Patent Description:
In some deployments, operators may want to transition from a legacy network (e.g., LTE network) to the next generation of wireless networks (e.g., NR network) to provide more advanced features, such as, enhanced broadband, reduced latency, and improved reliability. One of the challenges to enable such a transition is how to efficiently re-farm spectrum between the LTE network and NR network to provide wireless service to legacy devices on the LTE network and new devices on the NR network during the transition time period. Therefore, improved techniques for dynamic spectrum sharing with multiple LTE channels may be desirable.

<CIT> discloses as an NR RAT is introduced in an existing LTE network, it is highly likely that at least for early deployments, both LTE and NR may need to co-exist in a same or in an overlapping spectrum. Spectrum sharing is then required to support LTE and NR coexistence. Spectrum sharing mechanisms can depend on several factors including whether or not an LTE scheduler and an NR scheduler can perform coordinated scheduling and whether or not a UE capable for operating with an NR RAT can also operate with an LTE RAT. Coordinated scheduling is typically possible when an eNB scheduler for LTE and a gNB scheduler for NR are collocated, in such case even a same scheduler for LTE and NR can be possible or connected via a backhaul with materially negligible latency in order to exchange dynamic configurations over respective interfaces. Non coordinated scheduling is typically required when conditions for coordinated scheduling cannot be fulfilled.

<CIT> discloses a system capable of efficient multiplexing between uplink channels may be configured. In addition, the LTE and the <NUM> communication system can coexist and may be effectively operated in one LTE carrier frequency or multiple LTE carriers without the introduction of the additional carriers for the <NUM> (or new radio (NR)).

<CIT> discloses LTE-assisted NR flexible radio access, wherein a WTRU determines that a LTE cell at least partially overlaps in frequency with an NR cell, determines that an NR transmission is to be received within a set of resources that are included in at least a portion of the NR cell that at least partially overlaps with the LTE cell, determines a subset of resources within the set of resources that correspond to an LTE common transmission, and receives the NR transmission within the set of resources, wherein the NR transmission may not be included in the subset of resources that correspond to the LTE common transmission which includes one or more of a common control signal, a cell-specific broadcast signal, cell-specific reference signals, a physical downlink control channel, a primary synchronization signal, a secondary synchronization signal, and/or a channel state information reference signal.

<CIT> discloses a method of reusing LTE resources in a nested network system, comprising receiving, from a second wireless communication device, a reference signal configuration of a first network of a LTE radio access technology (RAT), wherein the first wireless communication device and the second wireless communication device are associated with a second network of another RAT, receiving, from the second wireless communication device, a communication signal in the second network based on the reference signal configuration of the first network, wherein the reference signal configuration indicates at least one of a frequency tone of a reference signal of the first network, a time period of the reference signal of the first network, or a number of antenna ports associated with the reference signal of the first network.

Various embodiments are provided by the dependent claims. The embodiments and/or examples of the following description, which are not covered by the claims, are provided for illustrative purpose only and are only intended to assist the reader in understanding the invention. Such embodiments and/or examples, which are not covered by the claims, do not form part of the invention.

Aspects of the disclosure are initially described in the context of a wireless communications system. Examples of techniques for long term channel sensing are described herein. Aspects of the disclosure are further illustrated by and described with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, flowcharts, and appendix that support various configurations of bandwidth parts in a shared spectrum.

<FIG> illustrates an example of a wireless communications system <NUM> in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communications system <NUM> includes base stations <NUM>, UEs <NUM>, and a core network <NUM>. In some examples, the wireless communications system <NUM> may be a New Radio (NR) network, a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network, or an LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) network. In some cases, wireless communications system <NUM> may support enhanced broadband communications, ultra-reliable (e.g., mission critical) communications, low latency communications, or communications with low-cost and low-complexity devices.

The wireless communications system <NUM> may include, for example, a heterogeneous LTE/LTE-A or NR network in which different types of base stations <NUM> provide coverage for various geographic coverage areas <NUM>.

In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured according to different protocol types (e.g., MTC, narrowband Internet-of-Things (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or others) that may provide access for different types of devices.

eMTC devices may build on MTC protocols and support lower bandwidths in the uplink or downlink, lower data rates, and reduced transmit power, culminating in significantly longer battery life (e.g., extending batter life for several years). References to an MTC may also refer to an eMTC configured device.

In some examples, half-duplex communications may be performed at a reduced peak rate.

For example, wireless communications system <NUM> may employ License Assisted Access (LAA), LTE-Unlicensed (LTE-U) radio access technology, or NR technology in an unlicensed band (NR-U) such as the <NUM> ISM band. In some cases, operations in unlicensed bands may be based on a carrier aggregation (CA) configuration in conjunction with component carriers (CCs) operating in a licensed band (e.g., LAA).

For example, wireless communication system may use a transmission scheme between a transmitting device (e.g., a base station <NUM>) and a receiving device (e.g., a UE <NUM>), where the transmitting device is equipped with multiple antennas and the receiving devices are equipped with one or more antennas.

In one example, a base station <NUM> may use multiple antennas or antenna arrays to conduct beamforming operations for directional communications with a UE <NUM>. For instance, some signals (e.g. synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) may be transmitted by a base station <NUM> multiple times in different directions, which may include a signal being transmitted according to different beamforming weight sets associated with different directions of transmission. Transmissions in different beam directions may be used to identify (e.g., by the base station <NUM> or a receiving device, such as a UE <NUM>) a beam direction for subsequent transmission and/or reception by the base station <NUM>. Some signals, such as data signals associated with a particular receiving device, may be transmitted by a base station <NUM> in a single beam direction (e.g., a direction associated with the receiving device, such as a UE <NUM>). In some examples, the beam direction associated with transmissions along a single beam direction may be determined based at least in in part on a signal that was transmitted in different beam directions. For example, a UE <NUM> may receive one or more of the signals transmitted by the base station <NUM> in different directions, and the UE <NUM> may report to the base station <NUM> an indication of the signal it received with a highest signal quality, or an otherwise acceptable signal quality. Although these techniques are described with reference to signals transmitted in one or more directions by a base station <NUM>, a UE <NUM> may employ similar techniques for transmitting signals multiple times in different directions (e.g., for identifying a beam direction for subsequent transmission or reception by the UE <NUM>), or transmitting a signal in a single direction (e.g., for transmitting data to a receiving device).

