Patent Description:
Examples of such multiple-access systems include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency division multiple access (FDMA) systems, and orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) systems. A wireless multiple-access communications system may include a number of base stations, each simultaneously supporting communication for multiple communication devices, which may be otherwise known as user equipment (UE).

<CIT> relates to triggers/conditions that may cause a WTRU to consider new data available for transmission and/or trigger a BSR/SR. In particular, The WTRU may determine that data is available for transmission for a bearer (and/or a service) (e.g., for a LCH and/or for a LCG) associated (e.g., configured) with a specific (first) HARQ timeline etc.. When the HARQ timeline of the data determined to be available is more stringent, then the WTRU may trigger a BSR and/or SR. The WTRU performs such determination of data available (e.g. for a LCH) irrespective of whether a BSR and/or a SR is pending due to data available in a LCH (and/or LCG) associated with a second HARQ timeline.

The invention recited in the independent claims improves such wireless communication systems. Advantageous embodiments are subject to the dependent claims A method, and apparatus for indicating a flexible timeline for an uplink (UL) transmission by a user equipment (UE) is described. The UE may receive a feedback monitoring opportunity configuration that identifies a set of uplink processing timelines.

With <NUM> NR, subcarrier spacing may be scaled. Also, the waveforms selected for <NUM> include cyclic prefix orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (CP-OFDM) and DFT-Spread (DFT-s) OFDM. In addition, <NUM> allows for switching between both CP-OFDM and DFT-S-OFDM on the uplink to get the spatial multiplexing benefit of CP-OFDM and the link budget benefit of DFT-S OFDM. With Long Term Evolution (LTE), orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) communications signals may be used for downlink communications, while Single-Carrier Frequency-Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) communications signals may be used for LTE uplink communications. The DFT-s-OFDMA scheme spreads a plurality of data symbols (i.e., a data symbol sequence) over a frequency domain. Also, in comparison to the OFDMA scheme, the SC-FDMA or DFT-s-OFDMA schemes can greatly reduce a peak to average power ratio (PAPR) of a transmission signal. The terms DFT-s-OFDMA and SC-FDMA may be used interchangeably, in some cases.

Scalable OFDM multi-tone numerology is another feature of <NUM>. Prior versions of LTE supported a mostly fixed OFDM numerology of <NUM> spacing between OFDM tones (often called subcarriers) and carrier bandwidths up to <NUM>. Scalable OFDM numerology has been introduced in <NUM> to support diverse spectrum bands/types and deployment models. For example, <NUM> NR is able to operate in mm Wave bands that have wider channel widths (e.g., <NUM> of MMHz) than currently used in LTE. Also, the OFDM subcarrier spacing is able to scale with the channel width, so the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) size scales such that processing complexity does not increase unnecessarily for wider bandwidths. In the present application, numerology refers to the different values that different features of a communication system can take, such as subcarrier spacing, cyclic prefix, symbol length, FFT size, TTI, etc..

Also in LTE and <NUM> NR, cellular technologies have been expanded into the unlicensed spectrum, which may provide added capacity. A first member of this technology family is referred to as LTE Unlicensed or LTE-U. By aggregating LTE in an unlicensed spectrum with an 'anchor' channel in a licensed spectrum, faster downloads are enabled. Also, LTE-U shares the unlicensed spectrum fairly with Wi-Fi. This is an advantage because in the <NUM> unlicensed band where Wi-Fi devices are widely used, it is desirable for LTE-U to coexist with Wi-Fi. However, an LTE-U network may cause Radio Frequency (RF) interference to an existing co-channel Wi-Fi device. Choosing a preferred operating channel and reducing interference caused to nearby Wi-Fi networks is a goal for LTE-U devices. However, the LTE-U single carrier (SC) device may operate on the same channel as Wi-Fi if all available channels are occupied by Wi-Fi devices. To coordinate spectrum access between LTE-U and Wi-Fi, the energy across the intended transmission band is first detected. This energy detection (ED) mechanism informs the device of ongoing transmissions by other nodes. Based on this ED information, a device decides if it should transmit. A Wi-Fi device may not back off to LTE-U unless its interference level is above an energy detection threshold (-<NUM> decibel-milliwatts (dBm) over <NUM> megahertz (MHz)). Thus, without proper coexistence mechanisms in place, LTE-U transmissions could cause considerable interference on a Wi-Fi network relative to Wi-Fi transmissions. In <NUM> NR, unlicensed spectrum may be used in both stand-alone and licensed-assisted (LAA) schemes. LAA is another member of the unlicensed technology family and like LTE-U, it also uses an anchor channel in licensed spectrum. However, it also adds "listen before talk" (LBT) to the LTE functionality. In addition, carriers for LTE or <NUM> NR may occupy frequencies up to <NUM> gigahertz (GHz), also known as mm Wave.

A gating interval may be used to gain access to a channel of a shared spectrum. The gating interval may determine the application of a contention-based protocol such as an LBT protocol. The gating interval may indicate when a Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) is performed. Whether a channel of the shared unlicensed spectrum is available or in use is determined by the CCA. If the channel is "clear" for use, i.e., available, the gating interval may allow the transmitting apparatus to use the channel. Access to the channel is typically for a predefined transmission interval. Thus, with unlicensed spectrum, a "listen before talk" procedure is performed before transmitting a message. If the channel is not cleared for use, then a device will not transmit.

Another member of this family of unlicensed technologies is LTE-Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) Aggregation (LWA), which utilizes both LTE and Wi-Fi. Accounting for channel conditions for both LTE and Wi-Fi, LWA can split a single data flow into two data flows which allows both the LTE and the Wi-Fi channel to be used for an application. Instead of competing with Wi-Fi, the LTE signal is using the WLAN connections seamlessly to increase capacity.

Another member of this family of unlicensed technologies is MulteFire. MulteFire opens up new opportunities by operating <NUM> LTE technology solely in unlicensed spectrum such as the global <NUM> band. Unlike LTE-U and LAA, MulteFire allows entities without any access to licensed spectrum to use LTE or <NUM> NR technologies. Thus, it operates in unlicensed spectrum on a standalone basis, that is, without any anchor channel in the licensed spectrum. Thus, LTE-U, LAA, and LWA differ from MulteFire because they aggregate unlicensed spectrum with an anchor in licensed spectrum. Without relying on licensed spectrum as the anchoring service, MulteFire allows for Wi-Fi like deployments. A MulteFire network may include access points (APs) and/or base stations <NUM> communicating in an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, e.g., without a licensed anchor carrier.

