U.S. patent application number 16/352255 was filed with the patent office on 2019-08-01 for beam indication information transmission.
The applicant listed for this patent is INTEL CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Debdeep Chatterjee, Alexei Davydov, Guotong Wang, Gang Xiong, Yushu Zhang.
Application Number | 20190239093 16/352255 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 67392992 |
Filed Date | 2019-08-01 |
View All Diagrams
United States Patent
Application |
20190239093 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Zhang; Yushu ; et
al. |
August 1, 2019 |
BEAM INDICATION INFORMATION TRANSMISSION
Abstract
Technology for user equipment (UE) operable to decode beam
indication related information received from a New Radio (NR) base
station in a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) is disclosed.
The UE can decode a transmission configuration indication (TCI)
received in a downlink control information (DCI) from the NR base
station on a scheduling physical downlink control channel (PDCCH)
in a scheduled bandwidth part (BWP) or a scheduled component
carrier (CC). The UE can decode a scheduling offset received from
the NR base station, wherein the scheduling offset is an offset
time for reception of beam indication related information in a
physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH). The UE can decode the
beam indication related information received from the NR base
station in the PDSCH on the scheduled BWP or the scheduled CC at a
time period greater than or equal to the scheduling offset relative
to the PDCCH transmission.
Inventors: |
Zhang; Yushu; (Beijing,
CN) ; Davydov; Alexei; (Nizhny Novgorod, RU) ;
Chatterjee; Debdeep; (San Jose, CA) ; Xiong;
Gang; (Portland, OR) ; Wang; Guotong;
(Beijing, CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
INTEL CORPORATION |
Santa Clara |
CA |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
67392992 |
Appl. No.: |
16/352255 |
Filed: |
March 13, 2019 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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62645043 |
Mar 19, 2018 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04L 5/001 20130101;
H04L 5/0091 20130101; H04L 5/0023 20130101; H04L 5/0048 20130101;
H04L 5/0064 20130101; H04L 5/0053 20130101; H04W 72/042 20130101;
H04W 16/28 20130101; H04B 7/0695 20130101; H04L 1/1607 20130101;
H04W 72/046 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04W 16/28 20060101
H04W016/28; H04W 72/04 20060101 H04W072/04; H04L 5/00 20060101
H04L005/00 |
Claims
1. An apparatus of a user equipment (UE) operable to decode beam
indication related information received from a New Radio (NR) base
station in a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), the
apparatus comprising: decode, at the UE, a transmission
configuration indication (TCI) received in a downlink control
information (DCI) from the NR base station on a scheduling physical
downlink control channel (PDCCH) in a scheduled bandwidth part
(BWP) or a scheduled component carrier (CC), wherein cross-carrier
scheduling for the scheduled BPW or the scheduled CC is used for
the UE in a NR network; decode, at the UE, a scheduling offset
received from the NR base station, wherein the scheduling offset is
an offset time for reception of beam indication related information
in a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH); decode, at the UE,
the beam indication related information received from the NR base
station in the PDSCH on the scheduled BWP or the scheduled CC at a
time period greater than or equal to the scheduling offset relative
to the PDCCH transmission; and determine, at the UE, a quasi-co
location (QCL) for reception of the beam indication related
information in the PDSCH based on the TCI, when the time period is
greater than or equal to the scheduling offset relative for the
PDCCH transmission, and a memory interface configured to send to a
memory the TCI, the scheduling offset and the beam indication
related information.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a transceiver
configured to: receive the TCI from the NR base station; receive
the scheduling offset from the NR base station; and receive the
beam indication related information from the NR base station.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the PDSCH is spatially QCLed
with a corresponding downlink reference signal in the TCI when the
TCI is included in the scheduling PDCCH and the scheduling offset
is greater than or equal to a defined threshold.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein N TCI states are configured
for the scheduled BWP or the scheduled CC, wherein N is a positive
integer, and the TCI is selected from the N TCI states for the
scheduled BWP or the scheduled CC.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the TCI is included in the
scheduling PDCCH when no control resource set (CORESET) is
configured or a monitoring occasion of the CORESET is after a data
transmission in the PDSCH in the scheduled BWP or the scheduled CC
with the PDSCH transmission, and the TCI is included in the
scheduling PDCCH with a scheduling delay that is greater than or
equal to a defined threshold.
