Patent Description:
Wireless communications systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast and so on. These systems may be multiple access systems capable of supporting communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple-access technologies include code-division multiple access (CDMA) systems, time-division multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency-division multiple access (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) systems, single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) systems, and time division synchronous code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA).

An example telecommunication standard is Long Term Evolution (LTE) or LTE-Advanced (LTE-A). In LTE-A network, coordinated multi-point (CoMP) operation is introduced to improve network performance, for example, at cell edges. In CoMP a number of transmit (TX) points provide coordinated transmission(s) in the downlink, a number of receive (RX) points provide coordinated reception(s) in the uplink, and the coordination may be done for both homogenous networks as well as heterogeneous networks. However, although newer multiple access systems, such as an LTE or LTE-A system, deliver faster data throughput than older technologies, such increased downlink rates have triggered a greater demand for higher-bandwidth content, such as high-resolution graphics and video, for use on or with mobile devices. As such, demand for bandwidth, higher data rates, better transmission quality as well as better spectrum utilization, and lower latency on wireless communications systems continues to increase.

The 5th Generation (<NUM>) New Radio (NR) communications technology, used in a wide range of spectrum, is envisaged to expand and support diverse usage scenarios and applications with respect to current mobile network generations. In an aspect, <NUM> NR communications technology may include, for example: enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) addressing human-centric use cases for access to multimedia content, services and data; ultra-reliable low-latency communications (URLLC) with strict requirements, especially in terms of latency and reliability; and massive machine type communications (mMTC), which may allow a very large number of connected devices and transmission of a relatively low volume of non-delay-sensitive information. In an aspect, for varied deployments and/or applications, <NUM> NR communications technology may use enhanced subframe design and structure, and efficient waveform modulation and coding schemes. In addition, as the demand for mobile broadband access continues to increase, there exists a need for further improvements in <NUM> communications technology and beyond.

For example, for NR communications technology and beyond, conventional cluster set determination solutions may not provide a desired level of speed or customization for efficient cluster set determinations that account for a delay budget and reliability requirement for a user equipment (UE). Thus, improvements in wireless communications operations that account for the delay budget and reliability requirement for a UE may be desired.

The publication "<NPL>, relates to DL control channel design for URLLC service supporting HARQ operation (both feedback and re-transmission) for URLLC ultra-reliability services and aiming for target reliability of DL control channel for URLLC data BLER of around/less than <NUM>-<NUM>, and/or a focus on UE-specific operation for ultra-high reliability.

Patent application <CIT> relates to controlling measurements on signals to or from a User Equipment, UE, engaged in a radio communication in a cluster cell served by multiple transmission points. A set of conditions potentially affecting performance for the UE in the cluster cell, is identified. At least one type of reference signals and corresponding radio measurement(s) are then selected based on the identified set of conditions.

In order to facilitate a fuller understanding of aspects described herein, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, in which like elements are referenced with like numerals. These drawings should not be construed as limiting the present disclosure, but are intended to be illustrative only.

In a wireless communications network (e.g., an LTE network, or a <NUM> NR network), coordinated multi-point (CoMP) operations may be used to improve system or network reliability and performance, for example, for cell-edge users. Categories of CoMP operation or methods are discussed in 3GPP TR <NUM> and include Coordinated Scheduling, Coordinated Beamforming, Joint Processing, etc. In some implementations using CoMP operations, transmit/receive points (TRPs) within a CoMP cluster set may be determined using a delay budget and reliability requirement of the UE. For example, a network entity, such as a TRP or controller receives a request to form a CoMP cluster of TRPs for a UE. The network entity determines the CoMP cluster set of TRPs for the UE based on at least delay budget and a reliability requirement, and one or more of configuration information and measurements, and coordinates communications for the UE using the CoMP cluster set. The configuration information and measurements may be provided to the network entity by the UE. The configuration information and measurements may be provided by another network entity (e.g., home subscriber server (HSS), operations and management (OAM) entity, unified data management (UDM function, etc.)) or manually configured. The delay budget and the reliability requirements may be configured manually, provided by another network entity (e.g., HSS, OAM, UDM, etc.) or obtained from corresponding non-access stratum (NAS) signaling (e.g., using evolved packet system (EPS) quality of service (QoS) information element(s) in activate default EPS bearer context request message, active dedicated EPS bearer context request message, modify EPS bearer context request message or similar messages). See e.g., <NUM> GPP TS <NUM>.

These apparatus and methods will be described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, modules, components, circuits, steps, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as "elements").

Accordingly, in one or more aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof. Storage media may be any available media that may be accessed by a computer. By way of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media may comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that may be used to carry or store desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a computer. Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc, optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), and floppy disk where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers.

