Downlink control information to support uplink partial subframe transmission on licensed assisted access secondary cell

Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, an apparatus of an evolved Node B (eNB) or a next generation Node B (gNB) comprises one or more baseband processors to encode downlink control information (DCI) to be transmitted in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) to a user equipment (UE) to schedule an uplink subframe including partial uplink subframe information, and to decode the scheduled uplink subframe from a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) received from the UE, and a memory to store the partial uplink subframe information.

BACKGROUND

The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is investigating uplink capacity enhancement for Long-Term Evolution (LTE) enabled physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission in a special subframe on top of the additional sounding reference signal (SRS) transmission in a special subframe to better utilize network resources. Note that up until Release 12 of the 3GPP standard, the uplink pilot time slot (Opts) symbol duration is either 1 or 2 depending on the special subframe configuration 0-9. Release 13 of the 3GPP standard is directed to full-dimension multiple input, multiple output (FD-MIMO) and introduced a new radio resource control (RRC) parameter to signal the number of additional UpPTS symbols of {2, 4} to the existing special subframe configuration for the purpose of SRS capacity enhancement. Uplink (UL) capacity enhancement in Release 14 of the 3GPP standard defined special subframe configuration 10 which has 6 symbol duration downlink pilot time slot (DwPTS), 2 symbol duration GT, and 6 symbol duration UpPTS. For normal cyclic prefix (NCP), the number of data symbols for PUSCH in UpPTS can be 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 symbols. One objective of Release 15 of the 3GPP standard for Further Enhanced License Assisted Access (FeLAA) is to define multiple starting and ending positions within a subframe for the downlink and the uplink.

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and/or clarity of illustration, elements illustrated in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, if considered appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding and/or analogous elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of claimed subject matter. It will, however, be understood by those skilled in the art that claimed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components and/or circuits have not been described in detail.

In the following description and/or claims, the terms coupled and/or connected, along with their derivatives, may be used. In particular embodiments, connected may be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical and/or electrical contact with each other. Coupled may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical and/or electrical contact. However, coupled may also mean that two or more elements may not be in direct contact with each other, but yet may still cooperate and/or interact with each other. For example, “coupled” may mean that two or more elements do not contact each other but are indirectly joined together via another element or intermediate elements. Finally, the terms “on,” “overlying,” and “over” may be used in the following description and claims. “On,” “overlying,” and “over” may be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical contact with each other. It should be noted, however, that “over” may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other. For example, “over” may mean that one element is above another element but not contact each other and may have another element or elements in between the two elements. Furthermore, the term “and/or” may mean “and”, it may mean “or”, it may mean “exclusive-or”, it may mean “one”, it may mean “some, but not all”, it may mean “neither”, and/or it may mean “both”, although the scope of claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect. In the following description and/or claims, the terms “comprise” and “include,” along with their derivatives, may be used and are intended as synonyms for each other.

Referring now toFIG. 1, a diagram of a use case of a partial uplink subframe for downlink to uplink switching in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed.FIG. 1, illustrates radio frames comprising downlink subframes110and uplink subframes112, each subframe comprising 14 orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, between an evolved NodeB (eNB) and one or more user equipment (UE) devices. The downlink subframes110comprise downlink physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmissions and physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmissions, and the uplink subframes112comprise physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmissions. The maximum channel occupancy time (MCOT)114obtained by the eNB is shared with the associated UEs. With the introduction of UL partial subframes, the switching from the downlink (DL) to the uplink (UL) may be performed flexibly and in a finer granularity.

In a system implement implementing Further Enhanced License Assisted Access (FeLAA) according to the Release 15 of the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard, the first and/or last symbols in a subframe to transmit sounding reference signals. As discussed herein, a signaling mechanism may be utilized to indicate to a UE when to use a partial uplink subframe.

Referring now toFIG. 2, a diagram of a use case of a partial uplink subframe to create a gap for listen before talk in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. As discussed herein, the ending UL subframes may be partial, for example if the MCOT is obtained in the middle of a subframe and therefore ends in the middle of a subframe. To maximally utilize the obtained MCOT, the eNB may schedule a partial UL subframe transmission. Alternatively, it is also possible that an ending partial UL subframe may be utilized to generate a listen before talk (LBT) gap210, such as a Category 3 or a Category 4 LBT, for a following transmission.

