CN109478967B - Channel state information configuration for mobile communication system - Google Patents

Abstract

Translated fromChinese

一种用在演进节点B(eNB)中的装置。该装置包括基带电路和一个或多个处理器，该基带电路包括射频(RF)接口。一个或多个处理器被配置为：生成用于系统带宽的第一分区的第一信道状态信息参考信号(CSI‑RS)带宽信息；生成用于系统带宽的第二分区的第二CSI‑RS带宽信息；以及向RF接口发送第一CSI‑RS带宽信息和第二CSI‑RS带宽信息以传输给一个或多个用户设备(UE)设备，其中，第一CSI‑RS带宽信息和第二CSI‑RS带宽信息在物理信道和/或较高层信令中提供。

An apparatus for use in an evolved Node B (eNB). The apparatus includes baseband circuitry and one or more processors, the baseband circuitry including a radio frequency (RF) interface. The one or more processors are configured to: generate first channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) bandwidth information for a first partition of the system bandwidth; generate a second CSI-RS for a second partition of the system bandwidth bandwidth information; and sending the first CSI-RS bandwidth information and the second CSI-RS bandwidth information to the RF interface for transmission to one or more user equipment (UE) devices, wherein the first CSI-RS bandwidth information and the second CSI-RS bandwidth information -RS bandwidth information is provided in physical channel and/or higher layer signaling.

Description

Channel state information configuration for mobile communication system

Technical Field

Various embodiments may relate generally to the field of wireless communications.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application No.62/372,168 filed on 8/2016.

Background

Wireless or mobile communication involves wireless communication between two or more devices. Communication requires resources to transmit data from one device to another and/or to receive data at one device from another.

Wireless communications typically have limited resources in terms of time and frequency. The utilization of these limited resources can affect communication data rates, reliability, latency, etc. If the resources are misconfigured, interference may occur, degrading communication, reliability, etc. In addition, if resources are not fully utilized or wasted, the data rate may be unnecessarily low.

Techniques are needed to facilitate allocation of resources for wireless communication.

Drawings

Fig. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an example wireless communication network environment for a network device (e.g., a UE or eNB) in accordance with various aspects or embodiments.

Fig. 2 illustrates another block diagram of an example of a wireless communication network environment for a network device (e.g., a UE or eNB) in accordance with various aspects or embodiments.

Fig. 3 illustrates another block diagram of an example of a wireless communication network environment for a network device (e.g., UE or eNB) having various interfaces in accordance with various aspects or embodiments.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example partition of aframework 400 for mobile communications.

Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating a CSI-RS configuration using an entire partition bandwidth according to an embodiment.

Fig. 6 depicts an example configuration of periodicity and subframe offset that may be used to limit monitoring by a UE.

Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating a CSI-RS configuration with cross-partition scheduling according to an embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of CSI-RS resource mapping/configuration 800 for a primary partition and a secondary partition within a system bandwidth.

Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating CSI-RSs for primary and secondary partitions.

Fig. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a method of configuring CSI-RS transmission according to an embodiment.

Detailed Description

The present disclosure is now described with reference to the drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like elements throughout, and wherein the illustrated structures and devices are not necessarily drawn to scale. The same reference numbers will be used throughout the different drawings to refer to the same or like parts. In the following description, for purposes of explanation and not limitation, specific details are set forth such as particular structures, architectures, interfaces, techniques, etc. in order to provide a thorough understanding of the various aspects of the various embodiments. However, it will be apparent to one having ordinary skill in the art having had the benefit of the present disclosure that the various aspects of the various embodiments may be practiced in other examples that do not include these specific details. In certain instances, descriptions of well-known devices, circuits, and methods are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the various embodiments with unnecessary detail. Embodiments herein may relate toRANs 1 and 5G.

As used herein, the terms "component," "system," "interface," and the like are intended to refer to a computer-related entity, hardware, software (e.g., software in execution), and/or firmware. For example, a component may be a processor, a process running on a processor, a controller, an object, an executable, a program, a storage device, and/or a computer with a processing device. By way of illustration, both an application running on a server and the server can be a component. One or more components may reside within a process and a component may be localized on one computer and/or distributed between two or more computers. A set of elements or a set of other components is described herein, wherein the term "set" may be understood as "one or more.

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

As another example, a component may be a device having a particular functionality provided by mechanical components operated by electrical or electronic circuitry, where the electrical or electronic circuitry may be operated by a software application or firmware application executed by one or more processors. The one or more processors may be internal or external to the apparatus and may execute at least a portion of a software or firmware application. As another example, a component may be an apparatus that provides a particular function through an electronic component and not through a mechanical component; the electronic components may include one or more processors in which software and/or hardware is executed that, at least in part, imparts functionality to the electronic components.

The word exemplary is used to give a concrete concept. The term "or" as used in this application is intended to mean an inclusive "or" rather than an exclusive "or". That is, unless indicated to the contrary or otherwise clear from the context, "X employs A or B" is used to indicate any natural inclusive permutation. That is, if X employs A, X to employ B, or X employs A and B, then "X employs A or B" is satisfied by any of the foregoing examples. In addition, the terms "a" and "an" as used in this application and the appended claims should be construed generally to mean "one or more" unless specified to the contrary or otherwise clear from the context to be directed to a singular form. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," including, "" having, "" containing, "" having, "and variations thereof, as used in the detailed description and in the claims, are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term" comprising.

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

Mobile communications have evolved from early speech systems to today's sophisticated integrated communication platforms. The next generationwireless communication system 5G will provide access to information and sharing of data by various users and applications in most cases at arbitrary locations. It is desirable that 5G be a unified network/system for different and sometimes conflicting performance dimensions and services. These different multidimensional requirements are driven by different services and applications. In general, 5G will develop additional potential new Radio Access Technologies (RATs) based on 3GPP LTE-advanced to enrich people's lives with better, simple, seamless wireless connectivity schemes.

To address these disparate needs, the 5G flexible radio access technology (xRAT) may define a unified framework that supports various needs, applications and services, multiple frequency bands, multiple applications/services, licensed/unlicensed frequencies, and multiple partitions.

In general, a cell for mobile communication can be formed using a reference signal to acquire channel state information. Reference signals for LTE include channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS), which are demodulated to obtain channel state information.

The CSI-RS may be transmitted with different periods (typically from 5 milliseconds (ms) to 80ms) in the time domain. The overhead per CSI-RS is approximately 0.12 percent for a 5ms period. A longer period, such as 80ms, has a correspondingly smaller overhead. In the frequency domain, the CSI-RS is transmitted in each resource block in a subframe in which the CSI-RS is transmitted. This indicates that the CSI-RS transmission occupies the entire cell bandwidth or frequency domain range. Using the entire frequency bandwidth is referred to as wideband CSI-RS.

A partition describes resource allocation in terms of time resources and frequency resources. In 5G or new radio, multiple partitions may be multiplexed in the same bandwidth using Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM) (also referred to as using FDM approach). However, using FDM approach and wideband CSI-RS may or will introduce interference to the partitions, especially when the partitions use different subcarrier spacing.

Various techniques and/or embodiments are provided that facilitate cell formation and/or CSI-RS utilization. In one example, a node notifies User Equipment (UE) devices of information for resource allocation for each partition in a cell-specific or UE-specific manner. Accordingly, the CSI-RS bandwidth configuration may be determined using the partition resource allocation information. As a result, the bandwidth of different applications/partitions may be configured through a 5G Master Information Block (MIB), a 5G System Information Block (SIB), and/or higher layer signaling. The bandwidth of the CSI-RS transmission may then be associated with the bandwidth allocated for the corresponding application/partition.

Fig. 1 illustrates an architecture of asystem 100 of networks according to some embodiments.System 100 is shown to include a User Equipment (UE)101 and aUE 102. TheUEs 101 and 102 are illustrated as smart phones (e.g., handheld touch screen mobile computing devices connectable to one or more cellular networks), but may also include any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), pager, laptop computer, desktop computer, wireless handset, or any computing device that includes a wireless communication interface.

In some embodiments, either ofUEs 101 and 102 may comprise an internet of things (IoT) UE, which may include a network access layer designed for low-power IoT applications that utilize short-lived UE connections. IoT UEs may utilize technologies such as machine-to-machine (M2M) or machine-type communication (MTC), proximity services (ProSe) or device-to-device (D2D) communication, sensor networks, or IoT networks for exchanging data with MTC servers or devices via Public Land Mobile Networks (PLMNs). The M2M or MTC exchange of data may be a machine-initiated data exchange. IoT networks describe the use of short-lived connections to interconnect IoT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the internet infrastructure). The IoT UE may execute a background application (e.g., keep-alive (keep-alive) message, status update, etc.) to facilitate connection of the IoT network.

