Patent Description:
<CIT> discloses a method that includes separating resource elements from multiple code blocks into different groups and decoding the code bits of the resource elements within each group without waiting for a completed reception of a transport block to start decoding.

3GPP Tdoc R1-<NUM> discloses LDPC coded bit interleaver and symbol mapping the RV3, called Reverse Systematic Bit Priority (RSBP) interleaver. The RSBP interleaver maps systematic bits, placed lower order modulation label positions in RVO, to higher order modulation label positions to achieve the SBP diversity.

Advantageous embodiments are subject to the appended dependent claims.

In the following, each of the described methods, apparatuses, systems, examples and aspects, which does not fully correspond to the invention as defined in the appended claims, is thus not according to the invention and is, as well as the whole following description, present for illustration purposes only or to highlight specific aspects or features of the appended claims.

Controller/processor <NUM> of base station <NUM>, controller/processor <NUM> of UE <NUM>, and/or any other component(s) of <FIG> may perform one or more techniques associated with systematic bit priority mapping (SBPM) interleaving for layers with different modulation orders, as described in more detail elsewhere herein. For example, controller/processor <NUM> of base station <NUM>, controller/processor <NUM> of UE <NUM>, and/or any other component(s) of <FIG> may perform or direct operations of, for example, process <NUM> of <FIG>, process <NUM> of <FIG>, and/or other processes as described herein. Memories <NUM> and <NUM> may store data and program codes for base station <NUM> and UE <NUM>, respectively.

According to the invention, a receiver (e.g., UE <NUM>) includes means for receiving interleaved bits via a first layer of a communication and a second layer of the communication; means for determining a first modulation order for the first layer and a second modulation order for the second layer, wherein the first modulation order and the second modulation order are different; means for de-interleaving the interleaved bits based at least in part on the first modulation order and the second modulation order; and/or the like. In some aspects, such means may include one or more components of UE <NUM> described in connection with <FIG>.

According to the invention, a transmitter (e.g., base station <NUM> and/or the like) includes means for determining a first modulation order for a first layer of a communication and a second modulation order for a second layer of the communication, wherein the first modulation order and the second modulation order are different; means for interleaving bits for one or more of the first layer or the second layer based at least in part on the first modulation order and the second modulation order; means for transmitting the interleaved bits via the one or more of the first layer or the second layer; and/or the like. In some aspects, such means may include one or more components of base station <NUM> described in connection with <FIG>.

<FIG> shows an example frame structure <NUM> for FDD in a telecommunications system (e.g., NR). Each subframe may have a predetermined duration (e.g., <NUM>) and may include a set of slots (e.g., <NUM>m slots per subframe are shown in <FIG>, where m is a numerology used for a transmission, such as <NUM>, <NUM>,<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or the like). In some aspects, a scheduling unit for the FDD may frame-based, subframe-based, slot-based, symbol-based, and/or the like.

Each resource block may cover a set to of subcarriers (e.g., <NUM> subcarriers) in one slot and may include a number of resource elements. Each resource element may cover one subcarrier in one symbol period (e.g., in time) and may be used to send one modulation symbol (e.g., a modulated symbol), which may be a real or complex value.

The ANC <NUM> may be a central unit (CU) of the distributed RAN <NUM>. The backhaul interface to the next generation core network (NG-CN) <NUM> may terminate at the ANC <NUM>. The backhaul interface to neighboring next generation access nodes (NG-ANs) may terminate at the ANC <NUM>. The ANC <NUM> may include one or more TRPs <NUM> (which may also be referred to as BSs, NR BSs, Node Bs, <NUM> NBs, APs, gNB, or some other term). As described above, a TRP <NUM> may be used interchangeably with "cell. " In some aspects, multiple TRPs <NUM> may be included in a single base station <NUM>. Additionally, or alternatively, different TRPs <NUM> may be included in different base stations <NUM>.

A TRP <NUM> may be a distributed unit (DU). A TRP <NUM> may be connected to a single ANC <NUM> or multiple ANCs <NUM>. For example, for RAN sharing, radio as a service (RaaS), and service specific AND deployments, the TRP <NUM> may be connected to more than one ANC <NUM>. A TRP <NUM> may include one or more antenna ports. The TRPs <NUM> may be configured to individually (e.g., using dynamic selection) or jointly (e.g., using joint transmission) serve traffic to a UE <NUM>.

