Patent Description:
Wireless mobile communication technology uses various standards and protocols to transmit data between a base station and a wireless mobile device. Wireless communication system standards and protocols can include the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) long term evolution (LTE); fifth-generation (<NUM>) 3GPP new radio (NR) standard; the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) <NUM> standard, which is commonly known to industry groups as worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX); and the IEEE <NUM> standard for wireless local area networks (WLAN), which is commonly known to industry groups as Wi-Fi. In 3GPP radio access networks (RANs) in LTE systems, the base station can include a RAN Node such as a Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (also commonly denoted as evolved Node B, enhanced Node B, eNodeB, or eNB) and/or Radio Network Controller (RNC) in an E-UTRAN, which communicate with a wireless communication device, known as user equipment (UE). In fifth generation (<NUM>) wireless RANs, RAN Nodes can include a <NUM> Node, new radio (NR) node or g Node B (gNB), which communicate with a wireless communication device, also known as user equipment (UE).

3GPP document R1-<NUM> discloses a discussion of SRS enhancements including aperiodic SRS triggering, support for more types of antenna switching, and enhancement of SRS capacity/coverage.

3GPP documents R1-<NUM>, R1-<NUM>, and R1-<NUM> disclose improvements to SRS for both FR1 and FR2, particularly in relation to aperiodic SRS.

The invention is defined by the independent claim. A selection of optional features of the invention is set out in the dependent claims.

Aspects of the present invention are provided in the independent claims. Preferred embodiments are provided in the dependent claims.

The scope of the present invention is determined by the scope of the appended claims.

Features and advantages of the disclosure will be apparent from the detailed description which follows, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, which together illustrate, by way of example, features of the disclosure.

In the present disclosure, a "base station" can include a RAN Node such as an Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN) Node B (also commonly denoted as evolved Node B, enhanced Node B, eNodeB, or eNB) and/or Radio Network Controller (RNC), and/or a <NUM> Node, new radio (NR) node or g Node B (gNB), which communicate with a wireless communication device, also known as user equipment (UE). Although some examples may be described with reference to any of E-UTRAN Node B, an eNB, an RNC and/or a gNB, such devices may be replaced with any type of base station.

Sounding Reference Signal (SRS) is uplink (UL) reference signal which is transmitted by UE to BS. SRS can only be transmitted in the last <NUM> symbols of each slot in Rel-<NUM>. In Rel-<NUM>, SRS can be transmitted in any symbol for NR-U and NR positioning.

<FIG> illustrates a wireless network <NUM>, in accordance with some embodiments. The wireless network <NUM> includes a UE <NUM> and a base station <NUM> connected via an air interface <NUM>.

The UE <NUM> and any other UE in the system may be, for example, laptop computers, smartphones, tablet computers, printers, machine-type devices such as smart meters or specialized devices for healthcare monitoring, remote security surveillance, an intelligent transportation system, or any other wireless devices with or without a user interface. The base station <NUM> provides network connectivity to a broader network (not shown) to the UE <NUM> via the air interface <NUM> in a base station service area provided by the base station <NUM>. In some embodiments, such a broader network may be a wide area network operated by a cellular network provider, or may be the Internet. Each base station service area associated with the base station <NUM> is supported by antennas integrated with the base station <NUM>. The service areas are divided into a number of sectors associated with certain antennas. Such sectors may be physically associated with fixed antennas or may be assigned to a physical area with tunable antennas or antenna settings adjustable in a beamforming process used to direct a signal to a particular sector. One embodiment of the base station <NUM>, for example, includes three sectors each covering a <NUM> degree area with an array of antennas directed to each sector to provide <NUM> degree coverage around the base station <NUM>.

The UE <NUM> includes control circuitry <NUM> coupled with transmit circuitry <NUM> and receive circuitry <NUM>. The transmit circuitry <NUM><NUM> and receive circuitry <NUM> may each be coupled with one or more antennas. The control circuitry <NUM> may be adapted to perform operations associated with MTC. In some embodiments, the control circuitry <NUM> of the UE <NUM> may perform calculations or may initiate measurements associated with the air interface <NUM> to determine a channel quality of the available connection to the base station <NUM>. These calculations may be performed in conjunction with control circuitry <NUM> of the base station <NUM>. The transmit circuitry <NUM> and receive circuitry <NUM> may be adapted to transmit and receive data, respectively. The control circuitry <NUM> may be adapted or configured to perform various operations such as those described elsewhere in this disclosure related to a UE. The transmit circuitry <NUM> may transmit a plurality of multiplexed uplink physical channels. The plurality of uplink physical channels may be multiplexed according to time division multiplexing (TDM) or frequency division multiplexing (FDM). The transmit circuity <NUM> may be configured to receive block data from the control circuitry <NUM> for transmission across the air interface <NUM>. Similarly, the receive circuitry <NUM> may receive a plurality of multiplexed downlink physical channels from the air interface <NUM> and relay the physical channels to the control circuitry <NUM>. The uplink and downlink physical channels may be multiplexed according to TDM or FDM. The transmit circuitry <NUM><NUM> and the receive circuitry <NUM><NUM> may transmit and receive both control data and content data (e.g. messages, images, video, et cetera) structured within data blocks that are carried by the physical channels.

<FIG> also illustrates the base station <NUM>, in accordance with various embodiments. The base station <NUM> circuitry may include control circuitry <NUM> coupled with transmit circuitry <NUM> and receive circuitry <NUM>. The transmit circuitry <NUM> and receive circuitry <NUM> may each be coupled with one or more antennas that may be used to enable communications via the air interface <NUM>.

The control circuitry <NUM> may be adapted to perform operations associated with MTC. The transmit circuitry <NUM> and receive circuitry <NUM> may be adapted to transmit and receive data, respectively, within a narrow system bandwidth that is narrower than a standard bandwidth structured for person to person communication. In some embodiments, for example, a transmission bandwidth may be set at or near <NUM>. In other embodiments, other bandwidths may be used. The control circuitry <NUM> may perform various operations such as those described elsewhere in this disclosure related to a base station.

Within the narrow system bandwidth, the transmit circuitry <NUM> may transmit a plurality of multiplexed downlink physical channels. The plurality of downlink physical channels may be multiplexed according to TDM or FDM. The transmit circuitry <NUM> may transmit the plurality of multiplexed downlink physical channels in a downlink super- frame that is comprised of a plurality of downlink subframes.

Within the narrow system bandwidth, the receive circuitry <NUM> may receive a plurality of multiplexed uplink physical channels. The plurality of uplink physical channels may be multiplexed according to TDM or FDM. The receive circuitry <NUM> may receive the plurality of multiplexed uplink physical channels in an uplink super-frame that is comprised of a plurality of uplink subframes.

