Patent Description:
Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcasts, and so on. Such networks, which are usually multiple access networks, support communication for multiple users by sharing the available network resources. Within such wireless networks a variety of data services may be provided, including voice, video, and emails. The spectrum allocated to such wireless communication networks can include licensed spectrum and/or unlicensed spectrum. As the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, research and development continue to advance wireless communication technologies not only to meet the growing demand for mobile broadband access, but also to advance and enhance the user experience with mobile communications.

<CIT> describes a method where uplink control information is either transmitted in physical uplink shared channel, PUSCH, or physical uplink control channel, PUCCH.

<CIT> describes a method and system for uplink control information (UCI), where a first UCI allows to simultaneously transmit physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) and physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and a second, multiplexed UCI does not allow simultaneous transmission.

<NPL>, Candidate Frame Structures discuss several frame structures, where the frames consist of different transmission time intervals and subframes.

In some aspects, the present disclosure provides a method for wireless communication. The method includes determining content to include in an uplink control information (UCI) based on a portion of a subframe that includes the UCI. The method further includes transmitting the UCI in the portion of the subframe.

In some aspects, the present disclosure provides a method for wireless communication. The method includes determining content to include in an uplink control information (UCI) based on a portion of a subframe that includes the UCI; and transmitting the UCI in the portion of the subframe.

In some aspects, the present disclosure provides a method for wireless communication. The method includes generating uplink control information (UCI), the UCI including a channel quality indicator (CQI), the CQI comprising at least a portion of a correlation matrix or a whitening matrix; and transmitting the UCI in a subframe.

In some aspects, the present disclosure provides an apparatus for wireless communication comprising a memory and a processor. The processor is configured to: determine content to include in an uplink control information (UCI) based on a portion of a subframe that includes the UCI; and transmit the UCI in the portion of the subframe.

In some aspects, the present disclosure provides an apparatus for wireless communication comprising a memory and a processor. The processor is configured to: generate uplink control information (UCI), the UCI including an acknowledgement (ACK), the ACK comprising a plurality of bits, wherein each bit corresponds to a different code block; and transmit the UCI in a subframe.

In some aspects, the present disclosure provides an apparatus for wireless communication comprising a memory and a processor. The processor is configured to: generate uplink control information (UCI), the UCI including a channel quality indicator (CQI), the CQI comprising at least a portion of a correlation matrix or a whitening matrix; and transmit the UCI in a subframe.

In some aspects, the present disclosure provides an apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus includes: means for determining content to include in an uplink control information (UCI) based on a portion of a subframe that includes the UCI; and means for transmitting the UCI in the portion of the subframe.

In some aspects, the present disclosure provides an apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus includes: means for generating uplink control information (UCI), the UCI including an acknowledgement (ACK), the ACK comprising a plurality of bits, wherein each bit corresponds to a different code block; and means for transmitting the UCI in a subframe.

In some aspects, the present disclosure provides an apparatus for wireless communication. The apparatus includes: means for generating uplink control information (UCI), the UCI including a channel quality indicator (CQI), the CQI comprising at least a portion of a correlation matrix or a whitening matrix; and means for transmitting the UCI in a subframe.

In some aspects, the present disclosure provides a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon for causing at least one processor to perform a method. The method includes determining content to include in an uplink control information (UCI) based on a portion of a subframe that includes the UCI. The method further includes transmitting the UCI in the portion of the subframe.

In some aspects, the present disclosure provides a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon for causing at least one processor to perform a method. The method includes determining content to include in an uplink control information (UCI) based on a portion of a subframe that includes the UCI; and transmitting the UCI in the portion of the subframe.

In some aspects, the present disclosure provides a computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon for causing at least one processor to perform a method. The method includes generating uplink control information (UCI), the UCI including a channel quality indicator (CQI), the CQI comprising at least a portion of a correlation matrix or a whitening matrix; and transmitting the UCI in a subframe.

In some aspects, the present disclosure provides a method, apparatus, system, computer program product, and processing system as substantially described herein with reference to and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.

The most pertinent figures explaining the invention are <FIG> and <FIG> with the related paragraphs of the description.

Referring now to <FIG>, as an illustrative example without limitation, a simplified schematic illustration of an access network <NUM> is provided.

