Patent Description:
Wireless communications networks are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and the like.

A wireless communications network may include a number of network entities. The network entities of a cellular network (e.g., wireless wide area network or WWAN) may include a number of base stations, such as NodeBs (NBs) or evolved NodeBs (eNBs). The network entities of a wireless local area network (WLAN) may include a number of WLAN network entities, such access points (APs), which may referred to as Wi-Fi nodes. Each network entity may support communication for a number of user equipments (UEs) and may often communicate with multiple UEs at the same time. Similarly, each UE may communicate with a number of network entities, and may sometimes communicate with multiple network entities and/or network entities employing different access technologies. A network entity may communicate with a UE via downlink and uplink. The downlink (or forward link) refers to the communication link from the network entity to the UE, and the uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link from the UE to the network entity.

As cellular networks become more congested, operators are beginning to look at ways to increase capacity. One approach may include the use of WLANs to offload some of the traffic and/or signaling of a cellular network (e.g., long term evolution or LTE). WLANs (or Wi-Fi networks) are attractive because, unlike cellular networks that operate in a licensed spectrum, Wi-Fi networks generally operate in an unlicensed or shared spectrum. However, access to unlicensed spectrum may need coordination to ensure that network entities of the same or different operator deployments, using the same or different techniques for accessing the unlicensed spectrum, can co-exist and make effective use of the unlicensed spectrum.

3GPP discussion and decision document <NPL>) by Panasonic discusses reference signals and MBSFN subframes and how they might relate to machine type communication operation. 3GPP discussion and decision document <NPL> discusses options frame structure design for license-assisted access including CRS and DMRS. Document <NPL>) discusses the detection of MBSFN and non-MBSFN subframes. As such, and given the growing use of the unlicensed spectrum, techniques are needed to provide efficient and improved processes to at least support multiple transmission modes.

A method performed by a network entity, a network entity, a method performed by a UE, a UE and a compute-readable storage medium are defined by the appended independent claims <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> respectively.

The features, nature, and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the detailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with the drawings in which like reference characters identify correspondingly throughout, where dashed lines may indicate optional components or actions, and wherein:.

In an aspect, the term "component" as used herein may be one of the parts that make up a system, may be hardware or software, and may be divided into other components.

The present aspects generally relate to the harmonization or convergence of different features supported by cellular communications over unlicensed or shared spectrum. These cellular communications may sometimes be referred to as, for example, LTE over unlicensed spectrum, LTE-U, and license-assisted access (LAA). The harmonization or convergence of these features may enable cellular communications that support not only listen before talk (LBT) techniques (e.g., clear channel assessment or CCA) for accessing an unlicensed or shared medium, but may also support the use of both CRS-based and DM-RS-based transmission modes (TMs) within the same transmission (e.g., TM multiplexing).

The use of unlicensed band or spectrum operation opens the opportunity of using larger number of carriers (e.g., component carriers or CCs). Unlicensed band or spectrum may sometimes be referred to as shared band or spectrum. The use of a large number of carriers is in contrast to current carrier aggregation (CA) operations in which the number of CCs support is much smaller, and consequently, may not scale well from the perspective of UE power consumption. To take advantage of the power savings opportunities provided by unlicensed band operation, different modifications to the way cellular communications operate over unlicensed or shared spectrum are described herein. Some of these modifications are intended to, at least in part, minimize or reduce the amount of time a UE needs to monitor a downlink on the many component carriers while there is no downlink transmission.

As described above, current operations may not be optimized for more than a few carriers, and therefore, may not be able to handle the large number of carriers available for unlicensed band or spectrum operation, let alone handle different types of carriers (e.g., carriers over a licensed spectrum or licensed carriers, carriers over an unlicensed spectrum or unlicensed carriers). One area where this may be an issue is with discontinuous reception (DRX) operations. Because licensed operations are deterministic, it is possible to know when information is going to be received and wake up to DRX ON period from a DRX OFF period at the appropriate time. On the other hand, in unlicensed operations there is no guarantee that information is going to be received when waking up from a DRX OFF period. In some instances, it may take some time to get a transmission as the transmitting device may have to gain access to the medium (e.g., LBT) before being able to transmit. Below are provided improved DRX mechanisms to address these and other related issues.

Another aspect described is the use of DL/UL subframe configuration signalling even for UEs not supporting UL and DL subframe type signalling. The use of DL/UL subframe configuration may enable, among other things, support for dynamic number of DL and UL subframes in each transmission burst and Dl subframe type signalling may enable support for both CRS-based and DM-RS-based transmission modes within the same transmission (see e.g., <FIG>).

Yet another aspect described is to that some of the features being implemented may enable taking advantage of micro-sleep opportunities. Micro-sleep situations may refer to those instances in which a device may be placed in a sleep or similar mode for a short duration of time (different from the longer DRX operations). An example may occur when a grant is transmitted and the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) is decoded by the middle of the subframe. In such cases, the UE may go to sleep for the remaining of the subframe and current configurations may not allow for operations to take place during the rest of the subframe.

These and other aspects described herein are provided as motivating factors for the harmonization or convergence of different features supported by cellular communications over unlicensed or shared spectrum, including changes to subframe configuration, DRX operations, and channel state information (CSI) feedback.

Aspects of the disclosure are provided in the following description and related drawings directed to specific disclosed aspects. Additionally, well-known aspects of the disclosure may not be described in detail or may be omitted so as not to obscure more relevant details. Additionally, these sequence of actions described herein can be considered to be embodied entirely within any form of computer readable storage medium having stored therein a corresponding set of computer instructions that upon execution would cause an associated processor to perform the functionality described herein.

Referring first to <FIG>, a diagram illustrates an example of a wireless communications system <NUM>, in accordance with aspects described herein. The wireless communications system <NUM> includes a plurality of base stations (e.g., eNBs, WLAN access points, or other access points) <NUM>, a number of user equipment (UEs) <NUM>, and a core network <NUM>. One or more UEs <NUM> may include a unlicensed operations component <NUM> (see e.g., <FIG>) configured to harmonize between CRS and DM-RS based TMs in unlicensed spectrum. Similarly, one or more base stations <NUM> may include a unlicensed operations component <NUM> (see e.g., <FIG>) configured to harmonize between CRS and DM-RS based TMs in unlicensed spectrum.

Accordingly, for example, the UEs <NUM> may communicate with one another (e.g., with or without the assistance of a base station <NUM> to schedule resources) using a direct message-based communication. Some of the base stations <NUM> may communicate with the UEs <NUM> under the control of a base station controller (not shown), which may be part of the core network <NUM> or the certain base stations <NUM> (e.g., eNBs) in various examples. Base stations <NUM> may communicate control information and/or user data with the core network <NUM> through backhaul links <NUM>. In examples, the base stations <NUM> may communicate, either directly or indirectly, with each other over backhaul links <NUM>, which may be wired or wireless communication links. The wireless communications system <NUM> may support operation on multiple carriers (waveform signals of different frequencies). Multi-carrier transmitters can transmit modulated signals simultaneously on the multiple carriers. For example, each of communication links <NUM> may be a multi-carrier signal modulated according to the various radio technologies described above. Each modulated signal may be sent on a different carrier and may carry control information (e.g., reference signals, control channels, etc.), overhead information, data, etc..