As described further below, the control circuitry <NUM> and <NUM> may be involved with measurement of a channel quality for the air interface <NUM>. The channel quality may, for example, be based on physical obstructions between the UE <NUM> and the base station <NUM>, electromagnetic signal interference from other sources, reflections or indirect paths between the UE <NUM> and the base station <NUM>, or other such sources of signal noise. Based on the channel quality, a block of data may be scheduled to be retransmitted multiple times, such that the transmit circuitry <NUM> may transmit copies of the same data multiple times and the receive circuitry <NUM> <NUM> may receive multiple copies of the same data multiple times.

<FIG> illustrates a flowchart for a method <NUM> by a UE. As shown in <FIG>, a method <NUM> by a UE comprises step <NUM> to <NUM>.

In step <NUM>, UE receiving one or more messages comprising sounding reference signal (SRS) configuration information from a based station (BS). The SRS configuration information comprises a partial frequency sounding indicator and additional information associated with the partial frequency sounding indicator, and determines SRS resource allocation. Exemplarily, the partial frequency sounding indicator can be represented by PF.

In step <NUM>, UE sending an SRS to the BS in accordance with the SRS configuration information.

In some embodiments, UE may receive signaling comprising SRS configuration information from BS. Exemplarily, the message or signaling may be Radio Resource Control (RRC).

<FIG> illustrates an exemplary transmit scenario <NUM> with the SRS configuration information in accordance with some embodiments. As shown in <FIG>, BS sending and UE receiving, one or more messages containing SRS configuration information <NUM>. The SRS configuration information <NUM> comprises a partial frequency sounding indicator PF and additional information associated with the partial frequency sounding indicator. An SRS resource allocation is determined by the SRS configuration information <NUM>. In some embodiments, the SRS resource allocation indicates, in according with the SRS configuration information <NUM>, the time and frequency resources that BS allocates to UE for the SRS transmission. UE transmits SRS <NUM> to BS based on the time and frequency resources allocated for the transmission.

In some embodiments, a partial frequency sounding indicator PF may configure a subband of SRS transmission into one or more segments. In some embodiments, SRS transmission subband may be configured in accordance with Table <NUM>. <NUM>-<NUM> in <NUM>. A c-SRS in SRS-Resource configures the row index into the table, i.e., CSRS and a b-SRS in SRS-Resource configures the column index into the table, i.e., BSRS. The corresponding mSRS,BSRS determines the SRS transmission subband size.

Additional information associated with the partial frequency sounding indicator includes a subband size of an SRS transmission mSRS,BSRS, and the mSRS,BSRS and the partial frequency sounding indicator determine a group of contiguous resource blocks (RBs) of the SRS transmission in a symbol in a first slot. Exemplarily, a symbol may be an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol.

In some embodiments, an SRS transmission subband with mSRS,BSRS resource blocks (PRBs) may be divided into multiple groups of RBs and each group is constructed by mSRS,BSRS/PF contiguous RBs in an OFDM symbol in a time slot. In some variants, when SRS transmission subbands is divided into multiple groups by PF, each UE can be configured with different group in order to multiplex more UEs in the same resources. Optionally, the value of PF may be selected among {<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>}.

In some implementations, additional information may further comprise a partial frequency sounding offset and an offset basic unit of the partial frequency sounding offset, and the offset basic unit and the partial frequency sounding offset determine a shift of the group of contiguous RBs in the subband of the SRS transmission in the first slot.

In some embodiments, the partial frequency sounding offset may be determined by PF and is an integer selected from <NUM>, <NUM>,. , PF - <NUM>.

An offset basic unit of the partial frequency sounding offset define the number of RBs been shifted per partial frequency sounding offset. In some embodiments, the offset basic unit may be specified in the specification, for example, in <NUM> or <NUM>. Alternatively, the offset basic unit may be configured as part of RRC, for example, in SRS-Resource, SRS-ResourceSet or SRS-Config.

In some embodiments, the number of RBs shifted by the offset basic unit equals to the number of RBs in the group of the contiguous RBs or equals to a constant value that is determined by a maximum value allowed for the partial frequency sounding indicator.

<FIG> illustrates an exemplary SRS configuration 400A with the partial frequency sounding offset in accordance with some embodiments.

Referring to <FIG>, an SRS may be transmitted in the SRS subband <NUM> in one OFDM symbol in a first slot. In some embodiments, the subband size <NUM> of SRS subband <NUM> is mSRS,BSRS. For example, the subband size <NUM> may be <NUM> RBs, i.e., mSRS,BSRS = <NUM> RBs. Optionally, the subband size <NUM> may be any multiple of <NUM> RBs.

In some embodiments, the partial frequency sounding indicator PF may be configured to indicate the group of contiguous RBs <NUM> in for the SRS transmission. The group of contiguous RBs <NUM> may have mSRS,BSRS/PF RBs.

In <FIG>, the offset basic unit is configured to shift mSRS,BSRS/PF contiguous RBs per partial frequency sounding offset. In some embodiment, each UE only transmit SRS in one group of contiguous RBs, for example the group <NUM>. The SRS subband <NUM> is able to allocate multiple UEs, for example UE1-UE4, to transmit SRS based on the partial frequency sounding offsets <NUM>-<NUM>. In some implementation, partial frequency sounding offset <NUM> equals to <NUM>, <NUM> equals to <NUM>, <NUM> equals to <NUM> and <NUM> equals to <NUM>, respectively. Thus, the contiguous RBs shifted by partial frequency sounding offset <NUM> is <NUM> RBs. The contiguous RBs shifted by partial frequency sounding offset <NUM> is mSRS,BSRS/PF contiguous RBs. The contiguous RBs shifted by partial frequency sounding offset <NUM> is <NUM>mSRS,BSRS/PF contiguous RBs. The contiguous RBs shifted by partial frequency sounding offset <NUM> is <NUM>mSRS,BSRS/PF contiguous RBs.

<FIG> illustrates another exemplary SRS configuration 400B with another offset in accordance with some embodiments. Referring to <FIG>, similar reference numerals denote similar components and will not be repeated here.

In some embodiments, the number of RBs shifted by the offset basic unit equals to a constant value that is determined by a maximum value allowed for the partial frequency sounding indicator PF. Exemplarily, when PF select value from {<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>}, the maximum value allowed for PF is <NUM>. Accordingly, in some embodiments as shown in <FIG>, the number of RBs shifted by the offset basic unit is mSRS,BSRS/<NUM>.