The geographic region covered by the access network <NUM> may be divided into a number of cellular regions (cells), including macrocells <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, and a small cell <NUM>, each of which may include one or more sectors. Cells may be defined geographically (e.g., by coverage area) and/or may be defined in accordance with a frequency, scrambling code, etc. In a cell that is divided into sectors, the multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communication with mobile devices in a portion of the cell.

In general, a radio transceiver apparatus serves each cell. A radio transceiver apparatus is commonly referred to as a base station (BS) in many wireless communication systems, but may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a base transceiver station (BTS), a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), an access point (AP), a Node B, an eNode B, or some other suitable terminology.

In <FIG>, two high-power base stations <NUM> and <NUM> are shown in cells <NUM> and <NUM>; and a third high-power base station <NUM> is shown controlling a remote radio head (RRH) <NUM> in cell <NUM>. In this example, the cells <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be referred to as macrocells, as the high-power base stations <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> support cells having a large size. Further, a low-power base station <NUM> is shown in the small cell <NUM> (e.g., a microcell, picocell, femtocell, home base station, home Node B, home eNode B, etc.) which may overlap with one or more macrocells. In this example, the cell <NUM> may be referred to as a small cell, as the low-power base station <NUM> supports a cell having a relatively small size. It is to be understood that the access network <NUM> may include any number of wireless base stations and cells.

In some examples, the base stations may be interconnected to one another and/or to one or more other base stations or network nodes (not shown) in the access network <NUM> through various types of backhaul interfaces such as a direct physical connection, a virtual network, or the like using any suitable transport network.

The access network <NUM> is illustrated supporting wireless communication for multiple mobile apparatuses. A mobile apparatus is commonly referred to as user equipment (UE) in standards and specifications promulgated by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP), but may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a mobile station (MS), a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communications device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal (AT), a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a terminal, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable terminology.

Within the present document, a "mobile" apparatus need not necessarily have a capability to move, and may be stationary. Some non-limiting examples of a mobile apparatus include a mobile, a cellular (cell) phone, a smart phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a laptop, a personal computer (PC), a notebook, a netbook, a smartbook, a tablet, and a personal digital assistant (PDA). A mobile apparatus may additionally be an "Internet of things" (IoT) device such as an automotive or other transportation vehicle, a satellite radio, a global positioning system (GPS) device, a logistics controller, a drone, a multi-copter, a quad-copter, a smart energy or security device, a solar panel or solar array, municipal lighting, water, or other infrastructure; industrial automation and enterprise devices; consumer and wearable devices, such as eyewear, a wearable camera, a smart watch, a health or fitness tracker, a digital audio player (e.g., MP3 player), a camera, a game console, etc.; and digital home or smart home devices such as a home audio, video, and multimedia device, an appliance, a sensor, a vending machine, intelligent lighting, a home security system, a smart meter, etc..

Within the access network <NUM>, the cells may include UEs that may be in communication with one or more sectors of each cell. For example, UEs <NUM> and <NUM> may be in communication with base station <NUM>; UEs <NUM> and <NUM> may be in communication with base station <NUM>; UEs <NUM> and <NUM> may be in communication with base station <NUM> by way of RRH <NUM>; UE <NUM> may be in communication with low-power base station <NUM>; and UE <NUM> may be in communication with mobile base station <NUM>. Here, each base station <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be configured to provide an access point to a core network (not shown) for all the UEs in the respective cells. In another example, the quadcopter <NUM> may be configured to function as a UE.

The air interface in the access network <NUM> may utilize one or more multiplexing and multiple access algorithms to enable simultaneous communication of the various devices. For example, multiple access for uplink (UL) or reverse link transmissions from UEs <NUM> and <NUM> to base station <NUM> may be provided utilizing time division multiple access (TDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), or other suitable multiple access schemes. Further, multiplexing downlink (DL) or forward link transmissions from the base station <NUM> to UEs <NUM> and <NUM> may be provided utilizing time division multiplexing (TDM), code division multiplexing (CDM), frequency division multiplexing (FDM), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), or other suitable multiplexing schemes.

