hopping position for frequency hopping across slots or other time divisions defined by the wireless communication technology (e.g., intra-slot hopping is enabled). In one example, the DM-RS pattern may differ per half-slot for the channel format based on whether intra-slot hopping is enabled. In one example, the DM-RS pattern may be the same per half-slot for the format regardless of whether intra-slot hopping is enabled. Additionally, for example, the device may determine the channel format based at least partially on a determined Doppler mode.Furthermore, for example, the user multiplexing scheme, diffusion factor, and / or orthogonal cover set to be used (e.g., in Code Division Multiplexing (CDM)) may be determined based on the channel format. In any case, in these examples, a flexible channel design may be provided for wireless communications having dynamic channel durations.

[0022] The described features will be presented in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 1 through 9.

[0023] As used in this application, the terms “component,” “module,” “system,” etc. are intended to include computer-related entities such as hardware, firmware, a combination of hardware and software, software, or running software, but not limited thereto. For example, a component may be, but is not limited to, a process running on a processor, a processor, an object, an executable, a thread of execution, a program, and / or a computer. As an example, both an application running on a computing device and the computing device itself may be components. One or more components may reside within a process and / or a thread of execution, and components may be localized on a single computer and / or distributed among two or more components. Additionally, these components may be executed from various computer-readable media storing various data structures. Components may communicate data from one component interacting with other components, such as in a local system or a distributed system, and / or with other systems via a network such as the Internet, by local and / or remote processes, for example, according to signals having one or more data packets.

[0024] The techniques described herein may be used for various wireless communication systems, such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA, and other systems. The terms "system" and "network" may often be used interchangeably. CDMA systems may implement wireless technologies such as CDMA2000, UTRA (Universal Terrestrial Radio Access), etc. CDMA2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95, and IS-856 standards. IS-2000 releases 0 and A are collectively referred to as CDMA2000 1X, 1X, etc. IS-856 (TIA-856) is collectively referred to as CDMA2000 1xEV-DO, HRPD (High Rate Packet Data), etc. UTRA includes Broadband CDMA (WCDMA) and other variations of CDMA. TDMA systems may implement wireless technologies such as GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications). OFDMA systems include UMB (Ultra Mobile Broadband), E-UTRA (Evolved UTRA), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, and Flash-OFDM TMWireless technologies such as the above may also be implemented. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) are new releases of UMTS that use E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, and GSM are described in literature from the organization named "Third Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP). CDMA2000 and UMB are described in literature from the organization named "Third Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). The techniques described herein may be used for other systems and wireless technologies, including cellular (e.g., LTE) communications over shared radio frequency spectrum bands, as well as the systems and wireless technologies mentioned above. However, the following description describes LTE / LTE-A systems for the purposes of examples and uses LTE terminology in most of the following description, but the techniques are applicable beyond LTE / LTE-A applications (e.g., 5G networks or other next-generation communication systems).

[0025] The following description provides examples and does not limit the scope, applicability, or examples set forth in the claims. Variations in the function and arrangement of the elements discussed may be made without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Various examples may appropriately omit, substitute, or add various procedures or components. For example, the described methods may be performed in a different order than described, and various steps may be added, omitted, or combined. Additionally, features described for some examples may be combined in other examples.

[0026] Various modes or features will be presented in terms of systems that may include multiple devices, components, modules, etc. It should be understood and recognized that various systems may include additional devices, components, modules, etc., and / or may not include all of the devices, components, modules, etc. discussed in relation to the drawings. A combination of these approaches may also be used.

[0027] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless communication system (100) according to various embodiments 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). The core network (130) may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The base stations (105) may interface with the core network (130) through backhaul links (132) (e.g., S1, etc.). The base stations (105) may perform wireless configuration and scheduling for communication with the UEs (115), or may operate under the control of a base station controller (not shown). In various examples, base stations (105) may communicate directly or indirectly with each other (e.g., through a core network (130)) via backhaul links (134) (e.g., X2, etc.) which may be wired or wireless communication links.

[0028] Base stations (105) may communicate wirelessly with UEs (115) through one or more base station antennas. Each of the base stations (105) may provide communication coverage for an individual geographic coverage area (110). In some examples, the base stations (105) may be referred to as a network entity, base transceiver station, wireless base station, access point, wireless transceiver, NodeB, eNodeB (eNB), home NodeB, home eNodeB, or some other suitable term. The geographic coverage area (110) for the base station (105) may be divided into sectors that constitute only a portion of the coverage area (not shown). The wireless communication system (100) may include different types of base stations (105) (e.g., macro or small cell base stations). There may be overlapping geographic coverage areas (110) for different technologies.

[0029] In some examples, the wireless communication system (100) may be or include a Long Term Evolution (LTE) or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network. The wireless communication system (100) may also be a next-generation network, such as a 5G wireless communication network. In LTE / LTE-A networks, terms such as evolved node B (eNB), gNB, etc. may generally be used to describe base stations (105), while the term UE may generally be used to describe UEs (115). The wireless communication system (100) may be a heterogeneous LTE / LTE-A network in which different types of eNBs provide coverage for various geographical areas. For example, each eNB or base station (105) may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a small cell, or other types of cells. The term "cell" is a 3GPP term that, depending on the context, may be used to describe a base station, a carrier or component carrier associated with the base station, or a coverage area of ​​a carrier or base station (e.g., a sector, etc.).

[0030] A macro cell may cover a relatively large geographical area (e.g., a radius of several kilometers) and may allow unlimited access by UEs (115) with service subscriptions to the network provider.

[0031] Small cells may include low-power base stations that may operate in frequency bands that are the same or different (e.g., licensed, unlicensed, etc.) as those of macro cells, compared to macro cells. Small cells may include pico cells, femto cells, and micro cells depending on various examples. Pico cells may, for example, cover a small geographical area and may allow unlimited access by UEs (115) with service subscriptions to a network provider. Femto cells may also cover a small geographical area (e.g., home) and may provide limited access by UEs (115) associated with the femto cell (e.g., UEs (115) within a CSG (Closed Subscriber Group), UEs (115) for users within a home, etc.). An eNB for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro eNB, gNB, etc. An eNB for small cells may also be referred to as a small cell eNB, pico eNB, femto eNB, or home eNB. An eNB may support one or multiple (e.g., 2, 3, 4, etc.) cells (e.g., component carriers).

[0032] Communication networks that may accommodate some of the various disclosed examples may be packet-based networks operating according to a layered protocol stack, and data in the user plane may be based on IP. The Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer may provide header compression, encryption, and integrity protection for IP packets. The Wireless Link Control (RLC) layer may communicate through logical channels by performing packet segmentation and reassembly. The MAC layer may perform priority handling and multiplexing of logical channels into transport channels. The MAC layer may also improve link efficiency by providing retransmission at the MAC layer using HARQ. In the control plane, the Wireless Resource Control (RRC) protocol layer may provide the establishment, configuration, and maintenance of RRC connections between base stations (105) and UEs (115). The RRC protocol layer may also be used to support the core network (130) of wireless bearers for user plane data. In the physical (PHY) layer, transport channels may be mapped to physical channels.

[0033] UEs (115) may be scattered throughout the wireless communication system (100), and each UE (115) may be stationary or mobile. UEs (115) may also include or be referred to by mobile stations, subscriber stations, mobile units, subscriber units, wireless units, remote units, mobile devices, wireless devices, wireless communication devices, remote devices, mobile subscriber stations, access terminals, mobile terminals, wireless terminals, remote terminals, handsets, user agents, mobile clients, clients, or some other suitable terms. UEs (115) may be cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless modems, wireless communication devices, handheld devices, tablet computers, laptop computers, cordless phones, wireless local loop (WLL) stations, entertainment devices, vehicle components, etc. UEs may be able to communicate with various types of base stations and network equipment, including macro eNBs, small cell eNBs, repeater base stations, etc.

[0034] The communication links (125) illustrated in the wireless communication system (100) may carry uplink (UL) transmissions from the UE (115) to the base station (105), or downlink (DL) transmissions from the base station (105) to the UE (115). Downlink transmissions may also be referred to as forward link transmissions, while uplink transmissions may also be referred to as reverse link transmissions. Each communication link (125) may include one or more carriers, wherein each carrier may be a signal composed of multiple sub-carriers (e.g., waveform signals of different frequencies) modulated according to the various wireless technologies described above. Each modulated signal may be transmitted over a different sub-carrier and may carry control information (e.g., reference signals, control channels, etc.), overhead information, user data, etc. Communication links (125) may transmit bidirectional communications using frequency division duplex (FDD) (e.g., using paired spectrum resources) or time division duplex (TDD) (e.g., using unpaired spectrum resources). Frame structures may be defined for FDD (e.g., frame structure type 1) and TDD (e.g., frame structure type 2).

