Patent Description:
In particular wireless technologies and standards such as the evolving 3GPP <NUM> New Radio (NR) standard, particular high frequency transmission waveforms and protocols have been proposed. For example, NR specifications are expected to utilize orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) as the transmission waveform for downlink (DL) transmissions for enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), and for millimeter wave (mmWave) with carrier frequencies less than <NUM>. However, as even higher RF carrier frequencies above <NUM> begin to be utilized, the peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) of such wireless transmissions becomes more important. Thus, it may become advantageous to use other waveforms for DL transmissions that afford lower PAPRs at these higher frequencies, such as Discrete Fourier Transform spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM). Of note, however, frequency division multiplexing (FDM) transmission of multiple low-PAPR waveforms through the same power amplifier (PA) results in the loss of this PAPR advantage relative to OFDM waveforms.

Accordingly, it may be advantageous to devise new scheduling modes to support more efficient FDM transmissions of multiple waveforms.

<NPL>) discusses methods on how to utilize the unused sPDCCH resources for sPDSCH, as well sharing the same DMRS REs between sPDCCH and sPDSCH.

<NPL>,<NPL>) discusses views on mini-slot design for URLLC services, and some set of proposals.

<NPL>) discusses remaining issues on NR-PDCCH design related to resource sharing between control and data based on the agreements in the previous RANI meetings.

RAT: radio access technology. The type of technology or communication standard utilized for radio access and communication over a wireless air interface. Just a few examples of RATs include GSM, UTRA, E-UTRA (LTE), Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi.

NR: new radio. Generally refers to <NUM> technologies and the new radio access technology undergoing definition and standardization by 3GPP in Release <NUM>.

Legacy compatibility: may refer to the capability of a <NUM> network to provide connectivity to pre-<NUM> devices, and the capability of <NUM> devices to obtain connectivity to a pre-<NUM> network.

mmWave: millimeter-wave. Generally refers to high frequency bands above <NUM>, which can provide a very large bandwidth.

Beamforming: directional signal transmission or reception. For a beamformed transmission, the amplitude and phase of each antenna in an array of antennas may be precoded, or controlled to create a desired (i.e., directional) pattern of constructive and destructive interference in the wavefront.

MIMO: multiple-input multiple-output. MIMO is a multi-antenna technology that exploits multipath signal propagation so that the information-carrying capacity of a wireless link can be multiplied by using multiple antennas at the transmitter and receiver to send multiple simultaneous streams. At the multi-antenna transmitter, a suitable precoding algorithm (scaling the respective streams' amplitude and phase) is applied (in some examples, based on known channel state information). At the multi-antenna receiver, the different spatial signatures of the respective streams (and, in some examples, known channel state information) can enable the separation of these streams from one another.

Massive MIMO: a MIMO system with a very large number of antennas (e.g., greater than an 8x8 array).

AS: access stratum. A functional grouping consisting of the parts in the radio access network and in the UE, and the protocols between these parts being specific to the access technique (i.e., the way the specific physical media between the UE and the radio access network is used to carry information).

NAS: non-access stratum. Protocols between UE and the core network that are not terminated in the radio access network.

RAB: radio access bearer. The service that the access stratum provides to the non-access stratum for transfer of user information between a UE and the core network.

Network slicing: a wireless communication network may be separated into a plurality of virtual service networks (VSNs), or network slices, which are separately configured to better suit the needs of different types of services. Some wireless communication networks may be separated according to eMBB, IoT, and URLLC services.

eMBB: enhanced mobile broadband. Generally, eMBB refers to the continued progression of improvements to existing broadband wireless communication technologies such as LTE. eMBB provides for (generally continuous) increases in data rates and increased network capacity.

URLLC: ultra-reliable and low-latency communication. Sometimes equivalently called mission-critical communication. Reliability refers to the probability of success of transmitting a given number of bytes within <NUM> under a given channel quality. Ultra-reliable refers to a high target reliability, e.g., a packet success rate greater than <NUM>%. Latency refers to the time it takes to successfully deliver an application layer packet or message. Low-latency refers to a low target latency, e.g., <NUM> or even <NUM> (in some examples, a target for eMBB may be <NUM>).

Duplex: a point-to-point communication link where both endpoints can communicate with one another in both directions. Full duplex means both endpoints can simultaneously communicate with one another. Half duplex means only one endpoint can send information to the other at a time. In a wireless link, a full duplex channel generally relies on physical isolation of a transmitter and receiver, and interference cancellation techniques. Full duplex emulation is frequently implemented for wireless links by utilizing frequency division duplex (FDD) or time division duplex (TDD). In FDD, the transmitter and receiver at each endpoint operate at different carrier frequencies. In TDD, transmissions in different directions on a given channel are separated from one another using time division multiplexing. That is, at some times the channel is dedicated for transmissions in one direction, while at other times the channel is dedicated for transmissions in the other direction.

OFDM: orthogonal frequency division multiplexing. An air interface may be defined according to a two-dimensional grid of resource elements, defined by separation of resources in frequency by defining a set of closely spaced frequency tones or subcarriers, and separation in time by defining a sequence of symbols having a given duration. By setting the spacing between the tones based on the symbol rate, inter-symbol interference can be eliminated. OFDM channels provide for high data rates by allocating a data stream in a parallel manner across multiple subcarriers.

CP: cyclic prefix. A multipath environment degrades the orthogonality between subcarriers because symbols received from reflected or delayed paths may overlap into the following symbol. A CP addresses this problem by copying the tail of each symbol and pasting it onto the front of the OFDM symbol. In this way, any multipath components from a previous symbol fall within the effective guard time at the start of each symbol, and can be discarded.

Scalable numerology: in OFDM, to maintain orthogonality of the subcarriers or tones, the subcarrier spacing is equal to the inverse of the symbol period. A scalable numerology refers to the capability of the network to select different subcarrier spacings, and accordingly, with each spacing, to select the corresponding symbol period and cyclic prefix duration. The symbol period should be short enough that the channel does not significantly vary over each period, in order to preserve orthogonality and limit inter-subcarrier interference.

RSMA: resource spread multiple access. A non-orthogonal multiple access scheme generally characterized by small, grantless data bursts in the uplink where signaling over head is a key issue, e.g., for IoT.

QoS: quality of service. The collective effect of service performances which determine the degree of satisfaction of a user of a service. QoS is characterized by the combined aspects of performance factors applicable to all services, such as: service operability performance; service accessibility performance; service retainability performance; service integrity performance; and other factors specific to each service.

