Overlaid DMRS transmission and monitoring thereof

Abstract

There is provided techniques for monitoring performance of an overlaid DMRS transmission. A method is performed by a wireless device. The method comprises receiving configuration pertaining to monitoring of an overlaid DMRS transmission from a network node. The method comprises receiving the overlaid DMRS transmission from the network node. DMRS symbols are superimposed on data symbols in the overlaid DMRS transmission. The method comprises monitoring performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission based on the received overlaid DMRS transmission and in accordance with the received configuration. The method comprises sending reporting to the network node. The reporting comprises an indication of the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission.

Description

[0001] OVERLAID DMRS TRANSMISSION AND MONITORING THEREOF TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] Embodiments presented herein relate to a method, a wireless device, a computer program, and a computer program product for monitoring performance of an overlaid demodulation reference signal transmission. Embodiments presented herein further relate to a method, a network node, a computer program, and a computer program product for overlaid demodulation reference signal transmission.

[0003] BACKGROUND

[0004] In multiple-input multiple -output (MIMO) systems, a network node with many antennas, such as 64 antennas or more, provides large array gains and / or performs spatial multiplexing of many user equipments (UEs) on the same time-and-frequency (T / F) resources. Such a large number of antennas make it possible to simultaneously serve multiple UEs using the same T / F resources. Particularly, the received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) increases with the number of antennas. Hence, the spectral efficiency can be increased or, equivalently, the required power to satisfy a quality -of-service requirement can be decreased as the number of antennas increases. For example, by leveraging advanced beamforming and spatial multiplexing techniques, multi-user (MU) MIMO systems exploit the spatial dimension of the radio channel to improve the network capacity and spectral efficiency.

[0005] Demodulation reference signals (DMRSs) can be used for enabling coherent demodulation by providing a known signal pattern for channel estimation. DMRS are tightly coupled with data-bearing channels, specifically the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) and Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH). Unlike Cell-Specific Reference Signals (CRS) used in Long-Term Evolution (LTE) based telecommunication systems, DMRS as for example used in New Radio (NR) based telecommunication systems are user-specific, flexible, and dynamically configurable, allowing the network to adapt their usage based on varying conditions and requirements. This flexibility enables support of a wide range of services, from enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) services.

[0006] DMRSs are mapped to specific resource elements within a time-and-frequency grid and are transmitted alongside the user data. The design of DMRSs supports both frequency division duplex (FDD) and time division duplex (TDD) modes. Additionally, DMRSs offer robust support for advanced techniques like beamforming and massive MIMO. The ability to adapt the use of DMRSs to multiple antenna configurations and spatial layers makes DMRSs suitable for scenarios involving high mobility, wide bandwidths, or challenging propagation conditions, such as those encountered in millimeter-wave (mmWave) bands.

[0007] The configuration of DMRS in NR based telecommunication systems is highly flexible and can be tailored to meet diverse deployment scenarios, including single-user and MU-MIMO configurations, high mobility environments, and scenarios requiring low latency. Both downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) DMRSconfigurations are specified by the network and communicated to the UE via radio resource control (RRC) signaling and dynamic control signaling. Below follow some aspects of DMRS configuration. While DMRS improves channel estimation accuracy, it introduces overhead. To balance overhead and performance at least some of the following procedures can be performed. For example, the network may dynamically configure the number of DMRS symbols and their density. For example, additional DMRS positions may be selectively enabled for challenging environments, such as high mobility or poor channel conditions. For example, in MU-MIMO systems, DMRS sequences may be carefully assigned to maintain orthogonality while minimizing overhead.

[0008] The flexibility to configure DMRS dynamically in time and frequency may ensures its adaptability to changing channel conditions and transmission requirements. Also, by spreading DMRS across subcarriers and spatial layers, the network can exploit frequency and spatial diversity to improve reliability and performance.

[0009] DMRS can be used alongside channel state information (CSI) reporting mechanisms to optimize the resource allocation and beam management. Single-symbol and double-symbol based DMRS may be used. Frequency mapping may be Type 1 (Comb based with 2 code division multiplexing (CDM) groups groups) or Type 2 (Non-comb based with 3 CDM groups). Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbol mapping may be Type A (for slot-based scheduling) where DMRS starts in symbol 2 or 3 from slot boundary (counting starts at 0) or Type B (non-slot based scheduling) where DMRS starts in PxSCH symbol 0 (counting starts at 0).

[0010] Some configuration elements associated with DMRS will be disclosed next.

[0011] One configuration element is Mapping Type. For Mapping Type A, the DMRS is placed at fixed positions within a slot, typically starting at symbol 0. This is used for scenarios with higher latency tolerance. For Mapping Type B, DMRS can be flexibly placed in the slot, allowing optimization for latency -critical use cases or scenarios with more complex transmission configurations.

[0012] One configuration element pertains to Density and Patterns. For example, DMRS can be configured with single-symbol or multi-symbol density in time. Single-Symbol DMRS is typically used in low-latency scenarios. Double-Symbol DMRS provides better channel estimation accuracy in challenging environments such as high mobility. In the frequency domain, DMRS can be allocated on every subcarrier or at intervals to minimize overhead while maintaining sufficient channel estimation accuracy. One configuration element pertains to Sequence Generation and Port Assignment. For example, DMRSs may use OFDM-based sequences generated from pseudo-random sequences. Ports for DMRS may be assigned based on the number of layers in the transmission. Each layer has a unique DMRS port, and orthogonal cover codes (OCC) are applied to maintain orthogonality. Up to 12 DMRS ports are supported for PDSCH, enabling flexible multi-layer MIMO.One configuration element pertains to Configurable Parameters via RRC Signaling. Parameters that the network may configure via RRC signaling will be listed next. DL-DMRS-Type specifies whether Type A or Type B mapping is used. DL-DMRS-AdditionalPosition allows adding additional DMRS positions to improve channel estimation. DMRS-PortConfigurations specifies the number of ports and their mapping to spatial layers. Density and Time-Domain Allocation determines DMRS positions in the slot.

[0013] The introduction of massive MU-MIMO with possibly an increased number of antennas at the gNB / UEs and / or higher number of data layers for the UEs may introduce issues for DMRS-based channel estimation. This is because DMRSs that are embedded in PDSCH transmissions according to existing NR specifications take up a non-negligible fraction of the T / F resources, typically between 5-20%. As a consequence, the maximum user throughput and the maximum cell capacity are reduced by the same fraction. This fraction may need to be increased even more for massive MU-MIMO systems.

[0014] For this reason, using overlaid DMRS plus data symbol allocation in PxSCH (such as PUSCH or PDSCH) resources has been proposed as a way to retain or improve the channel estimation performance while reducing the effective resource overhead for DMRS provision. Reference is here made to Fig. 1 in which three examples of T / F grids 110, 120, 130 are illustrated. As can be seen, a first T / F grid 110 with DMRSs are overlaid on a second T / F grid 120 with data symbols to form an overlaid DMRS and data T / F grid 130. In this way, DMRS and data symbols can be transmitted in the same T / F resources. Here, for a given OFDM symbol t and subcarrier f resource element (RE), the baseband representation of the transmitted signal Xtf with superimposed pilots can be expressed as

[0015]

[0016] where Xtf is the transmitted data symbol, Stcharacterizes the superimposed DMRS, and Ptj G [0, 1] represents the pilot / signal power ratio.

[0017] For example, in the DL, the DMRS may be put on top of PDSCH, i.e., where the DMRS is superimposed across the PDSCH. Then, the UE that receives the overlaid DMRS transmission can use e.g., interference cancellation or some artificial intelligence (Al) based receiver to perform channel estimation and data decoding from overlaid DMRS transmission.

[0018] In this respect, with an overlaid DMRS transmission, the transmission power needs to be shared between the superimposed DMRS and the data signals. If the transmission power is not allocated correctly, this may result in additional interference. In turn, this may affect the transmission configurations as well as the decoding and / or channel estimation performance at the UE.

[0019] Hence, there is still a need for improved overlaid DMRS transmissions.SUMMARY

[0020] An object of embodiments herein is to address the above issues with overlaid DMRS transmissions. A particular object is to enable overlaid DMRS transmissions not suffering from the above issues, or where the above issues have been reduced or mitigated.

[0021] A particular object is to provide a monitoring procedure enabling adaptive DMRS transmissions.

[0022] According to a first aspect there is presented a method for monitoring performance of an overlaid DMRS transmission. The method is performed by a wireless device. The method comprises receiving configuration pertaining to monitoring of an overlaid DMRS transmission from a network node. The method comprises receiving the overlaid DMRS transmission from the network node. DMRS symbols are superimposed on data symbols in the overlaid DMRS transmission. The method comprises monitoring performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission based on the received overlaid DMRS transmission and in accordance with the received configuration. The method comprises sending reporting to the network node. The reporting comprises an indication of the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission. According to a second aspect there is presented a wireless device for monitoring performance of an overlaid DMRS transmission. The wireless device comprises processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to cause the wireless device to receive configuration pertaining to monitoring of an overlaid DMRS transmission from a network node. The processing circuitry is configured to cause the wireless device to receive the overlaid DMRS transmission from the network node. DMRS symbols are superimposed on data symbols in the overlaid DMRS transmission. The processing circuitry is configured to cause the wireless device to monitor performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission based on the received overlaid DMRS transmission and in accordance with the received configuration. The processing circuitry is configured to cause the wireless device to send reporting to the network node. The reporting comprises an indication of the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission.

[0023] According to a third aspect there is presented a computer program for monitoring performance of an overlaid DMRS transmission. The computer program comprises computer code which, when run on processing circuitry of a wireless device, causes the wireless device to perform actions. One action comprises the wireless device to receive configuration pertaining to monitoring of an overlaid DMRS transmission from a network node. One action comprises the wireless device to receive the overlaid DMRS transmission from the network node. DMRS symbols are superimposed on data symbols in the overlaid DMRS transmission. One action comprises the wireless device to monitor performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission based on the received overlaid DMRS transmission and in accordance with the received configuration. One action comprises the wireless device to send reporting to the network node. The reporting comprises an indication of the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission.According to a fourth aspect there is presented a method for overlaid DMRS transmission. The method is performed by a network node. The method comprises sending configuration pertaining to monitoring of an overlaid DMRS transmission to a wireless device. The method comprises transmitting the overlaid DMRS transmission to the wireless device. DMRS symbols are superimposed on data symbols in the overlaid DMRS transmission. The method comprises receiving reporting from the wireless device. The reporting comprises an indication of the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission. The method comprises performing an action based on the indication.

[0024] According to a fifth aspect there is presented a network node for overlaid DMRS transmission. The network node comprises processing circuitry. The processing circuitry is configured to cause the network node to send configuration pertaining to monitoring of an overlaid DMRS transmission to a wireless device. The processing circuitry is configured to cause the network node to transmit the overlaid DMRS transmission to the wireless device. DMRS symbols are superimposed on data symbols in the overlaid DMRS transmission. The processing circuitry is configured to cause the network node to receive reporting from the wireless device. The reporting comprises an indication of the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission. The processing circuitry is configured to cause the network node to perform an action based on the indication.