6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the CORESET indicates
monitoring CORESETs for the UE, and the CORSET is for one or more
of a unicast PDSCH transmission or a broadcast PDSCH
transmission.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the PDSCH is spatially QCLed
with a control resource set (CORESET) identifier (ID) in a slot of
a target BWP or a target CC with a data transmission in the PDSCH,
when the scheduling offset is less than a defined threshold.
8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the UE expects the TCI to be
present in the scheduling PDCCH with a scheduling delay that is
longer than or equal to a defined threshold.
9. An apparatus of a New Radio (NR) base station operable to encode
beam indication related information for transmission in a physical
downlink shared channel (PDSCH) to a user equipment (UE), the
apparatus comprising: one or more processors configured to: encode,
at the NR base station, a transmission configuration indication
(TCI) in a downlink control information (DCI) for transmission to
the UE on a scheduling physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in
a scheduled bandwidth part (BWP) or a scheduled component carrier
(CC), wherein cross-carrier scheduling for the scheduled BPW or the
scheduled CC is used for the UE in a NR network; encode, at the NR
base station, a scheduling offset for transmission to the UE,
wherein the scheduling offset is an offset time for transmission of
beam indication related information in a physical downlink shared
channel (PDSCH); and encode, at the NR base station, the beam
indication related information in the PDSCH for transmission to the
UE on the scheduled BWP or the scheduled CC at a time period
greater than or equal to the scheduling offset relative to the
PDCCH transmission, wherein the TCI enables the UE to determine a
quasi-co location (QCL) for reception of the beam indication
related information in the PDSCH when the time period is greater
than or equal to the scheduling offset relative for the PDCCH
transmission, and a memory interface configured to retrieve from a
memory the TCI, the scheduling offset and the beam indication
related information.
10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a transceiver
configured to: transmit the TCI to the UE; transmit the scheduling
offset to the UE; and transmit the beam indication related
information to the UE.
11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the PDSCH is spatially QCLed
with a corresponding downlink reference signal in the TCI when the
TCI is included in the scheduling PDCCH and the scheduling offset
is greater than or equal to a defined threshold.
12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein N TCI states are configured
for the scheduled BWP or the scheduled CC, wherein N is a positive
integer, and the TCI is selected from the N TCI states for the
scheduled BWP or the scheduled CC.
13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the TCI is included in the
scheduling PDCCH when no control resource set (CORESET) is
configured or a monitoring occasion of the CORESET is after a data
transmission in the PDSCH in the scheduled BWP or the scheduled CC
with the PDSCH transmission, and the TCI is included in the
scheduling PDCCH with a scheduling delay that is greater than or
equal to a defined threshold.
14. The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the CORESET indicates
monitoring CORESETs for the UE, and the CORSET is for one or more
of a unicast PDSCH transmission or a broadcast PDSCH
transmission.
15. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the PDSCH is spatially QCLed
with a control resource set (CORESET) identifier (ID) in a slot of
a target BWP or a target CC with a data transmission in the PDSCH,
when the scheduling offset is less than a defined threshold.
16. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the UE expects the TCI to be
present in the scheduling PDCCH with a scheduling delay that is
longer than or equal to a defined threshold.
