WO2020069416A1 - Time-domain resource allocation for repeated transmissions in new radio - Google Patents

Abstract

Methods, systems, and storage media are described for the allocation of time-domain resources for repeated transmissions in new radio. Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

Description

TIME-DOMAIN RESOURCE ALLOCATION FOR REPEATED TRANSMISSIONS IN

NEW RADIO

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/739,030 filed September 28, 2018 and entitled“SYSTEM AND METHODS OF TIME-DOMAIN RESOURCE ALLOCATION FOR REPEATED TRANSMISSIONS,” and to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/743,305 filed October 9, 2018 and entitled “TIME DOMAIN RESOURCE ALLOCATION FOR REPEATED TRANSMISSIONS,” the entire disclosures of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND

Among other things, embodiments described herein are directed to the allocation of time- domain resources for repeated transmissions. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be used in conjunction with transmissions for new radio (NR).

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. To facilitate this description, like reference numerals designate like structural elements. Embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings.

Figures 1 and 2, and 3 illustrate examples of operation flow/algorithmic structures in accordance with some embodiments.

Figure 4A illustrates an example of back-to-back repetitions indicated dynamically, compared to separate DCI for each retransmission without crossing a slot boundary.

Figures 4B and 4C illustrates examples of aggregated PUSCH allocation in accordance with some embodiments.

Figure 5 depicts an architecture of a system of a network in accordance with some embodiments.

Figure 6 depicts an example of components of a device in accordance with some embodiments.

Figure 7 depicts an example of interfaces of baseband circuitry in accordance with some embodiments.

Figure 8 depicts a block diagram illustrating components, according to some embodiments, able to read instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments discussed herein may relate to the allocation of time-domain resources for repeated transmissions in new radio (NR). Other embodiments may be described and/or claimed.

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers may be used in different drawings to identify the same or similar elements. In the following description, for purposes of explanation and not limitation, specific details are set forth such as particular structures, architectures, interfaces, techniques, etc., in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various aspects of the claimed invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the present disclosure that the various aspects of the invention claimed may be practiced in other examples that depart from these specific details. In certain instances, descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the present invention with unnecessary detail.

Various aspects of the illustrative embodiments will be described using terms commonly employed by those skilled in the art to convey the substance of their work to others skilled in the art. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that alternate embodiments may be practiced with only some of the described aspects. For purposes of explanation, specific numbers, materials, and configurations are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the illustrative embodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that alternate embodiments may be practiced without the specific details. In other instances, well-known features are omitted or simplified in order not to obscure the illustrative embodiments.

Further, various operations will be described as multiple discrete operations, in turn, in a manner that is most helpful in understanding the illustrative embodiments; however, the order of description should not be construed as to imply that these operations are necessarily order dependent. In particular, these operations need not be performed in the order of presentation.

The phrase“in various embodiments,”“in some embodiments,” and the like may refer to the same, or different, embodiments. The terms“comprising,”“having,” and“including” are synonymous, unless the context dictates otherwise. The phrase“A and/or B” means (A), (B), or (A and B). The phrases“A/B” and“A or B” mean (A), (B), or (A and B), similar to the phrase“A and/or B.” For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrase“at least one of A and B” means (A), (B), or (A and B). The description may use the phrases “in an embodiment,”“in embodiments,”“in some embodiments,” and/or“in various embodiments,” which may each refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments. Furthermore, the terms“comprising,” “including,”“having,” and the like, as used with respect to embodiments of the present disclosure, are synonymous.

Examples of embodiments may be described as a process depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a data flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations may be performed in parallel, concurrently, or simultaneously. In addition, the order of the operations may be re arranged. A process may be terminated when its operations are completed, but may also have additional steps not included in the figure(s). A process may correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, and the like. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination may correspond to a return of the function to the calling function and/or the main function.

Examples of embodiments may be described in the general context of computer- executable instructions, such as program code, software modules, and/or functional processes, being executed by one or more of the aforementioned circuitry. The program code, software modules, and/or functional processes may include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., that perform particular tasks or implement particular data types. The program code, software modules, and/or functional processes discussed herein may be implemented using existing hardware in existing communication networks. For example, program code, software modules, and/or functional processes discussed herein may be implemented using existing hardware at existing network elements or control nodes.

Mobile communication has evolved significantly from early voice systems to today’s highly sophisticated integrated communication platform. The next generation wireless communication system, 5G, or new radio (NR) will provide access to information and sharing of data anywhere, anytime by various users and applications. NR is expected to be a unified network/system that target to meet vastly different and sometime conflicting performance dimensions and services. Such diverse multi-dimensional requirements are driven by different services and applications. In general, NR will evolve based on 3GPP LTE-Advanced with additional potential new Radio Access Technologies (RATs) to enrich people lives with beher, simple and seamless wireless connectivity implementations. NR will enable everything connected by wireless and deliver fast, rich content and services.

Legacy NR (5G) included a baseline set of features and components for future cellular communication systems, including the aspects of ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC) by means of flexible resources allocation, scheduling & HARQ, low spectrum efficiency transmission parameters, etc.

Embodiments disclosed herein may be directed to enhanced PUSCH transmission, with respect to consideration of the repeated transmissions. In particular, PUSCH repetition related enhancements are disclosed. Further, embodiments disclosed herein may be directed to detailed mechanisms to indicate the time-domain resources for the repeated transmissions to the UE. In some embodiments, one of the enhancements regarding physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) and physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission, is consideration of the repeated transmissions. Embodiments described herein may be directed to PUSCH and PDSCH repetition related enhancements. In particular, the mechanisms to indicate the time-domain resources for the repeated transmissions to the UE, are discussed and disclosed.

Dynamic indication of shared channel transmission aggregation level

In embodiments, one of the techniques to improve tradeoff between latency and reliability and overall scheduling flexibility considering current slotted frame structure in NR is to enable dynamic aggregation of PUSCH transmissions. Although legacy PUSCH duration is already quite flexible and could be from 1 symbol to 14 or 12 symbols (for NCP and ECP respectively), it cannot accommodate the cases when relatively short transmission comparable to slot or less than a slot starts in the middle of one slot and ends in another slot. This situation is illustrated in Figure 4A, which illustrates an example of back-to-back repetitions indicated dynamically (at the bottom portion) vs. separate DCI for each retransmission without crossing slot boundary (at the top portion). In Figure 4A, a typical legacy transmission is fitted into one slot (top part of the figure), while enhanced transmission may be achieved by aggregation of two in different slots (bottom part of the figure). It should be noted, that it may also be done by sending two grants, however it may cause large (at least doubled) control overhead which may lead to UE blocking.

In some embodiments, the number of repetitions could be jointly configured to the user equipment (UE) using UE-specific radio resource control (RRC) signaling as part of the time- domain resource allocation table in addition to starting symbol, length of PUSCH, and PUSCH mapping type. Following this, the number of repetitions can be indicated along with other time domain resource allocation (RA) information using the currently defined time-domain resource assignment bit-field in DCI format 0 0 (using 4 bits) or in downlink control information (DCI) format 0_l (using 0/1/2/3/4 bits, depending on the number of rows in the higher-layer configured time-domain resource allocation table). In order to reduce any negative impact on the flexibility in time-domain allocation possible in Rel-l5, the numbers of repetitions could be jointly encoded with the start and length indicator value (SLIV) information (latter indicating start and length of the PUSCH) or certain specific combinations of numbers of repetitions (that are indicated dynamically) and start and length combinations may only be supported by the specifications.

