Patent Application
20240080073
The present disclosure relates, in general, to wireless communications and, more particularly, systems and methods for enhanced aperiodic Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) configuration.
The Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) is used in Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) systems Long Term Evolution (LTE) and New Radio (NR) to estimate the channel in the uplink (UL). The application for the SRS is mainly to provide a reference signal to evaluate the channel quality in order to, for example, derive the appropriate transmission/reception beams or to perform link adaptation (i.e., setting the rank, the modulation and coding scheme (MCS), and the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) precoder) for physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission. The signal is functionality-wise similar to the downlink (DL) channel-state information reference signal (CSI-RS), which provides similar beam management and link adaptation functions in the DL. SRS can be used instead of (or in combination with) CSI-RS to acquire DL channel state information (CSI) (by means of uplink-downlink channel reciprocity) for enabling physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) link adaptation.
In LTE and NR, the SRS is configured via radio resource control (RRC) and some parts of the configuration can be updated (for reduced latency) by medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) signaling. The configuration includes the SRS resource allocation (the physical mapping and sequence to use) as well as the time (aperiodic/semi-persistent/periodic) behavior. For aperiodic SRS transmission, the RRC configuration does not activate an SRS transmission from the user equipment (UE), but instead a dynamic activation trigger is transmitted via the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH)'s downlink control information (DCI) in the DL from the gNodeB (gNB) to order the UE to transmit the SRS once, at a predetermined time.
The SRS configuration allows generating an SRS transmission pattern based on an SRS resource configuration grouped into SRS resource sets. Each SRS resource is configured with the abstract syntax notation (ASN) code in RRC disclosed in 3GPP TS 38.331 Version 16.1.0. To create the SRS resource on the time-frequency grid with the current RRC configuration, each SRS resource is thus configurable with respect to:
In NR Release 16, an additional RRC parameter called resourceMapping-r16 was introduced. If resourceMapping-r16 is signaled, the UE shall ignore the RRC parameter resourceMapping. The difference between resourceMapping-r16 and resourceMapping is that the SRS resource (for which the number of OFDM symbols and repetition factor is still limited to 4) can start in any of the 14 OFDM symbols within a slot, configured by the RRC parameter startPosition-r16.
The RRC parameter resourceType configures whether the resource is transmitted as periodic, aperiodic (singe transmission triggered by DCI), or semi persistent (same as periodic but the start and stop of the periodic transmission is controlled by MAC CE signaling instead of RRC signaling). The RRC parameter sequenceId specifies how the SRS sequence is initialized and the RRC parameter spatialRelationInfo configures the spatial relation for the SRS beam with respect to a reference signal (RS) which can be either another SRS, synchronization signal block (SSB) or CSI-RS. Hence, if the SRS has a spatial relation to another SRS, then this SRS should be transmitted with the same beam (i.e., spatial transmit filter) as the indicated SRS.
The SRS resource is configured as part of an SRS resource set. Within a set, the following parameters (common to all resources in the set) are configured in RRC:
Thus, it can be seen that in terms of resource allocation, the SRS resource set configures usage, power control, aperiodic transmission timing, and DL resource association. The SRS resource configuration controls the time-and-frequency allocation, the periodicity and offset of each resource, the sequence ID for each resource and the spatial-relation information.
SRS resources can be configured with four different usages: ‘beamManagement’, ‘codebook’, ‘nonCodebook’ or ‘antennaSwitching’.
SRS resources in an SRS resource set configured with usage ‘beamManagement’ are mainly applicable for frequency bands above 6 GHz (i.e., for frequency range 2 (FR2)) and the purpose is to allow the UE to evaluate different UE transmit beams for wideband (e.g. analog) beamforming arrays. The UE will then transmit one SRS resource per wideband beam, and the gNB will perform reference signal received power (RSRP) measurement on each of the transmitted SRS resources and in this way determine a suitable UE transmit beam. The gNB can then inform the UE which transmit beam to use by updating the spatial relation for different UL Reference Signals (RS s). It is expected that the gNB will configure the UE with one SRS resource set with usage ‘beamManagement’ for each analog array (panel) that the UE has.
SRS resources in an SRS resource set configured with usage ‘codebook’ are used to sound the different UE antennas and let the gNB determine suitable precoders, rank and MCS for PUSCH transmission. How each SRS port is mapped to each UE antenna is up to UE implementation, but it is expected that one SRS port will be transmitted per UE antenna, i.e. the SRS port to antenna-port mapping will be an identity matrix.
SRS resources in an SRS resource set configured with usage ‘nonCodebook’ are used to sound different potential precoders, autonomously determined by the UE. The UE determines a set of precoder candidates based on reciprocity, transmits one SRS resource per candidate precoder, and the gNB can then, by indicating a subset of these SRS resources, select which precoder(s) the UE should use for PUSCH transmission. One UL layer will be transmitted per indicated SRS, hence candidate precoder. How the UE maps the SRS resources to the antenna ports is up to UE implementation and depends on the channel realization.
SRS resources in an SRS resource set configured with usage ‘antennaSwitching’ are used to sound the channel in the UL so that the gNB can use reciprocity to determine suitable DL precoders. If the UE has the same number of transmit and receive chains, the UE is expected to transmit one SRS port per UE antenna. The mapping from SRS ports to antenna ports is, however, up to the UE to decide and is transparent to the gNB.
UL coverage for SRS is identified as a bottleneck for NR and a limiting factor for DL reciprocity-based operation. Some measures to improve the coverage of SRS have been adopted in NR, for example repetition of an SRS resource and/or frequency hopping.
SRS has its own UL power control (PC) scheme in NR, which can be found in Section 7.3 of 3GPP TS 38.213 and also specifies how the UE should split the above output power between two or more SRS ports during one SRS transmit occasion, which is a time window within a slot where SRS transmission is performed. Specifically, the UE splits the transmit power equally across the configured antenna ports for SRS.
Since it is desirable for the gNB to sound all UE antennas (where sounding an antenna means transmitting an SRS from that antenna, which, in turn, enables the gNB to estimate the channel between said UE antenna and the antennas at the gNB) but costly to equip the UE with many transmit ports, SRS antenna switching was introduced in NR Release 15, for several different UE architectures for which the number of receive chains is larger than the number of transmit chains. If a UE support antenna switching, it will report so by means of UE-capability signaling.
Additional UE capabilities were further introduced in NR Release 16, which is summarized in the right column of
Throughout this disclosure, each entry of the table in
In Time Division Duplex (TDD), special slots are used for the switch between DL and UL. A special slot has 14 symbols (12 for extended cyclic prefix (CP)) that can be configured with DL symbols, flexible symbols and UL symbols. The switch occurs in the flexible symbols. The size of each of these three regions varies between network operators, depending on e.g. the desired range of the TDD system and other external factors. One such TDD UL/DL scheme, present in the field, contains 10 DL OFDM symbols, followed by two TDD-switch guard symbols (note that this guard period is different from the aforementioned antenna-switch guard) OFDM symbols, followed, in turn, by two UL OFDM symbols. Another TDD UL/DL scheme, also present in the field, have only 3 UL OFDM symbols.
In NR Release 16, SRS transmission is limited to the last 6 OFDM symbols of a slot except if the capability srs-StartAnyOFDM-Symbol-r16 has been signaled such that an SRS resource can be configured with resourceMapping-r16 (see above), which, in turn, means that SRS transmission can occur in all OFDM symbols in a slot.
In NR Release 15 and 16, a UE configured for aperiodic SRS transmission with usage ‘antennaSwitching’ with 1T4R must be (according to specification) configured with two aperiodic SRS resource sets with different slot offsets, since including a required guard period between antenna switches, all four UE antennas could not be sounded within one slot (i.e., within the last 6 OFDM symbols of a slot as 7 symbols (4 SRS symbols+3 guard symbols) are needed for the 1T4R sounding).
Certain problems exist. For example, in general, a problem is that SRS antenna switching for the most common UE implementations cannot be used in special slots in some of the most common special-slot configurations of existing networks in the field. This forces operators to use symbols from UL slots for SRS transmissions, which reduces the PUSCH spectral efficiency.
When SRS with usage ‘antennaSwitching’ with 1T4R can be transmitted in all 14 OFDM symbols of a slot, if introduced in NR Release 17, the restriction with two aperiodic SRS resource set with different slot offsets is limiting the SRS-configuration flexibility, which is a problem.
Transmitting SRS only in special slots is advantageous since in some cases these only have 2 or 3 UL symbols and are not efficient to use for PUSCH transmissions. Thus, it may be preferable to use these for SRS transmissions.
However, in the common special slot configurations with very few UL symbols, some UE-antenna configurations will not be possible due to specification limitations. For example, an aperiodic SRS resource set with usage ‘antennaSwitching’ for 2T4R can only be configured with a single SRS resource set with two two-port SRS resources, and, hence, a single slot offset, which means that both the two-port SRS resources need to be transmitted in the same slot. However, due to the guard period a minimum of 3 OFDM symbols are need for the transmission, which is not possible in a special slot where only two UL OFDM symbols are available.