17. At least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium
having instructions embodied thereon for encoding beam indication
related information for transmission in a physical downlink shared
channel (PDSCH) from a New Radio (NR) base station to a user
equipment (UE), the instructions when executed by one or more
processors at the NR base station perform the following: decoding,
at the UE, a transmission configuration indication (TCI) received
in a downlink control information (DCI) from the NR base station on
a scheduling physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in a
scheduled bandwidth part (BWP) or a scheduled component carrier
(CC), wherein cross-carrier scheduling for the scheduled BPW or the
scheduled CC is used for the UE in a NR network; decoding, at the
UE, a scheduling offset received from the NR base station, wherein
the scheduling offset is an offset time for reception of beam
indication related information in a physical downlink shared
channel (PDSCH); decoding, at the UE, the beam indication related
information received from the NR base station in the PDSCH on the
scheduled BWP or the scheduled CC at a time period greater than or
equal to the scheduling offset relative to the PDCCH transmission;
and determining, at the UE, a quasi-co location (QCL) for reception
of the beam indication related information in the PDSCH based on
the TCI, when the time period is greater than or equal to the
scheduling offset relative for the PDCCH transmission.
18. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium
of claim 17, wherein the PDSCH is spatially QCLed with a
corresponding downlink reference signal in the TCI when the TCI is
included in the scheduling PDCCH.
19. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium
of claim 17, wherein N TCI states are configured for the scheduled
BWP or the scheduled CC, wherein N is a positive integer, and the
TCI is selected from the N TCI states for the scheduled BWP or the
scheduled CC.
20. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium
of claim 17, wherein the TCI is included in the scheduling PDCCH
when no control resource set (CORESET) is configured or a
monitoring occasion of the CORESET is after a data transmission in
the PDSCH in the scheduled BWP or the scheduled CC with the PDSCH
transmission, and the TCI is included in the scheduling PDCCH with
a scheduling delay that is greater than or equal to a defined
threshold.
21. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium
of claim 20, wherein the CORESET indicates monitoring CORESETs for
the UE, and the CORSET is for one or more of a unicast PDSCH
transmission or a broadcast PDSCH transmission.
22. The at least one non-transitory machine readable storage medium
of claim 17, wherein the PDSCH is spatially QCLed with a control
resource set (CORESET) identifier (ID) in a slot of a target BWP or
a target CC with a data transmission in the PDSCH, when the
scheduling offset is less than a defined threshold.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims the benefit of U.S.
Provisional Patent Application No. 62/645,043, filed Mar. 19, 2018,
the entire specification of which is hereby incorporated by
reference in its entirety for all purposes.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Wireless systems typically include multiple User Equipment
(UE) devices communicatively coupled to one or more Base Stations
(BS). The one or more BSs may be Long Term Evolved (LTE) evolved
NodeBs (eNB) or New Radio (NR) next generation NodeBs (gNB) that
can be communicatively coupled to one or more UEs by a
Third-Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) network.
[0003] Next generation wireless communication systems are expected
to be a unified network/system that is targeted to meet vastly
different and sometimes conflicting performance dimensions and
services. New Radio Access Technology (RAT) is expected to support
a broad range of use cases including Enhanced Mobile Broadband
(eMBB), Massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC), Mission Critical
Machine Type Communication (uMTC), and similar service types
operating in frequency ranges up to 100 GHz.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0004] 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; and, wherein:
[0005] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a Third-Generation
Partnership Project (3GPP) New Radio (NR) Release 15 frame
structure in accordance with an example;
[0006] FIG. 2 illustrates a beam indication framework when a
transmission configuration indication (TCI) is present in
accordance with an example;
[0007] FIG. 3 illustrates a beam indication framework when a
transmission configuration indication (TCI) is not present in
accordance with an example;
[0008] FIG. 4 illustrates a default physical downlink shared
channel (PDSCH) beam assumption in accordance with an example;
[0009] FIG. 5 illustrates a physical downlink shared channel
(PDSCH) beam indication without a transmission configuration
indication (TCI) in accordance with an example;
[0010] FIG. 6 depicts functionality of a user equipment (UE)
operable to decode beam indication related information received
from a New Radio (NR) base station in a physical downlink shared
channel (PDSCH) in accordance with an example;
[0011] FIG. 7 depicts functionality of a New Radio (NR) base
station operable to encode beam indication related information for
transmission in a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) to a
user equipment (UE) in accordance with an example;
[0012] FIG. 8 depicts a flowchart of a machine readable storage
medium having instructions embodied thereon for encoding beam
indication related information for transmission in a physical
downlink shared channel (PDSCH) from a New Radio
[0013] (NR) base station to a user equipment (UE) in accordance
with an example;
[0014] FIG. 9 illustrates an architecture of a wireless network in
accordance with an example;
[0015] FIG. 10 illustrates a diagram of a wireless device (e.g.,
UE) in accordance with an example;
[0016] FIG. 11 illustrates interfaces of baseband circuitry in
accordance with an example; and
[0017] FIG. 12 illustrates a diagram of a wireless device (e.g.,
UE) in accordance with an example.
