CN114342446A

CN114342446A - Sequence repetition for non-synchronous uplink transmission

Info

Publication number: CN114342446A
Application number: CN201980100033.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: E·法拉格; M·德盖尔; F·弗雷德里克森; 李泽宪; 姚春海; J·科尔霍南
Original assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Current assignee: Nokia Shanghai Bell Co Ltd; Nokia Solutions and Networks Oy
Priority date: 2019-09-06
Filing date: 2019-09-06
Publication date: 2022-04-12
Anticipated expiration: 2039-09-06
Also published as: CN114342446B; WO2021042394A1

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a network device transmits information indicating a structure of an uplink signal to a terminal device. The information indicates that the length of the cyclic prefix is the same as the length of the sequence in one symbol. The cyclic prefix repeats the sequence. In this way, the common frequency domain transform is applicable to all terminal devices, which simplifies receiver processing at the network device. In addition, the allocation of PUSCH occasions is more efficient.

Description

Sequence repetition for non-synchronous uplink transmission

Technical Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the field of communications, and in particular, to methods, devices, apparatuses, and computer-readable storage media for sequence repetition for non-synchronized uplink transmissions.

Background

Recently, several techniques have been proposed to improve communication performance. Typically, the network device is configured to process signals in the frequency domain. The network device is typically capable of processing signals from the synchronous terminal device. However, in some cases, the terminal devices may not be synchronized. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate asynchronous reception.

Disclosure of Invention

In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure provide a solution for sequence repetition for non-synchronized uplink transmissions and corresponding communication devices.

In a first aspect, a first device is provided. The first device comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first device to transmit a configuration of uplink transmissions to the second device. The configuration indicates that the length of the cyclic prefix is the same as the length of the sequence in one symbol. The first device is also caused to receive a signal generated based on the configuration from the second device. The first device is further caused to perform a frequency domain transform on the signal.

In a second aspect, a second apparatus is provided. The second device comprises at least one processor; and at least one memory including computer program code; the at least one memory and the computer program code are configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus to receive a configuration of an uplink transmission from the first apparatus. The configuration indicates that the length of the cyclic prefix is the same as the length of the sequence in one symbol. The second device is also caused to generate a signal based on the configuration. The second device is also caused to transmit a signal to the first device.

In a third aspect, a method is provided. The method includes sending, at a first device, a configuration of uplink transmissions to a second device. The configuration indicates that the length of the cyclic prefix is the same as the length of the sequence in one symbol. The method also includes receiving a signal generated based on the configuration from the second device. The method also includes performing a frequency domain transform on the signal.

In a fourth aspect, a method is provided. The method includes receiving, at a second device, a configuration of an uplink transmission from a first device. The configuration indicates that the length of the cyclic prefix is the same as the length of the sequence in one symbol. The method also includes generating a signal based on the configuration. The method also includes transmitting the signal to the first device.

In a fifth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The device includes: means for transmitting, at a first device, a configuration of uplink transmissions to a second device, the configuration indicating that a length of a cyclic prefix is the same as a length of a sequence in one symbol; means for receiving a signal generated based on the configuration from a second device; and means for performing a frequency domain transform on the signal.

In a sixth aspect, an apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes means for receiving, at a second device, a configuration of an uplink transmission from a first device, the configuration indicating that a length of a cyclic prefix is the same as a length of a sequence in one symbol; means for generating a signal based on the configuration; and means for transmitting the signal to the first device.

In a seventh aspect, there is provided a non-transitory computer readable medium comprising program instructions for causing an apparatus to perform at least a method according to any one of the fourth to sixth aspects described above.

It should be understood that the summary is not intended to identify key or essential features of embodiments of the disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the disclosure. Other features of the present disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description.

Drawings

Some example embodiments will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

fig. 1 illustrates a diagram of an uplink slot according to a conventional art;

fig. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) occasion according to the conventional art;

FIG. 3 illustrates an example communication network in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented;

FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of interactions between communication devices according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 5 illustrates a schematic diagram of a structure of an uplink signal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 6 shows a schematic diagram of a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) occasion in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of a time window for a fast Fourier transform according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 shows a schematic diagram of a time window for a fast Fourier transform according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 shows a schematic diagram of a time window for a fast Fourier transform according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 shows a schematic diagram of a time window for a fast Fourier transform according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 11 shows a flow diagram of a method implemented at a network device in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 12 shows a flow diagram of a method implemented at a terminal device in accordance with an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 13 shows a simplified block diagram of a device suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 14 illustrates a block diagram of an example computer-readable medium, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference numbers refer to the same or similar elements.

Detailed Description

The principles of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to a few exemplary embodiments. It is understood that these embodiments are described only for the purpose of illustration and to aid those skilled in the art in understanding and practicing the present disclosure, and do not set forth any limitations on the scope of the present disclosure. The disclosure described herein may be implemented in various other ways than those described below.

