Apparatus and method for dynamically boosting power of uplink transmissions in a time period

Abstract

Systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for dynamically boosting power. One method may include receiving an uplink grant (102) indicating an uplink resource allocation for an uplink transmission (104); determining a time period (106) that ends at the end of the uplink resource allocation; determining a value based on a set of one or more uplink transmissions that are associated with the time period (106); and determining an output power boost based on the determined value.

Description

TITLEDYNAMIC POWER BOOSTTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] Some example embodiments may generally relate to mobile or wireless telecommunication systems, such as 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE), 5thgeneration (5G) radio access technology (RAT), new radio (NR) access technology, 6thgeneration (6G) RAT, and / or other communications systems. For example, certain example embodiments may relate to systems and / or methods for dynamically boosting power.BACKGROUND

[0002] Examples of mobile or wireless telecommunication systems may include new radio 5G RAT, the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (UTRAN), LTE Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), LTE-A Pro, NR access technology, 6thgeneration (6G) and / or MulteFire Alliance. 5G wireless systems refer to the next generation (NG) of radio systems and network architecture. A 5G system is typically built on a 5G NR, but a 5G (or NG) network may also be built on E-UTRA radio. It is expected that NR can support service categories such as enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), ultrareliable low-latency-communication (URLLC), and massive machine-type communication (mMTC). NR is expected to deliver extreme broadband, ultra-robust, low-latency connectivity, and massive networking to support the Internet of Things (loT). The next generation radio access network (NG-RAN) represents the radio access network (RAN) for 5G, which may provide radio access for NR, LTE, and LTE-A. It is noted that the nodes in 5G providing radio access functionality to a user equipment (e.g., similar to the Node B in UTRAN or the Evolved Node B (eNB) in LTE) may be referred to as next-generation Node B (gNB) when built on NR radio, and may be referred to as next-generation eNB (NG-eNB) when built on E-UTRA radio.SUMMARY

[0003] In accordance with some example embodiments, a method may include receiving an uplink grant indicating a first uplink resource allocation for a first uplink transmission. The method may further include determining the end of a time period based on the end of the first uplink resource allocation.

[0004] In accordance with certain example embodiments, an apparatus may include means for receiving an uplink grant indicating a first uplink resource allocation for a first uplink transmission. The apparatus may further include means for determining the end of a time period based on the end of the first uplink resource allocation.

[0005] In accordance with various example embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable medium may include program instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least a method. The method may include receiving an uplink grant indicating a first uplink resource allocation for a first uplink transmission. The method may further include determining the end of a time period based on the end of the first uplink resource allocation.

[0006] In accordance with some example embodiments, a computer program product may perform a method. The method may include receiving an uplink grant indicating a first uplink resource allocation for a first uplink transmission. The method may further include determining the end of a time period based on the end of the first uplink resource allocation.

[0007] In accordance with certain example embodiments, an apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to receive an uplink grant indicating a first uplink resource allocation for a first uplink transmission. The at least one memory and instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may further cause the apparatus at least to determine the end of a time period based on the end of the first uplink resource allocation.

[0008] In accordance with various example embodiments, an apparatus may include receiving circuitry configured to perform receiving an uplink grant indicating a first uplink resource allocation for a first uplink transmission. The apparatus may further include determining circuitry configured to perform determining the end of a time period based on the end of the first uplink resource allocation.

[0009] In accordance with some example embodiments, a method may include receiving an uplink grant indicating an uplink resource allocation for an uplink transmission. The method may further include determining a time period that ends at the end of the uplink resource allocation. The method may further include determining a value based on a set of one or more uplink transmissions that are associated with the time period. The method may further include determining an output power boost based on the determined value.

[0010] In accordance with certain example embodiments, an apparatus may include means for receiving an uplink grant indicating an uplink resource allocation for an uplink transmission. The apparatus may further include means for determining a time period that ends at the end of the uplink resource allocation. The apparatus may further include means for determining a value based on a set of one or more uplink transmissions that are associated with the time period. The apparatus may further include means for determining an output power boost based on the determined value.

[0011] In accordance with various example embodiments, a non-transitory computer readable medium may include program instructions that, when executed by an apparatus, cause the apparatus to perform at least a method. The method may include receiving an uplink grant indicating an uplink resource allocation for an uplinktransmission. The method may further include determining a time period that ends at the end of the uplink resource allocation. The method may further include determining a value based on a set of one or more uplink transmissions that are associated with the time period. The method may further include determining an output power boost based on the determined value.

[0012] In accordance with some example embodiments, a computer program product may perform a method. The method may include receiving an uplink grant indicating an uplink resource allocation for an uplink transmission. The method may further include determining a time period that ends at the end of the uplink resource allocation. The method may further include determining a value based on a set of one or more uplink transmissions that are associated with the time period. The method may further include determining an output power boost based on the determined value.

[0013] In accordance with certain example embodiments, an apparatus may include at least one processor and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to receive an uplink grant indicating an uplink resource allocation for an uplink transmission. The at least one memory and instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may further cause the apparatus at least to determine a time period that ends at the end of the uplink resource allocation. The at least one memory and instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may further cause the apparatus at least to determine a value based on a set of one or more uplink transmissions that are associated with the time period. The at least one memory and instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, may further cause the apparatus at least to determine an output power boost based on the determined value.

