WO2017082950A1 - Novel frame structure to enable fast random access - Google Patents

Abstract

Techniques related to a novel frame structure to enable fast random access are described. Briefly, in accordance with one embodiment, a Fifth Generation (5G) physical random access channel (xPRACH) preamble is generated. And, a Random Access Response (RAR) message is processed within the same subframe or within a subframe window. Other embodiments are also disclosed and claimed.

Description

NOVEL FRAME STRUCTURE TO ENABLE FAST RANDOM ACCESS

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to and claims priority to United States Provisional Patent Application No. 62/252,991, entitled "Frame Structure to Enable Fast Random Access for 5G," filed November 9, 2015, which is hereby incorporated herein by reference for all purposes and in its entirety.

FIELD

The present disclosure generally relates to the field of electronic communication. More particularly, some embodiments generally relate to a novel frame structure to enable fast random access.

BACKGROUND

Mobile communication has evolved significantly from early voice systems to today's highly sophisticated integrated communication platform. 4G (4th Generation) LTE (Long Term Evolution) networks are deployed in more than 100 countries to provide services in various spectrum band allocations, depending on spectrum regime. Recently, significant momentum has started to build around the idea of a next generation, or Fifth Generation (5G), wireless communications technology.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The detailed description is provided with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The use of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similar or identical items.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary block diagram of the overall architecture of a 3GPP LTE network that includes one or more devices that are capable of implementing techniques for a novel frame structure to enable fast random access, according to the subject matter disclosed herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow directed at contention based random access.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a self-contained Time Division Duplex (TDD) subframe structure in the Downlink (DL).

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of a subframe structure to enable fast random access, in accordance with an embodiment. Error! Reference source not found.-7 illustrate block diagrams of various option of a subframe for RAR transmission, according to some embodiments.

FIGS. 8-9 illustrate block diagrams of options of a subframe to implement multiplexing of xPUSCH and xPRACH, according to some embodiments.

FIG. 10 illustrates a block diagram of subframes to implement multiplexing of xPRACH and xPUCCH in the same subframe, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. I l l illustrates a block diagram of subframes to implement multiplexing of PDSCH and xPRACH in the same subframe, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 12 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplified RACH procedure, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a schematic, block diagram illustration of an information-handling system in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 14 is an isometric view of an exemplary embodiment of the information-handling system of FIG. 13 that optionally may include a touch screen in accordance with one or more embodiments disclosed herein.

FIG. 15 is a schematic, block diagram illustration of components of a wireless device in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments disclosed herein.

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and/or clarity of illustration, elements illustrated in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, if considered appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding and/or analogous elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments. However, various embodiments may be practiced without the specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components, and circuits have not been described in detail so as not to obscure the particular embodiments. Further, various aspects of embodiments may be performed using various means, such as integrated semiconductor circuits ("hardware"), computer-readable instructions organized into one or more programs ("software"), or some combination of hardware and software. For the purposes of this disclosure reference to "logic" shall mean either hardware, software, firmware, or some combination thereof.

One or more embodiments relate to a novel frame (or subframe) structure to enable fast random access (e.g., for 5G (Fifth Generation) and/or RANI (Radio layer 1 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project) LTE (Long Term Evolution). More particularly, in one embodiment, a 5G physical random access channel (xPRACH) preamble is generated. And, a Random Access Response (RAR) message is processed within the same subframe or within a subframe window.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary block diagram of the overall architecture of a 3GPP LTE network

100 that includes one or more devices that are capable of implementing techniques for a novel frame structure to enable fast random access, according to the subject matter disclosed herein. Fig. 1 also generally shows exemplary network elements and exemplary standardized interfaces. At a high level, network 100 comprises a Core Network (CN) 101 (also referred to as an Evolved Packet System (EPC)), and an air-interface access network E-UTRAN (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network) 102. CN 101 is responsible for the overall control of the various User Equipment (UE) coupled to the network and establishment of the bearers. CN 101 may include functional entities, such as a home agent and/or an ANDSF (Access Network Discovery and Selection Function ) server or entity, although not explicitly depicted. E-UTRAN 102 is responsible for all radio-related functions.

Exemplary logical nodes of CN 101 include, but are not limited to, a Serving GPRS Support Node (SGSN) 103, Mobility Management Entity (MME) 104, a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 105, a Serving Gateway (SGW) 106, a PDN Gateway (or PDN GW) 107, and a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) Manager logic 108. The functionality of each of the network elements of CN 101 is generally in accordance with various standards and is not described herein for simplicity. Each of the network elements of CN 101 are interconnected by exemplary standardized interfaces, some of which are indicated in Fig. 1, such as interfaces S3, S4, S5, etc.

While CN 101 includes many logical nodes, the E-UTRAN access network 102 is formed by at least one node, such as evolved NodeB (Base Station (BS), eNB (or eNodeB which refers to evolved Node B) 110, which couples to one or more UE 111, of which only one is depicted in Fig 1 for the sake of simplicity. UE 111 is also referred to herein as a Wireless Device (WD) and/or a Subscriber Station (SS), and may include an M2M (Machine to Machine) type device. In one example, UE 111 may be coupled to eNB by an LTE-Uu interface. In one exemplary configuration, a single cell of an E-UTRAN access network 102 provides one substantially localized geographical transmission point (e.g., having multiple antenna devices) that provides access to one or more UEs. In another exemplary configuration, a single cell of an E-UTRAN access network 102 provides multiple geographically substantially isolated transmission points (each having one or more antenna devices) with each transmission point providing access to one or more UEs simultaneously and with the signaling bits defined for the one cell so that all UEs share the same spatial signaling dimensioning. For normal user traffic (as opposed to broadcast), there is no centralized controller in E- UTRAN; hence the E-UTRAN architecture is said to be flat. The eNBs can be interconnected with each other by an interface known as "X2" and to the EPC by an SI interface. More specifically, an eNB is coupled to MME 104 by an SI MME interface and to SGW 106 by an SI U interface. The protocols that run between the eNBs and the UEs are generally referred to as the "AS protocols." Details of the various interfaces can be in accordance with available standards and are not described herein for the sake of simplicity.

The eNB 110 hosts the PHYsical (PHY), Medium Access Control (MAC), Radio Link Control (RLC), and Packet Data Control Protocol (PDCP) layers, which are not shown in Fig. 1, and which include the functionality of user-plane header-compression and encryption. The eNB 110 also provides Radio Resource Control (RRC) functionality corresponding to the control plane, and performs many functions including radio resource management, admission control, scheduling, enforcement of negotiated Up Link (UL) QoS (Quality of Service), cell information broadcast, ciphering/deciphering of user and control plane data, and compression/decompression of DL/UL (Downlink/Uplink) user plane packet headers.

The RRC layer in eNB 110 covers all functions related to the radio bearers, such as radio bearer control, radio admission control, radio mobility control, scheduling and dynamic allocation of resources to UEs in both uplink and downlink, header compression for efficient use of the radio interface, security of all data sent over the radio interface, and connectivity to the EPC. The RRC layer makes handover decisions based on neighbor cell measurements sent by UE 111, generates pages for UEs 111 over the air, broadcasts system information, controls UE measurement reporting, such as the periodicity of Channel Quality Information (CQI) reports, and allocates cell- level temporary identifiers to active UEs 111. The RRC layer also executes transfer of UE context from a source eNB to a target eNB during handover, and provides integrity protection for RRC messages. Additionally, the RRC layer is responsible for the setting up and maintenance of radio bearers. Various types of WLAN may be supported such as any of those discussed herein.