In the following description and claims, unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

References in the present disclosure to "one embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc., indicate that the embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments whether or not explicitly described.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of example embodiments. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the listed terms.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises," "comprising," "has," "having," "includes," and/or "including," when used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to one or more or all of the following:

(a) a purely hardware circuit implementation (such as an implementation in analog and/or digital circuitry only), and

(b) a combination of hardware circuitry and software, such as (as applicable):

(i) combinations of analog and/or digital hardware circuitry and software/firmware, and

(ii) a hardware processor with software (including a digital signal processor), software and any portion of memory that work together to cause a device (such as a mobile phone or server) to perform various functions, and

(c) a hardware circuit and/or a processor, such as a microprocessor or a portion of a microprocessor, that requires software (e.g., firmware) for operation, but may not be present when operation is not required.

The definition of circuitry applies to all uses of the term in this application, including in any claims. As another example, as used in this application, the term circuitry also encompasses implementations in hardware circuitry only or a processor (or multiple processors) or a portion of a hardware circuitry or a processor and its (or their) accompanying software and/or firmware. The term circuitry also encompasses (e.g., and if applicable to a particular claim element) a baseband integrated circuit or processor integrated circuit of a mobile device, or a similar integrated circuit in a server, a cellular network device, or other computing or network device.

As used herein, the term "communication network" refers to a network that follows any suitable communication criteria, such as Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-advanced (LTE-a), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), narrowband internet of things (NB-IoT), New Radio (NR), non-terrestrial network (NTN), and so forth. Further, communication between user devices and network devices in the communication network may be performed according to any suitable generation communication protocol, including, but not limited to, first generation (1G), second generation (2G), 2.5G, 2.95G, third generation (3G), fourth generation (4G), 4.5G, future fifth generation (5G) communication protocols, and/or any other protocol now known or later developed. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be applied to various communication systems. Given the rapid development of communications, there will, of course, also be future types of communication technologies and systems that may be used to embody the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the above-described systems.

As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a node in a communication network via which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. A network device may refer to a Base Station (BS) or an Access Point (AP), e.g., a NodeB (NodeB or NB), evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), NR NB (also known as gNB), Remote Radio Unit (RRU), Radio Head (RH), Remote Radio Head (RRH), relay, low power node (such as femto, pico), etc., depending on the terminology and technology applied.

The term "terminal device" refers to any terminal device capable of wireless communication. By way of example, and not limitation, a terminal device may also be referred to as a communication device, User Equipment (UE), Subscriber Station (SS), portable subscriber station, Mobile Station (MS), or Access Terminal (AT). The end devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smart phones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, tablets, wearable end devices, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), portable computers, desktop computers, image capture end devices (such as digital cameras), gaming end devices, music storage and playback devices, in-vehicle wireless end devices, wireless terminals, mobile stations, laptop embedded devices (LEEs), laptop installation devices (LMEs), USB dongles, smart devices, wireless client devices (CPEs), internet of things (loT) devices, watches or other wearable devices, Head Mounted Displays (HMDs), vehicles, drones, medical devices and applications (e.g., tele-surgery), industrial devices and applications (e.g., robots and/or other wireless devices operating in industrial and/or automated processing chain environments), Consumer electronics devices, devices operating on commercial and/or industrial wireless networks, and the like. In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "communication device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

As described above, non-synchronous reception needs to be studied. For example, a two-step Random Access Channel (RACH) has been proposed. In the two-step RACH, MsgA combines the preamble signal (Msg 1 in the four-step RACH) and the data signal (Msg 3 in the four-step RACH), while MsgB combines the random access response (Msg 2 in the four-step RACH) and contention resolution (Msg 4 in the four-step RACH). The two-step RACH may need to operate in a cell having any cell size, and the two-step RACH should be able to operate regardless of whether the terminal device has a valid Timing Advance (TA).

When the terminal device is not synchronized (i.e., it does not have a valid uplink TA), MsgA is sent without any timing advance, and the arrival time of MsgA at the network device depends on the round trip delay. As shown in fig. 1, a signal 110 from a terminal device located near a network device arrives with zero or very little time delay relative to the network device reference time. The signal 120 from a terminal device located at the cell edge arrives with a large time delay relative to the network device reference time. In this case, the time delay 130 is equal to the maximum round trip delay that depends on the cell radius. For a cell with a radius of 100km, the difference between the arrival time of the signal of the earliest terminal located close to the network device and the arrival time of the signal of the latest terminal device is 667 μ sec, by way of example only. For a system with 15kHz subcarrier spacing (SCS), this corresponds to less than 10 OFDM symbols. Any terminal device within the cell has a time of arrival between 0 and 667 musec.

Due to the large delay difference, separate front-end FFT processing may be required for each terminal device. Furthermore, in case of several time division multiplexed PUSCH occasions for MsgA, a large guard period is inserted between each PUSCH occasion and the next PUSCH occasion to account for the time difference of arrival between the earliest and latest UE signals within a cell, which reduces the overall efficiency.