Currently, when the UE is scheduled to transmit a transport block and no CSI report, or the UE is scheduled to transmit a transport block and a CSI report on PUSCH by a DCI, the Time domain resource assignment field value m of the DCI provides a row index in + 1 to an allocated table. The indexed row defines the slot offset K2, the start and length indicator SIJV. or directly the start symbol S and the allocation length L, and the PUSCH mapping type to be applied in the PUSCH transmission.

When the UE is scheduled to transmit a transport block and no CSI report, or the UE is scheduled to transmit a transport block and a CSI report(s) on PUSCH by a DCI, the Time domain resource assignment field value m of the DCI provides a row index in + 1 to an allocated table. The determination of the used resource allocation table is defined in sub-clause 6.1.2.1.1. The indexed row defines the slot offset K2, the start and length indicator SUV. or directly the start symbol S and the allocation length L, and the PUSCH mapping type to be applied in the PUSCH transmission.

- The slot where the UE shall transmit the PUSCH is determined by K2 as

where n is the slot with the scheduling DCI, K2 is based on the numerology

m_{h: n} and _/z_{m n} are the subcarrier spacing configurations for PUSCH

respectively, and

- The starting symbol S relative to the start of the slot, and the number of consecutive symbols L counting from the symbol S allocated for the PUSCH are determined from the start and length indicator SUV of the indexed row:

if (L- 1) <7 then

SLIV= U-{L-\)+S

else

SLIV = 14 · (14 - Z, + 1) + (14 - 1 - S')

where 0 < L < 14 - S , and

- The PUSCH mapping type is set to Type A or Type B as defined in Subclause 6.4.1.1.3 of 3GPP TS 38.211 as given by the indexed row.

The UE may consider the S and L combinations defined in table 6.1.2.1-1 as valid PUSCH allocations:

Table 6.1.2.1-1: Valid 5 and L combinations

In embodiments, in order to reduce any negative impact on the flexibility in time-domain allocation possible in Rel-l5, the numbers of repetitions could be jointly encoded with the SLIV information (latter indicating start and length of the PUSCH) or certain specific combinations of numbers of repetitions (that are indicated dynamically) and start and length combinations may only be supported by the specifications. In embodiments, only L < L_th values from the above table can be configured for repetition numbers beyond a given value, e.g., R, where L_th is a threshold computed based on R. For example, if R = 2, then L_th may be set to 5, etc.

In embodiments, if L -1 < L_th, then SLIV = l4R (L - l) + S, where L and R should be selected such that 0 < RL < 14 - S.

In embodiments, repetitions of a transmission comprising some lengths, such as a set of values of L, where L < 14, may not cross slot boundary. In that case, some restrictions can be applied for total length with repetition such as 2 <= RL <= 14 - S, where R is the repetition factor and L is the length of one transmission of a TB, i.e., number of consecutive symbols comprising a PUSCH without repetition. Below, are examples for R = 2 and 4 to obtain valid S and L combinations. Here, R can be higher layer configured or indicated as part of the scheduling DCI. In one example, R can also be indicated as part of the index indication from a higher layer configured table pusch-symbolAllocation. , where the indexed row may also define R along with the slot offset K2, the start and length indicator SUV. and the PUSCH mapping type to be applied in the PUSCH transmission.

Table 1: Example of updated table for valid S and L combinations, for R = 2

Table 2: Example of updated table for valid S and L combinations, for R = 4

In embodiments, even when the UE is configured with slot aggregation with the aggregation factor configured via RRC signaling, UE can be expected to follow the dynamic indication if also configured and as indicated in the scheduling or activation DCI (for Type 2 CG PUSCH). This can be done via a predefined over-riding rule, or by some dynamic indication of which type of signaling (e.g., RRC signaling vs dynamic signaling) to follow.

In embodiments, the RRC signaling may include the repetition level as part of time domain indication field is illustrated in Message Box 1 below, with underline text indicating the changes comparing to current message content. Message box 1: Example of updated RRC signaling to include the repetition factor

— ASNlSTART

— TAG-PUSCH-TIMEDOMAINRESOURCEALLOCATIONLIST-START

PUSCH-TimeDomainResourceAllocationList ::= SEQUENCE

(SIZE(1.. maxNrofUL-Allocations ) ) OF PUSCH-TimeDomainResourceAllocation

PUSCH-TimeDomainResourceAllocation ::= SEQUENCE {

k2 INTEGER ( 0..32) OPTIONAL, — Need

S

mappingType ENUMERATED { typeA, typeB},

startSymbolAndLength INTEGER (0..127),

aggregationLevel-rl6_ ENUMERATED (1, 2, 4, 8} OPTIONAL,

— TAG-PUSCH-TIMEDOMAINRESOURCEALLOCATIONLIST-STOP

— ASN1STOP

Further, in embodiments, when the repetitions are scheduled, they may be performed in at least two ways:

Type A. Slot-based repetitions, i.e. the same time domain allocation may be used in repeated slots, in particular the starting symbol, duration of PUSCH, and PUSCH mapping type in each slot in an aggregation are the same and derived from the time domain resource allocation field of the DCI scheduling PUSCH or activating Type 2 CG-PUSCH.

Type B. Back-to-back repetitions, i.e. the starting symbol of repetitions other than initial one is derived based on ending symbol of the previous repetition or based on other rule/indication so that repetitions may even be performed within one slot or with minimum/no gap in different slots as illustrated in Figure 1.

For DL or UL data repeated transmission, each transmission duration or starting/end symbol position can be different in different slots, which depends on DL control region sizes or CORESET duration, guard period duration, NR physical uplink control channel (NR-PUCCH) duration, and whether reference signal including at least channel state information - reference signal (CSI-RS), sounding reference signal (SRS), RS for beam management, etc., is present within the slot.

In some embodiments, to signal the data duration or starting/end symbol for each transmission, a bitmap for the data starting and/or end symbol, e g., in each slot, can be configured by higher layers or indicated in the DCI. The DCI can be carried in the first stage DCI in case when multiple-stage DCI is used to schedule the data transmission.

In other embodiments, the UE derives the starting positions and/or transmission duration of repetitions across slots boundary(ies), from DL/UL control region or durations of one or more CORESETs and guard period duration for each slot, and SLIV values regarding the TD allocation for the initial transmission as well as other prior repetitions. UE may obtain the information regarding the number of symbols for DL control or UL control channel from slot type related information carried by group common PDCCH, and semi-static configuration of guard period duration. After that, UE can derive the data duration for each slot.

Further, gNB may indicate the CSI-RS or other RS configurations within desired slots to accommodate the repeated transmissions, via DCI for data scheduling or group common PDCCH. In this case, UE may perform rate-matching around the RS in accordance with configuration.

In embodiments, two start positions may be indicated, where one or both can be dynamically or semi-statically indicated. It is also possible that the start position of the first repetition is dynamically indicated whereas the start position of the second or subsequent repetitions may be configured by higher layer, e.g., relative to the end of the previous repetitions or based on pre-defmed rules. Such rules may depend on where exactly in the slot the previous repetition ends. Further, different rules can be defined for TDD and FDD, e.g., for certain SFI in TDD, different rules can be identified associated with given SFI.

