CONTROL CHANNEL DESIGN FOR WIDEBAND COVERAGE ENHANCEMENT (WCE) SYSTEM INFORMATION BLOCK (SIB) TRANSMISSION

Technology for a next generation node B (gNB) operable for wideband coverage enhancement (WCE) communication in a MulteFire cell is disclosed. The gNB can determine, at the gNB, an aggregation level (AL) for an enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH). The gNB can determine, at the gNB, an ePDCCH transmission type indicator in a master information block (MIB). The gNB can allocate, based on the ePDCCH transmission type indicator in the MIB, resource blocks for the ePDCCH. The gNB can encode, at the gNB, control information in an ePDCCH for a system information block MulteFire (SIB-MF) transmission in a first subframe of a discovery reference signal (DRS).

BACKGROUND

Wireless systems typically include multiple User Equipment (UE) devices communicatively coupled to one or more Base Stations (BS). The one or more BSs may be Long Term Evolved (LTE) evolved NodeBs (eNB) or new radio (NR) NodeBs (gNB) or next generation node Bs (gNB) that can be communicatively coupled to one or more UEs by a Third-Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network.

Next generation wireless communication systems are expected to be a unified network/system that is targeted to meet vastly different and sometimes conflicting performance dimensions and services. New Radio Access Technology (RAT) is expected to support a broad range of use cases including Enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB), Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC), Mission Critical Machine Type Communication (uMTC), and similar service types operating in frequency ranges up to 100 GHz.

Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments illustrated, and specific language will be used herein to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of the technology is thereby intended.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Example Embodiments

Both 3GPP LTE Release 13 Enhanced Machine-Type Communication (eMTC) and 3GPP LTE Release 13 NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-IoT) operate in the licensed spectrum. However, the scarcity of licensed spectrum in the low frequency band can result in a deficit in the data boost rate. Therefore, there is an emerging interest in the operation of LTE systems in unlicensed spectrum.

Potential LTE operations in unlicensed spectrum can include, but is not limited to, Carrier Aggregation based licensed assisted access (LAA) and enhanced LAA (eLAA) systems, LTE operation in the unlicensed spectrum via dual connectivity (DC), and the standalone LTE system in the unlicensed spectrum in which LTE-based technology solely operates in unlicensed spectrum without using an anchor in the licensed spectrum, which is also known as MulteFire.

Internet of Things (IoT) is envisioned as a significant technology component, which can have lots of potential to change our daily life by enabling connectivity between a multitude of devices. IoT can have widespread applications in various scenarios, such as smart cities, smart environment, smart agriculture, and smart health systems.

3GPP has standardized two designs to support IoT services—eMTC and NB-IoT. Because eMTC user equipments (UEs) and NB-IoT UEs will be deployed in large numbers, it can be important to lower the cost of these UEs in order to enable the implementation of IoT. Additionally, low power consumption is desirable to extend the lifetime of the battery of the UEs.

Moreover, devices can be deployed deep inside buildings. These devices that are deployed deep inside buildings can benefit from coverage enhancement (CE) in comparison with the defined LTE cell coverage footprint.

To summarize, eMTC and NB-IoT techniques can be designed to ensure that UEs have low cost, low power consumption, and enhanced coverage. In order to extend the benefits of LTE IoT designs into unlicensed spectrum, MulteFire 1.1 can specify the design for Unlicensed IoT (U-IoT) based on eMTC and/or NB-IoT. The unlicensed frequency band of interest for NB-IoT or eMTC based U-IoT can be the sub-1 gigahertz (GHz) band and the 2.4 GHz band.

In addition to these use cases for eMTC and NB-IoT, which both apply to narrowband operation, wideband coverage enhancement (WCE) can also be deployed in MulteFire 1.1 with operation bandwidth of 10 megahertz (MHz) and 20 MHz. One of the objectives of WCE can be to extend MulteFire 1.0 coverage to meet IoT market demand, with target operating bands at 3.5 GHz and 5.0 GHz.

In one example, for physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) downlink control information (DCI) format 1C, the distributed virtual resource blocks (VRBs) can be assigned. Distributed VRB allocation for a UE can range, in steps of 4 RBs, up to 96 VRBs. For PDCCH DCI format 1A, localized VRBs or distributed VRBs can be supported, ranging from 1 VRB to 96 VRBs with an Ngap,1e.g.,48for a 20 MHz system, and an Ngap,2e.g.,16for a 20 MHz system, where Ngap,1and Ngap,2are gap values used in PDCCH DCI format 1A.

In another example, two discovery reference signal (DRS) subframes can be transmitted within one occasion. For a legacy UE, the legacy UE can detect the legacy PDCCH and the corresponding physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) in order to detect the essential system information, located in the system information block MulteFire (SIB-MF). The SIB-MF can contain system information about system information block 1 (SIB1) and system information block 2 (SIB2). For a wideband coverage enhancement (WCE) UE, the WCE UE can detect the ePDCCH to derive parameters for WCE SIB-MF demodulation. However, the ePDCCH parameters may not depend on the UE type.

There are various ways in which the ePDCCH can be configured. Herein, configuration can be achieved by using the MIB to configure the ePDCCH for SIB-MF transmission.

FIG. 1provides an example of a 3GPP LTE Release 8 frame structure. In particular,FIG. 1illustrates a downlink radio frame structure type 2. In the example, a radio frame100of a signal used to transmit the data can be configured to have a duration, Tf, of 10 milliseconds (ms). Each radio frame can be segmented or divided into ten subframes110ithat are each 1 ms long. Each subframe can be further subdivided into two slots120aand120b, each with a duration, Tslot, of 0.5 ms. The first slot (#0)120acan include a legacy physical downlink control channel (PDCCH)160and/or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)166, and the second slot (#1)120bcan include data transmitted using the PDSCH.

