PATENT DOCUMENT

Publication Number: US-12219567-B2
Application Number: US-202217804378-A
Country: US
Kind Code: B2

Title: Determination of number of physical uplink control channel repetitions for machine type communications

Abstract:
Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, an apparatus of a machine-type communication (MTC) user equipment (UE) comprises baseband processing circuitry to establish a radio resource control (RRC) connection with an evolved Node B (eNB), and process a message from the eNB indicating a number of repetitions of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmissions to be used over multiple uplink subframes after the radio resource control connection is established.

Claims:
What is claimed is: 
     
       1. Baseband processing circuitry of a machine-type communication (MTC) user equipment (UE) configured to:
 receive a radio resource control (RRC) message from a base station comprising a first repetition parameter indicating a first number of repetitions of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmission carrying hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) feedback in response to a message 4 (msg4) of a random access procedure for a first coverage enhancement level and a second repetition parameter indicating a second number of repetitions of a PUCCH transmission carrying HARQ-ACK feedback in response to the msg4 of the random access procedure for a second different coverage enhancement level; and 
 transmit the PUCCH carrying the HARQ-ACK feedback in response to the msg4 of the random access procedure in accordance with the first number of repetitions or the second number of repetitions included in the message. 
 
     
     
       2. The baseband processing circuitry of  claim 1 , wherein the number of repetitions of the PUCCH transmission is based on a mapping between a physical random access channel (PRACH) coverage enhancement level and one repetition number from a set of multiple different repetition numbers. 
     
     
       3. The baseband processing circuitry of  claim 1 , further configured to:
 receive a second message indicating a second number of repetitions for a message 3 (msg3) of the random access procedure; and 
 transmit the msg3 of the random access procedure in accordance with the second number of repetitions included in the second message. 
 
     
     
       4. The baseband processing circuitry of  claim 3 , wherein the message comprises downlink control information (DCI). 
     
     
       5. A machine-type communication (MTC) user equipment (UE) comprising:
 radio frequency circuitry configured to communicate with a base station; and 
 baseband processing circuitry communicatively coupled with the radio frequency circuitry and configured to:
 receive a radio resource control (RRC) message from the base station comprising a first repetition parameter indicating a first number of repetitions of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmission carrying hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) feedback in response to a message 4 (msg4) of a random access procedure for a first coverage enhancement level and a second repetition parameter indicating a second number of repetitions of a PUCCH transmission carrying HARQ-ACK feedback in response to the msg4 of the random access procedure for a second different coverage enhancement level; and 
 transmit the PUCCH carrying the HARQ-ACK feedback in response to the msg4 of the random access procedure in accordance with the first number of repetitions or the second number of repetitions included in the message. 
 
 
     
     
       6. The MTC UE of  claim 5 , wherein the number of repetitions of the PUCCH transmission is based on a mapping between a physical random access channel (PRACH) coverage enhancement level and one repetition number from a set of multiple different repetition numbers. 
     
     
       7. The MTC UE of  claim 5 , wherein the baseband processing circuitry is further configured to:
 receive a second message indicating a second number of repetitions for a message 3 (msg3) of the random access procedure, wherein the message comprises downlink control information (DCI); and 
 transmit the msg3 of the random access procedure in accordance with the second number of repetitions included in the second message. 
 
     
     
       8. The MTC UE of  claim 7 , wherein the message comprises downlink control information (DCI). 
     
     
       9. A method, comprising:
 receiving a radio resource control (RRC) message from a base station comprising a first repetition parameter indicating a first number of repetitions of a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmission carrying hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) feedback in response to a message 4 (msg4) of a random access procedure for a first coverage enhancement level and a second repetition parameter indicating a second number of repetitions of a PUCCH transmission carrying HARQ-ACK feedback in response to the msg4 of the random access procedure for a second different coverage enhancement level; and 
 transmitting the PUCCH carrying the HARQ-ACK feedback in response to the msg4 of the random access procedure in accordance with the first number of repetitions or the second number of repetitions included in the message. 
 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 9 , wherein the number of repetitions of the PUCCH transmission is based on a mapping between a physical random access channel (PRACH) coverage enhancement level and one repetition number from a set of multiple different repetition numbers. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 9 , further comprising:
 receive a second message indicating a second number of repetitions for a message 3 (msg3) of the random access procedure, wherein the message comprises downlink control information (DCI); and 
 transmit the msg3 of the random access procedure in accordance with the second number of repetitions included in the second message.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     The present application claims the benefit of U.S. Application No. 62/232,385 filed Sep. 24, 2015. Said Application No. 62/232,385 is hereby incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. 
    
    
     BACKGROUND 
     Machine-Type Communication (MTC) is a promising and emerging technology to enable a ubiquitous computing environment towards the concept of Internet of Things (IoT). Potential MTC based applications include smart metering, healthcare monitoring, remote security surveillance, intelligent transportation system, and so on. These services and applications stimulate the design and development of a new type of MTC device to be seamlessly integrated into current and next generation mobile broadband networks such as Long Term Evolution (LTE) and LTE-Advanced (LTE-A). 
     Existing mobile broadband networks were designed to optimize performance mainly for human type of communications and thus are not designed or optimized to meet MTC related requirements. MTC specific design are being studied by Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Radio Access Network (RAN) working groups (WGs) for specification support in Release 12 of the LTE specifications, wherein the focus is on lower device cost, enhanced coverage and reduced power consumption. 
     In order to achieve reduced cost and power consumption, it may be beneficial to further reduce the transmission bandwidth for MTC system to 1.4 megahertz (MHz) which is the minimum bandwidth of existing LTE systems. In this case, the transmission bandwidth for both control and data channels can be reduced to 1.4 MHz. In general, it is envisioned that a larger number of MTC devices will be deployed for specific services within one cell in the near future. When such a massive number of MTC devices attempt to access and communicate with the network, multiple MTC regions with 1.4 MHz bandwidth may be allocated by the evolved Node B (eNB). 
     In order to provide enhanced coverage support for MTC user equipment (UE) devices, it is expected that physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmissions on the uplink (UL) carrying hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgement (ACK) feedback in response to downlink (DL) transmissions on the DL shared channel or scheduling request (SR) may involve being transmitted with multiple repetitions. 
    