A discovery reference signal (DRS) Measurement Timing Configuration (DMTC) is a technique that allows MulteFire to transmit but with minimal interference to other unlicensed technology including Wi-Fi. Additionally, the periodicity of discovery signals is very sparse. This allows MulteFire to occasionally access channels, transmit discovery and control signals, and then vacate the channels. Since the unlicensed spectrum is shared with other radios of similar or dissimilar wireless technologies, LBT techniques may be applied for channel sensing. LBT involves sensing the medium for a pre-defined minimum amount of time and backing off if the channel is busy. Therefore, the initial random access (RA) procedure for standalone LTE-U should involve as few transmissions as possible and also have low latency, such that the number of LBT operations can be minimized and the RA procedure can then be completed as quickly as possible.

Leveraging a DMTC window, MulteFire algorithms search and decode reference signals in an unlicensed band from neighboring base stations in order to know which base station would be best for serving the user. As the caller moves past one base station, their UE sends a measurement report to it, triggering a handover at the right moment, and transferring the caller (and all of their content and information) to the next base station.

Since LTE traditionally operated in licensed spectrum and Wi-Fi operated in unlicensed bands, coexistence with Wi-Fi or other unlicensed technology was not considered when LTE was designed. In moving to the unlicensed world, the LTE waveform was modified and algorithms were added in order to perform LBT. This allows unlicensed incumbents, including Wi-Fi, to have less interference because a device following LBT will not just acquire a channel and immediately transmit. The present example supports LBT and the detection and transmission of a Wi-Fi Channel Usage Beacon Signal (WCUBS) for ensuring coexistence with Wi-Fi neighbors.

MulteFire was designed to "hear" transmissions for a neighboring Wi-Fi device. MulteFire listens first, and autonomously makes the decision to transfer when there is no other neighboring Wi-Fi transmitting on the same channel. This technique ensures coexistence between MulteFire and Wi-Fi.

Additionally, techniques and devices described herein may adhere to the unlicensed rules and regulations set by 3GPP and the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), which mandates the -<NUM> dBm LBT detection threshold. This further helps devices reduce conflict with Wi-Fi. MulteFire's LBT design may be identical to the standards defined in 3GPP for LAA/eLAA and may comply with ETSI rules.

An expanded functionality for <NUM> involves the use of <NUM> NR Spectrum Sharing, or NR-SS. <NUM> spectrum sharing enables enhancement, expansion, and upgrade of the spectrum sharing technologies introduced in LTE. These include LTE Wi-Fi Aggregation (LWA), License Assisted Access (LAA), enhanced License Assisted Access (eLAA), and Citizen's Broadband Radio Service (CBRS)/License Shared Access (LSA).

Aspects of the disclosure are initially described in the context of a wireless communication system. Aspects of the disclosure are then illustrated by and described with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flowcharts that relate to receiving on transmit and transmitting on receive.

<FIG> illustrates an exemplary wireless communication system <NUM>, such as a new radio (NR) or <NUM> network, in which aspects of the present disclosure may be performed.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the wireless communication system <NUM> may include a number of base stations (BSs) <NUM> and other network entities. A BS <NUM> may be a station that communicates with UEs <NUM>. Each BS <NUM> may provide communication coverage for a particular geographic coverage area <NUM>. In 3GPP, the term "cell" can refer to a geographic coverage area <NUM> of a BS and/or a BS subsystem serving this coverage area, depending on the context in which the term is used. In NR systems, the term "cell" and the terms Node B (NB), enhanced NB (eNB), <NUM> NB, AP, NR BS, NR BS, <NUM> Radio NodeB (gNB), or transmission reception point (TRP) may be interchangeable. In some aspects, a cell may not necessarily be stationary, and the geographic area <NUM> of the cell may move according to the location of a mobile BS <NUM>. In some aspects, the BSs <NUM> may be interconnected to one another and/or to one or more other BSs <NUM> or network nodes in the wireless communication system <NUM> through various types of backhaul interfaces such as a direct physical connection, a virtual network, or the like using any suitable transport network.

A BS <NUM> may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, and/or other types of cell. A macro cell may cover a relatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs <NUM> with service subscriptions. A pico cell may cover a relatively small geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UEs <NUM> with service subscriptions. A femto cell may cover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and may allow restricted access by UEs <NUM> having association with the femto cell (e.g., UEs in a Closed Subscriber Group (CSG), UEs for users in the home, etc.). A BS <NUM> for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro BS <NUM>. In the example shown in <FIG>, the BSs 110a, 110b, and 110c may be macro BSs for the macro cells 102a, 102b, and 102c, respectively.

The wireless communication system <NUM> may also include relay stations. A relay station may also be referred to as a relay BS, a relay, etc. A relay station is a station that receives a transmission of data and/or other information from an upstream station (e.g., a BS or a UE) and sends a transmission of the data and/or other information to a downstream station (e.g., a UE or a BS). A relay station may also be a UE <NUM> that relays transmissions for other UEs <NUM>.

The wireless communication system <NUM> may be a heterogeneous network that includes BSs <NUM> of different types, e.g., macro BS, pico BS, femto BS, relays, etc. These different types of BSs may have different transmit power levels, different coverage areas, and different impacts on interference in the wireless communication system <NUM>.

The wireless communication system <NUM> may support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, the BSs <NUM> may have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different BSs <NUM> may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, the BSs <NUM> may have different frame timing, and transmissions from different BSs <NUM> may not be aligned in time.

A network controller <NUM> may be coupled to a set of BSs <NUM> and provide coordination and control for these BSs <NUM>. The BSs <NUM> may also communicate with one another, e.g., directly or indirectly via wireless or wireline backhaul.

The UEs <NUM> (e.g., 120a, 120b, 120x, 120y, etc.) may be dispersed throughout the wireless communication system <NUM>, and each UE may be stationary or mobile. A UE <NUM> may also be referred to as a mobile station, a terminal, an access terminal, a subscriber unit, a station, a Customer Premises Equipment (CPE), a cellular phone, a smart phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a tablet, a camera, a gaming device, a netbook, a smartbook, an ultrabook, a medical device or medical equipment, a healthcare device, a biometric sensor/device, a wearable device such as a smart watch, smart clothing, smart glasses, virtual reality goggles, a smart wrist band, smart jewelry (e.g., a smart ring, a smart bracelet, etc.), an entertainment device (e.g., a music device, a video device, a satellite radio, etc.), a vehicular component or sensor, a smart meter/sensor, a robot, a drone, industrial manufacturing equipment, a positioning device (e.g., GPS, Beidou, terrestrial, etc.), or any other suitable device that is configured to communicate via a wireless or wired medium.

Some UEs <NUM> may be considered machine-type communication (MTC) devices or evolved MTC (eMTC) devices, which may include remote devices that may communicate with a base station <NUM>, another remote device, or some other entity. MTC may refer to communication involving at least one remote device on at least one end of the communication and may include forms of data communication which involve one or more entities that do not necessarily need human interaction. MTC UEs <NUM> may be capable of MTC communications with MTC servers and/or other MTC devices through a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), for example. MTC and eMTC UEs <NUM> include, for example, robots, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters, monitors, cameras, location tags, etc., that may communicate with a BS <NUM>, another device (e.g., remote device), or some other entity. MTC UEs <NUM>, as well as other UEs <NUM>, may be implemented as Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices, e.g., narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) devices. In NB IoT, the uplink and downlink may have higher periodicities and repetition interval values as a UE <NUM> decodes data in extended coverage.