[0018] Reference will now be made to the exemplary embodiments
illustrated, and specific language will be used herein to describe
the same. It will nevertheless be understood that no limitation of
the scope of the technology is thereby intended.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0019] Before the present technology is disclosed and described, it
is to be understood that this technology is not limited to the
particular structures, process actions, or materials disclosed
herein, but is extended to equivalents thereof as would be
recognized by those ordinarily skilled in the relevant arts. It
should also be understood that terminology employed herein is used
for the purpose of describing particular examples only and is not
intended to be limiting. The same reference numerals in different
drawings represent the same element. Numbers provided in flow
charts and processes are provided for clarity in illustrating
actions and operations and do not necessarily indicate a particular
order or sequence.
Definitions
[0020] As used herein, the term "User Equipment (UE)" refers to a
computing device capable of wireless digital communication such as
a smart phone, a tablet computing device, a laptop computer, a
multimedia device such as an iPod Touch.RTM., or other type
computing device that provides text or voice communication. The
term "User Equipment (UE)" may also be referred to as a "mobile
device," "wireless device," of "wireless mobile device."
[0021] As used herein, the term "Base Station (BS)" includes "Base
Transceiver Stations (BTS)," "NodeBs," "evolved NodeBs (eNodeB or
eNB)," "New Radio Base Stations (NR BS) and/or "next generation
NodeBs (gNodeB or gNB)," and refers to a device or configured node
of a mobile phone network that communicates wirelessly with
UEs.
[0022] As used herein, the term "cellular telephone network," "4G
cellular," "Long Term Evolved (LTE)," "5G cellular" and/or "New
Radio (NR)" refers to wireless broadband technology developed by
the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).
Example Embodiments
[0023] An initial overview of technology embodiments is provided
below and then specific technology embodiments are described in
further detail later. This initial summary is intended to aid
readers in understanding the technology more quickly but is not
intended to identify key features or essential features of the
technology nor is it intended to limit the scope of the claimed
subject matter.
[0024] FIG. 1 provides an example of a 3GPP NR Release 15 frame
structure. In particular, FIG. 1 illustrates a downlink radio frame
structure. In the example, a radio frame 100 of a signal used to
transmit the data can be configured to have a duration, T.sub.f, of
10 milliseconds (ms). Each radio frame can be segmented or divided
into ten subframes 110i that are each 1 ms long. Each subframe can
be further subdivided into one or multiple slots 120a, 120i, and
120x, each with a duration, T.sub.slot, of 1/.mu.ms, where .mu.=1
for 15 kHz subcarrier spacing, .mu.=2 for 30 kHz, .mu.=4 for 60
kHz, .mu.=8 for 120 kHz, and .mu.=16 for 240 kHz. Each slot can
include a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) and/or a
physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).
[0025] Each slot for a component carrier (CC) used by the node and
the wireless device can include multiple resource blocks (RBs)
130a, 130b, 130i, 130m, and 130n based on the CC frequency
bandwidth. The CC can have a carrier frequency having a bandwidth.
Each slot of the CC can include downlink control information (DCI)
found in the PDCCH. The PDCCH is transmitted in control channel
resource set (CORESET) which can include one, two or three
Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols and
multiple RBs.