In one or more embodiments, downlink control information (DCI) format 0A/0B/4A/4B may be modified and used to indicate an uplink (UL) partial subframe. Furthermore, the UL burst duration indication in the common PDCCH may be modified. In such embodiments, DCI format 0A/4A may indicate whether the scheduled subframe is partial subframe or not. Whether the scheduled subframe is starting partial subframe or ending partial subframe may be indicated, and the duration of the partial UL subframe may be indicated. Additionally, DCI format 0B/4B may indicate whether the scheduled subframe is partial subframe or not. Whether the starting subframe of the multiple scheduled subframe is partial subframe and/or the ending subframe of the multiple scheduled subframe is partial subframe are indicated, and the duration of the partial UL subframe or partial UP subframes may be indicated.

In further embodiments, the UL burst duration indication may be modified by taking into account the partial UL subframes. The existing signaling may be extended such that a partial UL subframe proceeded by a partial DL subframe in the same subframe may counted as one subframe in the total UL burst duration and signaled. In other words, an offset of 0 is supported. For a partial UL subframe proceeded by a partial DL subframe in the same subframe, the existing signaling is not changed, and the partial UL subframe is not counted towards the signaled UL burst duration. If the partial UL subframe is not proceeded by partial DL in the same subframe, the partial UL subframe may be counted as one subframe in the UL burst duration indication. If the partial UL subframe is not proceeded by partial DL in the same subframe, the partial UL subframe is not counted towards the UL burst duration indication. If a partial UL subframe follows a partial DL subframe in the same subframe, the partial UL is not counted towards the signaled UL burst duration. If a partial UL subframe does not follow a partial DL subframe in the same subframe, the partial UL may be counted towards the signaled UL burst duration.

Downlink control information (DCI) formats 0A/0B/4A/4B are provided for UL scheduling on a License Assisted Access (LAA) secondary SCell are shown in Table 1 and in Table 1, below.

In Release for Further Enhanced License Assisted Access (FeLAA), the DCI formats 0A/0B/4A/4B may be modified as discussed herein to indicate the partial UL subframe as follows. The DCI format 0A/4A for single subframe scheduling may be modified such that the DCI indicates whether the scheduled subframe is a partial subframe or not. DCI format 0A/4A may also indicate whether the scheduled subframe is a starting partial subframe or an ending partial subframe. The duration of the partial UL subframe may be radio resource control (RRC) configured, or the duration also may be also indicated.

The DCI format 0B/4B for multi-subframe scheduling may be modified such that the DCI indicates whether the scheduled subframe is a partial subframe or not. DCI format 0B/4B may also indicate whether the starting subframe of the multiple scheduled subframe is a partial subframe, or whether the ending subframe of the multiple scheduled subframe is partial subframe. The duration of the partial UL subframe may be RRC configured, or the duration also may be indicated. In one or more alternative embodiments, the UL burst duration may be indicated in the common physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) as shown in and described with respect toFIG. 3, below.

Referring now toFIG. 3, a diagram of an uplink burst duration indication in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. In some embodiments, a compact PDCCH (C-PDCCH) indicates a pair of values: uplink (UL) burst duration and offset. The UL burst duration is the number of consecutive UL subframes belonging to the same channel occupancy, with the downlink (DL) subframes in the same channel occupancy signaling the UL burst duration. Offset is the number of subframes to the start of an indicated UL burst from the start of the subframe carrying the C-PDCCH. The UE may override the previously indicated Cat. 4 LBT 210 from the eNB to a single interval listen before talk (LBT) if the scheduled UL subframes are entirely contained within the indicated UL burst duration. The UE is not required to receive any DL signals and/or channels in a subframe indicated to be a UL subframe on the carrier. Five bits may be used to jointly express {offset, duration} for all combinations of {{1, 2, 3, 4, 6}, {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6}}.

Referring now toFIG. 4, a diagram of a process to indicate partial uplink subframe information in downlink control information in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. As shown inFIG. 4, in process400evolved NodeB (eNB)412may transmit downlink control information (DCI) to user equipment (UE)410in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) transmission414. The DCI may include partial uplink subframe information as discussed herein. The UE410transmits an uplink burst in a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) transmission416. The uplink burst may include one or more partial uplink subframes. A description of how one or more uplink subframes and one or more downlink subframes may be handled is shown in and described with respect toFIG. 5, below.