Within the access network <NUM>, during a call with a scheduling entity, or at any other time, a UE may monitor various parameters of the signal from its serving cell as well as various parameters of neighboring cells. Further, depending on the quality of these parameters, the UE may maintain communication with one or more of the neighboring cells. During this time, if the UE moves from one cell to another, or if signal quality from a neighboring cell exceeds that from the serving cell for a given amount of time, the UE may undertake a handoff or handover from the serving cell to the neighboring (target) cell. For example, UE <NUM> may move from the geographic area corresponding to its serving cell <NUM> to the geographic area corresponding to a neighbor cell <NUM>. When the signal strength or quality from the neighbor cell <NUM> exceeds that of its serving cell <NUM> for a given amount of time, the UE <NUM> may transmit a reporting message to its serving base station <NUM> indicating this condition. In response, the UE <NUM> may receive a handover command, and the UE may undergo a handover to the cell <NUM>.

In certain aspects, as discussed further below, the scheduling entity may be responsible for scheduling, assigning, reconfiguring, and releasing resources for one or more subordinate entities.

For example, UE <NUM> is illustrated communicating with UEs <NUM> and <NUM>. In this example, the UE <NUM> is functioning as a scheduling entity, and UEs <NUM> and <NUM> utilize resources scheduled by the UE <NUM> for wireless communication. In a mesh network example, UEs <NUM> and <NUM> may optionally communicate directly with one another in addition to communicating with the scheduling entity <NUM>.

Referring now to <FIG>, a block diagram <NUM> illustrates a scheduling entity <NUM> and a plurality of subordinate entities <NUM>. Here, the scheduling entity <NUM> may correspond to the base stations <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. In additional examples, the scheduling entity <NUM> may correspond to the UE <NUM>, the quadcopter <NUM>, or any other suitable node in the access network <NUM>. Similarly, in various examples, the subordinate entity <NUM> may correspond to the UE <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, or any other suitable node in the access network <NUM>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the scheduling entity <NUM> may broadcast downlink data <NUM> to one or more subordinate entities <NUM> (the data may be referred to as downlink data). In accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure, the term downlink may refer to a point-to-multipoint transmission originating at the scheduling entity <NUM>. Broadly, the scheduling entity <NUM> is a node or device responsible for scheduling traffic in a wireless communication network, including the downlink transmissions and, in some examples, uplink data <NUM> from one or more subordinate entities to the scheduling entity <NUM>. Another way to describe the system may be to use the term broadcast channel multiplexing. In accordance with aspects of the present disclosure, the term uplink may refer to a point-to-point transmission originating at a subordinate entity <NUM>. Broadly, the subordinate entity <NUM> is a node or device that receives scheduling control information, including but not limited to scheduling grants, synchronization or timing information, or other control information from another entity in the wireless communication network such as the scheduling entity <NUM>.

The scheduling entity <NUM> may broadcast a control channel <NUM> to one or more subordinate entities <NUM>. Uplink data <NUM> and/or downlink data <NUM> may be transmitted using a transmission time interval (TTI). Here, a TTI may correspond to an encapsulated set or packet of information capable of being independently decoded. In various examples, TTIs may correspond to frames, subframes, data blocks, time slots, or other suitable groupings of bits for transmission.

Furthermore, the subordinate entities <NUM> may transmit uplink control information <NUM> to the scheduling entity <NUM>. Uplink control information (UCI) may include a variety of packet types and categories, including pilots, reference signals, and information configured to enable or assist in decoding uplink data transmissions. In some examples, the control information <NUM> may include a scheduling request (SR), i.e., request for the scheduling entity <NUM> to schedule uplink transmissions. Here, in response to the SR transmitted on the control channel <NUM>, the scheduling entity <NUM> may transmit in the downlink control channel <NUM> information that may schedule the TTI for uplink packets. In a further example, the uplink control channel <NUM> may include hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) feedback transmissions, such as an acknowledgment (ACK) or negative acknowledgment (NACK). HARQ is a technique well-known to those of ordinary skill in the art, wherein packet transmissions may be checked at the receiving side for accuracy, and if confirmed, an ACK may be transmitted, whereas if not confirmed, a NACK may be transmitted. In response to a NACK, the transmitting device may send a HARQ retransmission, which may implement chase combining, incremental redundancy, etc. The channels illustrated in <FIG> are not necessarily all of the channels that may be utilized between a scheduling entity <NUM> and subordinate entities <NUM>, and those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other channels may be utilized in addition to those illustrated, such as other data, control, and feedback channels.