In NR Release 17, the standard will include specification for SRS antenna switching for UEs equipped with up to 6 receiver (RX) and 8 RX chains and up to 4 transmitter (TX) chains. However, it is a problem which SRS configurations that the specification should support to be able to be used for the existing special slot configurations in the field as to maximize the efficiency.
Certain aspects of the present disclosure and their embodiments may provide solutions to these or other challenges. For example, according to certain embodiments, methods and systems are provided that enhance flexibility for SRS configuration for antenna switching both for legacy UE capabilities (up to 4 RX UEs) and for new UE capabilities (up to 8 RX UEs).
According to certain embodiments, a method by a wireless device includes receiving, from a network node, an indication of a particular one of a plurality of SRS configurations for ASC. The wireless device transmits, to the network node, at least one SRS based on the particular one of the plurality of SRS configurations for the ASC.
According to certain embodiments, a wireless device is adapted to receive, from a network node, an indication of a particular one of a plurality of SRS configurations for ASC. The wireless device transmits, to the network node, at least one SRS based on the particular one of the plurality of SRS configurations for the ASC.
According to certain embodiments, a method by a network node includes transmitting, to a wireless device, an indication of a particular one of a plurality of SRS configurations for an ASC. The network node receives, from the wireless device, at least one SRS based on the particular one of the plurality of SRS configurations for the ASC.
According to certain embodiments, a network node is adapted to transmit, to a wireless device, an indication of a particular one of a plurality of SRS configurations for an ASC. The network node is adapted to receive, from the wireless device, at least one SRS based on the particular one of the plurality of SRS configurations for the ASC.
Certain embodiments may provide one or more of the following technical advantages. For example, one technical advantage may be that certain embodiments enable the utilization of UL OFDM symbols in special slots for SRS antenna switching. This may be applicable for operators that have very few UL symbols configured. Accordingly, another technical advantage may be that certain embodiments avoid using the UL slots for SRS and hence increase the PUSCH spectral efficiency. As a further example, another technical advantage may be that certain embodiments enable more flexible SRS configuration for antenna switching and make better use of all OFDM symbols in a slot that can be used for SRS.
Other advantages may be readily apparent to one having skill in the art. Certain embodiments may have none, some, or all of the recited advantages.
For a more complete understanding of the disclosed embodiments and their features and advantages, reference is now made to the following description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:
Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Other embodiments, however, are contained within the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein, the disclosed subject matter should not be construed as limited to only the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.
Generally, all terms used herein are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the relevant technical field, unless a different meaning is clearly given and/or is implied from the context in which it is used. All references to a/an/the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc. are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any methods disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless a step is explicitly described as following or preceding another step and/or where it is implicit that a step must follow or precede another step. Any feature of any of the embodiments disclosed herein may be applied to any other embodiment, wherever appropriate. Likewise, any advantage of any of the embodiments may apply to any other embodiments, and vice versa. Other objectives, features and advantages of the enclosed embodiments will be apparent from the following description.
In some embodiments, a more general term “network node” may be used and may correspond to any type of radio network node or any network node, which communicates with a UE (directly or via another node) and/or with another network node. Examples of network nodes are NodeB, Master eNodeB (MeNB), a network node belonging to Master Cell Group (MCG) or Secondary Cell Group (SCG), base station (BS), multi-standard radio (MSR) radio node such as MSR BS, eNodeB (eNB), gNodeB (gNB), network controller, radio network controller (RNC), base station controller (BSC), relay, donor node controlling relay, base transceiver station (BTS), access point (AP), transmission points, transmission nodes, Remote Radio Unit (RRU), Remote Radio Head (RRH), nodes in distributed antenna system (DAS), core network node (e.g. Mobile Switching Center (MSC), Mobility Management Entity (MME), etc.), Operations & Maintenance (O&M), Operations Support System (OSS), Self Organizing Network (SON), positioning node (e.g. Evolved-Serving Mobile Location Centre (E-SMLC)), Minimization of Drive Test (MDT), test equipment (physical node or software), etc.
In some embodiments, the non-limiting term user equipment (UE) or wireless device may be used and may refer to any type of wireless device communicating with a network node and/or with another UE in a cellular or mobile communication system. Examples of UE are target device, device to device (D2D) UE, machine type UE or UE capable of machine to machine (M2M) communication, Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), Tablet, mobile terminals, smart phone, laptop embedded equipped (LEE), laptop mounted equipment (LME), Unified Serial Bus (USB) dongles, UE category M1, UE category M2, Proximity Services UE (ProSe UE), Vehicle-to-Vehicle UE (V2V UE), Vehicle-to-Anything (V2X UE), etc.
Additionally, terminologies such as base station/gNB and UE should be considered non-limiting and do in particular not imply a certain hierarchical relation between the two; in general, “gNB” could be considered as device 1 and “UE” could be considered as device 2 and these two devices communicate with each other over some radio channel. And, in the following, the transmitter or receiver could be either a gNB or UE.
In current releases of NR, for a given ASC (e.g., 2T4R), there is a corresponding SRS configuration of SRS sets and SRS resources within each of these sets. As disclosed herein, certain embodiments are disclosed to enable additional (more than the single one in current NR) SRS configurations for a given ASC.
These additional configurations enable the extended use of that ASC in arbitrary special slot configurations (e.g., with 2 UL symbols only), or in slots where more than 6 OFDM symbols can be used for SRS transmissions. Even though multiple SRS configurations is supported per ASC, for a given SRS configuration, only one ASC is associated with that SRS configuration.
Furthermore, certain embodiments may provide or utilize one or more rules that define the new SRS configurations. For example, one or more of the following rules may be utilized:
According to certain embodiments, a UE with ASC 1T4R can be configured with a single aperiodic SRS resource set with four single port SRS resources, where all the four SRS resources of that SRS resource slot is in the same slot. One example of specification language to support such functionality includes:
According to certain embodiments, a UE supporting ASC 1T4R can be configured with four SRS resource sets, where each SRS resource set consist of one single port SRS resource. The four different SRS resource sets are expected to be configured with different slot offsets, and all of the SRS resource sets are expected to be triggered by the same aperiodic trigger state. One example of specification language to support such functionality includes:
In an alternative embodiment, a UE supporting ASC 2T4R can be configured with two SRS resource sets, where each SRS resource set consist of one two-port SRS resource. The two different SRS resource sets are expected to be configured with different slot offsets, and all of the SRS resource sets are expected to be triggered by the same aperiodic trigger state. One example of specification language to support such functionality includes:
According to particular embodiments, a new configuration called, e.g., resourceType-r17 is introduced in the SRS Config IE including a new parameter offset-ap. If resource Type-r17 is signaled, offset-ap measures the offset (in slots) of the SRS resource measured from the trigger point of the SRS resource set. An example of a modified ASN code in RRC where M is the maximum slot offset (e.g., 31) of the SRS resource is provided below:
In an alternative embodiment, the default value (unless otherwise specified) of offset-ap is zero.
In another alternative embodiment, offset-ap measures the offset in slots that are available for SRS transmission.
For all embodiments described herein, depending on, e.g., on reported UE ASC, on the number of guard periods that are required in between SRS resources in a set, or on whether resourceMapping-r16 is configured, only a subset of the antenna-switching configurations above may be valid for a UE. For example, for 1T6R, if the number of OFDM symbols per slot that can be used for SRS is 6 and there is a required 1-symbol guard period between SRS resources in an SRS resource set with usage ‘antennaSwitching’ the configurations in
The wireless network may comprise and/or interface with any type of communication, telecommunication, data, cellular, and/or radio network or other similar type of system. In some embodiments, the wireless network may be configured to operate according to specific standards or other types of predefined rules or procedures. Thus, particular embodiments of the wireless network may implement communication standards, such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Long Term Evolution (LTE), and/or other suitable 2G, 3G, 4G, or 5G standards; wireless local area network (WLAN) standards, such as the IEEE 802.11 standards; and/or any other appropriate wireless communication standard, such as the Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave Access (WiMax), Bluetooth, Z-Wave and/or ZigBee standards.
Network 106 may comprise one or more backhaul networks, core networks, IP networks, public switched telephone networks (PSTNs), packet data networks, optical networks, wide-area networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), wireless local area networks (WLANs), wired networks, wireless networks, metropolitan area networks, and other networks to enable communication between devices.
Network node 160 and wireless device 110 comprise various components described in more detail below. These components work together in order to provide network node and/or wireless device functionality, such as providing wireless connections in a wireless network. In different embodiments, the wireless network may comprise any number of wired or wireless networks, network nodes, base stations, controllers, wireless devices, relay stations, and/or any other components or systems that may facilitate or participate in the communication of data and/or signals whether via wired or wireless connections.