A Media Access Control (MAC) layer may perform priority handling and multiplexing of logical channels into transport channels.

In some cases a subframe may be the smallest scheduling unit of the wireless communications system <NUM>, and may be referred to as a transmission time interval (TTI).

For example, a carrier of a communication link <NUM> may include a portion of a radio frequency spectrum band that is operated according to physical layer channels for a given radio access technology (RAT). A carrier may be associated with a predefined frequency channel (e.g., an E-UTRA absolute radio frequency channel number (EARFCN)), and may be positioned according to a channel raster for discovery by UEs <NUM>.

The organizational structure of the carriers may be different for different radio access technologies (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, NR, etc.).

In other examples, some UEs <NUM> may be configured for operation using a narrowband protocol type that is associated with a predefined portion or range (e.g., set of subcarriers or resource blocks (RBs)) within a carrier (e.g., "in-band" deployment of a narrowband protocol type).

Devices of the wireless communications system <NUM> (e.g., base stations <NUM> or UEs <NUM>) may have a hardware configuration that supports communications over a particular carrier bandwidth, or may be configurable to support communications over one of a set of carrier bandwidths. In some examples, the wireless communications system <NUM> may include base stations <NUM> and/or UEs <NUM> that can support simultaneous communications via carriers associated with more than one different carrier bandwidth.

Wireless communications system <NUM> may support communication with a UE <NUM> on multiple cells or carriers, a feature which may be referred to as CA or multi-carrier operation.

Wireless communications systems such as an NR system may utilize any combination of licensed, shared, and unlicensed spectrum bands, among others. The flexibility of eCC symbol duration and subcarrier spacing may allow for the use of eCC across multiple spectrums. In some examples, NR shared spectrum may increase spectrum utilization and spectral efficiency, specifically through dynamic vertical (e.g., across frequency) and horizontal (e.g., across time) sharing of resources.

It may be desirable for an operator who currently provides wireless service via a legacy network, such as an LTE network, to transition to a next generation RAT, such as NR. In this regard, dynamic spectrum sharing between LTE and NR is a technique to enable a smooth transition when spectrum is re-farmed. In some scenarios, the operator may own multiple LTE channels and may want to deploy NR over these channels to provide advanced wireless service to new devices (e.g., NR UEs). Furthermore, it may be important to continue to provide wireless service to its current legacy devices (e.g., LTE UEs) during the transition period. Accordingly, techniques for dynamic spectrum sharing with multiple LTE channels within an NR network are disclosed in detail below.

<FIG> illustrates a system <NUM> for supporting dynamic spectrum sharing between a legacy network and a next generation network in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The system <NUM> may correspond to a portion of the wireless communications system <NUM> in <FIG>. The system <NUM> may include a next generation network (e.g., NR network) overlaid over a legacy network (e.g., LTE network). The NR network may include a base station <NUM> (e.g., gNB) providing wireless service to a UE <NUM> (e.g., NR UE) within a coverage area <NUM>. The base station <NUM> may communicate with the UE <NUM> over a radio link <NUM> based on an NR radio access network (RAN) protocol. The LTE network may include a base station <NUM> (e.g., eNB) providing wireless service to a UE <NUM> (e.g., LTE UE) within a coverage area <NUM>. The base station <NUM> may communicate with the UE <NUM> over a radio link <NUM> based on an LTE RAN protocol. The base stations <NUM>, <NUM> may be substantially similar to the BS <NUM> in <FIG>, and the UEs <NUM>, <NUM> may be substantially similar to the UE <NUM> in <FIG>. Although <FIG> illustrates one base station and one UE in each network for purposes of simplicity of discussion, it will be recognized that embodiments of the present disclosure may scale to many more base stations and UEs for each network.

In some deployments, the base stations <NUM>, <NUM> may be co-located as shown. An operator may currently deploy the legacy network with base stations (e.g., base station <NUM>) located within a geographical area. The operator may add next generation base stations (e.g., base station <NUM>) at substantially the same locations as the legacy base stations since the infrastructure (e.g., tower, backhaul, etc.) may be already in place. Accordingly, the coverage areas <NUM>, <NUM> may have an overlapping region. Additionally, the base stations <NUM>, <NUM> may operate over the same spectrum or at least overlapping spectrum as will be disclosed in greater detail below. In an aspect, the base station <NUM> may operate over one or more NR carriers (may also be referred to as NR channels), which may have a bandwidth of <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, etc. The base station <NUM> may operate over one or more LTE carriers (may also be referred to as LTE channels), which may have a bandwidth of <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>. In other deployments, the bases stations <NUM>, <NUM> may not be co-located but still may have some overlapping coverage areas.