As mentioned above in the background section, recently, significant momentum has started to build around the idea of a next generation, or Fifth Generation (5G), wireless communications technology. A wide range of applications and services may be used with 5G systems, such as: (a) Enhanced Mobile Broadband: providing higher data rates will continue to be a key driver in network development and evolution for 5G system (for example, it can be envisioned that a peak data rate of more than lOGps and a minimum guaranteed user data rate of at least 100Mbps be supported for 5G system); (b) Massive Machine Type Communications (MTC): support of a massive number of Internet of Things (IoT) or MTC devices may become one key feature for 5G system (for example, where MTC devices used for many applications may utilize low operational power consumption and be expected to communicate with infrequent small burst transmissions); and/or (c) Ultra-reliable and low latency or mission critical communications: support of mission critical MTC applications for 5G system may provide extremely high level of reliable connectivity with guaranteed low latency, availability, and reliability-of-service.

FIG. 2 illustrates a flow of a procedure for initial contention based random access in

LTE. In the LTE specification, a four-step procedure is used for initial contention based random access as shown in FIG. F2. In the first step, UE transmits physical random access channel (PRACH) in the uplink by randomly selecting one preamble signature, which would allow the eNodeB to estimate the UE transmission timing. Subsequently, in the second step, eNodeB provides the random access response (RAR) which carries timing advance (TA) command information and uplink grant for the uplink transmission in the third step (e.g., Layer 2 (L2) or Layer 3 (L3) message(s)). The UE expects to receive the RAR within a time window, of which the start and end are configured by the eNodeB via system information block (SIB).

To support mission critical MTC in 5G, an extremely high level of reliable connectivity with guaranteed low latency, availability, and reliability-of-service are to be provided. Hence, techniques for latency reduction are to be carefully designed to meet the stringent goals for mission critical MTC. To further reduce the uplink access latency, a new subframe structure which enables fast RACH procedure is proposed in one or more embodiments. More particularly, an embodiment provides a novel frame structure to enable fast random access for 5G systems.

More specifically, various embodiments provide one or more of the following:

(1) a subframe structure for fast random access;

(2) one or more RAR message transmission schemes;

(3) one or more multiplexing schemes of 5G physical uplink shared channel

(xPUSCH) and 5G PRACH (xPRACH) transmission;

(4) one or more multiplexing schemes of 5G physical uplink control channel (xPUCCH) and xPRACH transmission; and/or

(5) one or more multiplexing schemes of 5G physical downlink shared channel (xPDSCH) and xPRACH transmission.

FIG. 3 illustrates a block diagram of a self-contained Time Division Duplex (TDD) subframe structure in the Downlink (DL). To enable low latency transmission, self-contained TDD subframe can be introduced. As shown in FIG., hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement (ACK)/negative ACK (NACK) feedback can be transmitted in the same subframe when 5G physical downlink shared channel (xPDSCH) is scheduled. In particular, xPDSCH is scheduled by 5G physical downlink control channel (xPDCCH) and is transmitted right after the xPDCCH. After decoding the xPDSCH, UE provides the ACK or NACK in the 5G physical uplink control channel (xPUCCH) in the last part of subframe. Guard time (GT) may or may not be inserted between xPDSCH and xPUCCH in order to accommodate the DL to UL (Uplink) and UL to DL switching time and round-trip propagation delay.

FIG. 4 illustrates a block diagram of a subframe structure to enable fast random access, in accordance with an embodiment. As mentioned above, in the RACH procedure, the UE randomly selects one xPRACH preamble in the uplink and subsequently, the eNodeB provides the RAR message to allow the UE to transmit the PUSCH in the step 3. To reduce the uplink access latency in 5G and align the self-contained TDD frame structure, a new subframe structure to enable fast random access is illustrated in FIG.. More specifically, a GT1 is inserted after the xPDCCH and subsequently, cyclic prefix (CP) and xPRACH preamble are transmitted. To ensure a wide cell coverage, a longer GT2 may be inserted after the xPRACH preamble.

In an embodiment, the subcarrier spacing used for xPRACH preamble transmission can be defined as a function of the subcarrier spacing for other physical channels:

a AJf xPRACH — _K

where f_xPRACH is the subcarrier spacing for xPRACH preamble, Af_sc is the subcarrier spacing for other physical channels (such as xPDCCH/xPDSCH), and K is an integer to reduce the inter-carrier interference between xPRACH and other uplink physical channels. In one example, Af_sc = 7SKHz, K = 3. Then Af_xPRACH = 2 SKHz, which indicates that the xPRACH preamble duration is 40 is.

For ultra-low-latency RACH design, there are two aspects to consider:

1. DL data at the eNodeB that are to be transmitted to the UE with low-latency (e.g., where UE is synchronized on the downlink, but uplink timing alignment is lost); and

2. Uplink data at the UE for transmission to the eNodeB with low-latency (e.g., where UE has data in its buffer to be transmitted to the eNodeB, but its uplink timing alignment is lost).

For each of the above two cases, the UE may perform random access, so it can obtain the timing advance information from the eNodeB. More particularly, in the first case, the eNodeB can send a dedicated message to the UE asking it to transmit a RACH preamble (either a contention- based or contention-free set of preambles) and then the eNodeB can schedule downlink data and send the corresponding timing-advance value to the UE so it can start transmitting on its uplink channels such as PUCCH and PUSCH. The TA value can be transmitted in a special Downlink Control Information (DO), embedded in the DL/UL DCI, or using a MAC message (involving more latency).

In the second case, the UE performs RACH based on the resources that eNodeB has made available. Since an eNodeB does not know when the UE would want to send RACH, the eNodeB will make RACH resources available very often which may not be desirable due to increased overhead. Otherwise, the eNodeB keeps the UE uplink-time-aligned by sending frequent timing commands so that the UE's TA timer does not expire.

As for RAR message transmission, some embodiments provide several options for transmission of the RAR message, such as those discussed with reference to FIGS. 5-7. More particularly, Error! Reference source not found, illustrates a block diagram of a first option of a subframe for RAR transmission, according to an embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 5, in one embodiment, the RAR message is transmitted in the same subframe as xPRACH preamble and is carried in the xPDCCH. In this case, a new DCI format may be defined to carry RAR message. This self-contained design may be targeted for mission critical MTC, providing an ultra-low latency RACH procedure. For the embodiment of FIG. 5, given that the RAR message is transmitted within the same subframe, Random Access-Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RA-RNTI) used for scrambling with PDCCH Cyclical Redundancy Check (CRC) for RAR message transmission may be updated accordingly.

Moreover, in the LTE specification, the RA-RNTI associated with the PRACH in which the

PRACH preamble is transmitted, is computed as:

RA - RNTI = 1 + t_td + 10 * f_id

where t_id is the index of the first subframe of the specified PRACH (0 < t_id < 10), and f_id is the index of the specified PRACH within that subframe, in ascending order of frequency domain (0 < fjd < 6).