[0014] In accordance with various example embodiments, an apparatus may include receiving circuitry configured to perform receiving an uplink grant indicating an uplink resource allocation for an uplink transmission. The apparatus may further include determining circuitry configured to perform determining a time period that ends at the end of the uplink resource allocation. The apparatus may further include determining circuitry configured to perform determining a value based on a set of one or more uplink transmissions that are associated with the time period. The apparatus may further include determining circuitry configured to perform determining an output power boost based on the determined value.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] For a proper understanding of example embodiments, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0016] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a schematic diagram of dynamically boosting power at a UE according to certain example embodiments;

[0017] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a flow diagram of a method for dynamically boosting power at a UE according to various example embodiments;

[0018] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a flow diagram of a method according to various example embodiments;

[0019] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a flow diagram of a method according to various example embodiments;

[0020] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of various network devices according to some example embodiments; and

[0021] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a 5G network and system architecture according to certain example embodiments.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] It will be readily understood that the components of certain example embodiments, as generally described and illustrated in the figures herein, may be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following detailed description of some example embodiments of systems, methods, apparatuses, and computer program products for dynamically boosting power is not intended to limit the scope of certain example embodiments, but is instead representative of selected example embodiments.

[0023] A maximum output power level of a UE may be based on a power class of a UE. A baseline maximum output power level of a UE may be 23 decibel-milliwatts (dBm) maximum TX power (e.g., power class 3 (PC3) in 5G). Depending on the modulation, allocation, band, etc., a UE may be allowed to use maximum power reduction (MPR) to reduce the maximum transmit power from 23dBm, e.g., to satisfy RF requirements. A maximum output power of a UE may be 26dBm maximum TX power (e.g., power class 2 (PC2) in 5G). When PC2 is used, a UE may apply a duty cycle restriction, which may be the maximum number of symbols during an evaluation period that are permitted to be used for UL transmission to satisfy the specific absorption rate (SAR) requirements. One purpose of using such an evaluation period may be for a UE to determine whether to allow increase (e.g., boost) its maximum output power by a predefined amount.

[0024] A UE may set its configured maximum output power (often herein referred to as Pcmax.t.c) within a range according to standardized lower and upper output power bounds (e.g., in 5G). The lower and upper bounds may depend, among other things, on the UE's power class, and / or on an increase in power class (also herein referred to as APp0Werciass), and / or on an increase in output power (also herein referred to output power boost or APpOWerBoost), and / or duty cycle, as described herein, if applicable.

[0025] The PCmax,f,c and / or Pcmax (which may be a UE's configured maximum output power in the case of carrier aggregation) may be used to limit the transmission power of individual transmissions, e.g. for PUSCH in a single cell case.

[0026] Coverage may be improved by boosting power (e.g., by using power boost) applicable to TDD and / or FDD scenarios (which may include half-duplex FDD, such as for a low-power wide-area network (LPWA)). For example, power boost may be determined dynamically. Repetitions (e.g., excessive repetitions) such as slot aggregation or transport block over multiple slots (TBoMS) may be taken into account. An evaluation period may be defined (e.g., in a way that the definition does not vary by implementation).

[0027] In some cases, power boost may be predefined (e.g., semi-statically determined) given a UE power class. For example, for PC3 discussed herein, power boost may be predefined as 1 dB if predefined condition(s) (e.g., duty cycle restriction(s) described herein) are met. For PC2 discussed herein, power boost may be predefined as 0.5 dB if predefined condition(s) (e.g., duty cycle restriction (s) described herein) are met. If predefined condition(s) are not met, power boost may be predefined as 0 dB. In some cases, an evaluation period is defined in a way that can vary by implementation (e.g., being defined as no less than one radio frame). In some cases, the base station (e.g., gNB) and the UE may have different definitions for an evaluation period. Due to one or more of these above cases, the power domain of a UE may be underutilized, which may cause loss or reduction of coverage. The utilization of the power domain of a UE may be improved (which may improve coverage), if issue(s) in any or all of the cases above are addressed.

[0028] In various embodiments described herein, UE power boosting and related power management may be improved. In various embodiments described herein, Pp0Werciass may be defined separately for individual transmissions.

[0029] Certain example embodiments described herein may have various benefits and / or advantages to overcome the disadvantages described above. For example, certain example embodiments may dynamically improve output power at a UE. Thus, certain example embodiments discussed below are directed to improvements in computer-related technology.

[0030] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a schematic diagram of dynamically boosting power at a UE according to certain example embodiments. The top half of the FIG. 1 illustrates example operation(s) at a UE (not shown) that are related to UL allocations (also herein referred to UL resource allocation) that are contiguous in time, according to various embodiments. The UE may be similar to UE 520, as illustrated in FIG. 5, according to certain example embodiments.

[0031] As shown, the UE may receive a UL grant 102, e.g., via DL control information (DCI), higher layer signaling (e.g., RRC), or MAC CE. The UL grant 102 may indicate a UL time domain resource allocation (also referred to herein as UL resource allocation) (not shown) that includes a set of radio resources that are contiguous in time (e.g., there is no gap in time). UL Tx 104 (also herein referred to as UL transmission 104)illustrates a UL transmission that is scheduled to be transmitted in the future using the UL resource allocation indicated in the UL grant 102. As shown, UL transmission 104 is contiguous in time.