Each slot for a component carrier (CC) used by the node and the wireless device can include multiple resource blocks (RBs)130a,130b,130i,130m, and130nbased on the CC frequency bandwidth. The CC can have a carrier frequency having a bandwidth and center frequency. Each subframe of the CC can include downlink control information (DCI) found in the legacy PDCCH. The legacy PDCCH in the control region can include one to three columns of the first Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols in each subframe or RB, when a legacy PDCCH is used. The remaining 11 to 13 OFDM symbols (or 14 OFDM symbols, when legacy PDCCH is not used) in the subframe may be allocated to the PDSCH for data (for short or normal cyclic prefix).

The control region can include physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH), physical hybrid automatic repeat request (hybrid-ARQ) indicator channel (PHICH), and the PDCCH. The control region has a flexible control design to avoid unnecessary overhead. The number of OFDM symbols in the control region used for the PDCCH can be determined by the control channel format indicator (CFI) transmitted in the physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH). The PCFICH can be located in the first OFDM symbol of each subframe. The PCFICH and PHICH can have priority over the PDCCH, so the PCFICH and PHICH are scheduled prior to the PDCCH.

Each RB (physical RB or PRB)130ican include 12-15 kilohertz (kHz) subcarriers136(on the frequency axis) and6or7orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols132(on the time axis) per slot. The RB can use seven OFDM symbols if a short or normal cyclic prefix is employed. The RB can use six OFDM symbols if an extended cyclic prefix is used. The resource block can be mapped to 84 resource elements (REs)140iusing short or normal cyclic prefixing, or the resource block can be mapped to 72 REs (not shown) using extended cyclic prefixing. The RE can be a unit of one OFDM symbol142by one subcarrier (i.e., 15 kHz)146.

Each RE can transmit two bits150aand150bof information in the case of quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK) modulation. Other types of modulation may be used, such as 16 quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) or 64 QAM to transmit a greater number of bits in each RE, or bi-phase shift keying (BPSK) modulation to transmit a lesser number of bits (a single bit) in each RE. The RB can be configured for a downlink transmission from the eNodeB to the UE, or the RB can be configured for an uplink transmission from the UE to the eNodeB.

This example of the 3GPP LTE Release 8 frame structure provides examples of the way in which data is transmitted, or the transmission mode. The example is not intended to be limiting. Many of the Release 8 features will evolve and change in 5G frame structures included in 3GPP LTE Release 15, MulteFire Release 1.1, and beyond. In such a system, the design constraint can be on co-existence with multiple 5G numerologies in the same carrier due to the coexistence of different network services, such as eMBB (enhanced Mobile Broadband)204, mMTC (massive Machine Type Communications or massive IoT)202and URLLC (Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications or Critical Communications)206. The carrier in a 5G system can be above or below 6 GHz. In one embodiment, each network service can have a different numerology.

In another example, as depicted inFIG. 2, the radio resource control (RRC) configured enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH) can be indicated. Because of the limitation of master information block (MIB) capacity, which can have only 7 reserved bits, 7 reserved bits can be utilized for ePDCCH parameter configuration.

In another example, the MeasSubframePattern of the ePDCCH may not be used. In this example, the subframe that contains the ePDCCH for SIB-MF can be pre-defined in accordance with the following options. In a first option, the ePDCCH for SIB-MF transmission can exist in the first subframe within one discovery reference signal (DRS) occasion. Two DRS subframes can be transmitted within one DRS occasion. Therefore, in this example, the ePDCCH for SIB-MF transmission can exist in the first subframe within one DRS occasion but may not exist in the second subframe within one DRS occasion. In a second option, the ePDCCH for SIB-MF transmission can exist in every subframe within one DRS occasion, i.e. the ePDCCH for SIB-MF transmission can exist in the first and the second subframe of the DRS occasion. In another example, a gNB can encode control information in an ePDCCH for a SIB-MF transmission in a first subframe of a DRS occasion.

In another example, the starting OFDM symbol for the first subframe within one DRS occasion can be fixed to be OFDM symbol #2, and the starting OFDM symbol for the second, or remaining subframe, can be fixed to be OFDM symbol #0.

In another example, the ePDCCH can have various transmission types. In a first option, the transmission type for the ePDCCH can be a localized mode. This first option can provide for simplicity in the transmission of the ePDCCH. In a second option, the transmission type for the ePDCCH can be a distributed mode. This second option can provide for better performance in the transmission of the ePDCCH. In a third option, the transmission type can be indicated by one bit in the MIB. The transmission type indicator in the MIB can allocate resource blocks for the ePDCCH. Based on the ePDCCH transmission type in the MIB, resource blocks for the ePDCCH can be allocated, wherein the resource blocks for the ePDCCH are contiguous or distributed.

In another example, the number of resource blocks for ePDCCH transmission, NRB,ePDCCH, can be fixed to 8 resource blocks or 16 resource blocks. Fixing the number of resource blocks to 8 resource blocks can achieve an aggregation level (AL) of 32. Fixing the number of resource blocks to 16 resource blocks can achieve an aggregation level (AL) of 64.

In the legacy system, for 100 resource blocks, scheduling 8 resource blocks can cost up to 38 bits. Moreover, it can cost more bits to schedule 16 resource blocks. A cost of 38 bits or more can be beyond the capacity of the MIB, which can have only 7 reserved bits for utilized for ePDCCH parameter configuration.

In another example, the resource block allocation for the ePDCCH can be allocated based on the physical resource block (PRB) assignment or the virtual resource block (VRB) assignment. When allocating resource blocks for the ePDCCH based on the PRB assignment, contiguous resource blocks can be reserved for resource allocation type 2 which can be utilized by downlink control information (DCI) format 1A and DCI format 1C for the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). Resource allocation type 2 can be a type of RB allocation for PDSCH.