The base stations <NUM> may wirelessly communicate with the UEs <NUM> via one or more base station antennas. Each of the base stations <NUM> sites may provide communication coverage for a respective coverage area <NUM>. In some examples, base stations <NUM> may be referred to as a base transceiver station, a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), a NodeB, eNodeB, Home NodeB, a Home eNodeB, or some other suitable terminology. The coverage area <NUM> for a base station may be divided into sectors making up only a portion of the coverage area (not shown). The wireless communications system <NUM> may include base stations <NUM> of different types (e.g., macro, micro, and/or pico base stations). The base stations <NUM> may also utilize different radio technologies, such as cellular and/or WLAN radio access technologies (RAT). The base stations <NUM> may be associated with the same or different access networks or operator deployments. The coverage areas of different base stations <NUM>, including the coverage areas of the same or different types of base stations <NUM>, utilizing the same or different radio technologies, and/or belonging to the same or different access networks, may overlap.

In LTE/LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), for example, the terms evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB) may be generally used to describe the base stations <NUM>. The wireless communications system <NUM> may be a Heterogeneous LTE/LTE-A network in which different types of access points provide coverage for various geographical regions. For example, each base station <NUM> may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a pico cell, a femto cell, and/or other types of cell. Small cells such as pico cells, femto cells, and/or other types of cells may include low power nodes or LPNs. A small cell would generally cover a relatively smaller geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UEs <NUM> with service subscriptions with the network provider, for example, and in addition to unrestricted access, may also provide restricted access by UEs <NUM> having an association with the small cell (e.g., UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG), UEs for users in the home, and the like). An eNB for a small cell may be referred to as a small cell eNB. An eNB may support one or multiple (e.g., two, three, four, and the like) cells.

The core network <NUM> may communicate with the eNBs or other base stations <NUM> via a backhaul links <NUM> (e.g., S1 interface, etc.). The base stations <NUM> may also communicate with one another, e.g., directly or indirectly via backhaul links <NUM> (e.g., X2 interface, etc.) and/or via backhaul links <NUM> (e.g., through core network <NUM>). The wireless communications system <NUM> may support synchronous or asynchronous operation.

The UEs <NUM> are dispersed throughout the wireless communications system <NUM>, and each UE <NUM> may be stationary or mobile. A UE <NUM> may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a mobile station, 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, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable terminology. A UE <NUM> may be a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, a wireless communication device, a handheld device, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wearable item such as a watch or glasses, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a vehicle-based UE, or the like. A UE <NUM> may be able to communicate with macro eNodeBs, small cell eNodeBs, relays, and the like. A UE <NUM> may also be able to communicate over different access networks, such as cellular or other WWAN access networks, or WLAN access networks.

The communication links <NUM> shown in wireless communications system <NUM> may include uplink (UL) transmissions from a UE <NUM> to a base station <NUM>, and/or downlink (DL) transmissions, from a base station <NUM> to a UE <NUM>. The downlink transmissions may also be called forward link transmissions while the uplink transmissions may also be called reverse link transmissions. The UEs <NUM> may be configured to collaboratively communicate with multiple base stations <NUM> through, for example, Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO), carrier aggregation (CA), Coordinated Multi-Point (CoMP), multiple connectivity, or other schemes. MIMO techniques use multiple antennas on the base stations <NUM> and/or multiple antennas on the UEs <NUM> to transmit multiple data streams.

<FIG> is a diagram illustrating an example of an access network <NUM> in an LTE network architecture or similar cellular network architecture. In this example, the access network <NUM> is divided into a number of cellular regions (cells) <NUM>. One or more lower power class base stations <NUM> may have cellular regions <NUM> that overlap with one or more of the cells <NUM>. The lower power class base stations <NUM> may be a femto cell (e.g., home eNB (HeNB)), pico cell, micro cell, or remote radio head (RRH). The macro base stations <NUM> are each assigned to a respective cell <NUM> and are configured to provide an access point to the core network <NUM> for all the UEs <NUM> in the cells <NUM>.

In an aspect, one or more UEs <NUM> may include a unlicensed operations component <NUM> (see e.g., <FIG>) configured to harmonize between CRS and DM-RS based TMs in unlicensed spectrum. Similarly, one or more base stations <NUM>/<NUM> may include a unlicensed operations component <NUM> (see e.g., <FIG>) configured to harmonize between CRS and DM-RS based TMs in unlicensed spectrum. There is no centralized controller in this example of an access network <NUM>, but a centralized controller may be used in alternative configurations. The base stations <NUM> are responsible for all radio related functions including radio bearer control, admission control, mobility control, scheduling, security, and connectivity to one or more components of core network <NUM>.

The modulation and multiple access scheme employed by the access network <NUM> may vary depending on the particular telecommunications standard being deployed. In LTE applications, OFDM may be used on the DL and SC-FDMA may be used on the UL to support both frequency division duplexing (FDD) and time division duplexing (TDD). As those skilled in the art will readily appreciate from the detailed description to follow, the various concepts presented herein are well suited for LTE applications. However, these concepts may be readily extended to other telecommunication standards employing other modulation and multiple access techniques. By way of example, these concepts may be extended to Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO) or Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB). EV-DO and UMB are air interface standards promulgated by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project <NUM> (3GPP2) as part of the CDMA2000 family of standards and employs CDMA to provide broadband Internet access to mobile stations. These concepts may also be extended to Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA) employing Wideband-CDMA (W-CDMA) and other variants of CDMA, such as TD-SCDMA; Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) employing TDMA; and Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), IEEE <NUM> (Wi-Fi), IEEE <NUM> (WiMAX), IEEE <NUM>, and Flash-OFDM employing OFDMA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE and GSM are described in documents from the 3GPP organization. CDMA2000 and UMB are described in documents from the 3GPP2 organization. The actual wireless communication standard and the multiple access technology employed will depend on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the system.

The base stations <NUM> may have multiple antennas supporting MIMO technology. The use of MIMO technology enables the base stations <NUM> to exploit the spatial domain to support spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and transmit diversity. Spatial multiplexing may be used to transmit different streams of data simultaneously on the same frequency. The data steams may be transmitted to a single UE <NUM> to increase the data rate or to multiple UEs <NUM> to increase the overall system capacity. This is achieved by spatially precoding each data stream (i.e., applying a scaling of an amplitude and a phase) and then transmitting each spatially precoded stream through multiple transmit antennas on the DL. The spatially precoded data streams arrive at the UE(s) <NUM> with different spatial signatures, which enables each of the UE(s) <NUM> to recover the one or more data streams destined for that UE <NUM>. On the UL, each UE <NUM> transmits a spatially precoded data stream, which enables the base stations <NUM> to identify the source of each spatially precoded data stream.

Spatial multiplexing is generally used when channel conditions are good. When channel conditions are less favorable, beamforming may be used to focus the transmission energy in one or more directions. This may be achieved by spatially precoding the data for transmission through multiple antennas. To achieve good coverage at the edges of the cell, a single stream beamforming transmission may be used in combination with transmit diversity.

In the detailed description that follows, various aspects of an access network will be described with reference to a MIMO system supporting OFDM on the DL. OFDM is a spread-spectrum technique that modulates data over a number of subcarriers within an OFDM symbol. The subcarriers are spaced apart at precise frequencies. The spacing provides "orthogonality" that enables a receiver to recover the data from the subcarriers. In the time domain, a guard interval (e.g., cyclic prefix) may be added to each OFDM symbol to combat inter-OFDM-symbol interference. The UL may use SC-FDMA in the form of a DFT-spread OFDM signal to compensate for high peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR).

In the DL, upper layer packets from the core network are provided to a controller/processor <NUM>. The controller/processor <NUM> implements the functionality of the L2 layer. In the DL, the controller/processor <NUM> provides header compression, ciphering, packet segmentation and reordering, multiplexing between logical and transport channels, and radio resource allocations to the UE <NUM> based on various priority metrics. The controller/processor <NUM> is also responsible for HARQ operations, retransmission of lost packets, and signaling to the UE <NUM>.