    
     
       DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIGURES 
       Claimed subject matter is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. However, such subject matter may be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read with the accompanying drawings in which: 
         FIG.  1    is a diagram of an network in which a radio resource control (RRC) connection is performed in which the number of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) repetitions is indicated in accordance with one or more embodiments; 
         FIG.  2    is a diagram of the network of  FIG.  1    in which the number of PUCCH repetitions for hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgment (ACK) feedback or a scheduling request (SR) in response to a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission in accordance with one or more embodiments; 
         FIG.  3    is a diagram of the network of  FIG.  1    in which the number of PUCCH repetitions for hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgment (ACK) feedback in response to a contention resolution message (Message 4) in accordance with one or more embodiments; 
         FIG.  4    is a block diagram of an information handling system capable of transmitting or receiving a physical broadcast channel in accordance with one or more embodiments; 
         FIG.  5    is an isometric view of an information handling system of  FIG.  5    that optionally may include a touch screen in accordance with one or more embodiments; and 
         FIG.  6    is a diagram of example components of a wireless device in accordance with one or more embodiments. 
     
    
    
     It will be appreciated that for simplicity and/or clarity of illustration, elements illustrated in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, if considered appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding and/or analogous elements. 
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     In the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of claimed subject matter. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that claimed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components and/or circuits have not been described in detail. 
     In the following description and/or claims, the terms coupled and/or connected, along with their derivatives, may be used. In particular embodiments, connected may be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical and/or electrical contact with each other. Coupled may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical and/or electrical contact. However, coupled may also mean that two or more elements may not be in direct contact with each other, but yet may still cooperate and/or interact with each other. For example, “coupled” may mean that two or more elements do not contact each other but are indirectly joined together via another element or intermediate elements. Finally, the terms “on,” “overlying,” and “over” may be used in the following description and claims. “On,” “overlying,” and “over” may be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical contact with each other. However, “over” may also mean that two or more elements are not in direct contact with each other. For example, “over” may mean that one element is above another element but not contact each other and may have another element or elements in between the two elements. Furthermore, the term “and/or” may mean “and”, it may mean “or”, it may mean “exclusive-or”, it may mean “one”, it may mean “some, but not all”, it may mean “neither”, and/or it may mean “both”, although the scope of claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect. In the following description and/or claims, the terms “comprise” and “include,” along with their derivatives, may be used and are intended as synonyms for each other. 
     Referring now to  FIG.  1   , a diagram of a network in which a radio resource control (RRC) connection is performed in which the number of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) repetitions is indicated in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. As shown in  FIG.  1   , network  100  may include a user equipment (UE)  110  and an evolved Node B (eNB)  112 . In one or more embodiments, UE  110  may comprise a machine-type communication (MTC) device wherein network  100  may operate in compliance with a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard. In one or more embodiments, the link between UE  110  as an MTC type device and eNB  112  may have a bandwidth of about 1.4 megahertz (MHz). In order to provide enhanced coverage support for MTC UE  110 , physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmissions on the uplink (UL) may carry hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgment (ACK) feedback in response to downlink (DL) transmissions on the DL shared channel or in a scheduling request (SR) may be transmitted with multiple repetitions. In accordance with one or more embodiments discussed herein, UE  110  determines the number of repetitions to use for PUCCH transmissions. In some embodiments, UE  110  sends an RRC connection request to eNB  112  at operation  114 . In response, eNB  112  sends the RRC connection setup to UE  110  at operation  116 , and then UE  110  sends an RRC connection setup complete message to eNB  112  at operation  118 . After RRC setup is complete and UE  110  is in an RRC connected mode, eNB  112  may determine the number of repetitions for PUCCH transmissions and then transmit the number of PUCCH repetitions to UE  110  at operation  120 . 
     Referring now to  FIG.  2   , a diagram of the network of  FIG.  1    in which the number of PUCCH repetitions for hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgment (ACK) feedback or a scheduling request (SR) in response to a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. After establishment of the radio resource control (RRC) connection via operation  114 , operation  116 , and operation  118 , user equipment (UE)  110  utilizes a number of PUCCH repetitions when the PUCCH carries HARQ-ACK feedback or SR transmissions at operation  212  in response to PDSCH at operation  210 . In such an arrangement, UE  110  already may be in an RRC connection (RRC_CONNECTED) state with the RRC connection being established and maintained between eNB  112  and UE  110 . In one embodiment, it is possible for eNB  112  to decide on the number of PUCCH repetitions for UE  110  to use based on the observed radio conditions for UE  110  and, accordingly, eNB  112  may indicate the number of repetitions to be used for transmission of HARQ-ACK feedback via dedicated RRC signaling. In another embodiment, UE  110  may decode the downlink control information (DCI) with the DL assignment but may not successfully decode the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) at operation  210  carrying the RRC message. In this case, UE  110  may not be able to know the number of repetitions to use to transmit the negative acknowledgment (NACK) message using the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) to indicate failed reception of the PDSCH. As a result, UE  110  utilizes the number of repetitions that it used for the most recent PUCCH transmission based on the latest RRC configuration received from eNB  112 . Furthermore, eNB  112  may assume that until reception of an acknowledgement (ACK) message in response to the PDSCH transmission at operation  210  carrying the RRC configuration message, UE  110  transmits the PUCCH with a number of repetitions that it used for the most recent PUCCH transmission, thereby avoiding any mismatch between the PUCCH resources assumed by eNB  112  to be used by UE  110  and those that are actually used. 