It should be noted that the techniques described herein may be used for various wireless communication networks such as CDMA, TDMA, FDMA, OFDMA, 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. An OFDMA system may implement a radio technology such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), IEEE <NUM> (Wi-Fi), IEEE <NUM> (WiMAX), IEEE <NUM>, Flash-OFDM™, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS). 3GPP Long Term Evolution (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 techniques described herein may be used for the systems and radio technologies mentioned above as well as other systems and radio technologies, including cellular (e.g., LTE) communications over a shared radio frequency spectrum band. The description below, however, describes an LTE/LTE-A and/or <NUM> New Radio (NR) system for purposes of example, and LTE or <NUM> NR terminology is used in much of the description below, although the techniques are applicable beyond LTE/LTE-A and <NUM> NR applications, e.g., to other next generation communication systems).

Various aspects or features will be presented in terms of systems that may include a number of devices, components, modules, and the like. It is to be understood and appreciated that the various systems may include additional devices, components, modules, etc. and/or may not include all of the devices, components, modules etc. discussed in connection with the figures. A combination of these approaches may also be used.

Referring to <FIG>, in an aspect, a wireless communications system <NUM> includes at least one UE <NUM> in communication coverage of at least one TRP <NUM> or TRP <NUM> (e.g., a network entity, base station, or gNB or eNB, or a cell, or a distributed unit (DU) associated with a gNB thereof). The UE <NUM> may communicate with a core network <NUM> (e.g., <NUM> core network) via the TRP <NUM> and/or TRP <NUM> for IP services <NUM>. The TRP <NUM> and TRP <NUM> may interface with the core network <NUM> through backhaul links <NUM> (e.g., S1, etc.) which may be wired or wireless communication links. The TRP <NUM> and TRP <NUM> may perform radio configuration and scheduling for communications with the UEs <NUM>. In various examples, the TRP <NUM> and TRP <NUM> may communicate either directly or indirectly (e.g., through core network <NUM>), with one another over backhaul links <NUM> (e.g., X1, X2, Xn, etc.), which may be wired or wireless communication links. In some aspects, TRPs may communicate to a central unit (CU) associated with a gNB, or a central scheduler in radio access network (RAN). In some aspects, multiple UEs including UE <NUM> may be in communication coverage with one or more network entities, including TRP <NUM> and TRP <NUM>, both of which are shown in a CoMP cluster set <NUM>. In an aspect, the TRP <NUM> and/or TRP <NUM> may be a network entity, such as a base station or an eNodeB/eNB in a long term evolution (LTE) network. Although various aspects are described in relation to a UMTS, LTE, or <NUM> NR networks, similar principles may be applied in other wireless wide area networks (WWAN). The wireless network may employ a scheme where multiple TRPs <NUM>/<NUM> may communicate with the UE <NUM> on a channel or respective channels. In an example, UE <NUM> may transmit and/or receive wireless communications to and/or from TRP <NUM> and/or TRP <NUM>. For example, the UE <NUM> may be actively communicating with TRP <NUM> and/or TRP <NUM>.

In some aspects, the UE <NUM> may also be referred to by those skilled in the art (as well as interchangeably herein) 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 terminal, 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 communications device, a handheld device, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a cordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a global positioning system (GPS) device, a multimedia device, a video device, a digital audio player (e.g., MP3 player), a camera, a game console, a wearable computing device (e.g., a smart-watch, smart-glasses, a health or fitness tracker, etc.), an appliance, a sensor, a vehicle communication system, a medical device, a vending machine, a device for the Internet-of-Things, or any other similar functioning device. The TRP <NUM> or TRP <NUM> may be a macrocell, picocell, femtocell, relay, Node B, mobile Node B, small cell box, UE (e.g., communicating in peer-to-peer or ad-hoc mode with UE <NUM>), or substantially any type of component that may communicate with UE <NUM> to provide wireless network access at the UE <NUM>.

According to the present aspects, the TRP <NUM>/<NUM> may include one or more processors <NUM> and a memory <NUM> that may operate in combination with a CoMP management component <NUM> to control a UE CoMP management component <NUM> and/or a TRP CoMP management component <NUM> for determining a CoMP cluster set and coordinate communications for the UE <NUM> using the CoMP cluster set. For example, the UE CoMP management component <NUM> may determine a CoMP cluster set <NUM> and may adjust the CoMP cluster set <NUM> for the UE <NUM>. The CoMP cluster set <NUM> may be based on configuration information and measurements, delay budget or reliability requirement for the UE <NUM>. An adjustment to the CoMP cluster set <NUM> may be based on one or more of number of allowed subsequent re-transmissions to the UE <NUM>, configuration information and measurements, delay budget or reliability requirement. The configuration information and measurements may include current channel measurements or current channel measurements and long term channel measurements. The channel measurements may include one or more of past path loss, channel state information (CSI), synchronization signal measurements or reference signal measurements associated with the UE <NUM>. The CSI may include one or more of channel quality indicator (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), precoding type indicator (PTI) or rank indication (RI). The synchronization signal measurements may include primary synchronization signal (PSS) measurements and/or secondary synchronization signal (SSS) measurements. The reference signal measurements may include one or more of reference signal receive power (RSRP), received signal strength indicator (RSSI), reference signal received quality (RSRQ) or any other reference signal measurements. The delay budget may be a maximum amount of time for transmission of a packet, including re-transmissions. For example, the URLLC delay budgets may be approximately <NUM> - <NUM>. The delay budget may be based on one or more of end-to-end latency requirements, jitter requirements, round-trip-time requirements, or survival time requirements. See e.g., 3GPP TS <NUM>. The reliability requirement may be a likelihood that a transmitted packet is received correctly. The reliability requirement may be based on one or more of a packet error rate (PER) requirement or communication service availability. See e.g., 3GPP TS <NUM>. The reliability requirement may be based on, on a per packet basis, one or more of a survival time associated with a readio bearer used for communication, number of packet errors of one or more preceding packets or number of consecutive packet errors in preceding packets. In another example, the TRP CoMP management component <NUM> may coordinate communications for the UE <NUM> using the CoMP cluster set <NUM>.