<FIG> is a diagram <NUM> illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for scheduling entity <NUM> according to aspects of the present disclosure. Scheduling entity <NUM> may employ a processing system <NUM>. Scheduling entity <NUM> may be implemented with a processing system <NUM> that includes one or more processors <NUM>. Examples of processors <NUM> include microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functionality described throughout this disclosure. In various examples, scheduling entity <NUM> may be configured to perform any one or more of the functions described herein. That is, the processor <NUM>, as utilized in scheduling entity <NUM>, may be used to implement any one or more of the processes described herein.

In this example, the processing system <NUM> may be implemented with a bus architecture, represented generally by the bus <NUM>. The bus <NUM> may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges depending on the specific application of the processing system <NUM> and the overall design constraints. The bus <NUM> communicatively couples together various circuits including one or more processors (represented generally by the processor <NUM>), a memory <NUM>, and computer-readable media (represented generally by the computer-readable medium <NUM>). The bus <NUM> may also link various other circuits such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits. A bus interface <NUM> provides an interface between the bus <NUM> and a transceiver <NUM>. The transceiver <NUM> provides a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium. Depending upon the nature of the apparatus, a user interface <NUM> (e.g., keypad, display, speaker, microphone, joystick) may also be provided.

At least one processor <NUM> is responsible for managing the bus <NUM> and general processing, including the execution of software stored on the computer-readable medium <NUM>. In some aspects of the disclosure, the computer-readable medium <NUM> may include communication instructions <NUM>. The communication instructions <NUM> may include instructions for performing various operations related to wireless communication (e.g., signal reception and/or signal transmission) as described herein. In some aspects of the disclosure, the computer-readable medium <NUM> may include processing instructions <NUM>. The processing instructions <NUM> may include instructions for performing various operations related to signal processing (e.g., processing a received signal and/or processing a signal for transmission) as described herein.

At least one processor <NUM> may execute software. The software may reside on a computer-readable medium <NUM>. The computer-readable medium <NUM> may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. A non-transitory computer-readable medium includes, by way of example, a magnetic storage device (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strip), an optical disk (e.g., a compact disc (CD) or a digital versatile disc (DVD)), a smart card, a flash memory device (e.g., a card, a stick, or a key drive), a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), a register, a removable disk, and any other suitable medium for storing software and/or instructions that may be accessed and read by a computer. The computer-readable medium may also include, by way of example, a carrier wave, a transmission line, and any other suitable medium for transmitting software and/or instructions that may be accessed and read by a computer. The computer-readable medium <NUM> may reside in the processing system <NUM>, external to the processing system <NUM>, or distributed across multiple entities including the processing system <NUM>. The computer-readable medium <NUM> may be embodied in a computer program product. By way of example, a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium in packaging materials. Those skilled in the art will recognize how best to implement the described functionality presented throughout this disclosure depending on the particular application and the overall design constraints imposed on the overall system.

In some aspects of the disclosure, at least one processor <NUM> may include a communication circuit <NUM>. The communication circuit <NUM> may include one or more hardware components that provide the physical structure that performs various processes related to wireless communication (e.g., signal reception and/or signal transmission) as described herein. In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor <NUM> may also include a processing circuit <NUM>. The processing circuit <NUM> may include one or more hardware components that provide the physical structure that performs various processes related to signal processing (e.g., processing a received signal and/or processing a signal for transmission) as described herein. The circuitry included in the processor <NUM> is provided as non-limiting examples. Other means for carrying out the described functions exists and is included within various aspects of the present disclosure. In some aspects of the disclosure, the computer-readable medium <NUM> may store computer-executable code comprising instructions configured to perform various processes described herein. The instructions included in the computer-readable medium <NUM> are provided as non-limiting examples. Other instructions configured to carry out the described functions exist and are included within various aspects of the present disclosure.

<FIG> is a diagram <NUM> illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for subordinate entity <NUM> according to aspects of the present disclosure. Subordinate entity <NUM> may employ a processing system <NUM>. Subordinate entity <NUM> may be implemented with a processing system <NUM> that includes one or more processors <NUM>. Examples of processors <NUM> include microprocessors, microcontrollers, DSPs, FPGAs, PLDs, state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functionality described throughout this disclosure. In various examples, subordinate entity <NUM> may be configured to perform any one or more of the functions described herein. That is, the processor <NUM>, as utilized in subordinate entity <NUM>, may be used to implement any one or more of the processes described herein.