As shown in <FIG>, the group of contiguous RBs <NUM>' for Ue1 have mSRS,BSRS/<NUM> RBs, i.e., PF = <NUM> for UE1. Another group of contiguous RBs <NUM>" for UE2 have mSRS,BSRS/<NUM> RBs, i.e., PF = <NUM> for UE2. The partial frequency sounding offset <NUM>', <NUM>', <NUM>', <NUM>', are <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, respectively. The offset basic unit is mSRS,BSRS/<NUM>. Accordingly, the SRS transmission of each UE shifted by each partial frequency sounding offset are <NUM> RBs, mSRS,BSRS/<NUM> RBs, <NUM>mSRS,BSRS/<NUM> RBs and <NUM>mSRS,BSRS/<NUM> RBs, respectively.

In some embodiments, the one or more messages may comprise RRC signaling. The RRC signaling comprises a first information element (IE) and a second IE configured in SRS-Resource, and the first IE configures the partial frequency sounding indicator PF and the second IE configures the partial frequency sounding offset.

In some embodiments, the first IE is SubbandReduction-r17 ENUMERATED {<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>}. In some variants, the second IE is PartialSubbandOffset-r17 INTEGER (<NUM>.

In some embodiments, two IEs may be configured as the highlighted part below:
<IMG>
<IMG>.

In some embodiments, dynamic indication of PF and the partial frequency sounding offset can be achieved by indicated in downlink control information (DCI), for DCI Format 0_1, 0_2, 1_1, 1_2, 2_3.

In some implementations, the one or more messages may further comprise DCI, and the DCI comprises a bit field configured to activate or deactivate the partial frequency sounding indicator PF and the partial frequency sounding offset. Exemplarily, new <NUM> bit field is introduced which indicates whether PF and the partial frequency sounding offset having been configured in SRS-Resource should be applied.

In some variants, the one or more messages comprise DCI, and a bit width of SRS request field of the DCI is increased to configure the partial frequency sounding indicator PF and the partial frequency sounding offset. Exemplarily, the SRS request field bit width can be increased, the increase bit is used to indicate whether PF should be applied, and the offset.

In some variants, the one or more messages comprise DCI, and one or multiple new fields can be introduced in the DCI to configure the partial frequency sounding indicator PF and the partial frequency sounding offset.

In some embodiments, the one or more messages may comprise at least one MAC-CE, and the at least one MAC-CE configures the partial frequency sounding indicator PF and the partial frequency sounding offset. MAC-CE is the media access control (MAC) control element sent from BS to the UE. BS schedules DL data to the UE and sends the DL data in physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). BS also may append some MAC layer information in the PDSCH, among which there is MAC-CE. Exemplarily, BS may transmit PDSCH to UE and PDSCH can carry DL data, MAC-CE or both.

In some implementations, each MAC-CE comprises a corresponding SRS-ResourceSetId, and each MAC-CE configures the partial frequency sounding indicator PF of all SRS-Resources indicated by the corresponding SRS-ResourceSetId with a first value, and each MAC-CE configures the partial frequency sounding offset of all SRS-Resources indicated by the corresponding SRS-ResourceSetId with a second value. In some variants, MAC-CE can be configured to apply the PF and the partial frequency sounding offset per SRS-ResourceSet. Exemplarily, MAC-CE will contain SRS-ResourceSetId, so that MAC-CE can be used to change all SRS-Resource in the indicated SRS-ResourceSetId with the same value.

In some implementations, each MAC-CE comprises a corresponding SRS-ResourceSetId, and each MAC-CE configures the partial frequency sounding indicator PF and the partial frequency sounding offset of all SRS-Resources indicated by the corresponding SRS-ResourceSetId independently. In some variants, MAC-CE can be configured to apply the PF and the partial frequency sounding offset per SRS-Resource in a SRS-ResourceSet. Exemplarily, MAC-CE will contain SRS-Resourceld. Furthermore, the MAC-CE can update each SRS-Resource in the indicated SRS-ResourceSet independently.

In some implementations, each MAC-CE comprises a corresponding SRS-ResourceId, and each MAC-CE configures the partial frequency sounding indicator PF and the partial frequency sounding offset of an SRS-Resource based on the corresponding SRS-ResourceId. In some variants, MAC-CE can be configured to apply the PF and the partial frequency sounding offset per SRS-Resource. Exemplarily, MAC-CE will contain SRS-ResourceId, so that MAC-CE can be used to change each SRS-Resource independently.

Overall, the technical advantage of configuring PF and partial frequency sounding offset through DCI or MAC-CE is that it can be achieved faster and more dynamic than it is configured by RRC SRS-Resource.

In some embodiments, the additional information may further comprise a nrofSymbols and a repetitionFactor, and the SRS resource allocation indicates at least one first subset of norfSymbols symbols in the first slot, each first subset in the first slot having repetitionFactor symbols. The norfSymbols represents the number of consecutive SRS symbols can be configured for SRS transmission. The repetitionFactor is used for SRS frequency hopping configuration, i.e., frequency location of SRS hops every repetitionFactor SRS symbols. In some variants, different subsets can be configured, e.g., each subset comprises repetitionFactor SRS symbols.

In some embodiments, when PF is configured, one or more properties relating to the SRS transmission hops within each first subset in the first slot. In some embodiments, partial frequency sounding offset can be different for different SRS symbols, i.e., partial frequency sounding offset hopping. Exemplarily, partial frequency sounding offset hopping can be allowed within the same frequency hopping repetition, for example, repetitionFactor symbols.

<FIG> illustrates an exemplary SRS configuration with offset hoping in accordance with some embodiments. As shown in <FIG>, the norfSymbols for SRS transmission in this embodiment is <NUM> consecutive symbols, i.e., col <NUM> to col <NUM>, in the first slot (slot n). Similarly, SRS transmission in the second slot (slot n+<NUM>) also contains norfSymbols symbols, i.e., <NUM> consecutive symbols from col <NUM> to col <NUM> in the slot n+<NUM>. The SRS resource allocation <NUM> indicates two first subsets of <NUM> SRS symbols in the slot n, that is, first subset <NUM> and first subset <NUM>. First subset <NUM> comprise SRS symbol <NUM> and <NUM>. Another first subset <NUM> comprises SRS symbol <NUM> and <NUM>. In some embodiments, when repetitionFactor is configured, for example, repetitionFactor = <NUM>, the frequency of SRS symbol <NUM> in the first subset <NUM> hops with respect to SRS symbol <NUM> in the first subset <NUM>. Similarly, the frequency of SRS symbol <NUM> in the first subset <NUM> hops with respect to SRS symbol <NUM> in the first subset <NUM>.

