Patent Description:
Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcasts, and so on. Such networks, which are usually multiple access networks, support communication for multiple users by sharing the available network resources. For example, in 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE), enhanced Node Bs (eNBs) provide network connectivity for user equipment (UE) within the coverage areas of the eNBs.

In conventional wireless communication networks, frame structure and control channel design is generally fixed, regardless of the type of UE or UE application, and regardless of latency, power, efficiency, and cost requirements. For instance, in LTE, the transmission time interval (TTI) is fixed at <NUM> millisecond (ms). Also in LTE, all categories of UEs use the same form of control channels (for example, a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) or an enhanced PDCCH).

<CIT> describes a method for conducting communication using a frame structure which supports two or more wireless communication schemes, and an apparatus using the method.

The following presents a simplified summary of some aspects of the disclosure to provide a basic understanding of such aspects. Its sole purpose is to present various concepts of some aspects of the disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a method of communication for an apparatus as set out in claim <NUM>, a method of communication for an apparatus as set out in claim <NUM>, an apparatus for communication as set out in claim <NUM> and a non-transitory computer-readable medium as set out in claim <NUM>. Other aspects of the invention can be found in the dependent claims.

These and other aspects of the disclosure will become more fully understood upon a review of the detailed description, which follows. Other aspects, features, and implementations of the disclosure will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, upon reviewing the following description of specific implementations of the disclosure in conjunction with the accompanying figures. While features of the disclosure may be discussed relative to certain implementations and figures below, all implementations of the disclosure can include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, while one or more implementations may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more of such features may also be used in accordance with the various implementations of the disclosure discussed herein. In similar fashion, while certain implementations may be discussed below as device, system, or method implementations it should be understood that such implementations can be implemented in various devices, systems, and methods.

The disclosure relates in some aspects to frame structure and control channel design to support multiple access requirements (e.g., tiers of access) such as tiers of access terminal (e.g., UE) categories and tiers of applications. In some aspects, access requirements relate to different performance requirements of different access terminals.

The disclosure relates in some aspects to a unified frame structure that supports different structures for the different access requirements. For example, within the unified frame structure, one structure may be defined for access terminals that have a first performance requirement, another structure may be defined for access terminals that have a second performance requirement, yet another structure may be defined for access terminals that have a third performance requirement, and so on.

One or more of the techniques that follow may be provided in accordance with various aspects of the disclosure. In some aspects, an apparatus may use a flexible TTI design (e.g., employing dynamically configurable TTI lengths) to achieve various overhead/latency tradeoffs. In some aspects, an apparatus may use narrowband and time division multiplexing (TDM) cell-specific reference signal (CRS) based control to enable fast decoding, a micro-sleep state, and dynamic bandwidth switching (e.g., with TTI delay). In some aspects, an apparatus may use per-TTI control monitoring in a staggered control scenario to provide low latency. In some aspects, an apparatus may use a narrowband data and control channel to enable UEs with narrowband capability to operate in a wideband environment. In some aspects, an apparatus may use code block-level acknowledgement (ACK) feedback to enable efficient multiplexing of nominal traffic and ultra-low-latency traffic.

The various concepts presented throughout this disclosure may be implemented across a broad variety of communication systems, network architectures, and communication standards. Referring to <FIG>, by way of example and without limitation, a simplified example of an access network <NUM> is shown. The access network <NUM> can be implemented according to various network technologies including, without limitation, fifth generation (<NUM>) technology, fourth generation (<NUM>) technology, third generation (<NUM>) technology, and other network architectures. Thus, various aspects of the disclosure may be extended to networks based on Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) (in FDD, TDD, or both modes), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE <NUM> (Wi-Fi), IEEE <NUM> (WiMAX), IEEE <NUM>, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Bluetooth, and/or other suitable systems.

The access network <NUM> includes multiple cellular regions (cells), including cells <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, each of which may include one or more sectors. Cells may be defined geographically, e.g., by coverage area. In a cell that is divided into sectors, the multiple sectors within a cell can be formed by groups of antennas with each antenna responsible for communication with ATs in a portion of the cell. For example, in the cell <NUM>, antenna groups <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may each correspond to a different sector. In the cell <NUM>, antenna groups <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may each correspond to a different sector. In the cell <NUM>, antenna groups <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may each correspond to a different sector.

The cells <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may include several access terminals (ATs) that may be in communication with one or more sectors of each cell <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>. For example, ATs <NUM> and <NUM> may be in communication with an access point (AP) <NUM>, ATs <NUM> and <NUM> may be in communication with an AP <NUM>, and ATs <NUM> and <NUM> may be in communication with an AP <NUM>. In various implementations, an AP may be referred to or implemented as a base station, a NodeB, an eNodeB, and so on; while an AT may be referred to or implemented as a user equipment (UE), a mobile station, and so on.

<FIG> is a block diagram of system <NUM> including an access point (AP) <NUM> in communication with an access terminal (AT) <NUM>, where the AP <NUM> and the AT <NUM> may be configured to provide functionality as taught herein. The AP <NUM> may be the AP <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM> in <FIG>, and the AT <NUM> may be the AT <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM> in <FIG>. In various operating scenarios, the AP <NUM> and/or the AT <NUM> may be a transmitter or transmitting device, or a receiver or receiving device, or both. Examples of such transmitters, transmitting devices, receivers, and receiving devices are illustrated in <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, <FIG>, <NUM>, and <NUM>.

In a downlink communication from the AP <NUM> to the AT <NUM>, a controller or processor (controller/processor) <NUM> may receive data from a data source <NUM>. Channel estimates may be used by the controller/processor <NUM> to determine the coding, modulation, spreading, and/or scrambling schemes for the transmit processor <NUM>. These channel estimates may be derived from a reference signal transmitted by the AT <NUM> or from feedback from the AT <NUM>. A transmitter <NUM> may provide various signal conditioning functions including amplifying, filtering, and modulating frames onto a carrier for downlink transmission over a wireless medium through antennas 234A - 234N. The antennas 234A - 234N may include one or more antennas, for example, including beam steering bidirectional adaptive antenna arrays, MIMO arrays, or any other suitable transmission/reception technologies.

At the AT <NUM>, a communication interface or receiver <NUM> receives the downlink transmission through antennas 252A - 252N (e.g., representing one or more antennas) and processes the transmission to recover the information modulated onto the carrier. The information recovered by the receiver <NUM> is provided to a controller/processor <NUM>. The controller/processor <NUM> descrambles and despreads the symbols, and determines the most likely signal constellation points transmitted by the AP <NUM> based on the modulation scheme. These soft decisions may be based on channel estimates computed by the controller/processor <NUM>. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data, control, and reference signals. The CRC codes are then checked to determine whether the frames were successfully decoded. The data carried by the successfully decoded frames will then be provided to a data sink <NUM>, which represents applications running in the AT <NUM> and/or various user interfaces (e.g., display). Control signals carried by successfully decoded frames will be provided to a controller/processor <NUM>. When frames are unsuccessfully decoded, the controller/processor <NUM> may also use an acknowledgement (ACK) and/or negative acknowledgement (NACK) protocol to support retransmission requests for those frames.

In the uplink from the AT <NUM> to the AP <NUM>, data from a data source <NUM> and control signals from the controller/processor <NUM> are provided. The data source <NUM> may represent applications running in the AT <NUM> and various user interfaces (e.g., keyboard). Similar to the functionality described in connection with the downlink transmission by the AP <NUM>, the controller/processor <NUM> provides various signal processing functions including CRC codes, coding and interleaving to facilitate FEC, mapping to signal constellations, spreading with OVSFs, and scrambling to produce a series of symbols. Channel estimates, derived by the controller/processor <NUM> from a reference signal transmitted by the AP <NUM> or from feedback contained in a midamble transmitted by the AP <NUM>, may be used to select the appropriate coding, modulation, spreading, and/or scrambling schemes. The symbols produced by the controller/processor <NUM> will be utilized to create a frame structure. The controller/processor <NUM> creates this frame structure by multiplexing the symbols with additional information, resulting in a series of frames. The frames are then provided to a transmitter <NUM>, which provides various signal conditioning functions including amplification, filtering, and modulating the frames onto a carrier for uplink transmission over the wireless medium through the antennas 252A - 252N.