In
Similarly, network node 160 may be composed of multiple physically separate components (e.g., a NodeB component and a RNC component, or a BTS component and a BSC component, etc.), which may each have their own respective components. In certain scenarios in which network node 160 comprises multiple separate components (e.g., BTS and BSC components), one or more of the separate components may be shared among several network nodes. For example, a single RNC may control multiple NodeB's. In such a scenario, each unique NodeB and RNC pair, may in some instances be considered a single separate network node. In some embodiments, network node 160 may be configured to support multiple radio access technologies (RATs). In such embodiments, some components may be duplicated (e.g., separate device readable medium 180 for the different RATs) and some components may be reused (e.g., the same antenna 162 may be shared by the RATs). Network node 160 may also include multiple sets of the various illustrated components for different wireless technologies integrated into network node 160, such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, or Bluetooth wireless technologies. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chip or set of chips and other components within network node 160.
Processing circuitry 170 is configured to perform any determining, calculating, or similar operations (e.g., certain obtaining operations) described herein as being provided by a network node. These operations performed by processing circuitry 170 may include processing information obtained by processing circuitry 170 by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored in the network node, and/or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination.
Processing circuitry 170 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software and/or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other network node 160 components, such as device readable medium 180, network node 160 functionality. For example, processing circuitry 170 may execute instructions stored in device readable medium 180 or in memory within processing circuitry 170. Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless features, functions, or benefits discussed herein. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 170 may include a system on a chip (SOC).
In some embodiments, processing circuitry 170 may include one or more of radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 172 and baseband processing circuitry 174. In some embodiments, radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuitry 172 and baseband processing circuitry 174 may be on separate chips (or sets of chips), boards, or units, such as radio units and digital units. In alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 172 and baseband processing circuitry 174 may be on the same chip or set of chips, boards, or units.
In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein as being provided by a network node, base station, eNB or other such network device may be performed by processing circuitry 170 executing instructions stored on device readable medium 180 or memory within processing circuitry 170. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by processing circuitry 170 without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device readable medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a device readable storage medium or not, processing circuitry 170 can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to processing circuitry 170 alone or to other components of network node 160 but are enjoyed by network node 160 as a whole, and/or by end users and the wireless network generally.
Device readable medium 180 may comprise any form of volatile or non-volatile computer readable memory including, without limitation, persistent storage, solid-state memory, remotely mounted memory, magnetic media, optical media, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), mass storage media (for example, a hard disk), removable storage media (for example, a flash drive, a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and/or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device readable and/or computer-executable memory devices that store information, data, and/or instructions that may be used by processing circuitry 170. Device readable medium 180 may store any suitable instructions, data or information, including a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, etc. and/or other instructions capable of being executed by processing circuitry 170 and, utilized by network node 160. Device readable medium 180 may be used to store any calculations made by processing circuitry 170 and/or any data received via interface 190. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 170 and device readable medium 180 may be considered to be integrated.
Interface 190 is used in the wired or wireless communication of signalling and/or data between network node 160, network 106, and/or wireless devices 110. As illustrated, interface 190 comprises port(s)/terminal(s) 194 to send and receive data, for example to and from network 106 over a wired connection. Interface 190 also includes radio front end circuitry 192 that may be coupled to, or in certain embodiments a part of, antenna 162. Radio front end circuitry 192 comprises filters 198 and amplifiers 196. Radio front end circuitry 192 may be connected to antenna 162 and processing circuitry 170. Radio front end circuitry may be configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 162 and processing circuitry 170. Radio front end circuitry 192 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or wireless devices via a wireless connection. Radio front end circuitry 192 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 198 and/or amplifiers 196. The radio signal may then be transmitted via antenna 162. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 162 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by radio front end circuitry 192. The digital data may be passed to processing circuitry 170. In other embodiments, the interface may comprise different components and/or different combinations of components.
In certain alternative embodiments, network node 160 may not include separate radio front end circuitry 192, instead, processing circuitry 170 may comprise radio front end circuitry and may be connected to antenna 162 without separate radio front end circuitry 192. Similarly, in some embodiments, all or some of RF transceiver circuitry 172 may be considered a part of interface 190. In still other embodiments, interface 190 may include one or more ports or terminals 194, radio front end circuitry 192, and RF transceiver circuitry 172, as part of a radio unit (not shown), and interface 190 may communicate with baseband processing circuitry 174, which is part of a digital unit (not shown).
Antenna 162 may include one or more antennas, or antenna arrays, configured to send and/or receive wireless signals. Antenna 162 may be coupled to radio front end circuitry 192 and may be any type of antenna capable of transmitting and receiving data and/or signals wirelessly. In some embodiments, antenna 162 may comprise one or more omni-directional, sector or panel antennas operable to transmit/receive radio signals between, for example, 2 GHz and 66 GHz. An omni-directional antenna may be used to transmit/receive radio signals in any direction, a sector antenna may be used to transmit/receive radio signals from devices within a particular area, and a panel antenna may be a line of sight antenna used to transmit/receive radio signals in a relatively straight line. In some instances, the use of more than one antenna may be referred to as MIMO. In certain embodiments, antenna 162 may be separate from network node 160 and may be connectable to network node 160 through an interface or port.
Antenna 162, interface 190, and/or processing circuitry 170 may be configured to perform any receiving operations and/or certain obtaining operations described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data and/or signals may be received from a wireless device, another network node and/or any other network equipment. Similarly, antenna 162, interface 190, and/or processing circuitry 170 may be configured to perform any transmitting operations described herein as being performed by a network node. Any information, data and/or signals may be transmitted to a wireless device, another network node and/or any other network equipment.
Power circuitry 187 may comprise, or be coupled to, power management circuitry and is configured to supply the components of network node 160 with power for performing the functionality described herein. Power circuitry 187 may receive power from power source 186. Power source 186 and/or power circuitry 187 may be configured to provide power to the various components of network node 160 in a form suitable for the respective components (e.g., at a voltage and current level needed for each respective component). Power source 186 may either be included in, or external to, power circuitry 187 and/or network node 160. For example, network node 160 may be connectable to an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet) via an input circuitry or interface such as an electrical cable, whereby the external power source supplies power to power circuitry 187. As a further example, power source 186 may comprise a source of power in the form of a battery or battery pack which is connected to, or integrated in, power circuitry 187. The battery may provide backup power should the external power source fail. Other types of power sources, such as photovoltaic devices, may also be used.
Alternative embodiments of network node 160 may include additional components beyond those shown in
As illustrated, wireless device 110 includes antenna 111, interface 114, processing circuitry 120, device readable medium 130, user interface equipment 132, auxiliary equipment 134, power source 136 and power circuitry 137. Wireless device 110 may include multiple sets of one or more of the illustrated components for different wireless technologies supported by wireless device 110, such as, for example, GSM, WCDMA, LTE, NR, WiFi, WiMAX, or Bluetooth wireless technologies, just to mention a few. These wireless technologies may be integrated into the same or different chips or set of chips as other components within wireless device 110.
Antenna 111 may include one or more antennas or antenna arrays, configured to send and/or receive wireless signals, and is connected to interface 114. In certain alternative embodiments, antenna 111 may be separate from wireless device 110 and be connectable to wireless device 110 through an interface or port. Antenna 111, interface 114, and/or processing circuitry 120 may be configured to perform any receiving or transmitting operations described herein as being performed by a wireless device. Any information, data and/or signals may be received from a network node and/or another wireless device. In some embodiments, radio front end circuitry and/or antenna 111 may be considered an interface.
As illustrated, interface 114 comprises radio front end circuitry 112 and antenna 111. Radio front end circuitry 112 comprise one or more filters 118 and amplifiers 116. Radio front end circuitry 112 is connected to antenna 111 and processing circuitry 120 and is configured to condition signals communicated between antenna 111 and processing circuitry 120. Radio front end circuitry 112 may be coupled to or a part of antenna 111. In some embodiments, wireless device 110 may not include separate radio front end circuitry 112; rather, processing circuitry 120 may comprise radio front end circuitry and may be connected to antenna 111. Similarly, in some embodiments, some or all of RF transceiver circuitry 122 may be considered a part of interface 114. Radio front end circuitry 112 may receive digital data that is to be sent out to other network nodes or wireless devices via a wireless connection. Radio front end circuitry 112 may convert the digital data into a radio signal having the appropriate channel and bandwidth parameters using a combination of filters 118 and/or amplifiers 116. The radio signal may then be transmitted via antenna 111. Similarly, when receiving data, antenna 111 may collect radio signals which are then converted into digital data by radio front end circuitry 112. The digital data may be passed to processing circuitry 120. In other embodiments, the interface may comprise different components and/or different combinations of components.