In some embodiments, when PF is configured, for example, PF = <NUM>, then SRS symbol <NUM> can be divided into <NUM> groups of contiguous RBs and each group contains mSRS,BSRS/<NUM> RBs, as a result of PF configuration. The partial subband <NUM> represents one group of contiguous RBs, i.e., mSRS,BSRS/<NUM> RBs.

In some embodiments, partial frequency sounding offset can be different for different SRS symbols. Exemplarily, the offset of partial subband <NUM> hops with respect to the offset of partial subband <NUM> within the first subset <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the at least one first subset of the norfSymbols symbols in the first slot comprises two or more first subsets, and one or more properties relating to the SRS transmission hops between different first subsets in the first slot. Exemplarily, partial frequency sounding offset hoping can be allowed in crossing different frequency hopping repetition symbols, for example, repetitionFactor, in the same slot.

<FIG> illustrates another exemplary SRS configuration with offset hoping in accordance with some embodiments. In <FIG>, similar reference numerals denote similar components and will not be repeated here.

Referring to <FIG>, the SRS resource allocation <NUM> indicates <NUM> SRS symbols in the first slot. SRS resource allocation <NUM> also indicates two first subsets, first subset <NUM> and firs subset <NUM>, each subset contains two SRS symbols.

In some embodiments, partial frequency sounding offset can be implemented across different subset in the same slot. As shown in <FIG>, the partial frequency sounding offset of partial subband <NUM> in first subset <NUM> hops with respect to the partial frequency sounding offset of partial subband <NUM> in first subset <NUM>. It should be noted that in comparison with the case where the partial frequency sounding offset hops within the same subset (e.g., as shown in <FIG> the offset of <NUM> hops with respect to <NUM> in the same subset <NUM>), the partial frequency sounding offset in <FIG> does not hop within the same subset. For example, the partial frequency sounding offset of partial subband <NUM> does not hops with respect to the partial frequency sounding offset of partial subband <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the SRS resource allocation indicates at least one second subset of norfSymbols symbols in a second slot, each second subset in the second slot having repetitionFactor symbols, and one or more properties relating to the SRS transmission hops between the at least one first subset in the first slot and the at least one second subset in the second slot. Exemplarily, the partial frequency sounding offset hopping can be allowed in crossing different frequency hopping repetition, for example, repetitionFactor, in different slots.

<FIG> illustrates yet another exemplary SRS configuration with offset hoping in accordance with some embodiments. In <FIG>, similar reference numerals denote similar components and will not be repeated here.

Referring to <FIG>, the SRS resource allocation <NUM> indicates <NUM> SRS symbols that are divided into two first subset, first subset <NUM> and firs subset <NUM> in the first slot (slot n). SRS resource allocation <NUM> also indicates <NUM> SRS symbols that are divided into two second subset, second subset <NUM>' and second subset <NUM>' in the second slot (slot n+<NUM>).

In some embodiments, partial frequency sounding offset can be implemented across different subset in different slots. As shown in <FIG>, the partial frequency sounding offset of partial subband <NUM>' in second subset <NUM>' hops with respect to the partial frequency sounding offset of partial subband <NUM> in first subset <NUM> (hoping across slot n and slot n+<NUM>). Similarly, the partial frequency sounding offset of partial subband <NUM>' in second subset <NUM>' hops with respect to the partial frequency sounding offset of partial subband <NUM> in first subset <NUM>. It should be noted that in comparison with the case where the partial frequency sounding offset hops within the same subset (e.g., as shown in <FIG> the offset of <NUM> hops with respect to <NUM> in the same subset <NUM>), the partial frequency sounding offset in <FIG> does not hop within the same subset. For example, the partial frequency sounding offset of partial subband <NUM> does not hop with respect to the partial frequency sounding offset of partial subband <NUM>. It also should be noted that in comparison with the case where the partial frequency sounding offset hops across different subsets in the same slot (e.g., as shown in <FIG> the offset of <NUM> in first slot <NUM> hops with respect to the offset of <NUM> in first slot <NUM>), the partial frequency sounding offset in <FIG> does not hop with in same slot. For example, the partial frequency sounding offset of partial subband <NUM> does not hop with respect to the partial frequency sounding offset of partial subband <NUM> in the first slot.

It should be understood that while the hoping mechanism illustrated in <FIG> mentioned partial frequency sounding offset hopping, other properties or parameters hopping in each of these cases illustrated above may also be possible.

In some implementations, the one or more properties comprise at least one property selected from a group consisting of the partial frequency sounding offset, SRS sequence, cyclic shift, spatial relation, pathloss RS (PLRS), close loop power control (CLPC) and open loop power control (OLPC). In some variants, when more than one SRS symbol is configured for SRS transmission, within the same SRS transmission, one or multiple of the properties can be independently configured for each subsets of SRS symbols. In some variants, for periodic or semi-persistent SRS, i.e., P-SRS or SP-SRS, across different periodicity, one or multiple of the properties can be independently configured for SRS transmission (e.g., for periodic SRS with <NUM> periodicity, it can be configured independently every <NUM> with certain repeated patter).

In some embodiments, when UE transmits SRS symbols multiple times, UE can use different SRS sequence in each one or multiple SRS symbols. Exemplarily, this can be achieved by different sequence itself, or cyclic shift the same sequence.

In some embodiments, when UE transmits SRS symbols multiple times, UE can use different subsets of SRS symbols to different transmission and reception point (TRP). Exemplarily, different TRPs may need different spatial relation (beam), PLRS, OLPC and/or CLPC.

Overall, the above-mentioned sequence hopping and TRS hopping are able to enhance SRS coverage.

In some embodiments, SRS partial sounding can be configured for UE to skip some of the subband transmission. Exemplarily, the SRS transmission within a part of the at least one first subset of the norfSymbols symbols is skipped.

<FIG> illustrates an exemplary SRS configuration with skipping mechanism in accordance with some embodiments. As shown in <FIG>, SRS configuration allocation <NUM> indicates two subsets, first subset <NUM>, <NUM>, of <NUM> SRS symbols in slot n and another two subsets, second subset <NUM>, <NUM>, of <NUM> SRS symbols in slot n+<NUM>. In some embodiments, SRS transmission within first subset <NUM> may be skipped. Similarly, SRS transmission within second subset <NUM> may be skipped. UE might be able to boost the SRS transmission power when some SRS transmissions (first subset <NUM> and second subset <NUM>) are skipped.