At least one processor <NUM> may execute software. The software may reside on a computer-readable medium <NUM>. The computer-readable medium <NUM> may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. A non-transitory computer-readable medium includes, by way of example, a magnetic storage device (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strip), an optical disk (e.g., a CD or a DVD), a smart card, a flash memory device (e.g., a card, a stick, or a key drive), a RAM, a ROM, a PROM, an EPROM, an EEPROM, a register, a removable disk, and any other suitable medium for storing software and/or instructions that may be accessed and read by a computer. The computer-readable medium may also include, by way of example, a carrier wave, a transmission line, and any other suitable medium for transmitting software and/or instructions that may be accessed and read by a computer. The computer-readable medium <NUM> may reside in the processing system <NUM>, external to the processing system <NUM>, or distributed across multiple entities including the processing system <NUM>. The computer-readable medium <NUM> may be embodied in a computer program product. By way of example, a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium in packaging materials. Those skilled in the art will recognize how best to implement the described functionality presented throughout this disclosure depending on the particular application and the overall design constraints imposed on the overall system.

The control portion <NUM> exists in the initial or beginning portion of the DL-centric subframe. The DL data portion <NUM> may include the communication resources utilized to communicate DL data from the scheduling entity <NUM> (e.g., eNB) to the subordinate entity <NUM> (e.g., UE).

The DL-centric subframe may also include a common UL portion <NUM>. The common UL portion <NUM> may sometimes be referred to as an UL burst, a common UL burst, and/or various other suitable terms. The common UL portion <NUM> may include feedback information corresponding to various other portions of the DL-centric subframe. For example, the common UL portion <NUM> may include feedback information corresponding to the control portion <NUM>. Non-limiting examples of feedback information may include an ACK signal, a NACK signal, a HARQ indicator, and/or various other suitable types of information. The common UL portion <NUM> may include additional or alternative information, such as information pertaining to random access channel (RACH) procedures, scheduling requests (SRs), and various other suitable types of information. As illustrated in <FIG>, the end of the DL data portion <NUM> may be separated in time from the beginning of the common UL portion <NUM>. This separation provides time for the switch-over from DL communication (e.g., reception operation by the subordinate entity <NUM> (e.g., UE)) to UL communication (e.g., transmission by the subordinate entity <NUM> (e.g., UE)). One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the foregoing is merely one example of a DL-centric subframe and alternative structures having similar features may exist without necessarily deviating from the aspects described herein.

<FIG> is a diagram <NUM> showing an example of an UL-centric subframe. The UL-centric subframe may include a control portion <NUM>. The control portion <NUM> exists in the initial or beginning portion of the UL-centric subframe. The control portion <NUM> in <FIG> may be similar to the control portion <NUM> described above with reference to <FIG>. The UL-centric subframe may also include an UL data portion <NUM>. The UL data portion <NUM> may sometimes be referred to as the payload of the UL-centric subframe. In some aspects, the UL data portion <NUM> may also be referred to as a UL regular portion <NUM>. In particular, the UL regular portion <NUM>, in some aspects, may not be limited to including data, and may include other information such as control information, a sounding reference signal (SRS), etc. The UL portion may refer to the communication resources utilized to communicate UL data from the subordinate entity <NUM> (e.g., UE) to the scheduling entity <NUM> (e.g., eNB). In some configurations, the control portion <NUM> may be a physical UL shared channel (PUSCH), physical UL control channel (PUCCH), and/or include a sounding reference signal (SRS). As illustrated in <FIG>, the end of the control portion <NUM> are separated in time from the beginning of the UL data portion <NUM>. This separation provides time for the switch-over from DL communication (e.g., reception operation by the scheduling entity <NUM> (e.g., UE)) to UL communication (e.g., transmission by the scheduling entity <NUM> (e.g., UE)). The UL-centric subframe may also include a common UL portion <NUM>. The common UL portion <NUM> in <FIG> may be similar to the common UL portion <NUM> described above with reference to <FIG>. The common UL portion <NUM> may include additional or alternative information pertaining to channel quality indicator (CQI), sounding reference signals (SRSs), and various other suitable types of information. One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the foregoing is merely one example of an UL-centric subframe and alternative structures having similar features may exist without necessarily deviating from the aspects described herein.

According to aspects of the present disclosure, techniques are provided to include uplink control information in frames and transmit the frames including the uplink control information. For example, a UE may transmit UCI in a TTI (e.g., subframe) to an eNB on a UL channel. In certain aspects, uplink control information (e.g., the payload of UCI) may include one or more of a scheduling request (SR), an acknowledgement message (ACK) (and/or similarly a negative acknowledgement message (NACK)), and a channel quality indicator (CQI). It should be noted that when ACKs are discussed herein, similar techniques may apply to including NACKs in the UCI.