     In one or more alternative embodiments, as an alternative to the option of using dedicated RRC signaling, the number of repetitions for PUCCH for HARQ-ACK feedback may be indicated by eNB  112  via Layer 1 signaling and carried in the DCI indicating the DL assignment at the expense of a larger DCI size. In order to keep the DCI size small for UEs  110  in enhanced coverage, a set of coverage enhancement (CE) levels with the corresponding number of repetitions may be defined either in a cell specific manner using MTC system information block (SIB) signaling or using dedicated RRC signaling. It should be noted that a CE level may be utilized to imply a coarse coverage enhancement level or class for UE  110  that may map to a different repetition number used for transmitting and/or receiving a particular physical channel. In one example, two bits in the DCI may be utilized to indicate the CE level, and thereby the number of repetitions for PUCCH transmissions to UE  110 . For scheduling request (SR) transmissions, the number of PUCCH repetitions carrying SR may be indicated via the same dedicated RRC signaling that is used to transmit the SR resource configuration to UE  110 . 
     Referring now to  FIG.  3   , a diagram of the network of  FIG.  1    in which the number of PUCCH repetitions for hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgment (ACK) feedback in response to a contention resolution message (Message 4) in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. The number of PUCCH repetitions for HARQ-ACK feedback in response to the transmission of Message 4 may be determined. As part of the Random Access (RA) procedure, Message 4 at operation  310  is the first unicast PDSCH transmission to UE  110  for which UE  110  is expected to transmit HARQ-ACK feedback at operation  312 . After receipt of RRC Connection Setup message at operation  116 , UE  110  may transmit another HARQ-ACK message at  314 , followed by an RRC Connection Setup Complete message at operation  118 . While the RRC Connection Setup message at operation  116  may be transmitted as part of Message 4, this is not necessarily always the case. In some situations, Message 4 may convey the contention resolution information which is subsequently followed by an RRC configuration message. In either case, for the HARQ-ACK transmission on PUCCH in response to Message 4, eNB  112  may determine the number of repetitions to use for PUCCH. In one embodiment, eNB  112  may signal the number of PUCCH repetitions using the DCI carried by the MTC PDCCH (M-PDCCH) that is transmitted in a Common Search Space, which also may be referred to as non-UE-specific Search Space or Group Search Space, that may be utilized to schedule the PDSCH carrying Message 4. Similar to the alternative option of using Layer 1 signaling described for the case after RRC Connection establishment as discussed above, the DCI may indicate using a limited number of bits the CE level that maps to a number of repetitions that is configured via MTC SIB or may directly indicate the number of repetitions from a set of repetition values configured via MTC SIB signaling. 
     In a further embodiment, as another alternative to avoid increase in the DCI size for explicit indication of the PUCCH repetition level, a mapping between the CE level that can be known from the PRACH repetition level, or a mapping between number of repetitions used for Message 3 transmission, and the number of repetitions for PUCCH carrying HARQ-ACK feedback in response to Message 4 transmission may be defined. In such an arrangement, PUCCH transmission with HARQ-ACK at operation  312  in response to Message 4 transmission at operation  310  may be defined with the exact configuration of the number of repetitions signaled via MTC SIB. Consequently, eNB  112  determines the number of repetitions for the PUCCH transmission to convey the HARQ-ACK feedback in response to the Message 4 transmission at operation  310  using this defined mapping. Furthermore, a combination of the two approaches wherein only very few bits, for example 1 bit in the DCI scheduling Message 4, may be utilized to indicate the repetition number for PUCCH out of two possible values that are mapped from the Message 3 repetition number or CE level. 
     In the event that the dedicated RRC message with the configuration of the number of PUCCH repetitions is conveyed in a subsequent dedicated RRC message, UE  110  may utilize the same repetition number for PUCCH to convey the HARQ-ACK feedback in response to any unicast PDSCH transmissions as it used for transmitting HARQ-ACK feedback in response to Message 4 transmission, until a valid RRC configuration with the PUCCH repetition number is received from eNB  112 . It should be noted that the number of repetitions for Message 3 transmission either may be indicated explicitly via the Message 2 Random Access Response message or based on a mapping defined between the repetition number used for the last successful physical random access channel (PRACH) preamble transmission and the repetition number for Message 3 transmission. 
     In one or more embodiments, the number of PUCCH repetitions for HARQ-CK feedback in response to Message 4 may be indicated as a separate RRC parameter. The parameter, “Number of PUCCH repetitions” for PUCCH in response to a PDSCH containing Message 4 may be signaled via MTC-SIB per PRACH CE level as follows:
         For PRACH CE level 0 or 1, {1, 2, 4, 8}   For PRACH CE level 2 or 3, {4, 8, 16, 32}       

     It should be noted that the PRACH CE level is referred to in the context of the random access procedure. For two PRACH CE levels, the set of repetition numbers may be combined, and all four repetition numbers may be separately mapped per the following example ASN.1 code: 
     
       
         
           
               
               
             
               
                   
               
             
            
               
                  PUCCH-ConfigCommon-v13xy ::= 
                 SEQUENCE { 
               
               
                   n1PUCCH-AN-InfoList-r13 
                  N1PUCCH-AN-InfoList-r13 
               
            
           
           
               
            
               
                    OPTIONAL, -- Need OR 
               
            
           
           
               
               
            
               
                   pucch-NumRepetitionCE-Msg4-Level0-r13 
                   ENUMERATED {n1, n2, n4, n8} 
               
            
           
           
               
            
               
                 OPTIONAL, -- Need OR 
               
            
           
           
               
               
            
               
                   pucch-NumRepetitionCE-Msg4-Level1-r13 
                   ENUMERATED {n1, n2, n4, n8} 
               
            
           
           
               
            
               