For the embodiment of FIG. 5, the subframe index of specified PRACH may not be used in the RA-RNTI. In particular, the updated RA-RNTI can be given as:

RA - RNTI = a + b * f_id

where a and b are constants, which can be predefined or configured by higher layers via 5G master information block (xMIB), 5G system information block (xSIB), or dedicated RRC signaling. Further, a new DCI format can to be defined to carry RAR message, in an embodiment. To minimize the blind decoding attempts and reduce UE power consumption, zero padding may be used for this new DCI format to match with other DCI formats, e.g., DCI format 0 as defined in the LTE specification.

FIG. 6 illustrates a block diagram of a second option of subframes for RAR transmission, according to some embodiments. More particularly, xPDCCH region in which UE looks for the DCI corresponding to RAR message is explicitly indicated in FIG. 6(a) or is function of xPRACH resource in FIG. 6(b). In accordance with another embodiment, e.g., as illustrated in Fig.6(c), the resource of RAR transmission for a given xPRACH is implicitly mapped according to a predefined mapping rule based at least on the selected xPRACH resource.

In another embodiment, the RAR message is carried in the xPDSCH which is scheduled by xPDCCH. Alternatively, the information in the random access response may be split into two parts and sent on the xPDCCH and xPDSCH, respectively. Further, the xPDCCH, xPRACH and RAR message may be transmitted in the same subframe. An eNodeB that assigns xPRACH resources in a given subframe may also configure UE(s) that use a xPRACH resource in the subframe to also detect the RAR in the same subframe. In particular, the eNodeB may explicitly indicate the xPDCCH region or a particular search space (SS) with restricting a limited number of aggregation level(s), such as only aggregation level eight in common search space (CSS) in which UE looks for the DCI corresponding to RAR message (e.g. in the same DCI that contains the xPRACH resources) or it can be tied to the xPRACH resource used for transmission of the RACH, which are illustrated in FIGS. 6(a) and 6(b), respectively. This can reduce the number of blind decodes that a UE performs to detect the RAR.

In accordance with a further embodiment, e.g., as illustrated in Fig.6(c), the resource of RAR transmission for a given xPRACH is implicitly mapped according to a predefined mapping rule based at least on the selected xPRACH resource. As one example, a one-to-one mapping between an xPRACH resource and a RAR resource may be fixed in specification or implemented with a predefined mapping pattern broadcasted by eNodeB. Further, a predetermined modulation scheme (e.g., QPSK or Quadrature Phase Shift Keying) and/or a predetermined coding scheme (e.g., code rate one-third) may be used for RAR transmission. With this design, the step to perform blind decoding on PDCCH for RAR reception may be entirely removed to simplify the overall procedure to reduce system access latency.

FIG. 7 illustrates a block diagram of a third option of subframes for RAR transmission, according to an embodiment. In another embodiment, the RAR message is transmitted in the next subframe after the xPRACH preamble. Alternatively, a small gap (e.g., K subframes) or window (e.g., [K_Q. K-L] subframe) between xPRACH preamble and RAR message can be defined which depends on eNodeB processing latency on xPRACH detection. FIG. 7 illustrates the RAR transmission for the embodiment of FIG. 7. In particular, xPDCCH is used to schedule the transmission of RAR message and the RAR message is carried in the associated xPDSCH. This embodiment may be useful for the case when multiple RAR messages for multiple users are aggregated. In turn, the resulting message size for RAR message may be large so that it may be appropriate to use xPDSCH to carry RAR message.

Furthermore, the embodiments discussed with reference to FIGS. 5-7 can be easily adapted to support the contention free xPRACH transmission triggered by xPDCCH order. More specifically, the xPDCCH may be used to trigger contention free xPRACH transmission in the same subframe.

As for multiplexing of xPUSCH and xPRACH, some embodiments provide several options such as those discussed with reference to FIGS. 8-9. More particularly, FIG. 8 illustrates a block diagram of a first option of a subframe to implement multiplexing of xPUSCH and xPRACH, according to an embodiment. FIG. 9 illustrates a block diagram of a second option of subframes to implement multiplexing of xPUSCH and xPRACH, according to an embodiment.

Moreover, several options can be considered regarding the multiplexing of xPUSCH and xPRACH. Similar to the LTE specification, guard band can be inserted between xPUSCH and xPRACH transmission in order to reduce the interference between xPUSCH and xPRACH. In one embodiment, xPDCCH is used to carry both ACK/NACK for the corresponding xPUSCH transmission and RAR message for the corresponding xPRACH transmission. FIG. 8 illustrates the multiplexing scheme for the transmission of xPUSCH and xPRACH within the same subframe for the first option.

In another embodiment, xPDCCH is used to schedule the xPDSCH data transmission and RAR message. FIG. illustrates the multiplexing scheme for the transmission of xPUSCH and xPRACH within the same subframe for the second option. In this embodiment, xPUCCH in the first subframe may not be used.

As for multiplexing of xPRACH with xPUCCH, FIG. 10 illustrates a block diagram of subframes to implement multiplexing of xPRACH and xPUCCH in the same subframe, in accordance with an embodiment. Moreover, another option for xPRACH transmission is to multiplex it with xPUCCH in the end portion of the subframe when short xPRACH preambles are feasible. This allows an eNodeB to schedule RA opportunities in a subframe even if the subframe is used for PDSCH transmission. eNodeB signaling (e.g., xPDCCH) may be used to indicate which RACH resources are available in a given subframe (e.g., whether xPRACH resources are in the xPUSCH region or in the xPUCCH region).

FIG. 112 illustrates a block diagram of subframes to implement multiplexing of PDSCH and xPRACH in the same subframe, according to an embodiment. If the xPRACH duration is shorter than one subframe duration, then it is possible to multiplex xPDSCH and xPUSCH/xPRACH in the same subframe. For mission-critical applications where the data rates may not be very large, the number of OFDM symbols occupied for PDSCH may be smaller; hence, the PDSCH may not span the entire subframe. In such case, the xPRACH may be multiplexed in the same subframe. PDSCH shortening may be indicated using one or more fields in the DCI format. Similarly shortened PUSCH may also be indicated using one or more fields in the DCI format. One implication of this design can increase load on xPDCCH because of increased number of DCIs that are to be transmitted in that subframe.

In accordance with an embodiment, in each option proposed above, the available set of

PRACH resources for the transmission of the Random Access preamble can be divided into a set of distinct groups based at least in part on the timing gap between PRACH transmission and the associated RAR feedback/response. The configuration of preamble groups may be broadcasted by higher layers via xMIB, xSIB, or dedicated RRC signaling so that the NW (Network) can semi- statically adjust the resource splitting across the groups to efficiently use available PRACH sequences. The UE may select the Random Access Preamble Group to indicate to the NW (e.g., using a subframe index) to monitor the PDCCH for RAR reception. Furthermore, the timing for RAR transmission may be derived by eNodeB based on the group index that detected PRACH belongs to.