The uplink transmission is processed at the AP <NUM> in a manner similar to that described in connection with the receiver function at the AT <NUM>. A receiver <NUM> receives the uplink transmission through the antennas 234A - 234N and processes the transmission to recover the information modulated onto the carrier. The information recovered by the receiver <NUM> is provided to the controller/processor <NUM>, which parses each frame. The controller/processor <NUM> performs the inverse of the processing performed by the controller/processor <NUM> in the AT <NUM>. The data and control signals carried by the successfully decoded frames may then be provided to a data sink <NUM>. If some of the frames were unsuccessfully decoded by the receive processor, the controller/processor <NUM> may also use a positive acknowledgement (ACK) and/or negative acknowledgement (NACK) protocol to support retransmission requests for those frames.

The controller/processors <NUM> and <NUM> may be used to direct the operation at the AP <NUM> and the AT <NUM>, respectively. For example, the controller/processors <NUM> and <NUM> may provide various functions including timing, peripheral interfaces, voltage regulation, power management, and other control functions. The computer readable media of memories <NUM> and <NUM> may store data and software for the AP <NUM> and the AT <NUM>, respectively.

In accordance with various aspects of the disclosure, an element, or any portion of an element, or any combination of elements may be implemented with controller/processors <NUM> and <NUM> (e.g., that may each include one or more processors). The controller/processors <NUM> and <NUM> are responsible for general processing, including the execution of software stored in the memory <NUM> or <NUM>. The software, when executed by the controller/processors <NUM> and <NUM>, causes the controller/processors <NUM> and <NUM> to perform the various functions described below for any particular apparatus. The memory <NUM> or <NUM> may also be used for storing data that is manipulated by the controller/processors <NUM> and <NUM> when executing software.

In various aspects of the disclosure, an apparatus may be utilized in a wireless communication network, as a scheduling entity (e.g., the AP <NUM>) and/or as a non-scheduling or subordinate entity (e.g., the AT <NUM>). In any case, the apparatus may communicate with one or more wireless entities over an air interface. In any wireless communication network, channel conditions corresponding to the air interface will change over time.

Many networks accordingly use one or more rate control loops to dynamically adapt to the channel. For example, a transmitting device may configure one or more transmission parameters, including but not limited to a modulation and coding scheme (MCS), a transmission power, etc., to target a desired error rate at the receiving device. The receiving device that is receiving a packet-switched data stream typically checks the integrity of packets (e.g., using a cyclic redundancy check or CRC, a checksum, PHY layer channel coding pass/fail status, etc.) and may report back to the transmitting device using an acknowledgment or non-acknowledgment. This integrity check and reporting frequently, though not always, takes the form of an automatic repeat request (ARQ) and/or hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) algorithm. In other examples, any suitable algorithm or means of providing feedback information or response transmissions from the receiving device to the transmitting device may be used, such as reports relating to channel quality.

The disclosure relates in some aspects to frame structure and control design to support different access terminals (e.g., UEs) and/or applications. For example, and without limitation, different frame structures could be used for at least one of: different access terminals, different applications associated with the access terminals, or different modes of operation for the access terminals.

The disclosed frame structure and control channel design could support, for example, and without limitation, at least one of: a low latency mode, a low overhead mode, a low power mode (e.g., for micro-sleep and/or dynamic bandwidth (BW) switching), an access terminal (e.g., a UE) with narrowband processing capability operating in wideband, or multiplexing of ultra-low-latency traffic and nominal traffic.

The disclosure relates in some aspects to a frame structure that supports dynamic TTI durations for different access terminals and/or applications. For example, within the frame structure, different TTI durations could be specified for a low latency mode, a low power mode, and/or a low overhead mode. Thus, various overhead/latency tradeoffs can be achieved through the use of dynamic TTI durations. For example, a lower latency access terminal or application may be allocated a shorter TTI in the frame structure. As another example, for access terminals or applications that require high performance or have a large amount of data to transfer, a longer TTI may be allocated in the frame structure. In this case, relative pilot and control overhead may be lower due to the use of the longer TTI.

The disclosure relates in some aspects to a control design that uses different types of control channels to support different access terminals and/or applications. Different control may be used, for example, and without limitation, for at least one of: different access terminals, different applications, or different modes of operation.

In some cases, the control design specifies a time division multiplexing (TDM) type of control channel. For example, this type of control channel may be used to enable fast control decoding to facilitate micro-sleep (µsleep) and dynamic bandwidth (BW) switching for access terminals with lower power capabilities (e.g., due to limited battery power).

In some cases, the control design specifies a frequency division multiplexing (FDM) type of control channel. For example, this type of control channel may be used to enable an access terminal with narrowband (NB) processing capability to operate and hop within a wider band. This type of control channel also may be used to reduce scheduling latency.

The disclosure relates in some aspects to a control design that uses a code block (CB) level acknowledgement (ACK). The use of such an acknowledgement may enable more efficient multiplexing in scenarios involving, for example, both nominal access terminals and ultra-low-latency (e.g., mission critical) access terminals.

These and other aspects of the disclosure will now be described with reference to <FIG>. For purposes of illustration, these figures may illustrate various components in the context of <NUM> technology and/or LTE technology. It should be appreciated, however, that the teachings herein may employ other types of devices and be implemented using other types of radio technologies and architectures. Also, various operations may be described as being performed by specific types of components (e.g., eNBs, base stations, client devices, peer-to-peer devices, UEs, and so on). It should be understood that these operations can be performed by other types of devices. To reduce the complexity of these figures, only few example components are shown. However, the teachings herein can be implemented using a different number of components or other types of components.

<FIG> illustrate several operations that may be performed by an access point and an access terminal to define and use a unified frame structure. In particular, <FIG> describes operations by an access point to define the structures within a unified frame structure based on characteristics (e.g., performance requirements) of associated access terminals. <FIG> and <FIG> describe operations by an access point and an access terminal, respectively, relating to identifying the appropriate structure within the unified frame structure to be used for communication between the access point and the access terminal. In some aspects, such an access terminal may correspond to the AT <NUM> of <FIG>, or any of the ATs <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM> of <FIG>. In some aspects, such an access point may correspond to the AP <NUM> of <FIG>, or any of the APs <NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM> of <FIG>.

In general, <FIG> involve communication employing a unified frame structure where different structures for different access requirements (e.g., different tiers of access terminal categories and applications) are multiplexed within the unified frame structure. In some aspects, the different access requirements include at least one of: different access terminals, different applications, different latency modes, different overhead modes, different power modes, different bandwidth modes, narrowband capability in a wideband environment, mission critical access, nominal access, ultra-low latency access, micro-sleep mode, and/or dynamic bandwidth switching.

<FIG> illustrates a process <NUM> for defining frame structure and control in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. The process <NUM> may take place within a processing circuit (e.g., the controller/processor <NUM> of <FIG>). Of course, in various aspects within the scope of the disclosure, the process <NUM> may be implemented by any suitable apparatus capable of supporting frame structure and control-related operations.

At block <NUM> of <FIG>, an access point identifies any access terminals that are associated with the access point. For example, the access point may identify any access terminals that are currently connected to or camping on the access point.

At block <NUM>, for each access terminal identified at block <NUM>, the access point identifies one or more characteristics associated with the access terminal. In some aspects, these characteristics indicate different access requirements associated with the access terminals (e.g., different tiers of UE categories and/or applications). In some aspects, these characteristics indicate different performance requirements associated with the access terminals.

At block <NUM>, the access point defines a unified frame structure to be used for communicating with the access terminals. This unified frame structure includes corresponding structure for each of the different access terminal characteristics determined at block <NUM>.

Thus, in some aspects, the access point may define the unified frame structure according to different access requirements. Depending on the characteristics of a particular access terminal or associated application (e.g., a low power UE or a low latency application), structure (e.g., TTI length, type of control channel, etc.) within the unified frame structure can be defined to best accommodate those characteristics. For example, the structure (e.g., TTI and control structure) corresponding to a low latency application may be identified in the event the access point needs to communicate (e.g., transmit and/or receive) information for the low latency application.

At block <NUM>, the access point broadcasts information indicative of the unified frame structure (e.g., on a broadcast channel). In this way, the access terminals identified at block <NUM> can identify the frame structure being used by the access point.

<FIG> illustrates a process <NUM> for using frame structure and control in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. The process <NUM> may take place within a processing circuit (e.g., the controller/processor <NUM> of <FIG>). Of course, in various aspects within the scope of the disclosure, the process <NUM> may be implemented by any suitable apparatus capable of supporting frame structure and control-related operations.