                 OPTIONAL, -- Need OR 
               
            
           
           
               
               
            
               
                   pucch-NumRepetitionCE-Msg4-Level2-r13 
                  ENUMERATED {n4, n8, n16, n32} 
               
            
           
           
               
            
               
                 OPTIONAL --Need OR 
               
            
           
           
               
               
            
               
                   pucch-NumRepetitionCE-Msg4-Level3-r13 
                  ENUMERATED {n4, n8, n16, n32} 
               
            
           
           
               
            
               
                 OPTIONAL --Need OR 
               
               
                 } 
               
               
                   
               
            
           
         
       
     
     In one or more embodiments, a mapping between the CE level or number of repetitions used for Message 3 transmission and that for PUCCH transmission with HARQ-ACK in response to Message 4 transmission may be defined with an exact configuration of the number of repetitions for each CE level signaled via an MTC SIB. Consequently, eNB  112  determines the number of repetitions for the PUCCH transmission to convey the HARQ-ACK feedback in response to the Message 4 transmission using this defined mapping. The number of repetitions of PUCCH after RRC CONNECTION establishment may be as follows. The RRC parameter “Number of PUCCH repetitions” value range for PUCCH is determined according to:
         {1, 2, 4, 8} for CE Mode A, {4, 8, 16, 32} for CE mode B       