FIG. 12 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplified RACH procedure, according to one embodiment. Different PRACH resource groups in one subframe (e.g., Group X 1105 and Group Y 1125 in FIG. 12) may be reserved for different application services with different latency goals. This allows eNodeB to flexibly transmit RAR messages at different rates based on respective service goals. More particularly, FIG. 12 shows an exemplary RACH procedure for two different services with different access system latency goals. PRACH resources are divided into two groups X and Y, providing a flexible random-access capability for different services. PRACH resource group X 1105 may be reserved for low latency or mission critical communications with providing a fast RAR 1100 transmission upon receiving corresponding PRACH transmission. By contrast, PRACH resource group Y may be reserved with larger periodicity for other services, allowing a relatively larger latency to maintain low overhead. In the latter case, RAR 1135 is transmitted in a lower rate compared to that for PRACH resource group X.

Referring now to FIG. 13, a block diagram of an information handling system capable of user equipment controlled mobility in an evolved radio access network in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. Information handling system 1300 of FIG. 13 may tangibly embody any one or more of the network elements described herein, above, including for example the elements of network 100 with greater or fewer components depending on the hardware specifications of the particular device. In one embodiment, information handling system 1300 may tangibly embody a user equipment (UE) comprising circuitry to enter into an evolved universal mobile telecommunications system (UMTS) terrestrial radio access (E-UTRAN) Routing Area Paging Channel (ERA PCH) state, wherein the UE is configured with an E-UTRAN Routing Area (ERA) comprising a collection of cell identifiers, and an Anchor identifier (Anchor ID) to identify an anchor evolved Node B (eNB) for the UE, select to a new cell without performing a handover procedure, and perform a cell update procedure in response to the UE selecting to the new cell, although the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect. In another embodiment, information handling system 1300 may tangibly embody a user equipment (UE) comprising circuitry to enter into a Cell Update Connected (CU_CNCTD) state, wherein the UE is configured with an Anchor identifier (Anchor ID) to identify an anchor evolved Node B (eNB) for the UE, select to a new cell, perform a cell update procedure in response to the UE selecting to the new cell, perform a buffer request procedure in response to the UE selecting to the new cell, and perform a cell update procedure to download buffered data and to perform data transmission with the new cell, although the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect. Although information handling system 1300 represents one example of several types of computing platforms, information handling system 1300 may include more or fewer elements and/or different arrangements of elements than shown in FIG. 13, and the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in these respects.

In one or more embodiments, information handling system 1300 may include an application processor 1310 and a baseband processor 1312. Application processor 1310 may be utilized as a general-purpose processor to run applications and the various subsystems for information handling system 1300. Application processor 1310 may include a single core or alternatively may include multiple processing cores. One or more of the cores may comprise a digital signal processor or digital signal processing (DSP) core. Furthermore, application processor 1310 may include a graphics processor or coprocessor disposed on the same chip, or alternatively a graphics processor coupled to application processor 1310 may comprise a separate, discrete graphics chip. Application processor 1310 may include on board memory such as cache memory, and further may be coupled to external memory devices such as synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM) 1314 for storing and/or executing applications during operation, and NAND flash 1316 for storing applications and/or data even when information handling system 1300 is powered off. In one or more embodiments, instructions to operate or configure the information handling system 1300 and/or any of its components or subsystems to operate in a manner as described herein may be stored on an article of manufacture comprising a (e.g., non-transitory) storage medium. In one or more embodiments, the storage medium may comprise any of the memory devices shown in and described herein, although the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect. Baseband processor 1312 may control the broadband radio functions for information handling system 1300. Baseband processor 1312 may store code for controlling such broadband radio functions in a NOR flash 1318. Baseband processor 1312 controls a wireless wide area network (WW AN) transceiver 1320 which is used for modulating and/or demodulating broadband network signals, for example for communicating via a 3 GPP LTE or LTE- Advanced network or the like.

In general, WW AN transceiver 1320 may operate according to any one or more of the following radio communication technologies and/or standards including but not limited to: a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) radio communication technology, a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) radio communication technology, an Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) radio communication technology, and/or a Third Generation Partnership Project (3 GPP) radio communication technology, for example Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Freedom of Multimedia Access (FOMA), 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE), 3 GPP Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE Advanced), Code division multiple access 2000 (CDMA2000), Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD), Mobitex, Third Generation (3G), Circuit Switched Data (CSD), High-Speed Circuit-Switched Data (HSCSD), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (Third Generation) (UMTS (3G)), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) (W-CDMA (UMTS)), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), High Speed Packet Access Plus (HSPA+), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System-Time-Division Duplex (UMTS-TDD), Time Division-Code Division Multiple Access (TD-CDMA), Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-CDMA), 3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 8 (Pre-4th Generation) (3GPP Rel. 8 (Pre-4G)), 3 GPP Rel. 9 (3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 9), 3GPP Rel. 10 (3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 10) , 3GPP Rel. 11 (3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 11), 3 GPP Rel. 12 (3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 12), 3 GPP Rel. 13 (3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 12), 3GPP Rel. 14 (3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 12), 3 GPP LTE Extra, LTE Licensed-Assisted Access (LAA), UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), Long Term Evolution Advanced (4th Generation) (LTE Advanced (4G)), cdmaOne (2G), Code division multiple access 2000 (Third generation) (CDMA2000 (3G)), Evolution-Data Optimized or Evolution-Data Only (EV-DO), Advanced Mobile Phone System (1st Generation) (AMPS (1G)), Total Access Communication System/Extended Total Access Communication System (TACS/ETACS), Digital AMPS (2nd Generation) (D-AMPS (2G)), Push-to-talk (PTT), Mobile Telephone System (MTS), Improved Mobile Telephone System (IMTS), Advanced Mobile Telephone System (AMTS), OLT (Norwegian for Offentlig Landmobil Telefoni, Public Land Mobile Telephony), MTD (Swedish abbreviation for Mobiltelefonisystem D, or Mobile telephony system D), Public Automated Land Mobile (Autotel/PALM), ARP (Finnish for Autoradiopuhelin, "car radio phone"), NMT (Nordic Mobile Telephony), High capacity version of NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone) (Hicap), Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD), Mobitex, DataTAC, Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (iDEN), Personal Digital Cellular (PDC), Circuit Switched Data (CSD), Personal Handy-phone System (PHS), Wideband Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (WiDEN), iBurst, Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA), also referred to as also referred to as 3GPP Generic Access Network, or GAN standard), Zigbee, Bluetooth®, Wireless Gigabit Alliance (WiGig) standard, millimeter wave (mmWave) standards in general for wireless systems operating at 10-90 GHz and above such as WiGig, IEEE 802.11 ad, IEEE 802.11 ay, and so on, and/or general telemetry transceivers, and in general any type of RF circuit or RFI sensitive circuit. It should be noted that such standards may evolve over time, and/or new standards may be promulgated, and the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect.

The WW AN transceiver 1320 couples to one or more power amps 1342 respectively coupled to one or more antennas 1324 for sending and receiving radio-frequency signals via the WW AN broadband network. The baseband processor 1312 also may control a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver 1326 coupled to one or more suitable antennas 1328 and which may be capable of communicating via a Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, and/or an amplitude modulation (AM) or frequency modulation (FM) radio standard including an IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n standard or the like. It should be noted that these are merely example implementations for application processor 1310 and baseband processor 1312, and the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in these respects. For example, any one or more of SDRAM 1314, NAND flash 1316 and/or NOR flash 1318 may comprise other types of memory technology such as magnetic memory, chalcogenide memory, phase change memory, or ovonic memory, and the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect.