In <FIG>, a solid line with double arrows indicates desired transmissions between a UE <NUM> and a serving BS <NUM>, which is a BS <NUM> designated to serve the UE <NUM> on the downlink and/or uplink. A dashed line with double arrows indicates interfering transmissions between a UE <NUM> and a BS <NUM>.

For example, the spacing of the subcarriers may be <NUM> and the minimum resource allocation (called a 'resource block') may be <NUM> subcarriers (or <NUM>). Consequently, the nominal FFT size may be equal to <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM> for system bandwidth of <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM> megahertz (MHz), respectively. For example, a subband may cover <NUM> (e.g., <NUM> resource blocks), and there may be <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM> subbands for system bandwidth of <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>, respectively.

NR may utilize OFDM with a CP or DFT-S-OFDM on the uplink and downlink and include support for half-duplex operation using time division duplex (TDD). A carrier may be referred to as a component carrier (CC), and CC bandwidths up to or greater than <NUM> may be supported. NR resource blocks may span <NUM> sub-carriers with a sub-carrier bandwidth of <NUM> over a <NUM> duration. Each radio frame may consist of <NUM> subframes with a length of <NUM>. Consequently, each subframe may have a length of <NUM>. Each subframe may indicate a link direction (e.g., downlink (DL) or uplink (UL)) for data transmission and the link direction for each subframe may be dynamically switched. Each subframe may include DL/UL data as well as DL/UL control data. UL and DL subframes for NR may be as described in more detail below with respect to <FIG> and <FIG>. MIMO configurations in the DL may support up to <NUM> transmit antennas with up to <NUM> streams of multi-layer DL transmissions and up to <NUM> streams per UE <NUM>. Multi-layer transmissions with up to <NUM> streams per UE <NUM> may be supported. Alternatively, NR may support a different air interface, other than an OFDM-based air interface. NR networks may include entities such as central units (CUs) and/or distributed units (DUs).

In some aspects, access to the air interface may be scheduled, wherein a scheduling entity (e.g., a BS <NUM>) allocates resources for communication among some or all devices and equipment within its service area or cell. BSs <NUM> are not the sole entities that may function as a scheduling entity. That is, in some aspects, a UE <NUM> may function as a scheduling entity and may schedule resources for one or more subordinate entities (e.g., one or more other UEs <NUM>). In this example, the UE <NUM> is functioning as a scheduling entity, and other UEs utilize resources scheduled by the UE <NUM> for wireless communication. A UE <NUM> may function as a scheduling entity in a peer-to-peer (P2P) network, and/or in a mesh network. In a mesh network example, UEs <NUM> may optionally communicate directly with one another in addition to communicating with the scheduling entity.

As noted above, a RAN may include a CU and one or more DUs. A NR BS (e.g., eNB, <NUM> Node B, Node B, TRP, AP, or gNB) may correspond to one or multiple BSs <NUM>. NR cells can be configured as access cell (ACells) or data only cells (DCells). For example, the RAN (e.g., a central unit or distributed unit) can configure the cells. DCells may be cells used for carrier aggregation or dual connectivity, but not used for initial access, cell selection/reselection, or handover. DCells may or may not transmit synchronization signals (SS). NR BSs <NUM> may transmit downlink signals to UEs <NUM> indicating the cell type. Based on the cell type indication, the UE <NUM> may communicate with the NR BS <NUM>. For example, the UE <NUM> may determine NR BSs <NUM> to consider for cell selection, access, handover, and/or measurement based on the indicated cell type.

<FIG> illustrates an exemplary logical architecture of a distributed radio access network (RAN) <NUM>, which may be implemented in the wireless communication system <NUM> illustrated in <FIG>. The ANC <NUM> may be a CU of the distributed RAN <NUM>. The backhaul interface to a next generation core network (NG-CN) <NUM> may terminate at the ANC <NUM>. The backhaul interface to neighboring next generation access nodes (NG-ANs <NUM>) may terminate at the ANC <NUM>. The ANC <NUM> may include one or more TRPs <NUM> (which may also be referred to as BSs, NR BSs, Node Bs, <NUM> NBs, APs, eNB, gNB, or some other term). As described above, a TRP <NUM> may be used interchangeably with "cell.

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

The RAN <NUM> may be used to illustrate a fronthaul definition. The architecture may be defined to support fronthauling solutions across different deployment types.

According to techniques described herein, the next generation AN (NG-AN) <NUM> may support dual connectivity with NR. The NG-AN <NUM> may share a common fronthaul for LTE and NR.

The architecture may enable cooperation between and among the TRPs <NUM>. For example, cooperation may be preset within a TRP <NUM> and/or across the TRPs <NUM> via the ANC <NUM>. According to some examples, no inter-TRP interface may be needed or present.

According to aspects, a dynamic configuration of split logical functions may be present within the RAN <NUM>. A Radio Resource Control (RRC) layer, a Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP) layer, a Radio Link Control (RLC) layer, a Medium Access Control (MAC) layer, and a Physical (PHY) layer may be adaptably placed at the DU or CU (e.g., TRP or ANC, respectively). According to certain aspects, a BS may include a CU (e.g., ANC <NUM>) and/or one or more distributed units (e.g., one or more TRPs <NUM>).

<FIG> illustrates an exemplary physical architecture of a distributed RAN <NUM>, according to aspects of the present disclosure. The C-CU <NUM> may be centrally deployed. Functionality of the C-CU <NUM> may be offloaded (e.g., to advanced wireless services (AWS)), in an effort to handle peak capacity.

The C-RU <NUM> may be closer to the network edge.

A DU <NUM> may host one or more TRPs (e.g., edge node (EN), an edge unit (EU), a radio head (RH), a smart radio head (SRH), or the like). The DU <NUM> may be located at edges of the network with RF functionality.

<FIG> illustrates exemplary components of a BS <NUM> and a UE <NUM> illustrated in <FIG>, which may be used to implement aspects of the present disclosure. In the example of <FIG>, the BS <NUM> may be the macro BS 110c in <FIG>, and the UE <NUM> may be the UE 120y. The BS <NUM> may also be a base station of some other type. The BS <NUM> may be equipped with antennas 434a through 434t, and the UE <NUM> may be equipped with antennas 452a through 452r. As described above, the BS <NUM> may include a TRP. One or more components of the BS <NUM> and UE <NUM> may be used to practice aspects of the present disclosure. For example, antennas 452a through 452r, processors <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or controller/processor <NUM> of the UE <NUM>. Antennas <NUM>, processors <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or controller/processor <NUM> of the BS <NUM> may be used to perform the operations described herein.