One important aspect to be considered, is how the UE identifies available uplink (UL) symbols for mapping of the PUSCH repetitions, e.g., the case where certain symbols in a slot are identified as downlink (DL) symbols by higher layer signaling or the case wherein a UE receives an slot format indication (SFI) indication before or while repetitions are going on, and consequently, the overall transmission may be affected.

In embodiments, the UE may assume those symbols indicated as UL or“Flexible” via semi-static DL-UL configurations (cell-specific and/or UE-specific configurations) as available for mapping of PUSCH repetitions.

Further, the symbols identified as“Flexible” via semi-static configuration may be further subject to reception of other dynamic triggers, e.g., scheduling DCI formats for DL/UL scheduling or dynamic SFI conveyed via DCI format 2 0.

In embodiments, the UE may assume only those symbols indicated as“UL” via semi-static DL-UL configurations (cell-specific and/or UE-specific configurations) as available for mapping of PUSCH repetitions.

For the case of interaction with dynamic SFI, it may not be possible for the UE to postpone the transmission by skipping affected symbols that have a conflicting direction (i.e., SFI via DCI 2 0 indicating DL or“Flexible.”). Accordingly, the mapping of back-to-back repetitions may be realized only considering the available UL symbols based on semi-static DL-UL configurations and further dropping rules can be defined to address interaction with dynamic SFI as described next.

Currently, for the case of slot aggregation and dynamically scheduled PUSCH, the UE may not receive an SFI changing some symbols to DL or’’Flexible”, during the transmissions within the allocated slots. This is because in Rel-l5, any change/update which impacts a dynamically scheduled transmission, is not allowed. In other words, the UE is not expected to have conflict on link (DL or UL) direction between that of dynamic SFI and that of UE specific data (e.g., UE specific DCI triggered PUSCH (grant-based), or DCI granted multi-slot transmission), in Rel-l5.

On the other hand, if a grant-free PUSCH is going on, the UE may receive an SFI changing some symbols to DL or“Flexible.” In such a case, the transmission in the corresponding slot as well as all the subsequent transmissions are dropped. While there is no restriction for type 1 vs type 2 GF transmission in such case, and both may be handled the same, the first PUSCH transmission opportunity for type 2 that follows the activation DCI and the PUSCH transmission opportunity to carrying the Configured Grant PUSCH MAC CE confirmation message in response to a de-activation command, are treated similar to dynamically granted PUSCH, and not subject to dynamic cancelation based on SFI conveyed via DCI format 2 0. From this perspective, for type 2 GF UL, the SFI can then override a subsequent transmission opportunity, but not the very first one or the last PUSCH resource used to carry the MAC CE confirmation in response to a de activation/release command.

In embodiments, if a grant-free PUSCH (repetitions) is going on and the UE receives an SFI changing some symbols to DL or“Flexible,” only the transmission in the corresponding slot may be dropped, and the transmission in the subsequent transmissions may take place as before. As a further extension, considering support of repetitions of PUSCH transmission within a slot, only the affected repetitions within a slot (that is, with some symbols having conflicting directions (DL or“Flexible” via dynamic SFI) may be dropped, and other repetitions within the same slot or in subsequent slots may still be transmitted. As another option, only the transmissions in the affected symbols with conflicting link direction from dynamic SFI (via DCI 2 0) may be dropped (punctured) by the UE when transmitting the PUSCH. In other words, the UE maps the generated modulated symbols PUSCH TB assuming all symbols corresponding to a repetition as available, but does not transmit the symbols corresponding to the affected symbols out of those used for a particular repetition of the TB.

Aggregation of time domain resource allocations for shared channel transmission

In embodiments, to realize mini-slot UL repetitions across slot boundary for grant-based transmissions, especially for low-latency traffic, generalization of slot aggregation can be considered. Currently, in slot aggregation method, the time domain (TD) allocation configuration is repeated across slots, which is not optimized in terms of the incurred latency.

Joint TD allocation may be defined in an efficient manner in terms of the overall experienced latency. As such, some relationships and/or constraints may be applied between the TD allocations in multiple (e.g., two) slots, to avoid incurring high latency in total. Each of these allocations are able to carry one repetition of PUSCH TB.

In embodiments, a UE may be configured with K time domain resource allocations, via RRC configuration or Ll-signaling (e.g., by TD resource allocation fields) or a combination thereof. Further, it is possible to jointly configure multiple TD allocations, one for each repetition.

In embodiments, the RRC configures K2 value, K (e.g., K = 2) values of SLIV, and the mapping type. In embodiments, the RRC configuration may be realized as part of TD allocation table, with special fields which are concatenation of K (e.g., K = 2) set of TD SLIV values (no impact on the SLIV encoding). Each TD allocation may be applied to each of K slots in an aggregation. An example modification of the RRC message (the underlined text) is presented in Message box 2 below.

Message box 2: Example of updated RRC signaling to include the start and length of the second transmission

— ASNlSTART

— TAG-PUSCH-TIMEDOMAINRESOURCEALLOCATIONLIST-START

PUSCH-TimeDomainResourceAllocationList ::= SEQUENCE

(SIZE(1.. maxNrofUL-Allocations ) ) OF PUSCH-TimeDomainResourceAllocation

PUSCH-TimeDomainResourceAllocation ::= SEQUENCE {

k2 INTEGER ( 0..32) OPTIONAL, — Need

S

mappingType ENUMERATED { typeA, typeB},

startSymbolAndLength INTEGER (0..127)__j_

startSymbolAndLengthSecond INTEGER (0..127) OPTIONAL

— TAG-PUSCH-TIMEDOMAINRESOURCEALLOCATIONLIST-STOP

— ASN1STOP

In yet another example, the case of arbitrary number of concatenated TD allocations is presented in Message box 3 below, where the single SLIV field is replaced by a list of SLIV fields. Which one to consider, e.g., the legacy table type or the new table type, may be configured as part of PUSCH-Config. The size of the list implicitly indicates the number of repetitions corresponding to this particular entry of time domain allocation table. The maximum number of entries in the time domain allocation table may be increased from 16 to other value power of 2, e.g. 32 that will cause increase of TD RA field in DCI by at most 1 bit.

Message box 3: Example of indicating arbitrary number of concatenated TD allocations

— ASNlSTART

— TAG-PUSCH-TIMEDOMAINRESOURCEALLOCATIONLIST-START

PUSCH-TimeDomainResourceAllocationList ::= SEQUENCE

(SIZE(1.. maxNrofUL-Allocations ) ) OF PUSCH-TimeDomainResourceAllocation

PUSCH-TimeDomainResourceAllocation ::= SEQUENCE {

k2 INTEGER ( 0..32) OPTIONAL, — Need

S mappingType ENUMERATED { typeA, typeB},

startSymbolAndLength INTEGER (0..127)

PUSCH-TimeDomainResourceAllocationList-rl6 SEQUENCE

(SIZE(1.. maxNrofUL-Allocations-rl6 ) ) OF PUSCH- TimeDomainResourceAllocation-rl6_OPTIONAL,

PUSCH-TimeDomainResourceAllocation-rl6 : :=_SEQUENCE {

k2_ INTEGER (0. 32)_ OPTIONAL, — Need

S

mappingType_ ENUMERATED {typeA, typeB},

startSymbolAndLengthList SEQUENCE

— TAG-PUSCH-TIMEDOMAINRESOURCEALLOCATIONLIST-STOP

— ASN1STOP

In embodiments, the TD allocation signaling for K = 2, may be further optimized through replacing the SLIV value by (2S + L)IV, for encoding the starting positions (while the SLIV characterization in general, remains the same). This means that the allocation length across the two slots is the same, while two starting positions are signaled. Extending this example, for any value K, a single length‘L’ and K starting positions‘S’ may be associated with a given entry in the TD allocation table. For example, we may consider transmission of small packets (e.g., 4 symbol duration) with repetitions, where multiple repetitions may need to be accommodated in a duration of 1.5 slot. Using this scheme, it is still possible to allocate 14 symbols in the first slot and the remaining, e.g., 6, symbols in the next slot, via two TD allocations. Particularly, such scheme does not impose the constraint of allocating same length with these TD allocation. As such, this allocation scheme allows changing both the starting symbol as well as the transmission length, i.e., having multiple repetitions with different TD durations for each of the PUSCHs.