In one or more embodiments, application processor 1310 may drive a display 630 for displaying various information or data, and may further receive touch input from a user via a touch screen 1332 for example via a finger or a stylus. An ambient light sensor 1334 may be utilized to detect an amount of ambient light in which information handling system 1300 is operating, for example to control a brightness or contrast value for display 1330 as a function of the intensity of ambient light detected by ambient light sensor 1334. One or more cameras 1336 may be utilized to capture images that are processed by application processor 1310 and/or at least temporarily stored in NAND flash 1316. Furthermore, application processor may couple to a gyroscope 1338, accelerometer 1340, magnetometer 1342, audio coder/decoder (CODEC) 1344, and/or global positioning system (GPS) controller 1346 coupled to an appropriate GPS antenna 1348, for detection of various environmental properties including location, movement, and/or orientation of information handling system 1300. Alternatively, controller 1346 may comprise a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) controller. Audio CODEC 1344 may be coupled to one or more audio ports 1350 to provide microphone input and speaker outputs either via internal devices and/or via external devices coupled to information handling system via the audio ports 1350, for example via a headphone and microphone jack. In addition, application processor 1310 may couple to one or more input/output (I/O) transceivers 1352 to couple to one or more I/O ports 1354 such as a universal serial bus (USB) port, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) port, a serial port, and so on. Furthermore, one or more of the I/O transceivers 1352 may couple to one or more memory slots 1356 for optional removable memory such as secure digital (SD) card or a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, although the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in these respects.

Referring now to FIG. 14, an isometric view of an information handling system of FIG. 13 that optionally may include a touch screen in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. FIG. 14 shows an example implementation of information handling system 1300 of FIG. 13 tangibly embodied as a cellular telephone, smartphone, or tablet type device or the like. The information handling system 1300 may comprise ahousing 1410 having a display 1330 which may include a touch screen 1332 for receiving tactile input control and commands via a finger 1416 of a user and/or a via stylus 1418 to control one or more application processors 1310. The housing 1410 may house one or more components of information handling system 1300, for example one or more application processors 1310, one or more of SDRAM 1314, NAND flash 1316, NOR flash 1318, baseband processor 1312, and/or WW AN transceiver 1320. The information handling system 1300 further may optionally include a physical actuator area 1420 which may comprise a keyboard or buttons for controlling information handling system via one or more buttons or switches. The information handling system 1300 may also include a memory port or slot 1356 for receiving non-volatile memory such as flash memory, for example in the form of a secure digital (SD) card or a subscriber identity module (SIM) card. Optionally, the information handling system 1300 may further include one or more speakers and/or microphones 1424 and a connection port 1354 for connecting the information handling system 1300 to another electronic device, dock, display, battery charger, and so on. In addition, information handling system 1300 may include a headphone or speaker jack 1428 and one or more cameras 1336 on one or more sides of the housing 1410. It should be noted that the information handling system 1300 of FIG. 14 may include more or fewer elements than shown, in various arrangements, and the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect.

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 execute 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 the circuitry may be implemented by, one or more software or firmware modules. In some embodiments, circuitry may include logic, at least partially operable in hardware. Embodiments described herein may be implemented into a system using any suitably configured hardware and/or software.

Referring now to FIG. 15, example components of a wireless device such as User Equipment (UE) device 1 10 in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. In accordance with one embodiment, an eNB can include one or more components illustrated in and/or discussed with reference to Fig. 15. User equipment (UE) may correspond, for example, to UE 110 of network 100, although the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, UE device 1500 may include application circuitry 1502, baseband circuitry 1504, Radio Frequency (RF) circuitry 1506, front-end module (FEM) circuitry 1508 and one or more antennas 1510, coupled together at least as shown.

Application circuitry 1502 may include one or more application processors. For example, application circuitry 1502 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single- core or multi-core processors. The one or more processors may include any combination of general-purpose processors and dedicated processors, for example graphics processors, application processors, and so on. The processors may be coupled with and/or may include memory and/or storage and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory and/or storage to enable various applications and/or operating systems to run on the system.

Baseband circuitry 1504 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single- core or multi-core processors. Baseband circuitry 1504 may include one or more baseband processors and/or control logic to process baseband signals received from a receive signal path of RF circuitry 1506 and to generate baseband signals for a transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 1506. Baseband processing circuity 1504 may interface with the application circuitry 1502 for generation and processing of the baseband signals and for controlling operations of the RF circuitry 1506. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1304 may include a second generation (2G) baseband processor 1504a, third generation (3G) baseband processor 1504b, fourth generation (4G) baseband processor 1504c, and/or one or more other baseband processors 1504d for other existing generations, generations in development or to be developed in the future, for example fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G), and so on. Baseband circuitry 1504, for example one or more of baseband processors 1504a through 1504d, may handle various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via RF circuitry 1506. The radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation and/or demodulation, encoding and/or decoding, radio frequency shifting, and so on. In some embodiments, modulation and/or demodulation circuitry of baseband circuitry 1504 may include Fast-Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding, and/or constellation mapping and/or demapping functionality. In some embodiments, encoding and/or decoding circuitry of baseband circuitry 1304 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, and/or Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) encoder and/or decoder functionality. Embodiments of modulation and/or demodulation and encoder and/or decoder functionality are not limited to these examples and may include other suitable functionality in other embodiments.

In some embodiments, baseband circuitry 1504 may include elements of a protocol stack such as, for example, elements of an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) protocol including, for example, physical (PHY), media access control (MAC), radio link control (RLC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), and/or radio resource control (RRC) elements. Processor 1504e of the baseband circuitry 1504 may be configured to run elements of the 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 (DSP) 1504f. The one or more audio DSPs 1504f may include elements for compression and/or decompression and/or echo cancellation and may include other suitable processing elements in other embodiments. Components of the baseband circuitry may be suitably combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on a same circuit board in some embodiments. In some embodiments, some or all of the constituent components of baseband circuitry 1504 and application circuitry 1502 may be implemented together such as, for example, on a system on a chip (SOC).

In some embodiments, baseband circuitry 1504 may provide for communication compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, baseband circuitry 1504 may support communication with an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) and/or other wireless metropolitan area networks (WMAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless personal area network (WPAN). Embodiments in which baseband circuitry 1304 is configured to support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

RF circuitry 1506 may enable communication with wireless networks using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various embodiments, RF circuitry 1506 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, and so on, to facilitate the communication with the wireless network. RF circuitry 1506 may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry to down-convert RF signals received from FEM circuitry 1508 and provide baseband signals to baseband circuitry 1504. RF circuitry 1506 may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry to up-convert baseband signals provided by the baseband circuitry 1504 and provide RF output signals to FEM circuitry 1508 for transmission. In some embodiments, RF circuitry 1506 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of RF circuitry 1506 may include mixer circuitry 1506a, amplifier circuitry 1506b and filter circuitry 1506c. The transmit signal path of RF circuitry 1506 may include filter circuitry 1506c and mixer circuitry 1506a. RF circuitry 1506 may also include synthesizer circuitry 1506d for synthesizing a frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 1506a of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 1506a of the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert RF signals received from FEM circuitry 1508 based on the synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuitry 1506d. Amplifier circuitry 1506b may be configured to amplify the down-converted signals and the filter circuitry 1506c may be a low-pass filter (LPF) or band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signals to generate output baseband signals. Output baseband signals may be provided to baseband circuitry 1504 for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signals may be zero-frequency baseband signals, although this is not a requirement. In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 1506a of the receive signal path may comprise passive mixers, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 1506a of the transmit signal path may be configured to up-convert input baseband signals based on the synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuitry 1506d to generate RF output signals for FEM circuitry 1508. The baseband signals may be provided by the baseband circuitry 1504 and may be filtered by filter circuitry 1506c. Filter circuitry 1506c may include a low-pass filter (LPF), although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 1506a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 1506a 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, mixer circuitry 1506a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 1506a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rej ection, for example Hartley image rejection. In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 1306a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 1506a may be arranged for direct down conversion and/or direct up conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 1506a of the receive signal path and mixer circuitry 1506a of the transmit signal path may be configured for super-heterodyne operation.