In some embodiments, due to the minimum length of SRS sequence, the minimum subband size of mSRS,BSRS is further restricted compared to existing NR (currently, it is <NUM> RBs). Minimum subband size of mSRS,BSRS is a function of PF, SRS comb size KTC (currently, <NUM>/<NUM>/<NUM>/<NUM>) and minimum SRS sequence length (currently <MAT>).

In some implementations, the additional information further comprises an SRS comb size KTC and a minimum SRS sequence length <MAT>, a minimum length of the subband size <MAT>, PF represents the partial frequency sounding indicator. In these embodiments, UE cannot configure <MAT>.

In some embodiments, configuration or indication of PF can be allowed in the case selected from a group consisting of: only when SRS is configured with frequency hopping, only when SRS is configured without frequency hopping and both when SRS is configured with and without frequency hopping.

In some embodiments, the maximum number of repetition symbols in one slot and one SRS resource is increased to S and support at least one S value from {<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>}.

In some embodiments, the value of S may be configured as the highlighted part below:
<IMG>.

In some embodiments, the configuration of more than <NUM> SRS symbols for SRS transmission may be implemented by at least one option selected from a group consisting of: RRC configured (option <NUM>), use MAC-CE to change the number of SRS symbols per SRS resource or per SRS resource set (option <NUM>) and use DCI that triggers AP-SRS to change the number of SRS symbols, e.g., scaling factor (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>) can be introduced (option <NUM>).

In some embodiments, SRS configuration may support SRS repetition with more than <NUM> symbols and more repeititionFactor may be supported in the specification. In some embodiments, repetitionFactor may include n3, n5, n6, n7, n8, n10, n12 and n14. In some variants, for S = <NUM>: repeititionFactor n8; for S = <NUM>: repetitionFactor n5, n10; for S = <NUM>: repetitionFactor n3, n6, n12; for S = <NUM>: repetitionFactor n7, n14. Exemplarily, reptitionFactor may be configured as reptitionFactor-r17 ENUMERATED {n1, n2, n3, n4, n5, n6, n7, n8, n10, n12, n14}.

In some embodiments, to support SRS repetition with more than <NUM> symbols, repetitionFactor is fixed to be the same as nrofSymbols, i.e., no intra-slot frequency hopping is allowed.

In some embodiments, to support SRS repetition with more than <NUM> symbols, the starting SRS symbol location is configured as startPosition and the number of SRS symbols is configured as nrofSymbols. In some variants, if some symbols exceed the slot boundary, UE may only transmit the SRS symbols in SRS resources within the slot and omits the SRS symbols exceeding the slot boundary. Optionally, UE may not transmit the whole SRS resources. Optionally, UE may still transmit the whole SRS resource. In some implementations, specification may describe the UE behavior, i.e., skip some of the subband transmission.

In some embodiments, when more than <NUM> consecutive SRS symbols is configured and one or multiple SRS symbol conflicts with the downlink (DL) symbols due to either semi-statically configured DL symbols, dynamic configured DL symbols via DCI Format 2_0 or dynamic configured DL symbols for CSI-RS or PDSCH reception, UE may terminate the SRS transmission at the first conflicting symbol, i.e., UE will not transmit on the conflicting symbol as well as on the symbols afterwards. Alternatively, UE may cancel the SRS transmission on the conflicting symbols, but resumes SRS transmission afterwards. In some implementations, specification will define the UE behavior, i.e., which SRS symbols that UE needs to omit.

In some embodiments, to support the 4T6R SRS antenna switching, the SRS configuration may use two configuration options. In some implementations, the SRS configuration may use configuration option <NUM>, that is, configure at least one SRS resource set, total two SRS resources and one SRS resource with <NUM> port and one SRS resource with <NUM> port. In some variants, the SRS configuration may use configuration option <NUM>, that is, configure at least one SRS resource set, total three SRS resources and each SRS resource with <NUM> port.

<FIG> illustrates a flowchart for a method <NUM> by a BS. As shown in <FIG>, the method <NUM> by BS includes step <NUM> to <NUM>.

In step <NUM>, BS sending one or more messages comprising SRS configuration information to a user equipment (UE), the SRS configuration information comprises a partial frequency sounding indicator and additional information associated with the partial frequency sounding indicator, and determines SRS resource allocation.

In step <NUM>, BS receiving an SRS from the UE in accordance with the SRS configuration information.

<FIG> illustrates an exemplary block diagram of an apparatus <NUM> for a UE in accordance with some embodiments. The apparatus <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> may be used to implement the method <NUM> as illustrated in combination with <FIG>.

As shown in <FIG>, the apparatus <NUM> includes receiving unit <NUM> and sending unit <NUM>.

The receiving unit <NUM> is configured to receive one or more messages comprising sounding reference signal (SRS) configuration information from a based station (BS), the SRS configuration information comprises a partial frequency sounding indicator and additional information associated with the partial frequency sounding indicator, and determines SRS resource allocation.

The sending unit <NUM> is configured to send an SRS to the BS in accordance with the SRS configuration information.

<FIG> illustrates an exemplary block diagram of an apparatus <NUM> for a BS in accordance with some embodiments. The apparatus <NUM> illustrated in <FIG> is used to implement the method <NUM> as illustrated in combination with <FIG>.

As shown in <FIG>, the apparatus <NUM> includes sending unit <NUM> and receiving unit <NUM>.

The sending unit <NUM> is configured to send one or more messages comprising SRS configuration information to a user equipment (UE), the SRS configuration information comprises a partial frequency sounding indicator and additional information associated with the partial frequency sounding indicator, and determines SRS resource allocation.

The receiving unit <NUM> is configured to receive an SRS from the UE in accordance with the SRS configuration information.

<FIG> illustrates example components of a device <NUM> in accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, the device <NUM> may include application circuitry <NUM>, baseband circuitry <NUM>, Radio Frequency (RF) circuitry (shown as RF circuitry <NUM>), front-end module (FEM) circuitry (shown as FEM circuitry <NUM>), one or more antennas <NUM>, and power management circuitry (PMC) (shown as PMC <NUM>) coupled together at least as shown. The components of the illustrated device <NUM> may be included in a UE or a RAN node. In some embodiments, the device <NUM> may include fewer elements (e.g., a RAN node may not utilize application circuitry <NUM>, and instead include a processor/controller to process IP data received from an EPC). In some embodiments, the device <NUM> may include additional elements such as, for example, memory/storage, display, camera, sensor, or input/output (I/O) interface. In other embodiments, the components described below may be included in more than one device (e.g., said circuitries may be separately included in more than one device for Cloud-RAN (C-RAN) implementations).