In another example, in a first option, 16 contiguous resource blocks can start from either the minimum PRB index, e.g. PRB #0, or the maximum PRB index, e.g. PRB #99 for a 20 MHz system. The offset between different candidates can be denoted by NRB,offsete.g., 16. The indicator in the MIB can be denoted as n. In this example, the ePDCCH can occupy the PRBs ranging from [n*NRB,offset] to [(n*NRB,offset)+NRB,ePDCCH−1] if the first candidate starts from 0.

In another example, in the alternative, the ePDCCH can occupy the PRBs ranging from [NRBDL−1−[(n*NRB,offset)] to [NRBDL−NRB,ePDCCH−(n*NRB,offset)], in which the association between the ePDCCH resource block index and the PRB index can be based on either decreasing or increasing order.

In another example, if the number of resource blocks for ePDCCH transmission, NRB,ePDCCH, is equal to 16, if the offset between different ePDCCH candidates, NRB,offset, is also equal to 16, and if the allocation starts from the minimum PRB index, then a maximum of 6 candidates can be supported. In this example: the first candidate can range from a PRB index of #0 to a PRB index of #15, the second candidate can range from a PRB index of #16 to a PRB index of #31, the third candidate can range from a PRB index of #32 to a PRB index of #47, the fourth candidate can range from a PRB index of #48 to a PRB index of #63, the fifth candidate can range from a PRB index of #64 to a PRB index of #79, and the sixth candidate can range from a PRB index of #80 to a PRB index of #95. In this example, three bits in the MIB can be sufficient to configure the ePDCCH i.e. n can be 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.

In another example, if the number of resource blocks for ePDCCH transmission, NRB,ePDCCH, is equal to 16, if the offset between different ePDCCH candidates, NRB,offset, is also equal to 16, and if the allocation starts from the maximum PRB index, then a maximum of 6 candidates can be supported. In this example: the first candidate can range from a PRB index of #99 to a PRB index of #84, the second candidate can range from a PRB index of #83 to a PRB index of #68, the third candidate can range from a PRB index of #67 to a PRB index of #52, the fourth candidate can range from a PRB index of #51 to a PRB index of #36, the fifth candidate can range from a PRB index of #35 to a PRB index of #20, and the sixth candidate can range from a PRB index of #19 to a PRB index of #4. In this example, three bits in the MIB can be sufficient to configure the ePDCCH i.e. n can be 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.

In another example, in a second option, the resource block allocation for the ePDCCH can be allocated based on multiple contiguous subsets of resource blocks. In this example, for two subsets of resource blocks, each subset can contain 8 resource blocks. In this example, one subset can start from the minimum PRB index, e.g. PRB #0 to PRB #7, and the other subset can range from the maximum PRB index in decreasing order, e.g. PRB #99 to PRB #92 in the case of a 20 MHz system. This allocation of resource blocks can achieve frequency diversity.

In another example, NRB,offsetcan denote the offset for each subset between different candidates, e.g., 8 resource blocks. In this example, n can denote the indicator in the MIB. In this example, one ePDCCH subset can occupy the PRBs ranging from

and the other subset can occupy the PRBs ranging from

In another example, if the number of resource blocks for ePDCCH transmission, NRB,ePDCCH, is equal to 16, if the offset for each subset between different ePDCCH candidates, NRB,offset, is equal to 8, and if the allocation starts from the minimum PRB index for one subset, e.g. subset A, and the maximum PRB index for the other subset, e.g. subset B, then a maximum of 6 candidates can be supported. In this example: the first candidate of subset A can range from a PRB index of #0 to a PRB index of #7, the second candidate of subset A can range from a PRB index of #8 to a PRB index of #15, the third candidate of subset A can range from a PRB index of #16 to a PRB index of #23, the fourth candidate of subset A can range from a PRB index of #24 to a PRB index of #31, the fifth candidate of subset A can range from a PRB index of #32 to a PRB index of #39, and the sixth candidate of subset A can range from a PRB index of #40 to a PRB index of #47.

In this example: the first candidate of subset B can range from a PRB index of #99 to a PRB index of #92, the second candidate of subset B can range from a PRB index of #91 to a PRB index of #84, the third candidate of subset B can range from a PRB index of #83 to a PRB index of #76, the fourth candidate of subset B can range from a PRB index of #75 to a PRB index of #68, the fifth candidate of subset B can range from a PRB index of #67 to a PRB index of #60, and the sixth candidate of subset B can range from a PRB index of #59 to a PRB index of #52. In this example, three bits in the MIB can be sufficient to configure the ePDCCH i.e. n can be 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5.

In another example, for either option 1 or option 2, the offset can be defined in terms of either PRB indices or PRB subsets, e.g. 16 resource blocks or 8 resource blocks. In another example, candidates for the ePDCCH can be configured in an interleaved way, e.g. candidate 0 can start from the minimum PRB index with an increasing order of PRBs and candidate 1 can start from the maximum PRB index with a decreasing order of PRBs.

In another example, as illustrated inFIG. 3, Candidate 0 can occupy the PRB indices ranging from 0 to 15, Candidate 1 can occupy the PRB indices ranging from 99 to 84, Candidate 2 can occupy the PRB indices ranging from 16 to 31, Candidate 3 can occupy the PRB indices ranging from 83 to 68, and so forth. In this example, the NRB,ePDCCHcan be equal to 16 and the NRB,offsetcan be equal to 16.