[0035] In embodiments of the wireless communication system (100), base stations (105) or UEs (105) may include multiple antennas to employ antenna diversity schemes to improve communication quality and reliability between base stations (105) and UEs (115). Additionally or alternatively, base stations (105) or UEs (115) may employ multiple input multiple output (MIMO) techniques that utilize multi-path environments to transmit multiple spatial layers carrying the same or different coded data.

[0036] The wireless communication system (100) may support operations for multiple cells or carriers, and such feature may be referred to as Carrier Aggregation (CA) or multi-carrier operation. Carriers may also be referred to as component carriers (CC), layers, channels, etc. The terms "carrier," "component carrier," "cell," and "channel" may be used interchangeably in this specification. The UE (115) may be composed of multiple downlink CCs and one or more uplink CCs for carrier aggregation. Carrier aggregation may be used for both FDD and TDD component carriers.

[0037] In one example, the base station (105) may include a scheduling component (240) for scheduling resources to one or more UEs (115) to facilitate wireless communications with the UE (115), and the UE (115) may include a communication component (340) for receiving resource scheduling and communicating with the base station (105) through the resources accordingly. For example, the scheduling component (240) may be configured to allocate uplink channel durations to the UE (115) to transmit uplink communications in one or more slots, wherein the slots may include a consecutive number of symbols (e.g., 14 symbols) which may include Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiplexing (SC-FDM) symbols, etc. Additionally, the scheduling component (240) and / or the communication component (340) may select one of multiple possible uplink channel formats for transmitting uplink communications during the channel duration, at least in part, based on the payload size of the uplink communications. In any case, the communication component (340) may select a portion of the channel format to use for transmitting uplink communications during the allocated channel duration, and accordingly, transmit uplink communications to the base station (105) at least in part based on the selected portion of the channel format.

[0038] Now, returning to FIGS. 2 through 9, embodiments are described with reference to one or more components and one or more methods capable of performing the actions or operations described herein, wherein the embodiments indicated by dashed lines may be optional. In FIGS. 4 and 5, the operations described below are presented as being performed in a specific order and / or by exemplary components, but it should be understood that the ordering of the actions and the components performing those actions may vary depending on the implementation. Furthermore, it should be understood that the following actions, functions, and / or described components may be performed by a specially programmed processor, specially programmed software, or a processor executing computer-readable media, or by any other combination of software components and / or hardware components capable of performing the described actions or functions.

[0039] Referring to FIG. 2, a block diagram (200) comprising a portion of a wireless communication system having multiple UEs (115) communicating with a base station (105) via communication links (125), wherein the base station (105) is also coupled to a network (210) for communication. The UEs (115) may be examples of the UEs described in the present disclosure configured to transmit uplink communications according to a portion of a selected channel format based at least partially on an allocated uplink channel duration. Furthermore, the base station (105) may be an example of the base stations described in the present disclosure (e.g., eNB, gNB, etc.) configured to allocate uplink channel durations to UEs to be utilized in transmitting uplink communications based on a channel format.

[0040] In one embodiment, the base station of FIG. 2 may include one or more processors (205) and / or memory (202) that may operate in combination with a scheduling component (240) to perform functions, methodologies (e.g., method (500) of FIG. 5), or other methods presented in the present disclosure, which may include scheduling communication resources for one or more UEs (115). According to the present disclosure, the scheduling component (240) may include a channel duration component (242) for allocating an uplink channel duration to one or more UEs (115), and an optional channel format component (244) for indicating one or more parameters related to an uplink channel format to the UE (115) and / or receiving an indication of an uplink channel selected from the UE (115) based on the payload size of the uplink communications.

[0041] One or more processors (205) may include a modem (220) using one or more modem processors. Various functions related to the scheduling component (240) and / or its sub-components may be included in the modem (220) and / or processor (205), and in one embodiment, may be executed by a single processor, while in other embodiments, different functions may be executed by a combination of two or more different processors. For example, in one embodiment, one or more processors (205) may include a modem processor, or a baseband processor, or a digital signal processor, or a transmission processor, or a transceiver processor associated with a transceiver (270), or any one or any combination of a system-on-chip (SoC). In particular, one or more processors (205) may execute functions and components included in the scheduling component (240).

[0042] In some examples, each of the scheduling component (240) and sub-components may include hardware, firmware, and / or software, and may be configured to execute code stored in memory (e.g., a computer-readable storage medium such as memory (202) discussed below) or to perform commands. Furthermore, in one embodiment, the base station (105) of FIG. 2 may include a transceiver (270) and a radio frequency (RF) front end (290) for receiving and transmitting radio transmissions to UEs (115), for example. The transceiver (270) may coordinate with a modem (220) to receive signals for the scheduling component (240) and to transmit signals generated by the scheduling component (240) to the UEs (115). The RF front end (290) may be communicably coupled with one or more antennas (273) and may include one or more switches (292), one or more amplifiers (e.g., power amplifiers (PAs) (294) and / or low-noise amplifiers (291)), and one or more filters (293) for transmitting and receiving RF signals on uplink channels and downlink channels. In one embodiment, the components of the RF front end (290) may be communicably coupled with a transceiver (270). The transceiver (270) may be communicably coupled with one or more of a modem (220) and processors (205).

[0043] The transceiver (270) may be configured to transmit radio signals (e.g., through a transmitter (TX) radio device (275)) and receive them (e.g., through a receiver (RX) radio device (280)) via antennas (273) through an RF front end (290). In one embodiment, the transceiver (270) may be tuned to operate at specific frequencies so that the base station (105) can communicate with, for example, UEs (115). In one embodiment, for example, the modem (220) may configure the transceiver (270) to operate at specific frequencies and power levels based on the configuration of the base station (105) and the communication protocol used by the modem (220).

[0044] The base station (105) of FIG. 2 may further include memory (202) for storing local versions of one or more of the scheduling components (240) and / or their sub-components or applications, such as data used herein and / or executed by the processor (205). The memory (202) may include any type of computer-readable medium available to the computer or processor (205), such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), tapes, magnetic disks, optical disks, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and any combination thereof. In one embodiment, for example, the memory (202) may be a computer-readable storage medium storing one or more computer-executable codes defining one or more of the scheduling components (240) and / or their sub-components. Additionally or alternatively, the base station (105) may include a bus (211) for communicatingly coupling one or more of an RF front end (290), a transceiver (274), a memory (202), or a processor (205), and for exchanging signaling information between each of the components and / or sub-components of the base station (105).

[0045] In one embodiment, the processor(s) (205) may correspond to one or more of the processors described in relation to the base station of FIG. 9. Similarly, the memory (202) may correspond to the memory described in relation to the base station of FIG. 9.

[0046] Referring to FIG. 3, a block diagram (300) comprising a portion of a wireless communication system having multiple UEs (115) communicating with a base station (105) via communication links (125), wherein the base station (105) is also coupled to a network (210) for communication. The UEs (115) may be examples of the UEs described in the present disclosure configured to transmit uplink communications according to a portion of a selected channel format based at least partially on an allocated uplink channel duration. Furthermore, the base station (105) may be an example of the base stations described in the present disclosure (e.g., eNB, gNB, etc.) configured to allocate uplink channel durations to UEs to be utilized in transmitting uplink communications based on a channel format.

[0047] In one embodiment, the UE (115) of FIG. 3 may include one or more processors (305) and / or memory (302) that may operate in combination with a communication component (340) to perform functions, methodologies (e.g., method (400) of FIG. 4), or other methods presented in the present disclosure. According to the present disclosure, the communication component (340) may include a channel format component (342) for determining a channel format for transmitting uplink communications, said channel format component (342), said channel format component (342), said channel format,

[0048] One or more processors (305) may include a modem (320) using one or more modem processors. Various functions related to the communication component (340) and / or its sub-components may be included in the modem (320) and / or processor (305), and in one embodiment, may be executed by a single processor, while in other embodiments, different functions may be executed by a combination of two or more different processors. For example, in one embodiment, one or more processors (305) may include a modem processor, or a baseband processor, or a digital signal processor, or a transmission processor, or a transceiver processor associated with a transceiver (370), or any one or any combination of a system-on-chip (SoC). In particular, one or more processors (305) may execute functions and components included in the communication component (340).

[0049] In some examples, each of the communication component (340) and sub-components may include hardware, firmware, and / or software, and may be configured to execute code stored in memory (e.g., a computer-readable storage medium such as memory (302) discussed below) or to perform commands. Furthermore, in one embodiment, the UE (115) of FIG. 3 may include a transceiver (370) and an RF front end (390) for receiving and transmitting wireless transmissions to base stations (105), for example. The transceiver (370) may coordinate with a modem (320) to receive signals including packets as received by the communication component (340). The RF front end (390) may be communicably coupled with one or more antennas (373) and may include one or more switches (392), one or more amplifiers (e.g., PAs (394) and / or LANs (391)), and one or more filters (393) for transmitting and receiving RF signals on uplink channels and downlink channels. In one embodiment, the components of the RF front end (390) may be communicably coupled with a transceiver (370). The transceiver (370) may be communicably coupled with one or more of a modem (320) and processors (305).