The baseband circuitry <NUM> may include one or more baseband processors or control logic to process baseband signals received from a receive signal path of the RF circuitry <NUM> and to generate baseband signals for a transmit signal path of the RF circuitry <NUM>. The baseband circuitry <NUM> may interface with the application circuitry <NUM> for generation and processing of the baseband signals and for controlling operations of the RF circuitry <NUM>. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry <NUM> may include a third generation (<NUM>) baseband processor (<NUM> baseband processor <NUM>), a fourth generation (<NUM>) baseband processor (<NUM> baseband processor <NUM>), a fifth generation (<NUM>) baseband processor (<NUM> baseband processor <NUM>), or other baseband processor(s) <NUM> for other existing generations, generations in development or to be developed in the future (e.g., second generation (<NUM>), sixth generation (<NUM>), etc.). The baseband circuitry <NUM> (e.g., one or more of baseband processors) may handle various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuitry <NUM>. In other embodiments, some or all of the functionality of the illustrated baseband processors may be included in modules stored in the memory <NUM> and executed via a Central Processing ETnit (CPET <NUM>). The radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation/demodulation, encoding/decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some embodiments, modulation/demodulation circuitry of the baseband circuitry <NUM> may include Fast-Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding, or constellation mapping/demapping functionality. In some embodiments, encoding/decoding circuitry of the baseband circuitry <NUM> may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, or Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) encoder/decoder functionality. Embodiments of modulation/demodulation and encoder/decoder functionality are not limited to these examples and may include other suitable functionality in other embodiments.

In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry <NUM> may include a digital signal processor (DSP), such as one or more audio DSP(s) <NUM>. The one or more audio DSP(s) <NUM> may be include elements for compression/decompression and echo cancellation and may include other suitable processing elements in other embodiments. Components of the baseband circuitry may be suitably combined in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on a same circuit board in some embodiments. In some embodiments, some or all of the constituent components of the baseband circuitry <NUM> and the application circuitry <NUM> may be implemented together such as, for example, on a system on a chip (SOC).

For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry <NUM> may support communication with an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) or other wireless metropolitan area networks (WMAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), or a wireless personal area network (WPAN).

The RF circuitry <NUM> may enable communication with wireless networks using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. The RF circuitry <NUM> may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry to down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry <NUM> and provide baseband signals to the baseband circuitry <NUM>. The RF circuitry <NUM> may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry to up-convert baseband signals provided by the baseband circuitry <NUM> and provide RF output signals to the FEM circuitry <NUM> for transmission. [<NUM>] In some embodiments, the receive signal path of the RF circuitry <NUM> may include mixer circuitry <NUM>, amplifier circuitry <NUM> and filter circuitry <NUM>. In some embodiments, the transmit signal path of the RF circuitry <NUM> may include filter circuitry <NUM> and mixer circuitry <NUM>. The RF circuitry <NUM> may also include synthesizer circuitry <NUM> for synthesizing a frequency for use by the mixer circuitry <NUM> of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry <NUM> of the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry <NUM> based on the synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuitry <NUM>. The amplifier circuitry <NUM> may be configured to amplify the down-converted signals and the filter circuitry <NUM> may be a low-pass filter (LPF) or band-pass filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the down-converted signals to generate output baseband signals. Output baseband signals may be provided to the baseband circuitry <NUM> for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signals may be zero-frequency baseband signals, although this is not a requirement. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry <NUM> of the receive signal path may comprise passive mixers, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry <NUM> of the transmit signal path may be configured to up-convert input baseband signals based on the synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry <NUM> to generate RF output signals for the FEM circuitry <NUM>. The baseband signals may be provided by the baseband circuitry <NUM> and may be filtered by the filter circuitry <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry <NUM> of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry <NUM> of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature downconversion and upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry <NUM> of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry <NUM> of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry <NUM> of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry <NUM> may be arranged for direct downconversion and direct upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry <NUM> of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry <NUM> of the transmit signal path may be configured for super-heterodyne operation.

In these alternate embodiments, the RF circuitry <NUM> may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital -to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry and the baseband circuitry <NUM> may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with the RF circuitry <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry <NUM> may be a fractional -N synthesizer or a fractional N/N+<NUM> synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect as other types of frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuitry <NUM> may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer comprising a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.

The synthesizer circuitry <NUM> may be configured to synthesize an output frequency for use by the mixer circuitry <NUM> of the RF circuitry <NUM> based on a frequency input and a divider control input. In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry <NUM> may be a fractional N/N+<NUM> synthesizer.

Divider control input may be provided by either the baseband circuitry <NUM> or the application circuitry <NUM> (such as an applications processor) depending on the desired output frequency. In some embodiments, a divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a look-up table based on a channel indicated by the application circuitry <NUM>.

Synthesizer circuitry <NUM> of the RF circuitry <NUM> may include a divider, a delay- locked loop (DLL), a multiplexer and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the divider may be a dual modulus divider (DMD) and the phase accumulator may be a digital phase accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide the input signal by either N or N+<NUM> (e.g., based on a carry out) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, the DLL may include a set of cascaded, tunable, delay elements, a phase detector, a charge pump and a D-type flip-flop. In these embodiments, the delay elements may be configured to break a VCO period up into Nd equal packets of phase, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this way, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry <NUM> may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and used in conjunction with quadrature generator and divider circuitry to generate multiple signals at the carrier frequency with multiple different phases with respect to each other. In some embodiments, the output frequency may be a LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, the RF circuitry <NUM> may include an IQ/polar converter.

The FEM circuitry <NUM> may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas <NUM>, amplify the received signals and provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the RF circuitry <NUM> for further processing. The FEM circuitry <NUM> may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry configured to amplify signals for transmission provided by the RF circuitry <NUM> for transmission by one or more of the one or more antennas <NUM>. In various embodiments, the amplification through the transmit or receive signal paths may be done solely in the RF circuitry <NUM>, solely in the FEM circuitry <NUM>, or in both the RF circuitry <NUM> and the FEM circuitry <NUM>.

The FEM circuitry <NUM> may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuitry <NUM> may include an LNA to amplify received RF signals and provide the amplified received RF signals as an output (e.g., to the RF circuitry <NUM>). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuitry <NUM> may include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify input RF signals (e.g., provided by the RF circuitry <NUM>), and one or more filters to generate RF signals for subsequent transmission (e.g., by one or more of the one or more antennas <NUM>).

The PMC <NUM> may often be included when the device <NUM> is capable of being powered by a battery, for example, when the device <NUM> is included in a EGE.