In general, if the terminal devices are time synchronized at the network device, a single front-end FFT is used for all terminal devices. However, if the terminal devices are not synchronized, i.e., the signals arrive with different delays that exceed the CP duration, then the common FFT is no longer used. Instead, multiple FFTs are required, each covering a time-of-arrival window that does not exceed the CP duration. In the most extreme case, if the arrival time of each terminal device signal differs from the arrival times of the other terminal devices by a duration exceeding the CP duration, each terminal device may require separate FFT processing and may still suffer from inter-symbol and inter-carrier interference, resulting in a loss of orthogonality from the other terminal device transmissions.

An alternative to having separate FFT processing is to filter the signal of each terminal device at the network device to advance the terminal device by a time equal to the delay of the signal of the terminal device, and then add the signal of the terminal device to the received signal again. Thereafter, a common FFT is available for all terminal devices. However, filtering and time-advancing the signal of each terminal device to align its timing to the reference time of the network device increases the computational complexity of the network device. Furthermore, this approach may not fully compensate for the loss of orthogonality because the signals are received out of synchronization with each other.

A second problem with long round trip delay is that there should be a guard period after each time domain PUSCH occasion, where the guard period is at least as long as the round trip delay. This reduces the overall efficiency of the MsgA PUSCH. Fig. 2 shows PUSCH occasions with guard periods in between. For example, a cell with a cell radius of 75km (which corresponds to an RTT of 500 μ sec) has a guard period of 7 OFDM symbols (with 15khz scs). If the duration of MsgA PUSCH is also 7 OFDM symbols, the efficiency of MsgA PUSCH transmission is 50% after considering the guard period.

Another method for handling uplink transmissions from a terminal device with a large RTT and no valid TA is for the terminal device to apply timing adjustments based on downlink measurements of Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP). However, this is inaccurate because RSRP may vary greatly for the same terminal device-to-network device distance due to shadowing and fading effects.

Alternatively, the network device may estimate the timing offset of the uplink transmission by processing the MsgA preamble. Based on the timing offset estimate, the network device may perform timing adjustments and/or terminal device grouping. Multiple processing time windows may be applied to groups of terminal devices characterized by different timing offset ranges. However, this increases the computational complexity of the gNB. Therefore, new mechanisms for non-synchronized uplink transmissions are needed.

The principles and embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Reference is first made to fig. 3, which illustrates an example communication system 300 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a communication system 300 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. The link from the first device 310 to the second device 320 may be referred to as a "downlink" and the link from the second device 320 to the first device 310 may be referred to as an "uplink". Processes described as being implemented at a terminal device can also be implemented at a network device, and processes described as being implemented at a network device can also be implemented at a terminal device. For purposes of illustration, the first device 310 is hereinafter referred to as a network device 310, and the second device 320 is hereinafter referred to as a terminal device.

Communication system 300, which is part of a communication network, includes terminal devices 320-1, 32-2. Communication system 300 includes a network device 310. Terminal device 320 and network device 310 may communicate with each other.

It should be understood that communication system 300 may also include other elements that have been omitted for clarity. It should be understood that the number of terminal devices and network devices shown in fig. 3 is given for illustrative purposes and does not imply any limitation.

It should be understood that the number of network devices and terminal devices is for illustration purposes only and does not imply any limitation. System 300 may include any suitable number of network devices and terminal devices suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.

Communications in communication system 300 may be implemented in accordance with any suitable communication protocol, including, but not limited to, first-generation (1G), second-generation (2G), third-generation (3G), fourth-generation (4G), and fifth-generation (5G), etc. cellular communication protocols, wireless local area network communication protocols such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)802.11, etc., and/or any other protocol currently known or developed in the future. Further, the communication may utilize any suitable wireless communication technology, including but not limited to: code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), Time Division Duplex (TDD), Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM), and/or any other technique now known or later developed.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic diagram of an interaction 400 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The interaction 400 may be implemented on any suitable device. For purposes of illustration only, interaction 400 is described as being implemented at terminal device 320-1 and network device 310.

In some embodiments, the network device 310 may determine 400 a configuration for uplink transmission. For example, if a certain random access procedure is a trigger, the network device may determine the configuration of the uplink transmission. The specific random access procedure may refer to a two-step RACH. It should be noted that other suitable system operations may cause network device 310 to determine the configuration. The configuration of uplink transmissions introduces extreme cyclic prefixes and provides symbol interleaving to facilitate operation in situations requiring large values of transmission time misalignment. The configuration indicates that the length of the cyclic prefix is the same as the length of the sequence in one symbol.

Fig. 5 shows an example of a symbol structure 500 of an uplink signal. The symbol includes a cyclic prefix 5010 and a sequence 5020. The length of cyclic prefix 5010 (denoted as N _ CP) is equal to sequence 5020 (denoted as N)_seq) Length of (d). In this manner, the sequence 5020 is replicated and repeated, effectively creating an extremely long cyclic prefix. In some embodiments, the structure 500 may be applied to some specific operations, while normal operations may use a standard configuration of cyclic prefixes.