The transmit (TX) processor <NUM> implements various signal processing functions for the L1 layer (i.e., physical layer). The signal processing functions includes coding and interleaving to facilitate forward error correction (FEC) at the UE <NUM> and mapping to signal constellations based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase-shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), M-phase-shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols are then split into parallel streams. Each stream is then mapped to an OFDM subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time and/or frequency domain, and then combined together using an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time domain OFDM symbol stream. Each spatial stream is then provided to a different antenna <NUM> via a separate transmitter 318TX. Each transmitter 318TX modulates an RF carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission. In addition, base station <NUM> may include a unlicensed operations component <NUM> (see e.g., <FIG>) configured to harmonize between CRS and DM-RS based TMs in unlicensed spectrum. Though unlicensed operations component <NUM> is shown as coupled to controller/processor <NUM>, it is to be appreciated that unlicensed operations component <NUM> can also be coupled to other processors (e.g., RX processor <NUM>, TX processor <NUM>, etc.) and/or implemented by the one or more processors <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> to perform actions described herein. Furthermore, for example, unlicensed operations component <NUM> may be implemented by any one or more of the processors including, but not limited to, processors <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or <NUM>. Similarly, unlicensed operations component <NUM> may be implemented by any one or more of the processors including, but not limited to, processors <NUM>, <NUM>, and/or <NUM>.

The RX processor <NUM> implements various signal processing functions of the L1 layer. The RX processor <NUM> performs spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for the UE <NUM>. The symbols on each subcarrier, and the reference signal, is recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation points transmitted by the base station <NUM>. The data and control signals are then provided to the controller/processor <NUM>.

The controller/processor <NUM> implements the L2 layer. The controller/processor can be associated with a memory <NUM> that stores program codes and data. In the UL, the controller/processor <NUM> provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, control signal processing to recover upper layer packets from the core network. The upper layer packets are then provided to a data sink <NUM>, which represents all the protocol layers above the L2 layer. Various control signals may also be provided to the data sink <NUM> for L3 processing. The controller/processor <NUM> is also responsible for error detection using an acknowledgement (ACK) and/or negative acknowledgement (NACK) protocol to support HARQ operations. In addition, UE <NUM> may include a unlicensed operations component <NUM> (see e.g., <FIG>) configured to harmonize between CRS and DM-RS based TMs in unlicensed spectrum. Though unlicensed operations component <NUM> is shown as coupled to controller/processor <NUM>, it is to be appreciated that communicating component <NUM> can also be coupled to other processors (e.g., RX processor <NUM>, TX processor <NUM>, etc.) and/or implemented by the one or more processors <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> to perform actions described herein.

In the UL, a data source <NUM> is used to provide upper layer packets to the controller/processor <NUM>. The data source <NUM> represents all protocol layers above the L2 layer. Similar to the functionality described in connection with the DL transmission by the base station <NUM>, the controller/processor <NUM> implements the L2 layer for the user plane and the control plane by providing header compression, ciphering, packet segmentation and reordering, and multiplexing between logical and transport channels based on radio resource allocations by the base station <NUM>. The controller/processor <NUM> is also responsible for HARQ operations, retransmission of lost packets, and signaling to the base station <NUM>.

The spatial streams generated by the TX processor <NUM> are provided to different antenna <NUM> via separate transmitters 354TX. Each transmitter 354TX modulates an RF carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission.

The RX processor <NUM> may implement the L1 layer.

The controller/processor <NUM> implements the L2 layer. In the UL, the controller/processor <NUM> provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, control signal processing to recover upper layer packets from the UE <NUM>. Upper layer packets from the controller/processor <NUM> may be provided to the core network.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, in an aspect, a wireless communication system <NUM> includes at least one user equipment (UE) <NUM>, similar to UE <NUM> (<FIG>), UE <NUM> (<FIG>), and/or UE <NUM> (<FIG>), in communication coverage of at least one network entity <NUM>, similar to base station <NUM> (<FIG>), base station <NUM> (<FIG>), and/or base station <NUM> (<FIG>). The UE <NUM> may communicate with network via network entity <NUM>. In an example, UE <NUM> may transmit and/or receive wireless communication to and/or from network entity <NUM> via one or more communication channels <NUM>, which may include an uplink communication channel (or simply uplink channel) and a downlink communication channel (or simply downlink channel), such as but not limited to an uplink data channel and/or downlink data channel. Such wireless communications may include, but are not limited to, data, audio and/or video information.

Referring to <FIG>, in accordance with the present disclosure, UE <NUM> may include a memory <NUM>, one or more processors <NUM> and a transceiver <NUM>. The memory, one or more processors <NUM> and the transceiver <NUM> may communicate internally via a bus <NUM>. In some examples, the memory <NUM> and the one or more processors <NUM> may be part of the same hardware component (e.g., may be part of a same board, module, or integrated circuit). Alternatively, the memory <NUM> and the one or more processors <NUM> may be separate components that may act in conjunction with one another. In some aspects, the bus <NUM> may be a communication system that transfers data between multiple components and subcomponents of the UE <NUM>. In some examples, the one or more processors <NUM> may include any one or combination of modem processor, baseband processor, digital signal processor and/or transmit processor. Additionally or alternatively, the one or more processors <NUM> may include an unlicensed operations component <NUM> for carrying out one or more methods or procedures described herein. The unlicensed operations component <NUM> may comprise hardware, firmware, and/or software and may be configured to execute code or perform instructions stored in a memory (e.g., a computer-readable storage medium).

In some examples, the UE <NUM> may include the memory <NUM>, such as for storing data used herein and/or local versions of applications associated with unlicensed operations component <NUM> and/or one or more of its subcomponents being executed by the one or more processors <NUM>. Memory <NUM> can include any type of computer-readable medium usable by a computer or processor <NUM>, such as random access memory (RAM), read only memory (ROM), tapes, magnetic discs, optical discs, volatile memory, non-volatile memory, and any combination thereof. In an aspect, for example, memory <NUM> may be a computer-readable storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory medium) that stores one or more computer-executable codes defining unlicensed operations component <NUM> and/or one or more of its subcomponents, and/or data associated therewith, when UE <NUM> is operating processor <NUM> to execute unlicensed operations component <NUM> and/or one or more of its subcomponents. In some examples, the UE <NUM> may further include a transceiver <NUM> for transmitting and/or receiving one or more data and control signals to/from the network via network entity <NUM> or to the network entity <NUM> for its use. The transceiver <NUM> may comprise hardware, firmware, and/or software and may be configured to execute code or perform instructions stored in a memory (e.g., a computer-readable storage medium). The transceiver <NUM> may include a <NUM>st RAT radio <NUM> (e.g., Wi-Fi radio) comprising a modem <NUM>, and a <NUM>nd RAT radio <NUM> (e.g., LTE radio) comprising a modem <NUM>. The <NUM>st RAT radio <NUM> and <NUM>nd RAT radio <NUM> may utilize one or more antennas <NUM> for transmitting signals to and receiving signals from the network entity <NUM>. In an example, 1st RAT radio <NUM> may be associated with a wireless local area network (WLAN) and 2nd RAT radio <NUM> may be associated with a wireless wide area network (WWAN) over unlicensed spectrum.

