CN115347998A - Baseband circuit, UE and base station - Google Patents

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a baseband circuit, a UE and a base station. Methods and architectures for establishing an uplink control channel in a fifth generation (5G) or New Radio (NR) wireless network include: a next generation NodeB (gNB) selects resources in a code, time and/or frequency domain for a User Equipment (UE) to transmit Uplink Control Information (UCI) across multiple slots of time resources in an uplink channel from the UE to the gNB. The UE transmits an NR Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) on multiple slots using the selected code, time, and frequency resources.

Description

Baseband circuit, UE and base station

Cross Reference to Related Applications

The application is a divisional application of an invention patent application with the international application number of PCT/US2017/066637, the international application date of 2017, 12 and 15 months, the date of entering a Chinese national phase of 2019, 5 and 16 months, and the Chinese national application number of 201780070863.8, and the invention name of resource allocation and detailed design of a New Radio (NR) Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) with multiple time slot durations.

The present application claims priority from co-pending U.S. application serial No.62/443,113 filed on 6.1.2017 and No.62/435,575 filed on 16.12.2016 by the same inventors as the present application, both of which are entitled to the same title as the present application, according to 35u.s.c.119 (e), incorporated herein by reference.

Background

Embodiments of the present invention relate generally to wireless communications and, in particular, but not by way of limitation, to new types of communication formats and protocols for next generation wireless networks.

The 5G new radio technology (NR) development is part of a continuous mobile broadband evolution process to meet the 5G requirements outlined in IMT-2020, similar to the earlier evolution of 3G and 4G wireless networks. The goal of 5G NR is to provide consumers with wireless broadband with similar fiber performance at a much lower cost per bit than wired solutions. With new levels of latency, reliability and security, the 5G NR will extend to efficiently connect large-scale internet of things (IoT) and will provide new types of mission critical services. As part of NR development, new protocols and functions are needed to meet the operating guidelines.

Drawings

Certain circuits, logical operations, devices and/or methods will be described by way of non-limiting example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

fig. 1 shows a simplified block diagram of an exemplary NR physical uplink control channel (NR PUCCH) in a single slot of a Time Division Duplex (TDD) system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 shows a simplified block diagram of NR PUCCH spanning multiple slots in a TDD system in accordance with certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention;

fig. 3 shows a simplified block diagram of NR PUCCHs of different durations within an aggregated slot in TDD according to some exemplary embodiments of the present invention;

fig. 4 shows a simplified block diagram of a TDD system with multiple parameter sets (numerology) coexisting in the system bandwidth according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 shows a simplified block diagram of NR PUCCH transmission with minimum duration across multiple slots according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6 shows a basic block diagram of three different options 600A, 600B, 600C for NR PUCCH transmission using inter-slot hopping, intra-slot hopping and a combination of inter-slot and intra-slot hopping, respectively, according to various embodiments of the present invention;

fig. 7 shows a simplified block diagram of a predefined hopping configuration for transmission of NR PUCCH according to an example embodiment;

fig. 8 and 9 show exemplary diagrams of NR PUCCH transmissions using Orthogonal Cover Codes (OCC) without intra-slot hopping and with intra-slot hopping, respectively, according to various alternative embodiments of the present invention;

fig. 10 shows a simplified diagram of NR PUCCH transmission using inter-slot OCC with a fixed length according to other exemplary embodiments of the present invention;

fig. 11 shows an exemplary block diagram of an NR PUCCH format over a multi-slot duration where multiple UEs are multiplexed on the same time resource channel using inter-slot OCC; and

FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a wireless device, such as a user equipment or next generation NodeB (gNB), adapted to perform certain functions and features of various embodiments of the present disclosure, and

fig. 13 shows a basic flow diagram of an exemplary method of operation in a 5G NR network utilizing various NR PUCCH transmission embodiments of the present invention.

Detailed Description

Next generation and mobile and radio systems (referred to herein as fifth generation (5G) systems) are expected to have certain network features, capabilities, the purpose of which is to provide a radio network architecture to wirelessly connect each person and machine. These 5G networks can basically be a combination of an LTE advanced mobile Radio Access Network (RAN) connecting User Equipment (UE) with evolved NodeB (eNB) network access stations and a new type of RAN called new radio technology (NR) (some called Future Radio Access (FRA)) that provides more flexible, less centralized, lower latency access to information and data sharing between UEs, sensors and NR network access stations or next generation NodeB (called gnnodeb (gNB)).

NR is expected to be a unified network/system, aimed at satisfying a variety of distinct performance dimensions and services. This diverse multidimensional demand is driven by the need to support different services and applications. In general, NR will evolve based on 3GPP LTE-advanced and additional new radio access technologies ("RATs") to enrich people's lives with improved simple and seamless radio connection solutions. NR will enable a wireless connected world, such as the internet of things (IoT), to provide fast, rich content and services. One requirement of such a connection is that the NR device has a powerful uplink control mechanism to be able to send Uplink Control Information (UCI) and other signaling to the gNB for proper and efficient operation in the NR RAN. As an example, UCI may include hybrid automatic retransmission/request acknowledgement/negative acknowledgement (HARQ ACK/NACK), channel quality indicators, MIMO feedback such as Rank Indicator (RI) or Precoding Matrix Indicator (PMI), and scheduling requests for uplink transmission or related information for reporting and connection control.

In LTE, such UCI may be transmitted in the uplink over a Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH) if the UE is transmitting application data or Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling, or within a separate uplink channel called a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) if no application data or RRC signaling is transmitted. While the channel structure and performance between LTE and NR may differ significantly, the uplink control channel design for NR is expected to achieve a similar link budget as LTE. Notably, in an exemplary NR system such as described in 3gpp TR 38.912 version 14.0.0, release 14, published as ETSI TR 138 912 v14.0.0 (2017-05), which is incorporated herein by reference, multiple parameter sets (numerology) are supported in the physical layer. The parameter set is defined by subcarrier spacing and Cyclic Prefix (CP) overhead. The plurality of subcarrier spacings may be derived by scaling the base subcarrier spacing by an integer N. In this example, the maximum channel bandwidth of each NR carrier is 400MHz. Note that all details of the channel bandwidth of at least up to 100MHz per NR carrier are specified in Rel-15. The maximum number of subcarriers per NR carrier candidate is 3300 or 6600, at least for the single integer parameter set case, although NR channel designs may extend these parameters in subsequent releases of the 3GPP specifications, and embodiments of the invention are not limited to any particular specific scope. In this exemplary NR TDD mode, the subframe duration is fixed to 1ms and the frame length is 10ms. Thus, the scalable parameter set allows flexibility to use at least 15kHz to 480kHz subcarrier spacing. Regardless of CP overhead, all parameter sets with subcarrier spacing of 15kHz and more are aligned for symbol boundaries of every 1ms in the NR carrier. Therefore, compared to LTE, NRs have the flexibility to use different subcarrier spacings, and the uplink control channel used in NR has to accommodate the various potential time resources utilized, called "slots".

In various examples, a slot may be defined as 7 or 14 OFDM symbols for the same subcarrier spacing up to 60kHz with normal CP, and 14 OFDM symbols for subcarrier spacing above 60kHz with normal CP. A slot may contain all downlinks, all uplinks, or, as shown by exemplary slot 100 in fig. 1, at least one downlink portion 105 and at least one uplink portion 115. In NR, slot aggregation is supported, i.e., data transmission may be scheduled across one or more slots. In addition, the slot may be further divided into "mini-slots" of 1 symbol (above 6 GHz) or aggregated into a full slot-1 symbol, if desired.