In an aspect, the term "component" as used herein may be one of the parts that make up a system, may be hardware, firmware, and/or software, and may be divided into other components. The CoMP management component <NUM> may be communicatively coupled with a transceiver <NUM>, which may include a receiver <NUM> for receiving and processing RF signals and a transmitter <NUM> for processing and transmitting RF signals. The CoMP management component <NUM> may include the UE CoMP management component <NUM> and/or the TRP CoMP management component <NUM> for determining CoMP cluster sets and/or coordinating communication for the UE <NUM> using one of the CoMP cluster sets. The processor <NUM> may be coupled with the transceiver <NUM> and memory <NUM> via at least one bus <NUM>.

The receiver <NUM> may include hardware, firmware, and/or software code executable by a processor for receiving data, the code comprising instructions and being stored in a memory (e.g., computer-readable medium). The receiver <NUM> may be, for example, a radio frequency (RF) receiver. In an aspect, the receiver <NUM> may receive signals transmitted by the UE <NUM>, TRP <NUM> and/or TRP <NUM>. The receiver <NUM> may obtain measurements of the signals. For example, the receiver <NUM> may determine Ec/Io, SNR, etc..

The transmitter <NUM> may include hardware, firmware, and/or software code executable by a processor for transmitting data, the code comprising instructions and being stored in a memory (e.g., computer-readable medium). The transmitter <NUM> may be, for example, a RF transmitter.

In an aspect, the one or more processors <NUM> may include a modem <NUM> that uses one or more modem processors. The various functions related to the CoMP management component <NUM> may be included in modem <NUM> and/or processors <NUM> and, in an aspect, may be executed by a single processor, while in other aspects, different ones of the functions may be executed by a combination of two or more different processors. For example, in an aspect, the one or more processors <NUM> may include any one or any combination of a modem processor, or a baseband processor, or a digital signal processor, or a transmit processor, or a transceiver processor associated with transceiver <NUM>. In particular, the one or more processors <NUM> may implement components included in the CoMP management component <NUM>, including the UE CoMP management component <NUM> and/or the TRP CoMP management component <NUM>.

The CoMP management component <NUM>, UE CoMP management component <NUM> and/or TRP CoMP management component <NUM> may include hardware, firmware, and/or software code executable by a processor for performing determining a CoMP cluster set of TRPs <NUM> for a UE <NUM> and coordinating communications for the UE <NUM> using the CoMP cluster set of TRPs <NUM>. For example, the hardware may include, for example, a hardware accelerator, or specialized processor.

Moreover, in an aspect, the TRP <NUM>/<NUM> may include RF front end <NUM> and transceiver <NUM> for receiving and transmitting radio transmissions, for example, wireless communications <NUM>. For example, transceiver <NUM> may transmit or receive a signal that includes a pilot signal (e.g., common pilot channel (CPICH)). The transceiver <NUM> may measure the received pilot signal in order to determine signal quality and for providing feedback to the TRP <NUM>/<NUM>. For example, transceiver <NUM> may communicate with modem <NUM> to transmit messages generated by CoMP management component <NUM> and to receive messages and forward them to CoMP management component <NUM>.

RF front end <NUM> may be connected to one or more antennas <NUM> and may include one or more low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) <NUM>, one or more switches <NUM>, <NUM>, one or more power amplifiers (PAs) <NUM>, and one or more filters <NUM> for transmitting and receiving RF signals. In an aspect, components of RF front end <NUM> may connect with transceiver <NUM>. Transceiver <NUM> may be communicatively couple with one or more modems <NUM> and processor <NUM>.

In an aspect, LNA <NUM> may amplify a received signal at a desired output level. In an aspect, RF front end <NUM> may use one or more switches <NUM>, <NUM> to select a particular LNA <NUM> and its specified gain value based on a desired gain value for a particular application. In an aspect, the RF front end <NUM> may provide measurements (e.g., Ec/Io) and/or applied gain values to the CoMP management component <NUM>.