In some embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signals may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternate embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signals may be digital baseband signals. In these alternate embodiments, RF circuitry 1506 may include analog- to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry, and baseband circuitry 1304 may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with RF circuitry 1506. In some dual-mode embodiments, separate radio integrated circuit (IC) circuitry may be provided for processing signals for one or more spectra, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 1506d may be a fractional -N synthesizer or a fractional N/N+1 synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect as other types of frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuitry 1506d may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer comprising a phase- locked loop with a frequency divider.

Synthesizer circuitry 1506d may be configured to synthesize an output frequency for use by mixer circuitry 1506a of RF circuitry 1506 based on a frequency input and a divider control input. In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 1506d may be a fractional N/N+1 synthesizer.

In some embodiments, frequency input may be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), although that is not a requirement. Divider control input may be provided by either baseband circuitry 1504 or applications processor 1502 depending on the desired output frequency. In some embodiments, a divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a look-up table based on a channel indicated by applications processor 1502.

Synthesizer circuitry 1506d of RF circuitry 1506 may include a divider, a delay -locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the divider may be a dual modulus divider (DMD) and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DP A). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by either N or N+l, for example based on a carry out, 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 break a VCO period up into Nd equal packets of phase, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this way, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 1506d 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, for example twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency, and so on, and used in conjunction with quadrature generator and divider circuitry to generate multiple signals at the carrier frequency with multiple different phases with respect to each other. In some embodiments, the output frequency may be a local oscillator (LO) frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, RF circuitry 1506 may include an in-phase and quadrature (IQ) and/or polar converter. FEM circuitry 1508 may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 1510, amplify the received signals and provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the RF circuitry 1506 for further processing. FEM circuitry 1508 may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry configured to amplify signals for transmission provided by RF circuitry 1506 for transmission by one or more of the one or more antennas 1510.

In some embodiments, FEM circuitry 1508 may include a transmit/receive (TX/RX) switch to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. FEM circuitry 1508 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of FEM circuitry 1508 may include a low-noise amplifier (LNA) to amplify received RF signals and to provide the amplified received RF signals as an output, for example to RF circuitry 1506. The transmit signal path of FEM circuitry 1508 may include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify input RF signals, for example provided by RF circuitry 1506, and one or more filters to generate RF signals for subsequent transmission, for example by one or more of antennas 1510. In some embodiments, UE device 1500 may include additional elements such as, for example, memory and/or storage, display, camera, sensor, and/or input/output (I/O) interface, although the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect.

The following examples pertain to further embodiments. Example 1 includes an apparatus of a User Equipment (UE) capable to allow for fast random access, the apparatus of the UE comprising baseband processing circuitry to: generate a Fifth Generation (5G) physical random access channel (xPRACH) preamble; and process a Random Access Response (RAR) message within a subframe or within a subframe window. Example 2 includes an apparatus as set forth in example 1 or any other example discussed herein, wherein the baseband processing circuitry is to generate a first guard time and a second guard time, wherein the first guard time is to be inserted after a 5G physical downlink control channel (xPDCCH) field and before the xPRACH preamble and a cyclic prefix, wherein the second guard time is to be inserted after the xPRACH preamble. Example 3 includes an apparatus as set forth in any of examples 1 -2 or any other example discussed herein, wherein the baseband processing circuitry is to generate subcarrier spacing to be used for transmission of the xPRACH preamble, wherein the subcarrier spacing is to be defined as a function of subcarrier spacing for other uplink physical channels. Example 4 includes an apparatus as set forth in any of examples 1 -3 or any other example discussed herein, wherein the baseband processing circuitry is to process the RAR message in the subframe as the xPRACH preamble and the RAR message is to be carried in the xPDCCH, wherein a Downlink Control Information (DO) format is to be defined to carry the RAR message. Example 5 includes an apparatus as set forth in any of examples 1-4 or any other example discussed herein, wherein Random Access-Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RA-RNTI) used for scrambling with PDCCH Cyclical Redundancy Check (CRC) for transmission of the RAR message is to be defined as: RA-RNTI = a + b*f_id, where f id is an index of a specified PRACH preamble within the subframe, and a and b are constants, which is to be predefined or configured by higher layers via 5G master information block (xMIB), 5G system information block (xSIB) or dedicated Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. Example 6 includes an apparatus as set forth in any of examples 1 -5 or any other example discussed herein, wherein the baseband processing circuitry is to cause the RAR message to be carried in a 5G physical downlink shared channel (xPDSCH) which is to be scheduled by the xPDCCH, wherein the xPDCCH, the xPRACH preamble, and the RAR message are to be transmitted in the subframe. Example 7 includes an apparatus as set forth in any of examples 1 -6 or any other example discussed herein, wherein the baseband processing circuitry is to process an xPDCCH region or a search space (SS) to determine the DCI corresponding to the RAR message. Example 8 includes an apparatus as set forth in any of examples 1 -7 or any other example discussed herein, wherein the SS is to restrict a limited number of aggregation levels. Example 9 includes an apparatus as set forth in any of examples 1 -8 or any other example discussed herein, wherein a resource for transmission of the RAR message for a given xPRACH preamble is to be implicitly mapped according to a predefined mapping rule based at least in part on a selected xPRACH resource. Example 10 includes an apparatus as set forth in any of examples 1 -9 or any other example discussed herein, wherein a one-to- one mapping between an xPRACH resource and a RAR resource is to be fixed or configured with a predefined mapping pattern to be broadcasted by eNodeB. Example 1 1 includes an apparatus as set forth in any of examples 1 -10 or any other example discussed herein, wherein the baseband processing circuitry is to cause transmission of the RAR message in a next subframe after the xPRACH preamble or after a gap of one or more subframes, or a window to be formed by subframes between the xPRACH preamble and the RAR message. Example 12 includes an apparatus as set forth in any of examples 1-1 1 or any other example discussed herein, wherein the baseband circuitry is to use the xPDCCH at the beginning of the subframe to trigger contention free xPRACH transmission in the same subframe. Example 13 includes an apparatus as set forth in any of examples 1 -12 or any other example discussed herein, wherein xPDCCH is used to carry both Acknowledgement (ACK) or Negative ACK (NACK) for a corresponding xPUSCH transmission and the RAR message for a corresponding xPRACH transmission. Example 14 includes an apparatus as set forth in any of examples 1 - 13 or any other example discussed herein, wherein the baseband circuitry is to use xPDCCH to schedule transmission of xPDSCH data and the RAR message. Example 15 includes an apparatus as set forth in any of examples 1-14 or any other example discussed herein, wherein the baseband circuitry is to cause multiplexing of xPRACH preamble with 5G physical uplink control channel (xPUCCH) in a frequency division multiplexing (FDM) manner. Example 16 includes an apparatus as set forth in any of examples 1-15 or any other example discussed herein, wherein the baseband circuitry is to cause multiplexing of xPDCCH, 5G physical downlink shared channel (xPDSCH), and 5G physical uplink shared channel (xPUSCH) or the xPRACH preamble within the subframe; wherein a shortened xPDSCH field or xPUSCH field is to be indicated using one or more fields in the DCI format. Example 17 includes an apparatus as set forth in any of examples 1-16 or any other example discussed herein, wherein an available set of PRACH resources for transmission of a random access preamble are to be divided into a set of groups based at least in part on a timing gap between PRACH transmission and an associated RAR response, wherein configuration of the groups is to be broadcasted by higher layers via 5G master information block (xMIB), 5G system information block (xSIB), or dedicated Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. Example 18 includes an apparatus as set forth in any of examples 1-17 or any other example discussed herein, wherein the baseband processing circuitry is to select the Random Access preamble group to indicate to network a subframe index to monitor the PDCCH field for RAR reception, wherein a timing for RAR transmission is to be determined based at least in part on a group index.