In terms of the mapping type, in one example, the UE may reuse the packetization of the first transmission, for the repeated transmissions.

The importance and impact of such SLIV encoding optimization may depend on the extent the indications are performed via RRC vs. DCI signaling.

In embodiments, the SLIV value(s) are indicated via DCI, where the SLIV encoding rule may follow the previous example, or may be optimized further.

In general, in such examples, more RRC bits are needed to construct each row of the time domain resource allocation table from which the DCI picks and indicates one row (there is no impact on DCI).

In embodiments, the time domain resource allocation table consists of K2 value, the mapping time, and concatenation of two SLIV values. One of the SLIV values may be left empty, for compatibility to the legacy operation. Non-empty concatenation entry corresponds to the repetition and the first/second repetition is mapped to the first/second SLIV value, respectively.

In a generalized embodiment, K repetitions with two or more (up to K) SLIV values may be considered. In case the number of SLIV values is less than the number of repetitions, more involved operation is required to encode the corresponding starting positions.

Further, the SLIV values may associate to the same or different slots (e.g., following the Rel-l5 behavior, where only position within the slots is indicated for the repetitions). Even though associating the SLIV values to the same slot is possible, but in such case, it may be more convenient to consider back to back repetitions, without additional indications.

In embodiments, in case repeated transmissions are configured, the resource allocation information corresponding to the transmission in the subsequent slot(s), may be explicitly indicated using (potentially modified) TD allocation fields.

Further, a UE may be configured with a rule how to map into slots the multiple provided TD allocations characterizing repetitions. The configuration signaling may indicate which TD allocation in the aggregation are mapped to which slot. First TD allocation may be mapped to the first slot, second TD allocation may be mapped to the second slot or both TD allocations are mapped to the first slot.

In one example, in case the number of configured repetitions is larger than the number of provided TD allocations, modulo operation may be applied to cycle over TD allocations: TD(k) = ΊΊ) selfk mod TD set size), where TD_set is the provided set of TD allocations, TD_set_size - its size (e.g. 2), k = 0,... ,K-l is the index or repetition in the aggregation of K repetitions of the PUSCH.

In embodiments, the full allocation signaling may only apply to the transmission corresponding to the current slot. The TD resource allocation information regarding the transmission of the subsequent repetition(s), may be implicitly derived based on the allocation in the previous slot (e.g., the allocation for transmission in the second slot is derived based on the transmission in the first (current) slot, so on and so forth).

In one example, such implicit indication may be realized by a pre-defined mirroring relationship about the slot boundary. The mirroring relationship can be defined in terms of the ending symbol of the transmission in the each slot and the starting symbol of the transmission in its next slot.

In an extended example, if the first/current TD allocation points to the end of the first slot (i.e. PUSCH transmission ends at the slot boundary or a few symbols before the slot boundary), the next slot TD allocation may point to the beginning of that slot (i.e. PUSCH starts at the slot boundary or a few symbols after the slot boundary). Same rule can be applied with respect to the starting position for transmission in the third slot and the ending position of the transmission in the second slot, so on and so forth.

In another example, back-to-back repetitions with the same length can be considered, until the TB may cross the slot boundary. In such case, the next repetition may start at the first available UL symbol in the next slot or subsequent slot when UL symbols are present.

As another option, the time domain resource allocation may be signaled using single SLIV field but re-interpreted based on a flag signaled dynamically in DCI or semi-statically in RRC within time domain allocation table entry. If re-interpretation is enabled, then, in option 1, the resulting starting symbol S may indicate the last symbol of total PUSCH transmission in slot‘n + (K - 1)’ while the value of (S + L - 1) may indicate the first symbol in slot‘n’. This is illustrated by Figure 4B, illustrating a possible PUSCH allocation in case of SLIV re-interpretation option 1 for the case of K = 2. In this context, in one example, this re-interpretation may only be applicable to the case of two repetitions, i.e. K = 2.

Alternatively, in option 2, the single SLIV value may be reinterpreted based on the configured number of repetitions and the re-interpretation flag so that starting symbol S may indicate the starting symbol in slot‘n’ and (S + L - 1) may indicate the last symbol in slot‘n + (K - 1)’. In other words, counting from the symbol 0 in the first slot, the last symbol of the aggregated PUSCH transmission may be calculated as S + L - 1 + 14*(K-1) in case of NCP and S + L - 1 + 12*(K-1) in case of ECP. This is shown by Figure 4C, illustrating a possible aggregated PUSCH allocation in case of SLIV re-interpretation option 2.

In the context of the above three options and embodiments to re-interpret SLIV or replace SLIV, the parts of PUSCH laying into different slots are treated as separate PUSCH repetitions in this case. In general, one of the main motivations behind such TD allocation indication, is handling the situation where the repetitions cross the slot boundary. Techniques described in embodiments above, e.g., the mirroring behavior, are not currently supported in Rel-l5 for GB or GF UL transmission.

While for GB transmission, concatenation of two/multiple TD allocations offers a reasonable technique to handle the repetitions, the exact same concept may or may not be applicable for GF transmission (some further adjustments may be needed). For GF UL transmission, the S value from the SLIV is repeated with periodicity P, which results in multiple starting positions within the slot. These positions are then repeated for every slot. If the periodicity P is less than the slot duration, a single starting symbol is automatically expanded into multiple candidates within the slot based on P. Hence, the starting positions are effectively determined beforehand (i.e., not indicated in an activation DCI or by higher layer configuration). Still, the starting symbols are not fixed and may vary depending on the location/transmission opportunity of that repetition as well as the previous repetition(s) in the slot.

In embodiments, in relation to configured grant PUSCH transmission, if the generalized time domain allocation composed of multiple TD SLIV indication is signaled for configured grant type 1 or type 2, each starting position of each TD SLIV value in the concatenation/aggregation is recalculated based on the configured periodicity. In that case, a UE may not be expected to be configured with a combination of periodicity and TD allocation so that at least one of the TD allocations crosses slot boundary or periodicity boundary.

In embodiments, TBS determination procedure for PUSCH repetitions may use/apply only first TD allocation while the second and other TD allocations in the concatenation / aggregation are not involved into the TBS determination procedure. This may be needed in case the TD allocation length is different between the first repetition and other repetitions.

Generalization to PDSCH

It should be noted that although the concepts and embodiments are described in application to uplink shared channel transmission, the same approach may be used for downlink shared channel transmission. Namely, exactly same modifications to time domain allocation table can be introduced for DL as well to signal multiple TD allocations and apply them for repetitions.