At block <NUM> of <FIG>, an access point determines that it needs to communicate with an access terminal. For example, the access point may receive data destined for the access terminal or may receive a message from the access terminal on a random access channel.

At block <NUM>, the access point identifies a structure within a unified frame structure (e.g., defined by the process <NUM> of <FIG>) to be used for communicating with the access terminal. To this end, the access point may determine the characteristics (e.g., performance requirements) of the access terminal and thereby determine the structure within the unified frame structure that corresponds to those characteristics.

At block <NUM>, the access point communicates with the access terminal according to the identified structure within the unified frame structure. For example, the access point may communicate over the TTIs and frequency bands specified by the structure identified at block <NUM>.

At block <NUM> of <FIG>, an access terminal receives information indicative of a unified frame structure used by an access point. For example, the access terminal can receive the information broadcast by the access point at block <NUM> of <FIG>.

At block <NUM>, the access terminal identifies a structure within the unified frame structure for communication with the access point. For example, in the event the access terminal needs to communicate (e.g., transmit and/or receive) information for a low latency application running on the access terminal, the access terminal may identify the structure (e.g., TTI and control structure) within the unified frame structure corresponding to that low latency application.

At block <NUM>, the access terminal communicates with the access point according to identified structure within the unified frame structure. For example, if the access terminal is a low power access terminal, the access terminal may use a low power structure (e.g., shortened TTIs and narrowband control channel) defined within the unified frame structure for the communication.

<FIG> illustrates an example of a frame structure <NUM> (e.g., a unified framework) to support multiple access requirements in accordance with the teachings herein. The frame structure <NUM> supports the use of flexible TTI lengths, flexible pilots, and/or flexible control overhead to achieve a desired tradeoff between latency, power, and memory usage. For example, different TTI lengths could be specified for different users, applications, etc. As used herein, the term shortened TTI refers to a TTI that is shorter than another TTI (e.g., a standard length TTI) used by the apparatus or used in an associated wireless communication network. Also as used herein, the term lengthened TTI refers to a TTI that is longer than another TTI (e.g., a standard length TTI) used by the apparatus or used in an associated wireless communication network.

The quantities and dimensions used in <FIG> are for purposes of illustration only. Other implementations could use other timing, bandwidth, and allocations.

The abbreviations that follow are used in the figure. P represents at least one pilot and control symbol. PD represents at least one pilot and data symbol. C & C represent at least one cell-specific reference signal (CRS) and control symbol region. CTRL represents at least one UE reference signal (UERS) control channel. TRAF [<NUM>, <NUM>, or <NUM>] represents at least one UERS data channel.

An example of a low overhead mode (e.g., a low overhead access) is shown with reference to TRAF <NUM> (UERS Traffic1) in <FIG>. In some aspects, a low overhead mode (e.g., a low overhead mode of operation) may be associated with a low overhead access (e.g., a low overhead communication access).

A first pilot and data symbol <NUM> in slot <NUM> of the first subframe precedes a first UERS data channel <NUM> in the first and second subframes. In addition, a second pilot and data symbol <NUM> in slot <NUM> of the third subframe precedes a second UERS data channel <NUM> in the third and fourth subframes.

This mode may thus involve a relatively long TTI (two subframes in the example of <FIG>), relatively low overhead (e.g., relative to the amount of data transmitted), and relatively high performance (e.g., large data transfers and/or high throughput). Moreover, in some scenarios, cross-TTI pilot filtering may be employed in this mode (e.g., so the pilot density is lower over time).

As discussed in more detail below in conjunction with <FIG>, the low overhead traffic could be overwritten by low latency traffic. In this case, low overhead traffic would skip a particular TTI if an indicator channel indicates that the particular prescheduled TTI is overwritten.

Low overhead mode can be used for UEs that support large data volume. Such UEs may be, for example, less delay sensitive and/or tend to have a full buffer. In this example, the TTI could be selected to be relatively long (e.g., <NUM> millisecond) with less pilot overhead per TTI, and cross TTI pilot filtering (e.g., using pilots from multiple TTIs for channel estimation) enabled. Such a mode can have relatively low pilot overhead and good performance with moderate latency. In some implementations, the UE decodes the control information every TTI duty cycle to save power. That is, the control information may be decoded less frequently in this case. Meanwhile, as mentioned above, a low overhead mode UE may need to decode an indicator channel per TTI during a scheduled traffic period to monitor an overwrite indicator, and thereby determine whether to skip a particular TTI.

As used herein, the term low overhead mode refers to a mode of operation that is associated with lower overhead (e.g., communication overhead) than another mode of operation (e.g., a high overhead mode) used by the apparatus or used in an associated wireless communication network. Also as used herein, the term low overhead access refers to an access operation (e.g., accessing a wireless communication resource) that is associated with lower overhead than another access operation (e.g., a high overhead access) used by the apparatus or used in an associated wireless communication network.

Other implementations of a low overhead mode or a low overhead access might involve only of subset of the factors discussed above. Also, other implementations of a low overhead mode or a low overhead access might involve other factors.

An example of a low power mode is shown with reference to TRAF <NUM> (UERS Traffic2) in <FIG>. In some aspects, a low power mode (e.g., a low power mode of operation) may be associated with a low power access (e.g., a low power communication access).

A first CRS and CTRL symbol region <NUM> is at slot <NUM> of the first subframe and a second CRS and CTRL symbol region <NUM> is at slot <NUM> of the third subframe. A pilot and data symbol <NUM> precedes a UERS data channel <NUM> in the fourth subframe.

This mode may involve the use of a common reference signal (RS) and control for wakeup and decode operations, whereby traffic is scheduled in the TTI that follows the RS and control. For example, a UE may wake up and, in narrowband, only decode the TDM pilots (e.g., CRS & CTRL). As indicated in <FIG>, this control area may be narrow both in terms of time and frequency. See the second CRS and CTRL symbol region <NUM>. If there is no grant for the UE, the UE may therefore go quickly back to sleep to save power. If there is a grant, the UE may open up its radio frequency (RF) band for wideband communication during the next TTI (e.g., to receive the pilot and data symbol <NUM> and the UERS data channel <NUM>).

The low power (e.g., low amplitude) mode may be advantageous for µsleep. Here, a UE may decode control information in a TDM and narrowband (NB) common-RS based control region for fast control decoding. To save power, the UE may go back to µsleep if no grant is decoded.

The low power mode may be advantageous for dynamic bandwidth switching. A UE may decode control information in a center narrowband region. Then, when a grant is decoded, the UE may open up the wideband RF for data demodulation. The data channel can be scheduled later (e.g., one TTI later) than the control channel to reserve time for RF switching.

As used herein, the term low power mode refers to a mode of operation that is associated with lower power consumption than another mode of operation (e.g., a high power mode) used by the apparatus or used in an associated wireless communication network. Also as used herein, the term low power access refers to an access operation (e.g., accessing a wireless communication resource) that is associated with lower power consumption than another access operation (e.g., a high power access) used by the apparatus or used in an associated wireless communication network. Also as used herein, the term micro-sleep mode refers to a mode of operation that is associated with lower power consumption than a low power mode of operation used by the apparatus or used in an associated wireless communication network.

Other implementations of a low power mode, a low power access, or a micro-sleep mode might involve only a subset of the above factors. Also, other implementations of a low power mode, a low power access, or a micro-sleep mode might involve other factors.

An example of a low latency mode is shown with reference to TRAF <NUM> (UERS Traffic3) in <FIG>. In some aspects, a low latency mode (e.g., a low latency mode of operation) may be associated with a low latency access (e.g., a low latency communication access).

In the first subframe, a first pilot and control symbol <NUM> in slot <NUM> precedes a first UERS control channel <NUM>. In addition, a first pilot and data symbol <NUM> in slot <NUM> precedes a first UERS data channel <NUM>, while a second pilot and data symbol <NUM> in slot <NUM> precedes a second UERS data channel <NUM>.

In the second subframe, a second pilot and control symbol <NUM> in slot <NUM> precedes a second UERS control channel <NUM>. In addition, a third pilot and data symbol <NUM> in slot <NUM> precedes a third UERS data channel <NUM>, while a fourth pilot and data symbol <NUM> in slot <NUM> precedes a fourth UERS data channel <NUM>.

As indicted, shorter TTIs are used in this mode. In addition, a control channel can be staggered across TTIs as shown to reduce decoding latency.

This mode may involve per-TTI control grant and ACK/NAK feedback. In an example of a low latency mode, a UE may monitor control and data per TTI to decode delay-sensitive data. Such a low latency mode could be used, for example, if the decoding latency requirement is very low.