When the UE <NUM> (or any other devices in the system <NUM>) uses a first RAT to communicate on a given resource, this communication may be subjected to interference from nearby devices that use a second RAT to communicate on that resource. For example, communication by the network entity <NUM> via LTE using second RAT radio <NUM> on a particular unlicensed radio frequency (RF) band may be subject to interference from Wi-Fi devices operating on that band. For convenience, LTE on an unlicensed RF band may be referred to herein as LTE/LTE Advanced in unlicensed spectrum, or simply LTE in the surrounding context. Moreover, LTE operating over an unlicensed spectrum may refer to the use or modification of LTE to operate in a contention-based communication system that uses a shared medium.

When network entity <NUM> sends downlink transmissions to UE <NUM>, assigned resources on the downlink frequency band are utilized. For example, the network entity <NUM> operating in an unlicensed or shared RF band may be assigned an interlace of radio bearers (RBs) in which downlink data transmissions may be sent. In order to avoid collisions with other network entities in a contention based downlink channel, the network entity <NUM> may send a preamble.

In some systems, LTE in unlicensed spectrum may be employed in a standalone configuration, with all carriers operating exclusively in an unlicensed portion of the wireless spectrum (e.g., LTE Standalone). In other systems, LTE in unlicensed spectrum may be employed in a manner that is supplemental to licensed band operation by providing one or more unlicensed carriers operating in the unlicensed portion of the wireless spectrum in conjunction with an anchor licensed carrier operating in the licensed portion of the wireless spectrum (e.g., LTE Supplemental DownLink (SDL)). In either case, carrier aggregation may be employed to manage the different component carriers, with one carrier serving as the Primary Cell (PCell) for the corresponding UE (e.g., an anchor licensed carrier in LTE SDL or a designated one of the unlicensed carriers in LTE Standalone) and the remaining carriers serving as respective Secondary Cells (SCells). In this way, the PCell may provide an FDD paired downlink and uplink (licensed or unlicensed), and each SCell may provide additional downlink capacity as desired.

In general, LTE utilizes orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) on the downlink and single-carrier frequency division multiplexing (SC-FDM) on the uplink. For example, K 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>, and there may be <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> or <NUM> subbands for system bandwidth of <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> or <NUM>, respectively.

LTE may also use carrier aggregation. UEs (e.g., LTE-Advanced enabled UEs) may use spectrum of up to <NUM> bandwidths allocated in a carrier aggregation of up to a total of <NUM> (<NUM> component carriers) used for transmission and reception. For the LTE-Advanced enabled wireless communication systems, two types of carrier aggregation (CA) methods have been proposed, continuous CA and non-continuous CA. Continuous CA occurs when multiple available component carriers are adjacent to each other. On the other hand, non-continuous CA occurs when multiple non-adjacent available component carriers are separated along the frequency band. Both non-continuous and continuous CA may aggregate multiple component carriers to serve a single unit of LTE-Advanced UEs.

In a blended radio environment such as system <NUM>, different RATs may make use of different channels at different times. Because different RATs are sharing the spectrum and operating partly independently of others, access to one channel may not imply access to another channel. Accordingly, a device capable of transmitting using multiple channels may need to determine whether each channel is available before transmitting. In order to increase bandwidth and throughput, it may be beneficial in some situations to wait for an additional channel to become available rather than transmitting using currently available channel(s).

Similarly, with regard to <FIG>, network entity <NUM> may include a memory <NUM>, one or more processors <NUM> and a transceiver <NUM>. Memory <NUM>, one or more processors <NUM> and a transceiver <NUM> may operate in the same and/or similar manner to memory <NUM>, one or more processors <NUM> and a transceiver <NUM> of UE <NUM> described in <FIG>. Furthermore, memory <NUM>, one or more processors <NUM> and a transceiver <NUM> may operate the same and/or similar components including, but not limited to a <NUM>st RAT radio <NUM> with modem <NUM>, a <NUM>nd RAT radio <NUM> with modem <NUM>, and antennas <NUM>. Moreover, memory <NUM>, one or more processors <NUM> and the transceiver <NUM> may communicate internally via a bus <NUM>.

Referring back to <FIG>, the unlicensed operations component <NUM> may be configured to handle signaling between the UE <NUM> and the network entity <NUM>. In an aspect, the unlicensed operations component <NUM> may include a DL/UL subframe configuration component <NUM> configured to perform various operations, functions, and/or features described herein with respect to, for example, modified DL/UL subframe configuration signaling. For example, DL/UL subframe configuration component <NUM> may be configured to perform aspects described in connection with <FIG> and <FIG>.

In another aspect, the unlicensed operations component <NUM> may include a CSI feedback component <NUM> configured to perform various operations, functions, and/or features described herein with respect to, for example, aperiodic CSI feedback. For example, CSI feedback component <NUM> may be configured to perform aspects described in connection with <FIG> and <FIG>.

In another aspect, the unlicensed operations component <NUM> may include a DRX component <NUM> configured to perform various operations, functions, and/or features described herein with respect to, for example, modified DRX operations to wake up a UE from a DRX OFF period to handle unlicensed carriers. For example, DRX component <NUM> may be configured to perform aspects described in connection with <FIG> and <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, additionally or alternatively, the one or more processors <NUM> may include an unlicensed operations component <NUM> for carrying out one or more methods or procedures described herein. The unlicensed operations component <NUM> may comprise hardware, firmware, and/or software and may be configured to execute code or perform instructions stored in a memory (e.g., a computer-readable storage medium). The unlicensed operations component <NUM> may be configured to handle signaling between the UE <NUM> and the network entity <NUM>. In an aspect, the unlicensed operations component <NUM> may include a DL/UL subframe configuration component <NUM> configured to perform various operations, functions, and/or features described herein with respect to, for example, modified DL/UL subframe configuration signaling. For example, DL/UL subframe configuration component <NUM> may be configured to perform aspects described in connection with <FIG> and <FIG>.

Additionally, as used herein, the one or more wireless nodes, including, but not limited to, network entity <NUM> of wireless communication system <NUM>, may include one or more of any type of network component, such as an network entity, including a base station or node B, a relay, a peer-to-peer device, an authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) server, a mobile switching center (MSC), a radio network controller (RNC), etc. In a further aspect, the one or more wireless serving nodes of wireless communication system <NUM> may include one or more small cell base stations, such as, but not limited to a femtocell, picocell, microcell, or any other base station having a relatively small transmit power or relatively small coverage area as compared to a macro base station.

With respect to the use of modified DL/UL subframe configurations described above in connection with the DL/UL subframe configuration components <NUM> and <NUM>, part of the motivation for harmonization or convergence of different features supported by cellular communications over unlicensed or shared spectrum is to enable the support of downlink transmission for both CRS-based transmission modes and DM-RS-based transmission modes. One aspect is to multiplex CRS-based transmission modes and DM-RS transmission modes by supporting multicast-broadcast single-frequency network (MBSFN) subframes and non-MBSFN subframes within the same transmission burst since MBSFN subframes can support DM-RS-based transmission modes and non-MBSFN subframes can support CRS-based transmission modes as well as DM-RS-based transmission modes. <FIG> is a diagram illustrating an example of downlink transmission bursts <NUM> with multiplexed MBSFN and non-MBSFN subframes in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. It is then up to the UE (e.g., UE <NUM>) receiving the subframes to determine whether the subframe is an MBSFN subframe or a non-MBSFN subframe.