FIG. 5 illustrates an architecture of a system 500 of a network in accordance with some embodiments. The system 500 is shown to include a user equipment (UE) 501 and a UE 502. The UEs 501 and 502 are illustrated as smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices connectable to one or more cellular networks), but may also comprise any mobile or non- mobile computing device, such as Personal Data Assistants (PDAs), pagers, laptop computers, desktop computers, wireless handsets, or any computing device including a wireless communications interface.

In some embodiments, any of the UEs 501 and 502 can comprise an Internet of Things (IoT) UE, which can comprise a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications utilizing short-lived UE connections. An IoT UE can utilize technologies such as machine-to- machine (M2M) or machine-type communications (MTC) for exchanging data with an MTC server or device via a public land mobile network (PLMN), Proximity-Based Service (ProSe) or device-to-device (D2D) communication, sensor networks, or IoT networks. The M2M or MTC exchange of data may be a machine-initiated exchange of data. An IoT network describes interconnecting IoT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure), with short-lived connections. The IoT UEs may execute background applications (e.g., keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate the connections of the IoT network. The UEs 501 and 502 may be configured to connect, e.g., communicatively couple, with a radio access network (RAN) 510— the RAN 510 may be, for example, an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), a NextGen RAN (NG RAN), or some other type of RAN. The UEs 501 and 502 utilize connections 503 and 504, respectively, each of which comprises a physical communications interface or layer (discussed in further detail below); in this example, the connections 503 and 504 are illustrated as an air interface to enable communicative coupling, and can be consistent with cellular communications protocols, such as a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) protocol, a code-division multiple access (CDMA) network protocol, a Push-to-Talk (PTT) protocol, a PTT over Cellular (POC) protocol, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) protocol, a 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocol, a fifth generation (5G) protocol, aNew Radio (NR) protocol, and the like.

In this embodiment, the UEs 501 and 502 may further directly exchange communication data via a ProSe interface 505. The ProSe interface 505 may alternatively be referred to as a sidelink interface comprising one or more logical channels, including but not limited to a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), a Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel (PSDCH), and a Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH).

The UE 502 is shown to be configured to access an access point (AP) 506 via connection 507. The connection 507 can comprise a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, wherein the AP 506 would comprise a wireless fidelity (WiFi®) router. In this example, the AP 506 is shown to be connected to the Internet without connecting to the core network of the wireless system (described in further detail below).

The RAN 510 can include one or more access nodes that enable the connections 503 and 504. These access nodes (ANs) can be referred to as base stations (BSs), NodeBs, evolved NodeBs (eNBs), next Generation NodeBs (gNB), RAN nodes, and so forth, and can comprise ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations providing coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). The RAN 510 may include one or more RAN nodes for providing macrocells, e.g., macro RAN node 511, and one or more RAN nodes for providing femtocells or picocells (e.g., cells having smaller coverage areas, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to macrocells), e.g., low power (LP) RAN node 512.

Any of the RAN nodes 511 and 512 can terminate the air interface protocol and can be the first point of contact for the UEs 501 and 502. In some embodiments, any of the RAN nodes 511 and 512 can fulfill various logical functions for the RAN 510 including, but not limited to, radio network controller (RNC) functions such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management. In accordance with some embodiments, the UEs 501 and 502 can be configured to communicate using Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals with each other or with any of the RAN nodes 511 and 512 over a multicarrier communication channel in accordance various communication techniques, such as, but not limited to, an Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) communication technique (e.g., for downlink communications) or a Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC- FDMA) communication technique (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communications), although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. The OFDM signals can comprise a plurality of orthogonal subcarriers.

In some embodiments, a downlink resource grid can be used for downlink transmissions from any of the RAN nodes 511 and 512 to the UEs 501 and 502, while uplink transmissions can utilize similar techniques. The grid can be a time-frequency grid, called a resource grid or time- frequency resource grid, which is the physical resource in the downlink in each slot. Such a time- frequency plane representation is a common practice for OFDM systems, which makes it intuitive for radio resource allocation. Each column and each row of the resource grid corresponds to one OFDM symbol and one OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to one slot in a radio frame. The smallest time-frequency unit in a resource grid is denoted as a resource element. Each resource grid comprises a number of resource blocks, which describe the mapping of certain physical channels to resource elements. Each resource block comprises a collection of resource elements; in the frequency domain, this may represent the smallest quantity of resources that currently can be allocated. There are several different physical downlink channels that are conveyed using such resource blocks.

The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) may carry user data and higher-layer signaling to the UEs 501 and 502. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) may carry information about the transport format and resource allocations related to the PDSCH channel, among other things. It may also inform the UEs 501 and 502 about the transport format, resource allocation, and H-ARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) information related to the uplink shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling (assigning control and shared channel resource blocks to the UE 502 within a cell) may be performed at any of the RAN nodes 511 and 512 based on channel quality information fed back from any of the UEs 501 and 502. The downlink resource assignment information may be sent on the PDCCH used for (e.g., assigned to) each of the UEs 501 and 502.

The PDCCH may use control channel elements (CCEs) to convey the control information. Before being mapped to resource elements, the PDCCH complex-valued symbols may first be organized into quadruplets, which may then be permuted using a sub-block interleaver for rate matching. Each PDCCH may be transmitted using one or more of these CCEs, where each CCE may correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements known as resource element groups (REGs). Four Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) symbols may be mapped to each REG. The PDCCH can be transmitted using one or more CCEs, depending on the size of the downlink control information (DCI) and the channel condition. There can be four or more different PDCCH formats defined in LTE with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation level, L=l, 2, 4, or 8).

Some embodiments may use concepts for resource allocation for control channel information that are an extension of the above-described concepts. For example, some embodiments may utilize an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH) that uses PDSCH resources for control information transmission. The EPDCCH may be transmitted using one or more enhanced control channel elements (ECCEs). Similar to above, each ECCE may correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements known as enhanced resource element groups (EREGs). An ECCE may have other numbers of EREGs in some situations.

The RAN 510 is shown to be communicatively coupled to a core network (CN) 520— via an Sl interface 513. In embodiments, the CN 520 may be an evolved packet core (EPC) network, a NextGen Packet Core (NPC) network, or some other type of CN. In this embodiment, the Sl interface 513 is split into two parts: the Sl-U interface 514, which carries traffic data between the RAN nodes 511 and 512 and the serving gateway (S-GW) 522, and the Sl-mobility management entity (MME) interface 515, which is a signaling interface between the RAN nodes 511 and 512 and MMEs 521.

In this embodiment, the CN 520 comprises the MMEs 521, the S-GW 522, the Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (P-GW) 523, and a home subscriber server (HSS) 524. The MMEs 521 may be similar in function to the control plane of legacy Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Nodes (SGSN). The MMEs 521 may manage mobility aspects in access such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. The HSS 524 may comprise a database for network users, including subscription-related information to support the network entities’ handling of communication sessions. The CN 520 may comprise one or several HSSs 524, depending on the number of mobile subscribers, on the capacity of the equipment, on the organization of the network, etc. For example, the HSS 524 can provide support for routing/roaming, authentication, authorization, naming/addressing resolution, location dependencies, etc.

The S-GW 522 may terminate the Sl interface 513 towards the RAN 510, and routes data packets between the RAN 510 and the CN 520. In addition, the S-GW 522 may be a local mobility anchor point for inter-RAN node handovers and also may provide an anchor for inter-3 GPP mobility. Other responsibilities may include lawful intercept, charging, and some policy enforcement.