<FIG> shows the PMC <NUM> coupled only with the baseband circuitry <NUM>. However, in other embodiments, the PMC <NUM> may be additionally or alternatively coupled with, and perform similar power management operations for, other components such as, but not limited to, the application circuitry <NUM>, the RF circuitry <NUM>, or the FEM circuitry <NUM>.

For example, if the device <NUM> is in an RRC Connected state, where it is still connected to the RAN node as it expects to receive traffic shortly, then it may enter a state known as Discontinuous Reception Mode (DRX) after a period of inactivity.

If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period of time, then the device <NUM> may transition off to an RRC Idle state, where it disconnects from the network and does not perform operations such as channel quality feedback, handover, etc. The device <NUM> goes into a very low power state and it performs paging where again it periodically wakes up to listen to the network and then powers down again. The device <NUM> may not receive data in this state, and in order to receive data, it transitions back to an RRC Connected state.

For example, processors of the baseband circuitry <NUM>, alone or in combination, may be used to execute Layer <NUM>, Layer <NUM>, or Layer <NUM> functionality, while processors of the application circuitry <NUM> may utilize data (e.g., packet data) received from these layers and further execute Layer <NUM> functionality (e.g., transmission communication protocol (TCP) and user datagram protocol (UDP) layers).

<FIG> illustrates example interfaces <NUM> of baseband circuitry in accordance with some embodiments. As discussed above, the baseband circuitry <NUM> of <FIG> may comprise <NUM> baseband processor <NUM>, <NUM> baseband processor <NUM>, <NUM> baseband processor <NUM>, other baseband processor(s) <NUM>, CPU <NUM>, and a memory <NUM> utilized by said processors. As illustrated, each of the processors may include a respective memory interface <NUM> to send/receive data to/from the memory <NUM>.

The baseband circuitry <NUM> may further include one or more interfaces to communicatively couple to other circuitries/devices, such as a memory interface <NUM> (e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from memory external to the baseband circuitry <NUM>), an application circuitry interface <NUM> (e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from the application circuitry <NUM> of <FIG>), an RF circuitry interface <NUM> (e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from RF circuitry <NUM> of <FIG>), a wireless hardware connectivity interface <NUM> (e.g., an interface to send/receive data to/from Near Field Communication (NFC) components, Bluetooth® components (e.g., Bluetooth®: Low Energy), Wi-Fi® components, and other communication components), and a power management interface <NUM> (e.g., an interface to send/receive power or control signals to/from the PMC <NUM>.

<FIG> is a block diagram illustrating components <NUM>, according to some example embodiments, able to read instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium) and perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. Specifically, <FIG> shows a diagrammatic representation of hardware resources <NUM> including one or more processors <NUM> (or processor cores), one or more memory/storage devices <NUM>, and one or more communication resources <NUM>, each of which may be communicatively coupled via a bus <NUM>. For embodiments where node virtualization (e.g., NFV) is utilized, a hypervisor <NUM> may be executed to provide an execution environment for one or more network slices/sub-slices to utilize the hardware resources <NUM>.

The memory /storage devices <NUM> may include main memory, disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof.

Instructions <NUM> may comprise software, a program, an application, an applet, an app, or other executable code for causing at least any of the processors <NUM> to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. The instructions <NUM> may reside, completely or partially, within at least one of the processors <NUM> (e.g., within the processor's cache memory), the memory /storage devices <NUM>, or any suitable combination thereof. Furthermore, any portion of the instructions <NUM> may be transferred to the hardware resources <NUM> from any combination of the peripheral devices <NUM> or the databases <NUM>. Accordingly, the memory of the processors <NUM>, the memory/storage devices <NUM>, the peripheral devices <NUM>, and the databases <NUM> are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media.

For one or more embodiments, at least one of the components set forth in one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to perform one or more operations, techniques, processes, and/or methods as set forth in the example section below. For example, the baseband circuitry as described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the examples set forth below. For another example, circuitry associated with a UE, base station, network element, etc. as described above in connection with one or more of the preceding figures may be configured to operate in accordance with one or more of the examples set forth below in the example section.

<FIG> illustrates an architecture of a system <NUM> of a network in accordance with some embodiments. The system <NUM> includes one or more user equipment (UE), shown in this example as a UE <NUM> and a UE <NUM>. The UE <NUM> and the UE <NUM> are illustrated as smartphones (e.g., handheld touchscreen mobile computing devices connectable to one or more cellular networks), but may also comprise any mobile or non-mobile computing device, such as Personal Data Assistants (PDAs), pagers, laptop computers, desktop computers, wireless handsets, or any computing device including a wireless communications interface.

In some embodiments, any of the UE <NUM> and the UE <NUM><NUM> can comprise an Internet of Things (IoT) UE, which can comprise a network access layer designed for low- power IoT applications utilizing short-lived UE connections. An IoT UE can utilize technologies such as machine-to-machine (M2M) or machine-type communications (MTC) for exchanging data with an MTC server or device via a public land mobile network (PLMN), Proximity-Based Service (ProSe) or device-to-device (D2D) communication, sensor networks, or IoT networks. The M2M or MTC exchange of data may be a machine- initiated exchange of data. An loT network describes interconnecting IoT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure), with short-lived connections. The loT UEs may execute background applications (e.g., keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to facilitate the connections of the IoT network. [<NUM>] The UE <NUM> and the UE <NUM> may be configured to connect, e.g., communicatively couple, with a radio access network (RAN), shown as RAN <NUM>. The RAN <NUM> may be, for example, an Evolved ETniversal Mobile Telecommunications System (ETMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network (E-UTRAN), a NextGen RAN (NG RAN), or some other type of RAN. The UE <NUM> and the UE <NUM> utilize connection <NUM> and connection <NUM>, respectively, each of which comprises a physical communications interface or layer (discussed in further detail below); in this example, the connection <NUM> and the connection <NUM> are illustrated as an air interface to enable communicative coupling, and can be consistent with cellular communications protocols, such as a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) protocol, a code-division multiple access (CDMA) network protocol, a Push-to-Talk (PTT) protocol, a PTT over Cellular (POC) protocol, a Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) protocol, a 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE) protocol, a fifth generation (<NUM>) protocol, a New Radio (NR) protocol, and the like.

In this embodiment, the UE <NUM> and the UE <NUM> may further directly exchange communication data via a ProSe interface <NUM>.

The UE <NUM> is shown to be configured to access an access point (AP), shown as AP <NUM><NUM>, via connection <NUM>. The connection <NUM> can comprise a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with any IEEE <NUM> protocol, wherein the AP <NUM><NUM> would comprise a wireless fidelity (WiFi®) router. In this example, the AP <NUM> may be connected to the Internet without connecting to the core network of the wireless system (described in further detail below).