As used herein, the term low latency mode refers to a mode of operation that is associated with lower latency (e.g., communication latency) than another mode of operation (e.g., a high latency mode) used by the apparatus or used in an associated wireless communication network. Also as used herein, the term low latency access refers to an access operation (e.g., accessing a wireless communication resource) that is associated with lower latency than another access operation (e.g., a high latency access) used by the apparatus or used in an associated wireless communication network.

Other implementations of a low latency mode or a low latency access might involve only a subset of these factors. Also, other implementations of a low latency mode or a low latency access might involve other factors.

The disclosure also relates in some aspects to flexible (e.g., dynamic) bandwidth management. For example, a low latency mode may support narrowband processing, whereby a UE is allowed to operate within a relatively large section of bandwidth, even though the UE only uses a portion of the bandwidth at a time (e.g., the UE could hop between different frequency bands from one TTI to the next). In this case, the control processing can be narrowband as well. A narrowband (NB) UE mode may thus employ TRAF <NUM> whereby narrowband UEs with limited radio frequency (RF) capability can share a chunk of a relatively large bandwidth. In addition, through the use of TRAF <NUM>, the use of low power UEs with dynamic wideband/narrowband (WB/NB) bandwidth switching capability is enabled.

In an example of a narrowband mode UE, the UE is configured to decode control and data in a dedicated bandwidth of an entire wide band. The UE may hop to another carrier frequency to decode control and/or data in response to a request or an eNB configuration. Demodulation reference signal (DMRS)-based control may be used to ensure localized NB processing of control, as well as reduced pilot overhead. The control channel could be staggered across TTIs to allow for data and control pipelining, and to reduce buffering requirements. The narrowband control/data mode thus allows a UE with narrowband RF capability to share a chunk of bandwidth from a much wider bandwidth.

As used herein, the term narrowband refers to a radio frequency (RF) band that is narrower than another band (e.g., a wideband) used by the apparatus or used in an associated wireless communication network. As used herein, the term narrowband mode refers to a mode of operation that is associated with a narrower bandwidth (e.g., communication bandwidth) than another mode of operation (e.g., a wideband mode) used by the apparatus or used in an associated wireless communication network. Also as used herein, the term narrowband access refers to an access operation (e.g., accessing a wireless communication resource) that is associated with narrower bandwidth than another access operation (e.g., a wideband access) used by the apparatus or used in an associated wireless communication network.

The disclosure also relates in some aspect to multiplexing of nominal traffic and ultra-low latency (e.g., mission critical) traffic. To schedule ultra-low-latency traffic in the desired manner, nominal traffic may be punctured if needed. That is, ultra-low-latency traffic may take priority over other traffic. In some scenarios, mission-critical traffic is traffic that has to be fast and ultra-reliable. Types of mission-critical traffic could be virtual surgeries, automobile traffic control (e.g., traffic grid), and autonomous control over objects (e.g., autonomous automobiles, drone-type air vehicles, and/or other types of autonomous control systems using wireless communication).

The frame structure <NUM> of <FIG> illustrates an example of nominal traffic and ultra-low latency (e.g., mission critical) traffic multiplexing. Here, a first mission critical transmission <NUM> is allowed to be scheduled over the entirety of the bandwidth (the y axis in <FIG>) for one timeslot, if needed. A second mission critical transmission <NUM> also can be scheduled over the entirety of the bandwidth for another timeslot, if needed. As indicated by the first arrow <NUM> and the second arrow <NUM> corresponding to the first mission critical transmission <NUM> and the second mission critical transmission <NUM>, respectively, the TTI for the second UERS data channel <NUM> (e.g., nominal traffic) has been punctured to schedule the mission critical traffic indicated in the table <NUM>.

As used herein, the term ultra-low latency mode refers to a mode of operation that is associated with lower latency (e.g., communication latency) than a low latency mode of operation used by the apparatus or used in an associated wireless communication network.

In some implementations, a code block (CB)-level ACK (e.g., as opposed to a transport block-level ACK) is used to ensure efficient recovery of nominal UE punctured data. For example, if only a code block has been punctured, a code block level NAK can be sent to indicate that the code block is in error. Thus, a code block can be retransmitted instead of the entire transport block, thereby improving the efficiency of the ACK process.

<FIG> illustrates a block diagram of an example hardware implementation of an apparatus <NUM> configured to communicate according to one or more aspects of the disclosure. For example, the apparatus <NUM> could embody or be implemented within a base station (e.g., an eNB), a UE, or some other type of device that supports wireless communication. In various implementations, the apparatus <NUM> could embody or be implemented within an access terminal, an access point, or some other type of device. In various implementations, the apparatus <NUM> could embody or be implemented within a mobile phone, a smart phone, a tablet, a portable computer, a server, a personal computer, a sensor, an entertainment device, a medical device, or any other electronic device having circuitry.

The apparatus <NUM> includes a communication interface (e.g., at least one transceiver) <NUM>, a storage medium <NUM>, a user interface <NUM>, a memory device (e.g., a memory circuit) <NUM>, and a processing circuit (e.g., at least one processor) <NUM>. In various implementations, the user interface <NUM> may include one or more of: a keypad, a display, a speaker, a microphone, a touchscreen display, of some other circuitry for receiving an input from or sending an output to a user.

These components can be coupled to and/or placed in electrical communication with one another via a signaling bus or other suitable component, represented generally by the connection lines in <FIG>. The signaling bus may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges depending on the specific application of the processing circuit <NUM> and the overall design constraints. The signaling bus links together various circuits such that each of the communication interface <NUM>, the storage medium <NUM>, the user interface <NUM>, and the memory device <NUM> are coupled to and/or in electrical communication with the processing circuit <NUM>. The signaling bus may also link various other circuits (not shown) 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 communication interface <NUM> includes circuitry for communicating with other apparatuses over a transmission medium. In some implementations, the communication interface <NUM> includes circuitry and/or programming adapted to facilitate the communication of information bi-directionally with respect to one or more communication devices in a network. In some implementations, the communication interface <NUM> is adapted to facilitate wireless communication of the apparatus <NUM>. In these implementations, the communication interface <NUM> may be coupled to one or more antennas <NUM> as shown in <FIG> for wireless communication within a wireless communication system. The communication interface <NUM> can be configured with one or more standalone receivers and/or transmitters, as well as one or more transceivers. In the illustrated example, the communication interface <NUM> includes a transmitter <NUM> and a receiver <NUM>. The communication interface <NUM> serves as one example of a means for receiving and/or means transmitting.

The memory device <NUM> may represent one or more memory devices. As indicated, the memory device <NUM> may maintain frame-related information <NUM> along with other information used by the apparatus <NUM>. In some implementations, the memory device <NUM> and the storage medium <NUM> are implemented as a common memory component. The memory device <NUM> may also be used for storing data that is manipulated by the processing circuit <NUM> or some other component of the apparatus <NUM>.

The storage medium <NUM> may represent one or more computer-readable, machine-readable, and/or processor-readable devices for storing programming, such as processor executable code or instructions (e.g., software, firmware), electronic data, databases, or other digital information. The storage medium <NUM> may also be used for storing data that is manipulated by the processing circuit <NUM> when executing programming. The storage medium <NUM> may be any available media that can be accessed by a general purpose or special purpose processor, including portable or fixed storage devices, optical storage devices, and various other mediums capable of storing, containing or carrying programming.

By way of example and not limitation, the storage medium <NUM> may include a magnetic storage device (e.g., hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic strip), an optical disk (e.g., a compact disc (CD) or a digital versatile disc (DVD)), a smart card, a flash memory device (e.g., a card, a stick, or a key drive), a random access memory (RAM), a read only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), a register, a removable disk, and any other suitable medium for storing software and/or instructions that may be accessed and read by a computer. The storage medium <NUM> may be embodied in an article of manufacture (e.g., a computer program product). By way of example, a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium in packaging materials. In view of the above, in some implementations, the storage medium <NUM> may be a non-transitory (e.g., tangible) storage medium.

The storage medium <NUM> may be coupled to the processing circuit <NUM> such that the processing circuit <NUM> can read information from, and write information to, the storage medium <NUM>. That is, the storage medium <NUM> can be coupled to the processing circuit <NUM> so that the storage medium <NUM> is at least accessible by the processing circuit <NUM>, including examples where at least one storage medium is integral to the processing circuit <NUM> and/or examples where at least one storage medium is separate from the processing circuit <NUM> (e.g., resident in the apparatus <NUM>, external to the apparatus <NUM>, distributed across multiple entities, etc.).