[0026] Each RB (physical RB or PRB) can include 12 subcarriers (on
the frequency axis) and 14 orthogonal frequency-division
multiplexing (OFDM) symbols (on the time axis) per slot. The RB can
use 14 OFDM symbols if a short or normal cyclic prefix is employed.
The RB can use 12 OFDM symbols if an extended cyclic prefix is
used. The resource block can be mapped to 168 resource elements
(REs) using short or normal cyclic prefixing, or the resource block
can be mapped to 144 REs (not shown) using extended cyclic
prefixing. The RE can be a unit of one OFDM symbol 142 by one
subcarrier (i.e., 15 kHz, 30 kHz, 60 kHz, 120 kHz, and 240 kHz)
146.
[0027] Each RE 140i can transmit two bits 150a and 150b of
information in the case of quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK)
modulation. Other types of modulation may be used, such as 16
quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) or 64 QAM to transmit a
greater number of bits in each RE, or bi-phase shift keying (BPSK)
modulation to transmit a lesser number of bits (a single bit) in
each RE. The RB can be configured for a downlink transmission from
the eNodeB to the UE, or the RB can be configured for an uplink
transmission from the UE to the eNodeB.
[0028] This example of the 3GPP NR Release 15 frame structure
provides examples of the way in which data is transmitted, or the
transmission mode. The example is not intended to be limiting. Many
of the Release 15 features will evolve and change in the 5G frame
structures included in 3GPP LTE Release 15, MulteFire Release 1.1,
and beyond. In such a system, the design constraint can be on
co-existence with multiple 5G numerologies in the same carrier due
to the coexistence of different network services, such as eMBB
(enhanced Mobile Broadband), mMTC (massive Machine Type
Communications or massive IoT) and URLLC (Ultra Reliable Low
Latency Communications or Critical Communications). The carrier in
a 5G system can be above or below 6 GHz. In one embodiment, each
network service can have a different numerology.
[0029] In one configuration, in a 5G system, a base station (or
gNB) and a UE can both maintain a plurality of beams. The UE can
use one particular receiving (Rx) beam to receive one gNB
transmitting (Tx) beam in order to obtain a favorable link budget.
Then, beam indication related information on the gNB Tx beam can be
used for the UE to select its Rx beam. In previous solutions, such
beam indication related information for a physical downlink shared
channel (PDSCH) can be carried by downlink control information
(DCI).
[0030] As described in further detail below, a UE can receive beam
indication related information from a NR base station in a physical
downlink shared channel (PDSCH). The UE can receive a transmission
configuration indication (TCI) in a downlink control information
(DCI) from the NR base station on a scheduling physical downlink
control channel (PDCCH) in a scheduled bandwidth part (BWP) or a
scheduled component carrier (CC). Cross-carrier scheduling for the
scheduled BPW or the scheduled CC can be used for the UE in a NR
network. The UE can receive a scheduling offset from the NR base
station. The scheduling offset can be an offset time for reception
of beam indication related information in a physical downlink
shared channel (PDSCH). The UE can receive the beam indication
related information from the NR base station in the PDSCH on the
scheduled BWP or the scheduled CC at a time period greater than or
equal to the scheduling offset relative to the PDCCH transmission.
The UE can determine a quasi-co location (QCL) for reception of the
beam indication related information in the PDSCH based on the TCI,
when the time period is greater than or equal to the scheduling
offset relative for the PDCCH transmission.
[0031] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a beam indication framework
when a transmission configuration indication (TCI) is present. When
a scheduling offset is below a threshold, a PDSCH beam can follow a
latest control resource set (CORESET) beam (e.g., CORESET 1).
Otherwise, when a TCI (which is used for beam indication) is
present (e.g., TCI=0) in a scheduling physical downlink control
channel (PDCCH), the PDSCH beam can follow the indicated TCI (e.g.,
the TCI 0 beam can be followed).
[0032] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a beam indication framework
when a transmission configuration indication (TCI) is not present.