[0032] In response to receiving the UL grant 102 (e.g., before transmitting UL transmission 104), the UE may determine an evaluation period 106. The UE may determine the end of the evaluation period 106 based on the end of the UL resource allocation in UL grant 102 (e.g., defining the end of the evaluation period to be the same as the end of the UL resource allocation). The UE may determine the start of the evaluation period 106 based on the end of the evaluation period 106 and a time duration. For example, the start of the evaluation period 106 may be determined by subtracting the time duration from the end of the evaluation period 106. The time duration may be configured by the network (e.g., via RRC) or predefined (e.g., according to UE standards / specifications) at the UE.

[0033] The UE may determine a set of uplink transmission (s) transmitted in the past and / or uplink transmission (s) scheduled (e.g., according to UL grant(s)) to be transmitted in the future during an evaluation period. As shown, in the case of the evaluation period 106, such a set of transmissions may include the UL transmission 104 that is scheduled to be transmitted.

[0034] The UE may determine an output power level (also referred to herein as a transmit power level or a transmission power level) to be used for transmitting the UL transmission 104 based on the determined set of past uplink transmission(s) and future uplink transmission(s) during the evaluation period 106 (e.g., UL transmission 104), as described herein according to various embodiments. As described herein, in some embodiments, the UE may determine an output power boost based on UL transmission 104. The UE may determine a maximum output power to be used by UL transmission 104 based on the determined output power boost. The UE may determine the output power level based on the determined maximum output power. The UE may transmit the UL transmission 104 based on (e.g., using) the determined output power level.

[0035] The bottom half of FIG. 1 illustrates example operation® at the UE that are related to UL resource allocations that are non-contiguous in time, according to various embodiments. Such example operation(s) may happen, e.g., in the case when UL grant 112 includes slot aggregation or TBoMS.

[0036] As shown, the UE may receive a UL grant 112, e.g., via DL control information. The UL grant 112 may indicate a UL time domain resource allocation (also referred to herein as UL resource allocation) (not shown) that includes two subsets of radio resources that are non-contiguous in time (e.g., there is gap in time between the two subsets). The two subsets of radio resources may be referred herein to as a first portion and a second portion of the UL resource allocation in UL grant 112, respectively. The first portion and the second portion of the UL resource allocation may also be referred herein to as a first UL resource allocation and a second UL resource allocation within the UL resource allocation of UL grant 112.

[0037] UL Tx 114 and UL Tx 115 (also herein referred to as UL transmission 114 and UL transmission 115) illustrate two UL transmissions that may be scheduled to be transmitted in the future using the first UL resource allocation and the second UL resource allocation, respectively, indicated in the UL grant 112. As shown, UL transmission 114 and UL transmission 115 are not contiguous in time. The gap between UL Tx 114 and UL Tx 115 may be, e.g., due to DL reception (not shown). UL transmission 114 and UL transmission 115 may also be referred to as transmission portions (orTx portions) associated with UL grant 112. The number of transmission portions is for illustrative purposes only and can be greater than two in other cases. In some embodiments, a transmission portion (e.g., UL transmission 114 or UL transmission 115) may be contiguous in time. In some embodiments, a transmission portion (e.g., UL transmission 114 or UL transmission 115) may be non-contiguous in time and may still be considered as a contiguous transmission portion based on a determination that the gap in time is less than or equal to a length / duration threshold. In the case of the gap being greater than the length / duration threshold, such a transmission portion may not be considered a single transmission portion and may be considered as two separate transmission portions.

[0038] In response to receiving the UL grant 112 (e.g., before transmitting UL transmission 114 or 115), the UE may determine an evaluation period 116 with respect to UL transmission 115. The UE may determine the end of the evaluation period 116 based on the end of the second UL resource allocation in UL grant 112 (e.g., defining the end of evaluation period 116 to be the same as the end of the second UL resource allocation). The UE may determine the start of the evaluation period 116 based on the end of the evaluation period 116 and a time duration (e.g., the same time duration used to determine the start of the evaluation period 106 described herein). For example, the start of the evaluation period 116 may be determined by subtracting the time duration from the end of the evaluation period 116. The UE may determine an evaluation period 118 separately from the evaluation period 116. The UE may determine the evaluation period 118 similarly to how the evaluation period 116 is determined. In such a manner, the evaluation periods 116 and 118 may be respectively determined for the second UL resource allocation and the first UL resource allocation in UL grant 112. As shown, the evaluation periods 116 and 118 may overlap in time.

[0039] The UE may determine respective sets of past uplink transmission (s) and / or future uplink transmission (s) during the evaluation periods 116 and 118, similarly to howthe UE performs such a determination with respect to the evaluation period 106. As shown, with respect to the evaluation period 116, the set of such transmissions may include UL transmissions 114 and 115 that are scheduled to be transmitted. With respect to the evaluation period 118, the set of such transmissions may include UL transmission 114 that is scheduled to be transmitted and a portion of UL transmission 113 that was transmitted in the past.

[0040] The UE may determine an output power level to be used for transmitting UL transmission 115 based on the determined set of past and future transmissions (e.g., UL transmissions 114 and 115) during the evaluation period 116, similarly to how the UE performs such a determination with respect to the evaluation period 106, as described herein. The UE may transmit the UL transmission 115 based on (e.g., using) the determined output power level.