The architecture may be defined to support fronthauling solutions across different deployment types. The NG-AN <NUM> may share a common fronthaul for LTE and NR. For example, cooperation may be preset within a TRP <NUM> and/or across TRPs <NUM> via the ANC <NUM>. In some aspects, no inter-TRP interface may be needed/present.

In some aspects, a dynamic configuration of split logical functions may be present within the architecture of RAN <NUM>. The packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), radio link control (RLC), media access control (MAC) protocol, and/or the like may be adaptably placed at the ANC <NUM> or TRP <NUM>. According to various aspects, a base station <NUM> may include a central unit (CU) (e.g., ANC <NUM>) and/or one or more distributed units (e.g., one or more TRPs <NUM>).

The C-CU <NUM> may be centrally deployed. Functionality of the C-CU <NUM> may be offloaded (e.g., to advanced wireless services (AWS)), in an effort to handle peak capacity. In some aspects, the C-RU <NUM> may host core network functions locally. In some aspects, the C-RU <NUM> may have distributed deployment. A distributed unit (DU) <NUM> may host one or more TRPs <NUM>. The DU <NUM> may be located at edges of the network with radio frequency (RF) functionality.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating an example of interleaving, in accordance with various aspects useful for understanding the invention.

In New Radio and other types of radio access technologies, interleaving may be performed after (or as the last step of) rate matching to map bits to symbols for modulation. Interleaving may improve reliability of a transmitted communication by, for example, improving robustness of forward error correction at a receiver. For example, interleaving may result in bits, which are consecutive prior to interleaving, being spaced out (e.g., in MIMO layers, frequency, time, and/or the like) such that some of those bits are no longer consecutive. This may mitigate the effects of burst errors, thereby reducing local gaps in communications, such as gaps in voice, video, data, and/or other communications.

A communication transmitted over the air may include systematic bits (e.g., also referred to as information bits or message bits) and parity bits (e.g., also referred to as check bits), which together form coded bits (e.g., a codeword) of the communication. The systematic bits may carry the information to be conveyed, and the parity bits may be used for error detection and/or error correction (e.g., using a checksum, a cyclic redundancy check, and/or the like). In some aspects, the parity bits are a function of and/or determined based at least in part on the systematic bits.

Systematic bit priority mapping (SBPM) is a technique to map systematic bits of a communication to the most significant bits of each modulated symbol of the communication. This increases reliability due to an increased likelihood of correct demodulation of the systematic bits because the most significant bits (e.g., the most significant bit, or one or more most significant bits) of the modulated symbol have increased protection against errors as compared to the least significant bits (e.g., the least significant bit, or one or more least significant bits) of the modulated symbol. For example, even if a receiver incorrectly demodulates a modulated symbol, that incorrect demodulation is likely to correspond to a constellation point, in a constellation diagram for the modulation scheme, that is near the correct constellation point and that has one or more most significant bits in common with the correct constellation point.

An example of SBPM interleaving (e.g., using block interleaving) is shown in <FIG>. In example <NUM>, each block represents a bit, which may be a systematic bit or a parity bit, as shown. A column of blocks represents a number of bits that are mapped to a single symbol (e.g., a single modulated symbol). The number of bits (e.g., the number of rows in a column) is equal to the modulation order. Thus, interleaving may be a function of modulation order. In example <NUM>, each modulated symbol represents <NUM> bits, such as in <NUM>-Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (<NUM>-QAM) and/or the like, which has a modulation order of <NUM> (e.g., <NUM> bits per symbol). The number of columns may depend on the size of the communication to be transmitted. For example, the number of columns may be equal to the total number of coded bits (e.g., systematic bits plus parity bits) to be transmitted, divided by the modulation order. In example <NUM>, there are <NUM> coded bits to be transmitted with a modulation order of <NUM>, leading to <NUM> columns of blocks.

In some aspects, block interleaving (e.g., SBPM interleaving) may be performed using a technique called write by row, read by column. Using this technique, bits may be obtained from a circular buffer as part of a rate matching process, with a starting bit determined based at least in part on a redundancy version, of the communication, to be transmitted. As the bits are obtained, those bits may be written to blocks across a first row (shown as row <NUM>), where each bit is placed in a different column corresponding to a different symbol. After the first row is filled, bits may be written to blocks across a second row (shown as row <NUM>), and so on. The starting bit and a set of subsequent bits of the circular buffer may be systematic bits, and may be followed by parity bits. As a result, the first one or more rows (shown toward the top of <FIG>) may include systematic bits, and the last one or more rows (shown toward the bottom of <FIG>) may include parity bits.