In an aspect, each PA <NUM> may have a specified minimum and maximum gain values. In an aspect, RF front end <NUM> may use one or more switches <NUM>, <NUM> to select a particular PA <NUM> and its specified gain value based on a desired gain value for a particular application.

Also, for example, one or more filters <NUM> may be used by RF front end <NUM> to filter a received signal to obtain an input RF signal. Similarly, in an aspect, for example, a respective filter <NUM> may be used to filter an output from a respective PA <NUM> to produce an output signal for transmission. In an aspect, each filter <NUM> may be connected to a specific LNA <NUM> and/or PA <NUM>. In an aspect, RF front end <NUM> may use one or more switches <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM> to select a transmit or receive path using a specified filter <NUM>, LNA, <NUM>, and/or PA <NUM>, based on a configuration as specified by transceiver <NUM> and/or processor <NUM>.

Transceiver <NUM> may be configured to transmit and receive wireless signals through one or more antennas <NUM> via RF front end <NUM>. In an aspect, transceiver may be tuned to operate at specified frequencies such that TRP <NUM>/<NUM> may communicate with, for example, UE <NUM>. In an aspect, for example, modem <NUM> may configure transceiver <NUM> to operate at a specified frequency and power level based on the TRP configuration of the TRP and communication protocol used by modem <NUM>.

In an aspect, modem <NUM> may be a multiband-multimode modem, which may process digital data and communicate with transceiver <NUM> such that the digital data is sent and received using transceiver <NUM>. In an aspect, modem <NUM> may be multiband and be configured to support multiple frequency bands for a specific communications protocol. In an aspect, modem <NUM> may be multimode and be configured to support multiple operating networks and communications protocols. In an aspect, modem <NUM> may control one or more components of TRP <NUM>/<NUM> (e.g., RF front end <NUM>, transceiver <NUM>) to enable transmission and/or reception of signals based on a specified modem configuration. In an aspect, the modem configuration may be based on the mode of the modem and the frequency band in use. In another aspect, the modem configuration may be based on UE configuration information associated with UE <NUM> as provided by the network during cell selection and/or cell reselection.

TRP <NUM> or TRP <NUM> may further include memory <NUM>, such as for storing data used herein and/or local versions of applications or CoMP management component <NUM> and/or one or more of its subcomponents being executed by processor <NUM>. Memory <NUM> may 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 that stores one or more computer-executable codes defining CoMP management component <NUM> and/or one or more of its subcomponents, and/or data associated therewith, when TRP <NUM> or TRP <NUM> is operating processor <NUM> to execute CoMP management component <NUM> and/or one or more of its subcomponents. In another aspect, for example, memory <NUM> may be a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, diagrams of example communications networks with a UE having different CoMP cluster sets are illustrated. For example, in <FIG>, UE C <NUM> is in a cluster set with TRP <NUM><NUM> and TRP <NUM><NUM>. Similarly, UE B <NUM> is in a cluster set with TRP <NUM><NUM> and TRP <NUM><NUM> and UE D <NUM> is in a cluster set with TRP <NUM><NUM> and TRP <NUM><NUM>. In <FIG>, UE C <NUM> is in a cluster set with TRP <NUM><NUM>, TRP <NUM><NUM>, TRP <NUM><NUM> and TRP <NUM><NUM>. UE B <NUM> and UE D <NUM> are in the same cluster sets as shown in <FIG>.

In determining clusters in a conventional communications network, clusters may be determined using long term channel statistics such as averaged path loss or averaged RSRP. However, such clusters may not meet the delay budgets and reliability requirements that URLLC services or other services require. For example, URLLC requires packet error rates (PER) of <NUM>-<NUM> or <NUM>-<NUM> with very low latency, e.g., <NUM> - <NUM>. For URLLC, HARQ procedures and CoMP schemes are important in order to achieve or meet URLLC requirements. For example, due to the low latency requirements of URLLC, the number of HARQ re-transmissions may be limited. In order to achieve or meet URLLC reliability requirements in CoMP schemes, UE-centric clustering is preferred over TRP centric clustering. In TRP-centric clustering or network-centric clustering, TRPs are clustered where all of the UEs within the serving area of the clustered TRPs are served by all of the TRPs or a sub-group of TRPs in the cluster. Network-centric clustering is less complex compared to UE-centric clustering, especially from a scheduling point of view, but UEs at the cluster edge suffer from inter-cluster interference. In UE-centric clustering, UEs are allocated their own cluster of TRPs individually. Although this clustering method may provide better signal-to-interference-plus notice (SINR) gains, this clustering method requires higher backhaul capacity and is more complex, especially in terms of scheduling and precoding design where UE clusters overlap with each other. To reduce complexity, UE-centric clustering may be implemented in small groups of TRPs rather than the whole network. In UE-centric clustering, the M strongest TRPs may be used to form the CoMP cluster set for a given UE.