With respect to the NR physical UL control channel, at least two transmission modes are supported: (1) the UL control channel may be transmitted for a short duration; (2) The UL control channel may be transmitted for a long duration, i.e., over multiple uplink symbols, to improve coverage. In NR, a long-duration UL control channel is allowed to span multiple slots with a duration related to the used subcarrier spacing. Thus, in various inventive embodiments, the NR PUCCH with a long duration may be configured to span multiple slots using frequency, time or code division resources (or a combination thereof), as described in more detail in the following exemplary inventive embodiments.

Fig. 1 shows an example of a new radio physical uplink control channel (NR PUCCH) with a long duration within a UL data slot 100. In particular, multiple OFDM symbols may be allocated for the NR PUCCH 115 to improve the link budget and uplink coverage of the control channel. More specifically, for UL data slots, NR PUCCH and PUSCH may be multiplexed in a Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM) manner. As shown in fig. 1, in order to accommodate the DL-to-UL and UL-to-DL switching time and the round trip propagation delay, a Guard Period (GP) 110 is inserted between an NR physical downlink control channel (NR PDCCH) 105 and an NR physical uplink control channel (NR PUCCH) 115.

Referring to fig. 2, an exemplary NR format 200 is shown illustrating a PUCCH spanning multiple slots at a given frequency. A key motivation for NR UL control channel 215 to span multiple time slots is to achieve similar link budget as LTE, especially for systems operating sub-carrier spacing greater than 15 kHz. For example, as shown, when a 60kHz subcarrier spacing is used for system operation, the NR PUCCH 215 spans 4 slots, each having 14 symbols, for a total duration of 1 ms.

In one embodiment of the invention, the number of slots of the NR PUCCH transmission 215 may be configured by higher layers in a UE-specific manner via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. Alternatively, the number of slots used for the NR PUCCH transmission 215 may be indicated in Downlink Control Information (DCI). Further, a combination of semi-static signaling and dynamic indication may be used to inform the number of slots used for NR PUCCH transmission 215. For example, the set of slot numbers for NR PUCCH transmission may be configured by higher layers via NR master information block (NR MIB), NR system information block (NR SIB), or RRC signaling. In certain embodiments, one field in the DCI format may be used to indicate the number of slots from the set configured by higher layers for NR PUCCH transmission 215. The DCI in certain embodiments may be carried by an NR physical downlink control channel (NR PDCCH) in a Common Search Space (CSS) or a UE-specific search space (USS).

In another embodiment of the present invention, with NR systems configured with multi-stage DCI, DCI in the first stage may be used to indicate whether a single or multiple slots should be used for NR PUCCH transmission 215, while DCI in the second stage may indicate the exact number of slots (e.g., 2, 4, or 8) that should be used for NR PUCCH transmission. In some embodiments, multiple PUCCH formats may be predefined, with each format consisting of a different configuration of consecutive slots, for a specific purpose or use as indicated by DCI. For example, a PUCCH format for a particular UCI, e.g., HARQ-ACK transmission, may be indicated as part of the first or second DCI level, or both, in order to improve reliability of PUCCH format selection. With this flexibility, the gNB can dynamically switch UEs between single slot based short PUCCH format and multi-slot based long PUCCH format through indications in DL DCI in PDCCH to improve coverage or increase payload.

In other embodiments of the present invention, different UCI types, e.g., HARQ-ACK feedback, scheduling Request (SR) or Channel State Information (CSI), or beam related information, may be transmitted in NR PUCCH with a specified multi-slot duration or short duration. Note that an NR PUCCH with a short duration may span 1 symbol within one slot, i.e., a single mini-slot. In one example, the CSI report may be transmitted in PUCCH with 4 slot duration, while the HARQ-ACK may be transmitted with 1 slot duration or even small slot duration or a similarly defined scheme selected based on usage model, channel/priority/bandwidth conditions. Such NR PUCCH configurations may be predefined, dynamically selected, or desired by a system architecture designer. In another example, the CSI report may be transmitted in PUCCH with 2 slot duration, while the Sounding Reference (SR) may be transmitted using a short duration (e.g., a small slot duration of 1 symbol).

Various detailed embodiments for a long duration NR PUCCH will now be described with reference to fig. 3-11, where the NR PUCCH is transmitted using multiple slot durations in the time, frequency and code domains.

NR with multiple slot durations in the time domain PUCCH

An embodiment of a long duration NR PUCCH 315 spanning multiple slots of resource allocation in the time domain is shown in sequence 300 of figure 3. According to various embodiments, when the NR PUCCH 315 spans multiple slots, the starting and/or ending symbols and/or duration of the NR PUCCH within each slot may be specifically specified on a per slot basis in the slot aggregation of the NR PUCCH 315. This start and/or end point and duration of the NR PUCCH may be signaled by higher layers (e.g., from RRC signaling), or indicated in DCI received from the gbb, or a combination thereof. As shown in the example of fig. 3, the NR PUCCH 315 duration or start/end symbol position may be different for different slots within the aggregated slot, which may depend, for example, on the DL control region size or guard period duration. In one exemplary embodiment, the bitmap of NR PUCCH 315 start and/or end symbols for each slot within an aggregated slot may be configured by higher layers or indicated in DCI.

In other embodiments, to reduce signaling overhead in selecting a long-duration multi-slot NR PUCCH configuration, the starting and/or ending symbols of each slot may be the same within each of the aggregated slots. In this case, it is only necessary to tell one starting and/or ending symbol position of the NR PUCCH for configuration, and the NR PUCCH will be repeated at the same position for each slot across the aggregated slots designated for the NR PUCCH. As with other embodiments, such reduced overhead signaling may be configured by higher layers such as RRC, or indicated in DCI received from a gNB (LTE eNB or other network access station, depending on the RAT over which the UE is connected), or a combination thereof.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the UE may derive the NR PUCCH duration from the DL control region and the guard period duration of each slot within the aggregated slot. In one example, in the case of a semi-static configuration or dynamic indication for a semi-static configuration of DL control region size (e.g., 2 symbols) and guard period duration (e.g., using a dedicated control channel similar to the LTE Physical Control Format Indicator Channel (PCFICH)), the UE may derive the NR PUCCH duration for each slot. In addition, in case of transmitting an NR Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) in the last symbol within one slot, the UE may not transmit an NR PUCCH in the last symbol in the corresponding slot.

In certain embodiments of the invention, resources in the code, time and/or frequency domain may be reserved for other purposes by higher layer signaling (e.g. via NR master information block (NR MIB), NR system information block (NR SIB) or Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling) or dynamically indicated in Downlink Control Information (DCI) carried by the NR physical downlink control channel (NR PDCCH) 305. These resources may be reserved for information in the DL control channel 305 or the GP 310 as shown in the example of fig. 3. In the case where the UE is configured to transmit the NR PUCCH 315 having multiple slot durations, the UE will first identify the configuration for these reserved resources and will not transmit the NR PUCCH on the reserved resources.