Processing circuitry 120 may comprise a combination of one or more of a microprocessor, controller, microcontroller, central processing unit, digital signal processor, application-specific integrated circuit, field programmable gate array, or any other suitable computing device, resource, or combination of hardware, software, and/or encoded logic operable to provide, either alone or in conjunction with other wireless device 110 components, such as device readable medium 130, wireless device 110 functionality. Such functionality may include providing any of the various wireless features or benefits discussed herein. For example, processing circuitry 120 may execute instructions stored in device readable medium 130 or in memory within processing circuitry 120 to provide the functionality disclosed herein.
As illustrated, processing circuitry 120 includes one or more of RF transceiver circuitry 122, baseband processing circuitry 124, and application processing circuitry 126. In other embodiments, the processing circuitry may comprise different components and/or different combinations of components. In certain embodiments processing circuitry 120 of wireless device 110 may comprise a SOC. In some embodiments, RF transceiver circuitry 122, baseband processing circuitry 124, and application processing circuitry 126 may be on separate chips or sets of chips. In alternative embodiments, part or all of baseband processing circuitry 124 and application processing circuitry 126 may be combined into one chip or set of chips, and RF transceiver circuitry 122 may be on a separate chip or set of chips. In still alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 122 and baseband processing circuitry 124 may be on the same chip or set of chips, and application processing circuitry 126 may be on a separate chip or set of chips. In yet other alternative embodiments, part or all of RF transceiver circuitry 122, baseband processing circuitry 124, and application processing circuitry 126 may be combined in the same chip or set of chips. In some embodiments, RF transceiver circuitry 122 may be a part of interface 114. RF transceiver circuitry 122 may condition RF signals for processing circuitry 120.
In certain embodiments, some or all of the functionality described herein as being performed by a wireless device may be provided by processing circuitry 120 executing instructions stored on device readable medium 130, which in certain embodiments may be a computer-readable storage medium. In alternative embodiments, some or all of the functionality may be provided by processing circuitry 120 without executing instructions stored on a separate or discrete device readable storage medium, such as in a hard-wired manner. In any of those particular embodiments, whether executing instructions stored on a device readable storage medium or not, processing circuitry 120 can be configured to perform the described functionality. The benefits provided by such functionality are not limited to processing circuitry 120 alone or to other components of wireless device 110, but are enjoyed by wireless device 110 as a whole, and/or by end users and the wireless network generally.
Processing circuitry 120 may be configured to perform any determining, calculating, or similar operations (e.g., certain obtaining operations) described herein as being performed by a wireless device. These operations, as performed by processing circuitry 120, may include processing information obtained by processing circuitry 120 by, for example, converting the obtained information into other information, comparing the obtained information or converted information to information stored by wireless device 110, and/or performing one or more operations based on the obtained information or converted information, and as a result of said processing making a determination.
Device readable medium 130 may be operable to store a computer program, software, an application including one or more of logic, rules, code, tables, etc. and/or other instructions capable of being executed by processing circuitry 120. Device readable medium 130 may include computer memory (e.g., Random Access Memory (RAM) or Read Only Memory (ROM)), mass storage media (e.g., a hard disk), removable storage media (e.g., a Compact Disk (CD) or a Digital Video Disk (DVD)), and/or any other volatile or non-volatile, non-transitory device readable and/or computer executable memory devices that store information, data, and/or instructions that may be used by processing circuitry 120. In some embodiments, processing circuitry 120 and device readable medium 130 may be considered to be integrated.
User interface equipment 132 may provide components that allow for a human user to interact with wireless device 110. Such interaction may be of many forms, such as visual, audial, tactile, etc. User interface equipment 132 may be operable to produce output to the user and to allow the user to provide input to wireless device 110. The type of interaction may vary depending on the type of user interface equipment 132 installed in wireless device 110. For example, if wireless device 110 is a smart phone, the interaction may be via a touch screen; if wireless device 110 is a smart meter, the interaction may be through a screen that provides usage (e.g., the number of gallons used) or a speaker that provides an audible alert (e.g., if smoke is detected). User interface equipment 132 may include input interfaces, devices and circuits, and output interfaces, devices and circuits. User interface equipment 132 is configured to allow input of information into wireless device 110 and is connected to processing circuitry 120 to allow processing circuitry 120 to process the input information. User interface equipment 132 may include, for example, a microphone, a proximity or other sensor, keys/buttons, a touch display, one or more cameras, a USB port, or other input circuitry. User interface equipment 132 is also configured to allow output of information from wireless device 110, and to allow processing circuitry 120 to output information from wireless device 110. User interface equipment 132 may include, for example, a speaker, a display, vibrating circuitry, a USB port, a headphone interface, or other output circuitry. Using one or more input and output interfaces, devices, and circuits, of user interface equipment 132, wireless device 110 may communicate with end users and/or the wireless network and allow them to benefit from the functionality described herein.
Auxiliary equipment 134 is operable to provide more specific functionality which may not be generally performed by wireless devices. This may comprise specialized sensors for doing measurements for various purposes, interfaces for additional types of communication such as wired communications etc. The inclusion and type of components of auxiliary equipment 134 may vary depending on the embodiment and/or scenario.
Power source 136 may, in some embodiments, be in the form of a battery or battery pack. Other types of power sources, such as an external power source (e.g., an electricity outlet), photovoltaic devices or power cells, may also be used. wireless device 110 may further comprise power circuitry 137 for delivering power from power source 136 to the various parts of wireless device 110 which need power from power source 136 to carry out any functionality described or indicated herein. Power circuitry 137 may in certain embodiments comprise power management circuitry. Power circuitry 137 may additionally or alternatively be operable to receive power from an external power source; in which case wireless device 110 may be connectable to the external power source (such as an electricity outlet) via input circuitry or an interface such as an electrical power cable. Power circuitry 137 may also in certain embodiments be operable to deliver power from an external power source to power source 136. This may be, for example, for the charging of power source 136. Power circuitry 137 may perform any formatting, converting, or other modification to the power from power source 136 to make the power suitable for the respective components of wireless device 110 to which power is supplied.
In
In
In the depicted embodiment, input/output interface 205 may be configured to provide a communication interface to an input device, output device, or input and output device. UE 200 may be configured to use an output device via input/output interface 205. An output device may use the same type of interface port as an input device. For example, a USB port may be used to provide input to and output from UE 200. The output device may be a speaker, a sound card, a video card, a display, a monitor, a printer, an actuator, an emitter, a smartcard, another output device, or any combination thereof. UE 200 may be configured to use an input device via input/output interface 205 to allow a user to capture information into UE 200. The input device may include a touch-sensitive or presence-sensitive display, a camera (e.g., a digital camera, a digital video camera, a web camera, etc.), a microphone, a sensor, a mouse, a trackball, a directional pad, a trackpad, a scroll wheel, a smartcard, and the like. The presence-sensitive display may include a capacitive or resistive touch sensor to sense input from a user. A sensor may be, for instance, an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a tilt sensor, a force sensor, a magnetometer, an optical sensor, a proximity sensor, another like sensor, or any combination thereof. For example, the input device may be an accelerometer, a magnetometer, a digital camera, a microphone, and an optical sensor.
In
RAM 217 may be configured to interface via bus 202 to processing circuitry 201 to provide storage or caching of data or computer instructions during the execution of software programs such as the operating system, application programs, and device drivers. ROM 219 may be configured to provide computer instructions or data to processing circuitry 201. For example, ROM 219 may be configured to store invariant low-level system code or data for basic system functions such as basic input and output (I/O), startup, or reception of keystrokes from a keyboard that are stored in a non-volatile memory. Storage medium 221 may be configured to include memory such as RAM, ROM, programmable read-only memory (PROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), magnetic disks, optical disks, floppy disks, hard disks, removable cartridges, or flash drives. In one example, storage medium 221 may be configured to include operating system 223, application program 225 such as a web browser application, a widget or gadget engine or another application, and data file 227. Storage medium 221 may store, for use by UE 200, any of a variety of various operating systems or combinations of operating systems.
Storage medium 221 may be configured to include a number of physical drive units, such as redundant array of independent disks (RAID), floppy disk drive, flash memory, USB flash drive, external hard disk drive, thumb drive, pen drive, key drive, high-density digital versatile disc (HD-DVD) optical disc drive, internal hard disk drive, Blu-Ray optical disc drive, holographic digital data storage (HDDS) optical disc drive, external mini-dual in-line memory module (DIMM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), external micro-DIMM SDRAM, smartcard memory such as a subscriber identity module or a removable user identity (SIM/RUIM) module, other memory, or any combination thereof. Storage medium 221 may allow UE 200 to access computer-executable instructions, application programs or the like, stored on transitory or non-transitory memory media, to off-load data, or to upload data. An article of manufacture, such as one utilizing a communication system may be tangibly embodied in storage medium 221, which may comprise a device readable medium.