For each downlink subframe received by the UE there is a CRS in symbol #<NUM>. There may or may not be PDCCH in symbol #<NUM> (in the example shown in <FIG> there is PDCCH in symbol #<NUM>). The UE can first detect the presence of CRS in symbol #<NUM> to determine whether the downlink subframe received is a valid downlink subframe. Therefore, the UE determines whether the current downlink subframe is valid based on information provided in the subframe. In contrast to a per-subframe determination, other approaches rely on information provided before the downlink transmission burst to identify the validity of the downlink subframe.

Once a downlink subframe is determined to be valid, the UE may then determine the type of subframe, that is, whether the downlink subframe is an MBSFN subframe or a non-MBSFN subframe. One way to do so is by detecting CRS. For example, for MBSFN subframes, CRS is located in symbol #<NUM> and for non-MBSFN subframes, CRS is located in symbols #<NUM>,#<NUM>, #<NUM>, and #<NUM>. Symbol #<NUM> provides the phase reference to demodulate PDCCH in both types of subframes. By determining the type of subframe, it is possible to decode PDCCH very fast (before the end of the subframe) and go into a micro-sleep mode for the rest of the subframe if there is no data to process.

Another feature that is provided by this modified DL/UL subframe configuration is that the configuration is not static and a ratio of MBSFN subframes of the transmission burst can range from <NUM> % to <NUM>% (i.e., need not be limited to up to <NUM>%). By proposing a dynamic configuration, it is possible for every downlink subframe to be an MBSFN subframe (ratio = <NUM>%). As such, if only DM-RS-based transmission mode is used, then every downlink subframe in a downlink transmission burst (e.g., transmission burst <NUM>) is an MBSFN subframe.

In this dynamic configuration, the UE is not told ahead of time what is the configuration of a specific subframe. Instead, the UE determines the configuration dynamically by checking for the presence of CRS as described above. For example, the UE first checks for the presence of CRS in symbol #<NUM> to determine whether the downlink subframe is a valid subframe. Then, the UE determines whether the downlink subframe is an MBSFN subframe or a non-MBSFN subframe. It can do so in two ways. One approach is for the network (e.g., network entity <NUM>) to signal to the UE whether a respective or current downlink subframe is an MBSFN subframe or a non-MBSFN subframe. Another approach is for the UE to blindly detect whether a respective or current downlink subframe is an MBSFN subframe or a non-MBSFN subframe by checking for the presence of CRS in symbol #<NUM>. If CRS is not present in symbol #<NUM>, then the downlink subframe is an MBSFN subframe, if CRS is present in symbol #<NUM>, then the downlink subframe is a non-MBSFN subframe. In a related aspect, when micro-sleep opportunities are not that relevant, it is possible to have CRS present in symbol #<NUM>, and perhaps some other control signaling, and demodulation can be based on enhanced PDCCH (EPDCCH).

Signaling the type of subframe to the UE can be done in different ways. For example, one approach may be to encode information jointly with physical control format indicator channel (PCFICH). PCFICH typically carries two bits to provide the UE with information about the control region (e.g., whether it is one, two, or three symbols long). In this approach, one of the bits may still be used for indicating whether the control region is one or two symbols long, and at least the other bit may be used to indicate whether the subframe is an MBSFN subframe or a non-MBSFN subframe. By using signaling in this way, the UE need not rely on CRS to determine the subframe type.

In another signaling approach, PCFICH is not changed and instead an MBSFN subframe or a non-MBSFN subframe (PHICH) is used. Since for LAA or LTE over unlicensed spectrum the UL HARQ is asynchronous, it is not necessary to use PHICH to indicate whether the uplink transmission was completed. Therefore, it may be possible to use PHICH to transmit at least one bit of information to indicate whether the subframe is an MBSFN subframe or a non-MBSFN subframe.

In yet another signaling approach, layer <NUM> signaling (e.g., PDCCH transmitted on a PCell) may be used to provide MBSFN/on-MBSFN configuration information for all of the carriers on the eNB (e.g., network entity <NUM>) side. The UE is assigned at least one bit (e.g., one or two bits) to monitor to determine the configuration of the downlink subframe. If the information cannot be sent for each subframe, it may be possible to use the previous approach and provide configuration information ahead of the subframe being transmitted.

As indicated above, one of the aspects being presented is the signaling of DL/UL subframe configuration at every subframe. In previous approaches, the configuration information was signaled at the beginning of a downlink transmission burst. The issue that may result is that when waking up from DRX (e.g., when waking up from a DRX OFF period) in the middle of the burst, the UE would not have configuration information available to process the information in the remaining portion of the burst and would have to wait until the next downlink transmission burst, somewhat defeating the purpose of the DRX operation. By sending the DL/UL subframe configuration information at every subframe there is no longer a problem with waking up in the middle of a burst.

In an example of the type of DL/UL subframe configuration signaling, for a configuration that is identified to be a six (<NUM>) downlink subframes and four (<NUM>) uplink subframes, a network entity may signal in the first subframe that there are six downlink subframes and four uplink subframes in the configuration. The network entity may signal in the second subframe that there are five (<NUM>) downlink subframes and four uplink subframes remaining in the configuration. The network entity may further signal in the third subframe that there are four downlink subframes and four uplink subframes remaining in the configuration. The network entity may continue this type of signaling until the last uplink subframe is signaled in the last subframe. This type of signaling provides a self-consistent form of signaling between the network entity (e.g., eNB) and the UE. Moreover, even if the UE wakes up from DRX in the middle of a transmission burst, the UE can still process the rest of the transmission by checking, for each of the remaining subframes (e.g., the UE can check whether a downlink subframe is valid by checking for CRS in symbol #<NUM> and then decoding the rest of the subframe). Signaling of the DL/UL subframe configuration may occur by transmitting the information using PFFICH, PHICH resources, or PDCCH common search space (CSS).

Another benefit or useful aspect of the signaling of DL/UL subframe configuration at every subframe as described herein is that the network entity (e.g., eNB) can change the configuration even after the start of the transmission burst. For example, if after an initial configuration of six (<NUM>) downlink subframes and four (<NUM>) uplink subframes the network entity determines to include two additional downlink subframes it may do so by signaling a configuration of six (<NUM>) downlink subframes and four (<NUM>) uplink subframes after the first two downlink subframes have taken place, effectively providing a configuration of eight (<NUM>) downlink subframes and four (<NUM>) uplink subframes. There are limitations as to the changes that the network entity may make. For example, the changes may not be such as to exceed the maximum channel occupancy. Also, if the network entity has already sent an uplink grant, the change may not be such as to render the uplink grant ineffective, that is, the network entity may not extend the downlink subframes beyond any uplink grant already provided.

Yet another benefit or useful aspect of the signaling of DL/UL subframe configuration at every subframe as described herein is that it may operate in a manner similar to a Wi-Fi channel reservation signal (e.g., Wi-Fi network vector allocation or NAV). In Wi-Fi, the medium access control (MAC) header of each packet may include a reservation time that basically that indicates to any device decoding the packet the amount of time the channel is going to be occupied so no transmissions take place during that time. In one example, it may be indicated that three (<NUM>) milliseconds of time will be reserved in the channel, two (<NUM>) milliseconds for downlink transmissions and one (<NUM>) millisecond for uplink transmissions. During this time, other devices are not to perform any transmissions. As such, the DL/UL subframe configuration may act like an LTE unlicensed reservation signal. Any node or device that receives this signal may know for how many downlink subframes and uplink subframes has the channel been reserved and may wait to transmit until not interfering with any of the uplink transmissions.