The network device 310 sends 4010 the configuration to the terminal device 320-1. In some embodiments, the network device 310 may send the configuration if a two-step RACH is triggered. In some embodiments, the network device 310 may configure the PUSCH occasion to monitor for signals. Fig. 6 shows an example structure 600 of a PUSCH occasion. Network device 310 may configure consecutive PUSCH occasions, e.g., PUSCH occasions 6010-1, 6010-2, and 6010-3. As shown in fig. 6, there is no gap between PUSCH occasions. The network device 310 can configure a gap, such as gap 6020, at the end of consecutive PUSCH occasions. In some embodiments, the duration of the gap 6020 may be equal to the maximum round trip delay within the cell. Alternatively, the duration of the gap 6020 may be greater than the maximum round trip delay. In this way, efficiency is improved since there is a single gap at the end of the set of PUSCH occasions, rather than a gap after each PUSCH occasion. It should be noted that the number of PUSCH occasions and gaps shown in fig. 6 is only one example. The network device 310 can configure any suitable number of PUSCH occasions.

The terminal device 320-1 generates 4015 the signal based on the configuration. The length of the cyclic prefix and the length of the sequence in the signal are equal to each other. Terminal device 320-1 sends 4020 the signal to network device 310.

The network device 310 performs a frequency domain transform 4030 of the signal. In some embodiments, network device 310 may generate a set of time windows for the frequency domain transform. For example, the frequency domain transform may be a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). Alternatively, the frequency domain transform may be a discrete fast fourier transform. It should be noted that the frequency domain transform may be any suitable transform. For purposes of illustration only, the frequency domain transform may be referred to hereinafter as an FFT. The length of the time window may be equal to the length of the cyclic prefix and the sequence. Network device 310 may determine at least one target time window for the signal based on the delay of terminal device 320-1. The term "window" as used herein refers to the duration of time a portion of a signal is acquired. Network device 310 may acquire the portion of the signal during the time window and perform a frequency domain transform on the portion of the signal. An embodiment of the process is described with reference to fig. 7-10.

As shown in fig. 7, network device 310 generates a set of time windows, time window 7010-0, time window 7010-1, time window 7010-2, time window 7010-3, time window 7010-4, time window 7010-5, time window 7010-6, time window 7010-7, and time window 7010-8. It should be noted that the number of time windows is for illustration purposes only. Signal 710 shown in fig. 7 may be received from terminal device 320-1 and signal 720 may be received from terminal device 320-2. As shown in fig. 7, for each symbol, there are two parts, a cyclic prefix and a sequence. Signal 710 includes symbol 7100 including cyclic prefix 7100-1 and sequence 7100-2, symbol 7101 including cyclic prefix 7101-1 and sequence 7101-2, symbol 7102 including cyclic prefix 7102-1 and sequence 7102-2, and symbol 7103 including cyclic prefix 7103-1 and sequence 7103-2. Signal 720 includes symbol 7200 including cyclic prefix 7200-1 and sequence 7200-2, symbol 7201 including cyclic prefix 7201-1 and sequence 7201-2, symbol 7202 including cyclic prefix 7202-1 and sequence 7201-2, and symbol 7203 including cyclic prefix 7203-1 and sequence 7203-2. It should be noted that a signal may include any suitable number of symbols.

Assuming that the time window starting at the base station reference time is time window 7010-0, the target time window for processing signal 710 is determined based on the delay of terminal device 320-1 as follows:

wherein N is_DelayIs the estimated time delay of preamble detection from terminal device 320-u, and% isThe modulo operator.

For example, time window 7010-1 overlaps symbol 7100. As described above, the cyclic prefix 7100-1 and the sequence 7100-2 are the same length, and the cyclic prefix 7100-1 is copied from the sequence 7100-2. In addition, since the length of the time window 7010-1 is the same as the sequence 7100-2, the portion of the symbol 7100 that overlaps with the time window 7010-1 includes all the information carried in the sequence 7100-2. Thus, the time window 7010-1 may be determined as the target time window for processing the symbol 7100. Network device 310 can obtain a portion of symbol 7100 during time window 7010-1 and perform an FFT on the obtained portion. Similarly, time windows 7010-3, 7010-5, and 7010-7 may be used to process

symbols

7101, 7102, and 7103, respectively. Time window 7010-2, time window 7010-4, time window 7010-6, and time window 7010-8 may be used to process symbol 7200, symbol 7201, symbol 7202, and symbol 7203, respectively. In other words, the determination of the even or odd time windows is based on the fact that the selected time window should overlap with the cyclic prefix/sequence of the same OFDM symbol.

As described above, in some embodiments, the network device 310 may configure consecutive PUSCH occasions without inserting guard periods between consecutive PUSCH occasions. In this case, the same time window may correspond to symbols in different PUSCH occasions as shown in fig. 8. As shown in fig. 8, there are consecutive PUSCH occasions 801-1 and 801-2. Signal 810 is from terminal device 320-1, signal 820 is from terminal device 320-2, signal 830 is from terminal device 320-3 (not shown), and signal 840 is from terminal device 320-4 (not shown). In fig. 8, the second time window 803 in the PUSCH occasion 801-2 may be for symbol 8023 including cyclic prefix 8023-1 and sequence 8023-2 and symbol 8040 including cyclic prefix 8040-1 and sequence 8040-2.