Referring now toFIG. 5, a diagram of subframes in which partial uplink subframes and partial downlink subframes may be included in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. The subframes500ofFIG. 5may include subframe (SF) number k (SF k) through subframe SF k+5 and so on. Physical downlink control channel (PDCCH)512may precede a downlink (DL) burst514in SF k.

The UL burst duration indication of Release 14 of the 3GPP standard may be modified by taking into account the partial UL subframes. In the case of a partial DL subframe516and a partial UL subframe518in the same subframe SF k+1, with the existing mechanism, the minimum offset is 1. In other words, the partial UL subframe518in the same DL partial subframe516cannot be signaled. Thus, in one embodiment, the existing signaling may be extended such that a partial UL subframe518in the same partial DL subframe516signaling the burst duration can be signaled. In another embodiment, the existing signaling is not changed, and the partial UL subframe518in the same signaled DL subframe SF k+1 is not counted towards the signaled UL burst duration. If the partial UL subframe518is not proceeded by a partial DL subframe516in the same subframe SF k+1, the partial UL subframe518may be counted as one subframe in the UL burst duration510indication via extension532. Note that the uplink burst510may include uplink subframes such as UL subframe520and UL subframe522. In this case, the eNB shall not transmit any downlink transmission in the same subframe because the UEs are not required to monitor the downlink signals. In another embodiment, if the partial UL subframe518is not proceeded by a partial DL subframe516in the same subframe SF k+1, the partial UL subframe518is not counted towards the UL burst duration510indication. In this case, UEs will monitor the downlink signals, and thus the eNB may transmit a partial DL subframe516in the same subframe if later the eNB changes the decision.

Information in the agreements made in 3GPP Radio Layer 1 (RAN1) working group 1 (Working Group 1) meeting #92 (Feb. 28, 2018 through Mar. 2, 2018) includes the following. The following DCI fields are included for FeLAA operation if the UE is configured on the LAA S Cell with multiple starting or ending positions—i.e. FeLAA PUSCH Mode 1, FeLAA PUSCH Mode 2 (i.e. partial UL starting SF) and/or FeLAA PUSCH Mode 3 (i.e. partial UL ending SF)

PUSCH Mode 1 (lbit, present if configured with PUSCH Mode 1): ‘1’ indicating, if PUSCH mode 1 is applicable to scheduled PUSCH transmissions in both slots of an UL subframe.

PUSCH Mode 2 (lbit, present if configured with PUSCH Mode 2): ‘1’ indicating, if the PUSCH scheduled in the first subframe of the UL subframe burst is to start [#7/#7+25us/#7+TA+25us/#8].

PUSCH Mode 3 (lbit, present if the configured with PUSCH Mode 3): ‘1’ indicating, that PUSCH in the last subframe of the scheduled UL burst is to end after symbol #6.

The UL ending partial subframe ending at symbol #3 is supported.

TBS scaling factor for the partial subframe ending at symbol #3 is 1/8.

The UL partial subframe ending at symbol #3 is signaled via Mode 3 indication and the reinterpretation of bit field for PUSCH ending position field (#3 or #6).

UCI transmission in this case is not supported.

FIG. 6illustrates an architecture of a system600of a network in accordance with some embodiments. The system600is shown to include a user equipment (UE)601and a UE602. The UEs601and602are 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 UEs601and602may be configured to connect, e.g., communicatively couple, with a radio access network (RAN)610—the RAN610may 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 UEs601and602utilize connections603and604, respectively, each of which comprises a physical communications interface or layer (discussed in further detail below); in this example, the connections603and604are 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 UEs601and602may further directly exchange communication data via a ProSe interface605. The ProSe interface605may 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 UE602is shown to be configured to access an access point (AP)606via connection607. The connection607can comprise a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE 802.11 protocol, wherein the AP606would comprise a wireless fidelity (WiFi®) router. In this example, the AP606is shown to be connected to the Internet without connecting to the core network of the wireless system (described in further detail below).

The RAN610can include one or more access nodes that enable the connections603and604. 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 RAN610may include one or more RAN nodes for providing macrocells, e.g., macro RAN node611, 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 node612.

Any of the RAN nodes611and612can terminate the air interface protocol and can be the first point of contact for the UEs601and602. In some embodiments, any of the RAN nodes611and612can fulfill various logical functions for the RAN610including, but not limited to, radio network controller (RNC) functions such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management.