One additional aspect of the signaling of DL/UL subframe configuration at every subframe as described herein is that if the configuration for one subframe is missed for some reason (e.g., problem to properly decode the configuration information), it may be fine to proceed because if the subframe is a valid subframe (e.g., CRS detected in symbol #<NUM>), then it may be possible to use the configuration in a next subframe to decode the current subframe.

<FIG> and <FIG> are flow diagrams illustrating examples of methods related to signaling of a DL/UL subframe configuration in each subframe in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. Although the operations described below are presented in a particular order and/or as being performed by an example component, it should be understood that the ordering of the actions and the components performing the actions may be varied, depending on the implementation. Also, although the unlicensed operations components <NUM> and <NUM> are illustrated as having a number of subcomponents, it should be understood that one or more of the illustrated subcomponents may be separate from, but in communication with, the unlicensed operations components <NUM> and <NUM>, and/or each other. Moreover, it should be understood that any of actions or components described below with respect to the components <NUM> and <NUM> and/or their subcomponents may be performed by a specially-programmed processor, a processor executing specially-programmed software or computer-readable media, or by any other combination of a hardware component and/or a software component specially configured for performing the described actions or components.

Referring to <FIG>, in an aspect, at block <NUM>, method <NUM> includes identifying a subframe configuration for WWAN communications over an unlicensed spectrum, the subframe configuration indicating whether a respective downlink subframe in a transmission burst corresponds to an MBSFN subframe or a non-MBSFN subframe. In an aspect, for example, network entity <NUM> (e.g., eNB), processor(s) <NUM>, and/or memory <NUM> may execute unlicensed operations component <NUM> and/or DL/UL subframe configuration component <NUM> to identify the subframe configuration. In a further aspect, processing system <NUM> (<FIG>), processor <NUM>, and/or memory <NUM> may execute unlicensed operations component <NUM> to identify the subframe configuration.

At block <NUM>, method <NUM> includes transmitting an indication of the subframe configuration to at least one UE. In an aspect, for example, network entity <NUM>, processor(s) <NUM>, and/or memory <NUM> may execute unlicensed operations component <NUM>, DL/UL subframe configuration component <NUM>, and/or transceiver <NUM> to transmit the indication of the subframe configuration. In a further aspect, processing system <NUM> (<FIG>), processor <NUM>, and/or memory <NUM> may execute transmission component <NUM> to transmit the indication of the subframe configuration.

Referring to <FIG>, in an aspect, at block <NUM>, method <NUM> includes receiving, from a network entity, an indication of a subframe configuration for WWAN communications over an unlicensed spectrum, the subframe configuration being associated with a current downlink subframe in a transmission burst. In an aspect, for example, UE <NUM>, processor(s) <NUM>, and/or memory <NUM> may execute unlicensed operations component <NUM>, DL/UL subframe configuration component <NUM>, and/or transceiver <NUM> to receive the indication. In a further aspect, processing system <NUM> (<FIG>), processor <NUM>, and/or memory <NUM> may execute reception component <NUM> to receive the indication.

At block <NUM>, method <NUM> includes determining whether the current downlink subframe is an MBSFN subframe or a non-MBSFN subframe based on the indication. In an aspect, for example, UE <NUM>, processor(s) <NUM>, and/or memory <NUM> may execute unlicensed operations component <NUM> and/or DL/UL subframe configuration component <NUM> to determine the subframe type. In a further aspect, processing system <NUM> (<FIG>), processor <NUM>, and/or memory <NUM> may execute unlicensed operations component <NUM> to determine the subframe type.

In addition to the modifications of the DL/UL subframe configuration discussed above, another aspect related to the harmonization or convergence of different features supported by cellular communications over unlicensed or shared spectrum may include the support of both periodic and aperiodic channel state information (CSI) feedback. In this approach, resources such as CSI reference signal (CSI-RS) and CSI interference measurement (CSI-IM) may be configured aperiodically and reporting of CSI feedback may also be provided aperiodically. In one example, resources may be provided in a subframe and an indication is also provided in the subframe to a subset of the UEs (from which CSI feedback is desirable) that the resources are available and to provide feedback (e.g., reporting) based on those resources. For those UEs not in the subset but that may have an uplink grant to provide CSI feedback, the resources may also be indicated. It may also be possible to indicate the resources one subframe before the resources are provided. In some instances, PDCCH may be used to indicate the resources being available in a subframe. The UE receiving an indication of the availability of the resources may perform a check of the subframe to determine whether the subframe is a valid downlink subframe (e.g., check for CRS on symbol #<NUM>) before performing any CSI measurements based on the resources indicated.

<FIG> and <FIG> are flow diagrams illustrating examples of methods related to signaling for aperiodic CSI feedback in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, in an aspect, at block <NUM>, method <NUM> includes identifying aperiodically transmitted resources for CSI associated with WWAN communications over an unlicensed spectrum. In an aspect, for example, network entity <NUM>, processor(s) <NUM>, and/or memory <NUM> may execute unlicensed operations component <NUM> and/or CSI feedback component <NUM> to identify the resources. In a further aspect, processing system <NUM> (<FIG>), processor <NUM>, and/or memory <NUM> may execute unlicensed operations component <NUM> to identify the resources.

At block <NUM>, method <NUM> includes transmitting an indication of the resources and a request for aperiodic CSI reporting to a set of UE. In an aspect, for example, network entity <NUM>, processor(s) <NUM>, and/or memory <NUM> may execute unlicensed operations component <NUM>, CSI feedback component <NUM>, and/or transceiver <NUM> to transmit the indication of the resources. In a further aspect, processing system <NUM> (<FIG>), processor <NUM>, and/or memory <NUM> may execute unlicensed operations component <NUM> and/or transmission component <NUM> to transmit the indication of the resources.

Referring to <FIG>, in an aspect, at block <NUM>, method <NUM> includes receiving, from a network entity, an indication of aperiodically transmitted resources for CSI associated with WWAN communications over an unlicensed spectrum, and a request for aperiodic CSI reporting. In an aspect, for example, UE <NUM>, processor(s) <NUM>, and/or memory <NUM> may execute unlicensed operations component <NUM>, CSI feedback component <NUM>, and/or transceiver <NUM> to receive the indication. In a further aspect, processing system <NUM> (<FIG>), processor <NUM>, and/or memory <NUM> may execute reception component <NUM> to receive the indication.

At block <NUM>, method <NUM> includes performing CSI measurements and the aperiodic CSI reporting based at least in part on the indication of the resources. In an aspect, for example, UE <NUM>, processor(s) <NUM>, and/or memory <NUM> may execute unlicensed operations component <NUM>, CSI feedback component <NUM>, and/or transceiver <NUM> to perform the measurements and the aperiodic CSI reporting. In a further aspect, processing system <NUM> (<FIG>), processor <NUM>, and/or memory <NUM> may execute unlicensed operations component <NUM> to perform the measurements and the aperiodic CSI reporting.

In addition to the modifications of the DL/UL subframe configuration and CSI feedback operations discussed above, another aspect related to the harmonization or convergence of different features supported by cellular communications over unlicensed or shared spectrum may include modification to DRX operations to support license and unlicensed carriers. <FIG> is a diagram <NUM> illustrating an example of DRX wake up operations for licensed and unlicensed carriers in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. While <FIG> describes the use of a reservation signal at the beginning of a transmission burst, the use of configuration signaling at every subframe as discussed above may also be applicable to the DRX procedure illustrated in <FIG>.