RS: reference signal. A predefined signal known a priori to both transmitters and receivers and transmitted through the wireless channel, and used for, among other things, for channel estimation of the wireless channel and coherent demodulation at a receiver.

DMRS: Demodulation reference signal. A predefined signal known a priori to both transmitters and receivers and transmitted through the wireless channel signal typically in UL transmissions that is used for channel estimation and for coherent demodulation.

CSI-RS: Channel State Information-Reference Signal. A reference signal sent on the DL and used by the UE to estimate the channel and report channel quality information (CQI) to the Node B.

pBCH: Physical Broadcast Channel. A broadcast channel used to transmit parameters used for initial access of a cell such as downlink system bandwidth and System Frame Number, and may include the use of a master information block (MIB) to transmit the parameters
PSS/SSS/TSS: Primary Synchronization signal/Secondary Synchronization signal/Tertiary Synchronization Signal. Synchronization signals that are used by a UE to acquire a DL signal from an eNB or gNB, and are typically read prior to reading the pBCH.

Slot: In <NUM> NR, a slot is defined as a duration of a y number of OFDM symbols in the numerology used for transmission, where the number y is <NUM> symbols as an example.

Minislot: In <NUM> NR, a minislot may represent as smallest possible scheduling unit within a slot and has a support transmission shorter than a y number of OFDM symbols in the numerology used for transmission. The mini-slot can be used as the basic scheduling unit within the slot and may even be one OFDM symbol.

According to an aspect, a method of wireless communication as claimed in claim <NUM> is disclosed.

According to another aspect, an apparatus at a receiver for wireless communication as claimed in claim <NUM> is disclosed.

In the following disclosure, the present methods and apparatus provide new scheduling modes to support efficient FDM of multiple waveforms such as low PAPR waveforms. In particular, the scheduling includes restriction of the range of possible values, parameters, or factors that are known to increase the PAPR for frequency division multiplexed multiple waveforms, as will be discussed in more detail below.

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

The geographic region covered by the radio access network <NUM> may be divided into a number of cellular regions (cells) that can be uniquely identified by a user equipment (UE) based on an identification broadcasted over a geographical area from one access point or base station. <FIG> illustrates macrocells <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, and a small cell <NUM>, each of which may include one or more sectors. A sector is a sub-area of a cell. All sectors within one cell are served by the same base station. A radio link within a sector can be identified by a single logical identification belonging to that sector. In a cell that is divided into sectors, the multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communication with UEs in a portion of the cell.

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

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

In general, base stations may include a backhaul interface for communication with a backhaul portion of the network. The backhaul may provide a link between a base station and a core network, and in some examples, the backhaul may provide interconnection between the respective base stations. The core network is a part of a wireless communication system that is generally independent of the radio access technology used in the radio access network. Some base stations may be configured as integrated access and backhaul (IAB) nodes, where the wireless spectrum may be used both for access links (i.e., wireless links with UEs), and for backhaul links. This scheme is sometimes referred to as wireless self-backhauling. By using wireless self-backhauling, rather than requiring each new base station deployment to be outfitted with its own hard-wired backhaul connection, the wireless spectrum utilized for communication between the base station and UE may be leveraged for backhaul communication, enabling fast and easy deployment of highly dense small cell networks.

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

Within the present document, a "mobile" apparatus need not necessarily have a capability to move, and may be stationary. The term mobile apparatus or mobile device broadly refers to a diverse array of devices and technologies. For example, some nonlimiting examples of a mobile apparatus include a mobile, a cellular (cell) phone, a smart phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a laptop, a personal computer (PC), a notebook, a netbook, a smartbook, a tablet, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a broad array of embedded systems, e.g., corresponding to an "Internet of things" (IoT). A mobile apparatus may additionally be an automotive or other transportation vehicle, a remote sensor or actuator, a robot or robotics device, a satellite radio, a global positioning system (GPS) device, an object tracking device, a drone, a multi-copter, a quad-copter, a remote control device, a consumer and/or wearable device, such as eyewear, a wearable camera, a virtual reality device, a smart watch, a health or fitness tracker, a digital audio player (e.g., MP3 player), a camera, a game console, etc. A mobile apparatus may additionally be a digital home or smart home device such as a home audio, video, and/or multimedia device, an appliance, a vending machine, intelligent lighting, a home security system, a smart meter, etc. A mobile apparatus may additionally be a smart energy device, a security device, a solar panel or solar array, a municipal infrastructure device controlling electric power (e.g., a smart grid), lighting, water, etc.; an industrial automation and enterprise device; a logistics controller; agricultural equipment; military defense equipment, vehicles, aircraft, ships, and weaponry, etc. Still further, a mobile apparatus may provide for connected medicine or telemedicine support, i.e., health care at a distance. Telehealth devices may include telehealth monitoring devices and telehealth administration devices, whose communication may be given preferential treatment or prioritized access over other types of information, e.g., in terms of prioritized access for transport of critical service data, and/or relevant QoS for transport of critical service data.

Within the radio access network <NUM>, the cells may include UEs that may be in communication with one or more sectors of each cell. For example, UEs <NUM> and <NUM> may be in communication with base station <NUM>; UEs <NUM> and <NUM> may be in communication with base station <NUM>; UEs <NUM> and <NUM> may be in communication with base station <NUM> by way of RRH <NUM>; UE <NUM> may be in communication with low-power base station <NUM>; and UE <NUM> may be in communication with mobile base station <NUM>. Here, each base station <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be configured to provide an access point to a core network (not shown) for all the UEs in the respective cells. Transmissions from a base station (e.g., base station <NUM>) to one or more UEs (e.g., UEs <NUM> and <NUM>) may be referred to as downlink (DL) transmission, while transmissions from a UE (e.g., UE <NUM>) to a base station may be referred to as uplink (UL) transmissions. In accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure, the term downlink may refer to a point-to-multipoint transmission originating at a scheduling entity <NUM>. In accordance with further aspects of the present disclosure, the term uplink may refer to a point-to-point transmission originating at a scheduled entity <NUM>.

In some aspects of the disclosure, two or more UE (e.g., UEs <NUM> and <NUM>) may communicate with each other using peer to peer (P2P) or sidelink signals <NUM> without relaying that communication through a base station (e.g., base station <NUM>).