To form a CoMP cluster set in URLLC, delay budgets and reliability requirements may be used to determine a CoMP cluster set. In an aspect, if a delay budget is considered to be relatively very small (below a threshold, e.g., <NUM> ms330) and the reliability requirement is considered to be relatively stringent (below a threshold, e.g., <NUM>-<NUM> PER), a CoMP cluster set may be formed based on the delay budget and reliability requirement. In an aspect, if a delay budget is considered to be relatively moderate (above a threshold, e.g., <NUM>) and the reliability requirement is considered to be relatively very stringent (below a threshold, <NUM>-<NUM> PER), a smaller cluster may be formed based on the delay budget and reliability requirement. For example, <FIG> shows an example of a cluster set of two TRPs (e.g., TRP <NUM><NUM> and TRP <NUM><NUM>) for UE C <NUM> having a relaxed delay budget of <NUM> and a moderate reliability requirement of <NUM>-<NUM> PER. In another example, <FIG> shows an example of a cluster set of four TRPs (e.g., TRP <NUM>, TRP <NUM><NUM>, TRP <NUM><NUM> and TRP <NUM><NUM>). Hence, a small delay budget requires larger cluster size and a smaller error rate typically requires a larger cluster size.

The cluster size (e.g., number of TRPs in a CoMP cluster set <NUM>) may be adjusted based on the number of allowed re-transmissions. In an aspect, a reliability requirement for a first transmission and each re-transmission is computed based on the overall reliability requirement and number of allowed subsequent re-transmissions within the remaining delay budget. The remaining delay budget for a re-transmission may be determined by subtracting, from the delay budget, time used for any preceding first transmission and re-transmission associated with the re-transmission. The number of allowed subsequent re-transmissions within the remaining delay budget may be determined based on one or more of slot structure, UE processing delays, TRP processing delays, backhaul latency, etc. In an example, if the maximum of two remaining re-transmissions is possible within the remaining delay budget, a less stringent reliability requirement for current transmissions may be used given that two more chances for re-transmissions are available. In another example, if no re-transmissions are available because the current transmission is very close to the delay budget, a very stringent reliability requirement for the current transmissions may be used. Thus in these two examples, the cluster size for the first example would be smaller than the cluster size for the second example because the second example ensures that current transmissions are able to meet the more stringent reliability requirement, without allowing for re-transmissions, by using a larger CoMP cluster set <NUM>. By using the larger CoMP cluster set <NUM>, the UE <NUM> has a higher probability of receiving a packet from one of the TRPs in the CoMP cluster set <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, in an operational aspect, a network entity, such as TRP <NUM> or TRP <NUM>, may perform one or more aspects of a method <NUM> for determining a CoMP cluster set. For example, one or more of the processors <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, the modem <NUM>, the transceiver <NUM> (including the receiver <NUM> and/or the transmitter <NUM>), the CoMP management component <NUM>, and/or at least one of the sub-components of the CoMP management component <NUM> may be configured to perform one or more aspects of the method <NUM>.

In an aspect, at block <NUM>, the method <NUM> may include receiving a request to form a CoMP cluster set of TRPs for a UE. In an aspect, for example, the CoMP management component <NUM> and/or the UE CoMP management component <NUM>, e.g., in conjunction with one or more of the processors <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, the modem <NUM>, and/or the transceiver <NUM>, may receive a request to form a CoMP cluster set of TRPs <NUM> for a UE <NUM>. The request may be received from one or more of the UE <NUM>, TRP <NUM>, TRP <NUM>, entity in a RAN, central unit, distributed unit, entity in a core network <NUM>, or an operations and management (OAM) entity.

In an aspect, at block <NUM>, the method <NUM> may include determining the CoMP cluster set of TRPs for the UE based on at least a delay budget and a reliability requirement, and one or more of configuration information and measurements. In an aspect, for example, the CoMP management component <NUM> and/or the UE CoMP management component <NUM>, e.g., in conjunction with one or more of the processors <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, the modem <NUM>, and/or the transceiver <NUM>, may determine the CoMP cluster set of TRPs <NUM> for the UE <NUM> based on at least the delay budget and the reliability requirement, and one or more of configuration information and measurements. The delay budget may be based on one or more of end-to-end latency requirements, jitter requirements, round-trip-time requirements or survival time requirements. The reliability requirement is based on a PER requirement and/or communication service availability requirement. The reliability requirement may be based one or more of a survival time associated with a readio bearer used for communication, number of packet errors one or more preceding packets or number of consecutive packet errors in preceding packets. The configuration information and measurements may include current channel measurements or current channel measurements and long term channel measurements. The channel measurements may include one or more of past path loss, channel state information (CSI), synchronization signal measurements or reference signal measurements associated with the UE <NUM>.