In accordance with some embodiments, the UEs601and602can be configured to communicate using Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals with each other or with any of the RAN nodes611and612over a multicarrier communication channel in accordance various communication techniques, such as, but not limited to, an Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) communication technique (e.g., for downlink communications) or a Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) communication technique (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communications), although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. The OFDM signals can comprise a plurality of orthogonal subcarriers.

The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) may carry user data and higher-layer signaling to the UEs601and602. 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 UEs601and602about 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 UE102within a cell) may be performed at any of the RAN nodes611and612based on channel quality information fed back from any of the UEs601and602. The downlink resource assignment information may be sent on the PDCCH used for (e.g., assigned to) each of the UEs601and602.

The RAN610is shown to be communicatively coupled to a core network (CN)620—via an S1 interface613. In embodiments, the CN620may be an evolved packet core (EPC) network, a NextGen Packet Core (NPC) network, or some other type of CN. In this embodiment the S1 interface613is split into two parts: the S1-U interface614, which carries traffic data between the RAN nodes611and612and the serving gateway (S-GW)622, and the S1-mobility management entity (MME) interface615, which is a signaling interface between the RAN nodes611and612and MMEs621.

In this embodiment, the CN620comprises the MMEs621, the S-GW622, the Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (P-GW)623, and a home subscriber server (HSS)624. The MMEs621may be similar in function to the control plane of legacy Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Nodes (SGSN). The MMEs621may manage mobility aspects in access such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. The HSS624may comprise a database for network users, including subscription-related information to support the network entities' handling of communication sessions. The CN620may comprise one or several HSSs624, depending on the number of mobile subscribers, on the capacity of the equipment, on the organization of the network, etc. For example, the HSS624can provide support for routing/roaming, authentication, authorization, naming/addressing resolution, location dependencies, etc.

The S-GW622may terminate the S1 interface613towards the RAN610, and routes data packets between the RAN610and the CN620. In addition, the S-GW622may 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-GW623may terminate an SGi interface toward a PDN. The P-GW623may route data packets between the EPC network623and external networks such as a network including the application server630(alternatively referred to as application function (AF)) via an Internet Protocol (IP) interface625. Generally, the application server630may 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-GW623is shown to be communicatively coupled to an application server630via an IP communications interface625. The application server630can 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 UEs601and602via the CN620.

The P-GW623may further be a node for policy enforcement and charging data collection. Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCRF)626is the policy and charging control element of the CN620. 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 PCRF626may be communicatively coupled to the application server630via the P-GW623. The application server630may signal the PCRF626to indicate a new service flow and select the appropriate Quality of Service (QoS) and charging parameters. The PCRF626may 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 server630.

FIG. 7illustrates example components of a device700in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, the device700may include application circuitry702, baseband circuitry704, Radio Frequency (RF) circuitry706, front-end module (FEM) circuitry708, one or more antennas710, and power management circuitry (PMC)712coupled together at least as shown. The components of the illustrated device700may be included in a UE or a RAN node. In some embodiments, the device700may include less elements (e.g., a RAN node may not utilize application circuitry702, and instead include a processor/controller to process IP data received from an EPC). In some embodiments, the device700may 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 circuitry702may include one or more application processors. For example, the application circuitry702may 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 device700. In some embodiments, processors of application circuitry702may process IP data packets received from an EPC.

The baseband circuitry704may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The baseband circuitry704may include one or more baseband processors or control logic to process baseband signals received from a receive signal path of the RF circuitry706and to generate baseband signals for a transmit signal path of the RF circuitry706. Baseband processing circuitry704may interface with the application circuitry702for generation and processing of the baseband signals and for controlling operations of the RF circuitry706. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry704may include a third generation (3G) baseband processor704A, a fourth generation (4G) baseband processor704B, a fifth generation (5G) baseband processor704C, or other baseband processor(s)704D for other existing generations, generations in development or to be developed in the future (e.g., second generation (2G), sixth generation (6G), etc.). The baseband circuitry704(e.g., one or more of baseband processors704A-D) may handle various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuitry706. In other embodiments, some or all of the functionality of baseband processors704A-D may be included in modules stored in the memory704G and executed via a Central Processing Unit (CPU)704E. 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 circuitry704may include Fast-Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping/demapping functionality. In some embodiments, encoding/decoding circuitry of the baseband circuitry704may 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 circuitry704may include one or more audio digital signal processor(s) (DSP)704F. The audio DSP(s)704F may be include elements for compression/decompression and echo cancellation and may include other suitable processing elements in other embodiments. Components of the baseband circuitry may be suitably combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on a same circuit board in some embodiments. In some embodiments, some or all of the constituent components of the baseband circuitry704and the application circuitry702may be implemented together such as, for example, on a system on a chip (SOC).