The operator may implement dynamic spectrum sharing between the base stations <NUM> and <NUM> to enable a smooth transition between the LTE RAT and NR RAT. In this regard, the operator may provide new advanced wireless service to the UE <NUM> as well as continue wireless service to the UE <NUM> during the transition period. In an aspect, the operator may currently own multiple LTE carriers (or channels) that are utilized by the base station <NUM>, and may deploy an NR carrier (or channel) with a wider bandwidth over these LTE carriers as will be disclosed in greater detail below. The base station <NUM> may utilize this NR carrier to communicate with the UE <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates a radio frame <NUM> employed by a legacy network and a next generation network in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The radio frame <NUM> may be employed by the system <NUM> and the system <NUM>. In an aspect, the legacy network includes an LTE network, and the next generation network includes an NR network. For example, base stations such as the base stations <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> and UEs such as the UEs <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may exchange data using the radio frame <NUM>. In <FIG>, the x-axes represent time in some constant units and the y-axes represent frequency in some constant units. The radio frame <NUM> includes N plurality of subframes <NUM> spanning in time and frequency. In an aspect, a radio frame <NUM> may span a time interval of about <NUM> milliseconds (ms). Each subframe <NUM> may include M plurality of slots <NUM>. Each slot <NUM> may include K plurality of mini-slots <NUM>. Each mini-slot <NUM> may include one or more symbols <NUM>. N, M, and K may be any suitable positive integers. The base stations or the UEs may send data in units of subframes <NUM>, slots <NUM>, or mini-slots <NUM>. In some aspects, the slots <NUM> may not be aligned to the mini-slots <NUM> as shown. For example, a subframe <NUM> may include a number of mini-slots <NUM> with a variable number of symbols <NUM> (e.g., <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> symbols). It is understood that the slot and mini-slot definition may be different in NR as compared to LTE as discussed below.

In NR, multiple OFDM numerologies are supported, such as, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, which specifies a subcarrier spacing (SCS) configuration for an NR carrier. The configured SCS (and cyclic prefix (CP)) for an NR carrier may determine the number of symbols per slot, slots per subframe, and slots per radio frame. For example, for a <NUM> SCS (and normal CP), there are <NUM> OFDM symbols per slot, <NUM> slot per subframe, and <NUM> slots per radio frame. In another example, for <NUM> SCS (and normal CP), there are <NUM> symbols per slot, <NUM> slots per subframe, and <NUM> slots per radio frame. It is understood that the number of OFDM symbols per slot in NR may be different for extended CP.

In LTE, <NUM> SCS is the OFDM numerology supported for normal CP, which may be defined with <NUM> OFDM symbols per slot, <NUM> slots per subframe, and <NUM> slots per radio frame. It is noted that other subcarrier spacings are available for extended CP configurations, and the number of OFDM symbols per LTE slot may be different for extended CP. Accordingly, for an LTE carrier and NR carrier with <NUM> SCS (and normal CP), one NR slot may be equivalent to one LTE subframe (or two LTE slots).

<FIG> illustrates a spectrum diagram <NUM> for supporting dynamic spectrum sharing between a legacy network and a next generation network in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In an aspect, the legacy network includes an LTE network, and the next generation network includes an NR network. The spectrum diagram <NUM> may depict a frequency band <NUM> used for wireless communications between the base stations (e.g., base stations <NUM>, <NUM> in <FIG>) and UEs (e.g., UEs <NUM>, <NUM> in <FIG>). The frequency band <NUM> may be in the range of <NUM> to <NUM>. Here, the frequency band <NUM> may include a plurality of LTE channels (or carriers) which may be noted as a first LTE channel (F1) <NUM>, a second LTE channel (F2) <NUM>, and a third LTE channel (F3) <NUM>. In an aspect, the F1 channel <NUM> may have a channel bandwidth of <NUM>, the F2 channel <NUM> may have a channel bandwidth of <NUM>, and the F3 channel <NUM> may have a channel bandwidth of <NUM>. The LTE channels <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> may support downlink or uplink communications between the base stations (e.g., base station <NUM> in <FIG>) and UEs (e.g., UE <NUM> in <FIG>).

Each LTE channel <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> may have a smaller transmission bandwidth than the specified channel bandwidth. In this regard, the bandwidth available for transmission of information may be smaller than the channel bandwidth. For a <NUM> channel bandwidth, the transmission bandwidth may be specified as <NUM> (for <NUM> SCS) available for transmission of information. For a <NUM> channel bandwidth, the transmission bandwidth may be specified as <NUM> (for <NUM> SCS) available for transmission of information. Furthermore, each LTE channel <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> may have a guardband (not shown) on either side or edge of the channel.

In some aspects, the frequency band <NUM> may also include an NR channel (or carrier) <NUM> that overlaps the F1 channel <NUM>, F2 channel <NUM>, and F3 channel <NUM> as shown. Here, the NR channel <NUM> may have a channel bandwidth of <NUM>, and may be used for downlink or uplink communications between the base stations (e.g., base station <NUM> in <FIG>) and UEs (e.g., UE <NUM> in <FIG>). For a <NUM> channel bandwidth, the transmission bandwidth may be specified as <NUM> (for <NUM> SCS) available for transmission of information. Additionally, the NR channel <NUM> may have a guardband (not shown) on either side or edge of the channel. In other aspects, there may be portions of the NR channel <NUM> that may not overlap any of the LTE channels <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> based on the transmission bandwidth and guardbands of the LTE channels.

It is understood that the particular channel bandwidths and transmission bandwidths of the NR channel and LTE channels disclosed above in <FIG> are mere examples, and that aspects of the present disclosure apply to other bandwidth values as well. Moreover, the NR channel <NUM> may overlap at least two or more LTE channels (e.g., two LTE channels, three LTE channels, four LTE channels, etc.). The operator may deploy such a configuration to support dynamic spectrum sharing between LTE and NR. In order for the new UEs to effectively operate in such a deployment, the UEs may need to obtain information about the LTE channels (or channels) and signals transmitted over those channels. Additionally, the UEs may implement techniques for utilizing this information to properly decode the NR channel as will be disclosed later in greater detail.