At the base station <NUM>, a transmit processor <NUM> may receive data from a data source <NUM> and control information from a controller/processor <NUM>. The control information may be for the Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH), Physical Control Format Indicator Channel (PCFICH), Physical Hybrid ARQ Indicator Channel (PHICH), Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), etc. The data from the data source <NUM> may be for the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), etc. The processor <NUM> may process (e.g., encode and symbol map) the data and control information to obtain data symbols and control symbols, respectively. The processor <NUM> may also generate reference symbols, e.g., for the primary synchronization signal (PSS), the secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and cell-specific reference signal. For example, the TX MIMO processor <NUM> may perform certain aspects described herein for reference signal (RS) multiplexing.

Each demodulator <NUM> may condition (e.g., filter, amplify, downconvert, digitize, etc.) a respective received signal to obtain input samples. For example, the MIMO detector <NUM> may provide detected RS transmitted using techniques described herein. A receive processor <NUM> may process (e.g., demodulate, deinterleave, and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for the UE <NUM> to a data sink <NUM>, and provide decoded control information to the controller/processor <NUM>. According to one or more cases, some aspects can include providing the antennas <NUM>, as well as some Tx/Rx functionalities, such that they reside in distributed units. For example, some Tx/Rx processing can be done in the central unit, while other processing can be done at the distributed units. For example, in accordance with one or more aspects as shown in the diagram, the BS mod/demod <NUM> may be located in the distributed units.

The processor <NUM> and/or other processors and modules at the base station <NUM> may perform or direct the processes for the techniques described herein. The processor <NUM> and/or other processors and modules at the UE <NUM> may also perform or direct processes for the techniques described herein. The memories <NUM> and <NUM> may store data and program codes for the BS <NUM> and the UE <NUM>, respectively. A scheduler <NUM> may schedule UEs <NUM> for data transmission on the downlink and/or uplink.

<FIG> is a diagram showing an exemplary DL-centric subframe 500A. The DL-centric subframe 500A may include a control portion 502A, a DL data portion 504A, and a common UL portion 506A. The control portion 502A may exist in the initial or beginning portion of the DL-centric subframe 500A. The control portion 502A may include various scheduling information and/or control information corresponding to various portions of the DL-centric subframe 500A. In some configurations, the control portion 502A may be a PDCCH, as indicated by the legend shown in <FIG>.

The DL data portion 504A may sometimes be referred to as the payload of the DL-centric subframe 500A. The DL data portion 504A may include the communication resources utilized to communicate DL data from the scheduling entity such as the ANC <NUM> of <FIG>(e.g., eNB, BS, Node B, <NUM> NB, TRP, gNB, etc.) to the subordinate entity, e.g., UE <NUM>. In some configurations, the DL data portion 504A may be a PDSCH.

The DL-centric subframe 500A may also include a common UL portion 506A. The common UL portion 506A may sometimes be referred to as an UL burst, a common UL burst, and/or various other suitable terms. The common UL portion 506A may include feedback information corresponding to various other portions of the DL-centric subframe 500A. For example, the common UL portion 506A may include feedback information corresponding to the control portion 502A. Non-limiting examples of feedback information may include an acknowledge (ACK) signal, a negative acknowledge (NACK) signal, a HARQ indicator, and/or various other suitable types of information. The common UL portion 506A may include additional or alternative information, such as information pertaining to random access channel (RACH) procedures, scheduling requests (SRs), sounding reference signals (SRS), and various other suitable types of information.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the end of the DL data portion 504A may be separated in time from the beginning of the common UL portion 506A. This separation may provide time for the switchover from DL communication (e.g., reception operation by the subordinate entity, such as UE <NUM>) to UL communication (e.g., transmission by the subordinate entity, such as UE <NUM>). One of ordinary skill in the art will understand, however, that the foregoing is merely one example of a DL-centric subframe 500A and alternative structures having similar features may exist without necessarily deviating from the aspects described herein.

<FIG> is a diagram showing an exemplary UL-centric subframe 500B. The UL-centric subframe 500B may include a control portion 502B, a UL data portion 504B, and a common UL portion 506B. The control portion 502B may exist in the initial or beginning portion of the UL-centric subframe 500B. The control portion 502B in <FIG> may be similar to the control portion 502A described above with reference to <FIG>. The UL data portion 504B may sometimes be referred to as the payload of the UL-centric subframe. The UL data portion 504B may refer to the communication resources utilized to communicate UL data from the subordinate entity, e.g., UE <NUM>, to the scheduling entity (e.g., a BS <NUM> or ANC <NUM>). In some configurations, the control portion 502B may be a PUSCH.

As illustrated in <FIG>, the end of the control portion 502B may be separated in time from the beginning of the UL data portion 504B. This separation may provide time for the switchover from DL communication (e.g., reception operation by the scheduling entity <NUM>) to UL communication (e.g., transmission by the scheduling entity <NUM>).

The common UL portion 506B in <FIG> may be similar to the common UL portion 506A described above with reference to <FIG>. The common UL portion 506B may additionally or alternatively include information pertaining to channel quality indicator (CQI), SRSs, and various other suitable types of information. One of ordinary skill in the art will understand that the foregoing is merely one example of an UL-centric subframe 500B and alternative structures having similar features may exist without necessarily deviating from the aspects described herein.

In summary, a UL-centric subframe 500B may be used for transmitting UL data from one or more mobile stations <NUM> to a base station <NUM>, and a DL-centric subframe 500A may be used for transmitting DL data from the base station <NUM> to the one or more mobile stations <NUM>. In one example, a frame may include both DL-centric subframes 500A and UL-centric subframes 500B. In such an example, the ratio of UL-centric subframes to DL-centric subframes in a frame may be dynamically adjusted based on the amount of uplink data and the amount of downlink data that needs to be transmitted. For example, if there is more uplink data than downlink data, then the ratio of UL-centric subframes to DL-centric subframes may be increased. Conversely, if there is more downlink data than uplink data, then the ratio of UL-centric subframes to DL-centric subframes may be decreased.

A flexible timeline is being introduced in NR where the UE indicates delays in terms of slots, K0/K1/K2, in the timeline. The delays, K0/K1/K2, can be conveyed in downlink control information (DCI). Techniques described herein may include the UE <NUM> indicating the DL feedback timing for UL transmissions (e.g., autonomous uplink (AUL) transmissions) or indicating the DL scheduling timing for UL transmissions. The indication can be conveyed in the uplink control information (UCI) in the PUCCH or in a scheduling request (SR).

The PUCCH carries the UCI. In some aspects, the UCI carries at least one of CQI, an SR, or HARQ ACK/NACK. DCI such as scheduling decisions and power-control commands is used to signal allocation of resources to the UE <NUM>. For example, DCI may be used to schedule downlink resources on the PDSCH or uplink resources on the PUSCH. In addition, Transmit Power Control (TPC) commands may be signaled by the DCI for either the PUCCH or the PUSCH. The PDCCH is used to carry DCI.