In the radio access network <NUM>, the ability for a UE to communicate while moving, independent of its location, is referred to as mobility. The various physical channels between the UE and the radio access network are generally set up, maintained, and released under the control of a mobility management entity (MME). In various aspects of the disclosure, a radio access network <NUM> may utilize DL-based mobility or UL-based mobility to enable mobility and handovers (i.e., the transfer of a UE's connection from one radio channel to another). In a network configured for DL-based mobility, during a call with a scheduling entity, or at any other time, a UE may monitor various parameters of the signal from its serving cell as well as various parameters of neighboring cells. Depending on the quality of these parameters, the UE may maintain communication with one or more of the neighboring cells. During this time, if the UE moves from one cell to another, or if signal quality from a neighboring cell exceeds that from the serving cell for a given amount of time, the UE may undertake a handoff or handover from the serving cell to the neighboring (target) cell. For example, UE <NUM> (illustrated as a vehicle, although any suitable form of UE may be used) may move from the geographic area corresponding to its serving cell <NUM> to the geographic area corresponding to a neighbor cell <NUM>. When the signal strength or quality from the neighbor cell <NUM> exceeds that of its serving cell <NUM> for a given amount of time, the UE <NUM> may transmit a reporting message to its serving base station <NUM> indicating this condition. In response, the UE <NUM> may receive a handover command, and the UE may undergo a handover to the cell <NUM>.

In a network configured for UL-based mobility, UL reference signals from each UE may be utilized by the network to select a serving cell for each UE. In some examples, the base stations <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>/<NUM> may broadcast unified synchronization signals (e.g., unified Primary Synchronization Signals (PSSs), unified Secondary Synchronization Signals (SSSs) and unified Physical Broadcast Channels (PBCH)). The UEs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may receive the unified synchronization signals, derive the carrier frequency and slot timing from the synchronization signals, and in response to deriving timing, transmit an uplink pilot or reference signal. The uplink pilot signal transmitted by a UE (e.g., UE <NUM>) may be concurrently received by two or more cells (e.g., base stations <NUM> and <NUM>/<NUM>) within the radio access network <NUM>. Each of the cells may measure a strength of the pilot signal, and the radio access network (e.g., one or more of the base stations <NUM> and <NUM>/<NUM> and/or a central node within the core network) may determine a serving cell for the UE <NUM>. As the UE <NUM> moves through the radio access network <NUM>, the network may continue to monitor the uplink pilot signal transmitted by the UE <NUM>. When the signal strength or quality of the pilot signal measured by a neighboring cell exceeds that of the signal strength or quality measured by the serving cell, the network <NUM> may handover the UE <NUM> from the serving cell to the neighboring cell, with or without informing the UE <NUM>.

In various implementations, the air interface in the radio access network <NUM> may utilize licensed spectrum, unlicensed spectrum, or shared spectrum. Licensed spectrum provides for exclusive use of a portion of the spectrum, generally by virtue of a mobile network operator purchasing a license from a government regulatory body. Unlicensed spectrum provides for shared use of a portion of the spectrum without need for a government-granted license. While compliance with some technical rules is generally still required to access unlicensed spectrum, generally any operator or device may gain access. Shared spectrum may fall between licensed and unlicensed spectrum, wherein technical rules or limitations may be required to access the spectrum, but the spectrum may still be shared by multiple operators and/or multiple RATs. For example, the holder of a license for a portion of licensed spectrum may provide licensed shared access (LSA) to share that spectrum with other parties, e.g., with suitable licensee-determined conditions to gain access.

That is, for scheduled communication, UEs or scheduled entities utilize resources allocated by the scheduling entity.

In other examples, sidelink signals may be used between UEs without necessarily relying on scheduling or control information from a base station. For example, UE <NUM> is illustrated communicating with UEs <NUM> and <NUM>. In some examples, the UE <NUM> is functioning as a scheduling entity or a primary sidelink device, and UEs <NUM> and <NUM> may function as a scheduled entity or a non-primary (e.g., secondary) sidelink device. In still another example, a UE may function as a scheduling entity in a device-to-device (D2D), peer-to-peer (P2P), or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) network, and/or in a mesh network. In a mesh network example, UEs <NUM> and <NUM> may optionally communicate directly with one another in addition to communicating with the scheduling entity <NUM>.

Thus, in a wireless communication network with scheduled access to time-frequency resources and having a cellular configuration, a P2P configuration, or a mesh configuration, a scheduling entity and one or more scheduled entities may communicate utilizing the scheduled resources. Referring now to <FIG>, a block diagram illustrates a scheduling entity <NUM> and a plurality of scheduled entities <NUM> (e.g., 204a and 204b). Here, the scheduling entity <NUM> may correspond to a base station <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or <NUM>. In additional examples, the scheduling entity <NUM> may correspond to a UE <NUM>, the quadcopter <NUM>, or any other suitable node in the radio access network <NUM>. Similarly, in various examples, the scheduled entity <NUM> may correspond to the UE <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, or any other suitable node in the radio access network <NUM>.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the scheduling entity <NUM> may broadcast traffic <NUM> to one or more scheduled entities <NUM> (the traffic may be referred to as downlink traffic). Broadly, the scheduling entity <NUM> is a node or device responsible for scheduling traffic in a wireless communication network, including the downlink transmissions and, in some examples, uplink traffic <NUM> from one or more scheduled entities to the scheduling entity <NUM>. Broadly, the scheduled entity <NUM> is a node or device that receives scheduling control information, including but not limited to scheduling information (e.g., a grant), synchronization or timing information, or other control information from another entity in the wireless communication network such as the scheduling entity <NUM>.

In some examples, scheduled entities such as a first scheduled entity 204a and a second scheduled entity 204b may utilize sidelink signals for direct D2D communication. Sidelink signals may include sidelink traffic <NUM> and sidelink control <NUM>. Sidelink control information <NUM> may in some examples include a request signal, such as a request-to-send (RTS), a source transmit signal (STS), and/or a direction selection signal (DSS). The request signal may provide for a scheduled entity <NUM> to request a duration of time to keep a sidelink channel available for a sidelink signal. Sidelink control information <NUM> may further include a response signal, such as a clear-to-send (CTS) and/or a destination receive signal (DRS). The response signal may provide for the scheduled entity <NUM> to indicate the availability of the sidelink channel, e.g., for a requested duration of time. An exchange of request and response signals (e.g., handshake) may enable different scheduled entities performing sidelink communications to negotiate the availability of the sidelink channel prior to communication of the sidelink traffic information <NUM>.

The air interface in the radio access network <NUM> may utilize one or more duplexing algorithms. Duplex refers to a point-to-point communication link where both endpoints can communicate with one another in both directions. Full duplex means both endpoints can simultaneously communicate with one another. Half duplex means only one endpoint can send information to the other at a time. In a wireless link, a full duplex channel generally relies on physical isolation of a transmitter and receiver, and suitable interference cancellation technologies. Full duplex emulation is frequently implemented for wireless links by utilizing frequency division duplex (FDD) or time division duplex (TDD). In FDD, transmissions in different directions operate at different carrier frequencies. In TDD, transmissions in different directions on a given channel are separated from one another using time division multiplexing. That is, at some times the channel is dedicated for transmissions in one direction, while at other times the channel is dedicated for transmissions in the other direction, where the direction may change very rapidly, e.g., several times per slot.