In some aspects, UCI may be sent on the UL in a UL-centric subframe, such as the UL-centric subframe of <FIG>. For example, the UCI may be sent in an UL regular portion (e.g., UL regular portion <NUM>) and/or a common UL portion (e.g., common UL portion <NUM>) of the UL-centric subframe. Additionally or alternatively, the UCI may be sent on the UL in a common UL portion of a DL-centric subframe (e.g., common UL portion <NUM>). Transmission of data (e.g., the UCI) on the UL regular portion of the UL-centric subframe may be referred to as UL regular burst communication. Transmission of data (e.g., the UCI) on the common UL portion of the UL-centric subframe and/or the DL-centric subframe may be referred to as UL common burst communication.

In some aspects, the payload size of the UCI may be variable. For example, the SR may be <NUM>-bit in size. In another example, SR may be multiple bits. In some example, the ACK and CQI may have variable sizes (e.g., <NUM>-bit to hundreds of bits) as discussed herein. Accordingly, certain aspects herein related to reducing the size of the payload of the UCI to more efficiently transmit the UCI on the UL.

Further, in some aspects, the type of UCI transmitted for UL regular burst communication may be different than the type of UCI transmitted for UL common burst communication. In particular, UL common burst communication may support a smaller payload size (e.g., <NUM> symbol) as compared to UL regular burst communication. Therefore, in certain aspects, certain information (e.g., CQI) is not included in the UCI transmitted for UL common burst communication, but is included in the UL regular burst communication. In certain aspects a CQI with a first payload size is included in the UCI transmitted for UL common burst communication, and a CQI with a second payload size is included in the UL regular burst communication, wherein the first payload size is smaller than the second payload size.

In certain aspects, the UCI transmitted includes ACK information. In certain aspects, the UCI of a single transmission (e.g., UL common burst communication or UL regular burst communication) includes an ACK corresponding to a single transport block (TB). Such an ACK may be referred to as a TB ACK. In some aspects, a TB may correspond to a unit of transmission per TTI from a device. Accordingly, for each TB, a separate ACK may be sent in a separate frame by the UE to acknowledge receipt of the TB. The ACK may be only <NUM>-bit of information, the value of the bit indicating whether the TB has been received or not.

In some aspects, an ACK may correspond to a plurality of TBs and may be referred to as a bundled TB ACK. In particular, the bundled TB ACK may be <NUM>-bit of information, the value of which indicates whether all of the plurality of TBs have been received or not. If at least one of the plurality of TBs has not been received, the bundled TB ACK indicates the plurality of TBs have not been received. If all the plurality of TBs have been received, the bundled TB ACK indicates the plurality of TBs have been received. A bundled TB ACK may reduce the number of separate ACK transmissions by the UE to acknowledge receipt of multiple TBs, while keeping the payload size of the UCI small (e.g., <NUM>-bit). However, since the bundled TB ACK is for a plurality of TBs, even if one TB is not received, the ACK generally indicates the plurality of TBs are not received so all of the plurality of TBs may be retransmitted.

A transport block may further be segmented into a plurality of code blocks (CBs). In some aspects, an ACK may indicate which CBs (e.g., of one or more TBs) have been received or not. Such an ACK may be referred to as a CB ACK. The CB ACK may include a number of bits corresponding to the number of CBs indicated as received or not, where the value of each bit indicates whether the corresponding CB is received or not. A CB ACK may increase the size of the payload of the UCI to accommodate the additional bits. However, since multiple CBs are acknowledge in a single UCI transmission, the number of ACK transmissions may not be increased. Further, the amount of data (e.g., number of CBs) retransmitted may be reduced as only CBs indicated as not received are retransmitted instead of the entire TB.