AUL transmission was introduced in MulteFire, further enhanced licensed assisted (FeLAA), and NR. LAA was defined solely for the downlink in 3GPP Rel-<NUM>. Enhanced-Licensed Assisted Access (eLAA) was added in 3GPP Rel-<NUM> and included uplink operation for LAA. In some cases, uplink transmissions in unlicensed spectrum (e.g., in LTE-U or LAA) may be scheduled by a BS <NUM>. An uplink grant may indicate scheduled resources to be used by a UE <NUM> for uplink transmission.

One goal of the present method and apparatus is to improve channel utilization by reducing uplink transmission delay (or latency) for a UE <NUM> in the unlicensed spectrum by not having to rely on a BS <NUM> to have access to the wireless medium in order to assign a grant to the UE <NUM>. In one aspect, the BS <NUM> does not have to assign one or more uplink grants before one or more UEs <NUM> can use that wireless medium for uplink transmissions. The UE <NUM> can transmit on an AUL without having received an uplink grant.

Typically, if a UE <NUM> is not scheduled with an uplink grant for a while, the UE <NUM> will submit a scheduling request in order to get scheduled in uplink when new data arrives. Using AULs may reduce uplink transmission delay (or latency) because the UE will not have to send an SR before sending data, reports, or control signals on the uplink. A UE <NUM> used an SR to request resource allocation in the uplink so the UE <NUM> can send data.

A UE <NUM> operating in unlicensed spectrum may determine that a BS <NUM> is not transmitting during a particular time period (e.g., by detecting the absence of a control signal or a preamble). Meanwhile, the UE <NUM> may also perform an LBT procedure and, if the channel is available, may perform an AUL transmission. The AUL transmission may include control information to facilitate decoding at a BS <NUM>. Thus, the BS <NUM> may receive the control information, and decode the rest of the AUL transmission accordingly. The BS <NUM> may configure the UE for AUL transmissions when the radio link is established, and may also send dynamic configuration information to initiate, suspend, or reconfigure parameters for AUL transmissions. This is shown in <FIG> which illustrates a method for AUL transmission in unlicensed spectrum.

<FIG> illustrates a method <NUM> for autonomous UL transmission in an unlicensed spectrum, in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of method <NUM> may be implemented by a device such as a UE <NUM> or its components as described with reference to <FIG>. For example, the operations of method <NUM> may be performed by an AUL manager as described herein. In some aspects, the UE <NUM> may execute a set of codes to control the functional elements of the device to perform the functions described below.

At block <NUM>, the UE <NUM> may detect an absence of a control transmission from a base station on a CC in an unlicensed spectrum band at a predefined time.

At block <NUM>, the UE <NUM> may perform an LBT procedure based on the detected absence of the control transmission. In certain aspects, the operations of block <NUM> may be performed by an LBT component. At block <NUM>, the UE <NUM> may transmit an unscheduled UL message on the CC based on the LBT procedure.

UEs <NUM> or base stations <NUM> operating in shared or unlicensed frequency spectrum may perform an LBT procedure such as a CCA prior to communicating in order to determine whether the channel is available. A CCA may include an energy detection procedure to determine whether there are any other active transmissions. For example, the device may infer that a change in a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) of a power meter indicates that a channel is occupied. Specifically, signal power that is concentrated in a certain bandwidth and exceeds a predetermined noise floor may indicate another wireless transmitter is actively using the CC. A CCA may also include detection of specific sequences that indicate use of the channel. For example, another device may transmit a specific preamble prior to transmitting a data sequence.

For AUL transmission, the downlink feedback (which indicates if the AUL transmission was received) could be conveyed either in DCI or autonomous UL - DL feedback information (AUL-DFI). AUL-DFI was introduced in FeLAA/MulteFire to send DL feedback in response to an AUL transmission. In FeLAA/MulteFire, it is assumed that the AUL-DFI has a bitmap which maps a bit to each HARQ processes allocated to the AUL. It is assumed that each DL feedback is going to have a position for each HARQ which represents an ACK or a NACK. A bit map is a mapping from some domain (almost always a range of integers) to values in the set {<NUM>, <NUM>}. Here, in one example, the values can be interpreted as ACK/NACK where ACK is "<NUM>" and NACK is "<NUM>. " Also, the default ACK/NACK value may be NACK. A new data indicator (NDI) in the DCI can also be used to provide feedback. If the new data indicator toggles, it means the previous transmission was received correctly and the next transmission is new data.

HARQ may be a method of ensuring that data is received correctly over a wireless communication link. HARQ may include a combination of error detection (e.g., using a CRC), forward error correction (FEC), and retransmission (e.g., automatic repeat request (ARQ)). In Incremental Redundancy HARQ, incorrectly received data may be stored in a buffer and combined with subsequent transmissions to improve the overall likelihood of successfully decoding the data. In some cases, redundancy bits are added to each message prior to transmission. This may be useful in poor conditions. In other cases, redundancy bits are not added to each transmission, but are retransmitted after the transmitter of the original message receives a NACK indicating a failed attempt to decode the information. The chain of transmission, response and retransmission may be referred to as a HARQ process. In some cases, a limited number of HARQ processes may be used for a given communication link. In some cases, UL control messages including HARQ information may be transmitted autonomously by a UE <NUM>. HARQ process may also be configured in autonomous (e.g., unscheduled) UL transmissions. When a UE <NUM> transmits autonomous UL messages, the transmissions may include UCI that contain parameters similar to those included in DCI because the receiving base station <NUM> may use the UCI to facilitate decoding of the message.

In some aspects, a base station <NUM> may configure a UE <NUM> with parameters for autonomous UL transmission. In some aspects, an RRC message may contain indications and parameter configuration information. Further, parameters may include a maximum number of subframes that may be transmitted autonomously, in addition to an identification of subframes on which a UE may contend for autonomous UL transmissions (e.g., even subframes, odd subframes, once every N slots, etc.).

Presently in LTE, the UE interprets the AUL-DFI based on a <NUM> processing timeline. That is, it will be assumed that there may be a delay (e.g., a minimum <NUM> gap) between the UL grant and the UL transmission. That is, all the outstanding HARQ processes less than <NUM> will be deemed pending and will be populated in the next AUL-DFI instead of being treated as NACKs. Without DFI, the BS <NUM> can always send a new transmission DCI or a retransmission DCI which implicitly conveys the ACK/NACK information.

Flexible timelines were introduced in NR. Instead of using a fixed <NUM> processing time, a UE <NUM> is allowed to have different timelines depending on the UE category. In one example, the BS <NUM> indicates the timeline in a DCI sent to the UE.

The present method and apparatus focuses on the UE indicated timeline for AUL transmissions. The UE <NUM> indicates the timeline for AUL transmissions to the BS <NUM>.