The P-GW 523 may terminate an SGi interface toward a PDN. The P-GW 523 may route data packets between the EPC network and external networks such as a network including the application server 530 (alternatively referred to as application function (AF)) via an Internet Protocol (IP) interface 525. Generally, the application server 530 may be an element offering applications that use IP bearer resources with the core network (e.g., UMTS Packet Services (PS) domain, LTE PS data services, etc.). In this embodiment, the P-GW 523 is shown to be communicatively coupled to an application server 530 via an IP communications interface 525. The application server 530 can also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., Voice-over-Intemet Protocol (VoIP) sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social networking services, etc.) for the UEs 501 and 502 via the CN 520.

The P-GW 523 may further be anode for policy enforcement and charging data collection. Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCRF) 526 is the policy and charging control element of the CN 520. In a non-roaming scenario, there may be a single PCRF in the Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) associated with a UE’s Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session. In a roaming scenario with local breakout of traffic, there may be two PCRFs associated with a UE’s IP-CAN session: a Home PCRF (H-PCRF) within a HPLMN and a Visited PCRF (V-PCRF) within a Visited Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMN). The PCRF 526 may be communicatively coupled to the application server 530 via the P-GW 523. The application server 530 may signal the PCRF 526 to indicate a new service flow and select the appropriate Quality of Service (QoS) and charging parameters. The PCRF 526 may provision this rule into a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) (not shown) with the appropriate traffic flow template (TFT) and QoS class of identifier (QCI), which commences the QoS and charging as specified by the application server 530.

FIG. 6 illustrates example components of a device 600 in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, the device 600 may include application circuitry 602, baseband circuitry 604, Radio Frequency (RF) circuitry 606, front-end module (FEM) circuitry 608, one or more antennas 610, and power management circuitry (PMC) 612 coupled together at least as shown. The components of the illustrated device 600 may be included in a UE or a RAN node. In some embodiments, the device 600 may include fewer elements (e.g., a RAN node may not utilize application circuitry 602, and instead include a processor/controller to process IP data received from an EPC). In some embodiments, the device 600 may include additional elements such as, for example, memory /storage, display, camera, sensor, or input/output (I/O) interface. In other embodiments, the components described below may be included in more than one device (e.g., said circuitries may be separately included in more than one device for Cloud-RAN (C- RAN) implementations).

The application circuitry 602 may include one or more application processors. For example, the application circuitry 602 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor(s) may include any combination of general-purpose processors and dedicated processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processors may be coupled with or may include memory /storage and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory /storage to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the device 600. In some embodiments, processors of application circuitry 602 may process IP data packets received from an EPC.

The baseband circuitry 604 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The baseband circuitry 604 may include one or more baseband processors or control logic to process baseband signals received from a receive signal path of the RF circuitry 606 and to generate baseband signals for a transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 606. Baseband processing circuitry 604 may interface with the application circuitry 602 for generation and processing of the baseband signals and for controlling operations of the RF circuitry 606. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 604 may include a third generation (3G) baseband processor 604A, a fourth generation (4G) baseband processor 604B, a fifth generation (5G) baseband processor 604C, or other baseband processor(s) 604D for other existing generations, generations in development or to be developed in the future (e.g., second generation (2G), sixth generation (6G), etc.). The baseband circuitry 604 (e.g., one or more of baseband processors 604A-D) may handle various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuitry 606. In other embodiments, some or all of the functionality of baseband processors 604A-D may be included in modules stored in the memory 604G and executed via a Central Processing Unit (CPU) 604E. The radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation/demodulation, encoding/decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some embodiments, modulation/demodulation circuitry of the baseband circuitry 604 may include Fast-Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping/demapping functionality. In some embodiments, encoding/decoding circuitry of the baseband circuitry 604 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) encoder/decoder functionality. Embodiments of modulation/demodulation and encoder/decoder functionality are not limited to these examples and may include other suitable functionality in other embodiments.

In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 604 may include one or more audio digital signal processor(s) (DSP) 604F. The audio DSP(s) 604F may be include elements for compression/decompression and 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 the baseband circuitry 604 and the application circuitry 602 may be implemented together such as, for example, on a system on a chip (SOC).

In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 604 may provide for communication compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 604 may support communication with an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) or other wireless metropolitan area networks (WMAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless personal area network (WPAN). Embodiments in which the baseband circuitry 604 is configured to support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

RF circuitry 606 may enable communication with wireless networks using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various embodiments, the RF circuitry 606 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate the communication with the wireless network. RF circuitry 606 may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry to down- convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 608 and provide baseband signals to the baseband circuitry 604. RF circuitry 606 may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry to up-convert baseband signals provided by the baseband circuitry 604 and provide RF output signals to the FEM circuitry 608 for transmission.

In some embodiments, the receive signal path of the RF circuitry 606 may include mixer circuitry 606a, amplifier circuitry 606b and filter circuitry 606c. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 606 may include filter circuitry 606c and mixer circuitry 606a. RF circuitry 606 may also include synthesizer circuitry 606d for synthesizing a frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 606a of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 606a of the receive signal path may be configured to down- convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 608 based on the synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuitry 606d. The amplifier circuitry 606b may be configured to amplify the down-converted signals and the filter circuitry 606c 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 the baseband circuitry 604 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 606a of the receive signal path may comprise passive mixers, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 606a of the transmit signal path may be configured to up-convert input baseband signals based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry 606d to generate RF output signals for the FEM circuitry 608. The baseband signals may be provided by the baseband circuitry 604 and may be filtered by filter circuitry 606c.

In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 606a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 606a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature downconversion and upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 606a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 606a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 606a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 606a of the transmit signal path may be arranged for direct downconversion and direct upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 606a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 606a 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, the RF circuitry 606 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry and the baseband circuitry 604 may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with the RF circuitry 606.

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

In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 606d may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional N/N+l 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 606d may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer comprising a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

The synthesizer circuitry 606d may be configured to synthesize an output frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 606a of the RF circuitry 606 based on a frequency input and a divider control input. In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 606d may be a fractional N/N+l 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 the baseband circuitry 604 or the applications processor 602 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 the applications processor 602.

Synthesizer circuitry 606d of the RF circuitry 606 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 (e.g., 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 606d may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and used in conjunction with 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 LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, the RF circuitry 606 may include an IQ/polar converter.

FEM circuitry 608 may include a receive signal path, which may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 610, amplify the received signals and provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the RF circuitry 606 for further processing. FEM circuitry 608 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry configured to amplify signals for transmission provided by the RF circuitry 606 for transmission by one or more of the one or more antennas 610. In various embodiments, the amplification through the transmit or receive signal paths may be done solely in the RF circuitry 606, solely in the FEM 608, or in both the RF circuitry 606 and the FEM 608.

In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry 608 may include a TX/RX switch to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEM circuitry 608 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuitry 608 may include a low noise amplifier (LNA) to amplify received RF signals and provide the amplified received RF signals as an output (e.g., to the RF circuitry 606). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuitry 608 may include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify input RF signals (e.g., provided by RF circuitry 606), and one or more filters to generate RF signals for subsequent transmission (e.g., by one or more of the one or more antennas 610).

In some embodiments, the PMC 612 may manage power provided to the baseband circuitry 604. In particular, the PMC 612 may control power-source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-to-DC conversion. The PMC 612 may often be included when the device 600 is capable of being powered by a battery, for example, when the device is included in a UE. The PMC 612 may increase the power conversion efficiency while providing desirable implementation size and heat dissipation characteristics.