According to the claimed invention, at block <NUM>, the method <NUM> includes adjusting the CoMP cluster set of TRPs for the UE based on one or more of a number of allowed subsequent re-transmissions to the UE, configuration information and measurements, delay budget or reliability requirement. In an aspect, for example, the CoMP management component <NUM> and/or the UE CoMP management component <NUM>, e.g., in conjunction with one or more of the processors <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, the modem <NUM>, and/or the transceiver <NUM>, may adjust the CoMP cluster set of TRPs <NUM> for the UE <NUM> based on one or more of a number of allowed subsequent re-transmissions to the UE <NUM>, configuration information and measurements, delay budget or reliability requirement. The adjustment of the CoMP cluster set of TRPs <NUM> may be based on one or more of a slot structure, UE processing delays, TRP processing delays or backhaul latency. In an aspect, at block <NUM>, the method <NUM> may optionally include decreasing the number of TRPs in the cluster set when the delay budget allows for one or more re-transmissions. In an aspect, for example, the CoMP management component <NUM> and/or UE CoMP management component <NUM>, e.g., in conjunction with one or more of the processors <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, the modem <NUM>, and/or the transceiver <NUM>, may decrease the number of TRPs in the cluster set <NUM> when the delay budget allows for one or more re-transmissions. In an aspect, at block <NUM>, the method <NUM> may optionally include increasing the number of TRPs in the cluster set when the delay budget does not allow for one or more re-transmissions. In an aspect, for example, the CoMP management component <NUM> and/or the UE CoMP management component <NUM>, e.g., in conjunction with one or more of the processors <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, the modem <NUM>, and/or the transceiver <NUM>, may increase the number of TRPs in the cluster set <NUM> when the delay budget does not allow for one or more re-transmissions.

In an aspect, at block <NUM>, the method <NUM> may include coordinating communications for the UE using the CoMP cluster set. In an aspect, for example, the CoMP management component <NUM> and/or the TRP CoMP management component <NUM>, e.g., in conjunction with one or more of the processors <NUM>, the memory <NUM>, the modem <NUM>, and/or the transceiver <NUM>, may coordinate communications for the UE <NUM> using the CoMP cluster set <NUM>. In an aspect, the network entity, such as TRP <NUM> or TRP <NUM>, may coordinate with the other TRPs in the CoMP cluster set <NUM> to communicate the same packet to the UE <NUM>. For example, all of the TRPs in the CoMP cluster set <NUM> may transmit the same packet to the UE <NUM>. In another example, all of the TRPs in the CoMP cluster set may receive the same packet from the UE <NUM>. The coordinating of the communications may be done by one of the TRPs, e.g., the master TRP, or alternatively by a network entity, such as a controller. The coordination may be done through the backhaul links <NUM> or via the core network <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, one example of an implementation of UE <NUM> may include a variety of components, some of which have already been described above, but including components such as one or more processors <NUM> and memory <NUM> and transceiver <NUM> in communication via one or more buses <NUM>, which may operate in conjunction with modem <NUM> to enable one or more of the functions described herein related to coordinated communications of a UE <NUM> with a CoMP cluster set of TRPs <NUM>.

The transceiver <NUM>, receiver <NUM>, transmitter <NUM>, one or more processors <NUM>, memory <NUM>, buses <NUM>, RF front end <NUM>, LNAs <NUM>, switches <NUM>, filters <NUM>, PAs <NUM>, and one or more antennas <NUM> may be the same as or similar to the corresponding components of TRP <NUM>/<NUM>, as described above, but configured or otherwise programmed for UE operations as opposed to TRP operations.

Several aspects of a telecommunications system have been presented with reference to an LTE/LTE-A or a <NUM> communication system.

For example, due to the nature of software, functions described above may be implemented using software executed by a specially programmed processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or combinations of any of these. Combinations such as "at least one of A, B, or C," "one or more of A, B, or C," "at least one of A, B, and C," "one or more of A, B, and C," and "A, B, C, or any combination thereof" include any combination of A, B, and/or C, and may include multiples of A, multiples of B, or multiples of C. Specifically, combinations such as "at least one of A, B, or C," "one or more of A, B, or C," "at least one of A, B, and C," "one or more of A, B, and C," and "A, B, C, or any combination thereof" may be A only, B only, C only, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C, where any such combinations may contain one or more member or members of A, B, or C.

A storage medium may be any available medium that may be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media may comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that may be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form of instructions or data structures and that may be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purpose processor.

The previous description of the disclosure 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 common principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the disclosure. Furthermore, although elements of the described aspects and/or embodiments may be described or claimed in the singular, the plural is contemplated unless limitation to the singular is explicitly stated. Additionally, all or a portion of any aspect and/or embodiment may be utilized with all or a portion of any other aspect and/or embodiment, unless stated otherwise. Thus, the disclosure is not to be limited to the examples and designs described herein but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the appended claims.

An example method for wireless communications comprising: receiving a request to form a coordinated multi-point (CoMP) cluster set of transmit/receive points (TRPs) for a user equipment (UE); determining the CoMP cluster set of TRPs for the UE based on at least a delay budget and a reliability requirement, and one or more of configuration information and measurements; and coordinating communications for the UE using the CoMP cluster set.