In another example, as illustrated inFIG. 4, Candidate 0 of one subset can occupy the PRB indices ranging from 0 to 7 and Candidate 0 of the other subset can occupy the PRB indices ranging from 99 to 92; Candidate 1 of one subset can occupy the PRB indices ranging from 8 to 15 and Candidate 1 of the other subset can occupy the PRB indices ranging from 91 to 84; Candidate 2 of one subset can occupy the PRB indices ranging from 16 to 23, and Candidate 2 of the other subset can occupy the PRB indices ranging from 83 to 76; and so forth. In this example, the NRB,ePDCCHcan be equal to 16 and the NRB,offsetcan be equal to 8.

In another example, if the resource blocks for the WCE ePDCCH collide with the PRBs that have been assigned for the legacy PDSCH transmission, then the resource blocks for the WCE ePDCCH can be punctured.

In another example, the resource block allocation for the ePDCCH can be allocated based on the virtual resource block (VRB) assignment. In one example, the VRBs can be contiguous VRBs. The contiguous VRBs can start from either the minimum PRB index e.g., VRB #0, or the maximum PRB index e.g, VRB #95 for a 20 MHz system. NVRBDLcan denote the total number of virtual resource blocks i.e. 96; NRB,offset, i.e. 16, can denote the resource block offset between adjacent candidates; and n can denote the indicator in the MIB. In this example, the ePDCCH can occupy the VRBs ranging from [n*NRB,offset] to [(n*NRB,offset)+(NRB,ePDCCH−1)] if the first candidate starts from 0. In this example, a maximum of 6 candidates can be supported, wherein n is equal to 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5; therefore 3 bits in the MIB can be sufficient to configure the ePDCCH. In this example, with NRB,offsetequal to 16 and NRB,ePDCCHequal to 16, candidate 0 can occupy the VRBs ranging from VRB #0 to VRB #15; candidate 1 can occupy the VRBs ranging from VRB #16 to VRB #31; candidate 2 can occupy the VRBs ranging from VRB #32 to VRB #47; candidate 3 can occupy the VRBs ranging from VRB #48 to VRB #63; candidate 4 can occupy the VRBs ranging from VRB #64 to VRB #79; and candidate 5 can occupy the VRBs ranging from VRB #80 to VRB #95.

In another example, the ePDCCH can occupy the VRBs ranging from to [NVRBDL−1−(n*NRB,offset)] to [NVRBDL−NRB,ePDCCH−(n*NRB,offset)], where the association between the ePDCCH PRB index and the VRB index can be based on either decreasing or increasing order. In this example, with NRB,offsetequal to 16 and NRB,ePDCCHequal to 16, candidate 0 can occupy the VRBs ranging from VRB #95 to VRB #80; candidate 1 can occupy the VRBs ranging from VRB #79 to VRB #64; candidate 2 can occupy the VRBs ranging from VRB #63 to VRB #48; candidate 3 can occupy the VRBs ranging from VRB #47 to VRB #32; candidate 4 can occupy the VRBs ranging from VRB #31 to VRB #16; and candidate 5 can occupy the VRBs ranging from VRB #15 to VRB #0.

In another example, more than one candidate can be defined, where the offset between adjacent candidates can be defined the unit of one VRB or one VRB set, e.g. 8 VRBs or 16 VRBs.

In another example, the resource allocation of the ePDCCH can be derived based on localized resource blocks or virtualized resource blocks, and the resource allocation can be configured by the MIB using one bit. In another example, for the resource blocks for the ePDCCH, a first set of the resource blocks can be virtual distributed resource blocks and a second set of the resource blocks can be virtual distributed resource blocks or remaining contiguous resource blocks. The first set of resource blocks for the ePDCCH can comprise 8 virtual distributed resource blocks. The second set of the resource blocks for the ePDCCH can comprise 4 virtual distributed resource blocks and 4 remaining contiguous resource blocks.

In another example, the resource blocks for the ePDCCH can comprise 16 contiguous resource blocks starting from a maximum PRB index value.

In another example, the demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) for ePDCCH can use the same scrambling sequence as the scrambling sequence for the first DRS subframe e.g., 0, when the first DRS locates within subframes 0 to 4, and e.g., 5, when the first DRS locates within subframes 5 to 9.

In another example, a maximum of 4 bits can be utilized by the MIB to configure the ePDCCH in order to create a tradeoff between flexibility and overhead.

In a first option, 4 bits in total can be utilized by the MIB. In this option, 1 bit can be used for the RB assignment type and 3 bits can be used for the resource indicator.

In a second option, 3 bits in total can be utilized by the MIB. In this option, 1 bit can be used for the RB assignment type and 2 bits can be used for the resource indicator, which can support a maximum of 4 candidates. Alternatively, the RB assignment type can be predefined and a maximum of 8 candidates can be supported.

In a third option, 2 bits in total can be utilized by the MIB. In this option, 1 bit can be used for the RB assignment type and 1 bit can be used for the resource indicator, which can support a maximum of 2 candidates. Alternatively, the RB assignment type can be predefined and a maximum of 4 candidates can be supported.

In a fourth option, 1 bit in total can be utilized by the MIB. In this option, 1 bit can be used for the RB assignment type. Alternatively, the RB assignment type can be predefined and a maximum of 2 candidates can be supported.

In another example, the resource blocks for SIB-MF can contain the remaining contiguous PRBS, i.e. the PRBs that are not assigned as VRBs (PRB #96 to PRB #99), as well as the distributed virtual PRBs.

In another example, as illustrated inFIG. 5, four VRBs can be configured as a unit to construct full PRBs, and the ePDCCH can reuse the legacy mapping rule within one specific RB. In this example, VRB 0 and VRB 2 can be paired to cover a full PRB i.e. PRB 0, across two slots. In another example, four virtual resource blocks can be allocated to form two complete physical resource blocks.