<FIG> illustrates a diagram <NUM> of resource block alignment between a legacy carrier/channel and a next generation carrier/channel in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In an aspect, the legacy carrier/channel includes an LTE carrier/channel, and the next generation carrier/channel includes an NR carrier/channel. In <FIG>, the x-axes represent frequency in some constant units. The diagram <NUM> shows a portion of an LTE channel (or carrier) <NUM> and a portion of an NR channel (or carrier) <NUM>. The LTE channel <NUM> may correspond to one of the LTE channels <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> in <FIG>. The NR channel <NUM> may correspond to the NR channel <NUM> in <FIG>. In an aspect, the LTE channel <NUM> may be partitioned into a plurality of resource blocks (RBs) <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> with a predefined number of subcarriers in a frequency domain. For <NUM> SCS and normal CP, each RB may include <NUM> subcarriers. Accordingly, each RB has a bandwidth of <NUM> and may be identified by an index in the frequency domain. The number of RBs available for transmission may depend on the transmission bandwidth of the LTE channel. For a <NUM> channel (e.g., LTE channel <NUM> in <FIG>) with <NUM> SCS and normal CP, there are <NUM> RBs available for transmission with an index numbered from <NUM> to <NUM>. For a <NUM> channel (e.g., LTE channel <NUM>, <NUM> in <FIG>) with <NUM> SCS and normal CP, there are <NUM> RBs available for transmission with an index numbered from <NUM> to <NUM>.

The NR channel <NUM> may be partitioned into a plurality of RBs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> with a predefined number of subcarriers in a frequency domain. For <NUM> SCS and normal CP, each RB may include <NUM> subcarriers. Accordingly, each RB has a bandwidth of <NUM> and may be identified by an index in the frequency domain. The number of RBs available for transmission may depend on the transmission bandwidth of the NR channel. For a <NUM> channel (e.g., NR channel <NUM> in <FIG>) with <NUM> SCS and normal CP, there are <NUM> RBs available for transmission.

Here, RBs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> of the LTE channel <NUM> are substantially aligned with RBs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> of the NR channel <NUM> in the frequency domain. More specifically, the RB <NUM> may have boundaries <NUM>, <NUM> that are substantially aligned with respective boundaries <NUM>, <NUM>, of the RB <NUM> in the frequency domain. Therefore, there may be a one-to-one mapping of LTE RBs to NR RBs (e.g., LTE RB <NUM> - NR RB <NUM>).

Additionally, referring back to <FIG>, the NR channel may overlap multiple LTE channels, and the RBs of the NR channel may be substantially aligned with the RBs of all the multiple LTE channels. Accordingly, the center frequencies between the LTE channels (e.g., LTE channels <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> in <FIG>) may be an integer multiple of <NUM> (e.g., <NUM> SCS x <NUM> subcarriers).

<FIG> illustrates a resource grid <NUM> for transmission of legacy signals or next generation signals in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In an aspect, the legacy signals include LTE signals, and the next generation signals include NR signals. In <FIG>, the x-axes represent time in some constant units and the y-axes represent frequency in some constant units. In an aspect, the resource grid <NUM> may correspond to a configuration of <NUM> SCS and normal CP, which illustrates <NUM> OFDM symbols (x-axes) and <NUM> subcarriers (y-axes) for ease of discussion. The resource grid <NUM> may correspond to one NR time slot or two LTE time slots. The size of the grid may depend on the transmission bandwidth of the LTE channel or the NR channel. The resource grid <NUM> may be partitioned into a plurality of resource elements (REs) <NUM>. Each RE <NUM> may be identified by (k, l), where k is the index in the frequency domain and l corresponds to the symbol position in the time domain. The resource grid <NUM> may be employed by the LTE channel or NR channel for transmission of various signals, such as reference signals, synchronization signals, control signals, data signals, or the like.

In LTE, there may be signals that are transmitted continuously or persistently in each LTE channel. For example, a cell-specific reference signal or common reference signal (CRS) may be transmitted in every subframe and across the entire bandwidth of the LTE channel. Additionally, the CRS may be transmitted from one or more antenna ports. The LTE UEs (e.g., UE <NUM> in <FIG>) may use the CRS to determine channel quality, frequency and/or timing offset adjustments, measurement reports, or the like. Here, the CRS may be transmitted in REs <NUM> from one antenna port. The configuration of the CRS (e.g., location, pattern, sequence, etc.) may be determined based on various parameters associated with the LTE channel. In an aspect, the parameters may include one or more of a channel position, a bandwidth, a cell identification, a number of antenna ports, a multicast broadcast signal frequency network (MBSFN) configuration, or an uplink/downlink (UL/DL) configuration.

As discussed above, the NR channel (e.g., NR channel <NUM> in <FIG>) and LTE channels (e.g., LTE channels <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> in <FIG>) may overlap in the frequency domain. Accordingly, NR signals, such as PDCCH, PDSCH or the like, may be rate matched around the LTE signals, such as CRS, to support dynamic spectrum sharing between LTE and NR. In this regard, the NR base station (e.g., base station <NUM> in <FIG>) may map the NR signals to REs <NUM> that are not occupied by the CRS in REs <NUM>. The NR UEs (e.g., UE <NUM> in <FIG>) may obtain the CRS configuration from the NR base station to properly receive and decode the NR signals as will be discussed later in greater detail. Additionally, the LTE UEs (e.g., UE <NUM> in <FIG>) may receive the CRS with minimal interference from the NR signals and operate satisfactorily within the wireless communication system (e.g., system <NUM> In <FIG>).

Although <FIG> discloses LTE CRS, it is understood that other LTE signals may be applicable as well even though they are transmitted less frequently than the CRS, such as, channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), synchronization signals (e.g., primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS)).