In some embodiments, a specific level or priority may be defined for reserved resources or signaling, wherein the level indication or priority rule may be configured by higher layers via NR MIB, NR SIB or RRC signaling or dynamically indicated in DCI. Depending on the hierarchy indication or priority rules, lower hierarchy or lower priority signals may not be transmitted in reserved resources intended for higher hierarchy or higher priority signals.

In another embodiment of the present invention, for TDD systems where multiple parameter sets coexist in the same system bandwidth in a Frequency Division Multiplexed (FDM) manner, the UL portions need to be aligned for different parameter sets. As shown in fig. 4, the DL, guard period, and UL regions are aligned between different parameter sets within the same system bandwidth. In embodiments where the resources of the NR TDD frame are multiplexed in frequency, when the DL control region 405 size and guard period 410 duration are known and the reference parameter sets are aligned in time, the UE can derive the UL control channel 415, 416 duration even when a larger subcarrier spacing is applied in the same frame.

Alternatively, the duration of UL control channel 415 including the start and/or end symbols within an aggregation slot may be configured by higher layers or indicated in DCI. To reduce signaling overhead, the starting symbol and/or starting slot within the aggregated slot for transmission of UL control channels 415, 416 may be signaled by the gNB, assuming that UL control channel 415 is transmitted in consecutive symbols, similar to the embodiments discussed above.

In other embodiments, referring to fig. 5, the ue may transmit the NR PUCCH 515 with a minimum duration within one slot. In particular, the UE may derive a minimum duration for NR PUCCH transmission in each slot, assuming that the maximum DL control region size may be configured by higher layers.

As shown, the size of the maximum DL control region 505 is 2 symbols for NR PUCCH transmission 515. Assuming that the guard period 510 is 1 symbol duration, the UE can derive the minimum transmission duration of the NR PUCCH 515 from symbol #4 to symbol #14. During slots # n +2 and # n +3, the UE transmits the NR PUCCH 515 with the minimum duration even when the DL control region spans only one symbol as shown. This feature may also help reduce signaling overhead.

NR PUCCH with multiple slot durations in frequency domain

Intra-slot and/or inter-slot hopping may be applied to transmission of the UL control channel to take advantage of the benefits of frequency diversity when the NR PUCCH spans multiple slots.

Fig. 6 illustrates various options for an intra-slot and/or inter-slot hopping mechanism when the NR PUCCH 615 spans multiple slots. Note that although in the figure one slot spans 14 symbols, the design principle can be extended directly to the case where one slot spans 7 symbols. For example, when one slot spans 7 symbols, it may be more desirable to apply inter-slot hopping to the transmission of NR PUCCH with multiple slot durations. In the case of embedding a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) in each slot, a receiver can coherently combine NR PUCCHs 615 received at different frequencies and times due to frequency hopping by using channel information estimated from the DMRS of each slot.

For inter-or intra-slot hopping embodiments, two or more frequency resources may be configured by higher layers via NR master information blocks (NR MIB), NR system information blocks (NR SIBs), or RRC signaling, as in other embodiments. Further, the UE may transmit PUCCH 615 by applying frequency hopping between these frequency resources within a slot or across slots within an aggregated slot.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the UE may perform frequency hopping of the NR PUCCH within a slot or on the edge of the system bandwidth or UE-specific UL transmission bandwidth across slots within an aggregated slot. The UE-specific UL transmission bandwidth may be configured by higher layers such as RRC signaling.

In another embodiment of the invention, a frequency hopping pattern may be defined for NR PUCCH transmissions within a slot or across slots within an aggregated slot. In particular, the frequency hopping pattern may be defined as a function of one or more parameters, such as a physical cell ID or a virtual cell ID and a slot index. In one example, the possible set of frequency resources for NR PUCCH transmission may be predefined or configured by higher layers via NR MIB, NR SIB or RRC signaling. Furthermore, the exact frequency resources for NR PUCCH transmission may be derived from the set of possible frequency resources as a function of the physical cell ID and slot index.

As an example, K may be configured in NR SIB _freq A frequency resource. The exact frequency resource index can be derived by the following equation:

where mod is a modulo operation, c ₀ ，c ₁ ，c ₂ Is a constant, which may be predefined in the specification or configured by higher layers;

is a physical cell ID; n is _s Is a subframe or slot index; I.C. A _freq Is the frequency resource index, K _freq Is the number of frequency resources used for NR PUCCH transmission.

The UE may transmit the NR PUCCH in the same frequency resource in K consecutive UL slots. The UE may then switch to another frequency resource for frequency hopping. The value K may be predefined or configured by higher layers via NR MIB, NR SIB or RRC signaling, or determined according to the number of slots, as desired by the system architecture designer. In one example, the UE switches frequency resources in the middle of multiple time slots. Improved channel estimation performance may be obtained when employing a cross-slot channel estimation algorithm.

Fig. 7 shows one example 700 of frequency hopping for NR PUCCH transmission 715. In this example, the UE transmits the NR PUCCH 715 in one frequency resource in two consecutive slots before switching to another frequency resource.

NR PUCCH with multiple slot durations in code domain

When a UL control channel with a long duration carries a small payload size (e.g., 1 or 2 bits), such as hybrid automatic repeat request-acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) feedback or Scheduling Request (SR), multiple UEs may be multiplexed in Code Division Multiplexing (CDM) and/or Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM). To maximize the capacity of the UL control channel, different cyclic shifts in the frequency domain and Orthogonal Cover Codes (OCC) in the time domain may be applied to multiplex the UL control channel with a long duration for multiple UEs. Note that since the UL control channel duration may vary and have different numbers of symbols, OCCs with variable lengths should be defined.

When the NR PUCCH spans multiple slots, intra-slot and/or inter-slot OCC in the time domain may be applied to further increase the capacity of the UL control channel.

Fig. 8 and 9 show examples of intra-slot 800 and inter-slot 900OCC for NR PUCCHs 815, 915 without and with intra-slot frequency hopping, respectively. In particular, either or both intra-slot 800 and inter-slot 900OCC may be applied for transmission of NR PUCCHs 815, 915, which enables an increase in UL control channel capacity. Also, any of them, or a combination of them, may provide protection against potential orthogonality failures between UEs sharing the same PRB using different cyclic shifts, which may occur in large delay spread scenarios. As described above, the intra-slot OCC depends on the UL control channel duration within one slot. In addition, in case of intra-slot frequency hopping, two intra-slot OCCs may be applied, as shown in fig. 9.

Note that for inter-slot OCC, either length K DFT based sequences or Walsh-Hadamard based sequences may be used. Table 1, table 2, and table 3 below show examples of Walsh-Hadamard sequences for inter-slot OCCs of NR PUCCHs having 2, 4, and 8 slots, respectively. Other lengths (e.g., 3, 5, 6, 7) of OCC may be generated using a DFT of corresponding length K.

The intra-slot OCC may be separately applied to DMRS and UCI symbols. For example, in case that a 7-symbol slot is composed of two DMRS symbols and 5 UCI symbols, an OCC of length 2 and an OCC of length 5 may be applied to the DMRS symbols and the UCI symbols, respectively. Inter-slot OCC is generally applicable to all symbols within a slot.