     It should be noted that the RRC parameter refers to a UE-specifically configured parameter, pucch-NumRepetitionCE, via dedicated RRC signaling. The same parameter may be utilized for the number of repetitions for PUCCH carrying HARQ-ACK feedback and for SR transmission. 
     Referring now to  FIG.  4   , a block diagram of an information handling system capable of transmitting or receiving a physical broadcast channel in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. Information handling system  400  of  FIG.  4    may tangibly embody any one or more of the network elements described herein with greater or fewer components depending on the hardware specifications of the particular device. In one embodiment, information handling system  400  may tangibly embody an apparatus of a machine-type communication (MTC) user equipment (UE) comprising baseband processing circuitry to establish a radio resource control (RRC) connection with an evolved Node B (eNB), and process a message from the eNB indicating a number of repetitions of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmissions to be used over multiple uplink subframes after the radio resource control connection is established. In another embodiment, information handling system  400  of  FIG.  4    may tangibly embody an apparatus of an evolved Node B (eNB) comprising baseband processing circuitry to establish a radio resource control (RRC) connection with a user equipment (UE), the UE comprising a machine-type communication (MTC) device, and generate a message indicating a number of repetitions of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmissions to be used by the UE over multiple uplink subframes after the radio resource control connection is established. Although information handling system  400  represents one example of several types of computing platforms, information handling system  500  may include more or fewer elements and/or different arrangements of elements than shown in  FIG.  4   , and the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in these respects. 
     In one or more embodiments, information handling system  400  may include an application processor  410  and a baseband processor  412 . Application processor  410  may be utilized as a general-purpose processor to run applications and the various subsystems for information handling system  400 . Application processor  810  may include a single core or alternatively may include multiple processing cores. One or more of the cores may comprise a digital signal processor or digital signal processing (DSP) core. Furthermore, application processor  410  may include a graphics processor or coprocessor disposed on the same chip, or alternatively a graphics processor coupled to application processor  410  may comprise a separate, discrete graphics chip. Application processor  410  may include on board memory such as cache memory, and further may be coupled to external memory devices such as synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM)  414  for storing and/or executing applications during operation, and NAND flash  416  for storing applications and/or data even when information handling system  400  is powered off. In one or more embodiments, instructions to operate or configure the information handling system  400  and/or any of its components or subsystems to operate in a manner as described herein may be stored on an article of manufacture comprising a non-transitory storage medium. In one or more embodiments, the storage medium may comprise any of the memory devices shown in and described herein, although the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect. Baseband processor  412  may control the broadband radio functions for information handling system  400 . Baseband processor  412  may store code for controlling such broadband radio functions in a NOR flash  418 . Baseband processor  412  controls a wireless wide area network (WWAN) transceiver  420  which is used for modulating and/or demodulating broadband network signals, for example for communicating via a 3GPP LTE or LTE-Advanced network or the like. 
     In general, WWAN transceiver  420  may operate according to any one or more of the following radio communication technologies and/or standards including but not limited to: a Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) radio communication technology, a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) radio communication technology, an Enhanced Data Rates for GSM Evolution (EDGE) radio communication technology, and/or a Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) radio communication technology, for example Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Freedom of Multimedia Access (FOMA), 3GPP Long Term Evolution (LTE), 3GPP Long Term Evolution Advanced (LTE Advanced), Code division multiple access 2000 (CDMA2000), Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD), Mobitex, Third Generation (3G), Circuit Switched Data (CSD), High-Speed Circuit-Switched Data (HSCSD), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (Third Generation) (UMTS (3G)), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) (W-CDMA (UMTS)), High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), High-Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High-Speed Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), High Speed Packet Access Plus (HSPA+), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System-Time-Division Duplex (UMTS-TDD), Time Division-Code Division Multiple Access (TD-CDMA), Time Division-Synchronous Code Division Multiple Access (TD-CDMA), 3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 8 (Pre-4th Generation) (3GPP Rel. 8 (Pre-4G)), 3GPP Rel. 9 (3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 9), 3GPP Rel. 10 (3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 10), 3GPP Rel. 11 (3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 11), 3GPP Rel. 12 (3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 12), 3GPP Rel. 13 (3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 12), 3GPP Rel. 14 (3rd Generation Partnership Project Release 12), 3GPP LTE Extra, LTE Licensed-Assisted Access (LAA), UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), Evolved UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA), Long Term Evolution Advanced (4th Generation) (LTE Advanced (4G)), cdmaOne (2G), Code division multiple access 2000 (Third generation) (CDMA2000 (3G)), Evolution-Data Optimized or Evolution-Data Only (EV-DO), Advanced Mobile Phone System (1st Generation) (AMPS (1G)), Total Access Communication System/Extended Total Access Communication System (TACS/ETACS), Digital AMPS (2nd Generation) (D-AMPS (2G)), Push-to-talk (PTT), Mobile Telephone System (MTS), Improved Mobile Telephone System (IMTS), Advanced Mobile Telephone System (AMTS), OLT (Norwegian for Offentlig Landmobil Telefoni, Public Land Mobile Telephony), MTD (Swedish abbreviation for Mobiltelefonisystem D, or Mobile telephony system D), Public Automated Land Mobile (Autotel/PALM), ARP (Finnish for Autoradiopuhelin, “car radio phone”), NMT (Nordic Mobile Telephony), High capacity version of NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone) (Hicap), Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD), Mobitex, DataTAC, Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (iDEN), Personal Digital Cellular (PDC), Circuit Switched Data (CSD), Personal Handy-phone System (PHS), Wideband Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (WiDEN), iBurst, Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA), also referred to as also referred to as 3GPP Generic Access Network, or GAN standard), Zigbee, Bluetooth®, Wireless Gigabit Alliance (WiGig) standard, millimeter wave (mmWave) standards in general for wireless systems operating at 10-90 GHz and above such as WiGig, IEEE 802.11ad, IEEE 802.11ay, and so on, and/or general telemetry transceivers, and in general any type of RF circuit or RFI sensitive circuit. It should be noted that such standards may evolve over time, and/or new standards may be promulgated, and the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect. 
     The WWAN transceiver  420  couples to one or more power amps  442  respectively coupled to one or more antennas  424  for sending and receiving radio-frequency signals via the WWAN broadband network. The baseband processor  412  also may control a wireless local area network (WLAN) transceiver  426  coupled to one or more suitable antennas  428  and which may be capable of communicating via a Wi-Fi, Bluetooth®, and/or an amplitude modulation (AM) or frequency modulation (FM) radio standard including an IEEE 802.11 a/b/g/n standard or the like. It should be noted that these are merely example implementations for application processor  410  and baseband processor  412 , and the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in these respects. For example, any one or more of SDRAM  414 , NAND flash  416  and/or NOR flash  418  may comprise other types of memory technology such as magnetic memory, chalcogenide memory, phase change memory, or ovonic memory, and the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect. 