<FIG> illustrates a diagram <NUM> of resource block unalignment between a legacy carrier/channel and a next generation carrier/channel in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In an aspect, the legacy carrier/channel includes an LTE carrier/channel, and the next generation carrier/channel includes an NR carrier/channel. In <FIG>, the x-axes represent frequency in some constant units. The diagram <NUM> is similar to the diagram <NUM> disclosed in <FIG> except that the RBs of the LTE channel may not be aligned with the RBs of the NR channel in the frequency domain. More specifically, the diagram <NUM> shows a portion of an LTE channel (or carrier) <NUM> and a portion of an NR channel (or carrier) <NUM>. The LTE channel <NUM> may correspond to one of the LTE channels <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> in <FIG>. The NR channel <NUM> may correspond to the NR channel <NUM> in <FIG>. In an aspect, the LTE channel <NUM> may be partitioned into a plurality of resource blocks (RBs) <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> with a predefined number of subcarriers in a frequency domain. For <NUM> SCS and normal CP, each RB may include <NUM> subcarriers. Accordingly, each RB has a bandwidth of <NUM> and may be identified by an index in the frequency domain. The number of RBs available for transmission may depend on the transmission bandwidth of the LTE channel. For a <NUM> channel (e.g., LTE channel <NUM> in <FIG>) with <NUM> SCS and normal CP, there are <NUM> RBs available for transmission with an index numbered from <NUM> to <NUM>. For a <NUM> channel (e.g., LTE channel <NUM>, <NUM> in <FIG>) with <NUM> SCS and normal CP, there are <NUM> RBs available for transmission with an index numbered from <NUM> to <NUM>.

Here, RBs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> of the LTE channel <NUM> are not aligned with RBs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> of the NR channel <NUM> in the frequency domain. More specifically, the RB <NUM> may have a boundary <NUM> that may be offset <NUM> with respect to a boundary <NUM> of the RB <NUM> in the frequency domain. The offset <NUM> may correspond to a number of subcarriers in the frequency domain. In some aspects, the NR UEs may determine the offset <NUM> based on information received from the base station as will be discussed in greater detail below.

<FIG> illustrates a block diagram of a configuration <NUM> including a plurality of parameters <NUM> for a legacy carrier/channel in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In an aspect, the legacy carrier/channel includes an LTE carrier/channel. As discussed above, the NR UEs (e.g., UE <NUM> in <FIG>) may obtain information associated with the LTE channels (e.g., LTE channels <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> in <FIG>) that overlap the NR channel (e.g., NR channel <NUM> in <FIG>). Accordingly, the base station (e.g., base station <NUM> in <FIG>) send the configuration <NUM> to. In an aspect, the parameters <NUM> may include one or more of a channel position <NUM>, a bandwidth <NUM>, a cell identification <NUM>, a number of antenna ports <NUM>, a multicast broadcast signal frequency network (MBSFN) configuration <NUM>, or an uplink/downlink (UL/DL) configuration <NUM>. The NR UE can determine, based on the parameters <NUM>, the location (e.g., time-frequency resources) of LTE signals transmitted in each of the LTE channels.

In some examples, the channel position <NUM> may correspond to the position of the LTE channel within the frequency band (e.g., frequency band <NUM> in <FIG>). More specifically, each LTE channel may be associated with an EARFCN, and may be positioned according to a channel raster.

In some examples, the bandwidth <NUM> may correspond to the channel bandwidth (e.g., <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>) of the LTE channel.

In other examples, the cell identification <NUM> may correspond to a physical cell identification (PCI) associated with the LTE channel.

In some examples, the number of antenna ports <NUM> may correspond to one or more antenna ports used for transmission LTE signals over the LTE channel. In an example, one antenna port is shown in <FIG> for transmission of LTE CRS.

In some other examples, the MBSFN configuration <NUM> may correspond to the configuration of MBSFN subframes of the LTE channel. The configuration of the LTE signals in an MBSFN subframe may be different than the configuration of the LTE signals in a non-MBSFN subframe.

In some examples, the UL/DL configuration <NUM> may correspond to a TDD frame structure used in the LTE channel. In other words, the UL/DL configuration <NUM> may specify the subframes used for UL (UL subframes) and the subframes used for DL (DL subframes). Accordingly,.

<FIG> illustrate block flow diagrams of methods for supporting dynamic spectrum sharing between a legacy network and next generation network in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In an aspect, the legacy network includes an LTE network, and the next generation network includes an NR network. The methods of <FIG> may be described with reference to <FIG>, and may use the same reference numerals as in <FIG> for ease of discussion.

In <FIG>, a method <NUM> for supporting dynamic spectrum sharing between LTE and NR is provided. The operations of the method <NUM> may be implemented by a UE <NUM>, <NUM> or its components as described herein with reference to <FIG>. In some examples, a UE <NUM>, <NUM> may execute a set of codes to control the functional elements of the device to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE <NUM>, <NUM> may perform aspects of the functions described below using special-purpose hardware.

At block <NUM>, a UE <NUM>, <NUM> receives a configuration of a first radio access technology (RAT) including a plurality of parameters associated with a plurality of first channels of the first RAT. The operations of block <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In an aspect, the fist RAT includes an LTE RAT utilizing multiple LTE channels (e.g., LTE channels <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> in <FIG>) for wireless communications. In some examples, the UE <NUM>, <NUM> may receive the configuration including a plurality of parameters associated with the multiple LTE channels via a broadcast channel. For example, the broadcast channel may include a PBCH, and the configuration may be included in system information, such as remaining minimum system information (RMSI).

In other examples, the UE <NUM>, <NUM> may receive the configuration including the plurality of parameters associated with the multiple LTE channels via a multicast channel. More specifically, the configuration may be sent in a group common down downlink control channel (e.g., GC-PDCCH). The UE <NUM>, <NUM> may be included in a group of UEs that have been enabled for supporting dynamic spectrum sharing, and may receive the configuration in common control signaling.

In still other examples, the UE <NUM>, <NUM> may receive the configuration including the plurality of parameters associated with multiple LTE channels via a unicast channel. For example, the UE <NUM>, <NUM> may receive the configuration via RRC or higher layer signaling. In another example, the UE <NUM>, <NUM> may receive the configuration via a MAC control element sent in a downlink control channel.

In some examples, the plurality of parameters may be associated with each LTE channel (e.g., LTE channel <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> in <FIG>). The parameters may correspond to the parameters <NUM> disclosed in <FIG>.

At block <NUM>, the UE <NUM>, <NUM> receives a second channel associated with a second RAT different from the first RAT, the second channel of the second RAT overlapping the plurality of first channels of the first RAT in a frequency domain. The operations of block <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In an aspect, the second RAT includes an NR RAT utilizing an NR channel (e.g., NR channel <NUM> in <FIG>).