OCC index l	[w l (0)，w l (1)]
		0	[1 1]
1	[1 -1]

TABLE 1.2 OCC of time slots

OCC index l	[w l (0)，w l (1)，…，w l (4)]
		0	[1 1 1 1]
1	[1 -1 1 -1]
		2	[1 1 -1 -1]
3	[1 -1 -1 1]

TABLE 2.4 OCC of time slots

OCC index l	[w l (0)，w l (1)，…，w l (7)]
		0	[1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1]
1	[1 -1 1 -1 1 -1 1 -1]
		2	[1 1 -1 -1 1 1 -1 -1]
3	[1 -1 -1 1 1 -1 -1 1]
		4	[1 1 1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1]
5	[1 -1 1 -1 -1 1 -1 1]
		6	[1 1 -1 -1 -1 -1 1 1]
7	[1 -1 -1 1 -1 1 1 -1]

TABLE 3.8 Slot OCC

In one embodiment of the present invention, the inter-slot OCC index used for transmission of the NR PUCCH may be semi-statically configured by a higher layer via RRC signaling or dynamically indicated in DCI, or a combination thereof. In addition, intra-slot and inter-slot OCC indices may be collectively derived from one OCC resource index.

In one example, the intra-slot OCC index

And inter-slot OCC index

This can be given by equation 2:

wherein, K _OCC Is the length of the OCC between slots, n _oc Is an OCC index, which may be configured by higher layers via RRC signaling or dynamically indicated in DCI, or a combination thereof.

In another embodiment of the present invention, inter-slot OCC having a fixed length can be applied to NR PUCCH transmission regardless of the number of slots allocated for NR PUCCH. Fig. 10 shows an example of inter-slot OCC having a fixed length. In this example, the length of the inter-slot OCC is 2.

In another embodiment of the present invention, a nested structure for inter-slot OCC may be used for transmission of NR PUCCH. Note that within one cell, UEs may need different coverage extension levels to reliably communicate with the gNB. In this case, the number of slots allocated for transmission of the NR PUCCH may be different for different UEs. For example, for cell edge UEs a relatively large number of time slots may be needed, whereas for cell center UEs a small number of time slots may be sufficient.

In this case, a nested structure for inter-slot OCC may be used to multiplex multiple UEs in a CDM manner for NR PUCCHs having different numbers of slots. As shown in fig. 11, the NR PUCCHs UE #1 and UE #2 span 2 and 4 slots, respectively. In addition, the inter-slot OCCs having [1-1] and [1 11 ] are applied to UE #1 and UE #2, respectively. Based on this scheme, the NR PUCCHs of the two UEs may be multiplexed in the same frequency resource in a CDM manner. Note that although as shown, no frequency hopping is applied, the design principle can be extended directly to the case where frequency hopping is applied.

Referring to fig. 12, a wireless communication device adapted to transmit UCI over multiple slots or indicate to another wireless device how to transmit UCI over multiple slots will now be described. As used herein, the term "circuitry" may refer to, be part of, or include an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and/or memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality. In some embodiments, the circuitry may be implemented in, or functions associated with, one or more software or firmware modules. In some embodiments, the circuitry may comprise logic operable, at least in part, in hardware.

The embodiments described herein may be implemented into a system using any suitably configured hardware and/or software. FIG. 12 illustrates exemplary components of an electronic device 1200 for one embodiment. In embodiments, electronic device 1200 may be, implement, incorporate, or otherwise be part of a User Equipment (UE) or network access station, such as a gNB. In some embodiments, the electronic device 1200 may include application circuitry 1202, baseband circuitry 1204, radio Frequency (RF) circuitry 1206, front-end module (FEM) circuitry 1208, and one or more antennas 1210, coupled together at least as shown. In embodiments in which the electronic device 1200 is implemented in or by an NR gnnb, the electronic device 1200 may further include network interface circuitry (not shown) for communicating over a wired interface (e.g., an X2 interface, an S1 interface, etc.).

The application circuitry 1202 may include one or more application processors or processing units. For example, the application circuitry 1202 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors 1202a. The processor 1202a may include any combination of general-purpose processors and dedicated processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). Processor 1202a can be coupled with and/or can include computer-readable medium 1202b (also referred to as "CRM1202b," "memory 1202b," "storage 1202b," or "memory/storage 1202 b"), and can be configured to execute instructions stored in CRM1202b to enable various applications and/or operating systems to run on the system and/or to enable features of embodiments of the present invention.

The baseband circuitry 1204 may include circuitry, such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors, to arrange, configure, process, generate, transmit, receive, or otherwise utilize the NR PUCCH having a multi-slot duration as described in various embodiments herein. Baseband circuitry 1204 may include one or more baseband processors and/or control logic to process baseband signals received from the receive signal path of RF circuitry 1206 and to generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path of RF circuitry 1206. Baseband circuitry 1204 may be connected with the application circuitry 1202 for generating and processing baseband signals, and for controlling the operation of the RF circuitry 1206. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1204 may include a third generation (3G) baseband processor 1204a, a fourth generation (4G) baseband processor 1204b, a fifth generation (5G)/NR baseband processor 1204c, and/or other baseband processors 1204d of other existing generations, developed or generations developed in the future (e.g., 6G, etc.). The baseband circuitry 1204 (e.g., one or more of the baseband processors 1204 a-d) may handle various radio control functions that can communicate with one or more radio networks via the RF circuitry 1206. The radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation/demodulation, encoding/decoding, radio frequency shifting, and the like. In some embodiments, the modulation/demodulation circuitry of baseband circuitry 1204 may include Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding, and/or constellation mapping/demapping functionality. In some embodiments, the encoding/decoding circuitry of baseband circuitry 1204 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, viterbi, and/or Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) encoder/decoder functionality. Embodiments of modulation/demodulation and encoder/decoder functions are not limited to these examples, and may include other suitable functions in other embodiments.

In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1204 may include elements of a protocol stack, e.g., elements of an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) protocol, including, e.g., physical (PHY), medium Access Control (MAC), radio Link Control (RLC), packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), and/or Radio Resource Control (RRC) elements. The Central Processing Unit (CPU) 104e of the baseband circuitry 104 may be configured to run elements of a protocol stack for signaling of the PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, and/or RRC layers. In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry may include one or more audio Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) 1204f. The audio DSP 1204f may include elements for compression/decompression and echo cancellation, and may include other suitable processing elements in other embodiments. The baseband circuitry 1204 may also include a computer-readable medium 1204g (also referred to as "CRM 1204g," "memory 1204g," "storage 1204g," or "CRM 1204 g"). CRM 1204g may be used to load and store data and/or instructions for operations performed by the processor of baseband circuitry 1204. For one embodiment, the CRM 1204g may include any combination of suitable volatile memory and/or non-volatile memory. The CRM 1204g may include any combination of various levels of memory/storage, including but not limited to Read Only Memory (ROM) with embedded software instructions (e.g., firmware), random access memory (e.g., dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM)), cache, buffers, and the like. The CRM 1204g may be shared among various processors or dedicated to a particular processor. In some embodiments, the components of the baseband circuitry 1204 may be combined as appropriate in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on the same circuit board. In some embodiments, some or all of the constituent components of the baseband circuitry 1204 and the application circuitry 1202 may be implemented together, for example, on a system on a chip (SOC).