[0050] The transceiver (370) may be configured to transmit radio signals (e.g., through a transmitter (TX) radio device (375)) and receive them (e.g., through a receiver (RX) radio device (380)) via antennas (373) through an RF front end (390). In one embodiment, the transceiver (370) may be tuned to operate at specific frequencies so that the UE (115) can communicate with, for example, base stations (105). In one embodiment, for example, the modem (320) may configure the transceiver (370) to operate at specific frequencies and power levels based on the configuration of the UE (115) and the communication protocol used by the modem (320).

[0051] The UE (115) of FIG. 3 may further include memory (302) for storing local versions of one or more of the communication components (340) and / or their sub-components or applications, for example, as used herein and / or executed by the processor (305). The memory (302) may include any type of computer-readable medium available to the computer or processor (305), such as RAM, ROM, tapes, magnetic disks, optical disks, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and any combination thereof. In one embodiment, for example, the memory (302) may be a computer-readable storage medium for storing one or more computer-executable codes defining one or more of the communication components (340) and / or their sub-components. Additionally or alternatively, the UE (115) may include a bus (311) for communicatingly coupling one or more of the RF front end (390), transceiver (374), memory (302), or processor (305) and exchanging signaling information between each of the components and / or sub-components of the UE (115).

[0052] In one embodiment, the processor(s) (305) may correspond to one or more of the processors described in relation to the UE of FIG. 9. Similarly, the memory (302) may correspond to the memory described in relation to the UE of FIG. 9.

[0053] FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of an example of a method (400) for transmitting uplink communications (e.g., by a UE) over an uplink channel duration based on a selected uplink channel format. In method (400), blocks indicated by dashed boxes may represent optional steps.

[0054] In method (400), in block (402), a channel format for transmitting uplink communications in a slot may be determined, wherein the channel format is based at least on the payload size. In one embodiment, a channel format component (342) may determine a channel format for transmitting uplink communications in a slot, for example, together with a processor(s) (305), memory (302), transceiver (370) and / or communication component (340), wherein the channel format is based at least on the payload size of the uplink communications. For example, the channel format component (342) may determine an uplink channel format for transmitting uplink communications, wherein the uplink channel format may be one of multiple possible channel formats. In one example, multi-channel formats may be defined for corresponding payload sizes and / or other channel conditions (e.g., Doppler mode) and may each include a fixed pattern of DM-RS symbols, a hopping position (e.g., at a symbol boundary) for performing frequency hopping when configured, one or more fixed or flexible multiplexing schemes, etc. Thus, for example, given the payload size of uplink communications, a channel format may be selected to accommodate the uplink communications.

[0055] In one example, channel formats and / or parameters for determining which channel format to use (based on payload size) may be configured in the UE (115) by the base station (105) (e.g., using RRC or other higher-layer signaling, dedicated control information for the UE (115), broadcast signals from the base station (105), etc. Thus, in one example, the UE (115) may receive configurations related to channel formats from the base station (105). In another example, parameters related to channel formats may otherwise be configured in the memory (302) of the UE (115). Examples of channel formats (600, 602, 604) are illustrated in FIG. 6.

[0056] For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the channel format (600) may support a small payload size such as less than x bits (e.g., x = 2) and / or the same, where the payload is for uplink control data. The channel format (600) may include a DM-RS pattern of multiplexed data symbols and alternating DM-RS symbols in the time domain, which may include enough symbols to transmit a small payload within at least one slot. In one example, the channel format (600) may designate a start symbol for DM-RS. For example, different DM-RS patterns may exist based on whether frequency hopping within the slot is configured. For example, if frequency hopping is configured, the channel format (600) may include a half slot (610) associated with a first frequency and another half slot (612) associated with a second frequency. Each half slot (610, 612) may have a DM-RS pattern of data symbols and alternating DM-RS symbols, which may result in 3 DM-RS symbols per half slot. In another example, if in-slot frequency hopping is not configured, the channel format (600) may be specified over slot (614) with a DM-RS pattern having data symbols and alternating DM-RS symbols, which may result in 7 DM-RS symbols per slot. In another example, if in-slot frequency hopping is not configured, the channel format (600) may be specified over slot (614) with the same DM-RS pattern per half slot as slot (610) with in-slot hopping, which may result in 6 DM-RS symbols per slot. In another example, the DM-RS pattern may be relatively fixed during the PUCCH duration.For example, the DM-RS pattern of data symbols and alternating DM-RS symbols may be used such that the first symbol is always DM-RS during the PUCCH duration. In this case, the DM-RS symbol indices are not fixed in the slot. For example, if the PUCCH duration spans from symbol 2 to symbol 10, the DM-RS symbols may be symbols 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10. In another example, if the PUCCH duration spans from symbol 3 to symbol 10, the DM-RS symbols may be symbols 3, 5, 7, and 9. Alternatively, the DM-RS pattern of data symbols and alternating DM-RS symbols may be used such that the first symbol is always a data symbol during the PUCCH duration. In one example, the channel format may be based on whether frequency hopping is enabled (e.g., and each slot may start with a DM-RS symbol as described in the channel format (600)). In other examples, the channel format may not be based on whether frequency hopping is enabled (e.g., DM-RS symbols for the same PUCCH duration may be the same regardless of whether frequency hopping is enabled). Additionally, for example, the channel format (600) may be associated with per-symbol multiplexing using Chu sequences, computer-generated sequences (CGS), etc., with different cyclic shifts. In any case, for example, the channel format component (342) may decide to use the channel format (600) or a similar channel format based on determining that the payload size of the uplink communications is small (e.g., less than 2 bits (and / or equivalent)).

[0057] Furthermore, in one example, the channel format (600) may be associated with flexible multi-symbol multiplexing with different orthogonal covers so that one or more parameters related to performing CDM of uplink communications may be implicitly derived based on the uplink channel duration, as further described herein. In one example, one or more parameters may include diffusion factors, sets of orthogonal covers, etc. For example, when slot hopping is configured and for a channel duration of 14 symbols, the UE (115) may use DFT3 for multiplexing DM-RS symbols and Hadamard 4 code for multiplexing data symbols. In another example, when slot hopping is configured and for a channel duration of 1 to 5 symbols, Hadamard 2 may be used for multiplexing DM-RS symbols and DFT3 may be used for multiplexing data symbols. In other examples, when slot-in-slot hopping is configured and during channel durations of 6 to 10 symbols, spreading may not be configured. In one example, the base station (105) may schedule UEs (115) to ensure that UEs scheduled for different uplink channel durations do not overlap (since UEs may use different CDM parameters transmitted in the same symbol), provided that only FDM is not used in scheduling the UEs (115). In other examples, multi-symbol multiplexing may be enabled for some channel durations (e.g., when spanning the first or second half-slots or both half-slots) and disabled for other channel durations. In other examples, multi-symbol multiplexing may have fixed CDM group boundaries, for example, DM-RS spread starts at a symbol index that is a multiple of 4, or data symbol spread starts at a symbol index that is a multiple of 4 plus 1.

[0058] In another example, the channel format (602) may support an intermediate payload size, such as between x and y bits (e.g., y = 22). The channel format (602) may include a DM-RS pattern having three or four symbols. For example, different DM-RS patterns may exist based on whether frequency hopping within the slot is configured. For example, if frequency hopping is configured, the channel format (602) may include a half slot (620) associated with a first frequency and another half slot (622) associated with a second frequency. Each half slot (620, 622) may have a fixed DM-RS pattern of the remaining symbols as data symbols and two DM-RS symbols (e.g., symbols 4, 6 in half slot (620) and symbols 9, 12 (or 11) in half slot (622). In another example, where in-slot frequency hopping is not configured, the channel format (602) may be specified over the slot (624) as a fixed DM-RS pattern having the remaining symbols as data symbols and three or four DM-RS symbols (e.g., symbols 4, 7 (or 8), 12 (or 11) for three DM-RS symbols, symbols 4, 6, 9, 12 (or 11) for four DM-RS symbols, etc.). Although specific symbols are shown as being used for DM-RS, other symbols may, of course, be used to achieve the desired channel estimation performance. Additionally, for example, the channel format (602) may be associated with per-symbol multiplexing using Chu sequences, computer-generated sequences (CGS), etc., having different cyclic shifts, pre-DFT diffusion, etc. The diffusion factor may be configurable. In one example, a diffusion factor of 1 may be used to disable multiplexing per symbol (or may be the same).