In another example, the RB allocation for ePDCCH configuration can be indicated in the MIB. In one example, 1 bit can be configured in the MIB. In this example, a ‘0’ can indicate 0 RBs, which can indicate that the UE can receive the legacy PDCCH for SIB-MF, and a ‘1’ can indicate 8 RBs or 16 RBs. In another example, 2 bits can be configured in the MIB. In this example, ‘00’ can indicate 0 RBs, which can indicate that the UE can receive the legacy PDCCH for SIB-MF, ‘01’ can indicate 8 RBs, ‘10’ can indicate 16 RBs, and ‘11’ can indicate 32 RBs.

In another example, the RB allocation for ePDCCH configuration can contain the VRBs or the VRBS with the remaining PRBs. The remaining PRBs can be the PRBs that have not been assigned to VRBs i.e. PRB #96 to PRB #99.

In another example, one bit can be indicated in the MIB for the VRB gap. In this example, a ‘0’ can indicate that Ngap=Ngap,1e.g., 48 for a 20 MHz system, and a ‘1’ can indicate that Ngap=Ngap,2e.g., 16 for a 20 MHz system.

Another example provides functionality600of a next generation node B (gNB) operable for wideband coverage enhancement (WCE) communication in a MulteFire cell, as shown inFIG. 6. The gNB can comprise one or more processors. The one or more processors can be configured to determine, at the gNB, an aggregation level (AL) for an enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH), as in block610. The one or more processors can be configured to determine, at the gNB, an ePDCCH transmission type indicator in a master information block (MIB), as in block620. The one or more processors can be configured to allocate, based on the ePDCCH transmission type indicator in the MIB, resource blocks for the ePDCCH as in block630. The one or more processors can be configured to encode, at the gNB, control information in an ePDCCH for a system information block MulteFire (SIB-MF) transmission in a first subframe of a discovery reference signal (DRS), as in block640. In addition, the gNB can comprise a memory interface configured to send to a memory the resource blocks containing the ePDCCH.

Another example provides functionality700of a user equipment (UE) operable for wideband coverage enhancement (WCE) communication in a MulteFire cell, as shown inFIG. 7. The UE can comprise one or more processors. The one or more processors can be configured to decode, at the UE, an ePDCCH for a system information block MulteFire (SIB-MF) transmission in a first subframe of a discovery reference signal (DRS), as in block710. The one or more processors can be configured to identify, at the UE, an ePDCCH transmission type indicator in a master information block (MIB), as in block720. The one or more processors can be configured to identify, at the UE, resource blocks for the ePDCCH based on the ePDCCH transmission type indicator in the MIB, as in block730. In addition, the UE can comprise a memory interface configured to send to a memory the selected resource blocks containing the ePDCCH.

Another example provides at least one machine readable storage medium having instructions800embodied thereon for performing wideband coverage enhancement (WCE) communication in a MulteFire cell, as shown inFIG. 8. The instructions can be executed on a machine, where the instructions are included on at least one computer readable medium of one non-transitory machine readable storage medium. The instructions, when executed perform: determining, at the gNB, an aggregation level (AL) for an enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH), as in block810. The instructions, when executed perform: determining, at the gNB, an ePDCCH transmission type indicator in a master information block (MIB), as in block820. The instructions when executed perform: allocating, based on the ePDCCH transmission type indicator in the MIB, resource blocks for the ePDCCH, as in block830. The instructions when executed perform encoding, at the gNB, control information in an ePDCCH for a system information block MulteFire (SIB-MF) transmission in a first subframe of a discovery reference signal (DRS), as in block840.

While examples have been provided in which a gNB has been specified, they are not intended to be limiting. An evolved node B (eNodeB) can be used in place of the gNB. Accordingly, unless otherwise stated, any example herein in which a gNB has been disclosed, can similarly be disclosed with the use of an eNodeB.

FIG. 9illustrates an architecture of a system900of a network in accordance with some embodiments. The system900is shown to include a user equipment (UE)901and a UE902. The UEs901and902are illustrated as smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices connectable to one or more cellular networks), but may also comprise any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as Personal Data Assistants (PDAs), pagers, laptop computers, desktop computers, wireless handsets, or any computing device including a wireless communications interface.

The UEs901and902may be configured to connect, e.g., communicatively couple, with a radio access network (RAN)910—the RAN910may be, for example, an Evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), a NextGen RAN (NG RAN), or some other type of RAN. The UEs901and902utilize connections903and904, respectively, each of which comprises a physical communications interface or layer (discussed in further detail below); in this example, the connections903and904are illustrated as an air interface to enable communicative coupling, and can be consistent with cellular communications protocols, such as a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) protocol, a code-division multiple access (CDMA) network protocol, a Push-to-Talk (PTT) protocol, a PTT over Cellular (POC) protocol, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) protocol, a 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocol, a fifth generation (5G) protocol, a New Radio (NR) protocol, and the like.

In this embodiment, the UEs901and902may further directly exchange communication data via a ProSe interface905. The ProSe interface905may alternatively be referred to as a sidelink interface comprising one or more logical channels, including but not limited to a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), a Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), a Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel (PSDCH), and a Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH).

The UE902is shown to be configured to access an access point (AP)906via connection907. The connection907can comprise a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 802.15 protocol, wherein the AP906would comprise a wireless fidelity (WiFi®) router. In this example, the AP906is shown to be connected to the Internet without connecting to the core network of the wireless system (described in further detail below).

The RAN910can include one or more access nodes that enable the connections903and904. These access nodes (ANs) can be referred to as base stations (BSs), NodeBs, evolved NodeBs (eNBs), next Generation NodeBs (gNB), RAN nodes, and so forth, and can comprise ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or satellite stations providing coverage within a geographic area (e.g., a cell). The RAN910may include one or more RAN nodes for providing macrocells, e.g., macro RAN node911, and one or more RAN nodes for providing femtocells or picocells (e.g., cells having smaller coverage areas, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to macrocells), e.g., low power (LP) RAN node912.