[0041] Similarly, the UE may determine an output power level to be used for transmitting UL transmission 114 based on the determined set of past and future transmissions (e.g., UL transmission 114 and a portion of UL transmission 113) during the evaluation period 118, similarly to how the UE performs such a determination with respect to the evaluation period 106, as described herein. The UE may transmit the UL transmission 114 based on (e.g., using) the determined output power level.

[0042] The technique of determining an output power level to be used for UL transmission 114 and UL transmission 115 separately provides several advantages. For example, such a technique may support optimal power allocation in TDD and / or half duplex FDD scenarios, where the repetition may happen over UL-DL-UL (or Tx-Rx-Tx) cycle(s).

[0043] In some embodiments, with respect to the top half of FIG. 1 , the UE may receive (e.g., when or after receiving UL grant 102) another UL grant that includes UL resource allocation that is contiguous in time. In such cases, the evaluation period determined for this UL grant may overlap in time with the evaluation period 106. The UE may separately determine an output power level with respect to this UL grant, similarly to how the UE determines an output power level with respect to UL grant 102.

[0044] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a flow diagram of a method for dynamically boosting power at UE according to various example embodiments. The method may be performed by the UE for a contiguous UL transmission or a contiguous UL transmission portion. The UE may be similar to UE 520, as illustrated in FIG. 5, according to certain example embodiments.

[0045] At step 202, the UE may receive a UL grant. The UL grant may trigger various types of UL transmission (s) (e.g., PUCCH and PUSCH transmission®). The UL grant may indicate a UL resource allocation that is contiguous in time. For example, the UL resource allocation may include a set of contiguous radio resources scheduled to be used for transmitting a contiguous UL transmission or a contiguous UL transmission portion.

[0046] At step 204, the UE may determine an evaluation period based on the end of the UL resource allocation, e.g., as described herein with respect to evaluation periods 106, 116, and 118 in FIG. 1.

[0047] At step 206, the UE may determine a duty cycle based on the evaluation period determined in step 204. In a first embodiment, a duty cycle may be determined to be a ratio between the number of uplinksymbols transmitted (in the past uplink transmission (s)) during the evaluation period and the total number of uplink symbols scheduled in the uplink transmissions (including uplink symbols transmitted in past uplink transmission(s) and uplink symbols to be transmitted in future uplink transmission(s)) during the evaluation period. Alternatively, the duty cycle may be determined to be a ratio between the number of uplink symbols transmitted (in the past uplink transmission(s)) during the evaluation period and the total number of symbols during the evaluation period. Alternatively, the duty cycle may be determined to be a ratio between the number of uplink symbols scheduled (in the uplink transmission(s)) during the evaluation period and the total number of symbols during the evaluation period. Hereinafter, any of the above ratios relating to the number of uplink symbols may be referred to as a "uplink transmission symbol” ratio. The uplink symbols may be OFDM symbols or DFT-s-OFDM symbols. In some embodiments, the UE may keep track of the transmission status of the uplink symbols (e.g., for the determination of a duty cycle). For example, the UE may maintain (e.g., in the memory of the UE) a bit value '1' for an uplink symbol that was transmitted in the past, e.g., for a time period, such as a time period that is defined as long as or approximately the duration of the evaluation period. The UE may maintain a bit value ‘O' for an uplink symbol that was not transmitted in the past, e.g., for the same time period.

[0048] In a second embodiment, a duty cycle may be determined to be a ratio between the amount of transmission time used (by the past uplink transmission (s)) during the evaluation period and the total amount of transmission time scheduled by the uplink transmissions (including transmission time used by past uplink transmission(s) and transmission time to be used by future uplink transmission(s)) during the evaluation period. Alternatively, the duty cycle may be determined to be a ratio between the amount of transmission time used (by the past uplink transmission (s)) during the evaluation period and the total amount of time during the evaluation period (i.e, the time length of the evaluation period). Alternatively, the duty cycle may be determined to be a ratio between the amount of transmission time scheduled (by the uplink transmission(s)) during the evaluation period and the total amount of time during the evaluation period. Hereinafter, any of the above ratios relating to amount of transmission time may be referred to as a "uplink transmission time” ratio.

[0049] In a third embodiment, a duty cycle may be determined to be a sum of the total amount of energy used by past uplink transmission(s) (which may be estimated) during the evaluation period and the total estimated amount of energy to be used by future uplink transmission(s) during the evaluation period. Hereinafter, such a sum of amount of energy may be referred to as "total estimated uplink transmission energy.” For example, the total estimated amount of energy (e.g., uplink transmission energy) may be computed according to t=o Pi ' ti)> where / is the symbol index within the evaluation period, P is the transmit power, and t is the OFDM symbol duration (including cyclic prefix (CP)). In some embodiments, theUE may keep track of the energy used by past transmissions (e.g., for the determination of a duty cycle). For example, the UE may maintain (e.g., in the memory of the UE) the energy used by a past transmission / transmission portion, e.g., for a time period, such as a time period that is defined as long as or approximately the duration of the evaluation period.