UEs 101 and 102 may be configured to connect with (e.g., communicatively couple with) a Radio Access Network (RAN)110, whereRAN 110 may be, for example, an evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (E-UTAN), a next generation RAN (ng RAN), or some other type of RAN. TheUEs 101 and 102 utilizeconnections 103 and 104, respectively, each of theconnections 103 and 104 including a physical communication interface or layer (described in further detail below); in this example,connections 103 and 104 are shown as air interfaces that allow for communicative coupling, and may conform to cellular communication protocols, such as global system for mobile communications (GMS) protocols, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) network protocols, push-to-talk (PTT) protocols, PTT over cellular (poc) protocols, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) protocols, 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocols, fifth generation (5G) protocols, New Radio (NR) protocols, and so forth.

In this embodiment, theUEs 101 and 102 may also exchange communication data directly via theProSe interface 105. TheProSe interface 105 may alternatively be referred to as a side link interface comprising one or more logical channels including, but not limited to, a physical side link control channel (PSCCH), a physical side link shared channel (PSCCH), a physical side link discovery channel (PSDCH), and a physical side link broadcast channel (PSBCH).

UE 102 is shown configured to access an Access Point (AP)106 via aconnection 107. Theconnection 107 may comprise a local wireless connection (such as a connection conforming to any IEEE 802.11 protocol), wherein theAP 106 would comprise wireless fidelity

A router. In this example, theAP 106 is shown connected to the internet without being connected to the core network of the wireless system (as described in further detail below).

RAN 110 may include one or more access nodes that enableconnections 103 and 104. These Access Nodes (ANs) may be referred to as Base Stations (BSs), node BS, evolved node BS (enbs), next generation node BS (gnbs), RAN nodes, etc., and may include ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations that provide coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). The network devices referred to herein may include any of these APs, ANs, UEs, or any other network components.RAN 110 may include one or more RAN nodes (e.g., macro RAN node 111) to provide a macro cell and one or more RAN nodes (e.g., Low Power (LP) RAN node 112) to provide a micro or pico cell, where a micro or pico cell is a cell with smaller coverage area, smaller user capacity, and higher bandwidth than a macro cell.

Any of theRAN nodes 111 and 112 may terminate the air interface protocol and may be the first point of contact forUEs 101 and 102. In some embodiments, any ofRAN nodes 111 and 112 may implement various logical functions ofRAN 110, including, but not limited to, Radio Network Controller (RNC) functions such as radio bearer management, Uplink (UL) and Downlink (DL) dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management.

In accordance with some embodiments,UEs 101 and 102 may be configured to communicate with each other using Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexed (OFDM) communication signals, or with any ofRAN nodes 111 and 112 over a multi-carrier communication channel in accordance with various communication techniques, such as, but not limited to, Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) communication techniques (e.g., for downlink communications) or single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) communication techniques (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communications), although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. The OFDM signal may include a plurality of orthogonal subcarriers.

In some embodiments, the downlink resource grid may be used for downlink transmissions from any ofRAN nodes 111 and 112 to UEs 101 and 102, while uplink transmissions may utilize similar techniques. The grid may be a time-frequency grid, referred to as a resource grid or a time-frequency resource grid, which is a physical resource in the downlink in each slot. Such a time-frequency plane representation is a common practice of OFDM systems, which makes the radio resource allocation more intuitive. Each column and each row of the resource grid corresponds to one OFDM symbol and one OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration of the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to one time slot in a radio frame. The smallest time-frequency unit in the resource grid is denoted as a resource element. Each resource grid includes a plurality of resource blocks that describe the mapping of certain physical channels to resource elements. Each resource block comprises a set of resource elements; in the frequency domain, this may represent the minimum number of resources that can currently be allocated. There are a number of different physical downlink channels delivered using these resource blocks.

The Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) may carry user data and higher layer signaling to UEs 101 and 102. A Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) may carry information of resource allocation and transport format, etc. related to the PDSCH channel. It may also informUEs 101 and 102 of transport format, resource allocation, and H-ARQ (hybrid automatic repeat request) information related to the uplink shared channel. In general, downlink scheduling (assigning control and shared channel resource blocks to UEs 102 within a cell) may be performed at any ofRAN nodes 111 and 112 based on channel quality information fed back from any ofUEs 101 and 102. The downlink resource allocation information may be sent on a PDCCH for (e.g., allocated to) each ofUEs 101 and 102.

The PDCCH may deliver control information using Control Channel Elements (CCEs). The PDCCH complex-valued symbols may first be organized into quadruplets before being mapped to resource elements, which may then be arranged using a sub-block interleaver for rate matching. Each PDCCH may be transmitted using one or more of these CCEs, where each CCE may correspond to nine groups called Resource Element Groups (REGs), each group including four physical resource elements. Four Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) symbols may be mapped to each REG. The PDCCH may be transmitted using one or more CCEs according to the size of Downlink Control Information (DCI) and channel conditions. Four or more different PDCCH formats may be defined in LTE, with different numbers of CCEs (e.g., aggregation level, L ═ 1, 2, 4, or 8).

Some embodiments may use the concept of resource allocation for control channel information as an extension of the above concept. For example, some embodiments may utilize an Enhanced Physical Downlink Control Channel (EPDCCH) that uses PDSCH resources for control information transmission. The EPDCCH may be transmitted using one or more Enhanced Control Channel Elements (ECCEs). Similar to the above, each ECCE may correspond to nine groups called Enhanced Resource Element Groups (EREGs), each group including four physical resource elements. In some cases, ECCE may have other numbers of EREGs.

RAN 110 is shown communicatively coupled to Core Network (CN)120 via S1 interface 113. In embodiments, theCN 120 may be an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network, a next generation packet core (NPC) network, or some other type of CN. In the present embodiment, the S1 interface 113 is divided into two parts: an S1-U interface 114 carrying traffic data betweenRAN nodes 111 and 112 and serving gateway (S-GW) 122; and an S1 Mobility Management Entity (MME)interface 115 as a signaling interface betweenRAN nodes 111 and 112 andMME 121.

In the present embodiment,CN 120 includes MME121, S-GW 122, Packet Data Network (PDN) gateway (P-GW)123, and Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 124. MME121 may be similar in function to the control plane of a conventional serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) support node (SGSN). MME121 may manage mobility aspects of access, such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. HSS124 may include a database of network users including subscription-related information that supports handling of communication sessions by network entities. Depending on the number of mobile subscribers, the capacity of the devices, the organization of the network, etc., theCN 120 may include one ormore HSS 124. For example, HSS124 may provide support for routing/roaming, authentication, authorization, naming/addressing resolution, location dependency, and the like.

The S-GW 122 may terminate S1 interface 113 toRAN 110 and may route data packets betweenRAN 110 andCN 120. In addition, S-GW 122 may be a local mobility anchor for inter-RAN node handovers and may also provide an anchor for inter-3 GPP mobility. Other responsibilities may include lawful interception, billing, and some policy enforcement.

The P-GW 123 may terminate the SGi interface to the PDN. The P-GW 123 may route data packets between theCN network 120 and an external network, such as a network including an application server 130 (alternatively referred to as an Application Function (AF)), via an Internet Protocol (IP)interface 125. In general, theapplication server 130 may be an element that provides a core network (e.g., UMTS Packet Service (PS) domain, LTE PS data services, etc.) to applications that use IP bearer resources. In the present embodiment, P-GW 123 is shown communicatively coupled toapplication server 130 via anIP communications interface 125. The application server 1130 may also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., voice over internet protocol (VoIP) sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social networking services, etc.) for theUEs 101 and 102 via theCN 120.

P-GW 123 may also be a node for policy enforcement and charging data collection. Policy and charging enforcement function (PCRF)126 is a policy and charging control element ofCN 120. In a non-roaming scenario, there may be a single PCRF in a Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) that is associated with an internet protocol connectivity access network (IP-CAN) session for a UE. In a roaming scenario where traffic breaks home, there are two PCRF in the visited (visited) public land mobile network (VPLMN) associated with the IP-CAN session of the UE: a home PCRF (H-PCRF) and a visited PCRF (V-PCRF) in the HPLMN.PCRF 126 may be communicatively coupled toapplication server 130 via P-GW 123.Application server 130 may signalPCRF 126 to indicate the new service flow and may select appropriate quality of service (QoS) and charging parameters.PCRF 126 may set the rules in a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) (not shown) with appropriate Traffic Flow Templates (TFTs) and QoS Class Identifiers (QCIs), which starts QoS and charging as specified byapplication server 130.

In one or more embodiments, the IMS service may be more accurately identified in the paging indication, which may enableUEs 101 and 102 to distinguish between PS paging and IMS service related paging. As a result,UEs 101 and 102 may apply prioritization for IMS services as needed based on any number of requests issued by any application, background searches (e.g., PLMN searches, etc.), processes, or communications. In particular,UEs 101 and 102 can distinguish PS-domain paging into more easily distinguishable categories, such that IMS services (as opposed to PS services) can be clearly identified inUEs 101 and 102. In addition to the domain indicator (e.g., PS or CS), the network (e.g.,CN 120,RAN 110,AP 106, or as a combination of enbs or other network devices) may also provide more specific information, such as a "paging cause" parameter, using the TS 36.331 paging message. The UE may use this information to decide whether or not to respond to the page, possibly interrupting some other process like an ongoing PLMN search.