[0025] According to a sixth aspect there is presented a computer program for overlaid DMRS transmission. The computer program comprises computer code which, when run on processing circuitry of a network node, causes the network node to perform actions. One action comprises the network node to send configuration pertaining to monitoring of an overlaid DMRS transmission to a wireless device. One action comprises the network node to transmit the overlaid DMRS transmission to the wireless device. DMRS symbols are superimposed on data symbols in the overlaid DMRS transmission. One action comprises the network node to receive reporting from the wireless device. The reporting comprises an indication of the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission. One action comprises the network node to perform an action based on the indication.

[0026] According to a seventh aspect there is presented a computer program product comprising a computer program according to at least one of the third aspect and the sixth aspect and a computer readable storage medium on which the computer program is stored. The computer readable storage medium could be a non-transitory computer readable storage medium.

[0027] Advantageously, these aspects address the above issues with overlaid DMRS transmissions.

[0028] Advantageously, these aspects enable overlaid DMRS transmissions to not suffer from the above issues. Advantageously, these aspects provide a monitoring procedure that enables adaptive DMRS

[0029] transmissions.Advantageously, these aspects enable monitoring of the data decoding and / or channel estimation status in the context of overlaid DMRS transmissions.

[0030] Advantageously, these aspects enable either the wireless device or the network node to determine the root cause of potential overlaid DMRS functionality issues.

[0031] Advantageously, these aspects yield improved user throughput and / or cell capacity in scenarios with large number of UEs and / or data layers.

[0032] Other objectives, features and advantages of the enclosed claims will be apparent from the following detailed disclosure, from the attached dependent claims as well as from the drawings.

[0033] Generally, all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitly defined otherwise herein. All references to "a / an / the element, apparatus, component, means, module, step, etc." are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of the element, apparatus, component, means, module, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless explicitly stated.

[0034] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] The inventive concept is now described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0036] Fig. 1 is a schematic illustration of time-and-frequency grids according to examples;

[0037] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a communication system according to embodiments;

[0038] Figs. 3 and 4 are flowcharts of methods according to embodiments;

[0039] Fig. 5 is a signaling diagram of a method according to an embodiment;

[0040] Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram showing structural units of a wireless device according to an embodiment; Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram showing structural units of a network node according to an embodiment; Fig. 8 shows one example of a computer program product comprising computer readable means according to an embodiment;

[0041] Figs. 9 and 10 show examples of communication systems in accordance with some embodiments;

[0042] Fig. 11 is a block diagram of a wireless device according to embodiments;

[0043] Fig. 12 is a block diagram of a network node according to embodiments; andFig. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment according to embodiments.

[0044] DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0045] The inventive concept will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which certain embodiments of the inventive concept are shown. This inventive concept may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the inventive concept to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the description. Any step or feature illustrated by dashed lines should be regarded as optional.

[0046] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a communication system 200 where embodiments presented herein can be applied. The communication system 200 comprises a network node 220, a core network node 240, and a wireless device 210. The network node 220 is, via the core network node 240, configured to provide network access to the wireless device 210. The network node 220 and the wireless device 210 are configured to communicate with each other over a communication link 230. The network node 220 could be any of a (radio) access network node, radio base station, base transceiver station, node B (NB), evolved node B (eNB), gNB, access point, access node, transmission and reception point (TRP), integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node. The wireless device 210 could be any of a UE, portable wireless device, mobile station, mobile phone, handset, wireless local loop phone, smartphone, laptop computer, tablet computer, wireless modem, wireless sensor device, network equipped vehicle, Internet of Things (loT) device, game controller.

[0047] It is assumed that the network node 220 is configured for performing overlaid DMRS transmissions towards the wireless device 210, and thus that the wireless device 210 is capable of receiving and decoding overlaid DMRS transmissions.

[0048] One of the issues with using overlaid DMRS for channel estimation at the wireless device 210 is the additional interferences between the overlaid and normal DMRSs as well as the additional interferences between the overlaid DMRS and the data signals, which may have a negative impact on the channel estimation quality. Particularly, depending on the properties of the receiver at the wireless device 210, one or more of the superimposed DMRSs may be lost or distorted at the receiver, resulting in poor channel estimation and / or data decoding. With overlaid DMRS transmissions, both the strong and weak components of the combined signal need to be handled simultaneously, nonlinear distortion that may arise due to power disparities between DMRS and PDSCH need to be avoided, and higher linearity is required to, e.g., prevent intermodulation distortion from strong DMRS components. With an overlaid DMRS transmission, the transmission power needs to be shared between the superimposed DMRS and the data signals. For instance, if the DMRS is power-boosted, this may create a higher peak power, requiring ahigher linearity range to prevent distortion. Or, if the PDSCH power is low, the weaker portion of the combined signal may approach the receiver sensitivity limit, making it more sensitive to noise.

[0049] Hence, if the transmission power is not allocated correctly, this may result in additional interference. In turn, this may affect the transmission configurations as well as the decoding and / or channel estimation performance at the wireless device 210. As further disclosed above, the wireless device 210 that receives the overlaid DMRS transmission may e.g., use interference cancellation or some Al based receiver to perform channel estimation and data decoding from the overlaid DMRS transmission. That is, the wireless device 210 may in its receiver implement an Al model that is used for decoding of the overlaid DMRS transmission. Further in this respect, the performance of the receiver might vary depending on different factors, e.g. the current channel, the experienced interference situation, etc., which for example can change with time depending on the current load level of the network, where the wireless device 210 is currently located in the cell etc. A drop in performance at the receiver may deteriorate the overall performance of the communication link 230.

[0050] In such cases, it may be beneficial for the wireless device 210 to monitor and inform the network node 220 about the performance of the overlaid signals in terms of data decoding and / or channel estimation and / or help the network to properly reconfigure the overlaid DMRS transmission. For this purpose, the wireless device 210 may need to monitor the performance of the receiver and indicate to the network node 220 in case the wireless device 210 detects any performance degradation associated with the receiver. The wireless device 210 may even propose changes that could make the receiver work better. At least some of the herein disclosed embodiments therefore address issues with how to monitor the performance of overlaid DMRS transmissions and how to inform the network about channel estimation, data decoding status and / or proper power sharing between different signals in the cases with overlaid DMRS transmissions.

[0051] The embodiments disclosed herein in particular relate to techniques for monitoring performance of an overlaid DMRS transmission, and overlaid DMRS transmission. In order to obtain such techniques there is provided a wireless device 210, a method performed by the wireless device 210, and a computer program product comprising code, for example in the form of a computer program, that when run on processing circuitry of the wireless device 210, causes the wireless device 210 to perform the method. In order to obtain such techniques there is further provided a network node 220, a method performed by the network node 220, and a computer program product comprising code, for example in the form of a computer program, that when run on processing circuitry of the network node 220, causes the network node 220 to perform the method.

[0052] According to at least some of the herein disclosed embodiments, methods are provided for monitoring the performance on DL overlaid DMRS. Some embodiments relate to how to inform the network node aboutchannel estimation, data decoding status and / or an indication of proper power sharing between overlaid signals, based on the received superimposed signals.

[0053] Reference is now made to Fig. 3 illustrating a method for monitoring performance of an overlaid DMRS transmission as performed by the wireless device 210 according to an embodiment.

[0054] SI 06: The wireless device 210 receives configuration pertaining to monitoring of an overlaid DMRS transmission from a network node 220.

[0055] SI 10: The wireless device 210 receives the overlaid DMRS transmission from the network node 220. DMRS symbols are superimposed on data symbols in the overlaid DMRS transmission. However, it could also be so that the DMRS symbols are superimposed on control symbols, where a superposition thus can be made between DMRS and a control channel (such as the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH)), etc.

[0056] Receiving the overlaid DMRS transmission, the wireless device 210 tries to decode the data and estimate the channel either simultaneously or sequentially (depending on properties of the receiver in the wireless device 210). The wireless device 210 monitors the performance of the overlaid signals and, e.g., determines if there are issues in terms of channel estimation and / or data decoding, and informs the network node 220 accordingly, as in steps SI 12 and SI 14.

[0057] SI 12: The wireless device 210 monitors performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission based on the received overlaid DMRS transmission and in accordance with the received configuration. Different ways for the wireless device 210 to monitor performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission will be disclosed below.

[0058] SI 14: The wireless device 210 sends reporting to the network node 220. The reporting comprises an indication of the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission. In some aspects, the reporting is governed by the configuration received in step SI 06. That is, the configuration may further pertain to the reporting of the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission. Further aspects of the reporting will be disclosed below.

[0059] Embodiments relating to further details of monitoring performance of an overlaid DMRS transmission as performed by the wireless device 210 will now be disclosed with continued reference to Fig.3.

[0060] In some aspects, the configuration as received in step si 06 is based on capabilities of the wireless device 210. The wireless device 210 may therefore for this and other purposes send a capability report to the network node 220. Hence, in some embodiments, the wireless device 210 is configured to perform (optional) step SI 04.

[0061] S 104: The wireless device 210 sends the capability report to the network node 220.The capability report may be sent via, e.g., RRC, a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), or as uplink control information (UCI).

[0062] The capability report may pertain to, or comprise, at least one of: channel estimation and DMRS monitoring capabilities, power handling and sensitivity limits (e.g., supported range of dmrs-to-data power sharing), interference and signal quality metrics, prediction and adaptation capabilities.

[0063] In some examples, the capability report comprises information about support for monitoring overlaid DMRS transmission / reception (e.g., an indication flag). In some examples, the capability report comprises information about minimum and maximum received power levels Pminand Pmaxthat the wireless device 210 can handle without distortion or sensitivity issues in the cases with non-overlaid DMRS transmissions. In some examples, the capability report comprises information about minimum and maximum received power levels Pminand Pmaxthat the wireless device 210 can handle for the PDSCH without distortion or sensitivity issues in the cases with overlaid DMRS transmissions. In some examples, the capability report comprises information about minimum and maximum received power levels Pminand Pmaxthat the wireless device 210 can handle for the DMRS signal without distortion or sensitivity issues in the cases with overlaid DMRS transmissions. In some examples, the capability report comprises information about minimum and maximum total received power levels that the wireless device 210 can handle for the cases with overlaid DMRS transmissions. In some examples, the capability report comprises information about supported power-sharing range for the cases with overlaid DMRS transmissions, e.g., cminand cmaxparameters associated with Equation (1) below, indicating the preferred range of balance between DMRS and data signal powers. In some examples, the capability report comprises information about received DMRS-to-data interference sensitivity ratio, e.g., parameters Qminand Qmaxparameters where:

[0064] „ _ PpMRS

[0065] ~

[0066] rp

[0067] Data

[0068] and PDataand PDMRSare the received power of the data and DMRS signals, respectively.