<FIG> discloses timing relation definitions <NUM> for HARQ operations in NR where K0 to K2 represents delays measured in slots. K0 is the delay in slots between a downlink grant and a corresponding downlink data (e.g., PDSCH) reception. After the downlink grant, the downlink data is transmitted. K1 is the delay in slots between downlink data (e.g., PDSCH) reception and a corresponding ACK transmission on the uplink. In one example, the transmitted PDSCH is in the same slot as the ACK. K2 is the delay in slots between an uplink grant reception in the downlink and an uplink data (e.g., PUSCH) transmission.

K0, K1, and K2 can be indicated to a UE dynamically by L1 DL signaling. K0, K1, and K2 can be indicated to a UE by the DCI in the PDCCH. In NR, the HARQ timeline is indicated by gNB based on UE capability where the UE <NUM> signals its downlink processing time based on the UE category and the BS <NUM> indicates a corresponding timing relation accordingly.

In one example, there is no fixed timing relationship between uplink transmission and downlink signaling. The UE <NUM> is not aware when the BS <NUM> sends a DFI or DCI in response to receiving an AUL transmission (e.g., PUSCH) to indicate to the UE whether the PUSCH was correctly received or not. After the UE <NUM> sends an AUL PUSCH, the UE <NUM> will keep monitoring the PDCCH for either the DCI or the DFI until the timer expires to know whether it should retransmit the previous packet or start a new packet on the AUL resources. The timer has to be set at least no less than the BS <NUM> UL processing time. Additional margin can be included in the timer to allow BS transmission or scheduling flexibility as well as the medium access uncertainty. In one example, the timer will be configured by the BS <NUM>. If the UE <NUM> receives feedback before timer expires, the UE <NUM> can stop monitoring even if there is remaining time in the timer.

In order to reduce power consumption by the UE <NUM>, when the UE <NUM> is not sending delay sensitive traffic on the AUL, the UE <NUM> may not want to keep monitoring the DL DCI or DL DFI after it transmits PUSCH. Note that this concept is equally applicable for the UE <NUM> in the DRX mode in addition to the UE <NUM> during AUL transmission. With discontinuous transmission, communication to a receiver over a channel does not occur continuously but may be cycled on and off. In the DRX mode, the UE <NUM> may save power by not monitoring the PDCCH in a given subframe.

<FIG> is a flowchart which illustrates a method <NUM> of a UE <NUM> for sending AUL traffic during a UE indicated timeline, in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. In step <NUM>, the BS <NUM> indicates the minimum PUSCH processing timeline to the UE <NUM> in an RRC message, or during AUL activation. In another example, the minimum PUSCH processing time can be predefined. In yet another example, the minimum PUSCH processing time is not either predefined or indicated to UE. In this case, the minimum processing timeline could be considered to be as small as zero. At optional block <NUM>, the BS <NUM> may further configure DFI or DCI monitoring opportunities for the UE <NUM>, where the UE <NUM> receives feedback monitoring opportunity configurations which indicate when DFI or DCI feedback will be sent after the BS <NUM> has processed the AUL transmission. The allowed timeline configurations can be indicated by the BS <NUM> in an RRC message or in the AUL activation command where the activation command can be carried in the DFI or DCI.

Block <NUM> illustrates an example where the UE receives a feedback monitoring opportunity configuration, and selects a timeline for when feedback like a DCI or a DFI is sent. For example, the feedback monitoring opportunity configuration may include the following: i) the UE keeps monitoring for DCI or DFI after it transmits a transmission associated with a UL HARQ process; ii) the UE obtains an ACK/NACK for all AUL PUSCH HARQ processes together, e.g., after all HARQ processes have been processed. For this timeline, the UE monitors for one feedback response for all the HARQ processes, and thus may not monitor DCI or DFI for individual HARQ processes; or iii) the UE wakes up on the next DRX ON duration to monitor the feedback (e.g., the DCI or the DFI).

The BS <NUM> may configure an additional grid for UE <NUM> to monitor for DCI or DFI corresponding to an AUL transmission. The DCI/DFI monitoring grid can be denser than the DRX cycle. For example, BS <NUM> may configure UE <NUM> to wake up every half DRX cycle to monitor DFI/DCI. The UE <NUM> monitors the additional grid for feedback such as DCI or DFI when it sends data (such as a PUSCH) during an AUL transmission. This could be more useful for connected DRX mode.

In block <NUM>, the UE indicates the preferred AUL processing timeline in the allowed set of processing timelines (e.g., in the feedback monitoring opportunity configuration). The allowed set could include: monitor DL DCI/DFI after each UL transmission; monitor DL DCI/DFI after all HARQ processes are done; monitor DL DCI/DFI in the next DRX ON duration; monitor DL DCI/DFI in the next configured period, etc. Effectively, the UE <NUM> indicates to the BS <NUM> when to send feedback such as DFI for AUL downlink feedback or when to send a DCI for subsequent new transmission or retransmission where the DCI is used to signal allocation of resources to the UE <NUM>.

The timeline selected by the UE <NUM> may depend on the UE's implementation. For example, if the traffic is delay sensitive, the UE may pick the first choice: the UE keeps monitoring DCI or DFI after it transmits a UL packet. That is, for delay sensitive traffic, the UE <NUM> may select a timeline in which the BS <NUM> can send feedback to the UE <NUM> right away. On the other hand, if the traffic is not delay sensitive, the UE can pick the third choice: the UE wakes up on the next DRX ON duration to monitor for DCI or DFI. Here, the BS <NUM> will send feedback to the UE on the next DRX ON cycle. In this case, the UE <NUM> doesn't need feedback right away because the data is not delay sensitive. In some cases, the UE <NUM> may select obtaining ACK/NACK for all AUL PUSCH HARQ processes together when traffic is between delay sensitive and not delay sensitive.

Note that UCI in FeLAA/MF may support fields for the UE to convey HARQ id, NDI and redundancy version (RV). In the present method and apparatus, a timeline field may also be included in the UCI.

In another example, the UCI may also include some form of SR in order for the BS <NUM> to schedule subsequent transmissions.

Additionally or alternatively, the indication from the UE <NUM> to the BS <NUM> when to send DFI for AUL downlink feedback or when to send a DCI for a subsequent new transmission or retransmission may be associated with an UL buffer status and/or an UL traffic Quality of Service (QoS).

The indication from the UE <NUM> to the BS <NUM> when to send DFI for AUL downlink feedback or when to send a DCI for a subsequent new transmission or retransmission can also be combined with a SR indication in the UCI. In another example, the SR could include an additional timeline field to carry the indication for the selected timeline for the subsequent UL grant when the UCI is not present (for example, with a scheduled UL transmission).

In block <NUM>, based on the selected timeline (e.g., in the UCI or the SR), the UE monitors for the DL feedback (e.g., DFI or DCI) accordingly.