As indicated above, DRX procedures were not initially designed to handle the large number of carriers and also the use of different carriers such as carriers over a licensed spectrum (e.g., licensed carriers) and carriers over an unlicensed spectrum (e.g., unlicensed carriers). For licensed carriers, for example, a UE may be able to wake up from DRX (e.g., wake up from a DRX OFF period) and be able to process data because it is likely to receive data over the license carrier after waking up. For unlicensed carriers the UE may wake up from DRX and there is no data to be processed since some other device may be occupying the channel. In such cases, the UE may make a measurement of some kind and then go back to sleep.

To address these issues, the DRX procedure may be modified such that the UE wakes up from DRX for one or more licensed carriers (e.g., a subset of licensed carriers). When the UE wakes up, it may receive an indication (e.g., a grant) from the network entity (e.g., a PCell) over a licensed carrier to wake up for the unlicensed carriers. The indication can be an explicit indication (e.g., instruction to wake up) or an implicit indication with a downlink grant receiver. The UE may then wake up for the unlicensed carriers to receive the appropriate data for the unlicensed carriers. Waking up for one or another type of carrier may involve enabling or operating the appropriate hardware, software, and/or firmware to enable handling data being provided over the type of carrier. In a way, this modified DRX procedure may be referred to a licensed-triggered unlicensed DRX. That is, the DRX wake up for the unlicensed carriers is trigger by a licensed carrier (e.g., an indication provided by the licensed carrier) after the UE has woken up from DRX for the licensed carriers.

<FIG> and <FIG> are flow diagrams illustrating examples of methods related to signaling for DRX wake up operations for licensed and unlicensed carriers in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

Referring to <FIG>, in an aspect, at block <NUM>, method <NUM> includes determining that a UE is to wake up in an unlicensed spectrum from a DRX OFF period to handle one or more carriers over the unlicensed spectrum. In an aspect, for example, network entity <NUM>, processor(s) <NUM>, and/or memory <NUM> may execute unlicensed operations component <NUM> and/or DRX component <NUM> to determine that a UE (e.g., UE <NUM>) is to wake up from DRX for unlicensed carriers. In a further aspect, processing system <NUM> (<FIG>), processor <NUM>, and/or memory <NUM> may execute unlicensed operations component <NUM> to wake up from DRX for unlicensed carriers.

At block <NUM>, method <NUM> includes transmitting, via a carrier in a licensed spectrum, an indication to the UE to wake up in the unlicensed spectrum from the DRX OFF period. In an aspect, for example, network entity <NUM>, processor(s) <NUM>, and/or memory <NUM> may execute unlicensed operations component <NUM>, DRX component <NUM>, and/or transceiver <NUM> to transmit the indication to the UE to wake up for unlicensed carriers. In a further aspect, processing system <NUM> (<FIG>), processor <NUM>, and/or memory <NUM> may execute unlicensed operations component <NUM> and/or transmission component <NUM> to transmit the indication to the UE to wake up for unlicensed carriers.

Referring to <FIG>, in an aspect, at block <NUM>, method <NUM> includes receiving, at a UE and via a carrier in a licensed spectrum, an indication that the UE is to wake up in an unlicensed spectrum from a DRX OFF period to handle one or more carriers over the unlicensed spectrum. In an aspect, for example, UE <NUM>, processor(s) <NUM>, and/or memory <NUM> may execute unlicensed operations component <NUM>, DRX component <NUM>, and/or transceiver <NUM> to receive the indication over one or more licensed carriers. In a further aspect, processing system <NUM> (<FIG>), processor <NUM>, and/or memory <NUM> may execute reception component <NUM> to receive the indication over one or more licensed carriers.

At block <NUM>, method <NUM> includes waking up in the unlicensed spectrum from the DRX OFF period in response to receiving the indication. In an aspect, for example, UE <NUM>, processor(s) <NUM>, and/or memory <NUM> may execute unlicensed operations component <NUM>, DRX component <NUM>, and/or transceiver <NUM> to wake up in the unlicensed spectrum to receive data or other signaling over one or more unlicensed carriers. In a further aspect, processing system <NUM> (<FIG>), processor <NUM>, and/or memory <NUM> may execute unlicensed operations component <NUM> to wake up in the unlicensed spectrum to receive data or other signaling over one or more unlicensed carriers.

<FIG> is a diagram <NUM> illustrating an example a Radio Resource Management (RRM) of a discovery reference signal (DRS) for licensed and unlicensed carriers in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. As noted above, multiplexing CRS-based transmission modes and DM-RS transmission modes by supporting MBSFN subframes and non-MBSFN subframes within the same transmission burst so that MBSFN subframes can support DM-RS-based transmission modes and non-MBSFN subframes can support CRS-based transmission modes as well as DM-RS-based transmission modes. For example, a DRS may include a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary synchronization signal (SSS), and/or a cell-specific reference signal (CRS). In an aspect, the CRS may correspond to a <NUM>-port or <NUM>-port CRS. Further, the DRS may optionally include Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS). Additionally, the DRS may include a public land mobile network (PLMN) indicator with TBD encoding.

In an aspect, diagram <NUM> illustrates two DRS structures for downlink transmission bursts. In a first aspect, compressed DRS may be transmitted, and in a second aspect, the DRS may be transmitted in accordance with Rel-<NUM> (i.e., Rel-<NUM> DRS). For the downlink transmission bursts, the DRS is repeated periodically, For example, the DRS may be repeated outside of the Discovery Signal Measurement Timing Configuration (DMTC) in every subframe, such as subframe zero (<NUM>) or subframes zero (<NUM>) and five (<NUM>) relative to the primary cell (PCell) timing. Moreover, in order to support earlier implementations, the RRM measurements may be based on a predetermined number of RBs, such as the six (<NUM>) RBs located in the center of the subframe.

<FIG> is a conceptual data flow diagram <NUM> illustrating the data flow between different means/components in an exemplary apparatus <NUM> that includes unlicensed operations component <NUM>, which may be the same as or similar to unlicensed operations component <NUM>. The apparatus <NUM> may be a base station, which may include base station <NUM> of <FIG> and <FIG>. The apparatus <NUM> includes unlicensed operations component <NUM> that, in an aspect, identifies a subframe configuration for WWAN communications over an unlicensed spectrum, the subframe configuration indicating whether a respective downlink subframe in a transmission burst corresponds to a MBSFN subframe or a non-MBSFN subframe, identifies aperiodically transmitted resources for CSI associated with WWAN communications over an unlicensed spectrum, and/or determine that a UE is to wake up in an unlicensed spectrum from a DRX OFF period to handle one or more carriers over the unlicensed spectrum. The apparatus <NUM> further includes a transmission component <NUM> that transmits an indication of the subframe configuration to at least one UEs, such as UE <NUM>, transmits an indication of the resources and a request for aperiodic CSI reporting to a set of UE, and/or transmits, via a carrier in a licensed spectrum, an indication to the UE to wake up in the unlicensed spectrum from the DRX OFF period. Further, apparatus <NUM> includes reception component <NUM> that receives one or more signals from at least one of the one or more UEs.

<FIG> is a diagram <NUM> illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an apparatus <NUM>' employing a processing system <NUM> that includes unlicensed operations component <NUM> (FIG. <NUM>), which may be the same as or similar to unlicensed operations component <NUM> (<FIG>). 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> links together various circuits including one or more processors and/or hardware components, represented by the processor <NUM>, which may be the same as or similar to processor(s) <NUM> (<FIG>), the components <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, and the computer-readable medium / memory <NUM>, which may be the same as or similar to memory <NUM> (<FIG>). 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.