Programming stored by the storage medium <NUM>, when executed by the processing circuit <NUM>, causes the processing circuit <NUM> to perform one or more of the various functions and/or process operations described herein. For example, the storage medium <NUM> may include operations configured for regulating operations at one or more hardware blocks of the processing circuit <NUM>, as well as to utilize the communication interface <NUM> for wireless communication utilizing their respective communication protocols.

The processing circuit <NUM> is generally adapted for processing, including the execution of such programming stored on the storage medium <NUM>. As used herein, the terms "code" or "programming" shall be construed broadly to include without limitation instructions, instruction sets, data, code, code segments, program code, programs, programming, subprograms, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, etc., whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.

The processing circuit <NUM> is arranged to obtain, process and/or send data, control data access and storage, issue commands, and control other desired operations. The processing circuit <NUM> may include circuitry configured to implement desired programming provided by appropriate media in at least one example. For example, the processing circuit <NUM> may be implemented as one or more processors, one or more controllers, and/or other structure configured to execute executable programming. Examples of the processing circuit <NUM> may include a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic component, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may include a microprocessor, as well as any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processing circuit <NUM> may also be implemented as a combination of computing components, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a number of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, an ASIC and a microprocessor, or any other number of varying configurations. These examples of the processing circuit <NUM> are for illustration and other suitable configurations within the scope of the disclosure are also contemplated.

According to one or more aspects of the disclosure, the processing circuit <NUM> may be adapted to perform any or all of the features, processes, functions, operations and/or routines for any or all of the apparatuses described herein. For example, the processing circuit <NUM> may be configured to perform any of the steps, functions, and/or processes described with respect to <FIG> and <FIG>. As used herein, the term "adapted" in relation to the processing circuit <NUM> may refer to the processing circuit <NUM> being one or more of configured, employed, implemented, and/or programmed to perform a particular process, function, operation and/or routine according to various features described herein.

The processing circuit <NUM> may be a specialized processor, such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that serves as a means for (e.g., structure for) carrying out any one of the operations described in conjunction with <FIG> and <NUM> - <NUM>. The processing circuit <NUM> serves as one example of a means for transmitting and/or a means for receiving. In some implementations, the processing circuit <NUM> incorporates the functionality of the controller/processor <NUM> of <FIG>.

According to at least one example of the apparatus <NUM>, the processing circuit <NUM> may include one or more of a circuit/module for identifying a performance requirement <NUM>, a circuit/module for determining different structures within a unified frame structure <NUM>, a circuit/module for communicating <NUM>, a circuit/module for initiating communication <NUM>, or a circuit/module for identifying a structure within a unified frame structure <NUM>. In some implementations, the circuit/module for identifying a performance requirement <NUM>, the circuit/module for determining different structures within a unified frame structure <NUM>, the circuit/module for communicating <NUM>, the circuit/module for initiating communication <NUM>, and the circuit/module for identifying a structure within a unified frame structure <NUM> correspond, at least in part, to the controller/processor <NUM> of <FIG>.

The circuit/module for identifying a performance requirement <NUM> may include circuitry and/or programming (e.g., code for identifying a performance requirement <NUM> stored on the storage medium <NUM>) adapted to perform several functions relating to, for example, for each of a plurality of apparatuses (e.g., UEs), identifying a performance requirement for the apparatus. Initially, the circuit/module for identifying a performance requirement <NUM> identifies an apparatus with which communication will be established. For example, the circuit/module for identifying a performance requirement <NUM> may receive an identifier of an apparatus with which the apparatus <NUM> will be communicating. The circuit/module for identifying a performance requirement <NUM> then obtains information regarding a performance requirement for that apparatus from a component of the apparatus <NUM> (e.g., from the memory device <NUM>, the communication interface <NUM>, or some other component) or directly from an entity that maintains the information. In some implementations, the circuit/module for identifying a performance requirement <NUM> obtains this information from the apparatus itself (e.g., via over-the-air signaling). In some implementations, the circuit/module for identifying a performance requirement <NUM> obtains this information from a database (e.g., a network database or a database local to the apparatus <NUM>). Finally, the circuit/module for identifying a performance requirement <NUM> outputs an indication of the identified performance requirement to a component of the apparatus <NUM> (e.g., the memory device <NUM>, the circuit/module for determining different structures within a unified frame structure <NUM>, or some other component).

The circuit/module for determining different structures within a unified frame structure <NUM> may include circuitry and/or programming (e.g., code for determining different structures within a unified frame structure <NUM> stored on the storage medium <NUM>) adapted to perform several functions relating to, for example, determining different structures within a unified frame structure for communication (e.g., with a plurality of apparatuses (e.g., UEs)). In some aspects, the circuit/module for determining different structures within a unified frame structure <NUM> determines a particular one of these frames structures based on the performance requirement for a corresponding one of the apparatuses. Initially, the circuit/module for determining different structures within a unified frame structure <NUM> obtains the corresponding performance requirement for each of the apparatuses (e.g., from the memory device <NUM>, the circuit/module for identifying a performance requirement <NUM>, or some other component). The circuit/module for determining different structures within a unified frame structure <NUM> then identifies, for each performance requirement, a corresponding structure within a unified frame structure as discussed herein. Finally, the circuit/module for determining different structures within a unified frame structure <NUM> outputs an indication of a unified frame structure that includes the different structures to a component of the apparatus <NUM> (e.g., the memory device <NUM>, the circuit/module for communicating <NUM>, the communication interface <NUM>, or some other component).

The circuit/module for communicating <NUM> may include circuitry and/or programming (e.g., code for communicating <NUM> stored on the storage medium <NUM>) adapted to perform several functions relating to, for example, communicating (e.g., sending and/or receiving via a transceiver) information. In some implementations, the communication interface <NUM> includes the circuit/module for communicating <NUM> and/or the code for communicating <NUM>.

In some implementations, the communicating involves the circuit/module for communicating <NUM> receiving information from a component of the apparatus <NUM> (e.g., the receiver <NUM>, the memory device <NUM>, or some other component) or receiving information directly from a device that transmitted the information. In this case, the circuit/module for communicating <NUM> may process (e.g., decode) the received information. The circuit/module for communicating <NUM> then outputs the received information to a component of the apparatus <NUM> (e.g., the memory device <NUM> or some other component).

In some implementations, the communicating involves sending information to another component of the apparatus <NUM> (e.g., the transmitter <NUM>) for transmission to another device or sending information directly to an ultimate destination (e.g., if the circuit/module for communicating <NUM> includes a transmitter). In this case, the circuit/module for communicating <NUM> initially obtains information to be communicated. The circuit/module for communicating <NUM> may process (e.g., encode) the information to be transmitted. The circuit/module for communicating <NUM> then causes the information to be transmitted. For example, the circuit/module for communicating <NUM> can directly transmit the information or pass the information to the transmitter <NUM> for subsequent radio frequency (RF) transmission.

In some implementations, the circuit/module for communicating <NUM> communicates (e.g., sends) an indication of a unified frame structure. In this case, the circuit/module for communicating <NUM> obtains the indication from the memory device <NUM>, the circuit/module for determining different structures within a unified frame structure <NUM>, or some other component. The circuit/module for communicating <NUM> then causes the indication to be transmitted (e.g., as discussed herein).

In some implementations, the circuit/module for communicating <NUM> communicates (e.g., sends information and/or receives information) according to an identified structure within the unified frame structure. Initially, the circuit/module for communicating <NUM> obtains information about the identified structure within the unified frame structure (e.g., from the memory device <NUM>, the circuit/module for identifying a structure within a unified frame structure <NUM>, or some other component). In some scenarios, the circuit/module for communicating <NUM> extracts information from a received frame, where the received frame employs the uniform frame structure and includes the identified structure. In this case, the circuit/module for communicating <NUM> locates the identified structure within the unified frame structure and extracts the information carried by that structure. In some scenarios, the circuit/module for communicating <NUM> sends information via a frame that employs the uniform frame structure and includes the identified structure. In this case, the circuit/module for communicating <NUM> locates the identified structure within the unified frame structure and causes the information to be sent via the identified structure.