[0050] At step 208, the UE may determine a APpowerBoost based on the duty cycle determined at step 206. For example, in the first embodiment above, APpowerBoost may be computed based on comparing the uplink transmission symbol ratio to one or more threshold values. If the ratio is less than 50%, APpowerBoost may be set to 3dB. If the ratio is between 50% and 80%, APpowerBoost may be set to 1dB. If the ratio is greater than 80%, APpowerBoost may be set to OdB. In the case that the duration of a single contiguous UL TX portion exceeds the duration of a given evaluation period, APpowerBoost may be set to 0 dB.

[0051] As another example, in the third embodiment above, APpowerBoost may be computed based on comparing the uplink transmission energy to one or more threshold values. If a total estimated uplink transmission energy is less than 1 mJ, APpowerBoost may be set to 3dB. If a total estimated uplink transmission energy is between 1 milli Joule (mJ) and 1.6mJ, APpowerBoost may be set to 1dB. If a total estimated uplink transmission energy is greater than 1 .6 mJ, APpowerBoost may be set to OdB.

[0052] As yet another example, in a fourth embodiment, APpowerBoost may be computed based on a quantization of the duty cycle determined at step 206. For example, APpowerBoostmay be computed as follows: APpowerBoost = -10*log10(duty cycle). Such a computed APpowerBoost may be floored to a lower full dB value or any suitable granularity (e.g., a predefined granularity). One advantage of the fourth embodiment is that APpowerBoostmay be set at boost values at a smaller granularity.

[0053] At step 210, the UE may determine a maximum output power (Pcmax.t.c) based on the APpowerBoost determined at step 208. The determination of a maximum output power may be based additionally on one or more configurations from the network and / or one or more predefined values at the UE.

[0054] At step 212, the UE may transmit uplink transmission (s) (e.g., PUSCH) according to the Pcmax,f,c determined at step 210.

[0055] The embodiments described here that support APpowerBoost may be implemented based on UE capability. Some UEs may support output power boost as a capability. Some UEs may support duty cycle as a capability. Some UEs may support output power boost and duty cycle as a combined capability. The embodiments described herein may be implemented at a UE that supports output power boost and duty cycle as one or more UE capabilities. Maximum value of APpowerBoost may also be a UE capability. For example, the embodiments described herein that implement predefined / configured thresholds and associated output power boost values may be implemented at a UE that supports maximum value(s) of APpowerBoost.

[0056] A UE's capability of boosting power based on output power boost, as described in various embodiments herein, may be configured by the network (e.g., via an indication in RRC and MAC signaling) and / or predefined at the UE.

[0057] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a flow diagram of a method 300 that may be performed by a UE, such as UE 520 in FIG. 5, according to various example embodiments.

[0058] At step 302, the method may include receiving an uplink grant indicating a first uplink resource allocation for a first uplink transmission. In some embodiments, the first uplink resource allocation may include a set of radio resources that are contiguous in time. In some embodiments, the first uplink transmission may be a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission or a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmission. In some embodiments, the uplink grant may be received in downlink control information.

[0059] At step 304, the method may further include determining the end of a time period based on the end of the first uplink resource allocation. In some embodiments, the method may further include determining the start of the time period based on a duration of the time period and the determined end of the time period. In some embodiments, the duration of the time period may be pre-defined or configured by radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

[0060] In some embodiments, the method may further include determining an output power level to be used by the first uplink transmission based on a set of one or more uplink transmissions associated with the time period. In some of such embodiments, the method may further include transmitting the first uplink transmission using the output power level.

[0061] In some embodiments, the uplink grant may further indicate a second uplink resource allocation for a second uplink transmission that follows the first uplink resource allocation. The second uplink resource allocation and the first uplink resource allocation may not be contiguous in time. In some of such embodiments, the gap between the first uplink resource allocation and the second resource allocation may exceed a time length threshold. In some of such embodiments, the method may further include determining the end of another time period based on the end of the second uplink resource allocation. The another time period may be overlapping with the time period in time. In some of such embodiments, the method may further include determining another output power level for the second uplink resource allocation within the another time period.

[0062] FIG. 4 illustrates an example of a flow diagram of a method 400 that may be performed by a UE, such as UE 520 in FIG. 5, according to various example embodiments.

[0063] At step 402, the method may include receiving an uplink grant indicating an uplink resource allocation for an uplink transmission. In some embodiments, the uplink transmission may be a physical uplink sharedchannel (PUSCH) transmission or a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmission. In some embodiments, the uplink grant may be received in downlink control information.

[0064] At step 404, the method may further include determining a time period that ends at the end of the uplink resource allocation.

[0065] At step 406, the method may further include determining a value based on a set of one or more uplink transmissions that are associated with the time period. In some embodiments, the value may be determined based on one of the following: a ratio between a number of transmitted uplink symbols during the time period and a total number of symbols during the time period, a ratio between a number of scheduled uplink symbols during the time period and a total number of symbols during the time period, a ratio between an amount of used transmission time during the time period and a total amount of time during the time period, a ratio between an amount of scheduled transmission time during the time period and a total amount of time during the time period, or a total estimated amount of energy during the time period.