In
In the illustrated embodiment, the communication functions of communication subsystem 231 may include data communication, voice communication, multimedia communication, short-range communications such as Bluetooth, near-field communication, location-based communication such as the use of the global positioning system (GPS) to determine a location, another like communication function, or any combination thereof. For example, communication subsystem 231 may include cellular communication, Wi-Fi communication, Bluetooth communication, and GPS communication. Network 243b may encompass wired and/or wireless networks such as a local-area network (LAN), a wide-area network (WAN), a computer network, a wireless network, a telecommunications network, another like network or any combination thereof. For example, network 243b may be a cellular network, a Wi-Fi network, and/or a near-field network. Power source 213 may be configured to provide alternating current (AC) or direct current (DC) power to components of UE 200.
The features, benefits and/or functions described herein may be implemented in one of the components of UE 200 or partitioned across multiple components of UE 200. Further, the features, benefits, and/or functions described herein may be implemented in any combination of hardware, software or firmware. In one example, communication subsystem 231 may be configured to include any of the components described herein. Further, processing circuitry 201 may be configured to communicate with any of such components over bus 202. In another example, any of such components may be represented by program instructions stored in memory that when executed by processing circuitry 201 perform the corresponding functions described herein. In another example, the functionality of any of such components may be partitioned between processing circuitry 201 and communication subsystem 231. In another example, the non-computationally intensive functions of any of such components may be implemented in software or firmware and the computationally intensive functions may be implemented in hardware.
In some embodiments, some or all of the functions described herein may be implemented as virtual components executed by one or more virtual machines implemented in one or more virtual environments 300 hosted by one or more of hardware nodes 330. Further, in embodiments in which the virtual node is not a radio access node or does not require radio connectivity (e.g., a core network node), then the network node may be entirely virtualized.
The functions may be implemented by one or more applications 320 (which may alternatively be called software instances, virtual appliances, network functions, virtual nodes, virtual network functions, etc.) operative to implement some of the features, functions, and/or benefits of some of the embodiments disclosed herein. Applications 320 are run in virtualization environment 300 which provides hardware 330 comprising processing circuitry 360 and memory 390. Memory 390 contains instructions 395 executable by processing circuitry 360 whereby application 320 is operative to provide one or more of the features, benefits, and/or functions disclosed herein.
Virtualization environment 300, comprises general-purpose or special-purpose network hardware devices 330 comprising a set of one or more processors or processing circuitry 360, which may be commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) processors, dedicated Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), or any other type of processing circuitry including digital or analog hardware components or special purpose processors. Each hardware device may comprise memory 390-1 which may be non-persistent memory for temporarily storing instructions 395 or software executed by processing circuitry 360. Each hardware device may comprise one or more network interface controllers (NICs) 370, also known as network interface cards, which include physical network interface 380. Each hardware device may also include non-transitory, persistent, machine-readable storage media 390-2 having stored therein software 395 and/or instructions executable by processing circuitry 360. Software 395 may include any type of software including software for instantiating one or more virtualization layers 350 (also referred to as hypervisors), software to execute virtual machines 340 as well as software allowing it to execute functions, features and/or benefits described in relation with some embodiments described herein.
Virtual machines 340, comprise virtual processing, virtual memory, virtual networking or interface and virtual storage, and may be run by a corresponding virtualization layer 350 or hypervisor. Different embodiments of the instance of virtual appliance 320 may be implemented on one or more of virtual machines 340, and the implementations may be made in different ways.
During operation, processing circuitry 360 executes software 395 to instantiate the hypervisor or virtualization layer 350, which may sometimes be referred to as a virtual machine monitor (VMM). Virtualization layer 350 may present a virtual operating platform that appears like networking hardware to virtual machine 340.
As shown in
Virtualization of the hardware is in some contexts referred to as network function virtualization (NFV). NFV may be used to consolidate many network equipment types onto industry standard high volume server hardware, physical switches, and physical storage, which can be located in data centers, and customer premise equipment.
In the context of NFV, virtual machine 340 may be a software implementation of a physical machine that runs programs as if they were executing on a physical, non-virtualized machine. Each of virtual machines 340, and that part of hardware 330 that executes that virtual machine, be it hardware dedicated to that virtual machine and/or hardware shared by that virtual machine with others of the virtual machines 340, forms a separate virtual network elements (VNE).
Still in the context of NFV, Virtual Network Function (VNF) is responsible for handling specific network functions that run in one or more virtual machines 340 on top of hardware networking infrastructure 330 and corresponds to application 320 in
In some embodiments, one or more radio units 3200 that each include one or more transmitters 3220 and one or more receivers 3210 may be coupled to one or more antennas 3225. Radio units 3200 may communicate directly with hardware nodes 330 via one or more appropriate network interfaces and may be used in combination with the virtual components to provide a virtual node with radio capabilities, such as a radio access node or a base station.
In some embodiments, some signaling can be affected with the use of control system 3230 which may alternatively be used for communication between the hardware nodes 330 and radio units 3200.
With reference to
Telecommunication network 410 is itself connected to host computer 430, which may be embodied in the hardware and/or software of a standalone server, a cloud-implemented server, a distributed server or as processing resources in a server farm. Host computer 430 may be under the ownership or control of a service provider or may be operated by the service provider or on behalf of the service provider. Connections 421 and 422 between telecommunication network 410 and host computer 430 may extend directly from core network 414 to host computer 430 or may go via an optional intermediate network 420. Intermediate network 420 may be one of, or a combination of more than one of, a public, private or hosted network; intermediate network 420, if any, may be a backbone network or the Internet; in particular, intermediate network 420 may comprise two or more sub-networks (not shown).
The communication system of
Example implementations, in accordance with an embodiment, of the UE, base station and host computer discussed in the preceding paragraphs will now be described with reference to
Communication system 500 further includes base station 520 provided in a telecommunication system and comprising hardware 525 enabling it to communicate with host computer 510 and with UE 530. Hardware 525 may include communication interface 526 for setting up and maintaining a wired or wireless connection with an interface of a different communication device of communication system 500, as well as radio interface 527 for setting up and maintaining at least wireless connection 570 with UE 530 located in a coverage area (not shown in
Communication system 500 further includes UE 530 already referred to. Its hardware 535 may include radio interface 537 configured to set up and maintain wireless connection 570 with a base station serving a coverage area in which UE 530 is currently located. Hardware 535 of UE 530 further includes processing circuitry 538, which may comprise one or more programmable processors, application-specific integrated circuits, field programmable gate arrays or combinations of these (not shown) adapted to execute instructions. UE 530 further comprises software 531, which is stored in or accessible by UE 530 and executable by processing circuitry 538. Software 531 includes client application 532. Client application 532 may be operable to provide a service to a human or non-human user via UE 530, with the support of host computer 510. In host computer 510, an executing host application 512 may communicate with the executing client application 532 via OTT connection 550 terminating at UE 530 and host computer 510. In providing the service to the user, client application 532 may receive request data from host application 512 and provide user data in response to the request data. OTT connection 550 may transfer both the request data and the user data. Client application 532 may interact with the user to generate the user data that it provides.
It is noted that host computer 510, base station 520 and UE 530 illustrated in
In
Wireless connection 570 between UE 530 and base station 520 is in accordance with the teachings of the embodiments described throughout this disclosure. One or more of the various embodiments improve the performance of OTT services provided to UE 530 using OTT connection 550, in which wireless connection 570 forms the last segment. More precisely, the teachings of these embodiments may improve the data rate, latency, and/or power consumption and thereby provide benefits such as reduced user waiting time, relaxed restriction on file size, better responsiveness, and/or extended battery lifetime.
A measurement procedure may be provided for the purpose of monitoring data rate, latency and other factors on which the one or more embodiments improve. There may further be an optional network functionality for reconfiguring OTT connection 550 between host computer 510 and UE 530, in response to variations in the measurement results. The measurement procedure and/or the network functionality for reconfiguring OTT connection 550 may be implemented in software 511 and hardware 515 of host computer 510 or in software 531 and hardware 535 of UE 530, or both. In embodiments, sensors (not shown) may be deployed in or in association with communication devices through which OTT connection 550 passes; the sensors may participate in the measurement procedure by supplying values of the monitored quantities exemplified above or supplying values of other physical quantities from which software 511, 531 may compute or estimate the monitored quantities. The reconfiguring of OTT connection 550 may include message format, retransmission settings, preferred routing etc.; the reconfiguring need not affect base station 520, and it may be unknown or imperceptible to base station 520. Such procedures and functionalities may be known and practiced in the art. In certain embodiments, measurements may involve proprietary UE signaling facilitating host computer 510's measurements of throughput, propagation times, latency and the like. The measurements may be implemented in that software 511 and 531 causes messages to be transmitted, in particular empty or ‘dummy’ messages, using OTT connection 550 while it monitors propagation times, errors etc.