Any of the RAN nodes911and912can terminate the air interface protocol and can be the first point of contact for the UEs901and902. In some embodiments, any of the RAN nodes911and912can fulfill various logical functions for the RAN910including, but not limited to, radio network controller (RNC) functions such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management.

The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) may carry user data and higher-layer signaling to the UEs901and902. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) may carry information about the transport format and resource allocations related to the PDSCH channel, among other things. It may also inform the UEs901and902about the transport format, resource allocation, and H-ARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) information related to the uplink shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling (assigning control and shared channel resource blocks to the UE902within a cell) may be performed at any of the RAN nodes911and912based on channel quality information fed back from any of the UEs901and902. The downlink resource assignment information may be sent on the PDCCH used for (e.g., assigned to) each of the UEs901and902.

The RAN910is shown to be communicatively coupled to a core network (CN)920—via an S1 interface913. In embodiments, the CN920may be an evolved packet core (EPC) network, a NextGen Packet Core (NPC) network, or some other type of CN. In this embodiment the S1 interface913is split into two parts: the S1-U interface914, which carries traffic data between the RAN nodes911and912and the serving gateway (S-GW)922, and the S1-mobility management entity (MME) interface915, which is a signaling interface between the RAN nodes911and912and MMEs921.

In this embodiment, the CN920comprises the MMEs921, the S-GW922, the Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (P-GW)923, and a home subscriber server (HSS)924. The MMEs921may be similar in function to the control plane of legacy Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Nodes (SGSN). The MMEs921may manage mobility aspects in access such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. The HSS924may comprise a database for network users, including subscription-related information to support the network entities' handling of communication sessions. The CN920may comprise one or several HSSs924, depending on the number of mobile subscribers, on the capacity of the equipment, on the organization of the network, etc. For example, the HSS924can provide support for routing/roaming, authentication, authorization, naming/addressing resolution, location dependencies, etc.

The S-GW922may terminate the S1 interface913towards the RAN910, and routes data packets between the RAN910and the CN920. In addition, the S-GW922may be a local mobility anchor point for inter-RAN node handovers and also may provide an anchor for inter-3GPP mobility. Other responsibilities may include lawful intercept, charging, and some policy enforcement.

The P-GW923may terminate an SGi interface toward a PDN. The P-GW923may route data packets between the EPC network923and external networks such as a network including the application server930(alternatively referred to as application function (AF)) via an Internet Protocol (IP) interface925. Generally, the application server930may be an element offering applications that use IP bearer resources with the core network (e.g., UMTS Packet Services (PS) domain, LTE PS data services, etc.). In this embodiment, the P-GW923is shown to be communicatively coupled to an application server930via an IP communications interface925. The application server930can 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 the UEs901and902via the CN920.

The P-GW923may further be a node for policy enforcement and charging data collection. Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCRF)926is the policy and charging control element of the CN920. In a non-roaming scenario, there may be a single PCRF in the Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) associated with a UE's Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session. In a roaming scenario with local breakout of traffic, there may be two PCRFs associated with a UE's IP-CAN session: a Home PCRF (H-PCRF) within a HPLMN and a Visited PCRF (V-PCRF) within a Visited Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMN). The PCRF926may be communicatively coupled to the application server930via the P-GW923. The application server930may signal the PCRF926to indicate a new service flow and select the appropriate Quality of Service (QoS) and charging parameters. The PCRF926may provision this rule into a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF) (not shown) with the appropriate traffic flow template (TFT) and QoS class of identifier (QCI), which commences the QoS and charging as specified by the application server930.

FIG. 10illustrates example components of a device1000in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, the device1000may include application circuitry1002, baseband circuitry1004, Radio Frequency (RF) circuitry1006, front-end module (FEM) circuitry1008, one or more antennas1010, and power management circuitry (PMC)1012coupled together at least as shown. The components of the illustrated device1000may be included in a UE or a RAN node. In some embodiments, the device1000may include less elements (e.g., a RAN node may not utilize application circuitry1002, and instead include a processor/controller to process IP data received from an EPC). In some embodiments, the device1000may include additional elements such as, for example, memory/storage, display, camera, sensor, or input/output (I/O) interface. In other embodiments, the components described below may be included in more than one device (e.g., said circuitries may be separately included in more than one device for Cloud-RAN (C-RAN) implementations).

The application circuitry1002may include one or more application processors. For example, the application circuitry1002may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor(s) may include any combination of general-purpose processors and dedicated processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processors may be coupled with or may include memory/storage and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory/storage to enable various applications or operating systems to run on the device1000. In some embodiments, processors of application circuitry1002may process IP data packets received from an EPC.

The baseband circuitry1004may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The baseband circuitry1004may include one or more baseband processors or control logic to process baseband signals received from a receive signal path of the RF circuitry1006and to generate baseband signals for a transmit signal path of the RF circuitry1006. Baseband processing circuitry1004may interface with the application circuitry1002for generation and processing of the baseband signals and for controlling operations of the RF circuitry1006. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry1004may include a third generation (3G) baseband processor1004a, a fourth generation (4G) baseband processor1004b, a fifth generation (5G) baseband processor1004c, or other baseband processor(s)1004dfor other existing generations, generations in development or to be developed in the future (e.g., second generation (2G), sixth generation (6G), etc.). The baseband circuitry1004(e.g., one or more of baseband processors1004a-d) may handle various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuitry1006. In other embodiments, some or all of the functionality of baseband processors1004a-dmay be included in modules stored in the memory1004gand executed via a Central Processing Unit (CPU)1004e. The radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation/demodulation, encoding/decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some embodiments, modulation/demodulation circuitry of the baseband circuitry1004may include Fast-Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping/demapping functionality. In some embodiments, encoding/decoding circuitry of the baseband circuitry1004may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) encoder/decoder functionality. Embodiments of modulation/demodulation and encoder/decoder functionality are not limited to these examples and may include other suitable functionality in other embodiments.