In some embodiments, the network device 310 may receive multipath signals. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, signal 910 and signal 920 both originate from terminal device 320-1.

Signals

910 and 920 are multipath signals for terminal device 320-1. The time window 901 set includes a time window 9010-0, a time window 9010-1, a time window 9010-2, and a time window 9010-3. Time windows 9010-0, 9010-2, and 9010-4 may be used for signal 910, while time window 9010-1 and 9010-3 may be used for signal 920. The set of time windows 901 may not provide ideal reception when the delay spread 930 between the signal 910 and the signal 920 crosses a time window boundary. Network device 310 may compare the delay spread 930 between signal 910 and signal 920 to the length of the cyclic prefix. If the delay spread 930 is less than half the cyclic prefix length, then to overcome the significant delay spread 930, the network device 310 may determine another set of time windows 902 including time window 9020-0, time window 9020-1, time window 9020-2, time window 020-3, and time window 9020-4. The offset between window 9010-0 and window 9020-0 may be one-half of the window. Another set of time windows 902 may be used to process signal 910 and signal 920 because the delay spread 930 is less than half the CP or FFT window length. For example, time window 9020-1 would completely overlap symbol 9100 and symbol 9200 and would then be used for ideal reception of the first symbol.

Alternatively or additionally, to account for significant delay spread when one multipath of a signal of a terminal device is in an even window and another multipath of the same terminal device's signal is in an odd window, if the network device 310 determines that the target windows of the signal and the other signal are different, the network device 310 may obtain a portion of the signal and another portion of the other signal from different time windows. The network device 310 may perform a frequency domain transform on the portion of the signal and the other portion of the other signal and combine the transformed portion and the transformed other portion after a delay alignment between the other signal and the signal.

In some embodiments, if the maximum round trip time is small, then both time windows may be used for the same symbol. As shown in fig. 10, signal 1010 is from terminal device 320-1 having a zero round trip time, and signal 1020 is from terminal device 320-2 having a maximum round trip time. Since the maximum round trip time is below the threshold time, as shown in fig. 10, time window 10002-1 and time window 10001-1 can be used for symbol 10010 comprising cyclic prefix 10010-1 and sequence 10010-2, time window 10002-2 and time window 10001-2 can be used for symbol 10011 comprising cyclic prefix 10011-1 and sequence 10011-2, and time window 10002-3 and time window 10001-3 can be used for symbol 10012 comprising cyclic prefix 10012-1 and sequence 10012-2. Similarly, time window 10002-1 and time window 10001-1 can be utilized for symbol 10020 comprising cyclic prefix 10020-1 and sequence 10020-2, time window 10002-2 and time window 10001-2 can be utilized for symbol 10021 comprising cyclic prefix 10021-1 and sequence 10021-2, and time window 10002-3 and time window 10001-3 can be utilized for symbol 10022 comprising cyclic prefix 10022-1 and sequence 10022-2. Moreover, even though time window 10002-1 and time window 10001-1 can be used for symbol 10010, time window 10002-1 and time window 10001-1 can be used for different portions of the symbol. Network device 310 may perform the frequency domain on different portions of the symbol and combine different portions of the transformed symbol. In this way, using two time windows for the same symbol with different samples may improve reception reliability.

Alternatively or additionally, network device 310 may generate two sets of windows. For example, the network device 310 may generate the set of time windows 700 shown in fig. 7 and generate another set of time windows that are slightly offset from the even time windows in the set of time windows 700. In this way, improved detection reliability can be provided for terminal devices with short round trip times (reception according to fig. 10), while reception for terminal devices with large round trip times will be according to fig. 7.

Fig. 11 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method 1100 implemented at a network device in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Method 1100 may be implemented at any suitable device. For discussion purposes, the method 1100 will be described with reference to fig. 3 from the perspective of the network device 310.

At block 1110, the network device 310 sends a configuration for uplink transmission. For example, if a certain random access procedure is a trigger, the network device may determine the configuration of the uplink transmission. The specific random access procedure may refer to a two-step RACH. It should be noted that other suitable system operations may cause network device 310 to determine the configuration. The configuration of uplink transmissions introduces extreme cyclic prefixes and provides symbol interleaving to facilitate operation in situations requiring large values of transmission time misalignment. The configuration indicates that the length of the cyclic prefix is the same as the length of the sequence in one symbol. In some embodiments, the network device 310 may send the configuration if a two-step RACH is triggered.

At block 1120, the network device 310 receives a signal generated based on the configuration. In some embodiments, the network device 310 may configure the PUSCH occasion to monitor for signals. The network device 310 may configure consecutive PUSCH occasions, meaning that there are no gaps between PUSCH occasions. The network device 310 can configure the gap at the end of consecutive PUSCH occasions. In some embodiments, the duration of the gap may be equal to the maximum round trip delay within the cell. Alternatively, the duration of the gap may be greater than the maximum round trip delay.

