WO2018227594A1

WO2018227594A1 - System and method for allocating system bandwidth

Info

Publication number: WO2018227594A1
Application number: PCT/CN2017/088737
Authority: WO
Inventors: Chenchen Zhang; Feng Bi; Peng Hao
Original assignee: Zte Corporation
Priority date: 2017-06-16
Filing date: 2017-06-16
Publication date: 2018-12-20
Also published as: CN111034288A; CN111034288B

Abstract

A system and method for allocating network resources are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, the system and method are configured to perform: a method includes: separating a system bandwidth into a plurality of sub-bandwidths based on at least a first one of a plurality of sub-carrier spacings, wherein each of the plurality of sub-bandwidths corresponds to a respective number of resource blocks, and wherein the respective numbers of resource blocks are each determined based on a second one of the plurality of sub-carrier spacing, the second one being greater than or equal to the first one.

Description

SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR ALLOCATING SYSTEM BANDWIDTH

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosure relates generally to wireless communications and, more particularly, to systems and methods for allocating a system bandwidth.

BACKGROUND

In the legacy Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, a system bandwidth (e.g., 100 MHz) is divided into plural channel bandwidths, each of which can be selected from: 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, and 20 (MHz) . When an end user in the legacy LTE network (e.g., a user equipment device (UE) ) uses a particular carrier (also known as a modulated waveform conveying respective physical channels) to transmit/receive signals, the UE is typically required to use a whole channel width associated with the particular carrier. In a network adopting emerging network standards, e.g., the 5th generation (5G) mobile communication standard (hereinafter the “5G network” ) , however, various communication demands for respective applications (e.g., Internet of Things (IoT) , massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) , etc. ) exist. Accordingly, respective bandwidth capabilities and/or requirements may significantly vary among different end users in the 5G network. Conventional channel bandwidths used in the legacy LTE network may not be sufficient to accommodate such significantly varying bandwidth capabilities and/or requirements. Therefore, existing techniques for allocating a system bandwidth are not entirely satisfactory.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein are directed to solving the issues relating to one or more of the problems presented in the prior art, as well as providing additional features that will become readily apparent by reference to the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompany drawings. In accordance with various embodiments, exemplary systems, methods, devices and computer program products are disclosed herein. It is understood, however, that these embodiments are presented by way of example and not limitation, and it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art who read the present disclosure that various modifications to the disclosed embodiments can be made while remaining within the scope of the invention.

In one embodiment, a method includes: separating a system bandwidth into a plurality of sub-bandwidths based on at least a first one of a plurality of sub-carrier spacings, wherein each of the plurality of sub-bandwidths corresponds to a respective number of resource blocks, and wherein the respective numbers of resource blocks are each determined based on a second one of the plurality of sub-carrier spacing, the second one being greater than or equal to the first one.

In a further embodiment, a method includes: receiving a signal transmitted using one of a plurality of sub-bandwidths, wherein the plurality of sub-bandwidths are separated from a system bandwidth based on at least a first one of a plurality of sub-carrier spacings, wherein each of the plurality of sub-bandwidths corresponds to a respective number of resource blocks, and wherein the respective numbers of resource blocks are each determined based on a second one of the plurality of sub-carrier spacing, the second one being greater than or equal to the first one.

In another embodiment, a communication node includes: at least one processor configured to separate a system bandwidth into a plurality of sub-bandwidths based on at least a first one of a plurality of sub-carrier spacings, wherein each of the plurality of sub-bandwidths corresponds to a respective number of resource blocks, and wherein the respective numbers of resource blocks are each determined based on a second one of the plurality of sub-carrier spacing, the second one being greater than or equal to the first one； and a transmitter configured to transmit at least a first one of the plurality of sub-bandwidths to a communication node by indicating one or more of the at least first one’s frequency range, boundary, and middle point.

In yet another embodiment, a communication node, includes: a receiver configured to receive a signal transmitted using one of a plurality of sub-bandwidths, wherein the plurality of sub-bandwidths are separated from a system bandwidth based on at least a first one of a plurality of sub-carrier spacings, wherein each of the plurality of sub-bandwidths corresponds to a respective number of resource blocks, and wherein the respective numbers of resource blocks are each determined based on a second one of the plurality of sub-carrier spacing, the second one being greater than or equal to the first one.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various exemplary embodiments of the invention are described in detail below with reference to the following Figures. The drawings are provided for purposes of illustration only and merely depict exemplary embodiments of the invention to facilitate the reader's understanding of the invention. Therefore, the drawings should not be considered limiting of the breadth, scope, or applicability of the invention. It should be noted that for clarity and ease of illustration these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale.

Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary cellular communication network in which techniques disclosed herein may be implemented, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Figure 2 illustrates block diagrams an exemplary base station and a user equipment device, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Figures 3A and 3B respectively illustrate a system bandwidth (SBW) divided into a plurality of bandwidth parts (BWP’s ) , each of which is associated with a channel bandwidth, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Figures 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, and 4F respectively illustrate a system bandwidth (SBW) divided into a plurality of bandwidth parts (BWP’s ) , each of which is associated with a transmission bandwidth, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

Figure 5 illustrates an exemplary system bandwidth (SBW) is divided into plural sets of bandwidth parts (BWP’s ) using respective different sub-carrier spacings, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

Various exemplary embodiments of the invention are described below with reference to the accompanying figures to enable a person of ordinary skill in the art to make and use the invention. As would be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, after reading the present disclosure, various changes or modifications to the examples described herein can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Thus, the present invention is not limited to the exemplary embodiments and applications described and illustrated herein. Additionally, the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the methods disclosed herein are merely exemplary approaches. Based upon design preferences, the specific order or hierarchy of steps of the disclosed methods or processes can be re-arranged while remaining within the scope of the present invention. Thus, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the methods and techniques disclosed herein present various steps or acts in a sample order, and the invention is not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented unless expressly stated otherwise.

Figure 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication network 100 in which techniques disclosed herein may be implemented, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. The exemplary communication network 100 includes a base station 102 (hereinafter “BS 102” ) and a user equipment device 104 (hereinafter “UE 104” ) that can communicate with each other via a communication link 110 (e.g., a wireless communication channel) , and a cluster of

notional cells

126, 130, 132, 134, 136, 138 and 140 overlaying a geographical area 101. In Figure 1, the BS 102 and UE 104 are contained within the geographic boundary of cell 126. Each of the other cells 130, 132, 134, 136, 138 and 140 may include at least one base station operating at its allocated bandwidth to provide adequate radio coverage to its intended users. For example, the base station 102 may operate at an allocated channel transmission bandwidth to provide adequate coverage to the UE 104. The base station 102 and the UE 104 may communicate via a downlink radio frame 118, and an uplink radio frame 124 respectively. Each radio frame 118/124 may be further divided into sub-frames 120/126 which may include data symbols 122/128. In the present disclosure, the BS 102 and UE 104 are described herein as non-limiting examples of “communication nodes, ” generally, which can practice the methods disclosed herein. Such communication nodes may be capable of wireless and/or wired communications, in accordance with various embodiments of the invention.

Figure 2 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary wireless communication system 200 for transmitting and receiving wireless communication signals, e.g., OFDM/OFDMA signals, in accordance with some embodiments of the invention. The system 200 may include components and elements configured to support known or conventional operating features that need not be described in detail herein. In one exemplary embodiment, system 200 can be used to transmit and receive data symbols in a wireless communication environment such as the wireless communication environment 100 of Figure 1, as described above.

System 200 generally includes a base station 202 (hereinafter “BS 202” ) and a user equipment device 204 (hereinafter “UE 204” ) . The BS 202 includes a BS (base station) transceiver module 210, a BS antenna 212, a BS processor module 214, a BS memory module 216, and a network communication module 218, each module being coupled and interconnected with one another as necessary via a date communication bus 220. The UE 204 includes a UE (user equipment) transceiver module 230, a UE antenna 232, a UE memory module 234, and a UE processor module 236, each module being coupled and interconnected with one another as necessary via a date communication bus 240. The BS 202 communicates with the UE 204 via a communication channel 250, which can be any wireless channel or other medium known in the art suitable for transmission of data as described herein.

As would be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art, system 200 may further include any number of modules other than the modules shown in Figure 2. Those skilled in the art will understand that the various illustrative blocks, modules, circuits, and processing logic described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented in hardware, computer-readable software, firmware, or any practical combination thereof. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability and compatibility of hardware, firmware, and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps are described generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware, or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Those familiar with the concepts described herein may implement such functionality in a suitable manner for each particular application, but such implementation decisions should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present invention.

In accordance with some embodiments, the UE transceiver 230 may be referred to herein as an "uplink"transceiver 230 that includes a RF transmitter and receiver circuitry that are each coupled to the antenna 232. A duplex switch (not shown) may alternatively couple the uplink transmitter or receiver to the uplink antenna in time duplex fashion. Similarly, in accordance with some embodiments, the BS transceiver 210 may be referred to herein as a "downlink" transceiver 210 that includes RF transmitter and receiver circuity that are each coupled to the antenna 212. A downlink duplex switch may alternatively couple the downlink transmitter or receiver to the downlink antenna 212 in time duplex fashion. The operations of the two transceivers 210 and 230 are coordinated in time such that the uplink receiver is coupled to the uplink antenna 232 for reception of transmissions over the wireless transmission link 250 at the same time that the downlink transmitter is coupled to the downlink antenna 212. Preferably there is close time synchronization with only a minimal guard time between changes in duplex direction.

The UE transceiver 230 and the base station transceiver 210 are configured to communicate via the wireless data communication link 250, and cooperate with a suitably configured RF antenna arrangement 212/232 that can support a particular wireless communication protocol and modulation scheme. In some exemplary embodiments, the UE transceiver 210 and the base station transceiver 210 are configured to support industry standards such as the Long Term Evolution (LTE) and emerging 5G standards, and the like. It is understood, however, that the invention is not necessarily limited in application to a particular standard and associated protocols. Rather, the UE transceiver 230 and the base station transceiver 210 may be configured to support alternate, or additional, wireless data communication protocols, including future standards or variations thereof.