Because the first row(s) correspond to more significant bits of the modulated symbol and the last row(s) correspond to less significant bits of the modulated symbol, this technique may map systematic bits (e.g., some, most, or all of the systematic bits, depending on a starting bit in the circular buffer) to the most significant bit(s) of the modulated symbol, thereby increasing reliability, as described above. In example <NUM>, the first row corresponds to the most significant bit of the modulated symbol, and is filled entirely with systematic bits, and the last row correspond to the least significant bit of the modulated symbol, and is filled entirely with parity bits.

After all of the coded bits are written to the blocks, referred to as interleaving, those interleaved bits are read from the blocks down a first column (e.g., shown as column <NUM>) as input to a modulation process to modulate those coded bits in a modulated symbol. After modulation, the coded bits in the first column will be represented as a first modulated symbol, the coded bits in a second column (e.g., shown as column <NUM>) will be represented as a second modulated symbol, and so on. In some aspects, the interleaving and/or the modulation may be performed to first map the modulated symbols to a layer (e.g., a MIMO layer), then map the modulated symbols to a frequency, and then map the modulated symbols to time. In this way, protection from burst errors may be enhanced.

As described above, this type of interleaving depends on a modulation order of a communication to be transmitted. However, for a multi-layer communication, different layers may have different modulation orders. For example, when multiple TRPs (e.g., as part of the same base station or different base stations) transmit a communication to a UE, a first TRP may transmit on a first layer having a first modulation order (e.g., Qm,<NUM>), and a second TRP may transmit on a second layer having a second, different, modulation order (e.g., Qm,<NUM>). This may be due to, for example, a link imbalance between the TRPs and/or the UE. The separate layers may be transmitted on the same channel (e.g., a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH)), or on different channels. In some aspects, different coded bits (e.g., different redundancy versions) may be transmitted on the different layers to enhance reliability. As another example, a single TRP may have different channel conditions (e.g., different degrees of fading and/or the like) on different layers, and may use different modulation orders for the different layers.

In scenarios where a communication is transmitted on different layers that use different modulation orders, SBPM interleaving becomes more complicated. Some techniques and apparatuses described herein provide high reliability in these scenarios. Additional details are described below.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating an example <NUM> of systematic bit priority mapping (SBPM) interleaving for layers with different modulation orders, in accordance with the invention.

As shown in <FIG>, multiple transmitters, shown as a first transmitter <NUM> and a second transmitter <NUM>, may communicate with a receiver <NUM> using multiple layers. The transmitters <NUM>, <NUM> may include TRPs <NUM>, base stations <NUM>, and/or the like. In some aspects, the first transmitter <NUM> and the second transmitter <NUM> may be TRPs <NUM> included in a single base station <NUM>. In some aspects, the first transmitter <NUM> may be a first TRP <NUM> included in a first base station <NUM>, and the second transmitter <NUM> may be a second TRP <NUM> included in a second base station <NUM>. In some aspects, the receiver <NUM> may include a UE <NUM>. Although two transmitters are shown, some aspects may use more than two transmitters. Alternatively, some aspects may use a single transmitter that transmits on multiple layers having different modulation orders.

As shown by reference number <NUM>, the first transmitter <NUM> and/or the second transmitter <NUM> determines modulation orders for different layers of a communication. The first transmitter <NUM> and/or the second transmitter <NUM> determines a first modulation order for a first layer of a communication and/or a second modulation order for a second layer of the communication. The first modulation order and the second modulation order are different. In some aspects, the transmitters <NUM>, <NUM> may coordinate the communication such that the layers and/or the modulation orders to be used by both transmitters <NUM>, <NUM> are known to each transmitter <NUM>, <NUM> (e.g., via inter-TRP messaging). Alternatively, a transmitter <NUM>, <NUM> may act independently based at least in part on the layer and/or modulation order associated with that transmitter <NUM>, <NUM>.

As shown by reference number <NUM>, the first transmitter <NUM> interleaves bits for one or more first layers to be transmitted by the first transmitter <NUM>, shown as Layer <NUM> and Layer <NUM>. Such interleaving may be performed based at least in part on the first modulation order and/or the second modulation order. Similarly, as shown by reference number <NUM>, the second transmitter <NUM> interleaves bits for one or more second layers to be transmitted by the second transmitter <NUM>, shown as Layer <NUM>. Such interleaving may be performed based at least in part on the first modulation order and/or the second modulation order.