[0066] At step 408, the method may further include determining an output power boost based on the determined value. In some embodiments, the determination of the output power boost may be further based on an output power capability at the apparatus. In some embodiments, the determination of the output power boost may be further based on at least one threshold. In some of such embodiments, the at least one threshold may be defined according to a configuration from a network entity or according to a predefined value. In some embodiments, the determining the output power boost may be further based on a quantization of the determined value. In some of such embodiments, the quantization of the determined value may granularize the output power boost. In some embodiments, the determination of the output power boost may be further based on an enabling indication received via RRC or medium access control (MAC) signaling. In some embodiments, the output power boost may include delta_Powerboost.

[0067] In some embodiments, the method may further include determining a maximum output power to be used by the uplink transmission based on the output power boost, determining an output power level to be used by the uplink transmission based on the maximum output power, and transmitting the uplink transmission using the output power level.

[0068] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of a system according to certain example embodiments. In one example embodiment, a system may include multiple devices, such as, for example, NE 510 and / or UE 520.

[0069] NE 510 may be one or more of a base station (e.g, 3G UMTS NodeB, 4G LTE Evolved NodeB, or 5G NR Next Generation NodeB), a serving gateway, a server, and / or any other access node or combination thereof.

[0070] NE 510 may further include at least one gNB-centralized unit (CU), which may be associated with at least one gNB-distributed unit (DU). The at least one gNB-CU and the at least one gNB-DU may be incommunication via at least one F1 interface, at least one Xn-C interface, and / or at least one NG interface via a 5thgeneration core (5GC).

[0071] UE 520 may include one or more of a mobile device, such as a mobile phone, smart phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), tablet, or portable media player, digital camera, pocket video camera, video game console, navigation unit, such as a global positioning system (GPS) device, desktop or laptop computer, singlelocation device, such as a sensor or smart meter, or any combination thereof. Furthermore, NE 510 and / or UE 520 may be one or more of a citizens broadband radio service device (CBSD).

[0072] NE 510 and / or UE 520 may include at least one processor, respectively indicated as 511 and 521. Processors 511 and 521 may be embodied by any computational or data processing device, such as a central processing unit (CPU), application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or comparable device. The processors may be implemented as a single controller, or a plurality of controllers or processors.

[0073] At least one memory may be provided in one or more of the devices, as indicated at 512 and 522. The memory may be fixed or removable. The memory may include computer program instructions or computer code contained therein. Memories 512 and 522 may independently be any suitable storage device, such as a non- transitory computer-readable medium. The term "non-transitory,” as used herein, may correspond to a limitation of the medium itself ( / .e., tangible, not a signal) as opposed to a limitation on data storage persistency (e.g., random access memory (RAM) vs. read-only memory (ROM)). A hard disk drive (HDD), random access memory (RAM), flash memory, or other suitable memory may be used. The memories may be combined on a single integrated circuit as the processor, or may be separate from the one or more processors. Furthermore, the computer program instructions stored in the memory, and which may be processed by the processors, may be any suitable form of computer program code, for example, a compiled or interpreted computer program written in any suitable programming language.

[0074] Processors 511 and 521 , memories 512 and 522, and any subset thereof, may be configured to provide means corresponding to the various blocks of FIGs. 1-4. Although not shown, the devices may also include positioning hardware, such as GPS or micro electrical mechanical system (MEMS) hardware, which may be used to determine a location of the device. Other sensors are also permitted, and may be configured to determine location, elevation, velocity, orientation, and so forth, such as barometers, compasses, and the like.

[0075] As shown in FIG. 5, transceivers 513 and 523 may be provided, and one or more devices may also include at least one antenna, respectively illustrated as 514 and 524. The device may have many antennas, such as an array of antennas configured for multiple input multiple output (MIMO) communications, or multiple antennas for multiple RATs. Other configurations of these devices, for example, may be provided. Transceivers513 and 523 may be a transmitter, a receiver, both a transmitter and a receiver, or a unit or device that may be configured both for transmission and reception.

[0076] The memory and the computer program instructions may be configured, with the processor for the particular device, to cause a hardware apparatus, such as UE, to perform any of the processes described above ( / .e., FIGs. 1-4). Therefore, in certain example embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium may be encoded with computer instructions that, when executed in hardware, perform a process such as one of the processes described herein. Alternatively, certain example embodiments may be performed entirely in hardware.

[0077] In certain example embodiments, an apparatus may include circuitry configured to perform any of the processes or functions illustrated in FIGs. 1-4. As used in this application, the term "circuitry” may refer to one or more or all of the following: (a) hardware-only circuit implementations (such as implementations in only analog and / or digital circuitry), (b) combinations of hardware circuits and software, such as (as applicable): (I) a combination of analog and / or digital hardware circuit(s) with software / fi rmware and (ii) any portions of hardware processor(s) with software (including digital signal processor(s)), software, and memory(ies) that work together to cause an apparatus, such as a mobile phone or server, to perform various functions), and (c) hardware circuit(s) and or processor(s), such as a microprocessor(s) or a portion of a microprocessor(s), that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but the software may not be present when it is not needed for operation. This definition of circuitry applies to all uses of this term in this application, including in any claims. As a further example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also covers an implementation of merely a hardware circuit or processor (or multiple processors) or portion of a hardware circuit or processor and its (or their) accompanying software and / or firmware. The term circuitry also covers, for example and if applicable to the particular claim element, a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit for a mobile device or a similar integrated circuit in server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

[0078] FIG. 6 illustrates an example of a 5G network and system architecture according to certain example embodiments. Shown are multiple network functions that may be implemented as software operating as part of a network device or dedicated hardware, as a network device itself or dedicated hardware, or as a virtual function operating as a network device or dedicated hardware. The NE and UE illustrated in FIG. 6 may be similar to NE 510 and UE 520, respectively. The user plane function (UPF) may provide services such as intra-RAT and inter- RAT mobility, routing and forwarding of data packets, inspection of packets, user plane quality of service (QoS) processing, buffering of downlink packets, and / or triggering of downlink data notifications. The applicationfunction (AF) may primarily interface with the core network to facilitate application usage of traffic routing and interact with the policy framework.