In one example, when theUEs 101 and 102 may register to a visited PLMN (vplmn) and perform PLMN search (i.e., background scanning for home PLMN (hplmn) or higher priority PLMNs), or when the registering UE is performing manual PLMN search, the PLMN search may be interrupted to move to connected mode and respond to paging operations as part of the MT procedure/operation. Paging may often be for PS data (non-IMS data), where, for example, anapplication server 130 in the NW wants to push to theUE 101 or 102 for, for example, one of many different applications running in/on theUE 101 or 102. Even though PS data may be delay tolerant and less important, in conventional networks paging typically cannot be ignored completely, since critical services such as IMS calls may be the cause of PS paging. Multiple interruptions of PLMN searches caused by paging can result in unpredictable delays in PLMN searches and, in the worst case, can even result in process failures, resulting in loss of efficiency in network communication operations. Delays in moving or handing over to a preferred PLMN in roaming conditions (via manual PLMN search or HPLMN search) may also result in more roaming charges for the user.

Fig. 2 illustrates example components of a network device 200 according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, device 200 may includeapplication circuitry 202,baseband circuitry 204, Radio Frequency (RF)circuitry 206, Front End Module (FEM)circuitry 208, one ormore antennas 210, and Power Management Circuitry (PMC)212 coupled together as shown. The illustrated components of the apparatus 200 may be included inUEs 101 and 102,RAN nodes 111 and 112, APs, ANs, enbs, or other network components. In some embodiments, the apparatus 200 may include fewer elements (e.g., the RAN node may not use theapplication circuitry 202 and instead include a processor/controller that processes IP data received from the EPC). In some embodiments, network device 200 may include additional elements such as memory/storage devices, displays, cameras, sensors, or input/output (I/O) interfaces. In other embodiments, the components described below may be included in more than one device (e.g., the circuitry may be included in more than one device for a cloud RAN (C-RAN) implementation, respectively.)

Theapplication circuitry 202 may include one or more application processors. For example, theapplication circuitry 202 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The one or more processors may include any combination of general-purpose processors and special-purpose processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processor may be coupled with or may include memory/storage and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory/storage to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the device 200. In some embodiments, the processor of theapplication circuitry 202 may process IP data packets received from the EPC.

Thebaseband circuitry 204 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors.Baseband circuitry 204 may include one or more baseband processors or control logic to process baseband signals received from the receive signal path ofRF circuitry 206 and to generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path ofRF circuitry 206. Thebaseband processing circuitry 204 may interface with theapplication circuitry 202 for generating and processing baseband signals and for controlling the operation of theRF circuitry 206. For example, in some embodiments, thebaseband circuitry 204 may include a third generation (3G)baseband processor 204A, a fourth generation (4G)baseband processor 204B, a fifth generation (5G)baseband processor 204C, or one or moreother baseband processors 204D for other existing generations, generations under development or developed in the future (e.g., second generation (2G), sixth generation (6G), etc.). The baseband circuitry 204 (e.g., one ormore baseband processors 204A-D) may handle various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via theRF circuitry 206. In other embodiments, some or all of the functionality of thebaseband processors 204A-D may be included in modules stored in thememory 204G and executed via a Central Processing Unit (CPU) 204E. Radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation/demodulation, encoding/decoding, radio frequency shifting, and the like. In some embodiments, the modulation/demodulation circuitry of thebaseband circuitry 204 may include Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping/demapping functionality. In some embodiments, the encoding/decoding circuitry of thebaseband circuitry 204 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) encoder/decoder functionality. Embodiments of modulation/demodulation and encoder/decoder functions are not limited to these examples, and other suitable functions may be included in other embodiments.

In some embodiments, thebaseband circuitry 204 may include one or more audio Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) 204F. Theaudio DSP 204F may include elements for compression/decoding and echo cancellation, and may include other suitable processing elements in other embodiments. The components of the baseband circuitry may be suitably combined in a single chip or single chipset, or may be disposed on the same circuit board in some embodiments. In some embodiments, some or all of the constituent components of thebaseband circuitry 204 and theapplication circuitry 202 may be implemented together, for example, on a system on a chip (SoC).

In some embodiments, thebaseband circuitry 204 may provide communications compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments,baseband circuitry 204 may support communication with an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (EUTRAN), or other Wireless Metropolitan Area Network (WMAN), Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN), Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN). Embodiments in which thebaseband circuitry 204 is configured to support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

TheRF circuitry 206 may enable communication with a wireless network using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various embodiments, theRF circuitry 206 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, and the like to facilitate communication with the wireless network.RF circuitry 206 may include a receive signal path that may include circuitry to down-convert RF signals received fromFEM circuitry 208 and provide baseband signals tobaseband circuitry 204.RF circuitry 206 may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry to up-convert baseband signals provided bybaseband circuitry 204 and provide RF output signals toFEM circuitry 208 for transmission.

In some embodiments, the receive signal path ofRF circuitry 206 may include mixer circuitry 206a, amplifier circuitry 206b, and filter circuitry 206 c. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path ofRF circuitry 206 may include filter circuitry 206c and mixer circuitry 206 a.RF circuitry 206 may also include synthesizer circuitry 206d for synthesizing frequencies for use by mixer circuitry 206a of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 206a of the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert the RF signal received from theFEM circuitry 208 based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry 206 d. The amplifier circuit 206b may be configured to amplify the downconverted signal, and the filter circuit 206c may be a Low Pass Filter (LPF) or a Band Pass Filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the downconverted signal to generate an output baseband signal. The output baseband signal may be provided tobaseband circuitry 204 for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signal may be a zero frequency baseband signal, although this is not required. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 206a of the receive signal path may comprise a passive mixer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 206a of the transmit signal path may be configured to up-convert the input baseband signal based on the synthesis frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry 206d to generate the RF output signal for theFEM circuitry 208. The baseband signal may be provided by thebaseband circuitry 204 and may be filtered by the filter circuitry 206 c.

In some embodiments, mixer circuit 206a of the receive signal path and mixer circuit 206a of the transmit signal path may include more than two mixers and may be arranged for quadrature down-conversion and up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 206a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 206a of the transmit signal path may include more than two mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 206a and the mixer circuit 206a of the receive signal path may be arranged for direct down-conversion and direct up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 206a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 206a of the transmit signal path may be configured for superheterodyne operation.

In some embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments,RF circuitry 206 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry, andbaseband circuitry 204 may include a digital baseband interface to communicate withRF circuitry 206.

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

In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 206d may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional-N/N +1 synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect as other types of frequency synthesizers may also be suitable. Synthesizer circuit 206d may be, for example, a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase locked loop with a frequency divider.

The synthesizer circuit 206d may be configured to synthesize an output frequency for use by the mixer circuit 206a of theRF circuit 206 based on the frequency input and the divider control input. In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 206d may be a fractional-N/N +1 synthesizer.

In some embodiments, the frequency input may be provided by a Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO), although this is not required. The divider control input may be provided by thebaseband circuitry 204 or theapplication processor 202 according to a desired output frequency. In some embodiments, the divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a look-up table based on the channel indicated by theapplication processor 202.

Synthesizer circuit 206a ofRF circuit 206 may include frequency dividers, Delay Locked Loops (DLLs), multiplexers, and phase accumulators. In some embodiments, the frequency divider may be a dual-mode frequency divider (DMD) and the phase accumulator may be a Digital Phase Accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by N or N +1 (e.g., based on a carry) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, a DLL may include a set of cascaded, tunable delay elements, a phase detector, a charge pump, and a D-type flip-flop. In these embodiments, the delay elements may be configured to divide the VCO period into Nd equal phase packets, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. Thus, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 206d may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, but in other embodiments, the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency), and may be used in conjunction with a quadrature generator and divider circuit to generate multiple signals at the carrier frequency having multiple phases that are different from each other. In some embodiments, the output frequency may be the LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, theRF circuitry 206 may include an IQ/polarity converter.

FEM circuitry 208 may include a receive signal path that may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one ormore antennas 210, amplify the received signals, and provide amplified versions of the received signals toRF circuitry 206 for further processing.FEM circuitry 208 may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry configured to amplify the transmit signals provided byRF circuitry 206 for transmission by one or more of one ormore antennas 210. In various embodiments, amplification through the transmit or receive signal path may be performed in only theRF circuitry 206, only theFEM 208, or in both theRF circuitry 206 and theFEM 208.

In some embodiments,FEM circuitry 208 may include a TX/RX switch that switches between transmit mode operation and receive mode operation. The FEM circuitry may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuitry may include an LNA to amplify the received RF signal and provide the amplified receive RF signal as an output (e.g., to the RF circuitry 206). The transmit signal path ofFEM circuitry 208 may include a Power Amplifier (PA) that amplifies an input RF signal (e.g., provided by RF circuitry 206), and one or more filters that generate the RF signal for subsequent transmission (e.g., one or more of one or more antennas 210).