When a scheduling offset is below a threshold, a PDSCH beam can
follow a latest control resource set (CORESET) beam (e.g., CORESET
1). Otherwise, when a TCI (which is used for beam indication) is
not present in a scheduling physical downlink control channel
(PDCCH), the PDSCH beam can be the same as the scheduling PDCCH. In
other words, when the TCI is not present and the scheduling offset
is not below the threshold, the scheduling PDCCH beam can be
followed.
[0033] In one example, when a cross Component Carrier (CC) or cross
bandwidth part (BWP) is used, the determination of the beam of the
PDSCH can be an issue.
[0034] In the present technology, techniques are defined for PDSCH
beam indication when multiple CC/BWPs are configured. For example,
a PDSCH beam indication is defined for when a scheduling offset is
less than a threshold. In another example, a PDSCH beam indication
when a TCI is not present and a scheduling offset is greater than a
threshold. In yet another example, a PDSCH beam indication is
defined when a TCI is present and a scheduling offset is greater
than a threshold.
[0035] In one configuration, with respect to a default PDSCH beam
assumption, when a scheduling offset is below a threshold, a UE
cannot decode information from the PDCCH and determine PDSCH beam
indication information. Thus, rules for the UE assumption of its
default PDSCH beam assumption are defined below.
[0036] In one example, when a UE is configured with multiple
BWPs/CCs and a scheduling offset is below the threshold, the PDSCH
can be spatially Quasi-Co-Located (QCLed) with one TCI state, which
can be configured by higher layer signaling or can be fixed. In
another example, when a UE is configured with multiple BWPs/CCs and
the scheduling offset is below a threshold, the PDSCH can be
spatially QCLed with a lowest CORESET ID in a latest slot in a
current (or a target) BWP/CC with a PDSCH transmission.
Alternatively, the PDSCH can be spatially QCLed with a latest
CORESET ID across some or all of the configured BWPs/CCs.
[0037] In one example, if cross BWP/CC scheduling is used and the
scheduling offset is below the threshold, the PDSCH can be
spatially QCLed with the CORESET scheduling the PDSCH
transmission.
[0038] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary default physical downlink
shared channel (PDSCH) beam assumption. For example, when a UE is
configured with multiple BWPs/CCs and the scheduling offset is
below a threshold, the PDSCH can be spatially QCLed with a lowest
CORESET ID in a latest slot in a current (or a target) BWP/CC with
a PDSCH transmission. As shown in FIG. 4, a first CC (CC1) can be
associated with the scheduling PDCCH and a first CORESET (CORSET 1,
where TCI=0), and a second CC (CC2) can be associated with a second
CORESET (CORSET 2), where TCI=1). In this example, when the
scheduling offset is less than the threshold, the PDSCH can be
spatially QCLed with TCI 1.
[0039] In one configuration, since a UE can assume the PDSCH is
spatially QCLed with one CORESET, the UE can expect that at least
one CORESET in a CC/BWP is configured and the UE can have at least
one monitoring occasion of this CORESET before the PDSCH
transmission.
[0040] Alternatively, if there is no CORESET configured or the
monitoring occasion of the CORESET is after the PDSCH transmission
in the CC/BWP with the PDSCH transmission, the UE can expect that
the TCI is present in the scheduling PDCCH with a scheduling delay
longer than a specified threshold, or that the PDSCH can be
spatially QCLed with one TCI state which is predefined, e.g., a
first TCI state, or configured by higher layer signaling. For these
two options, if the scheduling delay is less than the specified
threshold, the UE can assume that the PDSCH is spatially QCLed with
one TCI state that is either pre-defined or configured by higher
layers.
[0041] In one configuration, with respect to a PDSCH beam
indication when a scheduling offset is above a threshold, the PDSCH
beam can be spatially QCLed with either an indicated TCI state
(when TCI is present) or the scheduling PDCCH (when TCI is not
present) when the scheduling offset is above the threshold.
[0042] In one example, if cross BWP/CC scheduling is used, when TCI
is not present, the PDSCH can be spatially QCLed with one TCI
state, which can be configured by higher layer signaling or can be
fixed. In one example, the PDSCH can be spatially QCLed with a
first TCI state configured by a media access control (MAC) control
element (CE) or via radio resource control (RRC) signaling.