[0079] According to certain example embodiments, processors 511 and 521 , and memories 512 and 522, may be included in or may form a part of processing circuitry or control circuitry. In addition, in some example embodiments, transceivers 513 and 523 may be included in or may form a part of transceiving circuitry.

[0080] In some example embodiments, an apparatus (e.g, NE 510 and / or UE 520) may include means for performing a method, a process, or any of the variants discussed herein. Examples of the means may include one or more processors, memory, controllers, transmitters, receivers, and / or computer program code for causing the performance of the operations.

[0081] In various example embodiments, apparatus 520 may be controlled by memory 522 and processor 521 to receive an uplink grant indicating a first uplink resource allocation for a first uplink transmission; and determine the end of a time period based on the end of the first uplink resource allocation.

[0082] Certain example embodiments may be directed to an apparatus that includes means for performing any of the methods described herein including, for example, means for receiving an uplink grant indicating a first uplink resource allocation for a first uplink transmission; and determining the end of a time period based on the end of the first uplink resource allocation.

[0083] In various example embodiments, apparatus 520 may be controlled by memory 522 and processor 521 to receive an uplink grant indicating an uplink resource allocation for an uplink transmission; determine a time period that ends at the end of the uplink resource allocation; determine a value based on a set of one or more uplink transmissions that are associated with the time period; and determine an output power boost based on the determined value.

[0084] Certain example embodiments may be directed to an apparatus that includes means for performing any of the methods described herein including, for example, means for receiving an uplink grant indicating an uplink resource allocation for an uplink transmission; determining a time period that ends at the end of the uplink resource allocation; determining a value based on a set of one or more uplink transmissions that are associated with the time period; and determining an output power boost based on the determined value.

[0085] The features, structures, or characteristics of example embodiments described throughout this specification may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more example embodiments. For example, the usage of the phrases "various embodiments,” "certain embodiments,” "some embodiments,” or other similar language throughout this specification refers to the fact that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an example embodiment may be included in at least one example embodiment. Thus, appearances of the phrases "in various embodiments,” "in certain embodiments,” "in some embodiments,”or other similar language throughout this specification does not necessarily all refer to the same group of example embodiments, and the described features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more example embodiments.

[0086] As used herein, "at least one of the following: ” and "at least one of ” and similar wording, where the list of two or more elements are joined by "and” or "or,” mean at least any one of the elements, or at least any two or more of the elements, or at least all the elements.

[0087] Additionally, if desired, the different functions or procedures discussed above may be performed in a different order and / or concurrently with each other. Furthermore, if desired, one or more of the described functions or procedures may be optional or may be combined. As such, the description above should be considered as illustrative of the principles and teachings of certain example embodiments, and not in limitation thereof.

[0088] One having ordinary skill in the art will readily understand that the example embodiments discussed above may be practiced with procedures in a different order, and / or with hardware elements in configurations which are different than those which are disclosed. Therefore, although some embodiments have been described based upon these example embodiments, it would be apparent to those of skill in the art that certain modifications, variations, and alternative constructions would be apparent, while remaining within the spirit and scope of the example embodiments.