In some embodiments,PMC 212 may manage power provided tobaseband circuitry 204. Specifically,PMC 212 may control power source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-to-DC conversion.PMC 212 may generally be included when device 200 is capable of being powered by a battery, for example, when the device is included in a UE. ThePMC 212 may increase power conversion efficiency while providing desired implementation size and heat dissipation characteristics.

Although figure 2 shows thePMC 212 coupled only to thebaseband circuitry 204. However, in other embodiments,PMC 212 may additionally or alternatively be coupled with and may perform similar power management operations for other components, such as, but not limited to,application circuitry 202,RF circuitry 206, orFEM 208.

In some embodiments,PMC 212 may control or be part of various power saving mechanisms of device 200. For example, if the device 200 is in an RRC connected state (in which it is still connected to the RAN node because it expects to receive traffic immediately), it may enter a state referred to as discontinuous reception mode after a period of inactivity. During this state, device 200 may be powered down for a short interval of time to conserve power.

The device 200 may switch to the RRC idle state if there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time. In the RRC idle state, the device 200 is disconnected from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback, switching, and the like. The device 200 enters an ultra-low power state and it performs paging during which it periodically wakes up to listen to the network and then powers down again. The device 200 does not receive data in this state, and in order to receive data, it transitions back to the RRC connected state.

The additional power saving mode may allow the device to be unavailable to the network for a period of time longer than the paging interval (e.g., from seconds to hours). During this period of time, the device is not reachable by the network and may be completely powered down. Any data sent during this time will cause a large delay, assuming that the delay is acceptable.

The processor of theapplication circuitry 202 and the processor of thebaseband circuitry 204 may be used to execute elements of one or more instances of a protocol stack. For example, the processor of thebaseband circuitry 204 may be used alone or in combination to perform layer 3, layer 2, orlayer 1 functions; also, the processor of theapplication circuitry 204 may utilize data (e.g., packet data) received from these layers and further perform layer 4 functions (e.g., Transport Communication Protocol (TCP) and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) layers). As mentioned herein, layer 3 may include a Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, as described in further detail below. As mentioned herein, layer 2 may include a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, and a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, as described in further detail below. As mentioned herein,layer 1 may comprise the physical layer (PHY) of the UE/RAN node. Each of these layers may be implemented to run one or more processes or network operations of embodiments/aspects herein.

Additionally,memory 204G may include one or more machine-readable media/mediums comprising acts that, when executed by a machine or component, cause the machine to perform an apparatus or system or method for simultaneous communication using multiple communication technologies in accordance with embodiments and examples described herein. It will be understood that aspects described herein may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium (e.g., a memory or other storage device as described herein). Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage media or computer-readable storage device can be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or other tangible and/or non-transitory media that can be used to carry or store desired information or executable instructions. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium.

In general, there is a trend to provide network services for packet domains. Since consumers demand immediate response, earlier network services like UMTS or 3G and earlier systems (2G) configure CS domains and packet domains offering different services, and in particular CS services and voice services in the CS domain are considered to have higher priority. Based on the domain from which the page was received, the device 200 may assign a certain priority to the incoming transaction. Now, for LTE/5G, most services are moved to the packet domain. Currently, a UE (e.g., 101, 102, or device 200) may page a packet service without knowing any further information about the paging of the MT procedure (e.g., whether someone is requesting a line, a VoIP call, or requesting only some of the packets used from Facebook, other application services, or other similar MT services). In this way, there is a greater likelihood of further delay and the UE may not be able to distinguish and prioritize different application packets initiating paging based on one or more user preferences. This is very important for the UE, since the UE may be performing other tasks that are more important for resource allocation.

In some examples, a UE (e.g., 101, 102, or device 200) may perform a background search for other PLMNs. This is a task that the UE device 200 may do at regular intervals (in case it is not connected to its own home PLMN or higher priority PLMN, but is roaming elsewhere). The higher priority may be the home PLMN or some other PLMN, depending on a list provided by the provider or subscriber (e.g., HSS 124). As a result, if the paging operation results in MT service and interruption results such that start and turn-on operations are performed, a sufficiently large frequency of these interruptions may result in the UE never completing the background search in a reasonable manner. This may be advantageous for the UE or network device to know that the interruption is only packet service, without having to react to it immediately (in contrast to incoming voice calls that are prioritized immediately), and may defer background scanning.

Additionally, device 200 may be configured to connect to or include multiple subscriber identity/identification module (SIM) cards/components and may be referred to as a dual-SIM or multi-SIM device. The device 200 may operate with a single sending and receiving component that may coordinate between different identities according to which the SIM component may operate. In this way, incoming voice calls should be responded to as quickly as possible while incoming packets directed only to the application can be relatively ignored in order to utilize resources (e.g., voice calls or SIM components) that are more important or have other identities of higher priority from a priority list/data set or user equipment preference set. The same scenario may also be used for other operations or input data, such as for PLMN background search (e.g. manual PLMN search), which may last for a longer period of time, especially for a larger number of different frequency bands from e.g. 2G. As the number of frequency bands used in wireless communications continues to grow, if paging interruptions occur between already running operations without distinguishing between various packets and true critical services (e.g., voice), the network device may parse the manual PLMN search to provide service and ensure that any incremental voice call drops or losses are avoided (particularly with more frequent interruptions).

As mentioned above, even though PS data is delay tolerant and less important in most cases, in conventional networks paging cannot be completely ignored, since critical services like IMS calls may be the reason for PS paging. Multiple interruptions of PLMN searches caused by paging can result in unpredictable delays in PLMN searches or, in the worst case, even process failures. In addition, delays in moving to a preferred PLMN in roaming conditions (via manual PLMN search or PLMN search) may incur more roaming charges for the user. Similarly, in a multi-SIM scenario where the UE is listening to the paging channels of both networks simultaneously and has priority for voice services, the MT IMS voice call may be interpreted as a "data" call indicated in the MT paging message and may be conducted after MT Circuit Switched (CS) paging of the other networks or MO CS calls initiated by the user simultaneously. As such, embodiments/aspects herein may substantially increase the risk of dropped calls using a SIM for IMS voice services.

In an embodiment, the 3GPP NW may provide granular information about the service class that the network is paging. For example, the paging cause parameter may indicate one of the following values/classifications/categories: 1) IMS voice/video services; 2) IMS SMS service; 3) IMS other services (not voice/video/SMS related); 4) any IMS service; 5) other PS services (not IMS related). Specifically, a network device (e.g., an eNB or access point) may use 4) and 5) to differentiate between IMS and non-IMS services only, while a network capable of differentiating between different types of IMS services (e.g., voice/video calls, SMS, messages, etc.) may use 3) instead of 4) to explicitly indicate to the UE that paging is for IMS services other than voice/video and SMS. By obtaining this information, the UE may decide to suspend PLMN searches only for critical services like incoming voice/video services.

In other aspects, depending on the service class (e.g., values or categories 1-5 above), theUE 101, 102, or device 200 may record that there is a page for which it does not respond, and then access the network when the PLMN search is complete and the UE decides to stay on the current PLMN. For example, if the reason for the paging is that the mobile terminal terminates IMS SMS, the MME may then again notify the HSS (e.g., 124) that the UE is reachable, and the HSS124 may initiate a signaling procedure that will result in delivery of the SMS to the UE (once resources are relatively available or less urgent for another operation/application/or category). For this purpose, theUE 101, 102, or 200 may initiate a periodic Tracking Area Update (TAU) procedure, for example, in case the service class in the paging message indicates "IMS SMS service".

Fig. 3 illustrates an example interface of a baseband circuit according to some embodiments. As discussed above, thebaseband circuitry 204 of fig. 2 may include theprocessors 204A-204E andmemory 204G used by the processors. Each of theprocessors 204A-204E may include a memory interface 304A-304E, respectively, to send/receive data to/from thememory 204G.

Thebaseband circuitry 204 may also include one or more interfaces communicatively coupled to other circuitry/devices, such as a memory interface 312 (e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from memory external to the baseband circuitry 204), an application circuitry interface 314 (e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from theapplication circuitry 202 of fig. 2), an RF circuitry interface 316 (e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from theRF circuitry 206 of fig. 2), a wireless hardware connection interface 318 (e.g., a send/receive data to/from a Near Field Communication (NFC) component, a wireless network interface, a wireless network, and a wireless network, a wireless network, and/wireless network, a wireless network, and/wireless network, a wireless network, a wireless network, a wireless network, and/wireless network, wireless,

The components (e.g.,

low power)

Interfaces for components, and other communication components), and a power management interface 320 (e.g., an interface that sends/receives power or control signals to/from PMC 212).

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example partition of aframework 400 for mobile communications. Theframe 400 is provided for illustrative purposes to aid understanding. It should be understood that suitable modifications are contemplated.Frame 400 may be used bysystem 100 and variations thereof.