In some examples, the UE <NUM>, <NUM> operates in the NR channel which overlaps the multiple LTE channels in the frequency domain. The NR channel and the LTE channels may be partitioned into a plurality of RBs. In an aspect, the RBs of the NR channel may substantially aligned with the RBs of the LTE channels in the frequency domain as shown in <FIG>. In another aspect, the RBs of the NR channel are not aligned with the RBs of the LTE channel in the frequency domain as shown in <FIG>.

In some examples, the NR channel may include one or more portions that do not overlap with the multiple LTE channels. These portions may correspond to RBs that can fully be used by the base station (e.g., base station <NUM> in <FIG>) without any rate matching around LTE signals and/or transmissions.

At block <NUM>, a UE <NUM>, <NUM> determines, based on the plurality of parameters, a location of a common reference signal (CRS) associated with each first channel of the plurality of first channels of the first RAT. The operations of block <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In an aspect, the UE <NUM>, <NUM> may determine, based on the parameters (e.g., parameters <NUM> in <FIG>), LTE signals that may be transmitted continuously or persistently. For example, cell-specific or common reference signals (CRS) may be transmitted in all subframes and across the entire bandwidth of each LTE channel. The UE <NUM>, <NUM> may determine the configuration of the CRS based on the parameters of each LTE channel. More specifically, the UE <NUM>, <NUM> may determine the location (e.g., REs <NUM> in <FIG>) of the CRS associated with each LTE channel.

At block <NUM>, the UE <NUM>, <NUM> may receive the second channel of the second RAT that is rate matched around the location of the CRS. The operations of block <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, the UE <NUM>, <NUM> may receive an NR channel or channel, such as PDCCH or PDSCH, that is rate matched around the location of the CRS.

In other examples, the second channel of the second RAT may include one or more portions that do not overlap the first channels of the first RAT. Accordingly, the UE <NUM>, <NUM> may receive the one or more portions of the second channel that are not rate mated around the location of the CRS.

In some other examples, the RBs of the LTE channel are not aligned with RBs of the NR channel as disclosed in <FIG>. The location of the CRS is shifted in frequency domain due to the unalignment. Accordingly, the UE <NUM>, <NUM> adapts a rate matching around the location of the CRS based on a frequency offset (e.g., offset <NUM> in <FIG>) between the second channel (e.g., NR channel <NUM> in <FIG>) and each first channel (e.g., LTE channel <NUM> in <FIG>).

In <FIG>, a method <NUM> for supporting dynamic spectrum sharing between LTE and NR is provided. The operations of the method in <FIG> may be implemented by a base station <NUM>, <NUM> or its components as described herein with reference to <FIG>. In some examples, a base station <NUM>, <NUM> may execute a set of codes to control the functional elements of the device to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the base station <NUM>, <NUM> may perform aspects of the functions described below using special-purpose hardware.

At block <NUM>, a base station <NUM>, <NUM> may determine a configuration of a first radio access technology (RAT) including a plurality of parameters associated with a plurality of first channels of the first RAT. The operations of block <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein.

In some examples, the fist RAT may include an LTE RAT utilizing multiple LTE channels (e.g., LTE channels <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> in <FIG>) for wireless communications. The base station <NUM>, <NUM> may determine the configuration of the LTE channels from another base station (e.g., base station <NUM> in <FIG>) via a backhaul interface.

At block <NUM>, the base station <NUM>, <NUM> may transmit a second channel associated with a second RAT different from the first RAT, the second channel of the second RAT overlapping with the plurality of first channels of the first RAT in a frequency domain. The operations of block <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, the base station <NUM>, <NUM> may transmit the configuration via a broadcast channel. More specifically, the broadcast channel may include a PBCH, and the configuration may be included in system information, such as remaining minimum system information (RMSI).

In other examples, the base station <NUM>, <NUM> may transmit the configuration via a multicast channel. In such an embodiment, the configuration may be sent in a group common down downlink control channel (e.g., GC-PDCCH). The base station <NUM> may group some of its own UEs for micro-sleep operation, and may send the configuration, to the group of UEs, in common control signaling.

In still other examples, the base station <NUM>, <NUM> may transmit the configuration via a unicast channel. More specifically, the base station <NUM>, <NUM> may transmit the configuration via RRC or higher layer signaling. Alternatively, the base station may transmit the configuration via a MAC control element sent in a downlink control channel.

In an aspect, the second RAT may include an NR RAT utilizing an NR channel (e.g., NR channel <NUM> in <FIG>).

In some examples, the base station <NUM>, <NUM> may operate in the NR channel which overlaps the multiple LTE channels in the frequency domain. The NR channel and the LTE channels may be partitioned into a plurality of RBs. In an aspect, the RBs of the NR channel may substantially aligned with the RBs of the LTE channels in the frequency domain as shown in <FIG>. In another aspect, the RBs of the NR channel may not be aligned with the RBs of the LTE channel in the frequency domain as shown in <FIG>.

In some examples, the NR channel may include one or more portions that do not overlap with the multiple LTE channels. These portions may correspond to RBs that can fully be used by the base station <NUM>, <NUM> without any rate matching around LTE signals and/or transmissions.

At block <NUM>, a base station <NUM>, <NUM> may determine a location of a common reference signal (CRS) associated with each first channel of the plurality of first channels of the first RAT. The operations of block <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein.

In some examples, the base station <NUM>, <NUM> may determine a location of the LTE signals that may be transmitted continuously or persistently in each LTE channel. For example, cell-specific or common reference signals (CRS) may be transmitted in all subframes and across the entire bandwidth of each LTE channel. More specifically, the base station <NUM>, <NUM> may determine the location (e.g., REs <NUM> in <FIG>) of the CRS transmitted in each LTE channel.