In accordance with various embodiments, the BS 202 may be an evolved node B (eNB) , a serving eNB, a target eNB, a femto station, or a pico station, for example. In some embodiments, the UE 204 may be embodied in various types of user devices such as a mobile phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA) , tablet, laptop computer, wearable computing device, etc. The processor modules 214 and 236 may be implemented, or realized, with a general purpose processor, a content addressable memory, a digital signal processor, an application specific integrated circuit, a field programmable gate array, any suitable programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof, designed to perform the functions described herein. In this manner, a processor may be realized as a microprocessor, a controller, a microcontroller, a state machine, or the like. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a digital signal processor and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a digital signal processor core, or any other such configuration.

Furthermore, the steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with the embodiments disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in firmware, in a software module executed by processor modules 214 and 236, respectively, or in any practical combination thereof. The memory modules 216 and 234 may be realized as RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, a hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. In this regard, memory modules 216 and 234 may be coupled to the processor modules 210 and 230, respectively, such that the processors modules 210 and 230 can read information from, and write information to, memory modules 216 and 234, respectively. The memory modules 216 and 234 may also be integrated into their respective processor modules 210 and 230. In some embodiments, the memory modules 216 and 234 may each include a cache memory for storing temporary variables or other intermediate information during execution of instructions to be executed by processor modules 210 and 230, respectively. Memory modules 216 and 234 may also each include non-volatile memory for storing instructions to be executed by the processor modules 210 and 230, respectively.

The network communication module 218 generally represents the hardware, software, firmware, processing logic, and/or other components of the base station 202 that enable bi-directional communication between base station transceiver 210 and other network components and communication nodes configured to communication with the base station 202. For example, network communication module 218 may be configured to support internet or WiMAX traffic. In a typical deployment, without limitation, network communication module 218 provides an 802.3 Ethernet interface such that base station transceiver 210 can communicate with a conventional Ethernet based computer network. In this manner, the network communication module 218 may include a physical interface for connection to the computer network (e.g., Mobile Switching Center (MSC) ) .

The present disclosure provides various embodiments of systems and methods to divide a pre-defined system bandwidth (hereinafter “SBW” ) into one or more sub-bandwidths, also known as bandwidth parts (hereinafter “BWP” ) , so as to accommodate various applications used by respective different end users within one SBW. Further, the various embodiments of systems and methods provide techniques to divide the SBW into plural BWP’s based on various numerologies such as, for example, a global reference sub-carrier spacing (SCS) , respective different SCS’s , a maximum SCS, a minimum SCS, etc., which will be respectively discussed in further detail below. As such, the BWP’s , each of which is used by a respective end user, may have a respective number of resource blocks that can be used for transmission.

For example, referring again to Figure 1, before the BS 102 and the UE 104 communicate with each other via the communication link 110, the BS 102 may divide a SBW into plural BWPs, and use a higher level instruction (e.g., a radio resource control (RRC) signal) to inform the UE 104 of a respective BWP assigned to be used by the UE 104. In some embodiments, such a respective BWP may be in unit of MHz, which is typically referred to as a respective “channel bandwidth” of the BWP, or in units of resource blocks, which is typically referred to as a respective “transmission bandwidth” of the BWP.

Figures 3A and 3B illustrate an exemplary SBW 300 is divided into plural BWP’s (302, 304, 306, 308, etc. ) , each of which is associated with a respective channel bandwidth in unit of MHz. It is noted that the SBW 300 of Figures 3A and 3B is symbolically illustrated along a frequency domain in unit of MHz. Referring first to Figure 3A, the BWP’s 302, 304, and 306 divided from the SBW 300 may each have a respective channel bandwidth in unit of MHz, i.e., a respective frequency range. For example, the BWP 302 has a first channel bandwidth 303 (MHz) ； the BWP 304 has a second channel bandwidth 305 (MHz) ； and the BWP 306 has a third channel bandwidth 307 (MHz) . More specifically, each channel bandwidth is bounded by respective starting frequency and ending frequency. In some embodiments, a BS may inform a UE of the UE’s assigned BWP by providing the assigned BWP’s channel bandwidth (i.e., frequency range) and at least one of: a starting frequency, a middle frequency, and an ending frequency of the channel bandwidth. Referring now to Figure 3B, in addition to the BWP’s 302, 304, and 306 shown in Figure 3A, the SBW 300 may further include a BWP 308, which includes the BWP 302 and 304. As such, the BWP 308 has a channel bandwidth that is a sum of the

channel bandwidths

303 and 305, and has a starting frequency aligned with the starting frequency of the BWP 302 and an ending frequency aligned with the ending frequency of the BWP 304.