The air interface in the radio access network <NUM> may additionally utilize one or more multiplexing and multiple access algorithms to enable simultaneous communication of the various devices. For example, <NUM> NR specifications provide multiple access for uplink (UL) or reverse link transmissions from UEs <NUM> and <NUM> to base station <NUM>, and for multiplexing for downlink (DL) or forward link transmissions from base station <NUM> to one or more UEs <NUM> and <NUM>, utilizing orthogonal frequency division multiplexing access (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix (CP). In addition, for UL transmissions, <NUM> NR specifications provide support for discrete Fourier transform-spread-OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) with a CP (also referred to as single-carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA)). However, within the scope of the present disclosure, multiplexing and multiple access are not limited to the above schemes, and may be provided utilizing time division multiple access (TDMA), code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), sparse code multiple access (SCMA), resource spread multiple access (RSMA), or other suitable multiple access schemes. Further, multiplexing downlink (DL) or forward link transmissions from the base station <NUM> to UEs <NUM> and <NUM> may be provided utilizing time division multiplexing (TDM), code division multiplexing (CDM), frequency division multiplexing (FDM), orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), sparse code multiplexing (SCM), or other suitable multiplexing schemes.

In order for transmissions over the radio access network <NUM> to obtain a low block error rate (BLER) while still achieving very high data rates, channel coding may be used. That is, wireless communication may generally utilize a suitable error correcting block code. In a typical block code, an information message or sequence is split up into code blocks (CBs), and an encoder (e.g., a CODEC) at the transmitting device then mathematically adds redundancy to the information message. Exploitation of this redundancy in the encoded information message can improve the reliability of the message, enabling correction for any bit errors that may occur due to the noise.

In <NUM> NR specifications, user data is coded using quasi-cyclic low-density parity check (LDPC) with two different base graphs: one base graph is used for large code blocks and/or high code rates, while the other base graph is used otherwise. Control information and the physical broadcast channel (PBCH) are coded using Polar coding, based on nested sequences. For these channels, puncturing, shortening, and repetition are used for rate matching.

However, those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented utilizing any suitable channel code. Various implementations of scheduling entities <NUM> and scheduled entities <NUM> may include suitable hardware and capabilities (e.g., an encoder, a decoder, and/or a CODEC) to utilize one or more of these channel codes for wireless communication.

Within the present disclosure, a frame refers to a duration of <NUM> for wireless transmissions, with each frame consisting of <NUM> subframes of <NUM> each. On a given carrier, there may be one set of frames in the UL, and another set of frames in the DL.

Various aspects of the present disclosure will be described with reference to an OFDM waveform, schematically illustrated in <FIG>. It should be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that the various aspects of the present disclosure may be applied to an SC-FDMA waveform in substantially the same way as described herein below. That is, while some examples of the present disclosure may focus on an OFDM link for clarity, it should be understood that the same principles may be applied as well to SC-FDMA waveforms.

Referring now to <FIG>, an expanded view of an exemplary DL subframe <NUM> is illustrated, showing an OFDM resource grid. However, as those skilled in the art will readily appreciate, the PHY transmission structure for any particular application may vary from the example described here, depending on any number of factors. Here, time is in the horizontal direction with units of OFDM symbols; and frequency is in the vertical direction with units of subcarriers.

The resource grid <NUM> may be used to schematically represent time-frequency resources for a given antenna port. That is, in a MIMO implementation with multiple antenna ports available, a corresponding multiple number of resource grids <NUM> may be available for communication. The resource grid <NUM> is divided into multiple resource elements (REs) <NUM>. An RE, which is <NUM> subcarrier × <NUM> symbol, is the smallest discrete part of the time-frequency grid, and contains a single complex value representing data from a physical channel or signal. Depending on the modulation utilized in a particular implementation, each RE may represent one or more bits of information. In some examples, a block of REs may be referred to as a physical resource block (PRB) or more simply a resource block (RB) <NUM>, which contains any suitable number of consecutive subcarriers in the frequency domain. In one example, an RB may include <NUM> subcarriers, a number independent of the numerology used. In some examples, depending on the numerology, an RB may include any suitable number of consecutive OFDM symbols in the time domain. Within the present disclosure, it is assumed that a single RB such as the RB <NUM> entirely corresponds to a single direction of communication (either transmission or reception for a given device).

A UE generally utilizes only a subset of the resource grid <NUM>. An RB may be the smallest unit of resources that can be allocated to a UE. Thus, the more RBs scheduled for a UE, and the higher the modulation scheme chosen for the air interface, the higher the data rate for the UE.

Each <NUM> subframe <NUM> may consist of one or multiple adjacent slots. In the example shown in <FIG>, one subframe <NUM> includes four slots <NUM>, as an illustrative example. In some examples, a slot may be defined according to a specified number of OFDM symbols having the same subcarrier spacing, and with a given cyclic prefix (CP) length. For example, a slot may include <NUM> or <NUM> OFDM symbols for the same subcarrier spacing with a nominal CP. Additional examples may include mini-slots having a shorter duration (e.g., one or two OFDM symbols). These mini-slots may in some cases be transmitted occupying resources scheduled for ongoing slot transmissions for the same or for different UEs.

An expanded view of one of the slots <NUM> illustrates the slot <NUM> including a control region <NUM> and a data region <NUM>. In general, the control region <NUM> may carry control channels (e.g., PDCCH), and the data region <NUM> may carry data channels (e.g., PDSCH or PUSCH). Of course, a slot may contain all DL, all UL, or at least one DL portion and at least one UL portion. The simple structure illustrated in <FIG> is merely exemplary in nature, and different slot structures may be utilized, and may include one or more of each of the control region(s) and data region(s).

Although not illustrated in <FIG>, the various REs <NUM> within a RB <NUM> may be scheduled to carry one or more physical channels, including control channels, shared channels, data channels, etc. Other REs <NUM> within the RB <NUM> may also carry pilots or reference signals, including but not limited to a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), or a sounding reference signal (SRS). These pilots or reference signals may provide for a receiving device to perform channel estimation of the corresponding channel, which may enable coherent demodulation/detection of the control and/or data channels within the RB <NUM>.