In some implementations, the circuit/module for communicating <NUM> communicates (e.g., receives) a code block-level acknowledgement of a nominal access terminal (e.g., a first UE) that is in coexistence with a particular apparatus (e.g., a second UE). In some scenarios, the communication of such an acknowledgement is indicated by a determination that the performance requirement for the particular apparatus is mission critical access (e.g., as determined by the circuit/module for identifying a performance requirement <NUM>). The circuit/module for communicating <NUM> obtains the acknowledgement information directly from an entity that transmitted the acknowledgement or from a component of the apparatus <NUM> (e.g., the receiver <NUM>, the memory device <NUM>, or some other component). The circuit/module for communicating <NUM> may process (e.g., decode) the received acknowledgement information. The circuit/module for communicating <NUM> then outputs an indication of the acknowledgement to a component of the apparatus <NUM> (e.g., the memory device <NUM> or some other component).

In some implementations, the circuit/module for communicating <NUM> communicates (e.g., sends) an indication that pilots from different transmission time intervals (TTIs) are to be used for channel estimation for communication with a particular apparatus. In some scenarios, the communication of such an indication is triggered by a determination that the performance requirement for the particular apparatus is low overhead access (e.g., as determined by the circuit/module for identifying a performance requirement <NUM>). The circuit/module for communicating <NUM> generates the indication or obtains the indication from a component of the apparatus <NUM> (e.g., the memory device <NUM> or some other component). The circuit/module for communicating <NUM> may process (e.g., encode) the indication. The circuit/module for communicating <NUM> then causes the indication to be transmitted (e.g., as discussed herein).

The circuit/module for initiating communication <NUM> may include circuitry and/or programming (e.g., code for initiating communication <NUM> stored on the storage medium <NUM>) adapted to perform several functions relating to, for example, initiating communication with a particular apparatus (e.g., a UE). In some implementations, the circuit/module for initiating communication <NUM> conducts preliminary communication operations with the particular apparatus to establish communication with the apparatus. In some scenarios, the circuit/module for initiating communication <NUM> receives an initial message from the particular apparatus on a discovery channel or some other channel to initiate the communication. The circuit/module for initiating communication <NUM> may then send a response to this message indicating whether the communication can be established. In conjunction with this initial communication, one or more parameters for the communication may be negotiated between the circuit/module for initiating communication <NUM> and the particular apparatus. In some scenarios, the circuit/module for initiating communication <NUM> sends an initial message to the particular apparatus to initiate the communication. In any event, the circuit/module for initiating communication <NUM> outputs an indication of whether the communication has been initiated to a component of the apparatus <NUM> (e.g., the memory device <NUM>, the circuit/module for identifying a structure within a unified frame structure <NUM>, or some other component). In some implementations, the communication interface <NUM> includes the circuit/module for initiating communication <NUM> and/or the code for initiating communication <NUM>.

The circuit/module for identifying a structure within a unified frame structure <NUM> may include circuitry and/or programming (e.g., code for identifying a structure within a unified frame structure <NUM> stored on the storage medium <NUM>) adapted to perform several functions relating to, for example, identifying a particular structure within the unified frame structure for communication with a particular apparatus based on a corresponding performance requirement for the particular apparatus. Initially, the circuit/module for identifying a structure within a unified frame structure <NUM> obtains an indication of the performance requirement for the particular apparatus (e.g., from the memory device <NUM>, the circuit/module for identifying a performance requirement <NUM>, or some other component). The circuit/module for identifying a structure within a unified frame structure <NUM> then identifies, based on the performance requirement, a corresponding structure within a unified frame structure as discussed herein. Finally, the circuit/module for identifying a structure within a unified frame structure <NUM> outputs an indication of the identified structure to a component of the apparatus <NUM> (e.g., the memory device <NUM>, the circuit/module for communicating <NUM>, the communication interface <NUM>, or some other component).

As mentioned above, programming stored by the storage medium <NUM>, when executed by the processing circuit <NUM>, causes the processing circuit <NUM> to perform one or more of the various functions and/or process operations described herein. For example, the programming, when executed by the processing circuit <NUM>, may cause the processing circuit <NUM> to perform the various functions, steps, and/or processes described herein with respect to <FIG> and <FIG> in various implementations. As shown in <FIG>, the storage medium <NUM> may include one or more of the code for identifying a performance requirement <NUM>, the code for determining different structures within a unified frame structure <NUM>, the code for communicating <NUM>, the code for initiating communication <NUM>, or the code for identifying a structure within a unified frame structure <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates a process <NUM> for communication in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. The process <NUM> may take place within a processing circuit (e.g., the processing circuit <NUM> of <FIG>), which may be located in a base station, an access terminal, or some other suitable apparatus. In some implementations, the process <NUM> represents operations performed by the controller/processor <NUM> of <FIG>. Of course, in various aspects within the scope of the disclosure, the process <NUM> may be implemented by any suitable apparatus capable of supporting communication-related operations.

At block <NUM>, a first apparatus (e.g., an access point) identifies, for each of a plurality of second apparatuses (e.g., other wireless communication apparatuses), a performance requirement for the second apparatus. For example, an access point may identify a first performance requirement associated with a first access terminal, a second performance requirement associated with a second access terminal, a third performance requirement associated with a third access terminal, and so on. In different scenarios, the plurality of second apparatuses may consist of all or a subset of the access terminals in the vicinity of the access point.

In some implementations, the circuit/module for identifying a performance requirement <NUM> of <FIG> performs the operations of block <NUM>. In some implementations, the code for identifying a performance requirement <NUM> of <FIG> is executed to perform the operations of block <NUM>.

At block <NUM>, the first apparatus determines, based on a corresponding performance requirement for each of the second apparatuses, different structures within a unified frame structure for communication (e.g., with the second apparatuses). For example, an access point may define a first structure for a first performance requirement, a second structure for a second performance requirement, a third structure for a third performance requirement, and so on.

In some aspects, the different structures include at least one of: different transmission time intervals (TTIs), different frequency bands, or different control structures.

In some aspects, the different control structures include a time division multiplexing control channel structure and a frequency division multiplexing control channel structure. Here, the time division multiplexing control channel structure may be for low power access and/or dynamic bandwidth switching. Also, the frequency division multiplexing control channel structure may be for narrowband access and/or low latency access.

In some scenarios, the determined structure may include a lengthened transmission time interval (TTI). For example, for a particular apparatus of the plurality of apparatuses, a determined structure for the particular apparatus may include a lengthened TTI if the corresponding performance requirement for the particular apparatus includes low overhead access.

In some scenarios, the determined structure may include a time division multiplexed (TDM) control channel. For example, for a particular apparatus of the plurality of apparatuses, a determined structure for the particular apparatus may include a TDM control channel if the corresponding performance requirement for the particular apparatus includes low power access.

In some scenarios, the determined structure may include a narrowband control channel. For example, for a particular apparatus of the plurality of apparatuses, a determined structure for the particular apparatus may include a narrowband control channel if the corresponding performance requirement for the particular apparatus includes low power access.

In some scenarios, the determined structure may include a shortened transmission time interval (TTI). For example, for a particular apparatus of the plurality of apparatuses, a determined structure for the particular apparatus may include a shortened TTI if the corresponding performance requirement for the particular apparatus includes low latency access.

In some scenarios, the determined structure may include a control channel spread across transmission time intervals (TTIs). For example, for a particular apparatus of the plurality of apparatuses, a determined structure for the particular apparatus may include a control channel spread across TTIs if the corresponding performance requirement for the particular apparatus includes low latency access.

In some scenarios, the determined structure may include a narrowband control channel. For example, for a particular apparatus of the plurality of apparatuses, a determined structure for the particular apparatus may include a narrowband control channel if the corresponding performance requirement for the particular apparatus includes dynamic bandwidth switching.

In some aspects, the apparatus determines the different structures based on at least one of: different applications associated with the second apparatuses, different bandwidth modes associated with the second apparatuses, narrowband capability in a wideband environment associated with the second apparatuses, micro-sleep mode associated with the second apparatuses, or dynamic bandwidth switching associated with the second apparatuses.

In some implementations, the circuit/module for determining different structures within a unified frame structure <NUM> of <FIG> performs the operations of block <NUM>. In some implementations, the code for determining different structures within a unified frame structure <NUM> of <FIG> is executed to perform the operations of block <NUM>.

At block <NUM>, the first apparatus communicates an indication of the unified frame structure. For example, an access point may broadcast the indication on a broadcast channel. In some aspects, the communication may be via a communication interface.