Theframe 400 shows time along the x-axis and frequency along the y-axis. Theframework 400 may be used for a 5G flexible RAT. Multiple partitions or applications in different and/or the same frequency ranges/bands may be multiplexed using Time Division Multiplexing (TDM), Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM), Code Division Multiplexing (CDM), and/or combinations thereof. In addition, different partitions may employ different sets of parameters or subcarrier spacings, which may be tailored for different applications and use cases.

Framework 400 depicts time and frequency based resources and resource blocks, as shown at 401. In this example, theframework 400 includes three partitions with different subcarrier spacing and different Transmission Time Intervals (TTIs).

Theframework 400 includes ashort partition 402, along partition 403, and a normal/middle partition 404.Short partition 402 has a relatively short TTI.Short partition 402 may be used for mission critical applications, etc. Thelong partition 403 has a relatively long TTI, e.g., an entire subframe.Long partition 403 may be used for high rate or large scale Machine Type Communication (MTC). The normal/neutral partition 404 has a medium length TTI and may be used, for example, for mobile broadband.

In the conventional LTE specifications, the channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) occupies the entire system bandwidth. For a 5G system, when multiple partitions are multiplexed in the same system bandwidth in a Frequency Division Multiplexing (FDM) manner, the wideband CSI-RS can introduce interference to some partitions, especially when the primary and secondary partitions use different subcarrier spacing.

Thus, a network device (as shown in system 100) can configure CSI-RS transmissions to occupy a portion of the system bandwidth, thereby avoiding/mitigating cross-partition interference. Various mechanisms may be used to mitigate cross-partition interference, including, but not limited to, CSI-RS bandwidth configuration information, CSI-RS sequence generation and resource mapping, and the like.

A network device or node typically generates a CSI-RS configuration for CSI-RS transmission. The CSI-RS configuration is also referred to as CSI-RS bandwidth or resource configuration. In one example, the eNB provides or transmits the CSI-RS configuration for each zone to one or more UEs in a cell-specific or UE-specific manner. The one or more UEs may then determine the CSI-RS configuration and associated bandwidth configuration. The CSI-RS configuration and bandwidth configuration may be configured by, for example, a 5G Master Information Block (MIB), a 5G System Information Block (SIB), higher layer signaling, etc.

Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating a CSI-RS configuration 500 using an entire partition bandwidth according to an embodiment.Configuration 500 is provided for illustrative purposes to aid understanding. It should be understood that various modifications are contemplated.Configuration 500 may be used bysystem 100 and its various variants.

The schematic plots time along the x-axis and frequency along the y-axis.Configuration 500 includesprimary partitions 501 and 503 and asecondary partition 502. It can be seen that the CSI-RS for each partition spans the bandwidth allocated for that partition.

Themain partitions 501 and 503 use a subcarrier spacing of 15kHz and have a subframe duration of 1 ms. Thesecondary partition 502 uses a subcarrier spacing of 60kHz and a subframe duration of around 0.25 ms. In addition, two non-contiguous subbands are allocated for theprimary partitions 501 and 503, and one subband is allocated for thesecondary partition 502.

It should be noted that the periodicity of CSI-RS transmission may be configured independently for different partitions in one Component Carrier (CC). In another example, a common periodicity in TTI units may be configured for all partitions of a CC. Alternatively, the CSI-RS may be transmitted in a subset of partitions (e.g., a main partition or partition with the largest carrier spacing, a partition with the smallest carrier spacing), where the subset of partitions is generally used for CSI measurements of all partitions to derive CSI measurement results and perform cell formation.

As described above, there are various techniques by which a node may inform one or more UEs of one or more CSI-RS configurations, including a CSI-RS bandwidth configuration. In one example, the CSI-RS configuration may be indicated in a 5G Master Information Block (MIB). After decoding the MIB successfully, the UE acquires the CSI-RS configuration. The CSI-RS configuration may include a CSI-RS resource configuration for each partition.

In another example, the CSI-RS configuration is indicated in a 5G System Information Block (SIB). Typically, the updating of the CSI-RS configuration is performed in a Broadcast Control Channel (BCCH) modification period, which is provided by higher layers. The change is notified to one or more UEs through a paging message including a system information modification flag (systemlnfodification) regarding the SIB change. This example may be applicable to scenarios when the CSI-RS configuration is semi-statically updated. Similarly, the CSI-RS configuration may include a CSI-RS configuration for each partition.

In another example, the CSI-RS bandwidth configuration is indicated in a dedicated control channel in the downlink. Note that limited information may be carried in the dedicated control channel, and thus the size of the configuration information may be relatively small. In this case, it is advantageous to carry configuration information for the CSI-RS bandwidth configuration for only one partition transmitting CSI-RS.

In another example, a Physical Control Format Indicator Channel (PCFICH) defined or used in the legacy LTE specifications may be used to indicate CSI-RS configuration in the frequency domain. In one variation, a Physical TDD Configuration Indicator Channel (PTCICH) may be applied to indicate CSI resource configuration in the frequency domain.

In another example, the one or more CSI-RS configurations may be configured by a higher layer via Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaling. The valid CSI-RS configuration may be indicated to the UE using MAC signaling. In addition, one CSI-RS configuration may be selected from a set of CSI resource configurations and activated using Downlink Control Information (DCI) transmitted on the PDCCH.

In another example, the CSI-RS configuration may be indicated in the PDCCH in a cell-specific manner. The PDCCH using the common search space may be used to signal the CSI-RS configuration. In addition, a new type Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI), referred to as CSI-RNTI, may be defined for transmission of the PDCCH. The CRC for the PDCCH is scrambled with CIS-RNTI. The CSI-RNTI may be predefined and/or configured by higher layer signaling including MIB, SIB, and/or RRC signaling.

Note that the CSI-RS configuration for one or more partitions (including other partitions) may be indicated using PDCCH with a common search space in one partition. For example, a PDCCH with a common search space in the primary partition may be used to indicate CSI-RS resource configurations for both the primary and secondary partitions.

In order to control the time scale of dynamic resource allocation of the CSI-RS in the frequency domain, the periodicity of the PDCCH containing the resource configuration information of the CSI-RS may be configured. This may also help to reduce UE power consumption due to the UE monitoring only certain subframes for PDCCH with CRC scrambled by CSI-RNTI.

Thus, in another example, a subframe monitored by a UE for a PDCCH with a CRC scrambled by a CSI-RNTI is defined as a downlink subframe or a special subframe in a TDD system that satisfies the following condition:

wherein n is_fAnd n_sIs the number of radio frames and the number of time slots; n is a radical of_OFFSET,CSIAnd CSI_PERIODICITYRespectively, subframe offset and periodicity of PDCCH transmission with CRC scrambled by CSI-RNTI.

Fig. 6 depicts anexample configuration 600 of periodicity and subframe offset that may be used to limit monitoring by a UE.Configuration 600 is provided for illustrative purposes, and it should be understood that suitable variations are contemplated.Configuration 600 may be used by a system such assystem 100 described above.

Note that a slot according to 5G corresponds to a subframe in LTE. It should be appreciated that the slots and subframes may be changed for other communication types. Thus, the following configuration discusses subframes, but for 5G, the term "slot" may be used instead of subframes.

The configuration includes a configuration index I_CSIPeriodic CSI_PERIODICITY(in milliseconds), and subframe offset N_OFFSET,CSI。

It should be understood that I can be extended from the example shown in FIG. 6_CSI、CSI_PERIODICITYAnd N_OFFSET,CSIOther suitable values of (a). In addition, the configuration index may be predefined or configured by higher layers via MIB, SIB, or dedicated RRC signaling.

In general, a higher/longer period may reduce overhead, but may delay acquiring CSI-RS, delay acquiring channel estimates, and delay cell information. A shorter periodicity may increase overhead but may improve acquisition channel estimates, CSI-RS, and improve cell information.

In another example, the periodicity of the PDCCH with CRC scrambled by the CSI-RNTI (e.g., CSI periodicity) may be predefined or configured by higher layers via MIB, SIB, or dedicated RRC signaling. Thus, in this example, the UE monitors a set of subframes for PDCCH with CRC scrambled by CSI-RNTI.

More specifically, a subframe bitmap with parameter "subframe bitmap" may be used to signal the subframes that the UE needs to monitor for PDCCH with CRC scrambled by CSI-RNTI, which may be repeated in a configured period. For example, subframe bitmap is "0011000011", and the configuration period in a subframe is 20. In this case, the first and second radio frames have the same subframe bitmap, and subframes #2, #3, #8, and #9 in each frame are allocated for transmission of a PDCCH having a CRC scrambled by the CSI-RNTI. Similar to the period, subframeBitMap may be predefined or configured by higher layers via MIB, SIB, or dedicated RRC signaling.

In another embodiment, the CSI-RS configuration may be indicated in a PDCCH with a UE-specific search space. To mitigate signaling overhead, a set of CRI-RS resources including time and frequency domain configurations may be configured by higher layer signaling (e.g., via RRC signaling). Then, one field in the DCI may be used to indicate one CSI-RS resource configuration in a set of CSI-RS resources configured by a higher layer.