As shown, the interleaving may be performed to map systematic bits of the communication to one or more most significant bits of each modulated symbol of a set of modulated symbols associated with the communication. For example, the systematic bits are shown in the top two rows of a block interleaving table, which represent the two most significant bits of the modulated symbol. In example <NUM>, the set of modulated symbols includes <NUM> modulated symbols (e.g., represented by <NUM> columns of blocks), with the first modulated symbol being associated with Layer <NUM>, the second modulated symbol being associated with Layer <NUM>, the third modulated symbol being associated with Layer <NUM>, the fourth modulated symbol being associated with Layer <NUM> (e.g., wrapping around to Layer <NUM>), and so on. Thus, a first subset of the set of modulated symbols (e.g., symbols <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>) are associated with a first set of layers (e.g., Layer <NUM> and Layer <NUM>) of the first transmitter <NUM>, and a second subset of the set of modulated symbols (e.g., symbols <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>) are associated with a second set of layers (e.g., Layer <NUM>) of the second transmitter <NUM>. In this case, first systematic bits are mapped to the first subset of modulated symbols, and second systematic bits are mapped to the second subset of modulated symbols.

As shown, the coded bits are interleaved based at least in part on one or more gaps where a bit is not mapped to a modulated symbol. The one or more gaps prevent a corresponding one or more bits from being mapped to a layer with a lower modulation order as compared to one or more other layers. In example <NUM>, Layer <NUM> is associated with a modulation order of <NUM> (e.g., <NUM> bits per symbol, such as in <NUM>-QAM and/or the like), whereas Layers <NUM> and <NUM> are associated with modulation order of <NUM> (e.g., <NUM> bits per symbol, such as in <NUM>-QAM and/or the like). In this case, there are <NUM> gaps in the columns of blocks that represent bits to be mapped to a modulated symbol to be transmitted in Layer <NUM>. The size of the gap is equal to the difference in the size of the modulation order (e.g., <NUM> - <NUM> = <NUM> block gap).

In some aspects, the one or more gaps (e.g., a position of the one or more gaps in a block interleaving table) may be indicated by the first transmitter <NUM> and/or the second transmitter <NUM> to the receiver <NUM>. In some aspects, the gaps may be indicated by indicating the first modulation order and the second modulation order (e.g., in downlink control information (DCI) and/or the like), which may be used by the receiver <NUM> to determine an interleaving behavior (e.g., resulting from the gaps). This interleaving behavior may be used by the receiver <NUM> to properly de-interleave the communication on the different layers. For example, the interleaving behavior may indicate a pattern used to map coded bits to modulated symbol bits on the first layer and/or the second layer. The receiver <NUM> may perform de-interleaving based at least in part on this pattern.

As shown by reference number <NUM>, the first transmitter <NUM> and the second transmitter <NUM> transmit the interleaved bits to the receiver <NUM> (e.g., after modulation, or mapping the interleaved bits to modulated symbols). For example, the first transmitter <NUM> may transmit interleaved bits via the one or more first layers, shown as Layer <NUM> and Layer <NUM>, and the second transmitter <NUM> may transmit interleaved bits via the one or more second layers, shown as Layer <NUM>.

As shown by reference number <NUM>, the receiver <NUM> de-interleaves the bits based at least in part on the first modulation order and/or the second modulation order. For example, the receiver <NUM> may use the first modulation order, the second modulation order, and/or one or more other indications of an interleaving behavior to determine a pattern to be used to properly de-interleave the bits.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating an example <NUM> of SBPM interleaving for layers with different modulation orders, in accordance with the invention.

As shown in <FIG>, a transmitter <NUM>, <NUM> determines an interleaving pattern to be used to perform interleaving. The interleaving pattern indicates one or more gaps where a bit is not mapped to a modulated symbol, as described above. In some aspects, a location of the gaps associated with a layer may be determined based at least in part on one or more interleaving factors, such as reliability of the layer, a channel condition associated with the layer, and/or the like.

As shown by reference number <NUM>, an interleaving behavior may be indicated to the receiver <NUM>. In some aspects, the interleaving behavior may indicate a manner in which bits are to be de-interleaved. For example, the interleaving behavior may indicate an order in which bits are to be read or de-interleaved, a pattern to be used to obtain coded bits from modulated symbols and/or to subsequently read those coded bits in a proper order, and/or the like. In some aspects, the interleaving behavior may indicate the one or more gaps (e.g., a position of the one or more gaps in a block interleaving table). Additionally, or alternatively, the interleaving behavior may be indicated by indicating the first modulation order, the second modulation order, first channel information associated with a first layer, second channel information associated with a second layer, and/or the like. In some aspects, the interleaving behavior may be indicated in DCI.