In a particular embodiment, the wireless device 110 is adapted to implement the plurality of SRS configurations for the ASC.
In a particular embodiment, each of the plurality of SRS configurations has a different number of SRS sets.
In a further particular embodiment, each SRS set comprises at least one SRS resource.
In a particular embodiment, for the particular one of the plurality of SRS configurations of the ASC, a number of SRS sets is equal to a number of ASC switches.
In a particular embodiment, the wireless device comprises ASC 1T4R and is configured with one or four aperiodic SRS resource sets. Each of the one or four aperiodic SRS resource sets is transmitted in different slots. Each SRS resource in the one or four aperiodic SRS resource set comprises a single SRS port, and the single SRS port of each resource is associated with a different UE antenna port.
In a particular embodiment, the wireless device comprises ASC 2T4R and is configured with two aperiodic SRS resource sets. Each one of the two aperiodic SRS resource sets comprises a two-port SRS resource. Each SRS resource comprises a unique pair of SRS ports, and each unique pair of SRS ports is associated with a different UE antenna port pair.
In a particular embodiment, the wireless device comprises ASC 1T2R and is configured with two aperiodic SRS resource sets. Each one of the two aperiodic SRS resource sets comprises a one-port SRS resource. Each SRS resource comprises a single SRS port, and each SRS port is associated with a different UE antenna port.
In a particular embodiment, the wireless device comprises ASC 1T6R and is configured with a number of aperiodic SRS resource sets that is between one and six. Six SRS resources are split between the number of aperiodic SRS resource sets, and each of the six SRS resources is associated with a single SRS port.
In a particular embodiment, the wireless device comprises ASC 2T6R and is configured with a number of aperiodic SRS resource sets that is between one and three. Three SRS resources are split between the number of aperiodic SRS resource sets, and each of the three SRS resources is associated with two SRS ports.
In a particular embodiment, the wireless device comprises ASC 1T8R and is configured with a number of aperiodic SRS resource sets that is between two and eight. Eight SRS resources are split between the number of aperiodic SRS resource sets, and each of the eight SRS resources is associated with a single SRS port.
In a particular embodiment, the wireless device comprises ASC 2T8R and is configured with a number of aperiodic SRS resource sets that is between one and four. Four SRS resources are split between the number of aperiodic SRS resource sets, and each of the four SRS resources is associated with a pair of SRS ports.
In a particular embodiment, the wireless device comprises ASC 4T8R and is configured with a number of aperiodic SRS resource sets that is between one and two aperiodic SRS resource sets. Two SRS resources are split between the number of aperiodic SRS resource sets, and each of the two SRS resources is associated with four SRS ports.
In various particular embodiments, the methods of
Virtual Apparatus 1200 may comprise processing circuitry, which may include one or more microprocessor or microcontrollers, as well as other digital hardware, which may include digital signal processors (DSPs), special-purpose digital logic, and the like. The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or several types of memory such as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory, cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. Program code stored in memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and/or data communications protocols as well as instructions for carrying out one or more of the techniques described herein, in several embodiments. In some implementations, the processing circuitry may be used to cause receiving module 1210, transmitting module 1220, and any other suitable units of apparatus 1200 to perform corresponding functions according one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
According to certain embodiments, receiving module 1210 may perform certain of the receiving functions of the apparatus 1200. For example, receiving module 1210 may receive, from a network node, a plurality of sounding reference signal (SRS) configurations for an antenna switching configuration (ASC). As another example, receiving module 1210 may receive, from a network node 160, an indication of a particular one of a plurality of SRS configurations for an ASC.
According to certain embodiments, transmitting module 1220 may perform certain of the transmitting functions of the apparatus 1200. For example, transmitting module 1220 may transmit, to the network node, a SRS based on one of the SRS configurations for the ASC. As another example, transmitting module 1220 may transmit, to the network node 160, at least one SRS based on the particular one of the plurality of SRS configurations for the ASC.
Optionally, in particular embodiments, virtual apparatus may additionally include one or more modules for performing any of the steps or providing any of the features in the Group A and Group C Example Embodiments described below and/or any other embodiments described herein.
As used herein, the term module or unit may have conventional meaning in the field of electronics, electrical devices and/or electronic devices and may include, for example, electrical and/or electronic circuitry, devices, modules, processors, memories, logic solid state and/or discrete devices, computer programs or instructions for carrying out respective tasks, procedures, computations, outputs, and/or displaying functions, and so on, as such as those that are described herein.
In a particular embodiment, the network node 160 selects the particular one of the plurality of SRS configurations for the ASC based on at least one of: information indicating an antenna-switching capability of the wireless device; information indicating at least one special slot; and a parameter associated with minimizing a number of slots, symbols, and/or SRS resource sets for the ASC.
In a particular embodiment, the network node 160 configures the wireless device 110 to implement the plurality of SRS configurations for the ASC.
In a particular embodiment, each of the plurality of SRS configurations has a different number of SRS sets.
In a further particular embodiment, each SRS set comprises at least one SRS resource.
In a particular embodiment, for the particular one of the plurality of SRS configurations for the ASC, a number of SRS sets is equal to a number of ASC switches.
In a particular embodiment, the wireless device 110 comprises ASC 1T4R and is configured with one or four aperiodic SRS resource sets. Each of the one or four aperiodic SRS resource sets is transmitted in different slots. Each SRS resource in the one or four aperiodic SRS resource set comprises a single SRS port, and the single SRS port of each resource is associated with a different UE antenna port.
In a particular embodiment, the wireless device 110 comprises ASC 2T4R and is configured with two aperiodic SRS resource sets. Each one of the two aperiodic SRS resource sets comprises a two-port SRS resource. Each SRS resource comprises a unique pair of SRS ports, and each unique pair of SRS ports is associated with a different UE antenna port pair.
In a particular embodiment, the wireless device 110 comprises ASC 1T2R and is configured with two aperiodic SRS resource sets. Each one of the two aperiodic SRS resource sets comprises a one-port SRS resource. Each SRS resource comprises a single SRS port, and each SRS port is associated with a different UE antenna port.
In a particular embodiment, the wireless device 110 comprises ASC 1T6R and is configured with a number of aperiodic SRS resource sets that is between one and six. Six SRS resources are split between the number of aperiodic SRS resource sets, and each of the six SRS resources is associated with a single SRS port.
In a particular embodiment, the wireless device 110 comprises ASC 2T6R and is configured with a number of aperiodic SRS resource sets that is between one and three. Three SRS resources are split between the number of aperiodic SRS resource sets, and each of the three SRS resources is associated with two SRS ports.
In a particular embodiment, the wireless device 110 comprises ASC 1T8R and is configured with a number of aperiodic SRS resource sets that is between two and eight. Eight SRS resources are split between the number of aperiodic SRS sets, and each of the eight resources is associated with a single SRS port.
In a particular embodiment, the wireless device 110 comprises ASC 2T8R and is configured with a number of aperiodic SRS resource sets that is between one and four. Four SRS resources are split between the number of aperiodic SRS resource sets, and each of the four aperiodic SRS resources is associated with a pair of SRS ports.
In a particular embodiment, the wireless device 110 comprises ASC 4T8R and is configured with a number of aperiodic SRS resource sets that is between one. Two SRS resources are split between the number of aperiodic resource sets, and each of the two SRS resources is associated with four SRS ports.
In a particular embodiment, the network node 160 configures the wireless device 110 to select one of the plurality of SRS configurations based on a guard period required between SRS resources in a SRS resource set.
In various particular embodiments, the methods of
Virtual Apparatus 1500 may comprise processing circuitry, which may include one or more microprocessor or microcontrollers, as well as other digital hardware, which may include digital signal processors (DSPs), special-purpose digital logic, and the like. The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or several types of memory such as read-only memory (ROM), random-access memory, cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. Program code stored in memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and/or data communications protocols as well as instructions for carrying out one or more of the techniques described herein, in several embodiments. In some implementations, the processing circuitry may be used to cause transmitting module 1510, receiving module 1520, and any other suitable units of apparatus 1500 to perform corresponding functions according one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.
According to certain embodiments, transmitting module 1510 may perform certain of the transmitting functions of the apparatus 1500. For example, transmitting module 1510 may transmit, to a wireless device, a plurality of sounding reference signal (SRS) configurations for an antenna switching configuration (ASC). As another example, transmitting module 1510 transmits, to a wireless device 110, an indication of a particular one of a plurality of SRS configurations for an ASC.
According to certain embodiments, receiving module 1520 may perform certain of the receiving functions of the apparatus 1500. For example, receiving module 1520 may receive, from the wireless device, a SRS based on one of the SRS configurations for the ASC. As another example, receiving module 1520 may receive, from the wireless device 110, at least one SRS based on the particular one of the plurality of SRS configurations for the ASC.