In another embodiment, one or more CRI-RS transmissions can be triggered using the same partition schedule or a cross-partition schedule. The scheduling may depend on the UE capabilities, e.g., whether the UE can support one or more subcarrier spacings in the same bandwidth.

Fig. 7 is a diagram illustrating a CSI-RS configuration 700 with cross-partition scheduling according to an embodiment.Configuration 700 is provided for illustrative purposes to aid understanding. It will be appreciated that suitable variations are foreseen.Configuration 700 may be used bysystem 100 and variations thereof.

The graph depicts time along the x-axis and frequency along the y-axis.Configuration 700 includes aprimary partition 701 and asecondary partition 702.

Themain partition 701 includes CSI-RSs shown in the figure. Thesecondary partition 702 also includes CSI-RS shown in the figure. Scheduling/configuration for two CSI-RSs is provided in the downlink control channel in one zone. In this example, the control channel is a PDCCH and is located in the first resource block of themain partition 701.

The schedule/configuration may include a partition identifier, e.g., a Partition Indicator Field (PIF), indicating, for example, the primary or secondary partition. The PIF may be included in the DCI.

It will be appreciated that other variations of the same and cross-partition scheduling/configuration are envisioned.

In another variation, information of the CSI-RS bandwidth configuration may be signaled using a dedicated control channel, while the remaining information may be signaled using the PDCCH. Therefore, the UE first detects whether the dedicated control channel is updated. If the information changes, the UE may then decode the corresponding PDCCH to obtain a detailed CSI-RS bandwidth configuration.

In another embodiment, resource subbands may be defined to indicate CSI-RS bandwidth configuration to reduce signaling overhead. Resource subbands may be defined to indicate a CSI-RS configuration, where each resource subband includes K PRBs (in units of a baseline subcarrier spacing or a subcarrier spacing for a primary partition). The size of the resource sub-bands may vary depending on the system bandwidth. In addition, the subband size is defined as an integer number M of PRBs to accommodate different subcarrier spacings in the same system bandwidth. M is a scaling factor between the baseline subcarrier spacing and the subcarrier spacing for other partitions, i.e.

Wherein, Delta_f,secondaryAnd Δ_f,primaryThe subcarrier spacing for the primary and secondary partitions, respectively.

Examples of sizes of resource sub-bands are provided. The first arrangement has a system bandwidth or a configured partial system bandwidth of 15MHz and an associated resource subband size 4 (PRB). Therefore, M is 4. The second arrangement has a system bandwidth of 20MHz and a corresponding resource subband size of 8 (PRB). Therefore, M is 8.

In another embodiment, a bitmap may be used to indicate the CSI-RS configuration. The system bandwidth is the bandwidth defined or configured as BW. Then, the number of resource subbands used for CSI-RS transmission may be calculated as follows:

in addition, in the bitmap, a bit "1" indicates that a resource subband is allocated for CSI-RS transmission, and a bit "0" indicates that a resource subband is not allocated for CSI-RS transmission. For example, when N is_SBWhen the total number of resource subbands used for CSI-RS transmission is 4, bitmap "1101" indicates that resource subbands #0, #1, and #3 are allocated for CSI-RS transmission, and resource subband #2 is not allocated for CSI-RS transmission.

The resource subband index may be used to indicate the CSI-RS configuration. For example, when N is_SBWhen 4, i.e., the total number of resource subbands is 4, bit "01" indicates thatresource subband #1 is allocated for CSI-RS transmission.

A bitmap or resource subband index may be defined separately for CSI-RS transmissions in each partition. In this case, a CSI-RS resource/bandwidth configuration is defined for each partition, and the bitmaps or resource subband indices used for CSI-RS transmission in each partition may be combined together.

In another embodiment, instead of relying on a bitmap method to indicate a set of subbands for CSI-RS transmission, a starting subband position and the number N of subbands allocated may be indicated to the UE_SB. The indicated locations and subbands may identify or may be a CSI-RS configuration.

In another embodiment, the CSI-RS bandwidth configuration may be indicated by a combined resource indicator. For example, if two non-contiguous CSI-RS subbands are configured, where one CSI-RS subband is from s₀To s₁-1, another CSI-RS subband from s₂To s₃It can be shown by the following equationThe positive indication index:

wherein M is 4, N is N_SB+1。

In another embodiment, the subbands reserved for other applications may be configured. For example, if the secondary partition only covers N_SBOne of the sub-bands, the eNodeB or other node will inform the UE which sub-band is reserved using the primary bandwidth. Here, the reserved subbands may be configured via a bitmap or a subband index.

In another embodiment, the reserved subband index may be provided and/or signaled by upper layer signaling.

In another embodiment, CSI-RS sequences may be generated as a function of physical cell ID, virtual cell ID, and/or symbol/slot/subframe index to locate or identify one or more CSI-RS bandwidth configurations. To distinguish the CSI-RS of multiple partitions, a CSI-RS sequence as a function of partition index may be generated. In one example, a pseudo-random sequence generator for CSI-RS generation may be defined as a function of a physical cell ID or a virtual cell ID, a symbol and slot index, and a partition index.

For partitions with different subcarrier spacings, independent CSI-RS sequences may be generated. In addition, the CSI-RS is transmitted according to the CSI-RS configuration. Specifically, the CSI-RS is transmitted in a PRB included in the CSI-RS resource configuration, and the CSI-RS is punctured (processed) in a PRB not included in the CSI-RS resource configuration.

Using baseline subcarrier spacing or subcarrier spacing Δ for the main partition_f,primaryIs shown as N_PRB,primary. Then, for having a_f,secondaryThe total number of PRBs may be:

CSIthe RS sequence length may be an integer multiple of the total number of PRBs in the entire system bandwidth. Assuming that L subcarriers are allocated for CSI-RS transmission within each PRB, the CSI-RS sequence length may be L × N_PRB。

Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of CSI-RS resource mapping/configuration 800 for a primary partition and a secondary partition in a system bandwidth. The primary partition and the secondary partition have different subcarrier spacings.

In this example, the system bandwidth is 40MHz, with each of the primary and secondary partitions occupying 20 MHz. A subcarrier spacing of 15kHz is used for the primary partition and a subcarrier spacing of 60kHz is used for the secondary partition. Thus, the number of Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs) in the primary partition is 200, and the number of PRBs in the secondary partition is 50. Therefore, in this example, M is 4.

It should be appreciated that other suitable bandwidths and/or spacings are envisioned.

Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating example CSI-RS 900 for a primary partition and a secondary partition. The primary partition and the secondary partition have different subcarrier spacings.

In this schematic, the frequency is depicted along the x-axis. A subcarrier spacing of 15kHz is used for the primary partition and a subcarrier spacing of 60kHz is used for the secondary partition. The primary partition includes 200 PRBs and the secondary partition includes 50 PRBs.

In addition, the number of subcarriers allocated for the CSI-RS in each PRB is 1, i.e., L ═ 1, and the CSI-RS sequence lengths for the primary and secondary partitions are 200 and 50, respectively. It should be appreciated that the number of assigned subcarriers may vary and may be other values.

And transmitting the CSI-RS for the primary partition and the CSI-RS for the secondary partition according to the CSI-RS configuration. Specifically, the CSI-RS is transmitted in a PRB included in the CSI-RS resource configuration, and the CSI-RS is punctured in a PRB not included in the CSI-RS bandwidth/resource configuration.

Thus, in this example, the CSI-RS for the primary partition is punctured in PRBs #0-99 and transmitted in PRBs # 100-199. The CSI-RS for the secondary partition is transmitted in PRBs #0-24 and punctured in PRBs # 25-49.

It should be appreciated that other suitable configurations for CSI-RS are envisioned.

While the methodologies described in this disclosure are shown and described as a series of acts or events, it will be appreciated that the illustrated ordering of such acts or events should not be interpreted in a limiting sense. For example, some acts may occur in different orders and/or concurrently with other acts from that described and/or illustrated herein. In addition, not all illustrated acts may be required to implement one or more aspects or embodiments described herein. Additionally, one or more of the acts depicted herein may be implemented in one or more separate acts and/or phases.

Fig. 10 is a flow diagram illustrating amethod 1000 of configuring CSI-RS transmission according to an embodiment. Method orprocess 1000 is described with reference to a UE device or node, but it should be understood that other devices and/or nodes may be used. For example, the node may be other types of nodes, e.g., eNB, gNB, etc.Method 1000 may be implemented using the systems, arrangements, or variations thereof described above.

Themethod 1000 may mitigate cross-partition interference by generating or providing CSI-RS configurations to enhance the use of system resources.

Atblock 1002, the node determines or obtains a primary partition characteristic of a primary partition of the system bandwidth. The partition characteristics include subcarrier spacing, bandwidth, frequency, etc.