At block 1130, the network device 310 performs a frequency domain transform on the signal. In some embodiments, network device 310 may generate a set of time windows for the frequency domain transform. For example, the frequency domain transform may be a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). Alternatively, the frequency domain transform may be a discrete fast fourier transform. It should be noted that the frequency domain transform may be any suitable transform. For purposes of illustration only, the frequency domain transform may be referred to hereinafter as an FFT. The length of the time window may be equal to the length of the cyclic prefix or sequence. Network device 310 may determine at least one target time window for the signal based on the delay of terminal device 320-1. Network device 310 may acquire the portion of the signal during the time window and perform a frequency domain transform on the portion of the signal.

In some embodiments, network device 310 may receive another signal from terminal device 320-1. The other signal and signal is a multipath signal of the terminal device 320-1. If even time windows of the set of time windows are used to process a signal and odd time windows of the set of time windows are used to process another signal, network device 310 may generate another set of time windows for processing the signal.

Alternatively or additionally, network device 310 may process the signal and another signal using the set of time windows. Network device 310 may perform a frequency domain transform on the portion of the signal and another portion of another signal. The network device 310 may combine the transformed signal and the transformed further signal after the further signal and the delay alignment between the signals.

In some embodiments, the network device 310 may determine that the target time window of the signal is different from another target time window of another signal. The network device 310 may obtain a portion of a signal during a target time window (e.g., an even window) and obtain another portion of another signal during another target window (e.g., an odd window). Network device 310 may perform a frequency domain transform on the portion of the signal and another portion of another signal. The network device 310 may combine the transformed signal and the transformed further signal after the further signal and the delay alignment between the signals.

In other embodiments, if the round trip delay is less than the threshold delay, the network device 310 may process the signal using two sets of time windows. For example, two time windows may be used to process one symbol in a signal. More specifically, network device 310 may obtain a first portion of the signal during the set of time windows and obtain a second portion of the signal during another set of windows. The first part and the second part belong to one symbol in the signal. Network device 310 may perform a frequency domain transform on the first and second portions of the signal and combine the transformed first and second portions with another portion of the signal.

Fig. 12 illustrates a flow diagram of an example method 1200 implemented at a terminal device in accordance with some embodiments of the disclosure. Method 1200 may be implemented at any suitable device. For purposes of discussion, the method 1200 will be described with reference to fig. 3 from the perspective of the terminal 320-1.

At block 1210, the terminal device 320-1 receives a configuration of uplink traffic. For example, if a certain random access procedure is a trigger, the network device may determine the configuration of the uplink transmission. The specific random access procedure may refer to a two-step RACH. It should be noted that other suitable system operations may cause network device 310 to determine the configuration. The configuration of uplink transmissions introduces extreme cyclic prefixes and provides symbol interleaving to facilitate operation in situations requiring large values of transmission time misalignment. The configuration indicates that the length of the cyclic prefix is the same as the length of the sequence in one symbol. In some embodiments, the network device 310 may send the configuration if a two-step RACH is triggered.

At block 1220, terminal device 320-1 generates a signal based on the configuration. In some embodiments, if a two-step RACH is triggered, terminal device 320-1 generates a signal based on the configuration. In some embodiments, terminal device 320-1 may obtain the length of the cyclic prefix and the length of the sequence from the configuration. Terminal device 320-1 may generate the cyclic prefix portion by replicating the sequence.

At block 1230, terminal device 320-1 transmits a signal to network device 310. For example, the signal may be transmitted on the PUSCH.

In some embodiments, an apparatus (e.g., network device 310) for performing method 1100 may include respective means for performing respective steps in method 1100. These components may be implemented in any suitable manner. For example, it may be implemented by a circuit or a software module.

In some embodiments, the apparatus includes means for sending a configuration of uplink transmissions from a first device to a second device, the configuration indicating that a length of a cyclic prefix is the same as a length of a sequence in one symbol; means for receiving a signal from the second device generated based on the configuration; and means for performing a frequency domain transform on the signal.

In some embodiments, the means for sending a configuration of uplink transmissions comprises: means for sending a configuration of uplink transmissions if it is determined that the random access procedure is triggered.

In some embodiments, the random access procedure comprises a two-step random access procedure.

In some embodiments, the means for performing a frequency domain transform on the signal comprises means for generating a set of time windows for a fast fourier transform, one time window of the set of time windows having a length that is the same as a length of the cyclic prefix; and means for determining at least one target time window for processing the signal based on the overlap between the set of time windows and the signal.

In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for receiving a further signal from the second device, the further signal and the signal being multipath signals of the second device; means for comparing a delay spread between the signal and the other signal to a length of a cyclic prefix; and means for generating another set of time windows for processing the signal and the another signal if it is determined that the delay spread is less than half the length of the cyclic prefix.