The above example method, wherein the request is received from one or more of the UE, TRP, entity in a radio access network (RAN), central unit, distributed unit, entity in a core network or an operations and management (OAM) entity.

One or more of the above example methods, wherein the delay budget is based on one or more of end-to-end latency requirements, jitter requirements, round-trip-time requirements or survival time requirements.

One or more of the above example methods, wherein the reliability requirement is based on one or more of packet error rate (PER) requirement or communication service availability requirement.

One or more of the above example methods, wherein the reliability requirement is based on, on a per packet basis, one or more of a survival time associated with a radio bearer used for communication, number of packet errors of one or more preceding packets or number of consecutive packet errors in preceding packets.

One or more of the above example methods, further comprising adjusting the CoMP cluster set of TRPs based on one or more of a number of allowed subsequent re-transmissions to the UE, configuration information and measurements, delay budget or reliability requirement.

The above example methods, wherein the CoMP cluster set of TRPs is determined using an adjustment based on one or more of a slot structure, UE processing delays, TRP processing delays or backhaul latency.

The above example methods, wherein the adjustment is a decrease in number of TRPs in the CoMP cluster set when the delay budget allows for one or more subsequent re-transmissions or wherein the adjustment is an increase in number of TRPs in the CoMP cluster set when the delay budget does not allow for one or more subsequent re-transmissions.

One or more of the above example methods, further comprising adjusting the CoMP cluster set of TRPs based on one or more of a number of allowed subsequent re-transmissions to the UE, configuration information, or measurements, delay budget or reliability requirement and wherein the configuration information and measurements includes one or more of current channel measurements or long term channel measurements, wherein the current channel measurements include one or more of path loss, channel state information (CSI), synchronization signal measurements or reference signal measurements associated with the UE, and wherein the long term channel measurements include one or more of past path loss, channel state information (CSI), synchronization signal measurements or reference signal measurements associated with the UE.

The above example methods, wherein the CSI includes one or more of a channel quality indicator (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), precoding type indicator (PTI), or rank indication (RI) and/or wherein the synchronization signal measurements include one or more of Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) measurements or Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) measurements and/or wherein the reference signal measurements include one or more of reference signal received power (RSRP) measurements, reference signal received quality (RSRQ) measurements or received signal strength indicator (RSSI).

An example network entity for wireless communications comprising: a memory; and a processor communicatively coupled with the memory and configured to: receive a request to form a coordinated multi-point (CoMP) cluster set of transmit/receive points (TRPs) for a user equipment (UE); determine the CoMP cluster set of TRPs for the UE based on at least a delay budget and a reliability requirement, and one or more of configuration information and measurements; and coordinate communications for the UE using the CoMP cluster set.

The above example network entity, wherein the request is received from one or more of the UE, TRP, entity in a radio access network (RAN), central unit, distributed unit, entity in a core network or an operations and management (OAM) entity.

One or more of the above example network entities, wherein the delay budget is based on one or more of end-to-end latency requirements, jitter requirements, round-trip-time requirements or survival time requirements.

One or more of the above example network entities, wherein the reliability requirement is based on one or more of packet error rate (PER) requirement or communication service availability requirement.

One or more of the above example network entities, wherein the reliability requirement is based on, on a per packet basis, one or more of a survival time associated with a radio bearer used for communication, number of packet errors of one or more preceding packets or number of consecutive packet errors in preceding packets.

One or more of the above example network entities, wherein the processor is configured to adjust the CoMP cluster set of TRPs based on one or more of a number of allowed subsequent re-transmissions to the UE, configuration information and measurements, or delay budget and reliability requirement.

The above example network entities, wherein the CoMP cluster set of TRPs is determined using an adjustment based on one or more of a slot structure, UE processing delays, TRP processing delays or backhaul latency.

The above example network entities, wherein the adjustment is a decrease in number of TRPs in the CoMP cluster set when the delay budget allows for one or more subsequent re-transmissions or wherein the adjustment is an increase in number of TRPs in the CoMP cluster set when the delay budget does not allow for one or more subsequent re-transmissions.

One or more of the above example network entities, wherein the processor is configured to adjust the CoMP cluster set of TRPs based on one or more of a number of allowed subsequent re-transmissions to the UE, configuration information and measurements, or delay budget and reliability requirement and wherein the configuration information and measurements includes one or more of current channel measurements or long term channel measurements, wherein the current channel measurements include one or more of path loss, channel state information (CSI), synchronization signal measurements or reference signal measurements associated with the UE, and wherein the long term channel measurements include one or more of past path loss, channel state information (CSI), synchronization signal measurements or reference signal measurements associated with the UE.

The above example network entities, wherein the CSI includes one or more of a channel quality indicator (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), precoding type indicator (PTI), or rank indication (RI) and/or wherein the synchronization signal measurements include one or more of Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) measurements or Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) measurements and/or wherein the reference signal measurements include one or more of reference signal received power (RSRP) measurements, reference signal received quality (RSRQ) measurements or received signal strength indicator (RSSI).