[0069] In some examples, the capability report comprises information about the total dynamic range of the receiver, the receiver type used for overlaid DMRS, capability to perform a prediction in time and prediction horizon of one or more of the above-mentioned metrics, support of ground truth DMRS transmission for performance monitoring of overlaid DMRS transmissions, where the indication e.g., could support one or more of ground truth DRMS without any data, or ground truth DMRS with known overlaid data.

[0070] With an overlaid DMRS, the lowest and the highest signal power level of the DMRS signal refers to a range at which the wireless device 210 can receive and process the overlaid DMRS signal for channel estimation without distortion. Further, the lowest and the highest signal power level of the overlaid data signal refers to a range at which the wireless device 210 can receive and process the data signal,superimposed with DMRS, for decoding without distortion. Correspondingly, the received DMRS-to-data interference sensitivity parameters Qmtnand Qmaxor the power ratio range parameters cminand cmaxindicate the range of the transmit or received powers of the overlaid data and DMRS signals that the receiver can receive and jointly estimate the channel and decode the data.

[0071] Further in this respect, the wireless device 210 may send the capability report with or without being requested to do so by the network node 220. For example, prior to the wireless device 210 sending the capability report, the network node 220 may request information of supported configurations at the wireless device 210 for receiving overlaid DMRS transmissions. In particular, in some embodiments, the wireless device 210 is configured to perform (optional) step SI 02 before performing step SI 04.

[0072] SI 02: The wireless device 210 receives a request from the network node 220 for the wireless device 210 to send a capability report pertaining to support in the wireless device 210 for monitoring performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission.

[0073] For example, the support may pertain to whether or not the wireless device 210 supports superimposed reference signal transmission and / or reception. For example, the support may pertain to conditions for which the superimposed reference signal reception is supported, e.g., maximum number of spatial multiplexing layers, rank indicator, minimum modulation and coding scheme, channel quality indicator, waveform, etc.

[0074] Further aspects of how the wireless device 210 may monitor the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission will be disclosed next.

[0075] In general terms, while receiving signals with overlaid DMRS, the wireless device 210 may monitor overlaid DMRS-related metrics to be able to determine and report feedback to the network node 220 about whether there is an issue for the channel estimation and / or data decoding and the root cause of the issues.

[0076] There are different methods for the UE to monitor the channel estimation quality of the received overlaid DMRS. Saturation indicators can be indicated when the total received power of the overlaid signals is too high. For instance, with a high total power P, the Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) in the receiver at the wireless device 210 may experience clipping due to excessively high input signal power. Also, nonlinear distortion might occur, degrading the received signal quality. On the other hand, sensitivity indicators may indicate the received total power is too low. Here, the signal power falls below the sensitivity threshold of the receiver, making it difficult to estimate the channel or decode the data and the wireless device 210 may experience very low reference signal received power (RSRP), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (SINR), etc.

[0077] In some embodiments, monitoring the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission comprises evaluating physical layer performance of the received overlaid DMRS transmission.In some embodiments, monitoring the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission pertains to, or comprises, at least one of: channel estimation, data decoding status, indication of power sharing between the DMRS symbols and the data symbols.

[0078] In one example, the wireless device 210 analyzes the DMRS and data SINR (from the combined received signal, based on the fact that the DMRS and data signals are orthogonal and use correlations to determine the SINR of DMRS and data signal) and then, based on the SINR of the DMRS and data signals, the wireless device 210 understands if there is any problem with channel estimation and / or decoding. If, for instance, the SINR of the DMRS signal is too low, this may be indicative of insufficient power for channel estimation. Alternatively, if the SINR of the data signal is too low, this may be indicative of problems with data decoding.

[0079] For example, the wireless device 210 may assess channel estimation and data decoding by analyzing SINR, mean squared error (MSE) of the estimated channel, or error vector magnitude (EVM), power levels, separate DMRS and data signals from each other using orthogonality and correlation, and then apply threshold-based decision-making (e.g., based on predefined SINR and power limits) to detect estimation and decoding issues. Further details relating thereto will be disclosed next.

[0080] Assume that the received signal Y can be expressed as

[0081]

[0082] where H and Z represent the channel and the additive noise (plus interferences), respectively. To analyze the DMRS and data signals SINRs, the wireless device 210 needs to separate the contributions of the DMRS and data signals from the received signal. Since the DMRS sequence is known to the wireless device 210, the wireless device 210 can isolate the DMRS component from the combined signal. The wireless device 210 may thus have prior knowledge of which sequence of DMRS symbols is transmitted in the overlaid DMRS transmission (assuming that the DMRS symbols define a sequence of DMRS symbols). Therefore, in some embodiments, monitoring the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission comprises comparing channel estimates derived from the sequence of DMRS symbols, as extracted from the received overlaid DMRS transmission to channel estimates derived from the prior knowledge. Here, the wireless device 210 correlates the received signal Y with the known DMRS sequence XDMRS, resulting in

[0083] Correlation output:

[0084]

[0085] Since XDMRSand XDataare orthogonal by design, the correlation operation isolates the DMRS component:

[0086] YDMRS — Pc+ DMRSwhere ZDMRSis the noise projected to the DMRS sequence. Then, the wireless device 210 can estimate the DMRS SINR as

[0087]

[0088] This gives an indicator of whether the DMRS has sufficient power for reliable channel estimation or if it is too low or too high.

[0089] After isolating the DMRS component, the remaining signal corresponds to the data signal. Here, since XDMRS and XDataare orthogonal:

[0090]

[0091] where ZDatais the remaining noise component. Then, the data SINR can be estimated as:

[0092]

[0093] Once the wireless device 210 has calculated both SINROataand SINR0MflS, the wireless device 210 can determine whether the problem lies with channel estimation and / or data decoding. Hence, monitoring the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission may comprise identifying a root cause for performance degradation of the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission.

[0094] For example, the wireless device 210 may determine whether there is a problem in power sharing between the DMRS and the data signal or not, i.e., whether the parameter c in Equation 1 is too low or high. In further detail, insufficient power for DMRS leads to poor channel estimation accuracy and, therefore, the estimated channel will have a high error rate, directly impacting data decoding. With a low power allocated for DMRS, the wireless device 210 will experience low DMRS SINR, which degrades the signal quality for channel estimation. On the other hand, with a high power allocated to DMRS signal, the power of the data signal will be low, which reduces the ability to reliably decode the pay load or the modulation and coding scheme (MCS) that may be used during the transmission. For instance, if SINR0MflSis below a threshold 9 (e.g., 9 = —50 dB) the wireless device 210 may consider the channel estimation quality to be poor. In another example, if SINROatais below a threshold p (e.g., = —60 dB), the wireless device 210 may consider the decoding quality to be poor. In another example, if the wireless device 210 experiences high block error rate (BLER) for the data signal even in good SINR conditions, the wireless device 210 may consider that the channel estimation quality is poor. Alternatively, if there are multiple retransmission requests, despite high received power, the channel estimation may be inaccurate.

[0095] In some examples, the wireless device 210 may evaluate the quality of the estimated channel by calculating metrics like the MSE of the estimated channel or the EVM, where a high MSE or a poor EVMindicates poor channel estimation. In some examples, there may be a support model dedicated to analyzing whether an Al model as used in the receiver will work or not.

[0096] In some examples, the wireless device 210 may compare the channel estimation quality of overlaid DMRS with channel estimation quality of ground truth DMRS (e.g. DMRS without overlaid data, or DMRS with known overlaid data). Therefore, in some embodiments, the wireless device 210 is configured to perform (optional) step S108.

[0097] S108: The wireless device 210 receives a ground truth DMRS transmission from the network node 220. The ground truth DMRS transmission is either a DMRS transmission without overlaid data or a DMRS transmission with overlaid data known to the wireless device 210. Monitoring the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission may then comprise comparing channel estimates derived from the received overlaid DMRS transmission to channel estimates derived from the received ground truth DMRS transmission. The data known to the wireless device 210 may be represented by dummy data.

[0098] In some aspects, different OFDM symbols of the ground truth DMRS transmission have different power ratio between the DMRS and the known overlaid data, to allow the wireless device 210 to evaluate a preferred power ratio between DMRS and overlaid data. In particular, in some embodiments, the ground truth DMRS transmission is a DMRS transmission with overlaid data, where different symbols of the ground truth DMRS transmission have different power ratio between the DMRS symbols and overlaid data symbols. Monitoring the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission may then comprise evaluating a performance metric between the DMRS symbols and the overlaid data symbols. In further detail, in case the wireless device 210 is configured with ground truth DMRS with known overlaid data, the power ratio between the DMRS and known overlaid dummy data may be different for different OFDM symbol, such that the wireless device 210 can evaluate a preferred power ratio between DMRS and overlaid data. In such examples, the wireless device 210 may receive an indication to identify the power ratio used by OFDM symbols (e.g., an explicit indication of the reference signal to data ratio per OFDM symbol, an indication that the reference signal to data power ratio is different from a previous OFDM symbol, etc.). The reporting may then pertain to the difference in channel estimation error or channel estimation quality between the channel estimation based on the overlaid DMRS and the channel estimation based on the ground truth DMRS.

[0099] In some of such examples, the wireless device 210 may receive an indication, be required by some specification, or be expected to compute an estimate of the above-mentioned report signals (e.g., DMRS / data SINRs) accounting for the difference between the DMRS allocation for monitoring and actual data transmission purposes. For instance, if the overlaid DMRS expands all OFDM symbols within a slot during some data transmissions, the wireless device 210 could estimate the SINRs of such an DMRS pattern when only transmitted in a subset of slots for performance monitoring purposes via a known multiplicative factor representing the expected coding gain when the DMRS sequence expands allOFDM symbols (e.g., a multiplicative factor number of OFDM symbols in a slot divided by the number of symbols with a fixed reference signal to data power ratio or a more complex estimation based on the behaviour of the receiver and previous performance measurements).

[0100] Further aspects of the reporting sent from the wireless device 210 to the network node 220 in step SI 14 will be disclosed next.

[0101] As already disclosed, the reporting may be sent based on the configuration received from the network node 220. For instance, the reporting may be sent continuously and unconditionally every M ms or frames, e.g., every 320 ms; in case a metric is above or below some predefined threshold; in case of a root cause conclusion is reached, etc.

[0102] In some examples, the reporting is a DMRS-to-Data Power Ratio (DDPR) reporting. Here, either the value of the DDPR can be reported to the network node 220, or a binary flag can be used to indicate whether the received DDPR is below or above some threshold (where the threshold can be configured by the network).

[0103] In some examples, the indication pertains to whether the wireless device 210 has identified any performance degradation of the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission or not. In some examples, the indication comprises a root cause for performance degradation of the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission. In some examples, the indication comprises a channel estimation error between channel estimation based on the overlaid DMRS transmission and channel estimation based on a ground truth DMRS transmission with overlaid data. In some examples, the indication comprises a power indication of the DMRS symbols and the data symbols. In some examples, the indication pertains to inactivation or continuation of subsequent overlaid DMRS transmissions.