Example 19 includes one or more computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon that, if executed by an apparatus of a user equipment (UE), result in: generation of a 5G physical random access channel (xPRACH) preamble; and processing of a Random Access Response (RAR) message within a subframe or within a subframe window. Example 20 includes the one or more computer-readable media as set forth in example 19 or any other example discussed herein, wherein the instructions, if executed, result in generation of a first guard time and a second guard time, wherein the first guard time is to be inserted after a 5G physical downlink control channel (xPDCCH) field and before the xPRACH preamble and a cyclic prefix, wherein the second guard time is to be inserted after the xPRACH preamble. Example 21 includes the one or more computer-readable media as set forth in any of examples 19-20 or any other example discussed herein, wherein the instructions, if executed, result in generation of subcarrier spacing to be used for transmission of the xPRACH preamble, wherein the subcarrier spacing is to be defined as a function of subcarrier spacing for other uplink physical channels. Example 22 includes an apparatus of an enhanced NodeB (eNB) capable to allow for fast random access, the apparatus of the eNB comprising baseband processing circuitry to: process a Fifth Generation (5G) physical random access channel (xPRACH) preamble; and generate a Random Access Response (RAR) message within a subframe or within a subframe window.

Example 23 includes an apparatus as set forth in example 22 or any other example discussed herein, wherein the baseband processing circuitry is to broadcast a mapping pattern to provide a one-to-one mapping between a 5G physical random access channel (xPRACH) resource and a RAR resource. Example 24 includes an apparatus as set forth in any of examples 22-23 or any other example discussed herein, wherein the baseband processing circuitry is to determine a timing for transmission of the RAR message based at least in part on a group index.

Example 25 includes one or more computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon that, if executed by an apparatus of an eNB), result in: processing a Fifth Generation (5G) physical random access channel (xPRACH) preamble; and generating a Random Access Response (RAR) message within a subframe or within a subframe window. Example 26 includes the one or more computer-readable media as set forth in example 25 or any other example discussed herein, wherein the instructions, if executed, result in broadcasting of a mapping pattern to provide a one-to-one mapping between a 5G physical random access channel (xPRACH) resource and a RAR resource. Example 27 includes the one or more computer-readable media as set forth in any of examples 25-26 or any other example discussed herein, wherein the instructions, if executed, result in determination of a timing for transmission of the RAR message based at least in part on a group index.

Example 28 includes a system comprising: memory to store information corresponding to a cellular communication; and an apparatus of an enhanced NodeB (eNB) capable to allow for fast random access, wherein the apparatus is to be coupled to the memory to access the stored information, the apparatus of the eNB comprising baseband processing circuitry to: process a Fifth Generation (5G) physical random access channel (xPRACH) preamble; and generate a Random Access Response (RAR) message within a subframe or within a subframe window. Example 29 includes a system as set forth in example 28 or any other example discussed herein, wherein the baseband processing circuitry is to broadcast a mapping pattern to provide a one-to-one mapping between a 5G physical random access channel (xPRACH) resource and a RAR resource. Example 30 includes a system as set forth in any of examples 28-29 or any other example discussed herein, wherein the baseband processing circuitry is to determine a timing for transmission of the RAR message based at least in part on a group index. Example 31 includes a system comprising: memory to store information corresponding to a cellular communication; and an apparatus of a User Equipment (UE) capable to allow for fast random access, wherein the apparatus is to be coupled to the memory to access the stored information, the apparatus of the UE comprising baseband processing circuitry to: generate a Fifth Generation (5G) physical random access channel (xPRACH) preamble; and process a Random Access Response (RAR) message within a subframe or within a subframe window. Example 32 includes a system as set forth in example 31 or any other example discussed herein, wherein the baseband processing circuitry is to generate a first guard time and a second guard time, wherein the first guard time is to be inserted after a 5G physical downlink control channel (xPDCCH) field and before the xPRACH preamble and a cyclic prefix, wherein the second guard time is to be inserted after the xPRACH preamble. Example 33 includes a system as set forth in any of examples 31 -32 or any other example discussed herein, wherein the baseband processing circuitry is to generate subcarrier spacing to be used for transmission of the xPRACH preamble, wherein the subcarrier spacing is to be defined as a function of subcarrier spacing for other uplink physical channels.

Example 34 includes an apparatus comprising means to perform a method as set forth in any example or any embodiment described herein. Example 35 comprises machine- readable storage including machine-readable instructions, when executed, to implement a method or realize an apparatus as set forth in any example or any embodiment discussed herein.

In various embodiments, the operations discussed herein, e.g., with reference to Figs.

1 -15, may be implemented as hardware (e.g., logic circuitry), software, firmware, or combinations thereof, which may be provided as a computer program product, e.g., including a tangible (e.g., non-transitory) machine-readable or computer-readable medium having stored thereon instructions (or software procedures) used to program a computer to perform a process discussed herein. The machine-readable medium may include a storage device such as those discussed with respect to Figs. 1-15.

Additionally, such computer-readable media may be downloaded as a computer program product, wherein the program may be transferred from a remote computer (e.g., a server) to a requesting computer (e.g., a client) by way of data signals provided in a carrier wave or other propagation medium via a communication link (e.g., a bus, a modem, or a network connection).

Reference in the specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, and/or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment may be included in at least an implementation. The appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment" in various places in the specification may or may not be all referring to the same embodiment.

Also, in the description and claims, the terms "coupled" and "connected," along with their derivatives, may be used. In some embodiments, "connected" may be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. "Coupled" may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact. However, "coupled" may also mean that two or more elements may not be in direct contact with each other, but may still cooperate or interact with each other.