The proposal may be complementary to a BS <NUM> indicating K<NUM>, K<NUM> and K<NUM> in a PDCCH. Here the UE <NUM> indicates the timeline when it expects to monitor DFI or DCI which contains an ACK/NACK and/or scheduling information from the BS <NUM>. The PUSCH is received by the BS <NUM> and DFI/DCI feedback is sent according to the AUL-DFI/DCI transmission timeline signaled in the UCI from the UE <NUM>. The proposal can work for both AUL or scheduled UL (SUL) where the timing indication can be signaled either in the UCI or in the scheduling request.

<FIG> illustrates three exemplary AUL timelines <NUM> that may be selected by a UE <NUM>, in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. The UE <NUM> indicates the selected AUL timeline along with its AUL transmission times to the BS <NUM> and the BS <NUM> transmits DFI/DCI accordingly.

In <FIG>, for each AUL timeline <NUM> there are four HARQ processes, H0 to H3. Each HARQ process has corresponding HARQ feedback, where A represents ACK and N represents NACK. For AUL timeline 900A, the BS <NUM> transmits AUL-DFI/DCI feedback 910a for the four H0/H1/H2/H3 HARQ processes 905a at the next DRX ON duration <NUM>. After the transmission is done, the UE goes to sleep. During DRX OFF period <NUM>, the UE <NUM> may remain in sleep and does not monitor the DFI/DCI feedback. The UE <NUM> wakes up to monitor for the feedback during the next DRX "ON" duration <NUM>.

For AUL timeline 900B, the BS <NUM> transmits AUL-DFI/DCI feedback 910b for the four H0/H1/H2/H3 HARQ processes 905b. The UE <NUM> monitors for the AUL-DFI/DCI feedback 910b after the minimum processing time <NUM> for its last AUL transmission. When the minimum processing time is not available to UE <NUM> (e.g., has not been configured), UE <NUM> may monitor the DFI/DCI feedback after its last AUL transmission. In this case, the UE will not monitor the feedback from the BS <NUM> until all HARQ processes are completed. Thus, the traffic being monitored by the UE on this timeline may be less time sensitive. For AUL timeline 900B, UE <NUM> may monitor the DFI/DCI after the minimum processing time for its last AUL transmission when a minimum processing time is available, otherwise, it may monitor the DFI/DCI after its last AUL transmission.

For AUL timeline 900C the BS <NUM> transmits AUL-DFI/DCI feedback 910c for the four H0/H1/H2/H3 HARQ processes 905c. The UE <NUM> may monitor for the AUL-DFI/DCI feedback 910c after a minimum processing time <NUM> for its first AUL transmission. When the minimum processing time is not available to UE, UE may monitor for the DFI/DCI feedback after its first AUL transmission. This timeline is directed at handling more time sensitive traffic where the UE <NUM> monitors the feedback as quickly as it can.

<FIG> is a flowchart of a method <NUM> supporting timeline selection for feedback monitoring opportunities, in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. Method <NUM> may begin at block <NUM>, where a UE <NUM> may transmit one or more AUL transmissions (e.g., within a burst associated with one or more HARQ processes). In the next step, step <NUM>, the UE determines what type of traffic is associated with the feedback for which it will monitor, traffic that is delay sensitive or not delay sensitive. If the traffic is delay sensitive, then in step <NUM>, the UE <NUM> continues monitoring DCI or DFI after the minimum processing time of the first HARQ process. When the minimum processing time is not available to UE <NUM>, UE <NUM> will monitor the DFI/DCI after the first HARQ process of the one or more AUL transmissions. This timeline is directed at handling time sensitive traffic where the BS <NUM> sends the feedback as quickly as it can.

If the traffic is not delay sensitive, then the UE <NUM> will not monitor the feedback from the BS <NUM> until all HARQ processes are completed and obtains an ACK/NACK for all AUL PUSCH HARQ processes together. That is, after all HARQ processes have been processed, the UE <NUM> monitors for one feedback response for all the HARQ processes at block <NUM>. In some cases, it monitors for the DFI/DCI after the minimum processing time for its last AUL transmission. Alternatively, in step <NUM>, the UE <NUM> determines if DRX is "ON. " If the answer is no, e.g., DRX is "OFF," then the UE <NUM> does not monitor the DFI/DCI feedback. If the answer is yes, e.g., DRX is "ON," the DFI/DCI traffic may be monitored. In some examples, the method <NUM> may include the UE selecting the timeline for monitoring for feedback from a set of timelines (e.g., in a feedback monitoring opportunity configuration).

<FIG> illustrates certain components that may be included within a base station <NUM> supporting timeline selection for feedback monitoring opportunities, in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. The base station <NUM> may be an access point, a NodeB, an evolved NodeB, etc. The base station <NUM> includes a processor <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may be a general purpose single- or multi-chip microprocessor (e.g., a reduced instruction set computing (RISC) or complex instruction set computing (CISC)), a special purpose microprocessor (e.g., a digital signal processor (DSP)), a microcontroller, a programmable gate array, etc. The processor <NUM> may be referred to as a central processing unit (CPU). Although just a single processor <NUM> is shown in the base station <NUM> of <FIG>, in an alternative configuration, a combination of processors (e.g., a CPU and DSP) could be used.

The base station <NUM> also includes memory <NUM>. The memory <NUM> may be any electronic component capable of storing electronic information. The memory <NUM> may be embodied as random-access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash memory devices in RAM, on-board memory included with the processor, erasable programmable ROM (EPROM) memory, electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM) memory, registers, and so forth, including combinations thereof.

Data <NUM> and instructions <NUM> may be stored in the memory <NUM>. The instructions <NUM> may be executable by the processor <NUM> to implement the methods disclosed herein. When the processor <NUM> executes the instructions <NUM>, various portions of the instructions 1109a may be loaded onto the processor <NUM>, and various pieces of data 1107a may be loaded onto the processor <NUM>.

The base station <NUM> may also include a transmitter <NUM> and a receiver <NUM> to allow transmission and reception of signals to and from the base station <NUM>. The transmitter <NUM> and receiver <NUM> may be collectively referred to as a transceiver <NUM>. Multiple antennas 1117a-b may be electrically coupled to the transceiver <NUM>. The base station <NUM> may also include (not shown) multiple transmitters, multiple receivers and/or multiple transceivers.

The various components of the base station <NUM> may be coupled together by one or more buses, which may include a power bus, a control signal bus, a status signal bus, a data bus, etc. For the sake of clarity, the various buses are illustrated in <FIG> as a bus system <NUM>. Although <FIG> and <FIG> was discussed with reference to a UE, it should be understood that a base station, such as base station <NUM>, may perform the corresponding transmitting that is received and monitored by the UE as well as the receiving of the information indicated by the UE discussed in <FIG> and <FIG>. And may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor like the processor <NUM> described in <FIG>.