     In one or more embodiments, application processor  410  may drive a display  430  for displaying various information or data, and may further receive touch input from a user via a touch screen  432  for example via a finger or a stylus. An ambient light sensor  434  may be utilized to detect an amount of ambient light in which information handling system  400  is operating, for example to control a brightness or contrast value for display  430  as a function of the intensity of ambient light detected by ambient light sensor  434 . One or more cameras  436  may be utilized to capture images that are processed by application processor  410  and/or at least temporarily stored in NAND flash  416 . Furthermore, application processor may couple to a gyroscope  438 , accelerometer  440 , magnetometer  442 , audio coder/decoder (CODEC)  444 , and/or global positioning system (GPS) controller  446  coupled to an appropriate GPS antenna  448 , for detection of various environmental properties including location, movement, and/or orientation of information handling system  400 . Alternatively, controller  446  may comprise a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) controller. Audio CODEC  444  may be coupled to one or more audio ports  450  to provide microphone input and speaker outputs either via internal devices and/or via external devices coupled to information handling system via the audio ports  450 , for example via a headphone and microphone jack. In addition, application processor  410  may couple to one or more input/output (I/O) transceivers  452  to couple to one or more I/O ports  454  such as a universal serial bus (USB) port, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) port, a serial port, and so on. Furthermore, one or more of the I/O transceivers  452  may couple to one or more memory slots  456  for optional removable memory such as secure digital (SD) card or a subscriber identity module (SIM) card, although the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in these respects. 
     Referring now to  FIG.  5   , an isometric view of an information handling system of  FIG.  4    that optionally may include a touch screen in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed.  FIG.  5    shows an example implementation of information handling system  400  of  FIG.  4    tangibly embodied as a cellular telephone, smartphone, or tablet type device or the like. The information handling system  400  may comprise a housing  510  having a display  430  which may include a touch screen  432  for receiving tactile input control and commands via a finger  616  of a user and/or a via stylus  518  to control one or more application processors  410 . The housing  510  may house one or more components of information handling system  400 , for example one or more application processors  410 , one or more of SDRAM  414 , NAND flash  416 , NOR flash  418 , baseband processor  412 , and/or WWAN transceiver  420 . The information handling system  400  further may optionally include a physical actuator area  520  which may comprise a keyboard or buttons for controlling information handling system via one or more buttons or switches. The information handling system  400  may also include a memory port or slot  456  for receiving non-volatile memory such as flash memory, for example in the form of a secure digital (SD) card or a subscriber identity module (SIM) card. Optionally, the information handling system  400  may further include one or more speakers and/or microphones  524  and a connection port  454  for connecting the information handling system  400  to another electronic device, dock, display, battery charger, and so on. In addition, information handling system  400  may include a headphone or speaker jack  528  and one or more cameras  436  on one or more sides of the housing  510 . It should be noted that the information handling system  400  of  FIG.  5    may include more or fewer elements than shown, in various arrangements, and the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect. 
     As used herein, the term “circuitry” may refer to, be part of, or include an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group), and/or memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that execute one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality. In some embodiments, the circuitry may be implemented in, or functions associated with the circuitry may be implemented by, one or more software or firmware modules. In some embodiments, circuitry may include logic, at least partially operable in hardware. Embodiments described herein may be implemented into a system using any suitably configured hardware and/or software. 
     Referring now to  FIG.  6   , example components of a wireless device such as an evolved NodeB (eNB)  112  device or a User Equipment (UE)  110  device in accordance with one or more embodiments will be discussed. In some embodiments, device  600  may include application circuitry  602 , baseband circuitry  604 , Radio Frequency (RF) circuitry  606 , front-end module (FEM) circuitry  608  and one or more antennas  610 , coupled together at least as shown. In other embodiments, the above described circuitries may be included in a variety of devices, for example an eNB according to a cloud radio access network (C-RAN) implementation, and the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect. 
     Application circuitry  602  may include one or more application processors. For example, application circuitry  602  may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The one or more processors may include any combination of general-purpose processors and dedicated processors, for example graphics processors, application processors, and so on. The processors may be coupled with and/or may include memory and/or storage and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory and/or storage to enable various applications and/or operating systems to run on the system. 
     Baseband circuitry  604  may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core processors. Baseband circuitry  604  may include one or more baseband processors and/or control logic to process baseband signals received from a receive signal path of RF circuitry  606  and to generate baseband signals for a transmit signal path of the RF circuitry  606 . Baseband processing circuitry  604  may interface with the application circuitry  602  for generation and processing of the baseband signals and for controlling operations of the RF circuitry  606 . For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry  604  may include a second generation (2G) baseband processor  604   a , third generation (3G) baseband processor  604   b , fourth generation (4G) baseband processor  604   c , and/or one or more other baseband processors  604   d  for other existing generations, generations in development or to be developed in the future, for example fifth generation (5G), sixth generation (6G), and so on. Baseband circuitry  604 , for example one or more of baseband processors  604   a  through  604   d , may handle various radio control functions that enable communication with one or more radio networks via RF circuitry  606 . The radio control functions may include, but are not limited to, signal modulation and/or demodulation, encoding and/or decoding, radio frequency shifting, and so on. In some embodiments, modulation and/or demodulation circuitry of baseband circuitry  604  may include Fast-Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding, and/or constellation mapping and/or demapping functionality. In some embodiments, encoding and/or decoding circuitry of baseband circuitry  604  may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi, and/or Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) encoder and/or decoder functionality. Embodiments of modulation and/or demodulation and encoder and/or decoder functionality are not limited to these examples and may include other suitable functionality in other embodiments. 
     In some embodiments, baseband circuitry  604  may include elements of a protocol stack such as, for example, elements of an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) protocol including, for example, physical (PHY), media access control (MAC), radio link control (RLC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), and/or radio resource control (RRC) elements. Processor  604   e  of the baseband circuitry  604  may be configured to run elements of the protocol stack for signaling of the PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP and/or RRC layers. In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry may include one or more audio digital signal processors (DSP)  604   f . The one or more audio DSPs  604   f  may include elements for compression and/or decompression and/or 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 baseband circuitry  604  and application circuitry  602  may be implemented together such as, for example, on a system on a chip (SOC). 
     In some embodiments, baseband circuitry  604  may provide for communication compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, baseband circuitry  704  may support communication with an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (EUTRAN) and/or other wireless metropolitan area networks (WMAN), a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless personal area network (WPAN). Embodiments in which baseband circuitry  704  is configured to support radio communications of more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry. 
     RF circuitry  606  may enable communication with wireless networks using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various embodiments, RF circuitry  606  may include switches, filters, amplifiers, and so on, to facilitate the communication with the wireless network. RF circuitry  606  may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry to down-convert RF signals received from FEM circuitry  608  and provide baseband signals to baseband circuitry  604 . RF circuitry  606  may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry to up-convert baseband signals provided by the baseband circuitry  604  and provide RF output signals to FEM circuitry  708  for transmission. 
     In some embodiments, RF circuitry  606  may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of RF circuitry  606  may include mixer circuitry  606   a , amplifier circuitry  606   b  and filter circuitry  606   c . The transmit signal path of RF circuitry  606  may include filter circuitry  606   c  and mixer circuitry  606   a . RF circuitry  606  may also include synthesizer circuitry  606   d  for synthesizing a frequency for use by the mixer circuitry  606   a  of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry  706   a  of the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert RF signals received from FEM circuitry  608  based on the synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuitry  606   d . Amplifier circuitry  606   b  may be configured to amplify the down-converted signals and the filter circuitry  606   c  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 baseband circuitry  604  for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signals may be zero-frequency baseband signals, although this may be optional. In some embodiments, mixer circuitry  606   a  of the receive signal path may comprise passive mixers, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. 