The processing system <NUM> may be coupled to a transceiver <NUM>. The transceiver <NUM> is coupled to one or more antennas <NUM>. The transceiver <NUM> provides a means for communicating with various other apparatus over a transmission medium. The transceiver <NUM> receives a signal from the one or more antennas <NUM>, extracts information from the received signal, and provides the extracted information to the processing system <NUM>, specifically the reception component <NUM>. In addition, the transceiver <NUM> receives information from the processing system <NUM>, specifically the transmission component <NUM>, and based on the received information, generates a signal to be applied to the one or more antennas <NUM>. The processing system <NUM> includes a processor <NUM> coupled to a computer-readable medium / memory <NUM>. The processor <NUM> is responsible for general processing, including the execution of software stored on the computer-readable medium / memory <NUM>. The software, when executed by the processor <NUM>, causes the processing system <NUM> to perform the various functions described supra for any particular apparatus. The computer-readable medium / memory <NUM> may also be used for storing data that is manipulated by the processor <NUM> when executing software. The processing system <NUM> further includes at least one of the components <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. The components may be software components running in the processor <NUM>, resident/stored in the computer readable medium / memory <NUM>, one or more hardware components coupled to the processor <NUM>, or some combination thereof.

In one configuration, the apparatus <NUM>/<NUM>' for wireless communication includes means for harmonizing between CRS and DM-RS based TMs in unlicensed spectrum. The apparatus includes means for identifying a subframe configuration for WWAN communications over an unlicensed spectrum, the subframe configuration indicating whether a respective downlink subframe in a transmission burst corresponds to a MBSFN subframe or a non-MBSFN subframe, identifying aperiodically transmitted resources for CSI associated with WWAN communications over an unlicensed spectrum, and/or determining that a UE is to wake up in an unlicensed spectrum from a DRX OFF period to handle one or more carriers over the unlicensed spectrum. Further, in another configuration, the apparatus <NUM>/<NUM>' for wireless communication includes means for transmitting an indication of the subframe configuration to at least one UEs, such as UE <NUM>, transmitting an indication of the resources and a request for aperiodic CSI reporting to a set of UE, and/or transmitting, via a carrier in a licensed spectrum, an indication to the UE to wake up in the unlicensed spectrum from the DRX OFF period.

<FIG> is a conceptual data flow diagram <NUM> illustrating the data flow between different means/components in an exemplary apparatus <NUM> that includes communicating component <NUM>, which may be the same as or similar to unlicensed operations component <NUM>. The apparatus <NUM> may be a UE, which may include UE <NUM> of <FIG> and <FIG>. The apparatus <NUM> includes reception component <NUM> that, in an aspect, receives, from a network entity, such as base station <NUM>, an indication of a subframe configuration for WWAN communications over an unlicensed spectrum, the subframe configuration being associated with a current downlink subframe in a transmission burst, receives, from a network entity, an indication of aperiodically transmitted resources for CSI associated with WWAN communications over an unlicensed spectrum, and a request for aperiodic CSI reporting, and/or receives via a carrier in a licensed spectrum, an indication that the UE is to wake up in an unlicensed spectrum from a DRX OFF period to handle one or more carriers over the unlicensed spectrum. The apparatus <NUM> includes unlicensed operations component <NUM> that determines whether the current downlink subframe is a MBSFN subframe or a non-MBSFN subframe based on the indication, performs CSI measurements and the aperiodic CSI reporting based at least in part on the indication of the resources, and/or wakes up in the unlicensed spectrum from the DRX OFF period in response to receiving the indication. In an aspect, the apparatus <NUM> further includes transmission component <NUM> that transmits one or more signals to at least one of the one or more base stations.

<FIG> is a diagram <NUM> illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an apparatus <NUM>' employing a processing system <NUM> that includes unlicensed operations component <NUM> (<FIG>), which may be the same as or similar to unlicensed operations component <NUM> (<FIG>). 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> links together various circuits including one or more processors and/or hardware components, represented by the processor <NUM>, which may be the same as or similar to processor(s) <NUM> (<FIG>), the components <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, and the computer-readable medium / memory <NUM>, which may be the same as or similar to memory <NUM> (<FIG>). 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.

In one configuration, the apparatus <NUM>/<NUM>' for wireless communication includes means for receiving, from a network entity, such as base station <NUM>, an indication of a subframe configuration for WWAN communications over an unlicensed spectrum, the subframe configuration being associated with a current downlink subframe in a transmission burst, receiving, from a network entity, an indication of aperiodically transmitted resources for CSI associated with WWAN communications over an unlicensed spectrum, and a request for aperiodic CSI reporting, and/or receiving via a carrier in a licensed spectrum, an indication that the UE is to wake up in an unlicensed spectrum from a DRX OFF period to handle one or more carriers over the unlicensed spectrum. The apparatus includes means for determining whether the current downlink subframe is a MBSFN subframe or a non-MBSFN subframe based on the indication. Further, in another configuration, the apparatus <NUM>/<NUM>' for wireless communication includes means for performing CSI measurements and the aperiodic CSI reporting based at least in part on the indication of the resources. The apparatus includes means for waking up in the unlicensed spectrum from the DRX OFF period in response to receiving the indication.

It is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the processes disclosed is an illustration of exemplary approaches. Based upon design preferences, it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the processes may be rearranged. Further, some steps may be combined or omitted.

In some aspects, an apparatus or any component of an apparatus may be configured to (or operable to or adapted to) provide functionality as taught herein. This may be achieved, for example: by manufacturing (e.g., fabricating) the apparatus or component so that it will provide the functionality; by programming the apparatus or component so that it will provide the functionality; or through the use of some other suitable implementation technique. As one example, an integrated circuit may be fabricated to provide the requisite functionality. As another example, an integrated circuit may be fabricated to support the requisite functionality and then configured (e.g., via programming) to provide the requisite functionality. As yet another example, a processor circuit may execute code to provide the requisite functionality.

It should be understood that any reference to an element herein using a designation such as "first," "second," and so forth does not generally limit the quantity or order of those elements. Rather, these designations may be used herein as a convenient method of distinguishing between two or more elements or instances of an element. Thus, a reference to first and second elements does not mean that only two elements may be employed there or that the first element must precede the second element in some manner. Also, unless stated otherwise a set of elements may comprise one or more elements. In addition, terminology of the form "at least one of A, B, or C" or "one or more of A, B, or C" or "at least one of the group consisting of A, B, and C" used in the description or the claims means "A or B or C or any combination of these elements. " For example, this terminology may include A, or B, or C, or A and B, or A and C, or A and B and C, or 2A, or 2B, or 2C, and so on.

The methods, sequences and/or algorithms described in connection with the aspects disclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a software module executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two.

Accordingly, an aspect of the disclosure can include a computer readable medium embodying a method for dynamic bandwidth management for transmissions in unlicensed spectrum. Accordingly, the disclosure is not limited to the illustrated examples.

Claim 1:
A method for wireless communications, the method performed by a network entity (<NUM>), the method comprising:
identifying (<NUM>) a subframe configuration for wireless wide area network, WWAN, communications over an unlicensed spectrum, the subframe configuration indicating whether a respective downlink subframe in a transmission burst corresponds to a multicast-broadcast single-frequency network, MBSFN, subframe or a non-MBSFN subframe, wherein common reference signals- CRS-based transmission modes are multiplexed with demodulation reference signal- DM-RS-based transmission modes in the transmission burst, the MBSFN subframe supporting a transmission mode over the unlicensed spectrum based on DM-RS, and the non-MBSFN subframe supporting a transmission mode over the unlicensed spectrum based on CRS; and
transmitting (<NUM>) an indication of the subframe configuration to at least one user equipment, UE (<NUM>).