[0089] Partial Glossary

[0090] 3GPP 3rdGeneration Partnership Project

[0091] 5G 5thGeneration

[0092] 5GC 5thGeneration Core

[0093] 5G NR fifth generation new radio

[0094] 6G 6thGeneration

[0095] AF Application Function

[0096] A-MPR Additional maximum power reduction

[0097] ASIC Application Specific Integrated Circuit

[0098] BPSK binary phase-shift keying

[0099] BS Base Station

[0100] CBSD Citizens Broadband Radio Service Device

[0101] CE Control Elements

[0102] CG Configured Grant

[0103] CP cyclic prefix

[0104] CPU Central Processing Unit

[0105] cu Centralized Unit

[0106] DCCH Dedicated Control Channel

[0107] DCI Downlink Control Information

[0108] DFT discrete Fourier transform

[0109] DFT-s-OFDM DFT spread OFDM

[0110] DL Downlink

[0111] DU Distributed Unit

[0112] DWS Dynamic Waveform Switching

[0113] eMBB Enhanced Mobile Broadband

[0114] eNB Evolved Node B

[0115] FDD Frequency Division Duplex

[0116] FDSS frequency-domain spectral shaping

[0117] FDSS DFT-s-OFDM FDSS-based DFT-s-OFDM

[0118] FR Frequency Range

[0119] gNB Next Generation Node B

[0120] GPS Global Positioning System

[0121] HDD Hard Disk Drive

[0122] loT Internet of Things

[0123] LPWA Low-power wide-area network

[0124] LTE Long-Term Evolution

[0125] LTE-A Long-Term Evolution Advanced

[0126] MAC Medium Access Control

[0127] MCS modulation and coding scheme

[0128] MEMS Micro Electrical Mechanical System

[0129] MIMO Multiple Input Multiple Output

[0130] mMTC Massive Machine Type Communication

[0131] MPR maximum power reduction

[0132] NE Network Entity

[0133] NG Next Generation

[0134] NG-eNB Next Generation Evolved Node B

[0135] NG-RAN Next Generation Radio Access Network

[0136] NR New Radio

[0137] NR-U New Radio Unlicensed

[0138] OFDM orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing

[0139] PDA Personal Digital Assistance

[0140] PDCCH Physical Downlink Control Channel

[0141] PDSCH Physical Downlink Shared Channel

[0142] PDU Protocol Data Unit

[0143] PHY Physical

[0144] PUCCH Physical Uplink Control Channel

[0145] PUSCH Physical Uplink Shared Channel

[0146] QoS Quality of Service

[0147] QPSK quadrature phase shift keying

[0148] RAM Random Access Memory

[0149] RAN Radio Access Network

[0150] RAT Radio Access Technology

[0151] RE Resource Element

[0152] RF Radio Frequency

[0153] ROM Read-Only Memory

[0154] RRC Radio Resource Control

[0155] RS Reference Signal

[0156] SAR specific absorption rate

[0157] TBoMS Transport Block over Multiple Slots

[0158] TDD Time Division Duplex

[0159] Tx Transmission

[0160] UCI Uplink Control Information

[0161] UE User Equipment

[0162] UL Uplink

[0163] UMTS Universal Mobile Telecommunications System

[0164] UPF User Plane Function

[0165] URLLC Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communication

[0166] UTRAN Universal Mobile Telecommunications System Terrestrial Radio Access Network

[0167] WLAN Wireless Local Area Network

Claims

WE CLAIM:1 . An apparatus, comprising: at least one processor; and at least one memory storing instructions that, when executed by the at least one processor, cause the apparatus at least to: receive an uplink grant indicating an uplink resource allocation for an uplink transmission; determine a time period that ends at the end of the uplink resource allocation; determine a value based on a set of one or more uplink transmissions that are associated with the time period; and determine an output power boost based on the determined value.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one memory and the instructions, when executed by the at least one processor, further cause the apparatus at least to: determine a maximum output power to be used by the uplink transmission based on the output power boost; determine an output power level to be used by the uplink transmission based on the maximum output power; and transmit the uplink transmission using the output power level.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the value is determined based on one of the following: a ratio between a number of transmitted uplink symbols during the time period and a total number of symbols during the time period, a ratio between a number of scheduled uplink symbols during the time period and a total number of symbols during the time period, a ratio between an amount of used transmission time during the time period and a total amount of time during the time period, a ratio between an amount of scheduled transmission time during the time period and a total amount of time during the time period, or a total estimated amount of energy during the time period.

4. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the determination of the output power boost is further based on an output power capability at the apparatus.

5. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the determination of the output power boost is further based on at least one threshold.

6. The apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the at least one threshold is defined according to a configuration from a network entity or according to a predefined value.

7. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the determining the output power boost is further based on a quantization of the determined value.

8. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the quantization of the determined value granularizes the output power boost.

9. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein the determination of the output power boost is further based on an enabling indication received via RRC or medium access control (MAC) signaling.

10. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-9, wherein the uplink transmission is a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission or a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmission.11 . The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-10, wherein the uplink grant is received in downlink control information.

12. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1-11 , wherein the output power boost comprises delta_Powerboost.

13. A method, comprising: receiving an uplink grant indicating an uplink resource allocation for an uplink transmission; determining a time period that ends at the end of the uplink resource allocation; determining a value based on a set of one or more uplink transmissions that are associated with the time period; anddetermining an output power boost based on the determined value.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: determining a maximum output power to be used by the uplink transmission based on the output power boost; determining an output power level to be used by the uplink transmission based on the maximum output power; and transmitting the uplink transmission using the output power level.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein the value is determined based on one of the following: a ratio between a number of transmitted uplink symbols during the time period and a total number of symbols during the time period, a ratio between a number of scheduled uplink symbols during the time period and a total number of symbols during the time period, a ratio between an amount of used transmission time during the time period and a total amount of time during the time period, a ratio between an amount of scheduled transmission time during the time period and a total amount of time during the time period, or a total estimated amount of energy during the time period.

16. The method according to any one of claims 13-15, wherein the determination of the output power boost is further based on an output power capability at the apparatus.

17. The method according to any one of claims 13-16, wherein the determination of the output power boost is further based on at least one threshold.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the at least one threshold is defined according to a configuration from a network entity or according to a predefined value.

19. The method according to any one of claims 13-16, wherein the determining the output power boost is further based on a quantization of the determined value.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the quantization of the determined value granularizes the output power boost.

21. The method according to any one of claims 13-20, wherein the determination of the output power boost is further based on an enabling indication received via RRC or medium access control (MAC) signaling.

22. The method according to any one of claims 13-21 , wherein the uplink transmission is a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission or a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmission.

23. The method according to any one of claims 13-22, wherein the uplink grant is received in downlink control information.

24. The method according to any one of claims 13-23, wherein the output power boost comprises delta_Powerboost.

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