The RAN <NUM> can include one or more access nodes that enable the connection <NUM> and the connection <NUM><NUM>. The RAN <NUM> may include one or more RAN nodes for providing macrocells, e.g., macro RAN node <NUM>, and one or more RAN nodes for providing femtocells or picocells (e.g., cells having smaller coverage areas, smaller user capacity, or higher bandwidth compared to macrocells), e.g., a low power (LP) RAN node such as LP RAN node <NUM>. [<NUM>] Any of the macro RAN node <NUM> and the LP RAN node <NUM> can terminate the air interface protocol and can be the first point of contact for the UE <NUM> and the UE <NUM>. In some embodiments, any of the macro RAN node <NUM> and the LP RAN node <NUM> can fulfill various logical functions for the RAN <NUM> including, but not limited to, radio network controller (RNC) functions such as radio bearer management, uplink and downlink dynamic radio resource management and data packet scheduling, and mobility management.

In accordance with some embodiments, the EGE <NUM> and the EGE <NUM> can be configured to communicate using Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals with each other or with any of the macro RAN node <NUM> and the LP RAN node <NUM> over a multicarrier communication channel in accordance various communication techniques, such as, but not limited to, an Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) communication technique (e.g., for downlink communications) or a Single Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) communication technique (e.g., for uplink and ProSe or sidelink communications), although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. The OFDM signals can comprise a plurality of orthogonal sub carriers.

In some embodiments, a downlink resource grid can be used for downlink transmissions from any of the macro RAN node <NUM> and the LP RAN node <NUM> to the UE <NUM> and the UE <NUM>, while uplink transmissions can utilize similar techniques.

The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) may carry user data and higher- layer signaling to the UE <NUM> and the UE <NUM>. It may also inform the UE <NUM> and the UE <NUM> about the transport format, resource allocation, and H-ARQ (Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request) information related to the uplink shared channel. Typically, downlink scheduling (assigning control and shared channel resource blocks to the UE <NUM> within a cell) may be performed at any of the macro RAN node <NUM> and the LP RAN node <NUM> based on channel quality information fed back from any of the UE <NUM> and UE <NUM>. The downlink resource assignment information may be sent on the PDCCH used for (e.g., assigned to) each of the UE <NUM> and the UE <NUM>.

Before being mapped to resource elements, the PDCCH complex-valued symbols may first be organized into quadruplets, which may then be permuted using a sub- block interleaver for rate matching.

Some embodiments may use concepts for resource allocation for control channel information that are an extension of the above-described concepts. For example, some embodiments may utilize an enhanced physical downlink control channel (EPDCCH) that uses PDSCH resources for control information transmission. The EPDCCH may be transmitted using one or more enhanced the control channel elements (ECCEs). Similar to above, each ECCE may correspond to nine sets of four physical resource elements known as enhanced resource element groups (EREGs). An ECCE may have other numbers of EREGs in some situations.

The RAN <NUM> is communicatively coupled to a core network (CN), shown as CN <NUM> - via an Sl interface <NUM>. In embodiments, the CN <NUM> may be an evolved packet core (EPC) network, a NextGen Packet Core (NPC) network, or some other type of CN. In this embodiment the S1 interface <NUM> is split into two parts: the S1-U interface <NUM>, which carries traffic data between the macro RAN node <NUM> and the LP RAN node <NUM> and a serving gateway (S-GW), shown as S-GW <NUM><NUM>, and an S1 -mobility management entity (MME) interface, shown as S1-MME interface <NUM>, which is a signaling interface between the macro RAN node <NUM> and LP RAN node <NUM> and the MME(s) <NUM>. [<NUM>] In this embodiment, the CN <NUM> comprises the MME(s) <NUM>, the S-GW <NUM>, a Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (P-GW) (shown as P-GW <NUM>), and a home subscriber server (HSS) (shown as HSS <NUM>). The MME(s) <NUM> may be similar in function to the control plane of legacy Serving General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) Support Nodes (SGSN). The MME(s) <NUM> may manage mobility aspects in access such as gateway selection and tracking area list management. The CN <NUM> may comprise one or several HSS <NUM>, depending on the number of mobile subscribers, on the capacity of the equipment, on the organization of the network, etc. For example, the HSS <NUM> can provide support for routing/roaming, authentication, authorization, naming/addressing resolution, location dependencies, etc..

In addition, the S-GW <NUM> may be a local mobility anchor point for inter-RAN node handovers and also may provide an anchor for inter-<NUM> GPP mobility.

The P-GW <NUM> may route data packets between the CN <NUM> (e.g., an EPC network) and external networks such as a network including the application server <NUM> (alternatively referred to as application function (AF)) via an Internet Protocol (IP) interface (shown as IP communications interface <NUM>). Generally, an application server <NUM> may be an element offering applications that use IP bearer resources with the core network (e.g., ETMTS Packet Services (PS) domain, LTE PS data services, etc.). The application server <NUM> can also be configured to support one or more communication services (e.g., Voice-over-Internet Protocol (VoIP) sessions, PTT sessions, group communication sessions, social networking services, etc.) for the UE <NUM> and the UE <NUM> via the CN <NUM>.

A Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCRF) (shown as PCRF <NUM>) is the policy and charging control element of the CN <NUM>. In a non-roaming scenario, there may be a single PCRF in the Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) associated with a ETE's Internet Protocol Connectivity Access Network (IP-CAN) session. In a roaming scenario with local breakout of traffic, there may be two PCRFs associated with a UE's IP- CAN session: a Home PCRF (H-PCRF) within a HPLMN and a Visited PCRF (V-PCRF) within a Visited Public Land Mobile Network (VPLMN).

Any of the above described examples may be combined with any other example (or combination of examples), unless explicitly stated otherwise. The foregoing description of one or more implementations provides illustration and description, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the scope of embodiments to the precise form disclosed. The scope of the present invention is determined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claim 1:
An apparatus comprised in
a user equipment, UE, the apparatus comprising one or more
processors, the one or more processors being configured to cause the apparatus to:
receive (<NUM>) one or more messages (<NUM>) that include sounding reference signal, SRS, configuration information to indicate an SRS resource allocation, wherein the SRS configuration information includes a partial frequency sounding indicator and additional information to indicate a size of an SRS subband;
determine a group of contiguous resource blocks, RBs, in a symbol in a first slot based on the size of the SRS subband and the partial frequency sounding indicator, wherein the group is one of a plurality of groups of contiguous RBs in the SRS subband; and
transmit (<NUM>) an SRS (<NUM>) based on the SRS configuration information and using the determined group of contiguous RBs.