In a DL transmission, the transmitting device (e.g., the scheduling entity <NUM>) may allocate one or more REs <NUM> (e.g., within a control region <NUM>) to carry DL control information <NUM> including one or more DL control channels, such as a PBCH; a PSS; a SSS; a physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH); a physical hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) indicator channel (PHICH); and/or a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), etc., to one or more scheduled entities <NUM>. The PCFICH provides information to assist a receiving device in receiving and decoding the PDCCH. The PDCCH carries downlink control information (DCI) including but not limited to power control commands, scheduling information, a grant, and/or an assignment of REs for DL and UL transmissions. The PHICH carries HARQ feedback transmissions such as an acknowledgment (ACK) or negative acknowledgment (NACK). HARQ is a technique well-known to those of ordinary skill in the art, wherein the integrity of packet transmissions may be checked at the receiving side for accuracy, e.g., utilizing any suitable integrity checking mechanism, such as a checksum or a cyclic redundancy check (CRC). If the integrity of the transmission confirmed, an ACK may be transmitted, whereas if not confirmed, a NACK may be transmitted. In response to a NACK, the transmitting device may send a HARQ retransmission, which may implement chase combining, incremental redundancy, etc..

In an UL transmission, the transmitting device (e.g., the scheduled entity <NUM>) may utilize one or more REs <NUM> to carry UL control information <NUM> including one or more UL control channels, such as a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), to the scheduling entity <NUM>. UL control information may include a variety of packet types and categories, including pilots, reference signals, and information configured to enable or assist in decoding uplink data transmissions. In some examples, the control information <NUM> may include a scheduling request (SR), i.e., request for the scheduling entity <NUM> to schedule uplink transmissions. Here, in response to the SR transmitted on the control channel <NUM>, the scheduling entity <NUM> may transmit downlink control information <NUM> that may schedule resources for uplink packet transmissions. UL control information may also include HARQ feedback, channel state feedback (CSF), or any other suitable UL control information.

In addition to control information, one or more REs <NUM> (e.g., within the data region <NUM>) may be allocated for user data or traffic data. Such traffic may be carried on one or more traffic channels, such as, for a DL transmission, a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH); or for an UL transmission, a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). In some examples, one or more REs <NUM> within the data region <NUM> may be configured to carry system information blocks (SIBs), carrying information that may enable access to a given cell.

The channels or carriers described above and illustrated in <FIG> and <FIG> are not necessarily all the channels or carriers that may be utilized between a scheduling entity <NUM> and scheduled entities <NUM>, and those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other channels or carriers may be utilized in addition to those illustrated, such as other traffic, control, and feedback channels.

As discussed above, for DL transmissions at frequencies greater than about <NUM>, it may be advantageous to consider the use of waveforms other than OFDM, since at these high frequencies, the relatively high PAPR of the OFDM waveform can be disadvantageous. One exemplary waveform with a low PAPR relative to OFDM is DFT-S-OFDM. However, to maintain the capability of multiplexing DL transmissions for large numbers of users, even when utilizing a waveform such as DFT-S-OFDM, the capability to frequency-division multiplex (FDM) multiple such low-PAPR waveforms is desired.

When frequency division multiplexed waveforms are amplified by separate power amplifiers (PAs), there is no PAPR impact as each PA only sees the PAPR of its input. As mentioned before, however, when an FDM transmission of multiple low PAPR waveforms is input to the same power amplifier (PA), this results in the loss of the PAPR advantage afforded by such waveforms (e.g., DFT-S-OFDM waveforms), causing an increase in the PAPR. This increase is detrimental as the PAPR increase results in the need for larger PA backoff to avoid PA saturation/distortion/clipping, which reduces the likelihood that UEs near the cell edge will accurately receive/decode such signals.

It is further recognized that the amount of the PAPR increase may depend on several factors. A first factor is the number of frequency division multiplexed waveforms, where greater numbers correlate to greater PAPR increases. Other factors affecting the PAPR are the rank, modulation order, and bandwidth of each waveform. Yet others factors affecting PAPR include the frequency separation between the frequency division multiplexed waveforms, and the exact waveforms being frequency division multiplexed, where some may adversely affect the PAPR and others may not. As an example, for fixed sequences used for Reference Signals (RS), such as DMRS, specific choices of the sequences as a function of the frequency separation may still preserve the low PAPR property. Yet another factor for which parameter restriction may be helpful involves the scenario of OFDM symbols carrying a synchronization channel, as an example, where the symbols may have a different or variable cyclic-prefix duration compared to those symbols carrying data. Thus, the amount of inter-symbol interference may be different on these two respective types of symbols.

Accordingly, the present structures and methods provide a scheduling of FDM for multiple waveforms (e.g., low PAPR waveforms) that maintains, reduces, or best minimizes the PAPR. In a particular aspect, this scheduling includes restricting or limiting the range of possible values or occurrences of those parameters discussed above for a time duration over which FDM transmissions occur, such as in relation to transmission time intervals (TTIs) or similar transmission duration interval nomenclatures that may be adopted for NR and other <NUM> systems. It is also noted here that for NR and other <NUM> systems, a TTI may be a slot or a minislot.

An exemplary block schematic shown in <FIG> illustrates an apparatus or arrangement <NUM> implementable within a Node B or gNB that effectuates scheduling, including FDM scheduling, and further that may implement the scheduling to account for and restrict FDM based on parameters and factors as discussed above. As illustrated, the apparatus <NUM> includes an Radio Link Control (RLC) <NUM> that interfaces with upper layers in the Node B or gNB and controls the MAC layer multiplexing as illustrated by block <NUM>. A scheduler <NUM> inputs controls/restrictions to the multiplying controller <NUM> and may implement the various FDM restrictions or controls and FDM schemes as discussed herein. Finally, the apparatus includes a physical layer (PHY) processing, which includes the PA in an RF section (not shown) of the Node B.

In one aspect, the parameter restriction may be performed over a whole TTI. For example, a Node B or gNB scheduler may be configured to schedule a lower rank for the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH) in a slot when two UEs are frequency division multiplexed. Of further note here, with such gNB scheduler implementations, this scheduled lower rank may be transparent to UEs, meaning that the UE does not need to know about other frequency division multiplexed UEs, thus not increasing UE complexity or giving rise to the need for any further signaling to the UE.