RF circuitry706may enable communication with wireless networks using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various embodiments, the RF circuitry706may include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate the communication with the wireless network. RF circuitry706may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry to down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry708and provide baseband signals to the baseband circuitry704. RF circuitry706may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry to up-convert baseband signals provided by the baseband circuitry704and provide RF output signals to the FEM circuitry708for transmission.

In some embodiments, the receive signal path of the RF circuitry706may include mixer circuitry706a, amplifier circuitry706band filter circuitry706c. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of the RF circuitry706may include filter circuitry706cand mixer circuitry706a. RF circuitry706may also include synthesizer circuitry706dfor synthesizing a frequency for use by the mixer circuitry706aof the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry706aof the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry708based on the synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuitry706d. The amplifier circuitry706bmay be configured to amplify the down-converted signals and the filter circuitry706cmay be a low-pass filter (LPF) or band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signals to generate output baseband signals. Output baseband signals may be provided to the baseband circuitry704for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signals may be zero-frequency baseband signals, although this is not a requirement. In some embodiments, mixer circuitry706aof the receive signal path may comprise passive mixers, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry706aof the transmit signal path may be configured to up-convert input baseband signals based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry706dto generate RF output signals for the FEM circuitry708. The baseband signals may be provided by the baseband circuitry704and may be filtered by filter circuitry706c.

In some dual-mode embodiments, a separate radio IC circuitry may be provided for processing signals for each spectrum, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry706dmay 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 be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuitry706dmay be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer comprising a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

The synthesizer circuitry706dmay be configured to synthesize an output frequency for use by the mixer circuitry706aof the RF circuitry706based on a frequency input and a divider control input. In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry706dmay be a fractional N/N+1 synthesizer.

FEM circuitry708may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas710, amplify the received signals and provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the RF circuitry706for further processing. FEM circuitry708may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry configured to amplify signals for transmission provided by the RF circuitry706for transmission by one or more of the one or more antennas710. In various embodiments, the amplification through the transmit or receive signal paths may be done solely in the RF circuitry706, solely in the FEM708, or in both the RF circuitry706and the FEM708.

In some embodiments, the PMC712may manage power provided to the baseband circuitry704. In particular, the PMC712may control power-source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging, or DC-to-DC conversion. The PMC712may often be included when the device700is capable of being powered by a battery, for example, when the device is included in a UE. The PMC712may increase the power conversion efficiency while providing desirable implementation size and heat dissipation characteristics.

WhileFIG. 7shows the PMC712coupled only with the baseband circuitry704. However, in other embodiments, the PMC712may be additionally or alternatively coupled with, and perform similar power management operations for, other components such as, but not limited to, application circuitry702, RF circuitry706, or FEM708.

In some embodiments, the PMC712may control, or otherwise be part of, various power saving mechanisms of the device700. For example, if the device700is 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 device700may power down for brief intervals of time and thus save power.

FIG. 8illustrates example interfaces of baseband circuitry in accordance with some embodiments. As discussed above, the baseband circuitry704ofFIG. 7may comprise processors704A-704E and a memory704G utilized by said processors. Each of the processors704A-704E may include a memory interface,804A-804E, respectively, to send/receive data to/from the memory704G.

The baseband circuitry704may further include one or more interfaces to communicatively couple to other circuitries/devices, such as a memory interface812(e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from memory external to the baseband circuitry704), an application circuitry interface814(e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from the application circuitry702ofFIG. 7), an RF circuitry interface816(e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from RF circuitry706ofFIG. 7), a wireless hardware connectivity interface818(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 interface820(e.g., an interface to send/receive power or control signals to/from the PMC712.