At block <NUM>, the base station <NUM>, <NUM> may map a data signal to the second channel of the second RAT such that the data signal is not mapped to resource elements corresponding to the location of the CRS. The operations of block <NUM> may be performed according to the methods described herein.

In some examples, NR signals, such as PDCCH, PDSCH or the like, may be rate matched around the LTE signals, such as CRS, to support dynamic spectrum sharing between LTE and NR. In this regard, the base station <NUM>, <NUM> may map the NR signals to resource elements (e.g., REs <NUM> in <FIG>) that are not occupied by the CRS (e.g., REs <NUM> in <FIG>). In other words, the NR signals are not mapped to resource elements corresponding to the location of the CRS. In some other examples, other LTE signals may be rate matched around even though they are transmitted less frequently than the CRS, such as, channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), synchronization signals (e.g., primary synchronization signal (PSS) and secondary synchronization signal (SSS)).

In some examples, the second channel may also include a portion that does not overlap with the first channels of the first RAT. In this regard, the base station <NUM>, <NUM> may map the NR signal to all resource elements in this portion since no LTE signals are transmitted in the non-overlapping portion.

<FIG> shows a block diagram <NUM> of a wireless device <NUM> that supports dynamic spectrum sharing between a legacy network and a next generation network in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In an aspect, the legacy network includes a LTE network, and the next generation network includes an NR network. Wireless device <NUM> may be an example of aspects of a base station <NUM>, <NUM> as described herein. Wireless device <NUM> may include a receiver <NUM>, spectrum1330, and transmitter <NUM>. Wireless device <NUM> may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

Receiver <NUM> may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various uplink channels such as PUCCH, PUSCH, PRACH, sounding reference signal (SRS), scheduling request (SR), and the like. Information may be passed on to other components of the device. The receiver <NUM> may be an example of aspects of the transceiver <NUM> described with reference to <FIG>. The receiver <NUM> may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

The spectrum manager <NUM> may be an example of aspects of spectrum manager <NUM> described with reference to <FIG>.

The spectrum manager <NUM> and/or at least some of its various sub-components may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions of the spectrum manager <NUM> and/or at least some of its various sub-components may be executed by a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), an field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in the present disclosure. The spectrum manager <NUM> and/or at least some of its various sub-components may be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at different physical locations by one or more physical devices. In some examples, the spectrum manager <NUM> and/or at least some of its various sub-components may be a separate and distinct component in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In other examples, the spectrum manager <NUM> and/or at least some of its various sub-components may be combined with one or more other hardware components, including but not limited to an I/O component, a transceiver, a network server, another computing device, one or more other components described in the present disclosure, or a combination thereof in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

The spectrum manager <NUM> may manage dynamic spectrum sharing between a legacy network, such as LTE, and a next generation network, such as NR, as described in various aspects and examples herein. In an aspect, the spectrum manager <NUM> may be configured to determine a configuration of a first RAT including a plurality of parameters associated with a plurality of first channels of the first RAT, and to transmit a second channel associated with a second RAT different from the first RAT. The second channel of the second RAT may overlap with the plurality of first channels of the first RAT in a frequency domain.

Transmitter <NUM> may transmit information such as packets, user data, or control information associated downlink signals/channels such as PSS/SSS, PBCH, PHICH, PDCCH, PDSCH, and the like. In some examples, the transmitter <NUM> may transmit.

<FIG> shows a diagram of a system <NUM> including a device <NUM> that supports dynamic spectrum sharing between a legacy network and a next generation network in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In an aspect, the legacy network includes a LTE network, and the next generation network includes an NR network. Device <NUM> may be an example of or include the components of wireless device <NUM>, or a base station <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> as described herein. Device <NUM> may include components for bi-directional voice and data communications including components for transmitting and receiving communications, including UE micro-sleep manager <NUM>, processor <NUM>, memory <NUM>, software <NUM>, transceiver <NUM>, antenna <NUM>, network communications manager <NUM>, and inter-station communications manager <NUM>. These components may be in electronic communication via one or more buses (e.g., bus <NUM>). Device <NUM> may communicate wirelessly with one or more user equipment (UE)s <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>.

The spectrum manager <NUM> may manage dynamic spectrum sharing between a legacy network, such as LTE, and a next generation network, such as NR, as described in various aspects and examples herein. In an aspect, the spectrum manager <NUM> may be configured to determine the parameters disclosed in <FIG>, and manage the procedures disclosed in <FIG> and <FIG>.

Processor <NUM> may include an intelligent hardware device, (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof). In some cases, processor <NUM> may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In other cases, a memory controller may be integrated into processor <NUM>. Processor <NUM> may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting long term channel sensing in a shared spectrum).

Software <NUM> may include code to implement aspects of the present disclosure, including code to support micro-sleep operation in a shared spectrum. The software <NUM> may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or other memory. In some cases, the software <NUM> may not be directly executable by the processor but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform functions described herein.

Inter-station communications manager <NUM> may manage communications with other base station <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and may include a controller or scheduler for controlling communications with UEs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> in cooperation with other base stations <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>. For example, the inter-station communications manager <NUM> may coordinate scheduling for transmissions to UEs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> for various interference mitigation techniques such as beamforming or joint transmission. In some examples, inter-station communications manager <NUM> may provide an X2 interface within an NR wireless communication network technology to provide communication between base stations <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>.

<FIG> shows a block diagram <NUM> of a wireless device <NUM> that supports dynamic spectrum sharing between a legacy network and a next generation network in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In an aspect, the legacy network includes an LTE network, and the next generation network includes an NR network. Wireless device <NUM> may be an example of aspects of a UE <NUM>, <NUM> as described herein. Wireless device <NUM> may include receiver <NUM>, channel configuration manager <NUM>, and transmitter <NUM>. Wireless device <NUM> may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with one another (e.g., via one or more buses).