[0104] The reporting may pertain to saturation, for example indicating whether the received power of the overlaid signals exceeds the receiver’s dynamic range or not. The reporting may pertain to low power, for example indicating whether the combined signal power of the overlaid signal is below the receiver’s sensitivity or not. The reporting may pertain to channel estimation issues, for example indicating whether the wireless device 210 can or cannot properly estimate the channel, e.g., because the DMRS power is insufficient for accurate channel estimation. The reporting may pertain to data decoding issues, for example whether the wireless device 210 can or cannot properly decode the data, e.g., because the power of the data signal insufficient for reliable decoding. The reporting may comprise an indication of the proper power sharing parameter, e.g., the parameter c in Equation (1), for sharing the power between the data and DMRS signals. The reporting may comprise an indication of the received DMRS quality, e.g., the received DMRS SINR, or channel estimation error. The reporting may comprise an indication of the received PDSCH quality, e.g., the received PDSCH SINR. The reporting may comprise an indication of the relative quality of the overlaid DMRS and data signals. The reporting may comprise an indication of difference in channel estimation error or channel estimation quality between overlaid DMRS and groundtruth DMRS. The reporting may comprise an indication whether the data SINR is below a threshold T1 or not. The reporting may comprise an indication whether the MCS is above a threshold T2 or below a threshold T3 for the estimated data SINR. The reporting may comprise an indication whether the DMRS SINR is below a threshold T4 or not. The reporting may comprise an indication of the degraded EVM / PAPR (Peak-to-Average Power Ratio) properties due to the overlaid signals (e.g., received signal EVM being above a threshold T5). The reporting may comprise an indication of receiver saturation due to high total received power. The reporting may comprise an indication of the overlaid signal being below sensitivity due to low total received power. The reporting may comprise an indication of channel estimation being degraded due to too low or too high DMRS power. The reporting may comprise an indication of data decoding degraded due to too low or too high data power.

[0105] In some examples, the reporting is sent using existing CSI report mechanisms. For example, separate SINR or RSRP measurements can be reported for DMRS and data (e.g., separate DMRS SINR report, data SINR report). Alternatively, new metrics such as DMRS-to-Data SINR or Data-to-DMRS SINR can be reported to the network node.

[0106] In some examples, the reporting is sent using an extended radio link failure (RLF) report. For instance, if an RLF occurs, the wireless device 210 can specify the cause for the RLF in more detail, including an indication whether there is an RLF due to receiver saturation, an RLF due to receiver sensitivity, an RLF due to poor channel estimation (DMRS-related), an RLF due to poor data decoding (data power-related), or an RLF due to poor channel estimation and data decoding, etc.

[0107] In some examples, the reporting is based on a time prediction produced by the wireless device 210. In such examples, the wireless device 210 may signal to the network node 220 that a number of the reported indications are based on a prediction and include the result of such prediction in the report. In some examples, the wireless device 210 may also include a metric related to the accuracy of such prediction (e.g., confidence in terms of percentage, etc.).

[0108] Reference is now made to Fig. 4 illustrating a method for overlaid DMRS transmission as performed by the network node 220 according to an embodiment.

[0109] S206: The network node 220 sends configuration pertaining to monitoring of an overlaid DMRS transmission to a wireless device 210.

[0110] S210: The network node 220 transmits the overlaid DMRS transmission to the wireless device 210. DMRS symbols are superimposed on data symbols in the overlaid DMRS transmission.

[0111] S212: The network node 220 receives reporting from the wireless device 210. The reporting comprises an indication of the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission.

[0112] S214: The network node 220 performs an action based on the indication.This enables the network node 220 to know whether the wireless device 210 experiences any problems with respect to channel estimation or decoding of overlaid DMRS transmissions, and enables the network node 220 to, if needed, adapt one or more transmission parameters of subsequence overlaid DMRS transmissions accordingly. In turn, this enables efficient overlaid DMRS-based communication for the wireless devices 210 with different receiver properties.

[0113] Embodiments relating to further details of overlaid DMRS transmission as performed by the network node 220 will now be disclosed with continued reference to Fig. 4.

[0114] As disclosed above, the network node 220 may send a request for the wireless device 210 to transmit information about support for overlaid DMRS transmissions. Hence, in some embodiments, the network node 220 is configured to perform (optional) steps S202 and S204.

[0115] S202: The network node 220 sends a request to the wireless device 210 for the wireless device 210 to send a capability report pertaining to support in the wireless device 210 for monitoring performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission.

[0116] S204: The network node 220 receives the capability report from the wireless device 210.

[0117] However, as disclosed above, the wireless device 210 may send the capability report without the network node 220 requesting the wireless device 210 to send it.

[0118] Based on the received capability report, the network node 220 may select one or more transmission parameters for the overlaid DMRS transmission. In this respect, transmission parameters may pertain to the T / F resource allocation, power allocation, power sharing between different signals, etc. for the overlaid DMRS transmission. Hence, in some embodiments, the overlaid DMRS transmission is transmitted using transmission parameters that are based on the received capability report.

[0119] Based on the received capability report, the network node 220 may further select configuration for the wireless device 210 to use when receiving the overlaid DMRS transmission and when sending reporting thereof to the network node 220. In particular, in some embodiments, the configuration sent in step S206 pertains to at least one of: metrics to be used by the wireless device 210 when monitoring performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission, root cause categories for performance degradation of the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission, content and / or type of the reporting.

[0120] For example, the configuration may comprise, or pertain to, monitoring metrics such as data SINR, DMRS SINR, channel estimation quality metric (estimate variance etc.), receive signal EVM.

[0121] For example, the configuration may comprise, or pertain to, root cause categories and criteria, such as low data SINR; data SINR below a threshold Tl, mismatched MCS; MCS above a threshold T2 or below a threshold T3 for the estimated data SINR, low DMRS SINR; DMRS SINR below a threshold T4,degraded EVM / PAPR properties due to the overlaid signals; RX signal EVM above a threshold T5. For example, the configuration may comprise, or pertain to, report content such as metric values, root cause conclusions, a prediction in time of one or more of the performance-related metrics (e.g., RLF, DMRS SINR being below a threshold, etc.), with such request indicating the starting time and / or prediction horizon, etc. For example, the configuration may comprise, or pertain to, report content such as prediction starting time, the time the overlaid DMRS transmission for performance monitoring purposes is received, an absolute time, etc. For example, the configuration may comprise, or pertain to, report content such as when and how often the wireless device 220 is to send reportings, such as continuously and unconditionally every M ms or frames, e.g. every 320 ms; only in case a metric is above or below some predefined threshold; in case of a root cause conclusion is reached, etc.

[0122] As disclosed above, the monitoring may be based on the wireless device 210 comparing the received DMRS transmission to a ground truth DMRS transmission. Therefore, in some embodiments, the network node 220 is configured to perform (optional) step S208.

[0123] S208: The network node 220 transmits a ground truth DMRS transmission to the wireless device 210. The ground truth DMRS transmission is either a DMRS transmission without overlaid data or a DMRS transmission with overlaid data known to the wireless device 210.

[0124] There can be different actions performed by the network node 220 in step S214 based on the indication. In some aspects, the action involves adapting transmission configuration for subsequent overlaid DMRS transmissions (e.g., selection of transmission power values to be allocated to the DMRS and data signals, adaptation of T / F resources allocated to DMRS and data signals, etc.). Thus, in some embodiments, the action comprises the network node 220 adapting at least one transmission parameter for a subsequent overlaid DMRS transmission.

[0125] In other embodiments, the action comprises either deactivating overlaid DMRS transmissions, coscheduling or not co-scheduling the wireless device 210 with at least one further wireless device 210 served by the network node 220.

[0126] One particular embodiment for overlaid DMRS transmission and monitoring of the same based on at least some of the above disclosed embodiments will now be disclosed in detail with reference to the signaling diagram of Fig. 5.

[0127] S301: The network node 220 sends a request to the wireless device 210 for the wireless device 210 to send a capability report pertaining to support in the wireless device 210 for monitoring performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission. The request is received by the wireless device 210.S302: The wireless device 210 sends the capability report to the network node 220. The capability report is received by the network node 220.

[0128] S303: The network node 220 selects configuration for the overlaid DMRS transmission, for monitoring of the overlaid DMRS transmission, and for reporting of the overlaid DMRS transmission.

[0129] S304: The network node 220 sends the configuration for and reporting of the overlaid DMRS transmission to the wireless device 210. The configuration is received by the wireless device 210.

[0130] S305: The network node 220 transmits the overlaid DMRS transmission to the wireless device 210. The overlaid DMRS transmission is received by the wireless device 210.

[0131] S306: The wireless device 210 monitors performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission based on the received overlaid DMRS transmission and in accordance with the received configuration.

[0132] S307: The wireless device 210 sends reporting to the network node 220. The reporting comprises an indication of the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission. The reporting is sent in accordance with the received configuration. The reporting is received by the network node 220.

[0133] S308: The network node 220 performs an action, such as adapting at least one transmission parameters for a subsequent overlaid DMRS transmission, deactivating overlaid DMRS transmissions, co-scheduling or not co-scheduling the wireless device 210 with at least one further wireless device served by the network node 220, etc., based on the indication.

[0134] Fig. 6 schematically illustrates, in terms of a number of structural units, the components of a wireless device 600 according to an embodiment. Processing circuitry 610 is provided using any combination of one or more of a suitable central processing unit (CPU), multiprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor (DSP), etc., capable of executing software instructions stored in a computer program product 810a (as in Fig. 8), e.g. in the form of a storage medium 630. The processing circuitry 610 may further be provided as at least one application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0135] Particularly, the processing circuitry 610 is configured to cause the wireless device 600 to perform a set of operations, or steps, as disclosed above. For example, the storage medium 630 may store the set of operations, and the processing circuitry 610 may be configured to retrieve the set of operations from the storage medium 630 to cause the wireless device 600 to perform the set of operations. The set of operations may be provided as a set of executable instructions. Thus, the processing circuitry 610 is thereby arranged to execute methods as herein disclosed.The storage medium 630 may also comprise persistent storage, which, for example, can be any single one or combination of magnetic memory, optical memory, solid state memory or even remotely mounted memory.

[0136] The wireless device 600 may further comprise a communications (comm.) interface 620 for communications with other entities, functions, nodes, and devices, as in Fig. 2. As such the communications interface 620 may comprise one or more transmitters and receivers, comprising analogue and digital components.

[0137] The processing circuitry 610 controls the general operation of the wireless device 600 e.g. by sending data and control signals to the communications interface 620 and the storage medium 630, by receiving data and reports from the communications interface 620, and by retrieving data and instructions from the storage medium 630. Other components, as well as the related functionality, of the wireless device 600 are omitted in order not to obscure the concepts presented herein.

[0138] Fig. 7 schematically illustrates, in terms of a number of structural units, the components of a network node 700 according to an embodiment. Processing circuitry 710 is provided using any combination of one or more of a suitable central processing unit (CPU), multiprocessor, microcontroller, digital signal processor (DSP), etc., capable of executing software instructions stored in a computer program product 810b (as in Fig. 8), e.g. in the form of a storage medium 730. The processing circuitry 710 may further be provided as at least one application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or field programmable gate array (FPGA).