The following are example implementations of the subject matter described herein. It should be noted that any of the examples and the variations thereof described herein may be used in any permutation or combination of any other one or more examples or variations, although the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in these respects. In example one, an apparatus of an evolved Node B (eNB) or a next generation Node B (gNB) comprises one or more baseband processors to encode downlink control information (DCI) to be transmitted in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) to a user equipment (UE) to schedule an uplink subframe including partial uplink subframe information, and to decode the scheduled uplink subframe from a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) received from the UE, and a memory to store the partial uplink subframe information. Example two may include the subject matter of example one or any of the examples described herein, wherein the DCI comprises format 0A/4A and indicates whether the scheduled subframe is a partial uplink subframe. Example three may include the subject matter of example one or any of the examples described herein, wherein the DCI indicates whether the scheduled subframe is a starting partial uplink subframe or and ending partial uplink subframe. Example four may include the subject matter of example one or any of the examples described herein, wherein the DCI indicates a duration of the partial subframe. Example five may include the subject matter of example one or any of the examples described herein, wherein the DCI comprises format 0B/4B and indicates whether the scheduled subframe is partial uplink subframe. Example six may include the subject matter of example one or any of the examples described herein, wherein the DCI indicates whether the schedule subframe is starting partial uplink subframe or an ending partial uplink subframe of multiple scheduled subframes. Example seven may include the subject matter of example one or any of the examples described herein, wherein the DCI indicates a duration of one or more partial uplink subframes. Example eight may include the subject matter of example one or any of the examples described herein, wherein the DCI information indicates a duration of an uplink burst and whether the uplink burst is extended to accommodate one or more partial uplink subframes. Example nine may include the subject matter of example one or any of the examples described herein, wherein the partial uplink subframe preceded by a partial downlink subframe in a same subframe is counted and signaled as one subframe in the uplink burst duration to support an offset of 0. Example ten may include the subject matter of example one or any of the examples described herein, wherein the partial uplink subframe preceded by a partial downlink subframe in a same subframe is not counted as one subframe in the uplink burst duration. Example eleven may include the subject matter of example one or any of the examples described herein, wherein if the partial uplink subframe is not preceded by partial downlink subframe in a same subframe, the partial uplink subframe is counted as one subframe in the uplink burst duration. Example twelve may include the subject matter of example one or any of the examples described herein, wherein if the partial uplink subframe is not preceded by a partial downlink subframe in a same subframe, the partial uplink subframe is not counted towards the uplink burst duration. Example thirteen may include the subject matter of example one or any of the examples described herein, wherein if the partial uplink subframe follows a partial downlink subframe in a same subframe, the partial uplink subframe is not counted towards the uplink burst duration. Example fourteen may include the subject matter of example one or any of the examples described herein, wherein if the partial uplink subframe does not follow a partial downlink subframe in a same subframe, the partial uplink subframe is counted towards the uplink burst duration.

In example fifteen, one or more machine readable media may have instructions thereon that, when executed by an apparatus of an evolved Node B (eNB) or a next generation Node B (gNB), result in encoding downlink control information (DCI) to be transmitted in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) to a user equipment (UE) to schedule an uplink subframe including partial uplink subframe information, and decoding the scheduled uplink subframe from a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) received from the UE. Example sixteen may include the subject matter of example fifteen or any of the examples described herein, wherein the DCI comprises format 0A/4A and indicates whether the scheduled subframe is a partial uplink subframe. Example seventeen may include the subject matter of example fifteen or any of the examples described herein, wherein the DCI indicates whether the scheduled subframe is a starting partial uplink subframe or and ending partial uplink subframe. Example eighteen may include the subject matter of example fifteen or any of the examples described herein, wherein the DCI indicates a duration of the partial subframe. Example nineteen may include the subject matter of example fifteen or any of the examples described herein, wherein the DCI comprises format 0B/4B and indicates whether the scheduled subframe is partial uplink subframe. Example twenty may include the subject matter of example fifteen or any of the examples described herein, wherein the DCI indicates whether the schedule subframe is starting partial uplink subframe or an ending partial uplink subframe of multiple scheduled subframes. Example twenty-one may include the subject matter of example fifteen or any of the examples described herein, wherein the DCI indicates a duration of one or more partial uplink subframes. Example twenty-two may include the subject matter of example fifteen or any of the examples described herein, wherein the DCI information indicates a duration of an uplink burst and whether the uplink burst is extended to accommodate one or more partial uplink subframes. Example twenty-three may include the subject matter of example fifteen or any of the examples described herein, wherein the partial uplink subframe preceded by a partial downlink subframe in a same subframe is counted and signaled as one subframe in the uplink burst duration to support an offset of 0. Example twenty-four may include the subject matter of example fifteen or any of the examples described herein, wherein the partial uplink subframe preceded by a partial downlink subframe in a same subframe is not counted as one subframe in the uplink burst duration. Example twenty-five may include the subject matter of example fifteen or any of the examples described herein, wherein if the partial uplink subframe is not preceded by partial downlink subframe in a same subframe, the partial uplink subframe is counted as one subframe in the uplink burst duration. Example twenty-six may include the subject matter of example fifteen or any of the examples described herein, wherein if the partial uplink subframe is not preceded by a partial downlink subframe in a same subframe, the partial uplink subframe is not counted towards the uplink burst duration. Example twenty-seven may include the subject matter of example fifteen or any of the examples described herein, wherein if the partial uplink subframe follows a partial downlink subframe in a same subframe, the partial uplink subframe is not counted towards the uplink burst duration. Example twenty-eight may include the subject matter of example fifteen or any of the examples described herein, wherein if the partial uplink subframe does not follow a partial downlink subframe in a same subframe, the partial uplink subframe is counted towards the uplink burst duration.