[0059] In another example, the channel format (604) may support a large payload size, such as exceeding y bits. The channel format (604) may include a DM-RS pattern having one or two symbols. For example, different DM-RS patterns may exist based on whether frequency hopping within the slot is configured. For example, if frequency hopping is configured, the channel format (604) may include a half slot (630) associated with a first frequency and another half slot (632) associated with a second frequency. Each half slot (630, 632) may have a fixed DM-RS pattern of the remaining symbols as data symbols and one DM-RS symbol (e.g., symbol 4 or 5 in half slot (630), and symbol 11 or 12 in half slot (632). In another example, where in-slot frequency hopping is not configured, the channel format (602) may be specified over the slot (634) as a fixed DM-RS pattern having the remaining symbols as data symbols and one or two DM-RS symbols (e.g., symbol 7 or 8 for one DM-RS symbol, symbols 4 (or 5), 11 (or 12), etc. for two DM-RS symbols). Additionally, for example, the channel format (604) may be associated with per-symbol multiplexing using pre-DFT diffusion, etc. The diffusion factor may be configurable. In one example, a diffusion factor of 1 may be used to disable per-symbol multiplexing (or may be the same).

[0060] Accordingly, in the examples provided above, the channel format component (342) may decide to use one of the channel formats (600, 602, 604), wherein the channel format is selected based on the payload size of the uplink communications to be transmitted to the base station (105). In one example, the channel format component (342) may select a channel format (600) with a payload size of less than x bits, a channel format (602) with a payload size between x and y bits, or a channel format (604) with a payload size greater than y bits. In another example, the base station (105) may select a channel format based on an indicated payload size received from the UE (115) (e.g., a buffer status report or other indication of uplink data to be transmitted), and the base station (105) may transmit an indication of the selected channel format to the UE (115) (e.g., in a higher layer signaling such as dedicated downlink control signaling, RRC layer signaling, etc.).

[0061] In one example, determining the channel format in block (402) is optional and may include determining whether in-slot frequency hopping is configured in block (404). In one embodiment, the channel format component (342) may determine whether in-slot frequency hopping is configured, for example, together with the processor(s) (305), memory (302), transceiver (370) and / or communication component (340). For example, the base station (105) may configure in-slot frequency hopping for the UE (115) (for example, by transmitting upper-layer signaling, such as dedicated downlink control signaling, radio resource control (RRC) layer signaling, etc., indicating that frequency hopping is enabled). In this example, the channel format component (342) may receive an indication from the base station (105). In any case, for example, the channel format component (342) may determine the channel format to be used accordingly, and this may include determining whether to use the channel format (600, 602, or 604) with or without considering frequency hopping within the slot based on the determination.

[0062] In block (406), the start and end symbols of the uplink channel duration of the slot may be determined. In one embodiment, the channel duration component (344) may determine the start and end symbols of the uplink channel duration of the slot, for example, together with the processor(s) (305), memory (302), transceiver (370) and / or communication component (340). For example, the base station (105) may allocate an uplink channel duration to the UE (115) in a resource allocation, wherein the resource allocation may indicate a slot for uplink communications, as well as the start and end symbols (or durations, etc., to which the end symbol may be derived) in the slot for uplink communications. For example, the uplink channel duration may correspond to an uplink long burst, as described, having a duration of multiple symbols (e.g., a range of 4 to 14 symbols) in the slot. The base station (105) may configure the uplink channel duration based on various factors such as the quality of the communication signal with the UE (115), the number of UEs (115) supported by the base station (105), and buffer status reports from the UE (115).

[0063] In one example, in 5G, as described above, various slot configurations are possible. FIGS. 7a and 7b depict examples of slot configurations (700, 702, 704, 706) that may be used in 5G or other wireless communication technologies. For example, slot configuration (700) may include a PDSCH symbol (710) and an uplink short burst (ULSB) symbol (712), along with a PDSCH area (714) of symbols between them. Additionally, a blank symbol or other time period may be included between the PDSCH area (714) of symbols and the ULSB symbol (712) in slot configuration (700) to allow time for switching between downlink and uplink communications. In another example, the slot configuration (702) includes PDCCH symbols (710) and ULSB (714), along with a UL long burst area (716) of symbols between them. In this example, a blank symbol or other time period may be included between the PDCCH (710) and the UL long burst area (716) of symbols. In either example, the PDCCH area (714) of symbols or the UL long burst area of ​​symbols may include multiple symbols, such as up to 11 symbols in a slot of 14 symbols.

[0064] Additionally, in one example, slot configurations (704, 706) may be used to reduce the overhead (and / or associated switching to / from uplink communications) associated with each ULSB symbol and / or PDCCH symbol by combining symbols in multiple slots. In these examples, slot configuration (704) may include a PDCCH (710) and a PDSCH region (714) of symbols before a single ULSB symbol (712), followed by another PDCCH (720) and another PDSCH region (724) of symbols. Similarly, in slot configuration (706), a single PDCCH symbol (710) is included, followed by a UL long burst region (716) of symbols, a ULSB (712), another UL long burst region (726) of symbols, and another ULSB (722). Slot configuration (704) may allow increasing the number of downlink symbols across two slots by aggregating slots to reduce ULSB occurrences. Slot configuration (706) may allow increasing the number of uplink symbols across two slots by aggregating slots to reduce PDCCH occurrences. Thus, when using slot configuration (706), for example, when at least one of the slots is aggregated with one or more other uplink long burst slots containing PDCCH and / or ULSB (e.g., in the second slot), a 14-symbol uplink long burst may be possible. In any case, the duration of the uplink channel in the slot may be determined (e.g., based on the slot configuration received from the base station (105) or otherwise stored in the memory (302) of the UE (115)) and may be used to determine the part of the determined format to be used in transmitting uplink communications in the slot.

[0065] In block (408), the portion of the channel format to be used for transmitting uplink communications may be determined at least partially based on the start symbol and the end symbol. In one embodiment, the channel format component (342), together with, for example, the processor(s) (305), memory (302), transceiver (370) and / or communication component (340), may determine the portion of the channel format to be used for transmitting uplink communications at least partially based on the start symbol and the end symbol. For example, given a channel format (600, 602, or 604), the portion of the format may be determined as symbols corresponding to the start symbol and the end symbol specified by the base station (105) during the uplink channel duration.

[0066] Examples are illustrated in FIG. 8, which illustrates uplink long burst assignments (800, 802, 804) and a corresponding channel format (e.g., similar to channel format (602)), wherein the corresponding channel format includes a fixed DM-RS pattern and / or hopping position having a DM-RS specified in fixed symbols and other data specified in other symbols (e.g., for PUCCH communications). For example, where appropriate for the channel duration, the channel format is structured such that each uplink long burst assignment (800, 802, 804) for the channel format may include at least one DM-RS symbol and hopping position.

[0067] For example, referring to FIG. 6, when the uplink channel duration is determined to be from start symbol 2 to end symbol 6, the channel format (600) is selected (e.g., based on the payload size of the uplink data) and slot hopping is configured, the channel format component (342) can determine a portion (616) of the channel format (600) to be used to transmit uplink communications. Correspondingly, for example, the channel format component (342) may also decide to use Hadamard 2 for DM-RS symbols and DFT3 for data symbols for multi-symbol multiplexing (or Chu / CGS for per-symbol multiplexing). In another example, if the uplink channel duration is from start symbol 3 to end symbol 12, the channel format (600) is selected, and slot hopping is configured, the channel format component (342) may determine a portion (618) of the channel format (600) to be used for transmitting uplink communications. In yet another example, if the uplink channel duration is from start symbol 0 to end symbol 13, the channel format (600) is selected, and slot hopping is not configured, the channel format component (342) may determine the entire portion of the slot (614) of the channel format (600) to be used for transmitting uplink communications. Correspondingly, for example, the channel format component (342) may also decide to use DFT3 for DM-RS symbols for multi-symbol multiplexing and Hadamard 4 code for data symbols (or Chu / CGS for per-symbol multiplexing).

[0068] In another example, when the uplink channel duration is from start symbol 2 to end symbol 6, and the channel format (602) is selected (e.g., based on the payload size of the uplink data) and slot hopping is configured, the channel format component (342) can determine a portion (626) of the channel format (602) to be used for transmitting uplink communications. In another example, when the uplink channel duration is from start symbol 3 to end symbol 12, and the channel format (602) is selected and slot hopping is configured, the channel format component (342) can determine a portion (628) of the channel format (602) to be used for transmitting uplink communications. In another example, if the uplink channel duration is from start symbol 0 to end symbol 13, and the channel format (602) is selected and slot hopping is not configured, the channel format component (342) can determine the entire portion of the slot (624) of the channel format (602) to be used to transmit uplink communications.