In some aspects, in order to reduce the payload size of the UCI as compared to a CB ACK, a bundled CB ACK may be included in the UCI instead. The bundled CB ACK may refer to an ACK where each bit of the ACK corresponds to multiple CBs (e.g., of one or more TBs). For example, CBs may be grouped into bundles of a particular bundle length (e.g., <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, etc. CBs per bundle). The value of each bit in the bundled CB ACK may correspond to whether the CBs of a particular bundle have been received or not. For example, if the CBs are ordered <NUM> to N-<NUM>, and the bundle length is T, the number of bundles B = ceiling(N/T). Accordingly, the number of bits of the bundled CB ACK is B. Each bit in order <NUM> to B-<NUM> of the bundled CB ACK refers to CBs B*T to ((B+<NUM>)*T-<NUM>). The last bit of the bundled CB ACK may refer to a fewer number of CBs than the bundle length as the number of CBs may not be an integer multiple of the bundle length. In certain aspects, the bundle lengths of the CB groups may not be the same. For example, one bundle of CBs may have a different bundle length than another bundle of CBs.

In some aspects, an ACK may indicate which TBs of a plurality of TBs have been received or not. Such an ACK may be referred to as a group ACK. The group ACK may include a number of bits corresponding to the number of TBs indicated as received or not, where the value of each bit indicates whether the corresponding TB is received or not. A group ACK may increase the size of the payload of the UCI to accommodate the additional bits. However, since multiple TBs are acknowledged in a single UCI transmission, the number of ACK transmissions may not be increased, and may be decreased as compared to a TB ACK. Further, the amount of data (e.g., number of TBs) retransmitted may be reduced as only TBs indicated as not received are retransmitted instead of multiple TBs as compared to a bundled TB ACK.

In some aspects, in order to reduce the payload size of the UCI as compared to a group ACK, a bundled group ACK may be included in the UCI instead. The bundled group ACK may refer to an ACK where each bit of the ACK corresponds to multiple TBs. For example, TBs may be grouped into bundles of a particular bundle length (e.g., <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, etc. TBs per bundle). The value of each bit in the bundled group ACK may correspond to whether the TBs of a particular bundle have been received or not. For example, if the TBs are ordered <NUM> to N-<NUM>, and the bundle length is T, the number of bundles B = ceiling(N/T). Accordingly, the number of bits of the bundled group ACK is B. Each bit in order <NUM> to B-<NUM> of the bundled group ACK refers to TBs B*T to ((B+<NUM>)*T-<NUM>). The last bit of the bundled group ACK may refer to a fewer number of TBs than the bundle length as the number of TBs may not be an integer multiple of the bundle length.

Accordingly, in certain aspects, a particular ACK type (e.g., TB ACK, bundled TB ACK, CB ACK, bundled CB ACK, group ACK bundled group ACK, or other ACK type) may be used in the payload of a UCI depending on the payload size desired for the UCI, desired number of UCIs to transmit/timing for transmitting the ACKs, and/or desired amount of data retransmissions to avoid. In particular, based on the selected ACK type, the payload size of the UCI can be changed to acknowledge the same number of TBs or CBs.

In certain aspects, the UCI transmitted includes a CQI. In some aspects, a rank indicator (RI) is not included in the CQI. For example, communication devices (e.g., UE, eNB, etc.) may use time division duplexing (TDD) for communicating. Accordingly, uplink and downlink communication may be across the same bandwidth. The eNB may not need RI from the UE, as the eNB can measure the UL channel and use that information for the DL channel information for the UE, instead of the RI.

In some aspects, the CQI includes one or more of channel state information (CSI), a pre-coding matrix indicator (PMI), and a correlation matrix or a whitening matrix. The payload size of a UCI for such a CQI may range from a few bits to a few hundred bits. In some aspects, in order to reduce the payload size of the UCI, the size of the CQI may be reduced.

In some aspects, an eNB may disable the UEs use of a correlation or whitening matrix, and therefore the correlation matrix or the whitening matrix may not be included in the CQI, further reducing the payload size of the UCI. In some aspects, the dimensionality of the correlation matrix or the whitening matrix may be reduced to reduce the payload size of the UCI (e.g., for high dimensional multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) communications). For example, <FIG> is an illustration of a correlation or whitening matrix <NUM> which may include entries across rows and columns of the matrix. In some aspects, only a subset of the entries of the correlation matrix or the whitening matrix <NUM> (e.g., the entries corresponding to the slice <NUM> of the matrix <NUM>) may be included in the CQI reducing the payload size of the UCI. In some aspects, the CQI payload size may also be reduced by quantizing each entry of the correlation matrix or whitening matrix with lower precisions.