     In some embodiments, mixer circuitry  606   a  of the transmit signal path may be configured to up-convert input baseband signals based on the synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer circuitry  606   d  to generate RF output signals for FEM circuitry  608 . The baseband signals may be provided by the baseband circuitry  604  and may be filtered by filter circuitry  606   c . Filter circuitry  606   c  may include a low-pass filter (LPF), although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. 
     In some embodiments, mixer circuitry  606   a  of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry  606   a  of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature down conversion and/or up conversion respectively. In some embodiments, mixer circuitry  606   a  of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry  606   a  of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection, for example Hartley image rejection. In some embodiments, mixer circuitry  606   a  of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry  606   a  may be arranged for direct down conversion and/or direct up conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, mixer circuitry  606   a  of the receive signal path and mixer circuitry  706   a  of the transmit signal path may be configured for super-heterodyne operation. 
     In some embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signals may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternate embodiments, the output baseband signals and the input baseband signals may be digital baseband signals. In these alternate embodiments, RF circuitry  606  may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry, and baseband circuitry  604  may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with RF circuitry  606 . In some dual-mode embodiments, separate radio integrated circuit (IC) circuitry may be provided for processing signals for one or more spectra, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. 
     In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry  606   d  may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional N/N+1 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  606   d  may be a delta-sigma synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer comprising a phase-locked loop with a frequency divider. 
     Synthesizer circuitry  606   d  may be configured to synthesize an output frequency for use by mixer circuitry  606   a  of RF circuitry  606  based on a frequency input and a divider control input. In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry  606   d  may be a fractional N/N+1 synthesizer. 
     In some embodiments, frequency input may be provided by a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), although this may be optional. Divider control input may be provided by either baseband circuitry  604  or applications processor  602  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 applications processor  602 . 
     Synthesizer circuitry  606   d  of RF circuitry  606  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+1, for example 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, synthesizer circuitry  606   d  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, for example twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency, and so on, 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 local oscillator (LO) frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, RF circuitry  606  may include an in-phase and quadrature (IQ) and/or polar converter. 
     FEM circuitry  608  may include a receive signal path which may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas  610 , amplify the received signals and provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the RF circuitry  606  for further processing. FEM circuitry  608  may also include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry configured to amplify signals for transmission provided by RF circuitry  606  for transmission by one or more of the one or more antennas  610 . 
     In some embodiments, FEM circuitry  608  may include a transmit/receive (TX/RX) switch to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. FEM circuitry  608  may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of FEM circuitry  608  may include a low-noise amplifier (LNA) to amplify received RF signals and to provide the amplified received RF signals as an output, for example to RF circuitry  606 . The transmit signal path of FEM circuitry  608  may include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify input RF signals, for example provided by RF circuitry  606 , and one or more filters to generate RF signals for subsequent transmission, for example by one or more of antennas  610 . In some embodiments, device  600  may include additional elements such as, for example, memory and/or storage, display, camera, sensor, and/or input/output (I/O) interface, although the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect. 
     The following are example implementations of the subject matter described herein. It should be noted that any of the examples and the variations thereof described herein may be used in any permutation or combination of any other one or more examples or variations, although the scope of the claimed subject matter is not limited in these respects. In example one, an apparatus of a machine-type communication (MTC) user equipment (UE) comprises baseband processing circuitry to establish a radio resource control (RRC) connection with an evolved Node B (eNB), and process a message from the eNB indicating a number of repetitions of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmissions to be used over multiple uplink subframes after the radio resource control connection is established. In example two, the apparatus may include the subject matter of example one or any of the examples described herein, wherein the message is received via dedicated RRC signaling, and the PUCCH transmissions carry hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) feedback in response to a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission. In example three, the apparatus may include the subject matter of example one or any of the examples described herein, wherein the message is received via Layer 1 signaling, and the PUCCH transmissions carry hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) feedback in response to a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission. In example four, the apparatus may include the subject matter of example three or any of the examples described herein, wherein a limited number of bits is used to indicate the number of PUCCH repetitions from a set of possible values received via dedicated RRC signaling or via common RRC signaling. In example five, the apparatus may include the subject matter of example one or any of the examples described herein, wherein the message is received via dedicated RRC signaling, and the PUCCH transmissions carry scheduling request (SR) information. In example six, the apparatus may include the subject matter of example five or any of the examples described herein, wherein the message is received via dedicated RRC signaling as part of an SR configuration. In example seven, the apparatus may include the subject matter of example one or any of the examples described herein, wherein the PUCCH transmissions carry hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) feedback in response to Message 4. In example eight, the apparatus may include the subject matter of example seven or any of the examples described herein, wherein message is received via Layer 1 signaling. In example nine, the apparatus may include the subject matter of example eight or any of the examples described herein, wherein the Layer 1 signaling is carried in downlink control information (DCI) of an MTC PDCCH (M-PDCCH) used for Message 4. In example ten, the apparatus may include the subject matter of example eight or any of the examples described herein, wherein the M-PDCCH is conveyed in Common Search Space or in UE-specific Search Space if the UE-specific Search Space is configured to the UE as part of a Random Access Response (RAR) transmission. In example eleven, the apparatus may include the subject matter of example eight or any of the examples described herein, wherein the DCI indicates the number of PUCCH repetitions out of a set of values configured via MTC system information block (SIB) signaling or from a set of values derived based at least in part on a mapping from a repetition number used for Message 3 transmission. In example twelve, the apparatus may include the subject matter of example seven or any of the examples described herein, wherein the number of PUCCH repetitions is conveyed using a mapping defined between a number of repetitions used for Message 3 transmission and a number of repetitions used for transmission of PUCCH for HARQ-ACK feedback in response to Message 4. In example thirteen, the apparatus may include the subject matter of example seven or any of the examples described herein, wherein a number of repetitions of PUCCH to carry HARQ-ACK feedback in response to a PDSCH transmission is identical to the number of repetitions of PUCCH to carry HARQ-ACK feedback in response to Message 4 until a valid RRC configuration with a new PUCCH repetition number is received from the eNB. 