[0139] Particularly, the processing circuitry 710 is configured to cause the network node 700 to perform a set of operations, or steps, as disclosed above. For example, the storage medium 730 may store the set of operations, and the processing circuitry 710 may be configured to retrieve the set of operations from the storage medium 730 to cause the network node 700 to perform the set of operations. The set of operations may be provided as a set of executable instructions. Thus, the processing circuitry 710 is thereby arranged to execute methods as herein disclosed.

[0140] The storage medium 730 may also comprise persistent storage, which, for example, can be any single one or combination of magnetic memory, optical memory, solid state memory or even remotely mounted memory.

[0141] The network node 700 may further comprise a communications interface 720 for communications with other entities, functions, nodes, and devices, as in Fig. 2. As such the communications interface 720 may comprise one or more transmitters and receivers, comprising analogue and digital components.

[0142] The processing circuitry 710 controls the general operation of the network node 700 e.g. by sending data and control signals to the communications interface 720 and the storage medium 730, by receiving data and reports from the communications interface 720, and by retrieving data and instructions from thestorage medium 730. Other components, as well as the related functionality, of the network node 700 are omitted in order not to obscure the concepts presented herein.

[0143] The network node 700 may be provided as a standalone device or as a part of at least one further device. For example, the network node 700 may be provided in a node of the radio access network or in a node of the core network. Alternatively, functionality of the network node 700 may be distributed between at least two devices, or nodes. These at least two nodes, or devices, may either be part of the same network part (such as the radio access network or the core network) or may be spread between at least two such network parts. In general terms, instructions that are required to be performed in real time may be performed in a device, or node, operatively closer to the cell than instructions that are not required to be performed in real time. Thus, a first portion of the instructions performed by the network node 700 may be executed in a first device, and a second portion of the instructions performed by the network node 700 may be executed in a second device; the herein disclosed embodiments are not limited to any particular number of devices on which the instructions performed by the network node 700 may be executed.

[0144] Hence, the methods according to the herein disclosed embodiments are suitable to be performed by a network node 700 residing in a cloud computational environment. Therefore, although a single processing circuitry 710 is illustrated in Fig. 7 the processing circuitry 710 may be distributed among a plurality of devices, or nodes. The same applies to the computer program 820b of Fig. 8.

[0145] Moreover, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the network node may be an open radio access network (ORAN) network node. An ORAN network node is a network node that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the O-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other network nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any network node, including one or more access network nodes and / or core network nodes. Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (O-RU), an open distributed unit (O-DU), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O-CU-CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU -UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). An ORAN network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an Al, Fl, Wl, El, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface.

[0146] Moreover, an ORAN network node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies.Fig. 8 shows one example of a computer program product 810a, 810b comprising computer readable means 830. On this computer readable means 830, a computer program 820a can be stored, which computer program 820a can cause the processing circuitry 610 and thereto operatively coupled entities and devices, such as the communications interface 620 and the storage medium 630, to execute methods according to embodiments described herein. The computer program 820a and / or computer program product 810a may thus provide means for performing any steps of the wireless device 600 as herein disclosed. On this computer readable means 830, a computer program 820b can be stored, which computer program 820b can cause the processing circuitry 710 and thereto operatively coupled entities and devices, such as the communications interface 720 and the storage medium 730, to execute methods according to embodiments described herein. The computer program 820b and / or computer program product 810b may thus provide means for performing any steps of the network node 700 as herein disclosed.

[0147] In the example of Fig. 8, the computer program product 810a, 810b is illustrated as an optical disc, such as a CD (compact disc) or a DVD (digital versatile disc) or a Blu-Ray disc. The computer program product 810a, 810b could also be embodied as a memory, such as a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM) and more particularly as a non-volatile storage medium of a device in an external memory such as a USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory or a Flash memory, such as a compact Flash memory. Thus, while the computer program 820a, 820b is here schematically shown as a track on the depicted optical disk, the computer program 820a, 820b can be stored in any way which is suitable for the computer program product 810a, 810b.

[0148] Fig. 9 shows an example of a communication system 900 in accordance with some embodiments.

[0149] In the example, the communication system 900 includes a telecommunications network 902 that includes an access network 904, such as a radio access network (RAN), and a core network 906, which includes one or more core network nodes 908. The access network 904 includes one or more access network nodes or base stations of various types, access network nodes 910A and 910B are depicted (which may be collectively referred to as network nodes 910), or any other similar 3rdGeneration Partnership Project (3GPP) access nodes or non-3GPP access points (APs). Some embodiments of the access network 904 may include more than one access network technology. The network nodes 910 of access network 904 facilitate direct or indirect connection of wireless devices, also referred to as user equipments (UEs), such as by connecting UEs 912A, 912B, 912C, and 912D (one or more of which may be generally referred to as UEs 912) to the core network 906 over one or more wireless connections.

[0150] Moreover, a network node is not necessarily limited to an implementation in which a radio portion and a baseband portion are supplied and integrated by a single vendor. Thus, it will be understood that network nodes include disaggregated implementations or portions thereof. For example, in some embodiments, the telecommunications network 902 includes one or more Open-RAN (ORAN) network nodes. An ORANnetwork node is a network node in the telecommunications network 902 that supports an ORAN specification (e.g., a specification published by the 0-RAN Alliance, or any similar organization) and may operate alone or together with other network nodes to implement one or more functionalities of any network node in the telecommunications network 902, including one or more access network nodes 910 and / or core network nodes 908.

[0151] Examples of an ORAN network node include an open radio unit (O-RU), an open distributed unit (O-DU), an open central unit (O-CU), including an O-CU control plane (O-CU-CP) or an O-CU user plane (O-CU-UP), a RAN intelligent controller (near-real time or non-real time) hosting software or software plug-ins, such as a near-real time control application (e.g., xApp) or a non-real time control application (e.g., rApp), or any combination thereof (the adjective “open” designating support of an ORAN specification). An ORAN network node may support a specification by, for example, supporting an interface defined by the ORAN specification, such as an Al, Fl, Wl, El, E2, X2, Xn interface, an open fronthaul user plane interface, or an open fronthaul management plane interface. Moreover, an ORAN network node may be a logical node in a physical node. Furthermore, an ORAN network node may be implemented in a virtualization environment (described further below) in which one or more network functions are virtualized. For example, the virtualization environment may include an O-Cloud computing platform orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface defined by the O-RAN Alliance or comparable technologies.

[0152] The network nodes 910 facilitate direct or indirect connection of one or more UEs 912 to the core network 906 over one or more wireless connections. Example wireless communications over a wireless connection include transmitting and / or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and / or other types of signals suitable for conveying information without the use of wires, cables, or other material conductors. Moreover, in different embodiments, the communication system 900 may include any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, UEs, and / or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and / or signals whether via wired or wireless connections. The communication system 900 may include and / or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, radio network, and / or other similar type of system.

[0153] The UEs 912 may be any of a wide variety of communication devices, including wireless devices arranged, configured, and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with the network nodes 910 and other communication devices. Similarly, the network nodes 908, 910 are arranged, capable, configured, and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly (e.g., via other devices of telecommunications network 902) with the UEs 912 and / or with other network nodes or equipment in the telecommunications network 902 to enable and / or provide network access, such as wireless network access, and / or to perform other functions, such as administration in the telecommunications network 902. More specifically, UEs 912 may send messages, data, and / or other signals to network nodes 908, 910 or other elements of thetelecommunications network 902 by transmitting such signals to the relevant device directly without the signals passing through any intervening devices or by transmitting such signals to the relevant device indirectly through an intervening device (or multiple intervening devices) that then transmit the signal to the relevant device. Similarly, network nodes 908, 910 may send messages, data, and other signals to UEs 9122, other network nodes 908, 910, and other devices in telecommunications network 902 directly or indirectly. As one specific example, a core network node 108 may transmit a particular message to a UE 912 by transmitting the message to an access network node 910 that will then transmit the message to the intended UE 912. Similarly, a core network node 108 may receive a particular message from a UE 912 by receiving the message from an access network node 910 that itself received the message from the UE 912. In the depicted example, the core network 906 connects elements of the access network 904 (e.g., one or more of the network nodes 910) to one or more host computing systems, such as host 916. These connections may be direct or indirect via one or more intermediary networks or devices. In other examples, network nodes may be directly coupled to hosts. The core network 906 includes one or more core network nodes (e.g., core network node 908) of various types, one or more of which may be generally referred to as network nodes 908. Network nodes 908 are structured with hardware and software components. Features of these components may be substantially similar to those described with respect to the UEs, access network nodes, and / or hosts, such that the descriptions thereof are generally applicable to the corresponding components of the core network node 908. Example core network nodes provide functions of one or more of a Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF), Session Management Function (SMF), Authentication Server Function (AUSF), Subscription Identifier Deconcealing function (SIDF), Unified Data Management (UDM), Security Edge Protection Proxy (SEPP), Network Exposure Function (NEF), and / or a User Plane Function (UPF).

[0154] The host 916 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider other than an operator or provider of the access network 904 and / or the telecommunications network 902. The host 916 may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. The host 916 may host a variety of applications to provide one or more service. Examples of such applications include live and pre-recorded audio / video content, data collection services such as retrieving and compiling data on various ambient conditions detected by a plurality of UEs, analytics functionality, social media, functions for controlling or otherwise interacting with remote devices, functions for an alarm and surveillance center, or any other such function performed by a server.

[0155] As a whole, the communication system 900 of Fig. 9 enables connectivity between the UEs, network nodes, and hosts. In that sense, the communication system 900 may be configured to operate according to predefined rules or procedures, such as specific standards that include, but are not limited to: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM); Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS); Long Term Evolution (LTE), and / or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, 5G standards, or any applicable futuregeneration standard (e.g., 6G); wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standards (Wi-Fi); and / or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (Wi-Max), Bluetooth, Z-Wave, Near Field Communication (NFC) ZigBee, Li-Fi, and / or any low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) standards such as LoRa and Sigfox. Moreover, the communication system 900 may be configured to support multiple different standards, protocols, or other rule sets, with individual components supporting all of the relevant rule sets or with different components or sub-systems within the communication system 900 supporting different standards, protocols, or rule sets.

[0156] As one example, in certain embodiments, access network 904 may contain some access network nodes 910 that support 3 GPP radio access technologies (RAT), such as LTE or NR, while other access network nodes 910 support (or the same access network nodes 910 additionally support) non-3GPP RATs, such as Wi-Fi or a proprietary RAT. As another example, telecommunications network 902 may support multiple generations of related communication standards (e.g., 4G and 5G 3GPP communication standards) and, as a result, may include an access network 904 and / or a core network 906 that supports multiple different standard generations or may include multiple access networks 904 and / or multiple core networks 906 with individual networks 904, 906 supporting different standard generations.