Figures 4A, 4B, 4C, 4D, 4E, and 4F illustrate an exemplary SBW 400 is divided into plural BWP’s (402, 404, 406, 408, 410, 412, 414, 416, 418, 420, 422, 424, 426, etc. ) in accordance with various configurations, each of which is associated with a respective transmission bandwidth in units of resource blocks, in accordance with various embodiments. It is noted that the SBW 400 of Figures 4A-4F is symbolically illustrated along the frequency domain in unit of MHz. As known by persons of ordinary skill in the art, each resource block extends across a pre-defined number of sub-carriers, each of which extends cross a frequency range, and the sub-carriers are spaced from one another with a sub-carrier spacing (SCS) in unit of kHz. Thus, for a BWP with a respective channel bandwidth (MHz) , a respective SCS may be used to further define (e.g., divide) a respective number of resource blocks of the BWP, i.e., a respective transmission bandwidth.

In Figure 4A, the BWP’s 402, 404, and 406 divided from the SBW 400 may each have a respective transmission bandwidth in units of resource blocks. More specifically, the number of resource blocks of each of the BWP’s 402, 404, and 406 is defined by a respective different SCS. For example, the BWP 402, having channel bandwidth 403, is defined by a first SCS to have a total number of 8 resource blocks； the BWP 404, having channel bandwidth 405, is defined by a second SCS to have a total number of 4 resource blocks； and the BWP 406, having channel bandwidth 407, is defined by a third SCS to have a total number of 4 resource blocks, wherein the first, second, and third SCS’s are different from each other in the current example. Figure 4B is substantially similar to Figure 4A except that the SBW 400 in Figure 4B further includes BWP’s 408 and 410 that have the channel bandwidths 403 (of the BWP 402) plus 405 (of the BWP 404) , and 407 (of the BWP 406) , respectively, but use respective different SCS’s to define the number of resource blocks (shown in dotted lines) . More specifically, even though the BWP 402 and BWP 404 have 8 and 4 resource blocks, respectively, the BWP 408 is defined by a fourth SCS (different from the first and second SCS’s used by the BWP’s 402 and 404, respectively) to have 8 resource blocks； and even though the BWP 406 has 4 resource blocks, the BWP 410 is defined by a fifth SCS (different from the third SCS used by the BWP 406) to have 16 resource blocks.

In Figure 4C, the BWP’s 412, 414, and 416 divided from the SBW 400 may each also have a respective transmission bandwidth. However, the respective transmission bandwidths of the BWP’s 412, 414, and 416 are defined by a global reference SCS, i.e., a common reference SCS are shared by the plural BWP's 412, 414, and 416. In other words, although the BWP’s 412, 414, and 416 may have respective different channel bandwidths, the respective transmission bandwidths of the BWP’s 412, 414, and 416 are defined by a same SCS, which may be a maximum SCS of a plurality of possible values of the SCS’s available to the SBW 400. Figure 4D is substantially similar to Figure 4C except that the SBW 400 in Figure 4D further includes BWP 418 having a transmission bandwidth that is a sum of the transmission bandwidths of the BWP’s 412 and 414.

In Figure 4E, the BWP’s 420, 422, and 426 divided from the SBW 400 may each also have a respective transmission bandwidth. However, the respective transmission bandwidths of the BWP’s 420, 422, and 426 are also defined by another global reference SCS, which may be a minimum SCS of the plurality of possible values of the SCS’s available to the SBW 400. Such a plurality of possible values of the SCS’s may be pre-defined in a protocol of a system network using the SBW 400. Figure 4F is substantially similar to Figure 4E except that the SBW 400 in Figure 4F further includes BWP 426 having a transmission bandwidth that is a sum of the transmission bandwidths of the BWP’s 420 and 422.

As mentioned above, when respective transmission bandwidths of plural BWP’s divided from a SBW are defined, one or more of a plurality of possible values of SCS’s available to the SBW are used. In some embodiments, regardless of which of the SCS’s is selected to be used, a respective transmission bandwidth of each of the divided BWP’s is limited by a transmission bandwidth when using a maximum SCS of the plurality of possible values of SCS’s . More specifically, the respective transmission bandwidth of each of the divided BWP’s can be divided evenly by the transmission bandwidth when using the maximum SCS of the plurality of possible values of SCS’s. In some embodiments, the transmission bandwidth when using the maximum SCS of the plurality of possible values of SCS’s may be expressed as:

or

wherein

represents a number of resource blocks of a BWP when the maximum SCS is used and

represents a number of sub-carriers of a resource block when the maximum SCS is used.

For example, Figure 5 illustrates BWP’s 502, 504, 506, 508, and 510 (with a same channel bandwidth) , divided from SBW 500, have respective different transmission bandwidths when different SCS’s are used, in accordance with some embodiments. In this example, there may be four possible values of SCS’s (15kHz, 30kHz, 60kHz, and 120kHz) available to the SBW 500. When a minimum SCS of these four (e.g., 15kHz) is used to define the transmission bandwidths of the BWP’s 502-510, each of the BWP’s 502-510 has a transmission bandwidth of a total number of 8 resource blocks； when a first intermediate SCS of these four (e.g., 30kHz) is used to define the transmission bandwidths of the BWP’s 502-510, each of the BWP’s 502-510 has a transmission bandwidth of a total number of 4 resource blocks； when a second intermediate SCS of these four (e.g., 60kHz) is used to define the transmission bandwidths of the BWP’s 502-510, each of the BWP’s 502-510 has a transmission bandwidth of a total number of 2 resource blocks； and when a maximum SCS of these four (e.g., 120kHz) is used to define the transmission bandwidths of the BWP’s 502-510, each of the BWP’s 502-510 has a transmission bandwidth of a total number of 1 resource block.