[0069] In another example, when the uplink channel duration is from start symbol 2 to end symbol 6, and the channel format (604) is selected (e.g., based on the payload size of the uplink data) and slot hopping is configured, the channel format component (342) can determine a portion (636) of the channel format (604) to be used for transmitting uplink communications. In another example, when the uplink channel duration is from start symbol 3 to end symbol 12, and the channel format (604) is selected and slot hopping is configured, the channel format component (342) can determine a portion (638) of the channel format (604) to be used for transmitting uplink communications. In another example, if the uplink channel duration is from start symbol 0 to end symbol 13, and the channel format (604) is selected and slot hopping is not configured, the channel format component (342) can determine the entire portion of the slot (634) of the channel format (604) to be used to transmit uplink communications.

[0070] In one example, determining the channel format in block (402) may instead occur after determining the portion of the channel format in block (408) (and / or after determining the start and end symbols in block (406)) (or may occur before or after). For example, determining the channel format in block (402) may also be based on determining the portion of the channel format to be used based on the start and end symbols of the uplink channel duration. In one example, the channel format component (342) may determine the channel format to ensure that the portion of the channel format corresponding to the uplink channel duration contains at least one DM-RS symbol. For example, if the payload size is large (e.g., exceeding y) and the channel format (604) is determined, and the uplink channel duration is specified as symbols 4 through 9, there may be no DM-RS symbol in the corresponding portion of the channel format (604). Accordingly, in this example, the channel format component (342) may decide to use (fall back to) another channel format with a higher DM-RS to data symbol ratio, such as channel format (602), instead, based on the specified uplink channel duration.

[0071] Optionally, in block (410), a user multiplexing scheme, a diffusion factor, or an orthogonal cover set may be determined based on the channel format. In one embodiment, the channel format component (342), together with, for example, processor(s) (305), memory (302), and / or transceiver (370), may determine a user multiplexing scheme, a diffusion factor, or an orthogonal cover set based on the channel format as described above. In one example, the channel format component (342) may further determine a user multiplexing scheme, a diffusion factor, or an orthogonal cover set based on a portion of the channel format selected to transmit uplink communications. For example, the channel format component (342) may determine whether to use per-symbol or multi-symbol multiplexing based on the channel format and / or a determined portion of the channel format. For example, the channel format component (342) may determine whether to use Chu or CGS sequences with different cyclic shifts for per-symbol multiplexing, whether to use DFT3 and / or Hadamard codes for certain symbols for multi-symbol multiplexing (e.g., for the channel format (600)), etc. In examples, as described above, the channel format component (342) may receive a multiplexing scheme, a diffusion factor, or an orthogonal cover set (or related parameters) from the base station (105) (e.g., from dedicated control signaling, RRC, or other higher-level signaling, etc.) and / or may implicitly derive a multiplexing scheme, a diffusion factor, or an orthogonal cover set (or related parameters) based on other configured or specified parameters.

[0072] In block (412), uplink communications may be transmitted in slots based on a portion of the channel format. In one embodiment, a communication component (340) may transmit uplink communications in slots based on a portion of the channel format, for example, together with a processor(s) (305), a memory (302), and / or a transceiver (370). For example, the communication component (340) may transmit uplink communications according to a portion of the channel format to transmit DM-RS in designated symbols (e.g., in one or more slots) and corresponding data in other symbols (e.g., in one or more slots). For example, this may include multiplexing uplink communications and DM-RS (e.g., at least in the time domain). For example, if configured, the communication component (340) may use per-symbol or multi-symbol multiplexing schemes in transmitting uplink communications according to a portion of the channel format, perform slot-in-slot hopping, etc.

[0073] In one example, the communication component (340) may transmit different uplink communications with different performance targets based on the content of the uplink data (e.g., the UE (115) may transmit an acknowledgment (ACK) with a performance target higher than the Channel Quality Indicator (CQI). In this example, the different uplink communications may be encoded and transmitted separately using TDM. In this example, different uplink long bursts (e.g., different uplink channel durations) may be configured to control the performance target. Thus, in one example, the base station (105) may provide multiple uplink channel duration allocations to the UE (115) (e.g., for the same or different slots), and the communication component (340) may select an uplink channel duration (and a corresponding channel format or part of the format) to achieve a desired performance target.

[0074] Additionally, in one example, UEs (115) may use different uplink channel durations, which may be assigned based at least on other parameters related to the UE (115), such as the distance of the UE to the base station (105), the determined channel quality to the base station (105), etc. In this example, if multiplexing per symbol is enabled, UEs with different uplink channel durations may not overlap in channel assignment because the UEs may have different receive powers.

[0075] Additionally, in certain examples, the channel format and / or multiplexing scheme may be selected based on the Doppler mode in the UE (115) (e.g., in addition to the payload size or alternatively). For example, the channel format component (342) may determine the Doppler mode in the UE (115) (e.g., low or high Doppler, which may include comparing one or more associated parameters with one or more thresholds), and based on the Doppler mode, determine the channel format and / or multiplexing scheme, wherein the channel format and the associated multiplexing scheme may differ for different Doppler modes. For example, if the channel format component (342) determines that the UE (115) is in high Doppler mode and the payload size is greater than y bits, the channel format component (342) may decide to use the channel format (602) but to use the multiplexing scheme described by reference to the channel format (604) (e.g., no multiplexing or pre-DFT spreading for multiplexing per symbol). In another example, if the channel format component (342) determines that the UE (115) is in low Doppler mode and the payload size is greater than y bits, the channel format component (342) may decide to use the channel format (604) and the associated multiplexing schemes described above. Furthermore, in one example, the channel format component (342) may enable or disable slot hopping based on a determined Doppler mode (and accordingly, may select channel formats or parts thereof that support or do not support slot hopping).

[0076] FIG. 5 illustrates a flowchart of an example of a method (500) for configuring uplink communications for a UE (e.g., by a base station). In method (500), blocks indicated by dashed boxes may represent optional steps.

[0077] In method (500), in block (502), start and end symbols of uplink channel duration may be indicated. In one embodiment, the channel duration component (242) may indicate start and end symbols of uplink channel duration together with, for example, processor(s) (205), memory (202), transceiver (270) and / or scheduling component (240). For example, the channel duration component (242) may indicate an uplink long burst duration for a given slot, which may include a number of consecutive symbols (e.g., 4 to 14 symbols as described) in the slot. The channel duration component (242) can specify a start symbol and / or end symbol (or a corresponding duration from the start symbol) in an uplink resource acknowledgment signaled to the UE (115) in a dedicated control channel (e.g., PDCCH) in broadcast signaling, in higher-layer signaling such as RRC signaling, etc. As described above, the slot structure used in communications between the base station (105) and the UE (115) may include large uplink portions or bursts (e.g., in slot structures (702, 706)). The channel duration component (242) can accordingly indicate the slot structure to one or more UEs (115) to facilitate communication with one or more UEs (115).

[0078] In one example, the scheduling component (240) may schedule different uplink channel durations to achieve different performance targets as described (e.g., sending an acknowledgment (ACK) with a higher performance target than the Channel Quality Indicator (CQI). In this example, the scheduling component (240) may indicate slot structures or resource acknowledgments for one or more UEs (115) by including different uplink channel durations based on data to be transmitted by the UE (115), data associated with the uplink channel in the slot structure, etc. Additionally, in one example, the scheduling component (240) may schedule UEs (115) with different uplink channel durations based on one or more parameters corresponding to the UE (115) and / or communications with them. For example, the scheduling component (240) can schedule UEs (115) based on the distance of the UE to the base station (105), the determined channel quality to the base station (105), etc.

[0079] In one example, when marking the start and end symbols of an uplink channel duration, the scheduling component (240) may assign multiple UEs (115) having uplink channel durations in the same slot. Thus, for example, the channel duration component (242) may mark the start and end symbols (or corresponding durations) for each of the multiple UEs (115). For example, the uplink channel durations may be continuous in the time domain, overlap, etc. In this example, if per-symbol multiplexing is enabled so that communications from multiple UEs (115) can be multiplexed and received by the base station (105) in the same symbol, UEs (115) having different uplink channel durations may not overlap in channel allocation due to different reception powers. In other words, the base station (105) may be able to distinguish signals received in the same symbol based on the reception power of the signals. Accordingly, for example, the scheduling component (240) can schedule UEs having various distances from the base station (105) in the same slot. In this regard, for example, the scheduling component (240) can schedule uplink channel durations for UEs to provide orthogonality between UEs having comparable received powers.

[0080] In method (500), in block (504), a channel format for receiving communications over an uplink channel during an uplink channel duration may be determined, wherein the channel format is based at least on the payload size. In one embodiment, a channel format component (244) may determine a channel format for receiving communications over an uplink channel during an uplink channel duration, together with, for example, processor(s) (205), memory (202), transceiver (270) and / or scheduling component (240), wherein the channel format is based at least on the payload size. For example, the channel format component (244) may select a channel format from one of multiple channel formats (e.g., channel formats (600, 602, 604)) based on the payload size of the uplink communications. In one example, the channel format component (244) may determine the payload size based on receiving a buffer status report or other indication from the UE (115). In another example, the UE (115) may select a channel format based on the payload size and notify the base station (105) of the selection (e.g., via uplink control channel signaling in an uplink short burst). In this example, the base station (105) may determine the channel format based at least partially on receiving the notification from the UE (115).