[0043] Alternatively, the PDSCH can be spatially QCLed with a
lowest CORESET ID in a latest slot in a current (target) BWP/CC
with a PDSCH transmission, or across some or all configured
BWPs/CCs. In this case, the UE can be scheduled with a cross-BWP
PDSCH with a scheduling delay, such that there is at least one
monitoring occasion for the PDCCH in a CORESET in the current
(target) BWP carrying the PDSCH before a start of the PDSCH. In
addition, whether the UE is to follow the PDCCH beam when TCI is
not present and the scheduling offset is above a threshold can be
configured by higher layer signaling, or determined by whether a
BWP/CC index is indicated in DCI or by a value of BWP/CC index.
[0044] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary physical downlink shared
channel (PDSCH) beam indication without a transmission
configuration indication (TCI). For example, the PDSCH can be
spatially QCLed with a lowest CORESET ID in a latest slot in a
current (target) BWP/CC with a PDSCH transmission. As shown in FIG.
5, a first CC (CC1) can be associated with the scheduling PDCCH
(TCI is not present) and a first CORESET (CORSET 1, where TCI=0),
and a second CC (CC2) can be associated with a second CORESET
(CORSET 2), where TCI=1). In this example, when the scheduling
offset is greater than a threshold, the PDSCH can be spatially
QCLed with TCI 1.
[0045] In one example, if cross BWP/CC scheduling is used, when TCI
is present, the PDSCH can be spatially QCLed with an indicated TCI,
where the TCI can be based on configured TCI states for the BWP/CC
with a PDSCH transmission or across configured BWPs/CCs.
[0046] In one example, a base station (e.g., gNB) can configure N
TCI states for each BWPs/CCs, and then an indicated TCI can be
selected from configured TCI states for the BWP/CC with a PDSCH
transmission, wherein N is a positive integer.
[0047] In one example, the CORESET for beam indication can indicate
the UE's monitoring CORESETs. The CORESETs can indicate the CORESET
for unicast PDSCH or broadcast PDSCH or both transmissions. In
addition, a threshold for cross BWP/CC scheduling can be different
from a threshold for intra BWP/CC scheduling, which can be reported
based on a UE capability.
[0048] In one configuration, a UE can determine spatially
Quasi-Co-Locate (QCL) for a PDSCH. When the UE is configured with
multiple BWPs/CCs and a scheduling offset is below a threshold, the
PDSCH can be spatially Quasi-Co-Located (QCLed) with one TCI state.
The TCI state can be configured by higher layer signaling or can be
fixed. In another example, when a UE is configured with multiple
BWPs/CCs and a scheduling offset is below the threshold, the PDSCH
can be spatially QCLed with a latest CORESET with a lowest CORESET
ID in a current BWP/CC with a PDSCH transmission. In yet another
example, when a UE is configured with multiple BWPs/CCs and a
scheduling offset is below the threshold, the PDSCH can be
spatially QCLed with a latest CORESET with a lowest CORESET ID
across some or all the configured BWPs/CCs.
[0049] In one example, if cross BWP/CC scheduling is used, when a
TCI is not present, the PDSCH can be spatially QCLed with one TCI
state, which can be configured by higher layer signaling or can be
fixed. In another example, if cross BWP/CC scheduling is used, when
a TCI is not present, the PDSCH can be spatially QCLed with a
latest CORESET with a lowest CORESET ID in a current BWP/CC with a
PDSCH transmission or across some or all the configured
BWPs/CCs.
[0050] In one example, whether the UE is to follow a PDCCH beam
when a TCI is not present and a scheduling offset is above a
threshold can be configured by higher layer signaling, or can be
determined by whether a BWP/CC index is indicated in DCI or by a
value of BWP/CC index. In another example, if cross BWP/CC
scheduling is used, when TCI is present, a PDSCH can be spatially
QCLed with an indicated TCI, where the TCI can be based on
configured TCI states for a BWP/CC with a PDSCH transmission or
across configured BWPs/CCs.