According to another aspect, the gNB scheduler may restrict the various parameters on a partial TTI basis. Concerning partial TTI scheduling, it is noted that the frequency division multiplexed UEs may have different minislot partitioning, and only a portion of assigned OFDM symbols in the TTI or slot (i.e., some minislots) will have FDM overlap. In a particular aspect, the present methods and apparatus may employ a finer minislot partitioning where each partition (i.e., one or more minislots) becomes effectively like a whole-TTI case. <FIG> illustrates a time-frequency resource grid of a portion of frame (e.g., a subframe <NUM>) that illustrates an example of a different or alternate minislot partitioning. In this example, it is assumed that a first UE (UE1) utilizes or is assigned symbols <NUM>-<NUM> (i.e., symbols S2 through S7) over a first subcarrier group <NUM> and a second UE (UE2) utilizes symbols <NUM>-<NUM> (i.e., symbols S5 through S10) over a second subcarrier group <NUM>) of a <NUM> symbol subframe <NUM>. As may be seen in <FIG>, this scheduling results in an overlap <NUM> between UE1 and UE2 over symbols <NUM>-<NUM> (i.e., symbols S5-S7). In this case, at least three (<NUM>) minislots may be defined with a first minislot <NUM> consisting of symbols S2-S4, a second minislot <NUM> consisting of symbols S5-S7 (i.e., the FDM overlapping symbols), and a third minislot <NUM> consisting of symbols S8-S10. According to the present methodology, the second minislot <NUM> would be scheduled with restricted parameters to account for the FDM overlap <NUM>.

In example of <FIG>, there is a possibility for the need for higher scheduling overhead to schedule more minislots. Also, if each minislot has its own DMRS, there will be an associated higher RS overhead and, thus, a need for a way to share the RS across these minislots in order to mitigate the overhead. Additionally, the example of <FIG> may also give rise to a coding gain loss due to independently encoded smaller packets. Accordingly, in other aspects the disclosed parameter restriction may be used only for OFDM symbols suffering from FDM overlap. In this example, finer minislot partitioning is used, but is done so with a shared RS (e.g., DMRS) and joint encoding across the minislots. Here in this example the Downlink Control Information (DCI) grant signals overlapping OFDM symbols and restricted parameters for those overlapping symbols. According to still a further aspect, a set of possible configurations of overlapping symbols and/or parameter restriction rules could be Radio Resource Control (RRC) signaled and the DCI could contain an index indicating at least one out of the set of possible configurations. Also, the DMRS used may be different depending on the nature of FDM overlap.

Particular uses of the present methodology may include the instance where the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) has a short time duration (e.g., <NUM> or <NUM> OFDM symbols), as well as a smaller frequency bandwidth that is, in turn, scheduling a larger frequency bandwidth Physical Downlink shared channel (PDSCH) immediately following in time. <FIG> illustrates this example showing that a PDCCH channel <NUM> occurs prior in time to a PDSCH channel <NUM>, which is shown as having a time duration of two OFDM symbols (e.g., S2 and S3), as merely one example. An unused portion of the bandwidth <NUM> that exists during the PDCCH duration over slots S2 and S3 can be used for frequency division multiplexing a portion <NUM> of the PDSCH to a same UE or, alternatively, to other UEs. <FIG> is merely one example where the later occurring PDSCH portion <NUM> is illustrated as being larger in terms of both time duration (e.g., greater than two symbols) and frequency (e.g., using the entire bandwidth illustrated in the "y" dimension). It is noted, however, that the present disclosure is not limited to such a scenario. For example, in other aspects of the present disclosure the bandwidth of the later occurring PDSCH portion <NUM> may be the same bandwidth as the PDSCH portion <NUM> frequency division multiplexed with the PDCCH <NUM>. In yet a further aspect, the PDSCH portion <NUM> may also be a shorter time duration than the PDSCH portion <NUM> frequency division multiplexed with the PDCCH <NUM> (e.g., the PDSCH portion <NUM> may be one symbol duration).

Another use case may involve a synchronization channel (i.e., a Synch channel, which includes one or more of PSS, SSS, and the pBCH) and Synchronization Signal (SS) blocks and the PDSCH, where parameter restriction is performed on a per SS block basis. Since in NR <NUM>, for example, it has been proposed that the Synch channel is beam-swept, each beam has a Synchronization Signal (SS) block for each of an m number of beam sweep directions. As an illustration of this use case, <FIG> show one or more PDSCH channels <NUM> that may be respectively frequency division multiplexed on each beam, i.e., with each SS block <NUM>. In particular, a PDSCH channel 702a is frequency division multiplexed with a corresponding SS block <NUM> (i.e., SS block 704a) during the time slots of the SS block (e.g., S2 and S3), a PDSCH channel 702b is frequency division multiplexed with a corresponding SS block <NUM> (i.e., SS block 704b) during the time slots of the SS block (e.g., S4 and S5), and so forth for each of the m number of beam sweep locations.

It is noted that in an aspect of the example of <FIG>, the PDSCH on each beam may need its own FDM DMRS. Thus, in this case it may be more desirable to treat each frequency division multiplexed synch channel SS block and the restricted PDSCH as a distinct TTI, which in this case is the time duration of one beam. Thus, application of the present methodology of restricting parameters could then include essentially restricting parameters based on a whole or entire TTI basis, as was discussed previously. In another aspect, a TTI may also span multiple beams with joint coding across all beams where each beam has its own DMRS. There may also be a use case where a separate RS or DMRS is not needed, where last beam in the sweep (i.e., the mth SS block) is the same as that used for the PDSCH that immediately follows. This situation would then be similar to the case of frequency division multiplexed PDCCH and PDSCH channels as discussed above.

In yet another use scenario, the present methodology may be applied to a case where the Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS) may be Frequency Division multiplexed with the PDSCH. In certain cases, CSI-RS is not beam-swept, and frequency division multiplexing of the PDSCH and PDCCH with the CSI-RS would be situation could be similar to example discussed above with respect to <FIG>. <FIG> provides an illustration of such an example with the CSI-RS being frequency multiplexed with the PDCCH in the unused bandwidth <NUM>.

In more typical cases, the CSI-RS will be beam-swept similar to the synch channel as was illustrated in the example of <FIG>. Thus, <FIG> provides an illustration of one example of CSI-RS (e.g., <NUM>) frequency division multiplexed with the PDSCH for each beam sweep also corresponding with each SS block. It is noted that the CSI-RS signal and SS blocks are shown over two symbols, but the disclosure is not limited to such, for example, the CSI-RS or the SS blocks or both may be only over one symbol, or alternatively over more than two symbols. It is noted that although <FIG> illustrates an example where the SS blocks are frequency division multiplexed with CSI-RS and the PDSCH (i.e., PDSCH+SS+CSI-RS), the present disclosure contemplates various other combinations such as frequency division multiplexed with the SS (PDSCH+SS) as illustrated in <FIG>. Further combinations may include the PDSCH frequency division multiplexed with the CSI-RS (PDSCH+CSI-RS), which is not specifically illustrated herein.