Optionally, in particular embodiments, virtual apparatus may additionally include one or more modules for performing any of the steps or providing any of the features in the Group B and Group C Example Embodiments described below and/or any other embodiments described herein.
Example Embodiment A1. A method by a wireless device comprising: receiving, from a network node, a plurality of sounding reference signal (SRS) configurations for an antenna switching configuration (ASC); and transmitting, to the network node, a SRS based on one of the SRS configurations for the ASC.
Example Embodiment A2. The method of Example Embodiment A1, wherein each of the plurality of SRS configurations comprises a SRS set.
Example Embodiment A3. The method of Example Embodiment A2, wherein each SRS set comprises at least one SRS resource.
Example Embodiment A4. The method of Example Embodiment A1 or A2, wherein a number of SRS sets is equal to a number of ASC switches.
Example Embodiment A5. The method of any one of Example Embodiments A1 to A4, wherein only one ASC is associated with each one of the plurality of SRS configurations.
Example Embodiment A6. The method of any one of Example Embodiments A1 to A5, wherein the SRS is transmitted in an arbitrary special slot having only two uplink symbols.
Example Embodiment A7. The method of any one of Example Embodiments A1 to A5, wherein the SRS is transmitted in an arbitrary special slot having more than six symbols.
Example Embodiment A8. The method of any one of Example Embodiments A1 to A7, wherein the plurality of SRS configurations minimize a number of SRS resource sets.
Example Embodiment A9. The method of any one of Embodiments A1 to A8, wherein: the wireless device comprises ASC 1T4R and is configured with zero, one, or two aperiodic SRS resource sets, each of the zero, one, or two aperiodic SRS resource sets is transmitted in different symbols, each SRS resource in the zero, one, or two aperiodic SRS resource set comprises a single SRS port, and the single SRS port of each resource is associated with a different UE antenna port.
Example Embodiment A10. The method of any one of Example Embodiments A1 to A8, wherein: the wireless device comprises ASC 1T4R and is configured with four aperiodic SRS resource sets, each of the four aperiodic SRS resource sets comprises one SRS resource, each SRS resource comprises a single SRS port, and the single SRS port of each resource is associated with a different UE antenna port.
Example Embodiment A11. The method of any one of Example Embodiments A1 to A8, wherein: the wireless device comprises ASC 2T4R and is configured with two aperiodic SRS resource sets, each one of the two aperiodic SRS resource sets comprises a two-port SRS resource, each SRS resource comprises a unique pair of SRS ports, and each unique pair of SRS ports is associated with a different UE antenna port pair.
Example Embodiment A12. The method of any one of Example Embodiments A1 to A8, wherein: the wireless device comprises ASC 1T4R and is configured with two aperiodic SRS resource sets, each one of the two aperiodic SRS resource sets comprises a two-port SRS resource, each SRS resource comprises a single SRS port, and each SRS port is associated with a different UE antenna port pair.
Example Embodiment A13. The method of any one of Example Embodiments A1 to A8, further comprising: transmitting, to the wireless device, a resource configuration in a SRS configuration element, the resource configuration comprising an offset, and wherein the wireless device is configured to measure the offset from a trigger point associated with a SRS resource set.
Example Embodiment A14. The method of any one of Example Embodiments A1 to A11, wherein the offset comprises a number of slots.
Example Embodiment A15. The method of any one of Example Embodiments A13 to A14, wherein the offset is selected from a range between zero and a maximum slot offset.
Example Embodiment A16. The method of any one of Example Embodiments A1 to A8, wherein: the wireless device comprises ASC 1T6R and is configured with six aperiodic SRS resource sets, each of the six aperiodic SRS resource sets comprises six SRS resource, each of the six aperiodic SRS resource sets is associated with a single SRS port.
Example Embodiment A17. The method of any one of Example Embodiments A1 to A8, wherein: the wireless device comprises ASC 2T6R and is configured with three aperiodic SRS resource sets, each of the three aperiodic SRS resource sets comprises three SRS resources, each of the three aperiodic SRS resource sets is associated with a single SRS port.
Example Embodiment A18. The method of any one of Example Embodiments A1 to A8, wherein: the wireless device comprises ASC 1T8R and is configured with eight aperiodic SRS resource sets, each of the eight aperiodic SRS resource sets comprises eight SRS resources, each of the eight aperiodic SRS resource sets is associated with a single SRS port.
Example Embodiment A19. The method of any one of Example Embodiments A1 to A8, wherein: the wireless device comprises ASC 2T8R and is configured with four aperiodic SRS resource sets, each of the four aperiodic SRS resource sets comprises four SRS resources, each of the four aperiodic SRS resource sets is associated with a pair of SRS ports.
Example Embodiment A20. The method of any one of Example Embodiments A1 to A8, wherein: the wireless device comprises ASC 4T8R and is configured with two aperiodic SRS resource sets, each of the two aperiodic SRS resource sets comprises two SRS resources, each of the two aperiodic SRS resource sets is associated with four SRS ports.
Example Embodiment A21. The method of any one of Example Embodiments A1 to A20, further comprising selecting one of the plurality of SRS configurations based on a guard period required between SRS resources in a SRS resource set.
Example Embodiment A22. The method of any one of Example Embodiments A1 to A21, wherein the wireless device comprises a user equipment (UE).
Example Embodiment A23. A wireless device comprising processing circuitry configured to perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments A1 to A22.
Example Embodiment A24. A computer program comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments A1 to A22.
Example Embodiment A25. A computer program product comprising computer program, the computer program comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments A1 to A22.
Example Embodiment A26. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions which when executed by a computer perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments A1 to A22.
Example Embodiment B1. A method by a network node comprising: transmitting, to a wireless device, a plurality of sounding reference signal (SRS) configurations for an antenna switching configuration (ASC); and receiving, from the wireless device, a SRS based on one of the SRS configurations for the ASC.
Example Embodiment B2. The method of Example Embodiment B1, wherein each of the plurality of SRS configurations comprises a SRS set.
Example Embodiment B3. The method of Example Embodiment B2, wherein each SRS set comprises at least one SRS resource.
Example Embodiment B4. The method of Example Embodiment B1 or B2, wherein a number of SRS sets is equal to a number of ASC switches.
Example Embodiment B5. The method of any one of Example Embodiments B1 to B4, wherein only one ASC is associated with each one of the plurality of SRS configurations.
Example Embodiment B6. The method of any one of Example Embodiments B1 to B5, wherein the SRS is received in an arbitrary special slot having only two uplink symbols.
Example Embodiment B7. The method of any one of Example Embodiments B1 to B5, wherein the SRS is received in an arbitrary special slot having more than six symbols.
Example Embodiment B8. The method of any one of Example Embodiments B1 to B7, further comprising the plurality of SRS configurations minimize a number of SRS resource sets.
Example Embodiment B9. The method of any one of Embodiments B1 to B8, wherein: the wireless device comprises ASC 1T4R and is configured with zero, one, or two aperiodic SRS resource sets, each of the zero, one, or two aperiodic SRS resource sets is transmitted in different symbols, each SRS resource in the zero, one, or two aperiodic SRS resource set comprises a single SRS port, and the single SRS port of each resource is associated with a different UE antenna port.
Example Embodiment B10. The method of any one of Example Embodiments B1 to B8, wherein: the wireless device comprises ASC 1T4R and is configured with four aperiodic SRS resource sets, each of the four aperiodic SRS resource sets comprises one SRS resource, each SRS resource comprises a single SRS port, and the single SRS port of each resource is associated with a different UE antenna port.
Example Embodiment B11. The method of any one of Example Embodiments B1 to B8, wherein: the wireless device comprises ASC 2T4R and is configured with two aperiodic SRS resource sets, each one of the two aperiodic SRS resource sets comprises a two-port SRS resource, each SRS resource comprises a unique pair of SRS ports, and each unique pair of SRS ports is associated with a different UE antenna port pair.
Example Embodiment B12. The method of any one of Example Embodiments B1 to B8, wherein: the wireless device comprises ASC 1T4R and is configured with two aperiodic SRS resource sets, each one of the two aperiodic SRS resource sets comprises a two-port SRS resource, each SRS resource comprises a single SRS port, and each SRS port is associated with a different UE antenna port pair.
Example Embodiment B13. The method of any one of Example Embodiments B1 to B8, further comprising: transmitting, to the wireless device, a resource configuration in a SRS configuration element, the resource configuration comprising an offset, and wherein the wireless device is configured to measure the offset from a trigger point associated with a SRS resource set.
Example Embodiment B14. The method of any one of Example Embodiments B1 to B11, wherein the offset comprises a number of slots.
Example Embodiment B15. The method of any one of Example Embodiments B13 to B14, wherein the offset is selected from a range between zero and a maximum slot offset.