FIG. 6 shows the PMC 612 coupled only with the baseband circuitry 604. However, in other embodiments, the PMC 612 may be additionally or alternatively coupled with, and perform similar power management operations for, other components such as, but not limited to, application circuitry 602, RF circuitry 606, or FEM 608.

In some embodiments, the PMC 612 may control, or otherwise be part of, various power saving mechanisms of the device 600. For example, if the device 600 is in an RRC_Connected state, where it is still connected to the RAN node as it expects to receive traffic shortly, then it may enter a state known as Discontinuous Reception Mode (DRX) after a period of inactivity. During this state, the device 600 may power down for brief intervals of time and thus save power.

If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, then the device 600 may transition off to an RRC Idle state, where it disconnects from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback, handover, etc. The device 600 goes into a very low power state and it performs paging where again it periodically wakes up to listen to the network and then powers down again. The device 600 may not receive data in this state, in order to receive data, it must transition back to RRC Connected state.

An additional power saving mode may allow a device to be unavailable to the network for periods longer than a paging interval (ranging from seconds to a few hours). During this time, the device is totally unreachable to the network and may power down completely. Any data sent during this time incurs a large delay and it is assumed the delay is acceptable.

Processors of the application circuitry 602 and processors of the baseband circuitry 604 may be used to execute elements of one or more instances of a protocol stack. For example, processors of the baseband circuitry 604, alone or in combination, may be used to execute Layer 3, Layer 2, or Layer 1 functionality, while processors of the application circuitry 602 may utilize data (e.g., packet data) received from these layers and further execute Layer 4 functionality (e.g., transmission communication protocol (TCP) and user datagram protocol (UDP) layers). As referred to herein, Layer 3 may comprise a radio resource control (RRC) layer, described in further detail below. As referred to herein, Layer 2 may comprise a medium access control (MAC) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, described in further detail below. As referred to herein, Layer 1 may comprise a physical (PHY) layer of a UE/RAN node, described in further detail below.

FIG. 7 illustrates example interfaces of baseband circuitry in accordance with some embodiments. As discussed above, the baseband circuitry 604 of FIG. 6 may comprise processors 604A-604E and a memory 604G utilized by said processors. Each of the processors 604A-604E may include a memory interface, 704A-704E, respectively, to send/receive data to/from the memory 604G.

The baseband circuitry 604 may further include one or more interfaces to communicatively couple to other circuitries/devices, such as a memory interface 712 (e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from memory external to the baseband circuitry 604), an application circuitry interface 714 (e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from the application circuitry 602 of FIG. 6), an RF circuitry interface 716 (e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from RF circuitry 606 of FIG. 6), a wireless hardware connectivity interface 718 (e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from Near Field Communication (NFC) components, Bluetooth® components (e.g., Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® components, and other communication components), and a power management interface 720 (e.g., an interface to send/receive power or control signals to/from the PMC 612.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram illustrating components, according to some example embodiments, able to read instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. Specifically, FIG. 8 shows a diagrammatic representation of hardware resources 800 including one or more processors (or processor cores) 810, one or more memory /storage devices 820, and one or more communication resources 830, each of which may be communicatively coupled via a bus 840. For embodiments where node virtualization (e.g., NFV) is utilized, a hypervisor 802 may be executed to provide an execution environment for one or more network slices/sub-slices to utilize the hardware resources 800.

The processors 810 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU), a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processor, a complex instruction set computing (CISC) processor, a graphics processing unit (GPU), a digital signal processor (DSP) such as a baseband processor, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a radio-frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) may include, for example, a processor 812 and a processor 814. The memory /storage devices 820 may include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof. The memory /storage devices 820 may include, but are not limited to, any type of volatile or non-volatile memory such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random-access memory (SRAM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), Flash memory, solid-state storage, etc.

The communication resources 830 may include interconnection or network interface components or other suitable devices to communicate with one or more peripheral devices 804 or one or more databases 806 via a network 808. For example, the communication resources 830 may include wired communication components (e.g., for coupling via a Universal Serial Bus (USB)), cellular communication components, NFC components, Bluetooth® components (e.g., Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® components, and other communication components.

Instructions 850 may comprise software, a program, an application, an applet, an app, or other executable code for causing at least any of the processors 810 to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. The instructions 850 may reside, completely or partially, within at least one of the processors 810 (e.g., within the processor’s cache memory), the memory /storage devices 820, or any suitable combination thereof. Furthermore, any portion of the instructions 850 may be transferred to the hardware resources 800 from any combination of the peripheral devices 804 or the databases 806. Accordingly, the memory of processors 810, the memory /storage devices 820, the peripheral devices 804, and the databases 806 are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media.

In various embodiments, the devices/components of Figures 5-8, and particularly the baseband circuitry of Figure 7, may be used to practice, in whole or in part, any of the operation flow/algorithmic structures depicted in Figures 1-3.

One example of an operation flow/algorithmic structure is depicted in FIG. 1, which may be performed by a next-generation NodeB (gNB) in accordance with some embodiments. In this example, operation flow/algorithmic structure 100 may include, at 105, Retrieving, from memory, time domain resource allocation information comprising a table that includes an indication of a number of physical shared channel transmission repetitions to be used by a user equipment (UE). Operation flow/algorithmic structure 100 may further include, at 110, generating a first message that includes the time domain resource allocation information table. Operation flow/algorithmic structure 100 may further include, at 115, encoding the furst message for transmission to the UE. Operation flow/algorithmic structure 100 may further include, at 120, generating a second message that includes an index to the time domain resource allocation information table. Operation flow/algorithmic structure 100 may further include, at 125, encoding the second message for transmission to the UE.

Another example of an operation flow/algorithmic structure is depicted in FIG. 2, which may be performed by UE in accordance with some embodiments. In this example, operation flow/algorithmic structure 200 may include, at 205, receiving a first message comprising time domain resource allocation information that includes a table having an indication of a number of physical shared channel transmission repetitions to be used by the UE. Operation flow/algorithmic structure 200 may further include, at 210, receiving a second message comprising an index to the time domain resource allocation information table. Operation flow/algorithmic structure 200 may further include, at 215, performing repeated physical shared channel transmissions based on the time domain resource allocation information.

Another example of an operation flow/algorithmic structure is depicted in FIG. 3, which may be performed by gNB in accordance with some embodiments. In this example, operation flow/algorithmic structure 300 may include, at 305, generating a first message comprising time domain resource allocation information that includes a table of entries, wherein each entry includes an indication of a number of physical shared channel transmission repetitions to be used by a user equipment (UE). Operation flow/algorithmic structure 300 may further include, at 310, encoding the first message for transmission to the UE. Operation flow/algorithmic structure 300 may further include, at 315, generating a second message that includes an index to the time domain resource allocation information table. Operation flow/algorithmic structure 300 may further include, at 320, encoding the second message for transmission to the UE.

Examples

Some non-limiting examples are provided below.

Example 1 includes an apparatus comprising: memory to store time domain resource allocation information comprising a table that includes an indication of a number of physical shared channel transmission repetitions to be used by a user equipment (UE); and processing circuitry, coupled with the memory, to: retrieve the time domain resource allocation information table from the memory; generate a first message that includes the time domain resource allocation information table; encode the first message for transmission to the UE; generate a second message that includes an index to the time domain resource allocation information table; and encode the second message for transmission to the UE.