In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1204 may provide communications compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1204 may support communication with E-UTRAN, NR, and/or other Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (WMANs), wireless Local Area Networks (WLANs), wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs). Embodiments in which the baseband circuitry 1204 is configured to support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

The RF circuitry 1206 may enable communication with a wireless network using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various embodiments, the RF circuitry 1206 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, and the like to facilitate communication with the wireless network. The RF circuitry 1206 may include a receive signal path that may include circuitry to down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 1208 and provide baseband signals to the baseband circuitry 104. RF circuitry 1206 may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry to upconvert baseband signals provided by baseband circuitry 1204 and provide an RF output signal to FEM circuitry 1208 for transmission.

In some embodiments, the RF circuitry 1206 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the RF circuitry 1206 may include a mixer circuit 1206a, an amplifier circuit 1206b, and a filter circuit 1206c. The transmit signal path of the RF circuit 1206 may include a filter circuit 1206c and a mixer circuit 1206a. The RF circuitry 1206 may also include synthesizer circuitry 1206d to synthesize frequencies used by the mixer circuitry 1206a of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1206a of the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert the RF signal received from the FEM circuit 1208 based on a synthesis frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 1206 d. Amplifier circuit 1206b may be configured to amplify the downconverted signal, and filter circuit 1206c may be a Low Pass Filter (LPF) or a Band Pass Filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the downconverted signal to generate an output baseband signal. The output baseband signal may be provided to baseband circuitry 1204 for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signal may be a zero frequency baseband signal, but this is not required. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 1206a of the receive signal path may comprise a passive mixer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 1206a of the transmit signal path may be configured to upconvert the input baseband signal based on a synthesis frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry 1206d to generate an RF output signal for the FEM circuitry 1208. The baseband signal may be provided by baseband circuitry 1204 and may be filtered by filter circuitry 1206c. Filter circuit 1206c may comprise a Low Pass Filter (LPF), although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, mixer circuit 1206a of the receive signal path and mixer circuit 1206a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature down-conversion and/or up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1206a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1206a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, mixer circuit 1206a of the receive signal path and mixer circuit 1206a of the transmit signal path may be arranged for direct down-conversion and/or direct up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 1206a of the receive signal path and mixer circuit 1206a of the transmit signal path may be configured for superheterodyne operation.

In some embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, the RF circuitry 1206 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry, and the baseband circuitry 1204 may include an RF interface 1205, such as an analog or digital baseband interface, for communicating with the RF circuitry 1206.

In some dual-mode embodiments, separate radio IC circuits may be provided for processing signals for each spectrum, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 1206d may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional-N/N +1 synthesizer, although the scope of embodiments is not limited in this respect as other types of frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 1206d may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase locked loop with a frequency divider. The synthesizer circuit 1206d may be configured to synthesize an output frequency for use by the mixer circuit 1206a of the RF circuit 1206 based on the frequency input and the divider control input. In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 1206d may be a fractional-N/N +1 synthesizer.

In some embodiments, the frequency input may be provided by a Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO), but this is not required. The divider control input may be provided by either baseband circuitry 1204 or application circuitry 1202, depending on the desired output frequency. In some embodiments, the divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a look-up table based on the channel indicated by the application circuitry 1202.

Synthesizer circuit 1206d of RF circuit 1206 may include a frequency divider, a Delay Locked Loop (DLL), a multiplexer, and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the divider may be a dual-mode divider (DMD) and the phase accumulator may be a Digital Phase Accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by N or N +1 (e.g., based on a carry bit) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, the DLL may include a set of cascaded, tunable delay elements, a phase detector, a charge pump, and a D-type flip-flop. In these embodiments, the delay elements may be configured to decompose the VCO period into Nd equal phase groups, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this manner, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 1206d may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and used in conjunction with a quadrature generator and divider circuit to generate multiple signals at the carrier frequency with multiple different phases from each other. In some embodiments, the output frequency may be the LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, the RF circuit 1206 may include an IQ/polarity converter.

The FEM circuitry 1208 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from the one or more antennas 1210, amplify the received signals, and provide amplified versions of the received signals to the RF circuitry 1206 for further processing. The FEM circuitry 1208 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry configured to amplify signals provided by the RF circuitry 1206 for transmission by one or more of the one or more antennas 1210. In some embodiments, FEM circuitry 1208 may include a TX/RX switch to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEM circuitry 1208 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuitry may include a Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) to amplify the received RF signal and provide the amplified received RF signal as an output (e.g., to the RF circuitry 1206). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuitry 1208 may include a Power Amplifier (PA) to amplify an input RF signal (e.g., provided by the RF circuitry 1206), and one or more filters to generate an RF signal for subsequent transmission (e.g., by one or more of the one or more antennas 1210).

In some embodiments, electronic device 1200 may include additional elements, such as a display, a camera, one or more sensors, and/or interface circuitry (e.g., an input/output (I/O) interface or bus) (not shown). In embodiments where the electronic device is implemented in or by an eNB, the electronic device 1200 may include network interface circuitry. The network interface circuitry may be one or more computer hardware components that connect the electronic device 1200 to one or more network elements, such as one or more servers within a core network or one or more other enbs, via a wired connection. To this end, the network interface circuitry may include one or more special-purpose processors and/or Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) to communicate using one or more network communication protocols, such as X2 Application Protocol (AP), S1 AP, stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP), ethernet, point-to-point (PPP), fiber Distributed Data Interface (FDDI), and/or any other suitable network communication protocol.

Fig. 13 shows a flow diagram of an exemplary communication method in a 5G NR network, in accordance with various inventive embodiments, and generally comprises: a network access station (e.g., a gNB) transmits (1310) Downlink Control Information (DCI) to one of a possible plurality of User Equipments (UEs). Optionally, the DCI includes indicator(s) indicating how the UE should arrange Uplink Control Information (UCI) according to any of the techniques described in the embodiments above. The UE identifies or derives (1320) a configuration for transmitting Uplink Control Information (UCI) in a New Radio (NR) Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) having a long duration format that spans multiple slots of a slot aggregation in a Time Division Duplex (TDD) wireless uplink channel. The UE may then transmit (1330) the related UCI over the PUCCH using the identified or derived multi-slot configuration. The gNB receives (1340) UCI of the UE through the NR PUCCH. If (1350) the UE has more UCI to transmit in the same PUCCH configuration, steps 1320 and 1330 may be repeated. If (1350) the configuration needs to be adjusted, the method 1300 returns to the UE identifying or deriving (1320) the configuration to use for transmitting UCI in NR PUCCH, and the UE transmits (1330) UCI with the updated NR PUCCH configuration and the gNB receives UCI.

In a preferred embodiment, the UE identifies or derives (1320) the configuration from signaling in its own higher layer (e.g., RRC) or dynamically/semi-statically from DCI received from the gNB, as previously discussed.

As used herein, the terms "component," "system," "interface," and the like are intended to refer to a computer-related entity, hardware, software (e.g., in execution), and/or firmware. For example, a component can be a processor (e.g., a microprocessor, a controller, or other processing device), a process running on a processor, a controller, an object, an executable, a program, a storage device, a computer, a tablet PC with a processing device, and/or a user device (e.g., a mobile phone, etc.). By way of illustration, both an application running on a server and the server can be a component. One or more components may reside within a process and a component may be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers. A collection of elements or other collection of components may be described herein, where the term "collection" may be interpreted as "one or more. An "interface" may simply be a connector or bus that carries signals, including one or more pins on an integrated circuit.