As such, when the minimum, first, and second SCS are used to define the respective transmission bandwidths of the BWP’s 502-510, the transmission bandwidths (e.g., 8, 4, and 2) can be divided evenly by the transmission bandwidth (e.g., 1) when the maximum SCS is used, which corresponds to 120 kHz in the above discussion. For example, when the minimum SCS (15kHz) is used to define the transmission bandwidth of each of the BWP’s 502-510, the transmission bandwidth is 8, which can be evenly divided by the transmission width of each of the BWP’s 502-510, e.g., 1, when the maximum SCS (120kHz) is used； when the first SCS (30kHz) , which is smaller than the maximum SCS, is used to define the transmission bandwidth of each of the BWP’s 502-510, the transmission bandwidth is 4, which can be evenly divided by the transmission width of each of the BWP’s 502-510, e.g., 1, when the maximum SCS (120kHz) is used； when the second SCS (60kHz) , which is smaller than the maximum SCS, is used to define the transmission bandwidth of each of the BWP’s 502-510, the transmission bandwidth is 2, which can be evenly divided by the transmission width of each of the BWP’s 502-510, e.g., 1, when the maximum SCS (120kHz) is used.

Moreover, it is also noted that regardless of which of the SCS’s is selected to be used, the respective transmission bandwidth of each of the BWP’s 502-510 are bounded by a respective boundary 520 of a transmission width when the maximum SCS is used. For example, when the minimum SCS (15kHz) is used to define the transmission bandwidth of each of the BWP’s 502-510, the transmission bandwidth of each of the BWP’s 502-510 is bounded by the boundary 520 (i.e., the boundary of the transmission width of each of the BWP’s 502-510 when the maximum SCS (120kHz) is used) ； when the first SCS (30kHz) is used to define the transmission bandwidth of each of the BWP’s 502-510, the transmission bandwidth of each of the BWP’s 502-510 is bounded by the boundary 520 (i.e., the boundary of the transmission width of each of the BWP’s 502-510 when the maximum SCS (120kHz) is used) ； when the second SCS (60kHz) is used to define the transmission bandwidth of each of the BWP’s 502-510, the transmission bandwidth of each of the BWP’s 502-510 is bounded by the boundary 520 (i.e., the boundary of the transmission width of each of the BWP’s 502-510 when the maximum SCS (120kHz) is used) .

As mentioned above, in the legacy LTE network, channel bandwidths 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, and 20 (MHz) are used. In order to be compatible with the channel bandwidths of the LTE network, according to some embodiments, a respective channel bandwidth of a BWP mentioned above (e.g., 302, 304, 306, 308, etc. ) may be expressed as a first-degree polynomial, wherein each term of the first-degree polynomial is one of the channel bandwidths of the LTE network multiplied by either 0 or a positive integer, i.e., N1×1.4 + N2×3 + N3×5 + N4×10 + N5×15 +N6×20, or simply N1×1.4 + N2×3 + N3×5, wherein N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, and N6 are each a positive integer or 0. For example, a channel bandwidth of a BWP may be: 1×20 + 1×5 + 2×1.4 ＝ 27.8 (MHz) .

Moreover, in the legacy LTE network, each channel bandwidth corresponds to a transmission bandwidth (in units of resource blocks) . More specifically, the channel bandwidth of 1.4 (MHz) corresponds to a transmission bandwidth of 6； the channel bandwidth of 3 (MHz) corresponds to a transmission bandwidth of 15； the channel bandwidth of 5 (MHz) corresponds to a transmission bandwidth of 25； the channel bandwidth of 10 (MHz) corresponds to a transmission bandwidth of 50； the channel bandwidth of 15 (MHz) corresponds to a transmission bandwidth of 75； and the channel bandwidth of 20 (MHz) corresponds to a transmission bandwidth of 100. Similarly, In order to be compatible with the transmission bandwidths of the LTE network, according to some embodiments, a respective transmission bandwidth of a BWP mentioned above (e.g., 402, 404, 406, 408, etc. ) may be expressed as a first-degree polynomial, wherein each term of the first-degree polynomial is one of the transmission bandwidths of the LTE network multiplied by either 0 or a positive integer, i.e., N1×6 + N2×15 + N3×25 + N4×50 + N5×75 + N6×100, or simply N1×6 + N2×15 + N3×25, wherein N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, and N6 are each a positive integer or 0. For example, a transmission bandwidth of a BWP may be: 1×6 + 1×15 + 2×100 ＝ 221 (i.e., a total number of 221 resource blocks. ) .