Receiver <NUM> may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated downlink signals/channels such as PSS/SSS, PBCH, PHICH, PDCCH, PDSCH, and the like. Information may be passed on to other components of the device. The receiver <NUM> may be an example of aspects of the transceiver <NUM> described with reference to <FIG>. The receiver <NUM> may utilize a single antenna or a set of antennas.

The channel configuration manager <NUM> may be an example of aspects of the channel configuration manager <NUM> described with reference to <FIG>.

The channel configuration manager <NUM> and/or at least some of its various sub-components may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions of the channel configuration manager <NUM> and/or at least some of its various sub-components may be executed by a general-purpose processor, a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described in the present disclosure. The channel configuration manager <NUM> and/or at least some of its various sub-components may be physically located at various positions, including being distributed such that portions of functions are implemented at different physical locations by one or more physical devices. In some examples, channel configuration manager <NUM> and/or at least some of its various sub-components may be a separate and distinct component in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. In other examples, the channel configuration manager <NUM> and/or at least some of its various sub-components may be combined with one or more other hardware components, including but not limited to an I/O component, a transceiver, a network server, another computing device, one or more other components described in the present disclosure, or a combination thereof in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

The channel configuration manager <NUM> may manage a configuration including a plurality of parameters associated with multiple legacy channels, such as LTE carriers/channels, and next generation channels, such as NR carriers/channels for supporting dynamic spectrum sharing as described herein. The configuration may includes a plurality of parameters associated with one or more LTE channels. In an aspect, the channel configuration manager <NUM> may be configured to receive a configuration of a first RAT including a plurality of parameters associated with a plurality of first channels of the first RAT, and to receive a second channel associated with a second RAT different from the first RAT. The second channel of the second RAT may overlap with the plurality of first channels of the first RAT in a frequency domain.

<FIG> shows a diagram of a system <NUM> including a device <NUM> that supports dynamic spectrum sharing between a legacy network and a next generation network in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. In an aspect, the legacy network includes an LTE network, and the next generation network includes an NR network. Device <NUM> may be an example of or include the components of UE <NUM>, <NUM> as described above herein. Device <NUM> may include components for bi-directional voice and data communications including components for transmitting and receiving communications, including channel configuration manager <NUM>, processor <NUM>, memory <NUM>, software <NUM>, transceiver <NUM>, antenna <NUM>, and I/O controller <NUM>. These components may be in electronic communication via one or more buses (e.g., bus <NUM>). Device <NUM> may communicate wirelessly with one or more base stations <NUM>.

The channel configuration manager <NUM> may maintain the configuration parameters and manage various procedures to support dynamic spectrum sharing between LTE and NR as described herein. In an aspect, the channel configuration manager <NUM> may be configured to maintain the parameters disclosed in <FIG>, and manage the procedures disclosed in <FIG> and <FIG>.

Processor <NUM> may include an intelligent hardware device, (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof). In some cases, processor <NUM> may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In other cases, a memory controller may be integrated into processor <NUM>. Processor <NUM> may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks supporting operation with multiple BW parts in a shared spectrum).

Software <NUM> may include code to implement aspects of the present disclosure, including code to support multiple BW parts a shared spectrum. Software <NUM> may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium such as system memory or other memory. In some cases, the software <NUM> may not be directly executable by the processor but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform functions described herein.

The terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably. A code division multiple access (CDMA) system may implement a radio technology such as CDMA2000, Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), etc. CDMA2000 covers IS-<NUM>, IS-<NUM>, and IS-<NUM> standards.

In LTE/LTE-A networks, including such networks described herein, the term evolved node B (eNB) may be generally used to describe the base stations. The wireless communications system or systems described herein may include a heterogeneous LTE/LTE-A or NR network in which different types of eNBs provide coverage for various geographical regions. For example, each eNB, next generation NodeB (gNB), or base station may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a small cell, or other types of cell. The term "cell" may be used to describe a base station, a carrier or component carrier associated with a base station, or a coverage area (e.g., sector, etc.) of a carrier or base station, depending on context.

Base stations may include or may be referred to by those skilled in the art as a base transceiver station, a radio base station, an access point, a radio transceiver, a NodeB, eNodeB (eNB), gNB, Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, or some other suitable terminology. The geographic coverage area for a base station may be divided into sectors making up only a portion of the coverage area. The wireless communications system or systems described herein may include base stations of different types (e.g., macro or small cell base stations). The UEs described herein may be able to communicate with various types of base stations and network equipment including macro eNBs, small cell eNBs, gNBs, relay base stations, and the like. There may be overlapping geographic coverage areas for different technologies.

It should be noted that the base stations may be deployed by the same operator or different operators.

Each communication link described herein-including, for example, wireless communications system <NUM> and system of <FIG> and <FIG>-may include one or more carriers, where each carrier may be a signal made up of multiple sub-carriers (e.g., waveform signals of different frequencies).

By way of example, and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media may comprise RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor.

The description herein is provided to enable a person skilled in the art to make or use the disclosure. Various modifications to the disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Thus, the disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but is to be accorded the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein. available medium that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media may comprise RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read only memory (EEPROM), compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other non-transitory medium that can be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor.

Claim 1:
A method (<NUM>) performed by a user equipment, UE, for wireless communications, comprising:
receiving (<NUM>), at the UE, a configuration of a first radio access technology, RAT, including a plurality of parameters associated with a plurality of first channels of the first RAT, wherein the first RAT includes a long term evolution, LTE, network and wherein the second RAT includes a new radio, NR, network; and
determining, based on the plurality of parameters, a location of a common reference signal, CRS, associated with each first channel of the plurality of first channels;
receiving (<NUM>), at the UE, a second channel associated with a second RAT different from the first RAT, wherein the second channel of the second RAT overlaps with the plurality of first channels of the first RAT in a frequency domain; and
adapting a rate matching around the location of the CRS based on a frequency offset between the second channel and each first channel when the RBs of the second channel are unaligned with the RBs of the plurality of first channels.