It is also noted that the disclosed parameter restriction may be useful to not only minimize the PAPR increase resulting from FDM, but also to account for increased inter-symbol interference on symbols using a smaller cyclic prefix duration, for example. The restricted parameter values may implicitly depend on the cyclic prefix durations in use in the first symbol and the later symbols. This applies not only to the above-discussed cases of the synch channel, but also to PDCCH or CSI-RS as well. Due to numerology considerations, it is possible for example, that the first OFDM symbol in certain 'regular' slots (i.e., slots that are not synch-channel slots) has a longer cyclic prefix.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a scheduling entity <NUM> employing a processing system <NUM>. For example, the scheduling entity <NUM> may be a user equipment (UE) as illustrated in any one or more of <FIG> and <FIG>. In another example, the scheduling entity <NUM> may be a base station as illustrated in any one or more of <FIG> and <FIG>.

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

In this example, the processing system <NUM> may be implemented with a bus architecture, represented generally by the bus <NUM>. The bus <NUM> may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges depending on the specific application of the processing system <NUM> and the overall design constraints. The bus <NUM> communicatively couples together various circuits including one or more processors (represented generally by the processor <NUM>), a memory <NUM>, and computer-readable media (represented generally by the computer-readable medium <NUM>). The bus <NUM> may also link various other circuits such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art, and therefore, will not be described any further. A bus interface <NUM> provides an interface between the bus <NUM> and a transceiver <NUM>. The transceiver <NUM> provides a communication interface or means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium. Depending upon the nature of the apparatus, a user interface <NUM> (e.g., keypad, display, speaker, microphone, joystick) may also be provided.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor <NUM> may include circuitry <NUM> configured for various functions, including, for example, FDM parameter control or restriction. For example, the circuitry <NUM> may be configured to implement one or more of the functions described herein in relation to <FIG>, as well as <FIG> including, e.g., block <NUM>. Processor <NUM> may also include circuitry <NUM> configured for determining the time basis for the FDM parameter control or restriction, such as was discussed previously and illustrated in connection with <FIG>.

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

In one or more examples, the computer-readable storage medium <NUM> may include software <NUM> configured for various functions, including, for example FDM parameter control or restriction. For example, the software <NUM> may be configured to implement one or more of the functions described above in relation to <FIG> and <FIG>, including, e.g., block <NUM>. Furthermore, medium <NUM> may include FDM parameter control time basis determination instructions <NUM> to cause the processor <NUM> to further determine the time basis for FDM restriction as illustrated in <FIG>, for example.

In an aspect, the computer-readable storage medium <NUM> may constitute a non-transitory computer-readable medium for storing computer-executable code. The code may be configured to cause a computer or processor to schedule frequency division multiplexed (FDM) symbols, wherein the scheduling of the FDM symbols is selectively based on one or more waveform parameters during a time interval when the FDM symbols are transmitted. Additionally, the code may be configured to cause a computer or processor to transmit the FDM symbols over the time interval. Additionally, the scheduling of the FDM symbols based on the one or more parameters may include restricting a range of possible values of the one or more parameters for the time interval over which FDM transmissions occur.

In a further aspect, the computer-readable medium <NUM> may also include code for causing a computer to restrict a range of possible values of the one or more parameters for a time duration equal to an entire duration of transmission including one or more of a transmission time interval (TTI), a slot, a plurality of minislots, a minislot, or portions thereof. The one or more parameters may include one or more of a number of waveforms to be frequency division multiplexed, a rank of one or more waveforms to be frequency division multiplexed, a modulation order of one or more waveforms to be frequency division multiplexed, the bandwidth of one or more of the waveforms to be frequency division multiplexed, frequency separation between at least two of the waveforms to be frequency division multiplexed, the numerologies of one or more waveforms to be frequency division multiplexed, or the waveforms to be frequency division multiplexed.

In still a further aspect, the computer-readable medium <NUM> may be configured to cause a computer to schedule frequency division multiplexing of a portion of a Physical Downlink shared channel (PDSCH) with a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) during a time duration of the PDCCH occurring prior in time to a later portion of the PDSCH and including restricting a range of possible values of the one or more parameters for the time duration of the PDCCH. In other aspects, the code may cause a computer to schedule frequency division multiplexing of a portion of a Physical Downlink shared channel (PDSCH) with one of: (a) a synchronization signal (SS) block during at least a portion of the time duration of the SS block; or (b) a Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS) during at least a portion of the time duration of the CSI-RS.

<FIG> is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an exemplary scheduled entity <NUM> employing a processing system <NUM>. In accordance with various aspects of the disclosure, an element, or any portion of an element, or any combination of elements may be implemented with the processing system <NUM> that includes one or more processors <NUM>. For example, the scheduled entity <NUM> may be a user equipment (UE) as illustrated in any one or more of <FIG> and <FIG>.

The processing system <NUM> may be substantially the same as the processing system <NUM> illustrated in <FIG>, including a bus interface <NUM>, a bus <NUM>, memory <NUM>, a processor <NUM>, and a computer-readable medium <NUM>. Furthermore, the scheduled entity <NUM> may include a user interface <NUM> and a transceiver <NUM> substantially similar to those described above in <FIG>. That is, the processor <NUM>, as utilized in a scheduled entity <NUM>, may be used to implement any one or more of the processes described below and illustrated in <FIG>.

In some aspects of the disclosure, the processor <NUM> may include circuitry <NUM> configured for various functions, including, for example, decoding FDM waveforms. Additionally, medium <NUM> include instructions or code <NUM> for causing synch channel waveform selection determination by the processor <NUM>, as one example, including decoding FDM waveforms as discussed herein.

<FIG> is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method <NUM> for scheduling frequency division multiplexing (FDM) symbols. Method <NUM> includes including restricting, limiting or controlling parameters in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure. Some or all illustrated features may be omitted in a particular implementation within the scope of the present disclosure, and some illustrated features may not be required for implementation of all embodiments. In some examples, the process <NUM> may be carried out by the scheduling entity <NUM> illustrated in <FIG>. In some examples, the process <NUM> may be carried out by any suitable apparatus or means for carrying out the functions or algorithm described below.