As shown by reference number <NUM>, the receiver <NUM> performs de-interleaving based at least in part on the indicated interleaving behavior. For example, the receiver <NUM> may receive interleaved bits (e.g., in modulated symbols) on a first set of layers (shown as Layer <NUM> and Layer <NUM>) and a second set of layers (shown as Layer <NUM>). The receiver <NUM> determines interleaving behavior, which may be indicated by a first modulation order associated with the first set of layers and a second (e.g., different) modulation order associated with the second set of layers. The receiver <NUM> de-interleaves the interleaved bits based at least in part on the interleaving behavior (e.g., based at least in part on the first modulation order and the second modulation order).

For example, such de-interleaving may include obtaining systematic bits of the communication from one or more most significant bits of a set of modulated symbols associated with the communication. In this way, reliability of multi-layer communications, with different modulation orders for different layers, may be improved.

As shown by reference number <NUM>, in some aspects, the first transmitter <NUM> and/or the second transmitter <NUM> determine modulation orders and channel information for different layers of a communication. For example, the first transmitter <NUM> and/or the second transmitter <NUM> may determine a first modulation order for a first layer of a communication and/or a second modulation order for a second layer of the communication. As described above, the first modulation order and the second modulation order are different. Additionally, or alternatively, the first transmitter <NUM> and/or the second transmitter <NUM> may determine first channel information for the first layer and/or second channel information for the second layer. In some aspects, the first channel information and the second channel information may be different.

In some aspects, channel information may be represented by signal-to-noise-plus-interference-ratio (SINR) values. In this case, the first channel information may be represented by a first SINR value (e.g., within a first range of SINR values), and the second channel information may be represented by a second SINR value (e.g., within a second range of SINR values). In some aspects, the first channel information and/or the second channel information may be determined based at least in part on sounding reference signals (SRS) received from the receiver <NUM>, channel state information (CSI) reported by the receiver <NUM> (e.g., using CSI reference signals (CSI-RS)), and/or the like.

As shown by reference number <NUM>, the first transmitter <NUM> may interleave bits for one or more first layers to be transmitted by the first transmitter <NUM>, shown as Layer <NUM> and Layer <NUM>. Such interleaving is performed based at least in part on the first modulation order, the second modulation order, the first channel information, and/or the second channel information. For example, the first transmitter <NUM> may interleave bits on the one or more first layers based at least in part on a first reliability associated with the one or more first layers. In some aspects, the first reliability may be determined based at least in part on the first modulation order and the first channel information.

Similarly, as shown by reference number <NUM>, the second transmitter <NUM> interleaves bits for one or more second layers to be transmitted by the second transmitter <NUM>, shown as Layer <NUM>. Such interleaving is performed based at least in part on the first modulation order, the second modulation order, the first channel information, and/or the second channel information. For example, the second transmitter <NUM> may interleave bits on the one or more second layers based at least in part on a second reliability associated with the one or more second layers. In some aspects, the second reliability may be determined based at least in part on the second modulation order and the second channel information.

In example <NUM>, the set of first layers (e.g., Layer <NUM> and Layer <NUM>) has a higher reliability than the set of second layers (e.g., Layer <NUM>). In this case, the transmitters <NUM>, <NUM> may interleave bits such that one or more systematic bits are mapped to one or more most significant bits of a set of modulated symbols associated with the set of first layers (e.g., Layer <NUM> and Layer <NUM>), and may refrain from mapping any systematic bits to modulated symbols associated with the set of second layers (e.g., Layer <NUM>). In example <NUM>, systematic bits are not mapped to the most significant bits of Layer <NUM> due to a lower reliability (e.g., below a threshold) of Layer <NUM> as compared to Layers <NUM> and <NUM>. In some aspects, a smaller number of systematic bits may be mapped to a corresponding smaller number of most significant bits of Layer <NUM>, and a larger number of systematic bits may be mapped to a corresponding larger number of most significant bits of each of Layer <NUM> and Layer <NUM> (e.g., when Layer <NUM> has a lower reliability than Layer <NUM> and/or Layer <NUM>). In this way, reliability may be improved.