Atblock 1004, the node determines or obtains secondary partition characteristics for a secondary partition of the system bandwidth. Secondary partition characteristics include subcarrier spacing, bandwidth, frequency, etc.

Atblock 1006, the node generates a first bandwidth configuration for the first CSI-RS based on the primary partition characteristics. The first CSI-RS is associated with a primary partition.

Atblock 1008, the node generates a second bandwidth configuration for the second CCSI-RS based on the secondary partition characteristics. The second CSI-RS is associated with the secondary partition.

Atblock 1010, the node sends the first bandwidth configuration and the second bandwidth configuration to the UE device.

The node then transmits the first CSI-RS and the second CSI-RS according to the first and second bandwidth configurations atblock 1012.

The UE then receives the first CSI-RS and the second CSI-RS.

The node may then form and/or assist in forming a cell based on the first CSI-RS and the second CSI-RS.

Themethod 1000 may be repeated or repeated for additional channel estimates. It should be appreciated that suitable variations ofmethod 1000 are contemplated.

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

The term "processor" as employed in this specification may refer to substantially any computing processing unit or device including, but not limited to, single-core processors with software multithreading capability, multi-core processors with software multithreading capability, multi-core processors with hardware multithreading, parallel platforms, and parallel platforms with distributed shared memory. Further, a processor may refer to an integrated circuit, an application specific integrated circuit, a digital signal processor, a field programmable gate array, a programmable logic controller, a complex programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions and/or processes described herein. Processors may employ nanoscale architectures such as, but not limited to, molecular and quantum dot based transistors, switches, and gates to optimize space utilization or enhance performance of mobile devices. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing processing units.

In this specification, entities such as "storage device," "data store," "database," and substantially any other information storage component related to the operation and function of a component and/or process, refer to a "memory component," embodied as a "memory," or a component that includes a memory. It should be noted that the memory components described herein can be either volatile memory or nonvolatile memory, or can include both volatile and nonvolatile memory.

By way of illustration, and not limitation, nonvolatile memory can be included in, for example, memory, nonvolatile memory (see below), disk storage (see below), and memory storage (see below). Additionally, the non-volatile memory may be included in a read-only memory, a programmable read-only memory, an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory, or a flash memory. Volatile memory may include random access memory, which acts as external cache memory. By way of illustration, and not limitation, random access memory is available in many forms such as: synchronous random access memory, dynamic random access memory, synchronous dynamic random access memory, double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory, enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory, synchronous link dynamic random access memory, and direct Rambus random access memory. Additionally, the memory components disclosed by the systems herein or the methods herein are intended to comprise, without being limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

Examples may include at least one machine readable medium such as a method, an apparatus for performing acts or blocks of a method, including instructions which, when executed by a machine, cause the machine to perform acts of a method, apparatus, or system for simultaneous communication using multiple communication technologies in accordance with embodiments and examples described herein.

Example 1 is an apparatus configured for use in a base station. The apparatus includes baseband circuitry including a Radio Frequency (RF) interface and one or more processors. The one or more processors are configured to: generating first channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) bandwidth information for a first partition of a system bandwidth; generating second CSI-RS bandwidth information for a second partition of the system bandwidth; transmitting first and second CSI-RS bandwidth information to an RF interface for transmission to one or more User Equipment (UE) devices, wherein the first and second CSI-RS bandwidth information is provided in a physical channel and/or higher layer signaling.

Example 2 includes the subject matter of example 1, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the physical channel is a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

Example 3 includes the subject matter of any of examples 1 to 2, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the first CSI-RS bandwidth configuration is indicated in a Master Information Block (MIB).

Example 4 includes the subject matter of any of examples 1 to 3, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the first CSI-RS bandwidth configuration is indicated in a System Information Block (SIB).

Example 5 includes the subject matter of any of examples 1 to 4, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the first partition includes time resources, frequency resources, and/or a set of parameters.

Example 6 includes the subject matter of any one of examples 1 to 5, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the first partition has a subcarrier spacing different from a subcarrier spacing of the second partition.

Example 7 includes the subject matter of any one of examples 1 to 6, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the first CSI-RS bandwidth configuration and the second CSI-RS bandwidth configuration are provided via a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

Example 8 includes the subject matter of any one of examples 1 to 7, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the first CSI-RS bandwidth configuration and the second CSI-RS bandwidth configuration are provided via higher layer signaling.

Example 9 includes the subject matter of any of examples 1 to 8, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the second CSI-RS bandwidth configuration identifies an entire bandwidth of the second partition.

Example 10 includes the subject matter of any of examples 1 to 9, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the second CSI-RS bandwidth configuration identifies a portion of an entire bandwidth of the second partition.

Example 11 includes the subject matter of any one of examples 1 to 10, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to generate a first CSI-RS using the first CSI-RS bandwidth configuration and a second CSI-RS using the second CRS-RS bandwidth configuration.

Example 12 includes the subject matter of any one of examples 1 to 11, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to transmit the first CSI-RS and the second CSI-RS to the RF interface for transmission to the one or more UE devices.

Example 13 is an apparatus for a User Equipment (UE) device, the apparatus comprising baseband circuitry. The baseband circuitry has a Radio Frequency (RF) interface and one or more processors. The one or more processors are configured to: obtaining a first channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) bandwidth configuration from an RF interface, wherein the first CSI-RS bandwidth configuration is associated with a first partition of a system bandwidth, wherein the first partition has a first subcarrier spacing; obtaining a second channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) bandwidth configuration from the RF interface, wherein the second CSI-RS bandwidth configuration is associated with a second partition of the system bandwidth, wherein the second partition has a second subcarrier spacing that is different from the first subcarrier spacing; and monitoring one or more downlink transmissions from the RF interface for the first CSI-RS and the second CSI-RS based on the first CSI-RS bandwidth configuration and the second CSI-RS bandwidth configuration.

Example 14 includes the subject matter of example 13, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the one or more processors are configured to monitor a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) from an evolved node b (enb).

Example 15 includes the subject matter of any one of examples 13 to 14, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the one or more processors are configured to limit monitoring of the one or more downlink transmissions according to a periodicity and a subframe or slot offset.

Example 16 includes the subject matter of any one of examples 13 to 15, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the one or more downlink transmissions include a code scrambled by a channel state information radio network temporary identifier (CSI-RNTI) to identify the first CSI-RS bandwidth configuration.

Example 17 includes the subject matter of any one of examples 13 to 16, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the one or more processors are configured to monitor for one or more downlink transmissions based on a bitmap, wherein the bitmap identifies which slots or subframes of a packet include the first CSI-RS.

Example 18 includes the subject matter of any one of examples 13 to 17, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the one or more processors are configured to generate Channel Quality Information (CQI) based on the first CSI-RS and to send the CQI to an RF interface for transmission to an evolved node B.

Example 19 includes one or more computer-readable media having instructions that, when executed, cause a base station or evolved node b (enb): determining a primary partition characteristic of the first partition and a secondary partition characteristic of the second partition; generating a first channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) bandwidth configuration based on primary partition characteristics; and generating a second CSI-RS bandwidth configuration based on the secondary partition characteristics.

Example 20 includes the subject matter of example 19, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the primary partition characteristic comprises a primary subcarrier spacing, the secondary partition characteristic comprises a secondary subcarrier spacing, and the primary subcarrier spacing is different from the secondary subcarrier spacing.

Example 21 includes the subject matter of any one of examples 19 to 20, including or omitting optional elements, wherein the instructions, when executed, further cause the base station to: and sending the first CSI-RS bandwidth configuration and the second CSI-RS bandwidth configuration.

Example 22 is an apparatus for a base station. The device includes: means for generating a first channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) bandwidth configuration for a first partition; means for generating a second CSI-RS bandwidth configuration for a second partition; means for transmitting a first CSI-RS bandwidth configuration and a second CSI-RS bandwidth configuration; means for transmitting a first CSI-RS and a second CSI-RS; and means for receiving Channel Quality Information (CQI) based on the first CSI-RS and the second CSI-RS.

It will be understood that aspects described herein may be implemented by hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or transmitted over as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computer storage media and communication media including any medium that facilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. A storage media or computer-readable storage device can be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media can comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM, or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other tangible and/or non-transitory medium that can be used to carry or store desired information or executable instructions. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readable medium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website, server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL), or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes Compact Disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, Digital Versatile Disc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray disc where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

The various illustrative logics, logical blocks, modules, and circuits described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed with a general purpose processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but, in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. Additionally, at least one processor may comprise one or more modules operable to perform one or more acts and/or operations described herein.

For a software implementation, the techniques described herein may be implemented with modules (e.g., procedures, functions, and so on) that perform the functions described herein. The software codes may be stored in memory units and executed by processors. The memory unit may be implemented within the processor or external to the processor, in which case it can be communicatively coupled to the processor via various means as is known in the art. Additionally, at least one processor may include one or more modules operable to perform the functions described herein.