<FIG> illustrates certain components that may be included within a wireless communication device <NUM> supporting timeline selection for feedback monitoring opportunities, in accordance with certain aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless communication device <NUM> may be an access terminal, a mobile station, a UE, etc. The wireless communication device <NUM> includes a processor <NUM>. The processor <NUM> may be a general-purpose single- or multi-chip microprocessor (e.g., RISC or CISC), a special purpose microprocessor (e.g., a DSP), a microcontroller, a programmable gate array, etc. The processor <NUM> may be referred to as a CPU. Although just a single processor <NUM> is shown in the wireless communication device <NUM> of <FIG>, in an alternative configuration, a combination of processors (e.g., a CPU and DSP) could be used.

The wireless communication device <NUM> also includes memory <NUM>. The memory <NUM> may be any electronic component capable of storing electronic information. The memory <NUM> may be embodied as RAM, ROM, magnetic disk storage media, optical storage media, flash memory devices in RAM, on-board memory included with the processor, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, and so forth, including combinations thereof.

Data <NUM> and instructions <NUM> may be stored in the memory <NUM>. The instructions <NUM> may be executable by the processor <NUM> to implement the methods disclosed herein. When the processor <NUM> executes the instructions <NUM>, various portions of the instructions 1209a may be loaded onto the processor <NUM>, and various pieces of data 1207a may be loaded onto the processor <NUM>.

The wireless communication device <NUM> may also include a transmitter <NUM> and a receiver <NUM> to allow transmission and reception of signals to and from the wireless communication device <NUM>. The transmitter <NUM> and receiver <NUM> may be collectively referred to as a transceiver <NUM>. Multiple antennas 1217a, 1217b may be electrically coupled to the transceiver <NUM>. The wireless communication device <NUM> may also include (not shown) multiple transmitters, multiple receivers and/or multiple transceivers.

The various components of the wireless communication device <NUM> may be coupled together by one or more buses, which may include a power bus, a control signal bus, a status signal bus, a data bus, etc. For the sake of clarity, the various buses are illustrated in <FIG> as a bus system <NUM>. It should be noted that these methods describe possible implementation, and that the operations and the steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified such that other implementations are possible. In some examples, aspects from two or more of the methods may be combined. For example, aspects of each of the methods may include steps or aspects of the other methods, or other steps or techniques described herein. Thus, aspects of the disclosure may provide for receiving on transmit and transmitting on receive. The functions described herein in the flowcharts of <FIG> & <FIG> may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor like the processor <NUM> described in <FIG>.

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 to be 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.

Also, as used herein, including in the claims, "or" as used in a list of items (for example, a list of items prefaced by a phrase such as "at least one of" or "one or more") indicates an inclusive list such that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C).

By way of example, and not limitation, non-transitory computer-readable media can include 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.

Techniques described herein may be used for various wireless communications systems such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA), and other systems. The terms "system" and "network" are often used interchangeably. IS-<NUM> Releases <NUM> and A are commonly referred to as CDMA2000 1X, 1X, etc. IS-<NUM> (TIA-<NUM>) is commonly referred to as CDMA2000 1xEV-DO, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), etc. UTRA includes Wideband CDMA (WCDMA) and other variants of CDMA. A TDMA system may implement a radio technology such as (Global System for Mobile communications (GSM)). An OFDMA system may implement a radio technology such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) <NUM> (wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi)), IEEE <NUM> (WiMAX), IEEE <NUM>, Flash-OFDM, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of Universal Mobile Telecommunications system (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS)). 3GPP LTE and LTE-advanced (LTE-A) are new releases of UMTS that use E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-a, and GSM are described in documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP). The description herein, however, describes an LTE system for purposes of example, and LTE terminology is used in much of the description above, although the techniques are applicable beyond LTE applications.

In LTE/LTE-A networks, including 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 network in which different types of eNBs provide coverage for various geographical regions. For example, each eNB or base station may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a small cell, or other types of cell. The term "cell" is a 3GPP term that can be used to describe a base station, a carrier or component carrier (CC) 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 AP, a radio transceiver, a NodeB, eNodeB (eNB), 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 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, relay base stations, and the like. There may be overlapping geographic coverage areas for different technologies. In some cases, different coverage areas may be associated with different communication technologies. In some cases, the coverage area for one communication technology may overlap with the coverage area associated with another technology. Different technologies may be associated with the same base station, or with different base stations.

The DL transmissions described herein may also be called forward link transmissions while the UL transmissions may also be called reverse link transmissions. Each communication link described herein including, for example, wireless communication system <NUM> of <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). Each modulated signal may be sent on a different sub-carrier and may carry control information (e.g., reference signals, control channels, etc.), overhead information, user data, etc. The communication links described herein may transmit bidirectional communications using frequency division duplex (FDD) (e.g., using paired spectrum resources) or time division duplex (TDD) operation (e.g., using unpaired spectrum resources). Frame structures may be defined for FDD (e.g., frame structure type <NUM>) and TDD (e.g., frame structure type <NUM>).

Thus, aspects of the disclosure may provide for receiving on transmit and transmitting on receive. It should be noted that these methods describe possible implementations, and that the operations and the steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified such that other implementations are possible. In some examples, aspects from two or more of the methods may be combined.

The various illustrative blocks and modules described in connection with the disclosure herein may be implemented or performed with a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an ASIC, a 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 herein. Thus, the functions described herein may be performed by one or more other processing units (or cores), on at least one integrated circuit (IC). In various examples, different types of ICs may be used (e.g., Structured/Platform ASICs, an FPGA, or another semi-custom IC), which may be programmed in any manner known in the art. The functions of each unit may also be implemented, in whole or in part, with instructions embodied in a memory, formatted to be executed by one or more general or application-specific processors.

Claim 1:
A method for wireless communications at a user equipment, UE, comprising:
receiving (<NUM>), from a base station, a feedback monitoring opportunity configuration that identifies a set of uplink processing timelines for a plurality of autonomous uplink, AUL, transmissions,
wherein the set of uplink processing timelines includes a plurality of uplink processing timelines,
wherein each uplink processing timeline of the plurality of uplink processing timelines identifies a different time duration (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) between the plurality of AUL transmissions (905a, ... 905c) and a respective downlink feedback transmission (910a, ... 910c) from the base station, and
wherein the downlink feedback transmission includes feedback associated with each of the plurality of AUL transmissions;
transmitting (<NUM>), to the base station, an indication of a first uplink processing timeline of the set of uplink processing timelines,
wherein the first uplink processing timeline is selected from the set of uplink processing timelines;
transmitting (<NUM>), to the base station, the plurality of AUL transmissions; and
monitoring (<NUM>) for the respective downlink feedback transmission from the base station associated with the plurality of AUL transmissions based at least in part on the first uplink processing timeline.