In some implementations, the circuit/module for communicating <NUM> of <FIG> performs the operations of block <NUM>. In some implementations, the code for communicating <NUM> of <FIG> is executed to perform the operations of block <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates a process <NUM> for communication in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. In some aspects, the process <NUM> may be performed in conjunction with (e.g., following) the process <NUM> of <FIG>. The process <NUM> may take place within a processing circuit (e.g., the processing circuit <NUM> of <FIG>), which may be located in a base station, an access terminal, or some other suitable apparatus. In some implementations, the process <NUM> represents operations performed by the controller/processor <NUM> of <FIG>. Of course, in various aspects within the scope of the disclosure, the process <NUM> may be implemented by any suitable apparatus capable of supporting communication-related operations.

At block <NUM>, a first apparatus (e.g., an access point) initiates communication with a particular second apparatus. For example, an access point may determine that it needs to communicate with one of the access terminals identified at block <NUM> of <FIG>. In some aspects, the communication may be initiated via a communication interface.

In some implementations, the circuit/module for initiating communication <NUM> of <FIG> performs the operations of block <NUM>. In some implementations, the code for initiating communication <NUM> of <FIG> is executed to perform the operations of block <NUM>.

At block <NUM>, the first apparatus identifies a particular structure within the unified frame structure for the communication with the second apparatus of block <NUM>. In some aspects, the identification of this particular structure is based on the performance requirement for the second apparatus. For example, if an access point needs to communicate with a low power access terminal, the access point may determine which structure within the unified frame structure was defined for low power access terminals.

In some implementations, the circuit/module for identifying a structure within a unified frame structure <NUM> of <FIG> performs the operations of block <NUM>. In some implementations, the code for identifying a structure within a unified frame structure <NUM> of <FIG> is executed to perform the operations of block <NUM>.

At block <NUM>, the first apparatus communicates with the second apparatus according to the identified frame structure. For example, an access point may use the TTIs and frequency bands associated with the structure identified at block <NUM> to communicate with an access terminal. In some aspects, the communication may be via a communication interface.

Referring now to <FIG>, in scenarios where there is mission critical access (e.g., coexistence of a mission critical UE and a nominal UE), the process <NUM> may further include communicating a code block-level acknowledgement for a nominal UE (e.g., a UE that is not carrying mission critical traffic) to mitigate the impact of a mission critical UE puncturing through the nominal UE's traffic. <FIG> illustrates such a process <NUM> for communication in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. In some aspects, the process <NUM> may be performed in conjunction with the process <NUM> of <FIG>. For example, block <NUM> may correspond in some aspects to block <NUM> of <FIG> and block <NUM> may correspond in some aspects to block <NUM> of <FIG>. The process <NUM> may take place within a processing circuit (e.g., the processing circuit <NUM> of <FIG>), which may be located in a base station, an access terminal, or some other suitable apparatus. In some implementations, the process <NUM> represents operations performed by the controller/processor <NUM> of <FIG>. Of course, in various aspects within the scope of the disclosure, the process <NUM> may be implemented by any suitable apparatus capable of supporting communication-related operations.

At block <NUM>, a first apparatus (e.g., an access point) determines that a performance requirement for a second apparatus is mission critical access.

At block <NUM>, the first apparatus communicates (e.g., receives) a code block-level acknowledgment of a nominal access terminal that is in co-existence with a mission critical access terminal. For example, when communicating with a nominal access terminal that co-exists with a mission critical access terminal, the access point may look for block-level ACKs from the access terminal to more efficiently accommodate puncturing that may occur to the data sent to or received from the nominal access terminal. In some aspects, the communication may be via a communication interface.

Referring to <FIG>, in scenarios where a particular access requirement is low overhead access, the process <NUM> may further include using pilots from different transmission time intervals (TTIs) for channel estimation. <FIG> illustrates such a process <NUM> for communication in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. In some aspects, the process <NUM> may be performed in conjunction with the process <NUM> of <FIG>. For example, block <NUM> may correspond in some aspects to block <NUM> of <FIG> and block <NUM> may correspond in some aspects to block <NUM> of <FIG>. The process <NUM> may take place within a processing circuit (e.g., the processing circuit <NUM> of <FIG>), which may be located in a base station, an access terminal, or some other suitable apparatus. In some implementations, the process <NUM> represents operations performed by the controller/processor <NUM> of <FIG>. Of course, in various aspects within the scope of the disclosure, the process <NUM> may be implemented by any suitable apparatus capable of supporting communication-related operations.

At block <NUM>, a first apparatus (e.g., an access point) determines that a performance requirement for a second apparatus is low overhead access.

At block <NUM>, the first apparatus communicates (e.g., transmits) an indication that pilots from different TTIs are to be used for channel estimation for the communication with the second apparatus. For example, an access point may broadcast an indication that tells the access point's associated access terminals to use pilot filtering when estimating the channel between the access point and the respective access terminal. In some aspects, the communication may be via a communication interface.

<FIG> illustrates a block diagram of an example hardware implementation of an apparatus <NUM> configured to communicate according to one or more aspects of the disclosure. For example, the apparatus <NUM> could embody or be implemented within a UE, an eNB, or some other type of device that supports wireless communication. In various implementations, the apparatus <NUM> could embody or be implemented within an access terminal, an access point, or some other type of device. In various implementations, the apparatus <NUM> could embody or be implemented within a mobile phone, a smart phone, a tablet, a portable computer, a server, a personal computer, a sensor, an entertainment device, a medical device, or any other electronic device having circuitry.

The apparatus <NUM> includes a communication interface (e.g., at least one transceiver) <NUM>, a storage medium <NUM>, a user interface <NUM>, a memory device <NUM> (e.g., storing frame-related information <NUM>), and a processing circuit (e.g., at least one processor) <NUM>. In various implementations, the user interface <NUM> may include one or more of: a keypad, a display, a speaker, a microphone, a touchscreen display, of some other circuitry for receiving an input from or sending an output to a user. The communication interface <NUM> may be coupled to one or more antennas <NUM>, and may include a transmitter <NUM> and a receiver <NUM>. In general, the components of <FIG> may be similar to corresponding components of the apparatus <NUM> of <FIG>.

The processing circuit <NUM> may be a specialized processor, such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) that serves as a means for (e.g., structure for) carrying out any one of the operations described in conjunction with FIGs. <FIG> and <FIG>. The processing circuit <NUM> serves as one example of a means for transmitting and/or a means for receiving. In some implementations, the processing circuit <NUM> incorporates the functionality of the controller/processor <NUM> of <FIG>.

According to at least one example of the apparatus <NUM>, the processing circuit <NUM> may include one or more of a circuit/module for receiving an indication of a unified frame structure <NUM>, a circuit/module for identifying a structure within the unified frame structure <NUM>, or a circuit/module for communicating <NUM>. In some implementations, the circuit/module for receiving an indication of a unified frame structure <NUM>, the circuit/module for identifying a structure within the unified frame structure <NUM>, and the circuit/module for communicating <NUM> correspond, at least in part, to the controller/processor <NUM> of <FIG>.

The circuit/module for receiving an indication of a unified frame structure <NUM> may include circuitry and/or programming (e.g., code for receiving an indication of a unified frame structure <NUM> stored on the storage medium <NUM>) adapted to perform several functions relating to, for example, receiving an indication of a unified frame structure where different structures for different access requirements are multiplexed within the unified frame structure. Initially, the circuit/module for receiving an indication of a unified frame structure <NUM> obtains information directly from a device (e.g., a base station) that transmitted the indication or from a component of the apparatus <NUM> (e.g., the receiver <NUM>, the memory device <NUM>, or some other component). In some implementations, the circuit/module for receiving an indication of a unified frame structure <NUM> identifies a memory location of a value in the memory device <NUM> and invokes a read of that location. In some implementations, the circuit/module for receiving an indication of a unified frame structure <NUM> processes (e.g., decodes) the obtained information to extract the indication. The circuit/module for receiving an indication of a unified frame structure <NUM> then outputs the indication to a component of the apparatus <NUM> (e.g., the memory device <NUM>, the circuit/module for identifying a structure within the unified frame structure <NUM>, or some other component). In some implementations, the receiver <NUM> includes the circuit/module for receiving an indication of a unified frame structure <NUM> and/or the code for receiving an indication of a unified frame structure <NUM>.