The techniques described herein may be used for various wireless communication systems such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, SC-FDMA and other systems. The terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably. A CDMA system may implement a radio technology such as Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), CDMA 1800, and so on. UTRA includes wideband CDMA (W-CDMA) and various variants of CDMA. In addition, CDMA 1800 covers IS-1800, IS-95, and IS-856 standards. TDMA systems may implement radio technologies such as global system for mobile communications (GSM). The OFDMA system may implement radio technologies such as evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11(Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16(WiMAX), IEEE 802.18, fast OFDM, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of the Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) is a release of UMTS that uses E-UTRA, which employs OFDMA on the downlink and SC-FDMA on the uplink. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, and GSM are described in documents from an organization referred to as the third Generation partnership project (3 GPP). In addition, CDMA 1800 and UMB are described in a document from what is known as "third generation partnership project 2" (3GPP 2). Additionally, such wireless communication systems may additionally include peer-to-peer (e.g., mobile-to-mobile) ad hoc network systems (typically using unpaired unlicensed spectrum), 802.xx wireless LANs, BLUETOOTH, and any other short-range or long-range wireless communication technologies.

Single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) with single carrier modulation and frequency domain equalization is a technique that can be used in conjunction with the disclosed aspects. SC-FDMA has similar performance and substantially similar overall complexity as OFDMA systems. The SC-FDMA signal has a low peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) due to its inherent single carrier structure. SC-FDMA may be used in uplink communications where a lower PAPR is beneficial to mobile terminals in terms of transmit power efficiency.

In addition, various aspects or features described herein may be implemented as a method, apparatus, or article of manufacture using standard programming and/or engineering techniques. The term "computer readable medium" as used herein is intended to encompass any computer program accessible from any computer-readable device, carrier, or media. For example, computer-readable media can include but are not limited to magnetic storage devices (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strips, etc.), optical disks (e.g., Compact Disk (CD), Digital Versatile Disk (DVD), etc.), smart cards, and flash memory devices (e.g., EPROM, card, stick, key drive, etc.). In addition, various storage media described herein can represent one or more devices and/or other machine-readable media for storing information. The term "machine-readable medium" can include, without being limited to, wireless channels and various other media capable of storing, containing, and/or carrying instruction(s) and/or data. Additionally, a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium having one or more instructions or code operable to cause a computer to perform the functions described herein.

Communication media embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other structured or unstructured data in a data signal such as a modulated data signal (e.g., carrier wave or other transport mechanism) and includes any information delivery or transmission media. The term "modulated data signal" or signal refers to a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal or signals. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, and other wireless media.

Additionally, the actions of a method or algorithm described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. A software module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. An exemplary storage medium may be coupled to the processor such the processor can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. In addition, in some aspects, the processor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC. Additionally, the ASIC may reside in a user terminal. In the alternative, the processor and the storage medium may reside as discrete components in a user terminal. Additionally, in some aspects, the operations and/or actions of a method or algorithm may reside as any combination or set of codes and/or instructions on a machine readable medium and/or computer readable medium, which may be incorporated into a computer program product.

The above description of illustrated embodiments of the disclosure, including what is described in the abstract, is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosed embodiments to the precise forms disclosed. Although specific embodiments of, and examples are described herein for illustrative purposes, various modifications are possible which are considered within the scope of these embodiments and examples, as those skilled in the relevant art will recognize.

In this regard, while the disclosed subject matter has been described in connection with various embodiments and corresponding figures, it is to be understood that other similar embodiments may be used and that modifications and additions may be made to the described embodiments for performing the same, similar, alternative or alternative functions of the disclosed subject matter without deviating therefrom. Thus, the disclosed subject matter should not be limited to any single embodiment described herein, but rather construed in breadth and scope in accordance with the appended claims.

In particular regard to the various functions performed by the above described components (assemblies, devices, circuits, systems, etc.), the terms (including a reference to a "means") used to describe such components are intended to correspond, unless otherwise indicated, to any component or structure which performs the specified function of the described component (i.e., that is functionally equivalent), even though not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure which performs the function in the herein illustrated exemplary implementations of the disclosure. In addition, while a particular feature may have been disclosed with respect to only one of several implementations, such feature may be combined with one or more other features of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageous for any given or particular application.

Claims (20)

1. An apparatus for a base station, comprising a baseband circuit having:

a Radio Frequency (RF) interface; and

one or more processors configured to:

generating a first channel state information reference signal, CSI-RS, bandwidth configuration for a first partition of a system bandwidth, wherein the first partition has a first subcarrier spacing;

generating a second CSI-RS bandwidth configuration for a second partition of a system bandwidth, wherein the second partition has a second subcarrier spacing different from the first subcarrier spacing;

transmitting the first CSI-RS bandwidth configuration and the second CSI-RS bandwidth configuration to the RF interface for transmission to one or more User Equipment (UE) devices, wherein the first CSI-RS bandwidth configuration and the second CSI-RS bandwidth configuration are provided within physical channels and/or higher layer signaling.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the physical channel is a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first CSI-RS bandwidth configuration is indicated in a master information block, MIB.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first CSI-RS bandwidth configuration is indicated in a system information block, SIB.

5. The apparatus of any of claims 1-4, wherein the first partition comprises time resources, frequency resources, and a set of parameters, and two non-contiguous subbands are allocated for the first partition.

6. The apparatus of any one of claims 1-4, wherein the first CSI-RS bandwidth configuration and the second CSI-RS bandwidth configuration are provided via a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH).

7. The apparatus of any of claims 1-4, wherein the first CSI-RS bandwidth configuration and the second CSI-RS bandwidth configuration are provided via higher layer signaling.

8. The apparatus of any of claims 1-4, wherein the second CSI-RS bandwidth configuration identifies an entire bandwidth of the second partition.

9. The apparatus of any of claims 1-4, wherein the second CSI-RS bandwidth configuration identifies a portion of an entire bandwidth of the second partition.

10. The apparatus of any of claims 1-4, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to generate a first CSI-RS using the first CSI-RS bandwidth configuration and to generate a second CSI-RS using the second CSI-RS bandwidth configuration.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to transmit the first CSI-RS and the second CSI-RS to the RF interface for transmission to the one or more UE devices.

12. An apparatus for a User Equipment (UE) device, comprising baseband circuitry having:

a Radio Frequency (RF) interface; and

one or more processors configured to:

obtaining a first channel state information reference signal, CSI-RS, bandwidth configuration from the RF interface, wherein the first CSI-RS bandwidth configuration is associated with a first partition of a system bandwidth, wherein the first partition has a first subcarrier spacing;

obtaining a second CSI-RS bandwidth configuration from the RF interface, wherein a second channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS) bandwidth configuration is associated with a second partition of a system bandwidth, wherein the second partition has a second subcarrier spacing that is different from the first subcarrier spacing; and

monitoring one or more downlink transmissions from the RF interface for a first CSI-RS and a second CSI-RS based on the first CSI-RS bandwidth configuration and the second CSI-RS bandwidth configuration.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are configured to monitor a Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) from a base station.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are configured to limit monitoring of the one or more downlink transmissions according to a periodicity and a subframe or slot offset.

15. The apparatus of any of claims 12-14, wherein the one or more downlink transmissions comprise a code scrambled by a channel state information radio network temporary identifier (CSI-RNTI) to identify the first CSI-RS bandwidth configuration.

16. The apparatus of any of claims 12-14, wherein the one or more processors are configured to monitor the one or more downlink transmissions based on a bitmap, wherein the bitmap identifies which slots or subframes of a packet include the first CSI-RS.

17. The apparatus of any one of claims 12-14, wherein the one or more processors are configured to generate a Channel Quality Information (CQI) based on the first CSI-RS and to send the CQI to the RF interface for transmission to an evolved node B.

18. One or more computer-readable media having instructions that, when executed, cause a base station to:

determining a primary partition characteristic of a first partition and a secondary partition characteristic of a second partition, wherein the first partition has a first subcarrier spacing and the second partition has a second subcarrier spacing different from the first subcarrier spacing;

generating a first channel state information reference signal, CSI-RS, bandwidth configuration based on the primary partition characteristics; and

generating a second CSI-RS bandwidth configuration based on the secondary partition characteristics.

19. The computer-readable media of claim 18, comprising one or more computer-readable media having instructions that, when executed, further cause the base station to:

transmitting the first CSI-RS bandwidth configuration and the second CSI-RS bandwidth configuration.

20. An apparatus for a base station, the apparatus comprising:

means for generating a first channel state information reference signal, CSI-RS, bandwidth configuration for a first partition, wherein the first partition has a first subcarrier spacing;

means for generating a second CSI-RS bandwidth configuration for a second partition, wherein the second partition has a second subcarrier spacing different from the first subcarrier spacing;

means for transmitting the first CSI-RS bandwidth configuration and the second CSI-RS bandwidth configuration;

means for transmitting a first CSI-RS and a second CSI-RS; and

means for receiving channel quality information, CQI, based on the first CSI-RS and the second CSI-RS.

Images