As shown by reference number <NUM>, the first transmitter <NUM> and/or the second transmitter <NUM> may indicate an interleaving behavior to the receiver <NUM>, as described above. In some aspects, the interleaving behavior may be indicated by indicating the first channel information and/or the second channel information (e.g., the first SINR value and/or the second SINR value). Additionally, or alternatively, the interleaving behavior may be indicated by indicating the first reliability and/or the second reliability (e.g., one or more values indicating the first reliability and/or the second reliability).

As described in more detail below in connection with <FIG>, one or more interleaving factors, such as a first modulation order for a first layer, a second modulation order for a second layer, first channel information for the first layer, second channel information for the second layer, a first reliability of the first layer, a second reliability of the second layer, and/or the like, may be different for different sub-bands (e.g., different frequencies, different groups of resource blocks, and/or the like). In this case, the interleaving behavior may be indicated for a specific sub-band or one or more sub-bands in which the communication is transmitted.

As shown by reference number <NUM>, the transmitters <NUM>, <NUM> transmit the interleaved bits to the receiver <NUM>, as described above. As shown by reference number <NUM>, the receiver <NUM> may de-interleave the bits. In some aspects, the receiver <NUM> may de-interleave the bits based at least in part on an indicated interleaving behavior, as described elsewhere herein. In this way, reliability of multi-layer communications, with different modulation orders for different layers, may be improved.

<FIG> shows an example where different sub-bands (e.g., different resource blocks having different frequencies) may be associated with different interleaving behaviors for the same layers (e.g., in the same set of symbols). For example, in a first set of symbols of a first sub-band (e.g., shown as sub-band <NUM>), a greater number of systematic bits (e.g., shown as <NUM> systematic bits) may be mapped to a corresponding number of most significant bits (e.g., the <NUM> most significant bits) in a first set of layers (e.g., Layer <NUM> and Layer <NUM>) having a higher reliability, and a lesser number of systematic bits (e.g., shown as <NUM> systematic bits) may be mapped to a corresponding number of most significant bits (e.g., the <NUM> most significant bits) in a second set of layers (e.g., Layer <NUM>) having a lower reliability.

However, in the same set of symbols on a second sub-band (shown as sub-band N), a lesser number of systematic bits (e.g., shown as <NUM> systematic bits) may be mapped to a corresponding number of most significant bits (e.g., the <NUM> most significant bits) in the first set of layers (e.g., Layer <NUM> and Layer <NUM>), and a greater number of systematic bits (e.g., shown as <NUM> systematic bits) may be mapped to a corresponding number of most significant bits (e.g., the <NUM> most significant bits) in a second set of layers (e.g., Layer <NUM>). This different mapping may be due to the second set of layers having a higher reliability than the first set of layers in the second sub-band, whereas the second set of layers has a lower reliability than the first set of layers in the first sub-band. In this way, reliability may be improved at a sub-band specific level.

Thus, in the case where a first number of systematic bits of a communication are mapped to a corresponding first number of most significant bits of a set of modulated symbols associated with a first layer, and a second number of systematic bits of the communication are mapped to a corresponding second number of most significant bits of a set of modulated symbols associated with the second layer, a transmitter <NUM>, <NUM> may determine the first number and/or the second number based at least in part on a sub-band in which the communication is to be transmitted. Additionally, or alternatively, the transmitter <NUM>, <NUM> may determine the first number and/or the second number based at least in part on a first reliability of the first layer (e.g., which may be based at least in part on the first modulation order and/or the first channel information) and/or a second reliability of the second layer (e.g., which may be based at least in part on the second modulation order and/or the second channel information).

In this case, the different reliabilities may be due to different modulation orders used for a same layer on different sub-bands, different channel information for a same layer on different sub-bands, and/or the like. Thus, a transmitter <NUM>, <NUM> may determine a modulation order for a layer, channel information for a layer, reliability for a layer, and/or the like, at a sub-band-specific granularity. In this way, reliability may be improved at a sub-band specific level.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating an example process <NUM> performed, for example, by a transmitter, in accordance with the invention. Process <NUM> is an example where a transmitter (e.g., TRP <NUM>, base station <NUM>, and/or the like) performs operations relating to SBPM interleaving for layers with different modulation orders.

As shown in <FIG>, process <NUM> includes determining a first modulation order for a first layer of a communication and a second modulation order for a second layer of the communication, wherein the first modulation order and the second modulation order are different (block <NUM>). For example, the transmitter (e.g., using controller/processor <NUM> and/or the like) may determine a first modulation order for a first layer of a communication and a second modulation order for a second layer of the communication, as described above. In some aspects, the first modulation order and the second modulation order are different.