In some embodiments, when a BS assigns a BWP to a UE, the BS may inform the UE of one or more of the BWP’s channel bandwidth, transmission bandwidth, boundary, and middle point. Further, in some embodiments, the boundary may be selected from a group consisting of: a resource block index corresponding to a starting frequency of the BWP’s channel bandwidth, a resource block index corresponding to an ending frequency of the BWP’s channel bandwidth, a sub-carrier index corresponding to the starting frequency of the BWP’s channel bandwidth, and a sub-carrier index corresponding to the ending frequency of the BWP’s channel bandwidth. In some embodiments, the middle point may be selected from a group consisting of: a resource block index corresponding to a middle frequency of the BWP’s channel bandwidth and a sub-carrier index corresponding to the middle frequency of the BWP’s channel bandwidth.

In some alternative embodiments, the channel bandwidth (in unit of MHz) of each of the above-mentioned BWP’s can be further divided into one or more resource block groups (RBG’s ) based on a respective SCS. Such an RBG may include one or more resource blocks. And when a BS assigns a BWP to a UE, the BS may inform the UE of such a BWP by indicating corresponding RBG number (s) of the BWP. For example, when a SBW has a bandwidth of 200 MHz, and the SBW is divided into BWP1 with a channel bandwidth of 50 MHz, BWP 2 with a channel bandwidth of 100 MHz, BWP 3 with a channel bandwidth of 50 MHz, and BWP 4 with a channel bandwidth of 25 MHz. It is noted that a sum of the bandwidths of the BWP 1-4 is not necessarily equal to 200 MHz since one BWP may have a channel bandwidth that is a sum of two or more respective bandwidths of other BWP’s, which is shown above with respect to Figures 3B, 4B, 4D, and 4F.

Continuing with the above example, in a scenario, when the BWP1 (50 MHz) is divided into plural RBG’s using an SCS of 15 kHz and the BWP3 (also 50 MHz) is divided into plural RBG’s using another SCS of 30 kHz, RBG numbers of the BWP1 and BWP3 may be 4N and 2N (N is a positive integer) , respectively. In another scenario, when the BWP1 (50 MHz) is divided into plural RBG’s using an SCS of 15 kHz and the BWP4 (25 MHz) is divided into plural RBG’s using the same SCS of 15 kHz, RBG numbers of the BWP1 and BWP4 may be 4N and 4N (N is a positive integer) , respectively. Yet in another scenario, when the BWP2 (100 MHz) is divided into plural RBG’s using an SCS of 60 kHz and the BWP1 (50 MHz) is divided into plural RBG’s using another SCS of 15 kHz, RBG numbers of the BWP2 and BWP2 may be 2N and 4N (N is a positive integer) , respectively.

While various embodiments of the invention have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not by way of limitation. Likewise, the various diagrams may depict an example architectural or configuration, which are provided to enable persons of ordinary skill in the art to understand exemplary features and functions of the invention. Such persons would understand, however, that the invention is not restricted to the illustrated example architectures or configurations, but can be implemented using a variety of alternative architectures and configurations. Additionally, as would be understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art, one or more features of one embodiment can be combined with one or more features of another embodiment described herein. Thus, the breadth and scope of the present disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments.

It is also understood that any reference to an element herein using a designation such as "first, " "second, " and so forth does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. Rather, these designations can be used herein as a convenient means of distinguishing between two or more elements or instances of an element. Thus, a reference to first and second elements does not mean that only two elements can be employed, or that the first element must precede the second element in some manner.

Additionally, a person having ordinary skill in the art would understand that information and signals can be represented using any of a variety of different technologies and techniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits and symbols, for example, which may be referenced in the above description can be represented by voltages, currents, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields or particles, or any combination thereof.

A person of ordinary skill in the art would further appreciate that any of the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, processors, means, circuits, methods and functions described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein can be implemented by electronic hardware (e.g., a digital implementation, an analog implementation, or a combination of the two) , firmware, various forms of program or design code incorporating instructions (which can be referred to herein, for convenience, as "software" or a "software module) , or any combination of these techniques. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware, firmware and software, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented as hardware, firmware or software, or a combination of these techniques, depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans can implement the described functionality in various ways for each particular application, but such implementation decisions do not cause a departure from the scope of the present disclosure.

Furthermore, a person of ordinary skill in the art would understand that various illustrative logical blocks, modules, devices, components and circuits described herein can be implemented within or performed by an integrated circuit (IC) that can include a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP) , an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) , a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, or any combination thereof. The logical blocks, modules, and circuits can further include antennas and/or transceivers to communicate with various components within the network or within the device. A general purpose processor can be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor can be any conventional processor, controller, or state machine. A processor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other suitable configuration to perform the functions described herein.

If implemented in software, the functions can be stored as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Thus, the steps of a method or algorithm disclosed herein can be implemented as software stored on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that can be enabled to transfer a computer program or code from one place to another. A storage media can be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer.