In addition, these components can execute from various computer readable storage media having various data structures stored thereon (e.g., utilizing modules). The components may communicate by way of local and/or remote processes such as in accordance with a signal having one or more data packets (e.g., data from one component interacting with another component in a local system, distributed system, and/or across a network such as the internet, a local area network, a wide area network, or the like with other systems by way of the signal).

As another example, a component may be a device having a particular functionality provided by mechanical components operated by electrical or electronic circuitry operated by a software application or firmware application executed by one or more processors. The one or more processors may be internal or external to the apparatus and may execute at least a portion of the software or firmware application. As yet another example, a component may be a device that provides a particular function through an electronic component without mechanical components; the electronic components may include one or more processors therein to execute software and/or firmware that at least partially impart functionality to the electronic components.

Use of the word exemplary is intended to present concepts in a concrete fashion. As used in this application, the term "or" is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or". That is, unless specified otherwise, or clear from context, "X employs A or B" is intended to mean any of the natural inclusive permutations. That is, if X employs A; x is B; or X employs both A and B, then "X employs A or B" is satisfied under any of the foregoing instances. In addition, the articles "a" and "an" as used in this application and the appended claims should generally be construed to mean "one or more" unless specified otherwise or clear from context to be directed to a singular form. Furthermore, to the extent that the terms "includes," including, "" has, "or variants thereof are used in either the detailed description or the claims, such terms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term" comprising.

Exemplary embodiments

According to a first exemplary embodiment, a communication device for a 5G New Radio (NR) wireless network having a User Equipment (UE) and a next generation node base station (gNB) includes: a processing unit capable of arranging Uplink (UL) control information (UCI) for transmission over an aggregated plurality of slot segments based on a size of a subcarrier spacing, the UCI arranged for transmission over the aggregated plurality of slot segments by the processing unit using a particular configuration in at least one of frequency, code or time domain resources as a UL control channel based on a provided indication to use the particular configuration.

The second exemplary embodiment further defines the first example wherein the UL control channel is a NR Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) with a long duration.

The third example further defines the first example, wherein the provided indication to use the configuration is received in at least one of Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling or Downlink Control Information (DCI) from the gNB.

In a fourth exemplary embodiment, the third example is further advanced, wherein the DCI from the gNB has a first stage indicating what specific type of UCI is to be provided and a second stage indicating what specific configuration in frequency, code or time domain resources to transmit the specified type of UCI indicated in the first stage.

According to a fifth example, a fourth example is additionally defined, wherein the DCI from the gNB is received in a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

The sixth example further advances the second example embodiment wherein the plurality of slot segments for which the PUCCH starts or ends aggregation at a common symbol of each slot segment is specified by the provided indication.

According to a seventh example, the second exemplary embodiment may be further defined wherein the specific configuration in at least one of the frequency, code or time domain resources comprises the number of slot segments to be used and how PUCCHs with long duration are arranged in said slot segments.

The eighth example further advances the second example, wherein the NR PUCCH is configured by the gNB to reserve resources in one or both of: (1) Higher layer protocol signaling including one or more of NR master information block (NR MIB), NR system information block (NR SIB), or NR radio resource control (NR RRC) signaling; and (2) a portion of Downlink Control Information (DCI) received by the communication device in a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) to dynamically change the reserved resources.

In a ninth exemplary embodiment, the second example further comprises the specific configuration in at least one of frequency domain, code domain or time domain resources comprises a frequency hopping configuration to arrange the PUCCH with a long duration in the slot segment.

A tenth example further advances the ninth example, wherein the frequency hopping configuration comprises at least one of an inter-slot or an intra-slot configuration to arrange the PUCCH having the long duration in the slot segment.

In an eleventh example, the second example embodiment is further advanced in that the specific configuration in at least one of the frequency domain, code domain or time domain resources comprises an Orthogonal Cover Code (OCC) configuration to arrange a PUCCH having a long duration in the slot segment.

The twelfth exemplary embodiment further defines the first through second or fourth through eleventh examples, wherein the provided indication comprises, at least in part, information informed from a higher layer protocol.

In a thirteenth example, any of the first through eleventh examples may be further facilitated by a communication device comprising a User Equipment (UE) having a radio frequency transmitter and receiver coupled to the processing unit.

In a fourteenth exemplary embodiment, a base station processor for a new radio wireless network is defined by the base station processor configured to generate an indication of how User Equipment (UE) arranges Uplink Control Information (UCI) to utilize different subcarrier spacings and corresponding variable length multi-slot frames comprising an aggregated plurality of slots to transmit the UCI as a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH).

According to a fifteenth example, the fourteenth example is further explained such that the indication specifies at least one of a first or last symbol of the PUCCH starting or ending in each of the aggregated plurality of slots.

A fourteenth example may be further defined by the sixteenth example embodiment, wherein the indication is provided to the UE as part of Downlink Control Information (DCI) in a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

The seventeenth exemplary embodiment can also advance the fifteenth embodiment such that each slot includes 7 symbols or 14 symbols.

An eighteenth example may also advance any of the fourteenth to seventeenth examples such that the processor is configured for use in a next generation node B (gNB).

In a nineteenth exemplary embodiment, a mobile device communicating in a wireless network, using a protocol having a subcarrier spacing of a selectable size and a frame having a plurality of slots in an aggregation based on the selected subcarrier spacing, is defined to include a baseband processor configured to arrange Uplink (UL) control information (UCI) based on a provided indication to use the particular configuration for transmission on the plurality of slots in the frame using the particular configuration in at least one of a frequency domain, a code domain, or a time domain resource as a New Radio (NR) Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) having a long duration.

The twentieth example further advances the nineteenth example, wherein the provided indication comprises at least one of a first symbol or a last symbol of the NR PUCCH starting or ending in one slot of the plurality of slots in the aggregation, and wherein the baseband processor starts or ends the NR PUCCH at the same symbol in each remaining slot.

In a twenty-first exemplary embodiment, the twentieth further includes a transceiver, coupled to the baseband processor, to transmit and receive the frame.

According to a twenty-second example, the nineteenth example is further advanced by the network access station informing the provided indication as part of the downlink control information.

A twenty-third example further advances the nineteenth example, wherein the provided indication is signaled by the network access station as part of higher layer signaling in one or more of a New Radio (NR) Master Information Block (MIB), NR System Information Block (SIB), or NR Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

According to a twenty-fourth exemplary embodiment, any one of the nineteenth to twenty-third examples, wherein each slot includes at least one of 7 symbols or 14 symbols.

In another exemplary embodiment, the twenty-fifth example may further advance any one of the nineteenth to twenty-third examples such that the particular configuration uses one or a combination of intra-slot frequency hopping or inter-slot frequency hopping.

A twenty-sixth example may further advance any of the nineteenth to twenty-third examples such that the particular configuration uses orthogonal cover code hopping with or without inter-or intra-slot hopping.

Alternatively, a twenty-seventh example details any of the nineteenth to twenty-third examples, wherein the provided indication comprises a size of a physical downlink control channel and a size of a guard period in a particular TDD frame, and wherein the baseband processor derives the particular configuration based on the sizes.