[0081] In method (500), in block (506), uplink communications may be received over the uplink channel and according to the channel format for the duration of the uplink channel. In one embodiment, a scheduling component (240), together with, for example, processor(s) (205), memory (202), and / or transceiver (270), may receive uplink communications over the uplink channel and according to the channel format for the duration of the uplink channel. For example, as described, the UE (115) may transmit uplink communications for an allocated channel duration based on the selected channel format (based on the start and end symbols indicated in block (502). The base station (105) may receive uplink communications knowing the selected channel format and the indicated channel duration.

[0082] In method (500), optionally in block (508), uplink data may be decoded based on DM-RS. In one embodiment, a scheduling component (240) may decode uplink data based on DM-RS, for example, together with processor(s) (205), memory (202), and / or transceiver (270). For example, a base station (105) may receive DM-RS in symbols based on a determined channel format and use DM-RS to decode data in the remaining symbols during the uplink channel duration. For example, the base station (105) may use DM-RS to perform channel estimation of the uplink channel through the symbols associated with the received DM-RS.

[0083] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a MIMO communication system (900) including a base station (105) and a UE (115). The MIMO communication system (900) may exemplify embodiments of the wireless communication system (100) described with reference to FIG. 1. The base station (105) may be an example of embodiments of the base station (105) described with reference to FIG. 1 through 3. The base station (105) may have antennas (934 and 935), and the UE (115) may have antennas (952 and 953). In the MIMO communication system (900), the base station (105) may be capable of transmitting data simultaneously through multiple communication links. Each communication link may be referred to as a "layer," and the "rank" of the communication link may indicate the number of layers used for communication. For example, in a 2x2 MIMO communication system where the base station (105) transmits two "layers," the rank of the communication link between the base station (105) and the UE (115) is 2.

[0084] At the base station (105), the transmit (Tx) processor (920) may receive data from a data source. The transmit processor (920) may process the data. The transmit processor (920) may also generate control symbols or reference symbols. The transmit MIMO processor (930) may, if applicable, perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on ​​the data symbols, control symbols, or reference symbols and provide output symbol streams to the transmit modulators / demodulators (932 and 933). Each modulator / demodulator (932 to 933) may process individual output symbol streams (e.g., for OFDM, etc.) to obtain output sample streams. Each modulator / demodulator (932 to 933) may further process the output sample streams (e.g., converting to analog, amplifying, filtering, and upconverting) to obtain DL signals. In one example, DL signals from the modulators / demodulators (932 and 933) may each be transmitted through antennas (934 and 935).

[0085] The UE (115) may be an example of embodiments of the UEs (115) described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. In the UE (115), the UE antennas (952 and 953) may receive DL signals from the base station (105) and may provide the received signals to the modulators / demodulators (954 and 955), respectively. Each modulator / demodulator (954 to 955) may obtain input samples by conditioning (e.g., filtering, amplification, down-converting, and digitizing) the individual received signals. Each modulator / demodulator (954 to 955) may obtain received symbols by further processing the input samples (e.g., for OFDM, etc.). The MIMO detector (956) acquires symbols received from the modulators / demodulators (954 and 955), and, if applicable, performs MIMO detection on the received symbols and may provide the detected symbols. The receive (RX) processor (958) processes the detected symbols (e.g., demodulation, deinterleaving, and decoding) and may provide the decoded data for the UE (115) to the data output and provide the decoded control information to the processor (980) or memory (982).

[0086] In some cases, the processor (980) may execute stored commands to exemplify a communication component (340) (see, for example, FIG. 1 and FIG. 3).

[0087] On the uplink (UL), at the UE (115), the transmitting processor (964) may receive and process data from a data source. The transmitting processor (964) may also generate reference symbols for a reference signal. The symbols from the transmitting processor (964) may be precoded by the transmitting MIMO processor (966), if applicable, further processed by modulators / demodulators (954 and 955) (e.g., for SC-FDMA, etc.), and transmitted to the base station (105) according to communication parameters received from the base station (105). At the base station (105), UL signals from the UE (115) are received by antennas (934 and 935), processed by modulators / demodulators (932 and 933), detected by a MIMO detector (936) if applicable, and may be further processed by a receiving processor (938). The receiving processor (938) may provide the decoded data to a data output and to a processor (940) or memory (942).

[0088] In some cases, the processor (940) may execute stored instructions to exemplify the scheduling component (240) (see, for example, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2).

[0089] The components of the UE (115) may be implemented individually or collectively by one or more ASICs adapted to perform some or all of the applicable functions in hardware. Each of the mentioned modules may be a means for performing one or more functions related to the operation of the MIMO communication system (900). Similarly, the components of the base station (105) may be implemented individually or collectively by one or more ASICs adapted to perform some or all of the applicable functions in hardware. Each of the mentioned components may be a means for performing one or more functions related to the operation of the MIMO communication system (900).

[0090] The above detailed description, presented in connection with the attached drawings, describes examples and does not represent only examples that are within the scope of the claims or may be implemented. The term “example,” as used herein, means “that which functions as an example, instance, or illustration” and does not mean “preferable” 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, well-known structures and devices are illustrated in the form of block diagrams to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.

[0091] Information and signals may be represented using any of various different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be mentioned throughout the description may be represented as voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or optical particles, computer-executable code or instructions stored on a computer-readable medium, or any combination thereof.

[0092] The various exemplary blocks and components described in connection with the disclosure of this specification may be implemented or performed by a specially programmed device, such as but not limited to a processor, a digital signal processor (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 herein. The specially programmed processor may be a microprocessor, but alternatively, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The specially programmed processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors combined with a DSP core, or any other such configuration.

[0093] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored or transmitted as one or more instructions or code on a non-transient computer-readable medium. Other examples and implementations are within the scope and spirit of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of the software, the functions described above may be implemented using software executed by a specially programmed processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or any combination thereof. Features implementing the functions may also be physically located in various positions, including distributed so that parts of the functions are implemented in different physical locations. Additionally, as used in the claims, “or” as used in a list of items preceded by “at least one of” indicates a disjunctive list such that, 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).

[0094] Computer-readable media include both communication media and computer storage media, comprising any medium that facilitates the transmission of computer programs from one place to another. A storage medium may be any available medium accessible by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer. By example, but not limitingly, computer-readable media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to transport or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor. Additionally, any connection is appropriately referred to as 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 definition of the medium includes coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave. Disks and discs, as used herein, include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital multifunction discs (DVDs), floppy discs, and Blu-ray discs, wherein disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically using lasers. The above combinations are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0095] The prior description of the present disclosure is provided to enable those skilled in the art to manufacture or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to the present disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, elements of the described aspects and / or embodiments may be described or claimed in the singular, but the plural is considered unless explicitly stated to be limited to the singular. Additionally, all or part of any aspect and / or embodiment may be utilized in all or part of any other aspect and / or embodiment unless otherwise stated. Accordingly, the present disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein but should be given the broadest scope applicable to the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