     In example fourteen, an apparatus of an evolved Node B (eNB) comprises baseband processing circuitry to establish a radio resource control (RRC) connection with a user equipment (UE), the UE comprising a machine-type communication (MTC) device, and generate a message indicating a number of repetitions of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmissions to be used by the UE over multiple uplink subframes after the radio resource control connection is established. In example fifteen, the apparatus may include the subject matter of example fourteen or any of the examples described herein, wherein the message is to be transmitted via dedicated RRC signaling for PUCCH transmissions that carry hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) feedback in response to a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission. In example sixteen, the apparatus may include the subject matter of example fourteen or any of the examples described herein, wherein the message is to be transmitted via Layer 1 signaling for PUCCH transmissions that carry hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) feedback in response to a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission. In example seventeen, the apparatus may include the subject matter of example sixteen or any of the examples described herein, wherein the message is to be transmitted via dedicated RRC signaling or via common RRC signaling, wherein the message comprises a limited number of bits is to indicate the number of PUCCH repetitions from a set of possible values. In example eighteen, the apparatus may include the subject matter of example fourteen or any of the examples described herein, wherein the message is to be transmitted via dedicated RRC signaling for PUCCH transmissions that carry scheduling request (SR) information. In example nineteen, the apparatus may include the subject matter of example eighteen or any of the examples described herein, wherein the message is to be transmitted via dedicated RRC signaling as part of an SR configuration. In example twenty, the apparatus may include the subject matter of example fourteen or any of the examples described herein, wherein the number of repetitions is for PUCCH transmissions that carry hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) feedback in response to Message 4. In example twenty-one, the apparatus may include the subject matter of example twenty or any of the examples described herein, wherein message is to be transmitted via Layer 1 signaling. In example twenty-two, the apparatus may include the subject matter of example twenty-one or any of the examples described herein, wherein the Layer 1 signaling is carried in downlink control information (DCI) of an MTC PDCCH (M-PDCCH) used for Message 4. 
     In example twenty-three, one or more computer-readable media have instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a user equipment (UE), result in establishing a radio resource control (RRC) connection with an evolved Node B (eNB), and processing a message from the eNB indicating a number of repetitions of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmissions to be used over multiple uplink subframes after the radio resource control connection is established. In example twenty-four, the one or more computer-readable media may have instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a user equipment (UE), result in the subject matter of example twenty-three or any of the examples described herein, wherein the message is received via dedicated RRC signaling, and the PUCCH transmissions carry hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) feedback in response to a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission. In example twenty-five, the one or more computer-readable media may have instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a user equipment (UE), result in the subject matter of example twenty-three or any of the examples described herein, wherein the message is received via Layer 1 signaling, and the PUCCH transmissions carry hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) feedback in response to a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission. In example twenty-six, the one or more computer-readable media may have instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a user equipment (UE), result in the subject matter of example twenty-five or any of the examples described herein, wherein a limited number of bits is used to indicate the number of PUCCH repetitions from a set of possible values received via dedicated RRC signaling or via common RRC signaling. In example twenty-seven, the one or more computer-readable media may have instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a user equipment (UE), result in the subject matter of example twenty-three or any of the examples described herein, wherein the message is received via dedicated RRC signaling, and the PUCCH transmissions carry scheduling request (SR) information. In example twenty-eight, the one or more computer-readable media may have instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a user equipment (UE), result in the subject matter of example twenty-seven or any of the examples described herein, wherein the message is received via dedicated RRC signaling as part of an SR configuration. In example twenty-nine, the one or more computer-readable media may have instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a user equipment (UE), result in the subject matter of example twenty-three or any of the examples described herein, wherein the PUCCH transmissions carry hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) feedback in response to Message 4. In example thirty, the one or more computer-readable media may have instructions stored thereon that, if executed by a user equipment (UE), result in the subject matter of example twenty-nine or any of the examples described herein, wherein message is received via Layer 1 signaling. 
     In example thirty-one, an apparatus of a machine-type communication (MTC) user equipment (UE), comprises means for establishing a radio resource control (RRC) connection with an evolved Node B (eNB), and means for processing a message from the eNB indicating a number of repetitions of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) transmissions to be used over multiple uplink subframes after the radio resource control connection is established. In example thirty-two, the apparatus may include the subject matter of example thirty-one or any of the examples described herein, wherein the message is received via dedicated RRC signaling, and the PUCCH transmissions carry hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) feedback in response to a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission. In example thirty-three, the apparatus may include the subject matter of example thirty-one or any of the examples described herein, wherein the message is received via Layer 1 signaling, and the PUCCH transmissions carry hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) feedback in response to a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) transmission. In example thirty-four, the apparatus may include the subject matter of example thirty-three or any of the examples described herein, wherein a limited number of bits is used to indicate the number of PUCCH repetitions from a set of possible values received via dedicated RRC signaling or via common RRC signaling. In example thirty-five, the apparatus may include the subject matter of example thirty-one or any of the examples described herein, wherein the message is received via dedicated RRC signaling, and the PUCCH transmissions carry scheduling request (SR) information. In example thirty-six, the apparatus may include the subject matter of example thirty-five or any of the examples described herein, wherein the message is received via dedicated RRC signaling as part of an SR configuration. In example thirty-seven, the apparatus may include the subject matter of example thirty-one or any of the examples described herein, wherein the PUCCH transmissions carry hybrid automatic repeat request acknowledgement (HARQ-ACK) feedback in response to Message 4. In example thirty-eight, the apparatus may include the subject matter of example thirty-seven or any of the examples described herein, wherein message is received via Layer 1 signaling. In another example, a number of PUCCH repetitions is conveyed using a mapping defined between a coverage enhancement level defined by a Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH) repetition level and a number of repetitions used for transmission of PUCCH for HARQ-ACK feedback in response to Message 4. 
     Although the claimed subject matter has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it should be recognized that elements thereof may be altered by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and/or scope of claimed subject matter. It is believed that the subject matter pertaining to determination of the number of physical uplink control channel repetitions for machine type communications and many of its attendant utilities will be understood by the forgoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and/or arrangement of the components thereof without departing from the scope and/or spirit of the claimed subject matter or without sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form herein before described being merely an explanatory embodiment thereof, and/or further without providing substantial change thereto. It is the intention of the claims to encompass and/or include such changes.

Metadata:
Filing Date: 20220527
Publication Date: 20250204
Grant Date: 20250204
Priority Date: 20150924
Inventors: CHATTERJEE, Debdeep
Assignee: APPLE INC
CPC Classifications: [{"code": "H04W74/0833", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L1/1861", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W4/70", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L5/0053", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W74/0838", "inventive": false, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W74/0833", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W72/21", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L5/0053", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W74/0833", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W4/70", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L5/0053", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04L1/1861", "inventive": true, "first": false, "tree": "[]"}, {"code": "H04W72/21", "inventive": true, "first": true, "tree": "[]"}]
Family ID: 55754437