In a twenty-eighth exemplary embodiment, the nineteenth example is further advanced by the network access station informing the provided indication at least in part as part of Downlink Control Information (DCI).

A twenty-ninth example further advances the nineteenth example, wherein the provided indication is informed by the network access station at least in part as higher protocol layer signaling in one or more of a New Radio (NR) Master Information Block (MIB), a NR System Information Block (SIB), or NR Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

A thirtieth example is added to the nineteenth example, wherein the specific configuration uses one or a combination of intra-slot frequency hopping and inter-slot frequency hopping.

In a thirty-first exemplary embodiment, the nineteenth example can be extended such that the particular configuration includes an orthogonal cover code hopping configuration with or without any one or combination of inter-slot and intra-slot hopping.

According to a thirty-second example embodiment, base station circuitry for a new radio wireless network is defined that enables a base station to generate an indication of how User Equipment (UE) arranges Uplink Control Information (UCI) to transmit the UCI as a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) using different subcarrier spacings and respective variable length multi-slot frames comprising an aggregated plurality of slots.

A thirty-third example adds to the thirty-second example wherein the indication specifies at least one of a first or last symbol for the PUCCH to begin or end in each slot of the aggregated plurality of slots.

A thirty-fourth example further defines the thirty-second example, wherein the indication is provided to the UE as part of Downlink Control Information (DCI) in a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

In a thirty-fifth exemplary embodiment, the thirty-third example is further defined by each slot comprising 7 symbols or 14 symbols.

According to a thirty-sixth example, thirty-second to thirty-fifth example, wherein the base station is a next generation node B (gNB).

In a thirty-seventh example, a mobile device in a wireless network communicating using a protocol having a selectable size of subcarrier spacing and a frame having a plurality of slots in an aggregation based on the selected subcarrier spacing comprises: means for arranging Uplink (UL) control information (UCI) for transmission on the plurality of slots in a frame using a particular configuration in at least one of frequency, code, or time domain resources as a New Radio (NR) Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) with a long duration based on the provided indication to use the particular configuration.

A thirty-eighth example adds to the thirty-seventh example wherein the provided indication comprises at least one of a first symbol or a last symbol of the NR PUCCH starting or ending in one slot of the plurality of slots in the aggregation, and wherein the baseband processor starts or ends the NR PUCCH at the same symbol in each remaining slot.

In a thirty-ninth example embodiment, the thirty-eighth example further comprises means for transmitting and receiving the frame.

According to a fortieth example, the thirty-seventh example is further facilitated by the indication provided being informed by the network access station as part of the downlink control information.

A fortieth example further advances the thirty-fourth example, wherein the provided indication is signaled by the network access station as part of higher layer signaling in one or more of a New Radio (NR) Master Information Block (MIB), NR System Information Block (SIB), or NR Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

A forty-second example further advances the thirty-seventh through forty-first examples by including at least one of 7 symbols or 14 symbols per slot.

In a forty-third exemplary embodiment, the thirty-seventh through forty-first examples may be further defined by using a specific configuration of one or a combination of intra-slot frequency hopping or inter-slot frequency hopping.

The forty-fourth example extends the thirty-seventh through forty-first examples in a particular configuration using orthogonal cover code hopping with or without time or intra-time slot hopping.

According to a forty-fifth example, thirty-seventh through forty-first examples may be further advanced wherein the provided indication comprises a size of a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) and a size of a Guard Period (GP) in the particular TDD frame, and wherein the baseband processor derives the particular configuration based on the sizes.

A forty-sixth example further defines the first example, wherein the UL control channel is a NR Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) with a long duration.

A forty-seventh example further advances the first or forty-sixth example, wherein the provided indication to use the configuration is received in at least one of Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling or Downlink Control Information (DCI) from the gNB.

A forty-eighth example includes the features of any of the first or forty-sixth through forty-seventh examples, wherein the DCI from the gNB has a first stage that indicates what particular type of UCI is to be provided and a second stage that indicates what specific configuration of frequency, code, or time domain resources to transmit the specified type of UCI indicated in the first stage.

A forty-ninth example may further advance the first or forty-sixth through forty-eighth where the UCI is arranged by the provided indication to begin or end the aggregated plurality of slot segments at the common symbol of each slot segment.

In a fifty-fifth example, the first or forty-sixth through forty-ninth examples may include the UL control channel being configured by the gNB to reserve resources in one or both of: (1) Higher layer protocol signaling including one or more of NR master information block (NR MIB), NR system information block (NR SIB), or NR radio resource control (NR RRC) signaling; and (2) a portion of Downlink Control Information (DCI) received by the communication device in a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) to dynamically change the reserved resources.

In a fifty-first exemplary embodiment, the first or forty-sixth through fifty-fifth examples may include the particular configuration in at least one of the frequency, code, or time domain resources including any one of: (1) a fixed duration frequency hopping configuration; (2) inter-or intra-slot frequency hopping configurations, or a combination thereof; or (3) Orthogonal Cover Code (OCC) hopping configurations.

A fifty-second example may define a base station processor for a new radio wireless network configured to generate an indication of how User Equipment (UE) arranges Uplink Control Information (UCI) to utilize different subcarrier spacings and respective variable length multi-slot frames comprising an aggregated plurality of slots to transmit the UCI as a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), wherein the indication specifies at least one of a first symbol or a last symbol of the PUCCH that begins or ends in each slot of the aggregated plurality of slots.

In a fifty-third example, the fifty-twelfth is extended such that the indication is provided to the UE as part of Downlink Control Information (DCI) in a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), and wherein each slot comprises 7 symbols or 14 symbols.

A fifty-fourth example defines a method of communicating in a wireless network using a protocol having a subcarrier spacing of a selectable size and a frame having a plurality of slots in an aggregation based on the selected subcarrier spacing, comprising: arranging Uplink (UL) control information (UCI) for transmission on the plurality of slots in a frame using a particular configuration in at least one of a frequency domain, code domain, or time domain resource as a New Radio (NR) Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) having a long duration based on the provided indication to use the particular configuration.

In a fifty-fifth example, the fifty-fourth example can be further defined by the indication comprising signaling from a next generation NodeB (gNB) indicating at least one of a first symbol or a last symbol of the NR PUCCH to begin or end in one slot of the plurality of slots in the aggregation, and wherein the baseband processor begins or ends the NR PUCCH at the same symbol in each remaining slot.

A fifty-sixth example may be described in detail below with the fifty-fourth through fifty-fifth examples, the indication also being received as part of Downlink Control Information (DCI) in a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) or as part of higher layer signaling in one or more of a New Radio (NR) Master Information Block (MIB), a NR System Information Block (SIB), or NR Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

In a fifty-seventh example, the fifty-fourth through fifty-sixth examples include wherein each slot includes at least one of 7 symbols or 14 symbols.

The fifty-eighth example defines the fifty-fourth through fifty-seventh, including the particular configuration using one or a combination of intra-slot or inter-slot frequency hopping.

In a fifty-ninth example, fifty-fourth through fifty-eighth are further advanced by a particular configuration using orthogonal cover code hopping with or without inter-or intra-slot hopping.

In a sixty-fourth example embodiment, any of the fifty-fourth to fifty-ninth examples may further recite the provided indication to include a duration of a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) and a duration of a Guard Period (GP) in the particular TDD frame, and wherein the method comprises deriving the particular configuration based on the durations.