An example non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code that when executed by a processor of a network entity causes the processor to: receive a request to form a coordinated multi-point (CoMP) cluster set of transmit/receive points (TRPs) for a user equipment (UE); determine the CoMP cluster set of TRPs for the UE based on at least a delay budget and a reliability requirement, and one or more of configuration information and measurements; and coordinate communications for the UE using the CoMP cluster set.

The above example non-transitory computer-readable medium, wherein the request is received from one or more of the UE, TRP, entity in a radio access network (RAN), central unit, distributed unit, entity in a core network or an operations and management (OAM) entity.

One or more of the above example non-transitory computer-readable mediums, wherein the delay budget is based on one or more of end-to-end latency requirements, jitter requirements, round-trip-time requirements or survival time requirements.

One or more of the above example non-transitory computer-readable mediums, wherein the reliability requirement is based on one or more of packet error rate (PER) requirement or communication service availability requirement.

One or more of the above example non-transitory computer-readable mediums, wherein the reliability requirement is based on, on a per packet basis, one or more of a survival time associated with a radio bearer used for communication, number of packet errors of one or more preceding packets or number of consecutive packet errors in preceding packets.

One or more of the above example non-transitory computer-readable mediums, where the code further causes the processor to adjust the CoMP cluster set of TRPs based on one or more of a number of allowed subsequent re-transmissions to the UE, configuration information and measurements, delay budget or reliability requirement.

The above example non-transitory computer-readable mediums, wherein the CoMP cluster set of TRPs is determined using an adjustment based on one or more of a slot structure, UE processing delays, TRP processing delays or backhaul latency.

The above example non-transitory computer-readable mediums, wherein the adjustment is a decrease in number of TRPs in the CoMP cluster set when the delay budget allows for one or more subsequent re-transmissions or wherein the adjustment is an increase in number of TRPs in the CoMP cluster set when the delay budget does not allow for one or more subsequent re-transmissions.

One or more of the example non-transitory computer-readable mediums, where the code further causes the processor to adjust the CoMP cluster set of TRPs based on one or more of a number of allowed subsequent re-transmissions to the UE, configuration information, or measurements, delay budget or reliability requirement and wherein the configuration information and measurements includes one or more of current channel measurements or long term channel measurements, wherein the current channel measurements include one or more of path loss, channel state information (CSI), synchronization signal measurements or reference signal measurements associated with the UE, and wherein the long term channel measurements include one or more of past path loss, channel state information (CSI), synchronization signal measurements or reference signal measurements associated with the UE.

The above example non-transitory computer-readable mediums, wherein the CSI includes one or more of a channel quality indicator (CQI), precoding matrix indicator (PMI), precoding type indicator (PTI), or rank indication (RI) and/or wherein the synchronization signal measurements include one or more of Primary Synchronization Signal (PSS) measurements or Secondary Synchronization Signal (SSS) measurements and/or wherein the reference signal measurements include one or more of reference signal received power (RSRP) measurements, reference signal received quality (RSRQ) measurements or received signal strength indicator (RSSI).

A second example network entity for wireless communications comprising: means for receiving a request to form a coordinated multi-point (CoMP) cluster of transmit/receive points (TRPs) for a user equipment (UE); means for determining the CoMP cluster set of TRPs for the UE based on at least a delay budget and a reliability requirement, and one or more of configuration information and measurements; and means for coordinating communications for the UE using the CoMP cluster set.

One or more of the above example network entities, further comprising means for adjusting the CoMP cluster set of TRPs based on one or more of a number of allowed subsequent re-transmissions to the UE, configuration information and measurements, or delay budget and reliability requirement.

One or more of the above example network entities, further comprising means for adjusting the CoMP cluster set of TRPs based on one or more of a number of allowed subsequent re-transmissions to the UE, configuration information and measurements, or delay budget and reliability requirement and wherein the configuration information and measurements includes one or more of current channel measurements or long term channel measurements, wherein the current channel measurements include one or more of path loss, channel state information (CSI), synchronization signal measurements or reference signal measurements associated with the UE, and wherein the long term channel measurements include one or more of past path loss, channel state information (CSI), synchronization signal measurements or reference signal measurements associated with the UE.

Claim 1:
A method for wireless communications comprising:
receiving a request to form a coordinated multi-point, CoMP, cluster set of transmit/receive points, TRPs, for a user equipment, UE, (<NUM>);
determining the CoMP cluster set of TRPs for the UE based on at least a delay budget and a reliability requirement, and one or more of configuration information and measurements (<NUM>);
adjusting the CoMP cluster set of TRPs based on one or more of a number of allowed subsequent re-transmissions to the UE, configuration information and measurements, delay budget or reliability requirement (<NUM>); and
coordinating communications for the UE using the CoMP cluster set (<NUM>).