[0157] Telecommunications network 902 may support network slicing to provide different logical networks to different devices that are connected to the telecommunications network 902. For example, the telecommunications network 902 may provide Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communication (URLLC) services to some UEs, while providing Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) services to other UEs, and / or Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) / Massive loT services to yet further UEs.

[0158] In some examples, one or more of the UEs 912 are configured to transmit and / or receive information without direct human interaction. For instance, a UE may be designed to transmit information to the access network 904 on a predetermined schedule, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in response to requests from the access network 904. Additionally, a UE may be configured for operating in single- or multi-RAT or multi-standard mode. For example, a UE may operate with any one or combination of Wi-Fi, NR (New Radio) and LTE, i.e. being configured for multi-radio dual connectivity (MR-DC), such as E-UTRAN (Evolved-UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) New Radio - Dual Connectivity (EN-DC).

[0159] In the example, the hub 914 communicates with the access network 904 to facilitate indirect communication between one or more UEs (e.g., UE 912C and / or 912D) and network nodes (e.g., network node 910B). In some examples, the hub 914 may be a controller, router, content source and analytics, or any of the other communication devices described herein regarding UEs. For example, the hub 914 may be a broadband router enabling access to the core network 906 for the UEs. As another example, the hub 914 may be a controller that sends commands or instructions to one or more actuators in the UEs.Commands or instructions may be received from the UEs, network nodes 910, or by executable code, script, process, or other instructions in the hub 914.

[0160] As another example, the hub 914 may be a data collector that acts as temporary storage for UE data and, in some embodiments, may perform analysis or other processing of the data. As another example, the hub 914 may be a content source. For example, for a UE that is a VR headset, display, loudspeaker or other media delivery device, the hub 914 may retrieve VR assets, video, audio, or other media or data related to sensory information via a network node, which the hub 914 then provides to the UE either directly, after performing local processing, and / or after adding additional local content. In still another example, the hub 914 acts as a proxy server or orchestrator for the UEs, in particular if one or more of the UEs are low energy loT devices.

[0161] The hub 914 may have a constant / persistent or intermittent connection to the network node 910B. The hub 914 may also allow for a different communication scheme and / or schedule between the hub 914 and UEs (e.g., UE 912C and / or 912D), and between the hub 914 and the core network 906. In other examples, the hub 914 is connected to the core network 906 and / or one or more UEs via a wired connection.

[0162] Moreover, the hub 914 may be configured to connect to an M2M service provider over the access network 904 and / or to another UE over a direct connection. In some scenarios, UEs may establish a wireless connection with the network nodes 910 while still connected via the hub 914 via a wired or wireless connection. In some embodiments, the hub 914 may be a dedicated hub - that is, a hub whose primary function is to route communications to / from the UEs from / to the network node 91 OB. In other embodiments, the hub 914 may be a non-dedicated hub - that is, a device which is capable of operating to route communications between the UEs and network node 91 OB, but which is additionally capable of operating as a communication start and / or end point for certain data channels.

[0163] Fig. 10 is another example of a communication system 1000 according to some embodiments. As used herein, the communication system 1000 includes multiple access points (APs) 1010 (with four exemplary APs 1010A, 1010B, 1010C, and 1010D being depicted) and multiple wireless devices, referred to in the context of communication system 1000 as stations (STAs) 1012 (referred to individually as STA 1012A, STA 1012B, STA 1012C, STA 1012D, and STA 1012E). STA 1012A is served by AP 1010A in afirst basic service set (BSS) 1020A. STA 1010B and STA 1010C are served by AP 1010B in a second BSS, BSS 1020B. STA 1012D is served by AP 1010C in a third BSS, BSS 1020C. STA 1012E is served by AP 1010D in a fourth BSS, BSS 1020D. Stations 1012 may be non-AP STAs and correspond to various kinds of wireless devices, for example, user terminals, such as mobile or stationary computing devices like smartphones, laptop computers, desktop computers, tablet computers, gaming devices, head-mounted displays (HMDs) for Augmented Reality (AR) or Virtual Reality (VR), or the like. Further, stations 1012 could, for example, correspond to other kinds of equipment like smart home devices, printers, multimedia devices, data storage devices, or the like.Each of STAs 1012 may connect through a radio link to one of APs 1010. For example, depending on location or channel conditions experienced by a given STA 1012, the ST A may select an appropriate AP and BSS for establishing the radio link. The radio link may be based on one or more orthogonal frequency -division multiplexing (OFDM) carriers from a frequency spectrum that is shared on the basis of a contention-based mechanism, e.g., an unlicensed or license exempt band like 2.4 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band, the 5 GHz band, the 6 GHz band, or the 60 GHz band.

[0164] Each AP 1010 may provide data connectivity to STAs 1012 connected to a particular AP 1010. As illustrated, APs 1010 may be connected to a data network 1030. In this way, APs 1010 may also provide data connectivity between STAs 1012 and other entities, e.g., to one or more servers, service providers, data sources, data sinks, user terminals, or the like. Accordingly, the radio link established between a given STA 1012 and its serving AP 1010 may be used for providing various kinds of services to STA 1012, e.g., a voice service, a multimedia service, or other data service. Such services may be based on applications that are executed on STA 1012 and / or on a device linked to STA 1012. By way of example, Fig. 10 illustrates an application service platform 1032 provided in data network 1030. The application(s) executed on STA 1012 and / or on one or more other devices linked to STA 1012 may use the radio link for data communication with one or more other STA 1012 and / or the application service platform 1032, thereby enabling utilization of the corresponding service(s) at STA 1012.

[0165] Fig. 11 shows a wireless device 1100, which may be configured to operate in communication system 900 of Fig. 9 or in communication system 1000 of Fig. 100. The wireless device 1100 may be alternatively referred to as a UE 1100, like a UE 912 within the context of communication system 900, or as a station (STA) 1100 or as a non-access-point station (non-AP STA) 1100, like a STA 1012 within the context of the communication system 1000, in accordance with respective embodiments. As used herein, a wireless device refers to a device capable, configured, arranged and / or operable to communicate wirelessly with network nodes and / or other wireless devices. Examples of a wireless device include, but are not limited to, a smart phone, mobile phone, cell phone, voice over IP (VoIP) phone, wireless local loop phone, desktop computer, personal digital assistant (PDA), wireless cameras, gaming console or device, music storage device, playback appliance, wearable terminal device, wireless endpoint, mobile station, tablet, laptop, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart device, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), vehicle, vehicle -mounted or vehicle embedded / integrated wireless device, and wireless terminal. Other examples include any type of UE identified by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), including a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) UE, a machine type communication (MTC) UE, and / or an enhanced MTC (eMTC) UE.

[0166] A wireless device 1100 may support device-to-device (D2D) communication, for example by implementing a 3 GPP standard for sidelink communication, Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC), vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V), vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I), or vehicle-to-everything (V2X). In other examples, wireless device 1100 may not necessarily have a user in the sense of a human user whoowns and / or operates the relevant device. Instead, wireless device 1100 may represent a device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user but which may not, or which may not initially, be associated with a specific human user (e.g., a smart sprinkler controller). Alternatively, wireless device 1100 may represent a device that is not intended for sale to, or operation by, an end user but which may be associated with or operated for the benefit of a user (e.g., a smart power meter).

[0167] In particular embodiments, wireless device 1100 includes processing circuitry 1102 that is operatively coupled via a bus 1104 to an input / output interface 1106, a power source 1108, a memory 1110, a communication interface 1112, and / or any other component, or any combination thereof. Certain embodiments of wireless device 1100 may include all or a subset of the components shown in Fig. 11. The level of integration between the components may vary from one embodiment of wireless device 1100 to another. In general, in a particular embodiment of wireless device 1100, processing circuitry 1102, input / output interface 1106, power source 1108, memory 1110, and communication interface 1112 may, in whole or in part, represent or include physical components common to or shared by one or more of the other elements of wireless device 1100. Further, certain embodiments of wireless devices 1100 may contain multiple instances of a component, such as multiple processors, memories, transceivers, transmitters, receivers, etc.

[0168] The processing circuitry 1102 is configured to process instructions and data and may be configured to implement any sequential state machine operative to execute instructions stored as machine-readable computer programs in the memory 1110. The processing circuitry 1102 may be implemented as one or more hardware-implemented state machines (e.g., in discrete logic, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.); programmable logic together with appropriate firmware; one or more stored computer programs, general-purpose processors, such as a microprocessor or digital signal processor (DSP), together with appropriate software; or any combination of the above. For example, the processing circuitry 1102 may include multiple central processing units (CPUs).

[0169] In the example, the input / output interface 1106 may be configured to provide an interface or interfaces to an input device, output device, or one or more input and / or output devices. Examples of an output device include a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. An input device may allow a user to capture information into wireless device 1100. Examples of an input device include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometric sensor, etc., or any combination thereof.An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port may be used to provide an input device and an output device.

[0170] In some embodiments, the power source 1108 is structured as a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic device, or power cell, may be used to supply power to circuitry or to charge an associated battery. The power source 1108 may further include power circuitry for delivering power from the power source 1108 itself, and / or an external power source, to the various parts of wireless device 1100 via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Power source 1108 may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to make accessible power suitable for the respective components of the wireless device 1100 to which power is supplied.

[0171] The memory 1110 may be or be configured to include memory such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, flash drives, and so forth. In one example, the memory 1110 includes one or more programs 1114, such as an operating system, web browser application, a widget, gadget engine, or other application, and corresponding data 1116. The memory 1110 may store, for use by wireless device 1100, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.

[0172] The memory 1110 may be configmed to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as tamper resistant module in the form of a universal integrated circuit card (UICC) including one or more subscriber identity modules (SIMs), such as a USIM and / or I SIM, other memory, or any combination thereof. The UICC may for example be an embedded UICC (eUICC), integrated UICC (iUICC) or a removable UICC commonly known as ‘SIM card.’ The memory 1110 may allow wireless device 1100 to access instructions, programs and the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied as or in the memory 1110, which may be or comprise a device-readable storage medium.

[0173] The processing circuitry 1102 may be configmed to communicate with an access network or other network via or using the communication interface 1112. The communication interface 1112 may comprise one or more communication subsystems and may include or be communicatively coupled to an antenna 1122. The communication interface 1112 may include one or more transceivers used to communicate, such as by communicating with one or more remote transceivers of another device capableof wireless communication (e.g., another wireless device or a network node in an access network). Each transceiver may include a transmitter 1118 and / or a receiver 1120 appropriate to provide network communications (e.g., optical, electrical, frequency allocations, and so forth). Moreover, the transmitter 1118 and receiver 1120 may be coupled to one or more antennas (e.g., antenna 1122) and may share circuit components, software or firmware, or alternatively be implemented separately.

[0174] In the illustrated embodiment, communication functions of the communication interface 1112 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication (e.g., according to an IEEE 802.11 family standard), LPWAN communication, data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, locationbased communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. Communications may be implemented according to one or more communication protocols and / or standards, such as IEEE 802.11, Code Division Multiplexing Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), GSM, LTE, New Radio (NR), UMTS, WiMax, Ethernet, transmission control protocol / internet protocol (TCP / IP), synchronous optical networking (SONET), Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM), QUIC, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), and so forth.