Further, in some aspects, a correlation or whitening matrix may be symmetric, meaning entries are symmetric across some dimension, e.g., a diagonal of the matrix. Accordingly, only one portion (e.g., upper or lower triangular submatrix) of the correlation or whitening matrix may be included in the CQI thereby reducing the payload size of the UCI, as the other symmetric portion may be derived by that portion by the receiving entity (e.g., eNB). For example, <FIG> is another illustration of the correlation matrix or the whitening matrix <NUM>. In some aspects, only a subset of the entries of the correlation or whitening matrix <NUM> (e.g., the entries corresponding to the slice <NUM> of the matrix <NUM>) may be included in the CQI reducing the payload size of the UCI. The remaining entries corresponding to the slice <NUM> may be derived based on the entries in the slice <NUM> due to the symmetrical nature of the correlation matrix or the whitening matrix <NUM>.

In some aspects, the table for mapping the CSI and/or PMI may be changed which reduces the payload size of the UCI and the meaning of each bit of the CQI.

As discussed, in some aspects, the type of UCI transmitted for UL regular burst communication may be different than the type of UCI transmitted for UL common burst communication. For example, the ACK type of an ACK included in the UCI may be based on whether the UCI is transmitted for UL regular burst communication or UL common burst communication. Further, in some aspects, the UL common burst communication may include only critical UCI content. For example, the UL common burst communication may include a UCI that includes one or more of an SR, a physical layer ACK (e.g., an ACK for physical layer communications) of any of the appropriate ACK types as discussed herein with an appropriate bit size (e.g., <NUM> to <NUM> bits), and a transmission control protocol (TCP) ACK (e.g., an ACK for TCP communications) of any of the appropriate ACK types as discussed herein with an appropriate bit size (e.g., <NUM> bits).

In certain aspects, the UL regular burst communication may include a UCI that includes one or more of an SR, a physical layer ACK (e.g., an ACK for physical layer communications) of any of the appropriate ACK types as discussed herein with an appropriate bit size (e.g., <NUM> to a few hundred bits), and a CQI of any of the appropriate CQI types as discussed herein with an appropriate bit size (e.g., a few to a few hundred bits).

<FIG> is a flowchart illustrating example operations <NUM> for generating uplink control information according to some aspects of the present disclosure. At <NUM> content to include in an uplink control information (UCI) is determined based on a portion of a subframe that includes the UCI. At <NUM> the UCI is transmitted in the portion of the subframe.

In some configurations, such operations, methods, and/or processes may be performed and/or implemented in the subordinate entity <NUM> or the scheduling entity <NUM>.

In some configurations, the term(s) 'communicate,' 'communicating,' and/or 'communication' may refer to `receive,' 'receiving,' 'reception,' and/or other related or suitable aspects without necessarily deviating from the scope of the present disclosure. In some configurations, the term(s) `communicate,' `communicating,' `communication,' may refer to 'transmit,' 'transmitting,' 'transmission,' and/or other related or suitable aspects without necessarily deviating from the scope of the present disclosure.

By way of example, various aspects may be implemented within other systems defined by 3GPP, such as LTE, the Evolved Packet System (EPS), the Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), and/or the Global System for Mobile (GSM).

One or more of the components, steps, features and/or functions illustrated herein may be rearranged and/or combined into a single component, step, feature or function or embodied in several components, steps, or functions. The apparatus, devices, and/or components illustrated herein may be configured to perform one or more of the methods, features, or steps described herein.

Claim 1:
A method for wireless communication, the method comprising:
determining (<NUM>) content to include in an uplink control information, UCI, based on a portion of a subframe in which the UCI is being sent, wherein the subframe comprises a downlink control portion (<NUM>), an uplink data portion (<NUM>) and a common uplink burst (<NUM>), the determining (<NUM>) comprising:
determining whether the portion of the subframe is the uplink data portion (<NUM>) or the common uplink burst (<NUM>), and wherein the uplink data portion (<NUM>) and the common uplink burst (<NUM>) are separated in time from the downlink control portion (<NUM>),
wherein the determined content comprises a first channel quality indicator, CQI, with a first payload size when the portion of the subframe is the uplink data portion (<NUM>), and
wherein the determined content includes a second CQI with a second payload size, when the portion of the subframe is the common uplink burst (<NUM>), wherein the second payload size is smaller than the first payload size and wherein the second CQI is obtained by reducing the payload size of the first CQI; and
transmitting (<NUM>) the UCI in the determined portion of the subframe.