In this document, the term "module"as used herein, refers to software, firmware, hardware, and any combination of these elements for performing the associated functions described herein. Additionally, for purpose of discussion, the various modules are described as discrete modules； however, as would be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art, two or more modules may be combined to form a single module that performs the associated functions according embodiments of the invention.

Additionally, memory or other storage, as well as communication components, may be employed in embodiments of the invention. It will be appreciated that, for clarity purposes, the above description has described embodiments of the invention with reference to different functional units and processors. However, it will be apparent that any suitable distribution of functionality between different functional units, processing logic elements or domains may be used without detracting from the invention. For example, functionality illustrated to be performed by separate processing logic elements, or controllers, may be performed by the same processing logic element, or controller. Hence, references to specific functional units are only references to a suitable means for providing the described functionality, rather than indicative of a strict logical or physical structure or organization.

Various modifications to the implementations described in this disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other implementations without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not intended to be limited to the implementations shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the novel features and principles disclosed herein, as recited in the claims below.

Claims

A method, comprising:

separating a system bandwidth into a plurality of sub-bandwidths based on at least a first one of a plurality of sub-carrier spacings,

wherein each of the plurality of sub-bandwidths corresponds to a respective number of resource blocks,

and wherein the respective numbers of resource blocks are each determined based on a second one of the plurality of sub-carrier spacing, the second one being greater than or equal to the first one.
The method of claim 1, wherein each of the respective numbers of resource blocks can be evenly divided by a respective number of a sub-bandwidth separated from the system bandwidth using a maximum one of the plurality of sub-carrier spacings.
The method of claim 1, further comprising:

indicating at least a first one of the plurality of sub-bandwidths to a communication node by transmitting an indication selected from one or more of frequency range, boundary, and middle point of the at least first one of the plurality of sub-bandwidths.
The method of claim 3, wherein the boundary comprises at least one of: a resource block index corresponding to a starting frequency of the at least first one of the plurality of sub-bandwidths, a resource block index corresponding to an ending frequency of the at least first one of the plurality of sub-bandwidths, a sub-carrier index corresponding to the starting frequency of the at least first one of the plurality of sub-bandwidths, and a sub-carrier index corresponding to the ending frequency of the at least first one of the plurality of sub-bandwidths.
The method of claim 3, wherein the middle point comprises: a resource block index corresponding to a middle frequency of the at least first one of the plurality of sub-bandwidths, and a sub-carrier index corresponding to the middle frequency of the at least first one of the plurality of sub-bandwidths.
The method of claim 1, wherein the respective numbers of resource blocks are each limited by a relationship selected from: N1×6 + N2×15 + N3×25 + N4×50 + N5×75 + N6×100, and N1×6 + N2×15 + N3×25, wherein N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, and N6 are each a positive integer or 0.
The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of sub-bandwidths corresponds to a frequency range, and the range is limited by a relationship selected from: N1×1.4 + N2×3 + N3×5 + N4×10 + N5×15 + N6×20, and N1×1.4 + N2×3 + N3×5, wherein N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, and N6 are each a positive integer or 0.
The method of claim 1, further comprising:

indicating a second one of the plurality of sub-bandwidths to a communication node by transmitting an indication selected from one or more of frequency range, boundary, and middle point of the second one of the plurality of sub-bandwidths, wherein the second one of the plurality of sub-bandwidths is determined by the second one of the plurality of sub-carrier spacing.
The method of claim 1, further comprising:

indicating a third one of the plurality of sub-bandwidths to a communication node by transmitting a respective resource block group number of the third one of the plurality of sub-bandwidths and a corresponding sub-carrier spacing, wherein the third one of the plurality of sub-bandwidths is determined by the corresponding sub-carrier spacing, and wherein the resource block group number comprises a respective number of a subset of resource blocks and the respective number of the subset of resource blocks is determined based on the corresponding sub-carrier spacing and the third one of the plurality of sub-bandwidths.
A method, comprising:

receiving a signal transmitted using one of a plurality of sub-bandwidths,

wherein the plurality of sub-bandwidths are separated from a system bandwidth based on at least a first one of a plurality of sub-carrier spacings,

wherein each of the plurality of sub-bandwidths corresponds to a respective number of resource blocks,

and wherein the respective numbers of resource blocks are each determined based on a second one of the plurality of sub-carrier spacings, the second one being greater than or equal to the first one.
The method of claim 10, wherein each of the respective numbers of resource blocks can be evenly divided by a respective number of a sub-bandwidth separated from the system bandwidth using a maximum one of the plurality of sub-carrier spacings.
The method of claim 10, wherein the respective numbers of resource blocks are each limited by a relationship selected from: N1×6 + N2×15 + N3×25 + N4×50 + N5×75 + N6×100, and N1×6 + N2×15 + N3×25, wherein N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, and N6 are each a positive integer or 0.
The method of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of sub-bandwidths corresponds to a frequency range, and the range is limited by a relationship selected from: N1×1.4 + N2×3 + N3×5 + N4×10 + N5×15 + N6×20, and N1×1.4 + N2×3 + N3×5, wherein N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, and N6 are each a positive integer or 0.
The method of claim 10, wherein the signal indicates one or more of a frequency range, a boundary, and a middle point of the one of a plurality of sub-bandwidths.
The method of claim 14, wherein the boundary comprises at least one of: a resource block index corresponding to a starting frequency of the one of a plurality of sub-bandwidths, a resource block index corresponding to an ending frequency of the one of a plurality of sub-bandwidths, a sub-carrier index corresponding to the starting frequency of the one of a plurality of sub-bandwidths, and a sub-carrier index corresponding to the ending frequency of the one of a plurality of sub-bandwidths.
The method of claim 10, wherein the middle point comprises: a resource block index corresponding to a middle frequency of the one of a plurality of sub-bandwidths, and a sub-carrier index corresponding to the middle frequency of the one of a plurality of sub-bandwidths.
A communication node, comprising:

at least one processor configured to separate a system bandwidth into a plurality of sub-bandwidths based on at least a first one of a plurality of sub-carrier spacings,

wherein each of the plurality of sub-bandwidths corresponds to a respective number of resource blocks,

and wherein the respective numbers of resource blocks are each determined based on a second one of the plurality of sub-carrier spacing, the second one being greater than or equal to the first one； and

a transmitter configured transmit an indication selected from one or more of frequency range, boundary, and middle point of the at least first one of the plurality of sub-bandwidths to indicate at least a first one of the plurality of sub-bandwidths to a communication node.
The communication node of claim 17, wherein each of the respective numbers of resource blocks can be evenly divided by a respective number of a sub-bandwidth separated from the system bandwidth using a maximum one of the plurality of sub-carrier spacings.
The communication node of claim 17, wherein the boundary comprises at least one of: a resource block index corresponding to a starting frequency of the at least first one of the plurality of sub-bandwidths, a resource block index corresponding to an ending frequency of the at least first one of the plurality of sub-bandwidths, a sub-carrier index corresponding to the starting frequency of the at least first one of the plurality of sub-bandwidths, and a sub-carrier index corresponding to the ending frequency of the at least first one of the plurality of sub-bandwidths.
The communication node of claim 17, wherein the middle point comprises: a resource block index corresponding to a middle frequency of the at least first one of the plurality of sub- bandwidths, and a sub-carrier index corresponding to the middle frequency of the at least first one of the plurality of sub-bandwidths.
The communication node of claim 17, wherein the respective numbers of resource blocks are each limited by a relationship selected from: N1×6 + N2×15 + N3×25 + N4×50 + N5×75 + N6×100, and N1×6 + N2×15 + N3×25, wherein N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, and N6 are each a positive integer or 0.
The communication node of claim 17, wherein each of the plurality of sub-bandwidths corresponds to a frequency range, and the range is limited by a relationship selected from: N1×1.4 + N2×3 + N3×5 + N4×10 + N5×15 + N6×20, and N1×1.4 + N2×3 + N3×5, wherein N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, and N6 are each a positive integer or 0.
A communication node, comprising:

a receiver configured to receive a signal transmitted using one of a plurality of sub-bandwidths,

wherein the plurality of sub-bandwidths are separated from a system bandwidth based on at least a first one of a plurality of sub-carrier spacings,

wherein each of the plurality of sub-bandwidths corresponds to a respective number of resource blocks,

and wherein the respective numbers of resource blocks are each determined based on a second one of the plurality of sub-carrier spacing, the second one being greater than or equal to the first one.
The communication node of claim 23, wherein each of the respective numbers of resource blocks can be evenly divided by a respective number of a sub-bandwidth separated from the system bandwidth using a maximum one of the plurality of sub-carrier spacings.
The communication node of claim 23, wherein the respective numbers of resource blocks are each limited by a relationship selected from: N1×6 + N2×15 + N3×25 + N4×50 + N5×75 + N6×100, and N1×6 + N2×15 + N3×25, wherein N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, and N6 are each a positive integer or 0.
The communication node of claim 23, wherein each of the plurality of sub-bandwidths corresponds to a frequency range, and the range is limited by a relationship selected from: N1×1.4 + N2×3 + N3×5 + N4×10 + N5×15 + N6×20, and N1×1.4 + N2×3 + N3×5, wherein N1, N2, N3, N4, N5, and N6 are each a positive integer or 0.
The communication node of claim 23, wherein the signal indicates one or more of a frequency range, a boundary, and a middle point of the one of a plurality of sub-bandwidths.
The communication node of claim 27, wherein the boundary comprises at least one of: a resource block index corresponding to a starting frequency of the one of a plurality of sub-bandwidths, a resource block index corresponding to an ending frequency of the one of a plurality of sub-bandwidths, a sub-carrier index corresponding to the starting frequency of the one of a plurality of sub-bandwidths, and a sub-carrier index corresponding to the ending frequency of the one of a plurality of sub-bandwidths.
The communication node of claim 27, wherein the middle point comprises: a resource block index corresponding to a middle frequency of the one of a plurality of sub-bandwidths, and a sub-carrier index corresponding to the middle frequency of the one of a plurality of sub-bandwidths.