Example Embodiment B16. The method of any one of Example Embodiments B1 to B8, wherein: the wireless device comprises ASC 1T6R and is configured with six aperiodic SRS resource sets, each of the six aperiodic SRS resource sets comprises six SRS resource, each of the six aperiodic SRS resource sets is associated with a single SRS port.
Example Embodiment B17. The method of any one of Example Embodiments B1 to B8, wherein: the wireless device comprises ASC 2T6R and is configured with three aperiodic SRS resource sets, each of the three aperiodic SRS resource sets comprises three SRS resources, each of the three aperiodic SRS resource sets is associated with a single SRS port.
Example Embodiment B18. The method of any one of Example Embodiments B1 to B8, wherein: the wireless device comprises ASC 1T8R and is configured with eight aperiodic SRS resource sets, each of the eight aperiodic SRS resource sets comprises eight SRS resources, each of the eight aperiodic SRS resource sets is associated with a single SRS port.
Example Embodiment B19. The method of any one of Example Embodiments B1 to B8, wherein: the wireless device comprises ASC 2T8R and is configured with four aperiodic SRS resource sets, each of the four aperiodic SRS resource sets comprises four SRS resources, each of the four aperiodic SRS resource sets is associated with a pair of SRS ports.
Example Embodiment B20. The method of any one of Example Embodiments B1 to B8, wherein: the wireless device comprises ASC 4T8R and is configured with two aperiodic SRS resource sets, each of the two aperiodic SRS resource sets comprises two SRS resources, each of the two aperiodic SRS resource sets is associated with four SRS ports.
Example Embodiment B21. The method of any one of Example Embodiments B1 to B20, further comprising configuring the wireless device to select one of the plurality of SRS configurations based on a guard period required between SRS resources in a SRS resource set.
Example Embodiment B22. The method of any one of Example Embodiments B1 to B21, wherein the network node comprises a gNodeB (gNB).
Example Embodiment B23. A network node comprising processing circuitry configured to perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments B1 to B22.
Example Embodiment B24. A computer program comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments B1 to B22.
Example Embodiment B25. A computer program product comprising computer program, the computer program comprising instructions which when executed on a computer perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments B1 to B22.
Example Embodiment B26. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions which when executed by a computer perform any of the methods of Example Embodiments B1 to B22.
Example Embodiment C1. A wireless device comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A Example Embodiments; and power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the wireless device.
Example Embodiment C2. A network node comprising: processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B Example Embodiments; power supply circuitry configured to supply power to the wireless device.
Example Embodiment C3. A wireless device, the wireless device comprising: an antenna configured to send and receive wireless signals; radio front-end circuitry connected to the antenna and to processing circuitry, and configured to condition signals communicated between the antenna and the processing circuitry; the processing circuitry being configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A Example Embodiments; an input interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to allow input of information into the wireless device to be processed by the processing circuitry; an output interface connected to the processing circuitry and configured to output information from the wireless device that has been processed by the processing circuitry; and a battery connected to the processing circuitry and configured to supply power to the wireless device.
Example Embodiment C4. A communication system including a host computer comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a communication interface configured to forward the user data to a cellular network for transmission to a wireless device, wherein the cellular network comprises a network node having a radio interface and processing circuitry, the network node's processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B Example Embodiments.
Example Embodiment C5. The communication system of the pervious embodiment further including the network node.
Example Embodiment C6. The communication system of the previous 2 embodiments, further including the wireless device, wherein the wireless device is configured to communicate with the network node.
Example Embodiment C7. The communication system of the previous 3 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the wireless device comprises processing circuitry configured to execute a client application associated with the host application.
Example Embodiment C8. A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a network node and a wireless device, the method comprising: at the host computer, providing user data; and at the host computer, initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the wireless device via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the network node performs any of the steps of any of the Group B Example Embodiments.
Example Embodiment C9. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising, at the network node, transmitting the user data.
Example Embodiment C10. The method of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein the user data is provided at the host computer by executing a host application, the method further comprising, at the wireless device, executing a client application associated with the host application.
Example Embodiment C11. A wireless device configured to communicate with a network node, the wireless device comprising a radio interface and processing circuitry configured to performs the of the previous 3 embodiments.
Example Embodiment C12. A communication system including a host computer comprising: processing circuitry configured to provide user data; and a communication interface configured to forward user data to a cellular network for transmission to a wireless device, wherein the wireless device comprises a radio interface and processing circuitry, the wireless device's components configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A Example Embodiments.
Example Embodiment C13. The communication system of the previous embodiment, wherein the cellular network further includes a network node configured to communicate with the wireless device.
Example Embodiment C14. The communication system of the previous 2 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing the user data; and the wireless device's processing circuitry is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application.
Example Embodiment C15. A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a network node and a wireless device, the method comprising: at the host computer, providing user data; and at the host computer, initiating a transmission carrying the user data to the wireless device via a cellular network comprising the network node, wherein the wireless device performs any of the steps of any of the Group A Example Embodiments.
Example Embodiment C16. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising at the wireless device, receiving the user data from the network node.
Example Embodiment C17. A communication system including a host computer comprising: communication interface configured to receive user data originating from a transmission from a wireless device to a network node, wherein the wireless device comprises a radio interface and processing circuitry, the wireless device's processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group A Example Embodiments.
Example Embodiment C18. The communication system of the previous embodiment, further including the wireless device.
Example Embodiment C19. The communication system of the previous 2 embodiments, further including the network node, wherein the network node comprises a radio interface configured to communicate with the wireless device and a communication interface configured to forward to the host computer the user data carried by a transmission from the wireless device to the network node.
Example Embodiment C20. The communication system of the previous 3 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application; and the wireless device's processing circuitry is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application, thereby providing the user data.
Example Embodiment C21. The communication system of the previous 4 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application, thereby providing request data; and the wireless device's processing circuitry is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application, thereby providing the user data in response to the request data.
Example Embodiment C22. A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a network node and a wireless device, the method comprising: at the host computer, receiving user data transmitted to the network node from the wireless device, wherein the wireless device performs any of the steps of any of the Group A Example Embodiments.
Example Embodiment C23. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising, at the wireless device, providing the user data to the network node.
Example Embodiment C24. The method of the previous 2 embodiments, further comprising: at the wireless device, executing a client application, thereby providing the user data to be transmitted; and at the host computer, executing a host application associated with the client application.
Example Embodiment C25. The method of the previous 3 embodiments, further comprising: at the wireless device, executing a client application; and at the wireless device, receiving input data to the client application, the input data being provided at the host computer by executing a host application associated with the client application, wherein the user data to be transmitted is provided by the client application in response to the input data.
Example Embodiment C26. A communication system including a host computer comprising a communication interface configured to receive user data originating from a transmission from a wireless device to a network node, wherein the network node comprises a radio interface and processing circuitry, the network node's processing circuitry configured to perform any of the steps of any of the Group B Example Embodiments.
Example Embodiment C27. The communication system of the previous embodiment further including the network node.
Example Embodiment C28. The communication system of the previous 2 embodiments, further including the wireless device, wherein the wireless device is configured to communicate with the network node.
Example Embodiment C29. The communication system of the previous 3 embodiments, wherein: the processing circuitry of the host computer is configured to execute a host application; the wireless device is configured to execute a client application associated with the host application, thereby providing the user data to be received by the host computer.
Example Embodiment C30. A method implemented in a communication system including a host computer, a network node and a wireless device, the method comprising: at the host computer, receiving, from the base station, user data originating from a transmission which the network node has received from the wireless device, wherein the wireless device performs any of the steps of any of the Group A Example Embodiments.
Example Embodiment C31. The method of the previous embodiment, further comprising at the network node receiving the user data from the wireless device.
Example Embodiment C32. The method of the previous 2 embodiments, further comprising at the network node, initiating a transmission of the received user data to the host computer.
Example Embodiment C33. The method of any of the previous embodiments, wherein the network node comprises a base station.
Example Embodiment C34. The method of any of the previous embodiments, wherein the wireless device comprises a user equipment (UE).
Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the systems and apparatuses described herein without departing from the scope of the disclosure. The components of the systems and apparatuses may be integrated or separated. Moreover, the operations of the systems and apparatuses may be performed by more, fewer, or other components. Additionally, operations of the systems and apparatuses may be performed using any suitable logic comprising software, hardware, and/or other logic. As used in this document, “each” refers to each member of a set or each member of a subset of a set.
Modifications, additions, or omissions may be made to the methods described herein without departing from the scope of the disclosure. The methods may include more, fewer, or other steps. Additionally, steps may be performed in any suitable order.
Although this disclosure has been described in terms of certain embodiments, alterations and permutations of the embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the above description of the embodiments does not constrain this disclosure. Other changes, substitutions, and alterations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/IB2021/062205 | 12/22/2021 | WO |
| Number | Date | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 63138569 | Jan 2021 | US |