In example twenty-nine, an apparatus of an evolved Node B (eNB) or a next generation Node B (gNB) comprises means for encoding downlink control information (DCI) to be transmitted in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) to a user equipment (UE) to schedule an uplink subframe including partial uplink subframe information, and means for decoding the scheduled uplink subframe from a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) received from the UE. Example thirty may include the subject matter of example twenty-nine or any of the examples described herein, wherein the DCI comprises format 0A/4A and indicates whether the scheduled subframe is a partial uplink subframe. Example thirty-one may include the subject matter of example twenty-nine or any of the examples described herein, wherein the DCI indicates whether the scheduled subframe is a starting partial uplink subframe or and ending partial uplink subframe. Example thirty-two may include the subject matter of example twenty-nine or any of the examples described herein, wherein the DCI indicates a duration of the partial subframe. Example thirty-three may include the subject matter of example twenty-nine or any of the examples described herein, wherein the DCI comprises format 0B/4B and indicates whether the scheduled subframe is partial uplink subframe. Example thirty-four may include the subject matter of example twenty-nine or any of the examples described herein, wherein the DCI indicates whether the schedule subframe is starting partial uplink subframe or an ending partial uplink subframe of multiple scheduled subframes. Example thirty-five may include the subject matter of example twenty-nine or any of the examples described herein, wherein the DCI indicates a duration of one or more partial uplink subframes. Example thirty-six may include the subject matter of example twenty-nine or any of the examples described herein, wherein the DCI information indicates a duration of an uplink burst and whether the uplink burst is extended to accommodate one or more partial uplink subframes. Example thirty-seven may include the subject matter of example twenty-nine or any of the examples described herein, wherein the partial uplink subframe preceded by a partial downlink subframe in a same subframe is counted and signaled as one subframe in the uplink burst duration to support an offset of 0. Example thirty-eight may include the subject matter of example twenty-nine or any of the examples described herein, wherein the partial uplink subframe preceded by a partial downlink subframe in a same subframe is not counted as one subframe in the uplink burst duration. Example thirty-nine may include the subject matter of example twenty-nine or any of the examples described herein, wherein if the partial uplink subframe is not preceded by partial downlink subframe in a same subframe, the partial uplink subframe is counted as one subframe in the uplink burst duration. Example forty may include the subject matter of example twenty-nine or any of the examples described herein, wherein if the partial uplink subframe is not preceded by a partial downlink subframe in a same subframe, the partial uplink subframe is not counted towards the uplink burst duration. Example forty-one may include the subject matter of example twenty-nine or any of the examples described herein, wherein if the partial uplink subframe follows a partial downlink subframe in a same subframe, the partial uplink subframe is not counted towards the uplink burst duration. Example forty-two may include the subject matter of example twenty-nine or any of the examples described herein, wherein if the partial uplink subframe does not follow a partial downlink subframe in a same subframe, the partial uplink subframe is counted towards the uplink burst duration. In example forty-three, machine-readable storage may include machine-readable instructions, when executed, to realize an apparatus as claimed in any preceding claim.

Although the claimed subject matter has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it should be recognized that elements thereof may be altered by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and/or scope of claimed subject matter. It is believed that the subject matter pertaining to downlink control information to support uplink partial subframe transmission on licensed assisted access secondary cell and many of its attendant utilities will be understood by the forgoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and/or arrangement of the components thereof without departing from the scope and/or spirit of the claimed subject matter or without sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form herein before described being merely an explanatory embodiment thereof, and/or further without providing substantial change thereto. It is the intention of the claims to encompass and/or include such changes.