In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for receiving another signal from the second device; means for obtaining a portion of the signal during a target time window and another portion of another signal during another target time window if it is determined that the target time window for the signal and the another target time window for the another signal are different; means for performing a frequency domain transform on a portion of the signal and another portion of another signal; and means for combining the transformed portion of the signal with a transformed another portion of the other signal after delay alignment between the other signal and the signal.

In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises means for comparing a round trip delay between the first device and the second device to be less than a threshold delay; means for generating another set of windows if the round trip delay is determined to be less than the threshold delay; means for obtaining a first portion of the signal during the set of time windows and a second portion of the signal during another set of windows; means for performing a frequency domain transform on the first and second portions of the signal; and means for combining the transformed first and second portions of the signal.

In some embodiments, the apparatus further comprises: means for configuring a set of Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) occasions without gaps between each other to monitor a signal; and means for configuring a gap at the end of the set of PUSCH occasions, the gap having a duration no less than a round trip delay between the first device and the second device.

In some embodiments, the first device comprises a network device and the second device comprises a terminal device.

In some embodiments, the frequency domain transform comprises a fast fourier transform.

In some embodiments, the apparatus includes means for receiving, at a second device, a configuration of an uplink transmission from a first device, the configuration indicating that a length of a cyclic prefix is the same as a length of a sequence in one symbol; means for generating a signal based on the configuration; and means for transmitting the signal to the first device.

In some embodiments, the means for generating a signal comprises: means for generating a cyclic prefix by replicating a sequence.

In some embodiments, the means for receiving a configuration of uplink transmissions comprises: means for receiving a configuration of an uplink transmission if it is determined that the random access procedure is triggered.

Fig. 13 is a simplified block diagram of an apparatus 1300 suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 1300 may be used to implement a communication device, such as the network device 310 or the terminal device 320-1 shown in FIG. 3. As shown, the device 1300 includes one or more processors 1310, one or more memories 1320 coupled to the processors 1310, and one or more communication modules (e.g., transmitters and/or receivers (TX/RX))1340 coupled to the processors 1310.

The communication module 1340 is used for bidirectional communication. The communication module 1340 has at least one antenna to facilitate communication. The communication interface may represent any interface required to communicate with other network elements.

The processor 1310 may be of any type suitable for a local technology network, and may include, by way of non-limiting example, one or more of the following: general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), and processors based on a multi-core processor architecture. The device 1300 may have multiple processors, such as application specific integrated circuit chips that are time dependent from a clock synchronized to the main processor.

The memory 1320 may include one or more non-volatile memories and one or more volatile memories. Examples of non-volatile memory include, but are not limited to, Read Only Memory (ROM)1324, Electrically Programmable Read Only Memory (EPROM), flash memory, a hard disk, a Compact Disk (CD), a Digital Video Disk (DVD), and other magnetic and/or optical storage devices. Examples of volatile memory include, but are not limited to, Random Access Memory (RAM)1322 and other volatile memory that does not persist for the duration of the power down.

The computer programs 1330 include computer-executable instructions that are executed by the associated processor 1310. The program 1330 may be stored in the ROM 1324. Processor 1310 may perform any suitable actions and processes by loading program 1330 into RAM 1322.

Embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented by program 1330 so that device 1300 may perform any of the processes of the disclosure as discussed with reference to fig. 4-10. Embodiments of the present disclosure may also be implemented by hardware or a combination of software and hardware.

In some embodiments, program 1330 may be tangibly embodied in a computer-readable medium, which may be included in device 1300 (such as in memory 1320) or other storage device accessible to device 1300. Device 1300 may load program 1330 from the computer-readable medium into RAM 1322 for execution. The computer readable medium may include any type of tangible, non-volatile memory, such as ROM, EPROM, flash memory, a hard disk, a CD, a DVD, etc. Fig. 14 shows an example of a computer readable medium 1400 in the form of a CD or DVD. The computer readable medium has a program 1330 stored thereon.

In general, the various embodiments of the disclosure may be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software, logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or other computing device. While various aspects of the embodiments of the disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams, flow charts, or using some other pictorial representation, it is well understood that the block diagrams, apparatus, systems, techniques or methods described herein may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing devices, or some combination thereof.

The present disclosure also provides at least one computer program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The computer program product includes computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program modules, that execute in the device on the target real or virtual processor to perform the method 500 and interaction described above with reference to fig. 2-8. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data types, etc. that perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired in various embodiments. Machine-executable instructions for program modules may be executed within local or distributed devices. In a distributed facility, program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storage media.

Program code for performing the methods of the present disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus, such that the execution of the program codes by the processor or controller causes the functions/operations specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram to be performed. The program code may execute entirely on the machine, partly on the machine, as a stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.

In the context of the present disclosure, computer program code or related data may be carried by any suitable carrier to enable a device, apparatus or processor to perform various processes and operations as described above. Examples of a carrier include a signal, computer readable medium, and the like.

The computer readable medium may be a computer readable signal medium or a computer readable storage medium. A computer readable medium may include, but is not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable combination thereof. More specific examples of a computer-readable storage medium include an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof.