In a sixteenth example, an apparatus for a User Equipment (UE) device comprising baseband circuitry may comprise: a Radio Frequency (RF) interface configured to receive an indication to transmit Uplink (UL) control information (UCI) in an Uplink (UL) control channel using a particular configuration in at least one of a frequency domain, a code domain, or a time domain resource; one or more processors in communication with the RF interface and configured to: arranging the UCI for transmission over an aggregated plurality of slot segments based on a size of a subcarrier spacing according to the particular configuration; and outputting the arranged UCI to the RF interface, and may be further modified by any of the previous exemplary embodiments.

A sixtieth exemplary embodiment is an apparatus for a base station including baseband circuitry, comprising: one or more processors configured to generate an indication to arrange Uplink Control Information (UCI) for a User Equipment (UE) to transmit the UCI as a Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) in an aggregated plurality of slots using different subcarrier spacings and respective variable length multi-slot frames comprising the aggregated plurality of slots; and an RF interface in communication with the one or more processors to output the indication. The sixty-second exemplary embodiment can be further defined by any of the preceding exemplary embodiments.

A sixtieth exemplary embodiment defines an apparatus for User Equipment (UE) to communicate in a wireless network using a protocol having subcarrier spacings of selectable sizes and frames with a plurality of slots in an aggregation based on the selected subcarrier spacings, and comprises: a Radio Frequency (RF) interface configured to receive an indication to use a particular configuration in at least one of a frequency domain, code domain, or time domain resource as an UL control channel; one or more baseband processors configured to: arranging Uplink (UL) control information (UCI) for transmission on the plurality of slots in each frame using the particular configuration as a New Radio (NR) Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) having a long duration based on the provided indication to use the particular configuration; and outputs UCI to the RF interface. The sixty-third example can be additionally modified or further defined by any of the preceding exemplary embodiments in any combination.

The term circuit may refer to, be part of, or include an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group) and/or memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality. In some embodiments, the circuitry may be implemented in, or functions associated with, one or more software or firmware modules. In some embodiments, the circuitry may comprise logic operable, at least in part, in hardware.

The present disclosure has been described with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein certain exemplary terms are present, and wherein like reference numerals are used to designate like elements throughout. The structures, devices, and methods shown are not intended to be drawn to scale or as any particular circuit or in any manner other than a functional block diagram to illustrate certain features, advantages, and the disclosure of the embodiments of the invention and the illustrations and description thereof are not intended to be limited in any manner with respect to the claims appended hereto, except in the 35USC 112 sixth paragraph, where claims (if present) using the wording "module for \8230; 8230:" are presented. As used herein, the terms "component," "system," "interface," "logic," "circuit," "device," and the like are intended merely to refer to a basic functional entity, such as hardware, processor design, software (e.g., in execution), logic (circuit or programmable), firmware, alone or in combination to fit the functionality claimed. For example, a component, module, circuit, device, or processing unit "configured to," "adapted to," or "arranged to" may represent a microprocessor, controller, programmable logic array, and/or circuit or other logical processing device coupled thereto, and a method or process may represent instructions running on a processor, firmware programmed in a controller, objects, executable programs, storage devices including instructions to be executed, computers, tablet PCs, and/or mobile phones with processing devices. The processes, logic, methods, or modules may illustratively be any analog circuitry, digital processing circuitry, or combination thereof. One or more circuits or modules may reside within a process and a module may be localized to physical circuitry, programmable arrays, and processors. Furthermore, the elements, circuits, components, modules, and processes/methods may be hardware or software, in combination with a processor, executable from various computer-readable storage media having executable instructions and/or data stored thereon. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize various ways to implement the logic descriptions of the appended claims and their interpretation should not be limited to any of the examples or illustrations, or layouts described above in the abstract or drawings.

Claims (20)

1. Baseband circuitry for a user equipment, UE, the baseband circuitry configured to:

arranging uplink, UL, control information, UCI, for transmission over an aggregated plurality of time slot segments based on a size of a subcarrier spacing, the UCI arranged for transmission by the baseband circuitry as a UL control channel over the aggregated plurality of time slot segments in at least one of frequency domain resources, code domain resources, or time domain resources.

2. The baseband circuitry of claim 1, wherein the UL control channel is a NR physical uplink control channel, PUCCH, having a long duration.

3. The baseband circuitry according to claim 1, wherein the UCI is arranged for transmission based on information received in at least one of downlink control information, DCI, or radio resource control, RRC, signaling from a base station.

4. The baseband circuitry of claim 3, wherein the DCI from the base station has a first stage and a second stage, the first stage indicating what particular type of UCI to provide and the second stage indicating at least one of frequency domain resources, code domain resources, or time domain resources for transmitting the particular type of UCI indicated in the first stage.

5. The baseband circuitry of claim 4, wherein the DCI from the base station is received in a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

6. The baseband circuitry of claim 2, wherein the NR PUCCH begins or ends at a common symbol of each of the aggregated plurality of slot segments.

7. The baseband circuitry of claim 2, the NR PUCCH configured by a base station to reserve resources in one or both of: (1) Higher layer protocol signaling including one or more of NR master information block NR MIB, NR system information block NR SIB or NR radio resource control NR RRC signaling; and (2) a portion of downlink control information, DCI, received by the baseband circuitry in a physical downlink control channel, PDCCH, to dynamically indicate the reserved resources.

8. The baseband circuitry of claim 2, wherein the NR PUCCH is arranged for transmission using inter-slot hopping or intra-slot hopping.

9. A UE comprising the baseband circuitry of any one of claims 1-8, and further comprising a radio frequency transmitter and receiver incorporated into the baseband circuitry.

10. A baseband circuit for a base station, the baseband circuit configured to:

generating an indication of how to arrange uplink control information, UCI, for a user equipment, UE, to transmit the UCI as a physical uplink control channel, PUCCH, with an aggregated plurality of slots.

11. The baseband circuitry of claim 10, wherein the indication specifies at least one of a first symbol or a last symbol that the PUCCH begins or ends in each of a plurality of slots of an aggregation.

12. The baseband circuitry of claim 10, wherein the indication is provided to the UE in at least one of: downlink control information DCI or radio resource control RRC signalling in the physical downlink control channel PDCCH.

13. The baseband circuit of claim 11, wherein each slot comprises 7 symbols or 14 symbols.

14. A base station comprising baseband circuitry according to any of claims 10-13, wherein the base station is a next generation node B, gbb.

15. Baseband circuitry for a user equipment, UE, the baseband circuitry configured to:

receiving, from a base station, an indication of how to arrange uplink, UL, control information, UCI, for transmission over an aggregated plurality of time slot segments using a particular time domain resource.

16. The baseband circuit of claim 15, wherein the particular time domain resource comprises a starting point of the UCI.

17. The baseband circuitry of claim 16, wherein the indication is provided via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

18. The baseband circuitry of claim 15, wherein the indication further specifies how to arrange the UCI over the aggregated plurality of slot segments using particular frequency domain resources.

19. The baseband circuit of claim 18, wherein the particular frequency domain resource comprises a frequency domain resource for inter-slot frequency hopping or intra-slot frequency hopping.

20. The baseband circuitry of claim 15, wherein the UCI is transmitted on a physical uplink control channel, PUCCH, having a long duration.

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