At block <NUM>, method <NUM> includes scheduling frequency division multiplexed (FDM) symbols based on one or more waveform parameters during a time interval when the FDM symbols are transmitted. Although shown as a separate alternative process, process <NUM> may further include restricting or limiting a range of possible values of the one or more parameters for the time interval over which FDM transmissions occur. According to another aspect, method <NUM> may also include determining a time duration or time interval in which the restricting or limiting of parameters is effectuated. In an example, the one or more parameters may include, but are not limited to: (a) a number of waveforms to be frequency division multiplexed; (b) a rank of one or more waveforms to be frequency division multiplexed; (c) a modulation order of one or more waveforms to be frequency division multiplexed; (d) the bandwidth of one or more of the waveforms to be frequency division multiplexed; (e) frequency separation between at least two of the waveforms to be frequency division multiplexed; (f) the numerologies (e.g., subcarrier spacing or cyclic prefix or both) of one or more waveforms to be frequency division multiplexed; (g) the physical channels carried by the waveforms to be frequency division multiplexed; or (h) the waveforms to be frequency division multiplexed.

Furthermore, method <NUM>, and process <NUM>, in particular, may include restricting the range of possible values of the one or more parameters for a time duration equal to an entire duration of transmission including one or more of a transmission time interval (TTI), a slot, a plurality of minislots, or a minislot. In other aspects, method <NUM> may include restricting a range of possible values of the one or more parameters for a time duration equal to at least a portion of a duration of transmission including a portion of an entire transmission time interval (TTI), a portion of a slot, or a portion of a plurality of minislots.

Method <NUM> may also include determining an alternate minislot partitioning of the plurality into two or more minislot groupings for a plurality of minislots, wherein limiting or restricting the range of possible values of the one or more parameters is only performed for minislot groupings where FDM overlapping of symbols occurs, as was illustrated in <FIG>, as one example. The methodology may further include signaling at least one of a set of possible configurations of overlapping symbols or parameter restriction rules with a Radio Resource Control (RRC). In yet a further example, signaling of the possible configuration may comprise a Downlink Control Information (DCI) signal that including an index indicating one out of the set of possible configurations.

In still some other aspects, method <NUM> may also include scheduling frequency division multiplexing of a portion of a Physical Downlink shared channel (PDSCH) with a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) during a time duration of the PDCCH occurring prior in time to a later portion of the PDSCH. This may include restricting a range of possible values of the one or more parameters for the time duration of the PDCCH. In yet another aspect, method <NUM> may include scheduling frequency division multiplexing of a portion of a Physical Downlink shared channel (PDSCH) with one of: (a) a synchronization signal (SS) block during at least a portion of the time duration of the SS block; or (b) a Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS) during at least a portion of the time duration of the CSI-RS.

<FIG> is a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method <NUM> for receiving frequency division multiplexing (FDM) symbols, such as FDM symbols configured and transmitted according to method <NUM> disclosed in connection with <FIG>. Method <NUM> may be implemented in a mobile device such as a scheduled entity (e.g., <NUM>) or a UE receiving scheduled FDM symbols where the FDM symbols are scheduled based on one or more waveform parameters. In particular, method <NUM> includes receiving scheduled FDM symbols where the FDM symbols are scheduled selectively based on one or more waveform parameters during the time interval when the FDM symbols are transmitted as shown in block <NUM>. In an aspect, the processes of block <NUM> may further include receiving a grant indicating that the signals comprise FDM symbols of multiple transmissions over some portion of the grant.

Additionally, method <NUM> includes applying the waveform parameters for decoding of FDM symbols as shown at block <NUM>. The scheduling of the waveform parameters includes restricting a range of possible values of the one or more parameters for the time interval over which FDM transmissions occur. Moreover, the scheduling of the FDM symbols includes restricting a range of possible values of the one or more parameters for a time duration equal to an entire duration of transmission including one or more of a transmission time interval (TTI), a slot, a plurality of slots, a minislot, or a plurality of minislots.

In an example, the one or more parameters may include, but are not limited to: (a) a number of waveforms to be frequency division multiplexed; (b) a rank of one or more waveforms to be frequency division multiplexed; (c) a modulation order of one or more waveforms to be frequency division multiplexed; (d) the bandwidth of one or more of the waveforms to be frequency division multiplexed; (e) frequency separation between at least two of the waveforms to be frequency division multiplexed; (f) the numerologies (e.g., subcarrier spacing or cyclic prefix or both) of one or more waveforms to be frequency division multiplexed; (g) the physical channels carried by the waveforms to be frequency division multiplexed; or (h) the waveforms to be frequency division multiplexed.

Method <NUM> may also include receiving signaling at the receiver of at least one of a set of possible configurations of overlapping symbols or parameter restriction rules with a Radio Resource Control (RRC). Still further, method <NUM> may include scheduled frequency division multiplexing of a portion of a Physical Downlink shared channel (PDSCH) with a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) during a time duration of the PDCCH occurring prior in time to a later portion of the PDSCH and including restricting a range of possible values of the one or more parameters for the time duration of the PDCCH. Additionally, in another aspect the scheduling includes scheduling frequency division multiplexing of a portion of a Physical Downlink shared channel (PDSCH) with one of: (a) a synchronization signal (SS) block during at least a portion of the time duration of the SS block; or (b) a Channel State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS) during at least a portion of the time duration of the CSI-RS.

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

Claim 1:
A method (<NUM>) of wireless communication performed by a receiver, comprising:
receiving (<NUM>) frequency division multiplexed, FDM, symbols, wherein the FDM symbols being scheduled by a transmitter based on one or more waveform parameters during a time interval over which the FDM symbols are transmitted by the transmitter,
wherein a first set of FDM symbols and a second set of FDM symbols being assigned to a first UE and a second UE respectively, and there is FDM overlapping of symbols at least partially between the respective sets of FDM symbols;
wherein, in response to the FDM overlapping of symbols, the FDM symbols being transmitted based on an alternate minislot partitioning that comprises a first minislot (<NUM>) scheduled for transmission to the first UE, the first minislot comprises a portion of the first set of FDM symbols that do not overlap with the second set of FDM symbols, a second minislot (<NUM>) scheduled for transmission to the second UE, the second minislot comprises a portion of the second set of FDM symbols that do not overlap with the first set of FDM symbols, and a third minislot (<NUM>) scheduled for transmission to both the first UE and the second UE, the overlapped FDM symbols arranged in the third minislot;
wherein a range of possible values of the one or more waveform parameters is restricted only for the third minislot, and that the overlapped FDM symbols are scheduled in the third minislot, based on the restricted range of possible values of the one or more waveform parameters; and
wherein the range of possible values of the one or more waveform parameters of the third minislot is restricted vis-à-vis the first minislot and the second minislot to preserve peak-to-average power ratio; and
decoding (<NUM>) the FDM symbols, based on application of the one or more waveform parameters,
wherein the receiver is the first UE or the second UE.