Example 2 includes the apparatus of example 1 or some other example herein, wherein the first message is encoded for transmission to the UE via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

Example 3 includes the apparatus of example 1 or some other example herein, wherein the second message is included in downlink control information (DCI). Example 4 includes the apparatus of example 1 or some other example herein, wherein the time domain resource allocation information is associated with physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmissions or physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmissions.

Example 5 includes the apparatus of example 1 or some other example herein, wherein the time domain resource allocation information further includes a number of shared channel repetitions and a duration for each repetition.

Example 6 includes the apparatus of example 1 or some other example herein, wherein the time domain resource allocation information further includes a number of shared channel repetitions and a starting symbol or an ending symbol for each shared channel repetition.

Example 7 includes the apparatus of any of examples 1-6 or some other example herein, wherein the time domain resource allocation information further includes an indication of a start position for a first shared channel repetition and a start position for a second shared channel repetition.

Example 8 includes one or more computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a user equipment (UE) to: receive a first message comprising time domain resource allocation information that includes a table having an indication of a number of physical shared channel transmission repetitions to be used by the UE; receive a second message comprising an index to the time domain resource allocation information table; and perform repeated physical shared channel transmissions based on the time domain resource allocation information.

Example 9 includes the one or more computer-readable media of example 8 or some other example herein, wherein repetitions of a transmission having a length less than a predetermined threshold (L) do not cross a slot boundary.

Example 10 includes the one or more computer-readable media of example 8 or some other example herein, wherein the media further stores instructions for causing the UE to determine a starting position of a transmission repetition or a duration of a transmission repetition based on: a downlink/uplink (DL/UL) region, a control resource set (CORESET) duration, a guard period duration for a slot, or a start and length indicator value (SLIV) associated with a time domain allocation for an initial or prior transmission.

Example 11 includes the one or more computer-readable media of example 8 or some other example herein, wherein the first message is received via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

Example 12 includes the one or more computer-readable media of example 8 or some other example herein, wherein the second message is included in downlink control information (DCI). Example 13 includes the one or more computer-readable media of any one of examples 8-12 or some other example herein, wherein the time domain resource allocation information is associated with physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmissions or physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmissions.

Example 14 includes one or more computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a next-generation NodeB (gNB) to: generate a first message comprising time domain resource allocation information that includes a table of entries, wherein each entry includes an indication of a number of physical shared channel transmission repetitions to be used by a user equipment (UE); encode the first message for transmission to the UE; generate a second message that includes an index to the time domain resource allocation information table; and encode the second message for transmission to the UE.

Example 15 includes the one or more computer-readable media of example 14 or some other example herein, wherein the first message is encoded for transmission to the UE via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

Example 16 includes the one or more computer-readable media of example 14 or some other example herein, wherein the second message is included in downlink control information (DCI).

Example 17 includes the one or more computer-readable media of example 14 or some other example herein, wherein the time domain resource allocation information is associated with physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmissions or physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmissions.

Example 18 includes the one or more computer-readable media of example 14 or some other example herein, wherein the time domain resource allocation information further includes a shared channel duration for each repetition.

Example 19 includes the one or more computer-readable media of example 14 or some other example herein, wherein the time domain resource allocation information further includes a starting symbol or an ending symbol for each shared channel repetition.

Example 20 includes the one or more computer-readable media of any one of examples 14-19 or some other example herein, wherein the time domain resource allocation information further includes an indication of a start position for a first shared channel repetition and a start position for a second shared channel repetition.

Example 21 may include an apparatus comprising means to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of examples 1-20, or any other method or process described herein. Example 22 may include one or more non-transitory computer-readable media comprising instructions to cause an electronic device, upon execution of the instructions by one or more processors of the electronic device, to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of examples 1-20, or any other method or process described herein.

Example 23 may include an apparatus comprising logic, modules, and/or circuitry to perform one or more elements of a method described in or related to any of examples 1-20, or any other method or process described herein.

Example 24 may include a method, technique, or process as described in or related to any of examples 1-20, or portions or parts thereof.

Example 25 may include an apparatus comprising: one or more processors and one or more computer-readable media comprising instructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method, techniques, or process as described in or related to any of examples 1-20, or portions thereof.

Example 26 may include a method of communicating in a wireless network as shown and described herein.

Example 27 may include a system for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein.

Example 28 may include a device for providing wireless communication as shown and described herein.

The description herein of illustrated implementations, including what is described in the

Abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present disclosure to the precise forms disclosed. While specific implementations and examples are described herein for illustrative purposes, a variety of alternate or equivalent embodiments or implementations calculated to achieve the same purposes may be made in light of the above detailed description, without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

CLAIMS What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:

memory to store time domain resource allocation information comprising a table that includes an indication of a number of physical shared channel transmission repetitions to be used by a user equipment (UE); and

processing circuitry, coupled with the memory, to:

retrieve the time domain resource allocation information table from the memory; generate a first message that includes the time domain resource allocation information table;

encode the first message for transmission to the UE;

generate a second message that includes an index to the time domain resource allocation information table; and

encode the second message for transmission to the UE.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first message is encoded for transmission to the UE via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second message is included in downlink control information (DCI).

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the time domain resource allocation information is associated with physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmissions or physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmissions.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the time domain resource allocation information further includes a number of shared channel repetitions and a duration for each repetition.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the time domain resource allocation information further includes a number of shared channel repetitions and a starting symbol or an ending symbol for each shared channel repetition.

7. The apparatus of any one of claims 1-6, wherein the time domain resource allocation information further includes an indication of a start position for a first shared channel repetition and a start position for a second shared channel repetition.

8. One or more computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a user equipment (UE) to:

receive a first message comprising time domain resource allocation information that includes a table having an indication of a number of physical shared channel transmission repetitions to be used by the UE;

receive a second message comprising an index to the time domain resource allocation information table; and

perform repeated physical shared channel transmissions based on the time domain resource allocation information.

9. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein repetitions of a transmission having a length less than a predetermined threshold (L) do not cross a slot boundary.

10. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the media further stores instructions for causing the UE to determine a starting position of a transmission repetition or a duration of a transmission repetition based on: a downlink/uplink (DL/UL) region, a control resource set (CORESET) duration, a guard period duration for a slot, or a start and length indicator value (SLIV) associated with a time domain allocation for an initial or prior transmission.

11. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the first message is received via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

12. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 8, wherein the second message is included in downlink control information (DCI).

13. The one or more computer-readable media of any one of claims 8-12, wherein the time domain resource allocation information is associated with physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmissions or physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmissions.

14. One or more computer-readable media storing instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, cause a next-generation NodeB (gNB) to:

generate a first message comprising time domain resource allocation information that includes a table of entries, wherein each entry includes an indication of a number of physical shared channel transmission repetitions to be used by a user equipment (UE);

encode the first message for transmission to the UE;

generate a second message that includes an index to the time domain resource allocation information table; and

encode the second message for transmission to the UE.

15. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein the first message is encoded for transmission to the UE via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.

16. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein the second message is included in downlink control information (DCI).

17. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein the time domain resource allocation information is associated with physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmissions or physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmissions.

18. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein the time domain resource allocation information further includes a shared channel duration for each repetition.

19. The one or more computer-readable media of claim 14, wherein the time domain resource allocation information further includes a starting symbol or an ending symbol for each shared channel repetition.

20. The one or more computer-readable media of any one of claims 14-19, wherein the time domain resource allocation information further includes an indication of a start position for a first shared channel repetition and a start position for a second shared channel repetition.