In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry1004may include one or more audio digital signal processor(s) (DSP)1004f. The audio DSP(s)1004fmay be include elements for compression/decompression and echo cancellation and may include other suitable processing elements in other embodiments. Components of the baseband circuitry may be suitably combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on a same circuit board in some embodiments. In some embodiments, some or all of the constituent components of the baseband circuitry1004and the application circuitry1002may be implemented together such as, for example, on a system on a chip (SOC).

RF circuitry1006may enable communication with wireless networks using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various embodiments, the RF circuitry1006may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate the communication with the wireless network. RF circuitry1006may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry to down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry1008and provide baseband signals to the baseband circuitry1004. RF circuitry1006may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry to up-convert baseband signals provided by the baseband circuitry1004and provide RF output signals to the FEM circuitry1008for transmission.

In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry1006aof the transmit signal path may be configured to up-convert input baseband signals based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry1006dto generate RF output signals for the FEM circuitry1008. The baseband signals may be provided by the baseband circuitry1004and may be filtered by filter circuitry1006c.

In some embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signals may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternate embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signals may be digital baseband signals. In these alternate embodiments, the RF circuitry1006may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry and the baseband circuitry1004may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with the RF circuitry1006.

The synthesizer circuitry1006dmay be configured to synthesize an output frequency for use by the mixer circuitry1006aof the RF circuitry1006based on a frequency input and a divider control input. In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry1006dmay be a fractional N/N+1 synthesizer.

In some embodiments, frequency input may be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), although that is not a necessity. Divider control input may be provided by either the baseband circuitry1004or the applications processor1002depending on the desired output frequency. In some embodiments, a divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a look-up table based on a channel indicated by the applications processor1002.

FEM circuitry1008may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas1010, amplify the received signals and provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the RF circuitry1006for further processing. FEM circuitry1008may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry configured to amplify signals for transmission provided by the RF circuitry1006for transmission by one or more of the one or more antennas1010. In various embodiments, the amplification through the transmit or receive signal paths may be done solely in the RF circuitry1006, solely in the FEM1008, or in both the RF circuitry1006and the FEM1008.

In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry1008may include a TX/RX switch to switch between transmit mode 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 received RF signals and provide the amplified received RF signals as an output (e.g., to the RF circuitry1006). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuitry1008may include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify input RF signals (e.g., provided by RF circuitry1006), and one or more filters to generate RF signals for subsequent transmission (e.g., by one or more of the one or more antennas1010).

In some embodiments, the PMC1012may manage power provided to the baseband circuitry1004. In particular, the PMC1012may control power-source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-to-DC conversion. The PMC1012may often be included when the device1000is capable of being powered by a battery, for example, when the device is included in a UE. The PMC1012may increase the power conversion efficiency while providing desirable implementation size and heat dissipation characteristics.

WhileFIG. 10shows the PMC1012coupled only with the baseband circuitry1004. However, in other embodiments, the PMC1012may be additionally or alternatively coupled with, and perform similar power management operations for, other components such as, but not limited to, application circuitry1002, RF circuitry1006, or FEM1008.

In some embodiments, the PMC1012may control, or otherwise be part of, various power saving mechanisms of the device1000. For example, if the device1000is in an RRC_Connected state, where it is still connected to the RAN node as it expects to receive traffic shortly, then it may enter a state known as Discontinuous Reception Mode (DRX) after a period of inactivity. During this state, the device1000may power down for brief intervals of time and thus save power.

FIG. 11illustrates example interfaces of baseband circuitry in accordance with some embodiments. As discussed above, the baseband circuitry1004ofFIG. 10may comprise processors1004a-1004eand a memory1004gutilized by said processors. Each of the processors1004a-1004emay include a memory interface,1104a-1104e, respectively, to send/receive data to/from the memory1004g.

The baseband circuitry1004may further include one or more interfaces to communicatively couple to other circuitries/devices, such as a memory interface1112(e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from memory external to the baseband circuitry1004), an application circuitry interface1114(e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from the application circuitry1002ofFIG. 10), an RF circuitry interface1116(e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from RF circuitry1006ofFIG. 10), a wireless hardware connectivity interface1118(e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from Near Field Communication (NFC) components, Bluetooth® components (e.g., Bluetooth® Low Energy), Wi-Fi® components, and other communication components), and a power management interface1120(e.g., an interface to send/receive power or control signals to/from the PMC1012.

FIG. 12also provides an illustration of a microphone and one or more speakers that can be used for audio input and output from the wireless device. The display screen can be a liquid crystal display (LCD) screen, or other type of display screen such as an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display. The display screen can be configured as a touch screen. The touch screen can use capacitive, resistive, or another type of touch screen technology. An application processor and a graphics processor can be coupled to internal memory to provide processing and display capabilities. A non-volatile memory port can also be used to provide data input/output options to a user. The non-volatile memory port can also be used to expand the memory capabilities of the wireless device. A keyboard can be integrated with the wireless device or wirelessly connected to the wireless device to provide additional user input. A virtual keyboard can also be provided using the touch screen.

EXAMPLES

The following examples pertain to specific technology embodiments and point out specific features, elements, or actions that can be used or otherwise combined in achieving such embodiments.