Further, in the description and/or claims, the terms "coupled" and/or connected, along with their derivatives, may be used. In particular embodiments, connected may be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical and/or electrical contact with each other. Coupled may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical and/or electrical contact. However, coupled may also mean that two or more elements may not be in direct contact with each other, but yet may still cooperate and/or interact with each other. For example, " coupled" may mean that two or more elements do not contact each other but are indirectly j oined together via another element or intermediate elements.

Additionally, the terms " on," " overlying," and "over" may be used in the description and claims. " On," "overlying," and " over" may be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical contact with each other. However, " over" may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other. For example, " over" may mean that one element is above another element but not contact each other and may have another element or elements in between the two elements. Furthermore, the term "and/or" may mean "and", it may mean "or", it may mean "exclusive-or", it may mean "one", it may mean "some, but not all", it may mean "neither", and/or it may mean "both", although the scope of claimed subj ect matter is not limited in this respect. In the following description and/or claims, the terms " comprise" and "include," along with their derivatives, may be used and are intended as synonyms for each other.

Thus, although embodiments have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that claimed subj ect matter may not be limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as sample forms of implementing the claimed subject matter.

Claims

1. An apparatus of a User Equipment (UE) capable to allow for fast random access, the apparatus of the UE comprising baseband processing circuitry to: generate a Fifth Generation (5G) physical random access channel (xPRACH) preamble; and

process a Random Access Response (RAR) message within a subframe or within a subframe window.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the baseband processing circuitry is to generate a first guard time and a second guard time, wherein the first guard time is to be inserted after a 5G physical downlink control channel (xPDCCH) field and before the xPRACH preamble and a cyclic prefix, wherein the second guard time is to be inserted after the xPRACH preamble.

3. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 -2, wherein the baseband processing circuitry is to generate subcarrier spacing to be used for transmission of the xPRACH preamble, wherein the subcarrier spacing is to be defined as a function of subcarrier spacing for other uplink physical channels.

4. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 -3, wherein the baseband processing circuitry is to process the RAR message in the subframe as the xPRACH preamble and the RAR message is to be carried in the xPDCCH, wherein a Downlink Control Information (DCI) format is to be defined to carry the RAR message.

5. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1-4, wherein Random Access-Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RA-RNTI) used for scrambling with PDCCH Cyclical Redundancy Check (CRC) for transmission of the RAR message is to be defined as:

RA - RNTI = a + b * f_id

where f_id is an index of a specified PRACH preamble within the subframe, and a and b are constants, which is to be predefined or configured by higher layers via 5G master information block (xMIB), 5G system information block (xSIB) or dedicated Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

6. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1 -5, wherein the baseband processing circuitry is to cause the RAR message to be carried in a 5G physical downlink shared channel (xPDSCH) which is to be scheduled by the xPDCCH, wherein the xPDCCH, the xPRACH preamble, and the RAR message are to be transmitted in the subframe.

7. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1-6, wherein the baseband processing circuitry is to process an xPDCCH region or a search space (SS) to determine the DCI corresponding to the RAR message.

8. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1-7, wherein the SS is to restrict a limited number of aggregation levels.

9. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1-8, wherein a resource for transmission of the RAR message for a given xPRACH preamble is to be implicitly mapped according to a predefined mapping rule based at least in part on a selected xPRACH resource.

10. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1-9, wherein a one-to-one mapping between an xPRACH resource and a RAR resource is to be fixed or configured with a predefined mapping partem to be broadcasted by eNodeB.

11. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1-10, wherein the baseband processing circuitry is to cause transmission of the RAR message in a next subframe after the xPRACH preamble or after a gap of one or more subframes, or a window to be formed by subframes between the xPRACH preamble and the RAR message.

12. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1-11, wherein the baseband circuitry is to use the xPDCCH at the beginning of the subframe to trigger contention free xPRACH transmission in the same subframe.

13. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1-12, wherein xPDCCH is used to carry both Acknowledgement (ACK) or Negative ACK (NACK) for a corresponding xPUSCH transmission and the RAR message for a corresponding xPRACH transmission.

14. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1-13, wherein the baseband circuitry is to use xPDCCH to schedule transmission of xPDSCH data and the RAR message.

15. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1-14, wherein the baseband circuitry is to cause multiplexing of xPRACH preamble with 5G physical uplink control channel (xPUCCH) in a frequency division multiplexing (FDM) manner.

16. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1-15, wherein the baseband circuitry is to cause multiplexing of xPDCCH, 5G physical downlink shared channel (xPDSCH), and 5G physical uplink shared channel (xPUSCH) or the xPRACH preamble within the subframe; wherein a shortened xPDSCH field or xPUSCH field is to be indicated using one or more fields in the DCI format.

17. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1-16, wherein an available set of PRACH resources for transmission of a random access preamble are to be divided into a set of groups based at least in part on a timing gap between PRACH transmission and an associated RAR response, wherein configuration of the groups is to be broadcasted by higher layers via 5G master information block (xMIB), 5G system information block (xSIB), or dedicated Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling.

18. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 1-17, wherein the baseband processing circuitry is to select the Random Access preamble group to indicate to network a subframe index to monitor the PDCCH field for RAR reception, wherein a timing for RAR transmission is to be determined based at least in part on a group index.

19. One or more computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon that, if executed by an apparatus of a user equipment (UE), result in:

generation of a 5G physical random access channel (xPRACH) preamble; and processing of a Random Access Response (RAR) message within a subframe or within a subframe window.

20. The one or more computer-readable media as claimed in claim 19, wherein the instructions, if executed, result in generation of a first guard time and a second guard time, wherein the first guard time is to be inserted after a 5G physical downlink control channel (xPDCCH) field and before the xPRACH preamble and a cyclic prefix, wherein the second guard time is to be inserted after the xPRACH preamble.

21. The one or more computer-readable media as claimed in any of claims 19-20, wherein the instructions, if executed, result in generation of subcarrier spacing to be used for transmission of the xPRACH preamble, wherein the subcarrier spacing is to be defined as a function of subcarrier spacing for other uplink physical channels.

22. An apparatus of an enhanced NodeB (eNB) capable to allow for fast random access, the apparatus of the eNB comprising baseband processing circuitry to:

process a Fifth Generation (5G) physical random access channel (xPRACH) preamble; and

generate a Random Access Response (RAR) message within a subframe or within a subframe window.

23. An apparatus as claimed in claim 22, wherein the baseband processing circuitry is to broadcast a mapping pattern to provide a one-to-one mapping between a 5G physical random access channel (xPRACH) resource and a RAR resource.

24. An apparatus as claimed in any of claims 22-23, wherein the baseband processing circuitry is to determine a timing for transmission of the RAR message based at least in part on a group index.

25. One or more computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon that, if executed by an apparatus of an eNB), result in:

processing a Fifth Generation (5G) physical random access channel (xPRACH) preamble; and

generating a Random Access Response (RAR) message within a subframe or within a subframe window.

26. The one or more computer-readable media as claimed in claim 25, wherein the instructions, if executed, result in broadcasting of a mapping partem to provide a one-to-one mapping between a 5G physical random access channel (xPRACH) resource and a RAR resource.

27. The one or more computer-readable media as claimed in any of claims 25-26, wherein the instructions, if executed, result in determination of a timing for transmission of the RAR message based at least in part on a group index.