[0175] In particular embodiments, wireless device 1100 may provide an output of data captured via a sensor, through its communication interface 1112, via a wireless connection to a network node, and / or in any appropriate manner. Data captured by sensors of a wireless device 1100 can be communicated through a wireless connection to a network node via another wireless device 1100. In particular embodiments, such output may be periodic (e.g., once every 15 minutes if it reports the sensed temperature), random (e.g., to even out the load from reporting from several sensors), in response to a triggering event (e.g., when moisture is detected an alert is sent), in response to a request (e.g., a user initiated request), or a continuous stream (e.g., a live video feed of a patient).

[0176] As another example, wireless device 1100 comprises an actuator, a motor, or a switch, related to a communication interface configured to receive wireless input from a network node via a wireless connection. In response to the received wireless input the states of the actuator, the motor, or the switch may change. For example, wireless device 1100 may comprise a motor that adjusts the control surfaces or rotors of a drone in flight according to the received input or to a robotic arm performing a medical procedure according to the received input.

[0177] Wireless device 1100, when in the form of an Internet of Things (loT) device, may be a device for use in one or more application domains, these domains comprising, but not limited to, wearable technology, extended industrial application and healthcare. Non-limiting examples of such an loT device are a device which is or which is embedded in: a connected refrigerator or freezer, a TV, a connected lighting device, an electricity meter, a robot vacuum cleaner, a voice controlled smart speaker, a home security camera, a motion detector, a thermostat, a smoke detector, a door / window sensor, a flood / moisture sensor, anelectrical door lock, a connected doorbell, an air conditioning system like a heat pump, an autonomous vehicle, a surveillance system, a weather monitoring device, a vehicle parking monitoring device, an electric vehicle charging station, a smart watch, a fitness tracker, a wearable for tactile augmentation or sensory enhancement, a water sprinkler, an animal- or item-tracking device, a sensor for monitoring a plant or animal, an industrial robot, an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), and any kind of medical device, like a heart rate monitor or a remote controlled surgical robot. In particular embodiments, wireless device 1100 represents an loT device that comprises circuitry and / or software in dependence of the intended application of the loT device in addition to other components as described in relation to the example embodiment of wireless device 1100 shown in Fig. 11.

[0178] As yet another specific example, in an loT scenario, wireless device 1100 may represent a machine or other device that performs monitoring and / or measurements, and transmits the results of such monitoring and / or measurements to another wireless device and / or a network node. Wireless device 1100 may in this case be an M2M device, which may in a 3GPP context be referred to as an MTC device. As one particular example, wireless device 1100 may implement the 3GPP NB-IoT standard. In other scenarios, wireless device 1100 may represent a vehicle, such as a car, a bus, a truck, a ship and an airplane, or other equipment that is capable of monitoring and / or reporting on its operational status or other functions associated with its operation.

[0179] In practice, any number of wireless devices 1100 may be used together with respect to a single use case. For example, a first wireless device 1100 might be or be integrated in a drone and provide the drone’s speed information (obtained through a speed sensor) to a second wireless device 1100 that is a remote controller operating the drone. When a user makes changes from the remote controller, the first wireless device 1100 may adjust the throttle on the drone (e.g. by controlling an actuator) to increase or decrease the drone’s speed. The first and / or the second wireless device 1100 can also include more than one of the functionalities described above. For example, wireless device 1100 might comprise the sensor and the actuator, and handle communication of data for both the speed sensor and the actuators.

[0180] Fig. 12 shows a network node 1200 in accordance with some embodiments. As used herein, network node refers to equipment capable, configmed, arranged and / or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a UE and / or with other network nodes or equipment, in a telecommunications network. In accordance with respective embodiments, network node 1200 may be configured to operate in communication system 900 of Fig. 9, like network nodes 908 or 910, or in communication system 1000 of Fig. 10, like an AP 1010 or a station 1012. Examples of network nodes include, but are not limited to, access points (APs) (e.g., radio access points), base stations (BSs) (e.g., radio base stations, Node Bs, evolved Node Bs (eNBs) and NRNodeBs (gNBs)), O-RAN nodes or components of an O-RAN node (e.g., O-RU, O-DU, O-CU).

[0181] Network nodes 1200 may be categorized based on the amount of coverage they provide (or, stated differently, their transmit power level) and so, depending on the provided amount of coverage, may bereferred to as femto base stations, pico base stations, micro base stations, or macro base stations. Network node 1200 may be a relay node or a relay donor node controlling a relay. Network nodes 1200 may also include one or more (or all) parts of a distributed radio base station such as centralized digital units, distributed units (e.g., in an O-RAN access node) and / or remote radio units (RRUs), sometimes referred to as Remote Radio Heads (RRHs). Such remote radio units may or may not be integrated with an antenna as an antenna integrated radio. Parts of a distributed radio base station may also be referred to as nodes in a distributed antenna system (DAS).

[0182] Other examples of network nodes 1200 include multiple transmission point (multi-TRP) 5G access nodes, multi-standard radio (MSR) equipment such as MSR BSs, network controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs), transmission points, transmission nodes, multi-cell / multicast coordination entities (MCEs), Operation and Maintenance (O&M) nodes, Operations Support System (OSS) nodes, Self-Organizing Network (SON) nodes, positioning nodes (e.g., Evolved Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs)), and / or Minimization of Drive Tests (MDTs).

[0183] In particular embodiments, network node 1200 includes a processing circuitry 1202, a memory 1204, a communication interface 1206, and a power source 1208. In general, in a particular embodiment of network node 1200, processing circuitry 1202, memory 1204, communication interface 1206, and power source 1208 may, in whole or in part, represent or include physical components common to or shared by one or more of the other elements of network node 1200.

[0184] The network node 1200 may be composed of multiple distinct network entities (e.g., a NodeB entity and a RNC entity, or a BTS entity and a BSC entity, etc.), which may each have or utilize their own respective physical components. In certain scenarios in which the network node 1200 comprises multiple such entities (e.g., BTS and BSC), one or more of the separate entities may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeBs. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, the network node 1200 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate memories 1204 or portions of memory 1204 for different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., a same antenna 1210 may be shared by different RATs). The network node 1200 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 1200, for example GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, Wi-Fi (e.g., according to an IEEE 802.11 family standard), Zigbee, Z-wave, LoRaWAN, Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 1200.

[0185] The processing circuitry 1202 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specificintegrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and / or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other components, such as the memory 1204, to provide network node 1200 functionality.

[0186] In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1202 includes a system on a chip (SOC). In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1202 includes one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 1212 and baseband processing circuitry 1214. In some embodiments, the RF transceiver circuitry 1212 and the baseband processing circuitry 1214 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 1212 and baseband processing circuitry 1214 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.

[0187] The memory 1204 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer-readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and / or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device-readable and / or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and / or instructions that may be used by the processing circuitry 1202. The memory 1204 may store any suitable instructions, data, or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, and / or other instructions capable of being executed by the processing circuitry 1202 and utilized by the network node 1200. The memory 1204 may be used to store any calculations made by the processing circuitry 1202 and / or any data received via the communication interface 1206. In some embodiments, the processing circuitry 1202 and memory 1204 is integrated.

[0188] The communication interface 1206 is used in wired or wireless communication of signaling and / or data with UEs, other network nodes, and / or any other network equipment. In the illustrated embodiment, communication interface 1206 comprises port(s) / terminal(s) 1216 to send and receive data, for example to and from a network over a wired connection. In particular embodiments, network node 1100 may be capable of wireless communication and communication interface 1206 may also include radio front-end circuitry 1218 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, an antenna 1210. Particular embodiments of radio front-end circuitry 1218 include fdter(s) 1220 and amplifier(s) 1222. The radio front-end circuitry 1218 may be connected to an antenna 1210 and processing circuitry 1202. The radio front-end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 1210 and processing circuitry 1202. The radio front-end circuitry 1218 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or UEs via a wireless connection. The radio front-end circuitry 1218 may convert the digital data into a radio signal(s) having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 1220 and / or amplifiers 1222. The radio signal(s) may then be transmitted via theantenna 1210. Similarly, when receiving data, the antenna 1210 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by the radio front-end circuitry 1218. The digital data may be passed to the processing circuitry 1202. In other embodiments, the communication interface may comprise different components and / or different combinations of components.

[0189] In certain alternative embodiments, network node 1200 may be capable of wireless communication but does not include separate radio front-end circuitry 1218, instead, the processing circuitry 1202 includes radio front-end circuitry and is connected to the antenna 1210. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of the RF transceiver circuitry 1212 is part of the communication interface 1206. In still other embodiments, the communication interface 1206 includes one or more ports or terminals 1216, the radio front-end circuitry 1218, and the RF transceiver circuitry 1212, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and the communication interface 1206 communicates with the baseband processing circuitry 1214, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).

[0190] The antenna 1210 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and / or receive wireless signals. The antenna 1210 may be coupled to the radio front-end circuitry 1218 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and / or signals wirelessly. In certain embodiments, the antenna 1210 is separate from the network node 1200 and connectable to the network node 1200 through one or more interfaces or ports.

[0191] The antenna 1210, communication interface 1206, and / or the processing circuitry 1202 may be configured to perform some or all of the receiving operations and / or obtaining operations described herein as being performed by the network node 1200. Any information, data and / or signals may be received from a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment. Similarly, the antenna 1210, the communication interface 1206, and / or the processing circuitry 1202 may be configured to perform some or all of the transmitting or sending operations described herein as being performed by the network node 1200. Any information, data and / or signals may be transmitted to a UE, another network node and / or any other network equipment.

[0192] The power source 1208 provides power to the various components of network node 1200 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). The power source 1208 may further comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry to supply the components of the network node 1200 with power for performing the functionality described herein. For example, the network node 1200 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., the power grid, an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry of the power source 1208. As a further example, the power source 1208 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail.Embodiments of the network node 1200 may include additional components beyond those shown in Fig.

[0193] 12 for providing certain aspects of the network node’s functionality, including any of the functionality described herein and / or any functionality necessary to support the subject matter described herein. For example, the network node 1200 may include user interface equipment to allow input of information into the network node 1200 and to allow output of information from the network node 1200. This may allow a user to perform diagnostic, maintenance, repair, and other administrative functions for the network node 1200.

[0194] Fig. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a virtualization environment 1300 in which functions implemented by some embodiments may be virtualized. In the present context, virtualizing means creating virtual versions of apparatuses or devices which may include virtualizing hardware platforms, storage devices and networking resources. As used herein, virtualization can be applied to any device described herein, or components thereof, and relates to an implementation in which at least a portion of the functionality is implemented as one or more virtual components. Some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines (VMs) implemented in one or more virtual environments 1300 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes, such as a hardware computing device that operates as an access network node, UE, core network node, or host. Further, in embodiments in which a virtual node does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node or host), then the node may be entirely virtualized. In some embodiments, the virtualization environment 1300 includes components defined by the O-RAN Alliance, such as an O-Cloud environment orchestrated by a Service Management and Orchestration Framework via an O-2 interface.