Example 1 includes an apparatus of a next generation node B (gNB) operable for wideband coverage enhancement (WCE) communication in a MulteFire cell, the apparatus comprising: one or more processors configured to: determine, at the gNB, an aggregation level (AL) for an enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH); determine, at the gNB, an ePDCCH transmission type indicator in a master information block (MIB); allocate, based on the ePDCCH transmission type indicator in the MIB, resource blocks for the ePDCCH; encode, at the gNB, control information in an ePDCCH for a system information block MulteFire (SIB-MF) transmission in a first subframe of a discovery reference signal (DRS); and a memory interface configured to send to a memory the resource blocks containing the ePDCCH.

Example 2 includes the apparatus of the gNB of Example 1, further comprising one or more processors configured to: allocate, based on the ePDCCH transmission type in the MIB, resource blocks for the ePDCCH, wherein the resource blocks for the ePDCCH are contiguous.

Example 3 includes the apparatus of the gNB of Example 2, further comprising one or more processors configured to: allocate the contiguous resource blocks for the ePDCCH to be utilized by downlink control information (DCI) format 1A.

Example 4 includes the apparatus of the gNB of Example 1, further comprising one or more processors configured to: allocate, based on the ePDCCH transmission type in the MIB, resource blocks for the ePDCCH, wherein the resource blocks for the ePDCCH are distributed.

Example 5 includes the apparatus of the gNB of Example 1, further comprising one or more processors configured to: scramble a demodulation reference signal (DM-RS) for the ePDCCH using a scrambling sequence for the first subframe of the DRS.

Example 6 includes the apparatus of the gNB of Example 1, further comprising one or more processors configured to: allocate, based on the ePDCCH transmission type in the MIB, resource blocks for the ePDCCH, wherein a first set of the resource blocks for the ePDCCH are virtual distributed resource blocks and a second set of the resource blocks for the ePDCCH are virtual distributed resource blocks or remaining contiguous resource blocks.

Example 7 includes the apparatus of Example 6, wherein the first set of the resource blocks for the ePDCCH further comprises eight virtual distributed resource blocks.

Example 8 includes the apparatus of Example 6, wherein the second set of the resource blocks for the ePDCCH further comprises four virtual distributed resource blocks and four remaining contiguous resource blocks.

Example 9 includes the apparatus of the gNB of any of Examples 1 to 6, further comprising one or more processors configured to: allocate, based on the ePDCCH transmission type in the MIB, resource blocks for the ePDCCH, wherein the resource blocks for the ePDCCH comprises sixteen contiguous resource blocks starting from a maximum physical resource block (PRB) index value.

Example 10 includes the apparatus of the gNB of any of Examples 1 to 6, further comprising one or more processors configured to: determine, at the gNB, an aggregation level (AL) for an enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH), wherein the AL is 32 or 64.

Example 11 includes the apparatus of the gNB of any of Examples 1 to 6, further comprising one or more processors configured to: allocate, at the gNB, four virtual resource blocks to form two complete physical resource blocks.

Example 12 includes an apparatus of a user equipment (UE) operable for wideband coverage enhancement (WCE) communication in a MulteFire cell, the apparatus comprising: one or more processors configured to: decode, at the UE, an ePDCCH for a system information block MulteFire (SIB-MF) transmission in a first subframe of a discovery reference signal (DRS); identify, at the UE, an ePDCCH transmission type indicator in a master information block (MIB); and identify, at the UE, resource blocks for the ePDCCH based on the ePDCCH transmission type indicator in the MIB; and a memory interface configured to send to a memory the resource blocks containing the ePDCCH.

Example 13 includes the apparatus of the UE of Example 12, further comprising one or more processors configured to: identify, based on the ePDCCH transmission type in the MIB, resource blocks for the ePDCCH, wherein a first set of the resource blocks for the ePDCCH are virtual distributed resource blocks and a second set of the resource blocks for the ePDCCH are virtual distributed resource blocks or remaining contiguous resource blocks.

Example 14 includes the apparatus of the UE of Example 13, wherein the first set of the resource blocks for the ePDCCH further comprises eight virtual distributed resource blocks.

Example 15 includes the apparatus of the UE of Example 13, wherein the second set of the resource blocks for the ePDCCH further comprises four virtual distributed resource blocks and four remaining contiguous resource blocks.

Example 16 includes at least one machine readable storage medium having instructions embodied thereon for performing wideband coverage enhancement (WCE) communication in a MulteFire cell, the instructions when executed by one or more processors at a gNB perform the following: determining, at the gNB, an aggregation level (AL) for an enhanced physical downlink control channel (ePDCCH); determining, at the gNB, an ePDCCH transmission type indicator in a master information block (MIB); allocating, based on the ePDCCH transmission type indicator in the MIB, resource blocks for the ePDCCH; and encoding, at the gNB, control information in an ePDCCH for a system information block MulteFire (SIB-MF) transmission in a first subframe of a discovery reference signal (DRS).

Example 17 includes the at least one machine readable storage medium of Example 16, further comprising instructions that when executed perform: allocating, based on the ePDCCH transmission type in the MIB, resource blocks for the ePDCCH, wherein the resource blocks for the ePDCCH are contiguous.

Example 18 includes the at least one machine readable storage medium of Example 16, further comprising instructions that when executed perform: allocating the contiguous resource blocks for the ePDCCH to be utilized by downlink control information (DCI) format 1A.

Example 19 includes the at least one machine readable storage medium of any of Examples 16 to 18, further comprising instructions that when executed perform: allocating, based on the ePDCCH transmission type in the MIB, resource blocks for the ePDCCH, wherein the resource blocks for the ePDCCH are distributed.

Example 20 includes the at least one machine readable storage medium of any of Examples 16 to 18, further comprising instructions that when executed perform: allocating, based on the ePDCCH transmission type in the MIB, resource blocks for the ePDCCH, wherein a first set of the resource blocks for the ePDCCH are virtual distributed resource blocks and a second set of the resource blocks for the ePDCCH are virtual distributed resource blocks or remaining contiguous resource blocks.