The circuit/module for identifying a structure within a unified frame structure <NUM> may include circuitry and/or programming (e.g., code for identifying a structure within a unified frame structure <NUM> stored on the storage medium <NUM>) adapted to perform several functions relating to, for example, identifying a particular structure within a unified frame structure. In some aspects, the identification may be based on a performance requirement for an apparatus (e.g., the apparatus <NUM>). Initially, the circuit/module for identifying a structure within a unified frame structure <NUM> obtains an indication of the performance requirement for the apparatus (e.g., from the memory device <NUM>, a data base (not shown), or some other component). The circuit/module for identifying a structure within a unified frame structure <NUM> then identifies, based on the performance requirement, a corresponding structure within a unified frame structure as discussed herein. Finally, the circuit/module for identifying a structure within a unified frame structure <NUM> outputs an indication of the identified structure to a component of the apparatus <NUM> (e.g., the memory device <NUM>, the circuit/module for communicating <NUM>, the communication interface <NUM>, or some other component).

The circuit/module for communicating <NUM> may include circuitry and/or programming (e.g., code for communicating <NUM> stored on the storage medium <NUM>) adapted to perform several functions relating to, for example, communicating (e.g., sending and/or receiving) information. In some implementations, the communication interface <NUM> includes the circuit/module for communicating <NUM> and/or the code for communicating <NUM>.

In some implementations, the communicating involves the circuit/module for communicating <NUM> receiving information directly from a device that transmitted the information or receiving information from a component of the apparatus <NUM> (e.g., the receiver <NUM>, the memory device <NUM>, or some other component). In this case, the circuit/module for communicating <NUM> may process (e.g., decode) the received information. The circuit/module for communicating <NUM> then outputs the received information to a component of the apparatus <NUM> (e.g., the memory device <NUM> or some other component).

The circuit/module for communicating <NUM> communicates (e.g., sends information and/or receives information) according to an identified structure within a unified frame structure. Initially, the circuit/module for communicating <NUM> obtains information about the identified structure within the unified frame structure (e.g., from the memory device <NUM>, the circuit/module for identifying a structure within a unified frame structure <NUM>, or some other component). In some scenarios, the circuit/module for communicating <NUM> extracts information from a received frame, where the received frame employs the uniform frame structure and includes the identified structure. In this case, the circuit/module for communicating <NUM> locates the identified structure within the unified frame structure and extracts the information carried by that structure. In some scenarios, the circuit/module for communicating <NUM> sends information via a frame that employs the uniform frame structure and includes the identified structure. In this case, the circuit/module for communicating <NUM> locates the identified structure within the unified frame structure and causes the information to be sent via the identified structure.

As mentioned above, programming stored by the storage medium <NUM>, when executed by the processing circuit <NUM>, causes the processing circuit <NUM> to perform one or more of the various functions and/or process operations described herein. For example, the programming, when executed by the processing circuit <NUM>, may cause the processing circuit <NUM> to perform the various functions, steps, and/or processes described herein with respect to <FIG> and <FIG> in various implementations. As shown in <FIG>, the storage medium <NUM> may include one or more of the code for receiving an indication of a unified frame structure <NUM>, the code for identifying a structure within the unified frame structure <NUM>, or the code for communicating <NUM>.

<FIG> illustrates a process <NUM> for communication in accordance with some aspects of the disclosure. The process <NUM> may take place within a processing circuit (e.g., the processing circuit <NUM> of <FIG>), which may be located in an access terminal, a base station, or some other suitable apparatus. In some implementations, the process <NUM> represents operations performed by the controller/processor <NUM> of <FIG>. Of course, in various aspects within the scope of the disclosure, the process <NUM> may be implemented by any suitable apparatus capable of supporting communication-related operations.

At block <NUM>, an apparatus (e.g., an access terminal) receives an indication of a unified frame structure (e.g., from an access point). In some aspects, different structures for different access requirements may be multiplexed within the unified frame structure.

In some implementations, the circuit/module for receiving an indication of a unified frame structure <NUM> of <FIG> performs the operations of block <NUM>. In some implementations, the code for receiving an indication of a unified frame structure <NUM> of <FIG> is executed to perform the operations of block <NUM>.

At block <NUM>, the apparatus identifies a particular structure within the unified frame structure. In some aspects, this identification may be based on a performance requirement for the apparatus. In scenarios where the performance requirement is low overhead access, the identified structure may include a lengthened transmission time interval (TTI). In scenarios where the performance requirement is low power access, the identified structure may include a time division multiplexed (TDM) control channel. In scenarios where the performance requirement is low power access, the identified structure may include a narrowband control channel. In scenarios where the performance requirement is low latency access, the identified structure may include a shortened transmission time interval (TTI). In scenarios where the performance requirement is low latency access, the identified structure may include a control channel spread across transmission time intervals (TTIs). In scenarios where the performance requirement is dynamic bandwidth switching, the identified structure may include a narrowband control channel.

At block <NUM>, the apparatus communicates according to the identified structure within the unified frame structure. For example, an access terminal may use the TTIs and frequency bands associated with the structure identified at block <NUM> to communicate with an access point. In some aspects, the communication may be via a communication interface.

In some aspects, the process <NUM> also may include using pilots from different TTIs for channel estimation for the communication if the performance requirement comprises low overhead access.

The various concepts presented throughout this disclosure may be implemented across a broad variety of communication systems, network architectures, and communication standards. Referring to <FIG>, by way of example and without limitation, a wireless communication network <NUM> is shown including multiple communication entities as it may appear in some aspects of the disclosure. As described herein, a communication entity (e.g., device) may reside in, or be a part of, an access terminal, a smart phone, a small cell, a base station, or other entity. Subordinate entities or mesh nodes may reside in, or be a part of, a smart alarm, a remote sensor, a smart phone, a telephone, a smart meter, a PDA, a personal computer, a mesh node, a tablet computer, or some other entity. Of course, the illustrated devices or components are merely exemplary in nature, and any suitable node or device may appear within a wireless communication network within the scope of the present disclosure.

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

Additional elements, components, steps, and/or functions may also be added or not utilized without departing from the disclosure.

While features of the disclosure may have been discussed relative to certain implementations and figures, all implementations of the disclosure can include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, while one or more implementations may have been discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more of such features may also be used in accordance with any of the various implementations discussed herein. In similar fashion, while exemplary implementations may have been discussed herein as device, system, or method implementations, it should be understood that such exemplary implementations can be implemented in various devices, systems, and methods.

Also, it is noted that at least some implementations have been described as a process that is depicted as a flowchart, a flow diagram, a structure diagram, or a block diagram. Although a flowchart may describe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operations can be performed in parallel or concurrently. A process is terminated when its operations are completed. In some aspects, a process may correspond to a method, a function, a procedure, a subroutine, a subprogram, etc. When a process corresponds to a function, its termination corresponds to a return of the function to the calling function or the main function. One or more of the various methods described herein may be partially or fully implemented by programming (e.g., instructions and/or data) that may be stored in a machine-readable, computer-readable, and/or processor-readable storage medium, and executed by one or more processors, machines and/or devices.

Those of skill in the art would further appreciate that the various illustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithm steps described in connection with the implementations disclosed herein may be implemented as hardware, software, firmware, middleware, microcode, or any combination thereof. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and steps have been described above generally in terms of their functionality.

Within the disclosure, the word "exemplary" is used to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration. For instance, a first die may be coupled to a second die in a package even though the first die is never directly physically in contact with the second die. The terms "circuit" and "circuitry" are used broadly, and intended to include both hardware implementations of electrical devices and conductors that, when connected and configured, enable the performance of the functions described in the disclosure, without limitation as to the type of electronic circuits, as well as software implementations of information and instructions that, when executed by a processor, enable the performance of the functions described in the disclosure.

For example, "determining" may include calculating, computing, processing, deriving, investigating, looking up (e.g., looking up in a table, a database or another data structure), ascertaining, and the like. Also, "determining" may include receiving (e.g., receiving information), accessing (e.g., accessing data in a memory), and the like. Also, "determining" may include resolving, selecting, choosing, establishing, and the like.

Claim 1:
A method of communication for an apparatus, comprising:
identifying a first structure for scheduling first traffic within a unified frame structure,
identifying a second structure for scheduling second traffic within the unified frame structure, the second traffic having a lower latency than the first traffic, wherein the second structure for scheduling the second traffic punctures at least a portion of the first traffic, wherein the first structure and the second structure are different in at least one of: transmission time intervals, TTIs, frequency bands, or control structures, and
sending the first traffic and the second traffic according to the first structure and the second structure within the unified frame structure.