As shown in <FIG>, process <NUM> includes interleaving bits for one or more of the first layer or the second layer based at least in part on the first modulation order and the second modulation order (block <NUM>). For example, the transmitter (e.g., using controller/processor <NUM>, transmit processor <NUM>, TX MIMO processor <NUM>, MOD <NUM>, antenna <NUM>, an interleaver, and/or the like) may interleave bits for one or more of the first layer or the second layer based at least in part on the first modulation order and the second modulation order, as described above.

The bits are interleaved based at least in part on one or more gaps where a bit is not mapped to a modulated symbol.

The one or more gaps are used to prevent a corresponding one or more bits from being mapped to a layer, of the first layer or the second layer, that has a lower modulation order of the first modulation order or the second modulation order.

As shown in <FIG>, in some aspects, process <NUM> may include transmitting the interleaved bits via the one or more of the first layer or the second layer (block <NUM>). For example, the transmitter (e.g., using controller/processor <NUM>, transmit processor <NUM>, TX MIMO processor <NUM>, MOD <NUM>, antenna <NUM>, and/or the like) may transmit the interleaved bits via the one or more of the first layer or the second layer, as described above.

In a first aspect, interleaving the bits comprises mapping systematic bits of the communication to one or more most significant bits of each modulated symbol of a set of modulated symbols associated with the communication.

In a second aspect, alone or in combination with the first aspect, the set of modulated symbols includes a first subset of modulated symbols associated with the first layer and a second subset of modulated symbols associated with the second layer.

In a third aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first and second aspects, mapping the systematic bits comprises at least one of: mapping first systematic bits to the first subset of modulated symbols, mapping second systematic bits to the second subset of modulated symbols, or a combination thereof.

In a fourth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through third aspects, the one or more gaps are indicated to a receiver.

In a fifth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fourth aspects, the first modulation order and the second modulation order are indicated to a receiver.

In a sixth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fifth aspects, the bits are interleaved based at least in part on first channel information associated with the first layer and second channel information associated with the second layer.

In a seventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through sixth aspects, the first channel information and the second channel information are different.

In an eighth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through seventh aspects, the first channel information includes a first signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR) value and the second channel information includes a second SINR value.

In a ninth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through eighth aspects, the first channel information and the second channel information are determined based at least in part on: sounding reference signals, channel state information, or a combination thereof.

In a tenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through ninth aspects, the first channel information and the second channel information are determined for a sub-band in which the communication is to be transmitted.

In an eleventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first tenth twelfth aspects, at least one of the first channel information or the second channel information is different for different sub-bands.

In a twelfth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through eleventh aspects, at least one of the first modulation order or the second modulation order is different for different sub-bands.

In a thirteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through twelfth aspects, the bits are interleaved based at least in part on a first reliability associated with the first layer and a second reliability associated with the second layer.

In a fourteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through thirteenth aspects, the first reliability and the second reliability are determined based at least in part on: the first modulation order and the second modulation order, first channel information associated with the first layer and second channel information associated with the second layer, or a combination thereof.

In a fifteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fourteenth aspects, the first reliability and the second reliability are determined for a sub-band in which the communication is to be transmitted.

In a sixteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fifteenth aspects, interleaving the bits comprises: mapping one or more systematic bits of the communication to one or more most significant bits of a set of modulated symbols associated with the first layer, wherein the first layer has a first reliability that is greater than a second reliability of the second layer; and refraining from mapping any systematic bits of the communication to modulated symbols associated with the second layer.

In a seventeenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through sixteenth aspects, interleaving the bits comprises: mapping a first number of systematic bits of the communication to a corresponding first number of most significant bits of a set of modulated symbols associated with the first layer; and mapping a second number of systematic bits of the communication to a corresponding second number of most significant bits of a set of modulated symbols associated with the second layer, wherein the first number and the second number are different.

In an eighteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through seventeenth aspects, at least one of the first number or the second number depends on a sub-band in which the communication is to be transmitted.

In a nineteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through eighteenth aspects, an interleaving behavior, to be used for performing de interleaving, is indicated to a receiver.

In a twentieth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through nineteenth aspects, the interleaving behavior indicates a pattern associated with mapping coded bits to modulated symbol bits of at least one of the first layer or the second layer.