Further, while operations are depicted in a particular order, this should not be understood as requiring that such operations be performed in the particular order shown or in sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed, to achieve desirable results. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Also, while several specific implementation details are included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limitations on the scope of the disclosure, but rather as descriptions of features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain features that are described in the context of separate embodiments can also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a single embodiment can also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination.

Although the disclosure has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the disclosure defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims.

Claims

1. A first device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the first apparatus to:

sending a configuration of uplink transmission to a second device, the configuration indicating that a length of a cyclic prefix is the same as a length of a sequence in one symbol;

receiving, from the second device, a signal generated based on the configuration; and

a frequency domain transform is performed on the signal.

2. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device is caused to send the configuration of the uplink transmission by:

transmitting a configuration of the uplink transmission if it is determined that a random access procedure is triggered.

3. The first device of claim 2, wherein the random access procedure comprises a two-step random access procedure.

4. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device is further caused to perform a frequency domain transform on the signal by:

generating a set of time windows for the frequency-domain transform, a length of one of the set of time windows being the same as a length of the cyclic prefix; and

determining at least one target time window for processing the signal based on an overlap between the set of time windows and the signal.

5. The first device of claim 4, wherein the first device is further caused to:

receiving another signal from the second device, the another signal and the signal being multipath signals of the second device;

comparing a delay spread between the signal and the other signal to a length of the cyclic prefix; and

generating another set of time windows for processing the signal and the another signal if it is determined that the delay spread is less than half the length of the cyclic prefix.

6. The first device of claim 4, wherein the first device is further caused to:

if it is determined that the target time window for the signal and a further target time window for the further signal are different, obtaining a portion of the signal during the target time window and a further portion of the further signal during the further target time window;

performing the frequency domain transform on the portion of the signal and the another portion of the another signal; and

combining the transformed portion of the signal and the transformed another portion of the other signal after delay alignment between the other signal and the signal.

7. The first device of claim 4, wherein the first device is further caused to:

comparing a round trip delay between the first device and the second device to be less than a threshold delay;

generating another set of windows if it is determined that the round trip delay is less than the threshold delay;

obtaining a first portion of the signal during the set of time windows and a second portion of the signal during the other set of windows;

performing the frequency domain transform on the first and second portions of the signal; and

combining the transformed first portion and the transformed second portion of the signal.

8. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device is further caused to:

configuring a set of Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) occasions for monitoring the signal, the set of PUSCH occasions having no gaps between each other; and

configuring a gap at the end of the set of PUSCH occasions, the gap having a duration equal to or greater than a round trip delay between the first device and the second device.

9. The first device of claim 1, wherein the first device comprises a network device and the second device comprises a terminal device.

10. The first apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frequency domain transform comprises a fast fourier transform.

11. A second device, comprising:

at least one processor; and

at least one memory including computer program code;

the at least one memory and the computer program code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause the second apparatus to:

receiving a configuration of an uplink transmission from a first device, the configuration indicating that a length of a cyclic prefix is the same as a length of a sequence in one symbol;

generating a signal based on the configuration; and

transmitting the signal to the first device.

12. The second device of claim 11, wherein the second device is caused to generate the signal by:

generating the cyclic prefix by replicating the sequence.

13. The second device of claim 11, wherein the second device is caused to receive the configuration of the uplink transmission by:

receiving a configuration of the uplink transmission if it is determined that a random access procedure is triggered.

14. The second device of claim 13, wherein the random access procedure comprises a two-step random access procedure.

15. The second device of claim 11, wherein the first device comprises a network device and the second device comprises a terminal device.

16. A method, comprising:

sending a configuration of uplink transmission from a first device to a second device, the configuration indicating that a length of a cyclic prefix is the same as a length of a sequence in one symbol;

a frequency domain transform is performed on the signal.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein sending the configuration of the uplink transmission comprises:

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the random access procedure comprises a two-step random access procedure.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein performing a frequency domain transform on the signal comprises:

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

23. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the first device comprises a network device and the second device comprises a terminal device.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein the frequency domain transform comprises a fast fourier transform.

26. A method, comprising:

receiving, at a second device, a configuration of an uplink transmission from a first device, the configuration indicating that a length of a cyclic prefix is the same as a length of a sequence in one symbol;

generating a signal based on the configuration; and

transmitting the signal to the first device.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein generating the signal comprises:

generating the cyclic prefix by replicating the sequence.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein receiving the configuration of the uplink transmission comprises:

receiving the configuration of the uplink transmission if it is determined that a random access procedure is triggered.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein the random access procedure comprises a two-step random access procedure.

30. The method of claim 26, wherein the first device comprises a network device and the second device comprises a terminal device.

31. An apparatus, comprising:

means for performing the process according to any one of claims 16-30.

32. An apparatus, comprising:

circuitry configured to cause the apparatus to perform the processes of any of claims 16-30.

33. A computer program product encoded with instructions for performing a process according to any of claims 16-30.