[0195] Applications 1302 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) are run in the virtualization environment Q400 to implement some of the features, functions, and / or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein. Hardware 1304 includes processing circuitry, memory that stores software and / or instructions executable by hardware processing circuitry, and / or other hardware devices as described herein, such as a network interface, input / output interface, and so forth. Software may be executed by the processing circuitry to instantiate one or more virtualization layers 1306 (also referred to as hypervisors or virtual machine monitors (VMMs)), provide VM 1308A and VM 1308B (which may be collectively referred to as VMs 1308), and / or perform any of the functions, features and / or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein. The virtualization layer 1306 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to one or more of the VMs 1308.

[0196] The VMs 1308 comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by virtualization layer 1306. Different embodiments of the instance of a virtual appliance 1302 may be implemented on one or more of VMs 1308, and the implementations may be made in different ways. Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industrystandard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.

[0197] In the context of NFV, each of the VMs 1308 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of the VMs 1308, and that part of hardware 1304 that executes that VM, be it hardware dedicated to that VM and / or hardware shared by that VM with others of the VMs, forms separate virtual network elements. Still in the context of NFV, a virtual network function is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more of the VMs 1308 on top of the hardware 1304 and corresponds to an application 1302. Hardware 1304 may be implemented in a standalone network node with generic or specific components. Hardware 1304 may implement some functions via virtualization. Alternatively, hardware 1304 may be part of a larger cluster of hardware (e.g. such as in a data center or CPE) where many hardware nodes work together and are managed via management and orchestration 1310, which, among others, oversees lifecycle management of applications 1302. In some embodiments, hardware 1304 is coupled to one or more radio units that each include one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that may be coupled to one or more antennas. Radio units may communicate directly with other hardware nodes via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station. In some embodiments, some signaling can be provided with the use of a control system 1312 which may alternatively be used for communication between hardware nodes and radio units.

[0198] Although the computing devices described herein (e.g., UEs, network nodes, hosts) may include the illustrated combination of hardware components, other embodiments may comprise computing devices with different combinations of components. It is to be understood that these computing devices may comprise any suitable combination of hardware and / or software needed to perform the tasks, features, functions and methods disclosed herein. Determining, calculating, obtaining or similar operations described herein may be performed by processing circuitry, which may process information by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and / or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination. Moreover, while components are depicted as single boxes located within a larger box, or nested within multiple boxes, in practice, computing devices may comprise multiple different physical components that make up a single illustrated component, and functionality may be partitioned between separate components. For example, a communication interface may be configured to include any of the components described herein, and / or the functionality of the components may be partitioned between the processing circuitry and the communication interface. In another example, non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein may be provided by processing circuitry executing instructions stored on in memory, which in certain embodiments may be a computer program product in the form of a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by the processing circuitry without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device-readable storage medium, such as in a hardwired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium or not, the processing circuitry can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to the processing circuitry alone or to other components of the computing device, but are enjoyed by the computing device as a whole, and / or by end users and a wireless network generally

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method for monitoring performance of an overlaid demodulation reference signal, DMRS, transmission, the method being performed by a wireless device (210, 600), the method comprising: receiving (SI 06) configuration pertaining to monitoring of an overlaid DMRS transmission from a network node (220, 700);receiving (SI 10) the overlaid DMRS transmission from the network node (220, 700), wherein DMRS symbols are superimposed on data symbols in the overlaid DMRS transmission;monitoring (SI 12) performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission based on the received overlaid DMRS transmission and in accordance with the received configuration; andsending (SI 14) reporting to the network node (220, 700), wherein the reporting comprises an indication of the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:receiving (SI 02) a request from the network node (220, 700) for the wireless device (210, 600) to send a capability report pertaining to support in the wireless device (210, 600) for monitoring performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission; andsending (SI 04) the capability report to the network node (220, 700).

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the capability report pertains to, or comprises, at least one of: channel estimation and DMRS monitoring capabilities, power handling and sensitivity limits, interference and signal quality metrics, prediction and adaptation capabilities.

4. The method according to any preceding claim, wherein monitoring the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission comprises evaluating physical layer performance of the received overlaid DMRS transmission.

5. The method according to any preceding claim, wherein monitoring the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission pertains to, or comprises, at least one of: channel estimation, data decoding status, indication of power sharing between the DMRS symbols and the data symbols.

6. The method according to any preceding claim, wherein the DMRS symbols defines a sequence of DMRS symbols, wherein the wireless device (210, 600) has prior knowledge of which sequence of DMRS symbols is transmitted in the overlaid DMRS transmission, and wherein monitoring the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission comprises comparing channel estimates derived from the sequence of DMRS symbols, as extracted from the received overlaid DMRS transmission to channel estimates derived from the prior knowledge.

7. The method according to any preceding claim, wherein the method further comprises: receiving (SI 08) a ground truth DMRS transmission from the network node (220, 700), wherein the ground truth DMRS transmission is either a DMRS transmission without overlaid data or a DMRS transmission with overlaid data known to the wireless device (210, 600) (this known data may for example be referred to as dummy data), and wherein monitoring the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission comprises comparing channel estimates derived from the received overlaid DMRS transmission to channel estimates derived from the received ground truth DMRS transmission.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the ground truth DMRS transmission is a DMRS transmission with overlaid data known to the wireless device, wherein different symbols of the ground truth DMRS transmission have different power ratio between the DMRS symbols and overlaid data symbols known to the wireless device, and wherein monitoring the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission comprises evaluating a performance metric between the DMRS symbols and the overlaid data symbols known to the wireless device.

9. The method according to any preceding claim, wherein monitoring the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission comprises identifying a root cause for performance degradation of the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission.

10. The method according to any preceding claim, wherein the indication pertains to, or comprises, at least one of:- whether the wireless device (210, 600) has identified any performance degradation of the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission or not,- a root cause for performance degradation of the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission, - a channel estimation error between channel estimation based on the overlaid DMRS transmission and channel estimation based on a ground truth DMRS transmission with overlaid data known to the wireless device (this known data may for example be referred to as dummy data),- a power indication of the DMRS symbols and the data symbols,- inactivation or continuation of subsequent overlaid DMRS transmissions.

11. A method for overlaid demodulation reference signal, DMRS, transmission, the method being performed by a network node (220, 700), the method comprising:sending (S206) configuration pertaining to monitoring of an overlaid DMRS transmission to a wireless device (210, 600);transmitting (S210) the overlaid DMRS transmission to the wireless device (210, 600), wherein DMRS symbols are superimposed on data symbols in the overlaid DMRS transmission;receiving (S212) reporting from the wireless device (210, 600), wherein the reporting comprises an indication of the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission; andperforming (S214) an action based on the indication.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the method further comprises:sending (S202) a request to the wireless device (210, 600) for the wireless device (210, 600) to send a capability report pertaining to support in the wireless device (210, 600) for monitoring performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission; andreceiving (S204) the capability report from the wireless device (210, 600).

13. The method according to any of claims 11 to 12, wherein the overlaid DMRS transmission is transmitted using transmission parameters that are based on the received capability report.

14. The method according to any of claims 11 to 13, wherein the configuration pertains to at least one of: metrics to be used by the wireless device (210, 600) when monitoring performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission, root cause categories for performance degradation of the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission, content and / or type of the reporting.

15. The method according to any of claims 11 to 14, wherein the method further comprises:transmitting (S208) a ground truth DMRS transmission to the wireless device (210, 600), wherein the ground truth DMRS transmission is either a DMRS transmission without overlaid data or a DMRS transmission with overlaid data known to the wireless device (210, 600).

16. The method according to any of claims 11 to 15, wherein the action comprises adapting at least one transmission parameter for a subsequent overlaid DMRS transmission.

17. The method according to any of claims 11 to 16, wherein the action comprises either deactivating overlaid DMRS transmissions, co-scheduling or not co-scheduling the wireless device (210, 600) with at least one further wireless device (210, 600) served by the network node (220, 700).

18. A wireless device (210, 600) for monitoring performance of an overlaid demodulation reference signal, DMRS, transmission, the wireless device (210, 600) comprising processing circuitry (610), the processing circuitry being configured to cause the wireless device (210, 600) to:receive configuration pertaining to monitoring of an overlaid DMRS transmission from a network node (220, 700);receive the overlaid DMRS transmission from the network node (220, 700), wherein DMRS symbols are superimposed on data symbols in the overlaid DMRS transmission;monitor performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission based on the received overlaid DMRS transmission and in accordance with the received configuration; andsend reporting to the network node (220, 700), wherein the reporting comprises an indication of the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission.

19. The wireless device (210, 600) according to claim 18, further being configured to perform the method according to any of claims 2 to 10.

20. A network node (220, 700) for overlaid demodulation reference signal, DMRS, transmission, the network node (220, 700) comprising processing circuitry (710), the processing circuitry being configured to cause the network node (220, 700) to:send configuration pertaining to monitoring of an overlaid DMRS transmission to a wireless device (210, 600);transmit the overlaid DMRS transmission to the wireless device (210, 600), wherein DMRS symbols are superimposed on data symbols in the overlaid DMRS transmission;receive reporting from the wireless device (210, 600), wherein the reporting comprises an indication of the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission; andperform an action based on the indication.

21. The network node (220, 700) according to claim 20, further being configured to perform the method according to any of claims 12 to 17.

22. A computer program (820a) for monitoring performance of an overlaid demodulation reference signal, DMRS, transmission, the computer program comprising computer code which, when run on processing circuitry (610) of a wireless device (210, 600), causes the wireless device (210, 600) to: receive (SI 06) configuration pertaining to monitoring of an overlaid DMRS transmission from a network node (220, 700);receive (SI 10) the overlaid DMRS transmission from the network node (220, 700), wherein DMRS symbols are superimposed on data symbols in the overlaid DMRS transmission;monitor (SI 12) performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission based on the received overlaid DMRS transmission and in accordance with the received configuration; andsend (SI 14) reporting to the network node (220, 700), wherein the reporting comprises an indication of the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission.

23. A computer program (820b) for overlaid demodulation reference signal, DMRS, transmission, the computer program comprising computer code which, when run on processing circuitry (710) of a network node (220, 700), causes the network node (220, 700) to:send (S206) configuration pertaining to monitoring of an overlaid DMRS transmission to a wireless device (210, 600);transmit (S210) the overlaid DMRS transmission to the wireless device (210, 600), wherein DMRS symbols are superimposed on data symbols in the overlaid DMRS transmission;receive (S212) reporting from the wireless device (210, 600), wherein the reporting comprises an indication of the performance of the overlaid DMRS transmission; andperform (S214) an action based on the indication.

24. A computer program product (810a, 810b) comprising a computer program (820a, 820b) according to at least one of claims 22 and 23, and a computer readable storage medium (830) on which the computer program is stored.

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