Claim 1 A method for wireless communication, comprising the steps of determining, based on an indication of said channel format received from a base station, a channel format of an uplink control channel for transmitting uplink communications in a slot, wherein the channel format is at least partially based on the payload size of said uplink communications and at least partially based on an uplink channel duration for transmitting said uplink communications, wherein the channel format is determined from multiple channel formats defined for uplink control channels, wherein the channel format defines a reference signal at least first of multiple symbols in said slot and a pattern for transmitting said uplink communications at least second of the multiple symbols in said slot, and wherein the channel format defines said pattern as one of a first pattern based on frequency hopping being configured, or a second pattern different from said first pattern based on frequency hopping not being configured; determining a start symbol and an end symbol of said uplink channel duration of said slot for transmitting said uplink communications; and, at least partially based on said start symbol and said end symbol, and based on said channel format, said A method for wireless communication comprising: determining one or more symbols to be used in transmitting the uplink communications in a slot, wherein a spreading factor and / or orthogonal cover set for transmitting the uplink communications is determined at least partially based on the start symbol and the end symbol; and transmitting the uplink communications in the one or more symbols in the slot based on determining the one or more symbols. Claim 2 A method for wireless communication according to claim 1, wherein the channel format is determined to be one of a first channel format of the multi-channel formats corresponding to a first payload size, a second channel format of the multi-channel formats corresponding to a second payload size, or a third channel format of the multi-channel formats corresponding to a third payload size, wherein the first payload size is less than the second payload size and the second payload size is less than the third payload size. Claim 3 A method for wireless communication according to claim 1, wherein the channel format defines the pattern in at least a portion of the slot, of symbols designated for uplink data transmissions and alternating reference signal (RS) symbols designated for demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) transmissions, and the alternating RS symbols alternate in the time domain. Claim 4 A method for wireless communication according to claim 3, wherein the channel format is selected based on determining that the payload size of the uplink communications is 1 or 2 bits of uplink control data. Claim 5 A method for wireless communication according to claim 4, wherein the channel format indicates the start symbol in the pattern as designated for DM-RS. Claim 6 A method for wireless communication according to claim 1, wherein the channel format defines the pattern of one or more reference signal (RS) symbols designated for transmitting a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS), and the channel format is determined to include at least one of the one or more RS symbols in the pattern. Claim 7 In claim 6, the channel format also indicates a hopping position corresponding to a symbol boundary to switch the communication frequency, a method for wireless communication. Claim 8 A method for wireless communication according to claim 1, wherein each of the multi-channel formats defines a fixed pattern of one or more reference signal (RS) symbols designated for transmitting a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) and a hopping position corresponding to a symbol boundary to switch the communication frequency. Claim 9 A method for wireless communication according to claim 1, wherein determining the diffusion factor and / or orthogonal cover set is also based at least partially on whether frequency hopping is configured. Claim 10 A method for wireless communication according to claim 1, wherein the channel format defines the pattern of three or four symbols designated for transmitting a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) in the slot. Claim 11 A method for wireless communication according to claim 10, wherein the channel format defines the pattern of two symbols designated for transmitting a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) in each half slot of the slot in which frequency hopping is configured. Claim 12 A method for wireless communication according to claim 1, wherein the channel format defines the pattern of one or two symbols designated for transmitting a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) in the slot. Claim 13 A method for wireless communication according to claim 12, wherein the channel format defines the pattern of one symbol designated for transmitting a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) in each half slot of the slot in which frequency hopping is configured. Claim 14 A method for wireless communication according to claim 1, wherein the channel format defines a fixed per symbol user multiplexing scheme and / or a flexible multi-symbol user multiplexing scheme. Claim 15 In claim 1, the step of determining the channel format and / or multiplexing scheme for transmitting the uplink communications also comprises a method for wireless communication based at least partially on a Doppler mode. Claim 16 A method for wireless communication according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining whether to enable the channel format and / or intra-slot frequency hopping is based at least partially on the Doppler mode or the payload size. Claim 17 A method for wireless communication according to claim 1, wherein the step of determining the channel format is also based at least partially on determining whether the channel format includes at least one symbol designated to transmit a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS). Claim 18 A device for wireless communication, comprising: a transceiver for communicating one or more wireless signals through at least a transmitter and one or more antennas; a memory configured to store commands; and one or more processors coupled to communicate with the transceiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processors determine a channel format of an uplink control channel for transmitting uplink communications in a slot based on an indication of said channel format received from a base station, wherein the channel format is at least partially based on the payload size of said uplink communications and at least partially based on the uplink channel duration for transmitting said uplink communications, wherein the channel format is determined from multiple channel formats defined for uplink control channels, wherein the channel format defines a reference signal at least first of the multiple symbols in said slot and a pattern for transmitting said uplink communications at at least second of the multiple symbols in said slot, and wherein the channel format determines said channel format, which defines said pattern as a first pattern based on frequency hopping being configured, or a second pattern different from said first pattern based on frequency hopping not being configured; and determine a start symbol and an end symbol of said uplink channel duration of said slot for transmitting said uplink communications; Determining one or more symbols to be utilized in transmitting the uplink communications in the slot, based at least partially on the start symbol and the end symbol, and based on the channel format, wherein the spreading factor and / or orthogonal cover set for transmitting the uplink communications determines the one or more symbols determined at least partially on the start symbol and the end symbol;A device for wireless communication configured to transmit the uplink communications from the one or more symbols in the slot based on determining the one or more symbols above.; Claim 19 A device for wireless communication according to claim 18, wherein the channel format is determined to be one of the first channel format of the multi-channel formats corresponding to a first payload size, the second channel format of the multi-channel formats corresponding to a second payload size, or the third channel format of the multi-channel formats corresponding to a third payload size, wherein the first payload size is less than the second payload size and the second payload size is less than the third payload size. Claim 20 In claim 18, the channel format defines the pattern in at least a portion of the slot, of symbols designated for uplink data transmissions and alternating reference signal (RS) symbols designated for demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) transmissions, and the alternating RS symbols alternate in the time domain, a device for wireless communication. Claim 21 A device for wireless communication according to claim 20, wherein the channel format is selected based on determining that the payload size of the uplink communications is 1 or 2 bits of uplink control data. Claim 22 In claim 21, the channel format is a device for wireless communication that indicates the start symbol in the pattern as designated for DM-RS. Claim 23 An apparatus for wireless communication according to claim 18, wherein the channel format defines the pattern of one or more reference signal (RS) symbols designated for transmitting a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS), and the channel format is determined to include at least one of the one or more RS symbols in the pattern. Claim 24 In claim 23, the channel format also indicates a hopping position corresponding to a symbol boundary for switching a communication frequency, a device for wireless communication. Claim 25 In claim 18, each of the multi-channel formats defines a fixed pattern of one or more reference signal (RS) symbols designated for demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) transmission and a hopping position corresponding to a symbol boundary to switch the communication frequency, for wireless communication. Claim 26 In claim 18, the device for wireless communication, which determines the channel format and / or multiplexing scheme for transmitting the uplink communications, is also based at least partially on a Doppler mode. Claim 27 A device for wireless communication according to claim 18, wherein determining whether to enable the channel format and / or in-slot frequency hopping is based at least partially on the Doppler mode or the payload size. Claim 28 A device for wireless communication, means for determining a channel format of an uplink control channel for transmitting uplink communications in a slot based on an indication of said channel format received from a base station, wherein the channel format is based at least partially on the payload size of said uplink communications and at least partially on the uplink channel duration for transmitting said uplink communications, said channel format is determined from multiple channel formats defined for uplink control channels, said channel format defines a reference signal at least first of multiple symbols in said slot and a pattern for transmitting said uplink communications at at least second of said multiple symbols in said slot, said channel format defines said pattern as one of a first pattern based on frequency hopping being configured, or a second pattern different from said first pattern based on frequency hopping not being configured; means for determining a start symbol and an end symbol of said uplink channel duration of said slot for transmitting said uplink communications; and at least partially based on said start symbol and said end symbol, and said channel format A device for wireless communication, comprising: means for determining one or more symbols to be utilized in transmitting the uplink communications in the slot, wherein a spreading factor and / or orthogonal cover set for transmitting the uplink communications is determined at least partially based on the start symbol and the end symbol; and means for transmitting the uplink communications in the one or more symbols in the slot based on determining the one or more symbols. Claim 29 A device for wireless communication according to claim 28, wherein the channel format is determined to be one of the first channel format of the multi-channel formats corresponding to a first payload size, the second channel format of the multi-channel formats corresponding to a second payload size, or the third channel format of the multi-channel formats corresponding to a third payload size, wherein the first payload size is less than the second payload size and the second payload size is less than the third payload size. Claim 30 In claim 28, the channel format defines the pattern in at least a portion of the slot, of symbols designated for uplink data transmissions and alternating reference signal (RS) symbols designated for demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) transmissions, and the alternating RS symbols alternate in the time domain, a device for wireless communication. Claim 31 A device for wireless communication according to claim 30, wherein the channel format is selected based on determining that the payload size of the uplink communications is 1 or 2 bits of uplink control data. Claim 32 A device for wireless communication according to claim 31, wherein the channel format indicates the start symbol in the pattern as designated for DM-RS. Claim 33 An apparatus for wireless communication according to claim 28, wherein the channel format defines the pattern of one or more reference signal (RS) symbols designated for transmitting a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS), and the channel format is determined to include at least one of the one or more RS symbols in the pattern. Claim 34 In claim 28, each of the multi-channel formats defines a fixed pattern of one or more reference signal (RS) symbols designated for demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) transmission and a hopping position corresponding to a symbol boundary to switch the communication frequency. An apparatus for wireless communication. Claim 35 A non-transient computer-readable storage medium comprising code executable by one or more processors for wireless communication, wherein the code is a code for determining, based on an indication of said channel format received from a base station, said channel format is at least partially based on the payload size of said uplink communications and at least partially based on the uplink channel duration for transmitting said uplink communications, said channel format is determined from multiple channel formats defined for uplink control channels, said channel format defines a reference signal at least first of the multiple symbols in said slot and a pattern for transmitting said uplink communications at at least second of the multiple symbols in said slot, said channel format defines said pattern as one of a first pattern based on frequency hopping being configured, or a second pattern different from said first pattern based on frequency hopping not being configured; and determining a start symbol and an end symbol of said uplink channel duration of said slot for transmitting said uplink communications. A non-transient computer-readable storage medium comprising: a code for determining one or more symbols to be utilized in transmitting the uplink communications in the slot, based at least partially on the start symbol and the end symbol and based on the channel format, wherein a spreading factor and / or orthogonal cover set for transmitting the uplink communications is determined at least partially on the start symbol and the end symbol; and a code for transmitting the uplink communications in the one or more symbols in the slot based on determining the one or more symbols. Claim 36 A non-transient computer-readable storage medium according to claim 35, wherein the channel format is determined to be one of a first channel format of the multi-channel formats corresponding to a first payload size, a second channel format of the multi-channel formats corresponding to a second payload size, or a third channel format of the multi-channel formats corresponding to a third payload size, wherein the first payload size is less than the second payload size and the second payload size is less than the third payload size. Claim 37 In claim 35, the channel format defines the pattern in at least a portion of the slot, of symbols designated for uplink data transmissions and alternating reference signal (RS) symbols designated for demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) transmissions, and the alternating RS symbols alternate in the time domain, a non-transient computer-readable storage medium. Claim 38 In claim 37, the channel format is a non-transient computer-readable storage medium selected based on determining that the payload size of the uplink communications is 1 or 2 bits of uplink control data. Claim 39 In claim 38, a non-transient computer-readable storage medium wherein the channel format indicates the start symbol in the pattern as designated for DM-RS. Claim 40 In claim 35, the channel format defines the pattern of one or more reference signal (RS) symbols designated for transmitting a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS), and the channel format is determined to include at least one of the one or more RS symbols in the pattern, a non-transient computer-readable storage medium. Claim 41 In claim 35, each of the multi-channel formats defines a fixed pattern of one or more reference signal (RS) symbols designated for demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) transmission and a hopping position corresponding to a symbol boundary to switch the communication frequency, a non-transient computer-readable storage medium. Claim 42 A method for wireless communication, comprising: a step of indicating an uplink channel duration for transmitting communications through an uplink channel; a step of determining a channel format of an uplink control channel for transmitting communications through the uplink channel during the uplink channel duration in a slot, wherein the channel format is one of multiple channel formats defined for the uplink control channel and is determined based on at least the payload size of the communications and the uplink channel duration, wherein the channel format defines a reference signal at least first of multiple symbols in the slot and a pattern for transmitting the uplink communications at at least second of the multiple symbols in the slot, and wherein the channel format defines the pattern as one of a first pattern based on frequency hopping being configured, or a second pattern different from the first pattern based on frequency hopping not being configured; a step of transmitting an indication of the channel format to be used for transmitting communications through the uplink channel, wherein a spreading factor and / or orthogonal cover set for transmitting the uplink communications is at the start of the uplink channel duration A method for wireless communication comprising: transmitting a mark of the channel format, which is determined at least partially based on a symbol and a termination symbol; and receiving uplink communications through the uplink channel and according to the channel format during the uplink channel duration based on transmitting the mark of the channel format. Claim 43 A method for wireless communication according to claim 42, wherein the first channel format of the multi-channel formats corresponds to a first payload size and displays a first fixed pattern of alternating reference signal (RS) symbols designated for transmitting a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) in each half slot of the slot, the second channel format of the multi-channel formats corresponds to a second payload size and displays a second fixed pattern of three or four RS symbols designated for transmitting a DM-RS in the slot, the third channel format of the multi-channel formats corresponds to a third payload size and displays a third fixed pattern of one or two RS symbols designated for transmitting a DM-RS in the slot, and the first payload size is less than the second payload size and the second payload size is less than the third payload size. Claim 44 A device for wireless communication comprising: a transceiver for communicating one or more wireless signals through at least a transmitter and one or more antennas; a memory configured to store instructions; and one or more processors coupled to communicate with the transceiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processors indicate an uplink channel duration for transmitting communications through an uplink channel; Determining a channel format of an uplink control channel for transmitting the communications through the uplink channel during the uplink channel duration in a slot, wherein the channel format is one of multiple channel formats defined for the uplink control channel and is determined based on at least the payload size of the communications and the uplink channel duration, wherein the channel format defines a reference signal at least in the first of multiple symbols in the slot and a pattern for transmitting the uplink communications at least in the second of the multiple symbols in the slot, and wherein the channel format defines the pattern as one of a first pattern based on frequency hopping being configured, or a second pattern different from the first pattern based on frequency hopping not being configured; transmitting a mark of the channel format to be used for transmitting the communications through the uplink channel, wherein the spreading factor and / or orthogonal cover set for transmitting the uplink communications is determined at least partially based on the start symbol and end symbol of the uplink channel duration; A device for wireless communication configured to receive uplink communications through the uplink channel and according to the channel format during the uplink channel duration, based on transmitting the indication of the channel format. Claim 45 An apparatus for wireless communication according to claim 44, wherein the first channel format of the multi-channel formats corresponds to a first payload size and displays a first fixed pattern of alternating reference signal (RS) symbols designated for transmitting a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) in each half slot of the slot, the second channel format of the multi-channel formats corresponds to a second payload size and displays a second fixed pattern of three or four RS symbols designated for transmitting a DM-RS in the slot, the third channel format of the multi-channel formats corresponds to a third payload size and displays a third fixed pattern of one or two RS symbols designated for transmitting a DM-RS in the slot, and the first payload size is less than the second payload size and the second payload size is less than the third payload size. Claim 46 A device for wireless communication, means for indicating an uplink channel duration for transmitting communications through an uplink channel; means for determining a channel format of an uplink control channel for transmitting communications through an uplink channel during the uplink channel duration in a slot, wherein the channel format is one of multiple channel formats defined for an uplink control channel and is determined based on at least the payload size of the communications and the uplink channel duration, and the channel format defines a reference signal at least first of multiple symbols in the slot and a pattern for transmitting the uplink communications at least second of the multiple symbols in the slot, and the channel format defines the pattern as one of a first pattern based on frequency hopping being configured, or a second pattern different from the first pattern based on frequency hopping not being configured. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: means for transmitting a channel format indication to be used for transmitting communications through the uplink channel, wherein a spreading factor and / or orthogonal cover set for transmitting the uplink communications is determined at least partially based on a start symbol and an end symbol of the uplink channel duration; and means for receiving uplink communications through the uplink channel and according to the channel format during the uplink channel duration based on transmitting the channel format indication. Claim 47 An apparatus for wireless communication, wherein the first channel format of the multi-channel formats corresponds to a first payload size and displays a first fixed pattern of alternating reference signal (RS) symbols designated for transmitting a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) in each half slot of the slot, the second channel format of the multi-channel formats corresponds to a second payload size and displays a second fixed pattern of three or four RS symbols designated for transmitting a DM-RS in the slot, the third channel format of the multi-channel formats corresponds to a third payload size and displays a third fixed pattern of one or two RS symbols designated for transmitting a DM-RS in the slot, and the first payload size is less than the second payload size and the second payload size is less than the third payload size. Claim 48 A non-transient computer-readable storage medium comprising code executable by one or more processors for wireless communication, wherein the code comprises: a code for indicating an uplink channel duration for transmitting communications through an uplink channel; and a code for determining a channel format of an uplink control channel for transmitting communications through the uplink channel during the uplink channel duration in a slot, wherein the channel format is one of multiple channel formats defined for the uplink control channel and is determined based on at least the payload size of the communications and the uplink channel duration, wherein the channel format defines a reference signal in at least the first of multiple symbols in the slot and a pattern for transmitting the uplink communications in at least the second of the multiple symbols in the slot, and wherein the channel format defines the pattern as one of a first pattern based on frequency hopping being configured, or a second pattern different from the first pattern based on frequency hopping not being configured. A non-transient computer-readable storage medium comprising: a code for transmitting a channel format indication to be used for transmitting communications through the uplink channel, wherein a spreading factor and / or orthogonal cover set for transmitting the uplink communications is determined at least partially based on a start symbol and an end symbol of the uplink channel duration; and a code for receiving uplink communications through the uplink channel and according to the channel format during the uplink channel duration based on transmitting the channel format indication. Claim 49 In claim 48, the first channel format of the multi-channel formats corresponds to a first payload size and displays a first fixed pattern of alternating reference signal (RS) symbols designated for transmitting a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) in each half slot of the slot, the second channel format of the multi-channel formats corresponds to a second payload size and displays a second fixed pattern of three or four RS symbols designated for transmitting a DM-RS in the slot, and the third channel format of the multi-channel formats corresponds to a third payload size and displays a third fixed pattern of one or two RS symbols designated for transmitting a DM-RS in the slot; and the first payload size is less than the second payload size, and the second payload size is less than the third payload size, a non-transient computer-readable storage medium.

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