In a twenty-first aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through twentieth aspects, the interleaving behavior is indicated in downlink control information.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating an example process <NUM> performed, for example, by a receiver, in accordance with the invention. Process <NUM> is an example where a receiver (e.g., UE <NUM>, and/or the like) performs operations relating to SBPM de-interleaving for layers with different modulation orders.

As shown in <FIG>, process <NUM> includes receiving interleaved bits via a first layer of a communication and a second layer of the communication (block <NUM>). For example, the receiver (e.g., using antenna <NUM>, DEMOD <NUM>, MIMO detector <NUM>, receive processor <NUM>, controller/processor <NUM>, and/or the like) may receive interleaved bits via a first layer of a communication and a second layer of the communication, as described above.

As shown in <FIG>, process <NUM> includes determining a first modulation order for the first layer and a second modulation order for the second layer, wherein the first modulation order and the second modulation order are different (block <NUM>). For example, the receiver (e.g., using controller/processor <NUM> and/or the like) may determine a first modulation order for the first layer and a second modulation order for the second layer, as described above. In some aspects, the first modulation order and the second modulation order are different.

As shown in <FIG>, process <NUM> includes de-interleaving the interleaved bits based at least in part on the first modulation order and the second modulation order (block <NUM>). For example, the UE (e.g., using antenna <NUM>, DEMOD <NUM>, MIMO detector <NUM>, receive processor <NUM>, controller/processor <NUM>, and/or the like) may de-interleave the interleaved bits based at least in part on the first modulation order and the second modulation order, as described above.

The bits are de-interleaved based at least in part on one or more gaps where a bit is not mapped to a modulated symbol.

In a first aspect, de-interleaving the bits comprises obtaining systematic bits of the communication from one or more most significant bits of a set of modulated symbols associated with the communication.

In a third aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first and second aspects, obtaining the systematic bits comprises at least one of: obtaining first systematic bits from the first subset of modulated symbols, obtaining second systematic bits from the second subset of modulated symbols, or a combination thereof.

In a fourth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through third aspects, the one or more gaps are indicated by a transmitter.

In a fifth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fourth aspects, the first modulation order and the second modulation order are indicated by a transmitter.

In a sixth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fifth aspects, the bits are de-interleaved based at least in part on first channel information associated with the first layer and second channel information associated with the second layer.

In an eleventh aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through tenth aspects, at least one of the first channel information or the second channel information is different for different sub-bands.

In a thirteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through twelfth aspects, the bits are de-interleaved based at least in part on a first reliability associated with the first layer and a second reliability associated with the second layer.

In a sixteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through fifteenth aspects, de-interleaving the bits comprises: obtaining one or more systematic bits of the communication from one or more most significant bits of a set of modulated symbols associated with the first layer, wherein the first layer has a first reliability that is greater than a second reliability of the second layer; and refraining from obtaining any systematic bits of the communication from modulated symbols associated with the second layer.

In a seventeenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through sixteenth aspects, de-interleaving the bits comprises: obtaining a first number of systematic bits of the communication from a corresponding first number of most significant bits of a set of modulated symbols associated with the first layer; and obtaining a second number of systematic bits of the communication from a corresponding second number of most significant bits of a set of modulated symbols associated with the second layer, wherein the first number and the second number are different.

In a nineteenth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through eighteenth aspects, an interleaving behavior, to be used for the de interleaving, is indicated to the receiver.

In a twentieth aspect, alone or in combination with one or more of the first through nineteenth aspects, the interleaving behavior indicates a pattern associated with obtaining coded bits from modulated symbol bits of at least one of the first layer or the second layer.

Claim 1:
A method of wireless communication performed by a transmitter, comprising:
determining (<NUM>) a first modulation order for a first layer of a communication and a second modulation order for a second layer of the communication, wherein the first modulation order and the second modulation order are different;
interleaving (<NUM>) bits for one or more of the first layer or the second layer based at least in part on the first modulation order and the second modulation order,
wherein the bits are interleaved based at least in part on one or more gaps where a bit is not mapped to a modulated symbol,
wherein the one or more gaps are used to prevent a corresponding one or more bits from being mapped to a layer, of the first layer or the second layer, that has a lower modulation order of the first modulation order or the second modulation order, and
wherein the size of the one or more gaps is equal to the difference in size between the first modulation order and the second modulation order; and
transmitting (<NUM>) the interleaved bits via the one or more of the first layer or the second layer.