[0051] In one example, the CORESET for beam indication can indicate
the UE's monitoring CORESETs. In another example, a threshold for
cross BWP/CC scheduling can be different from a threshold for intra
BWP/CC scheduling, which can be reported based on a UE
capability.
[0052] Another example provides functionality 600 of a user
equipment (UE) operable to decode beam indication related
information received from a New Radio (NR) base station in a
physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), as shown in FIG. 6. The
UE can comprise one or more processors configured to decode, at the
UE, a transmission configuration indication (TCI) received in a
downlink control information (DCI) from the NR base station on a
scheduling physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in a scheduled
bandwidth part (BWP) or a scheduled component carrier (CC), wherein
cross-carrier scheduling for the scheduled BPW or the scheduled CC
is used for the UE in a NR network, as in block 610. The UE can
comprise one or more processors configured to decode, at the UE, a
scheduling offset received from the NR base station, wherein the
scheduling offset is an offset time for reception of beam
indication related information in a physical downlink shared
channel (PDSCH), as in block 620. The UE can comprise one or more
processors configured to decode, at the UE, the beam indication
related information received from the NR base station in the PDSCH
on the scheduled BWP or the scheduled CC at a time period greater
than or equal to the scheduling offset relative to the PDCCH
transmission, as in block 630. The UE can comprise one or more
processors configured to determine, at the UE, a quasi-co location
(QCL) for reception of the beam indication related information in
the PDSCH based on the TCI, when the time period is greater than or
equal to the scheduling offset relative for the PDCCH transmission,
as in block 640. In addition, the UE can comprise a memory
interface configured to send to a memory the TCI, the scheduling
offset and the beam indication related information.
[0053] Another example provides functionality 700 of a New Radio
(NR) base station operable to encode beam indication related
information for transmission in a physical downlink shared channel
(PDSCH) to a user equipment (UE), as shown in FIG. 7. The NR base
station can comprise one or more processors configured to encode,
at the NR base station, a transmission configuration indication
(TCI) in a downlink control information (DCI) for transmission to
the UE on a scheduling physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in
a scheduled bandwidth part (BWP) or a scheduled component carrier
(CC), wherein cross-carrier scheduling for the scheduled BPW or the
scheduled CC is used for the UE in a NR network, as in block 710.
The NR base station can comprise one or more processors configured
to encode, at the NR base station, a scheduling offset for
transmission to the UE, wherein the scheduling offset is an offset
time for transmission of beam indication related information in a
physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), as in block 720. The NR
base station can comprise one or more processors configured to
encode, at the NR base station, the beam indication related
information in the PDSCH for transmission to the UE on the
scheduled BWP or the scheduled CC at a time period greater than or
equal to the scheduling offset relative to the PDCCH transmission,
wherein the TCI enables the UE to determine a quasi-co location
(QCL) for reception of the beam indication related information in
the PDSCH when the time period is greater than or equal to the
scheduling offset relative for the PDCCH transmission, as in block
730. In addition, the NR base station can comprise a memory
interface configured to retrieve from a memory the TCI, the
scheduling offset and the beam indication related information.
[0054] Another example provides at least one machine readable
storage medium having instructions 800 embodied thereon for
encoding beam indication related information for transmission in a
physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) from a New Radio (NR) base
station to a user equipment (UE), as shown in FIG. 8. The
instructions can be executed on a machine, where the instructions
are included on at least one computer readable medium or one
non-transitory machine readable storage medium. The instructions
when executed by one or more processors of the UE perform:
decoding, at the UE, a transmission configuration indication (TCI)
received in a downlink control information (DCI) from the NR base
station on a scheduling physical downlink control channel (PDCCH)
in a scheduled bandwidth part (BWP) or a scheduled component
carrier (CC), wherein cross-carrier scheduling for the scheduled
BPW or the scheduled CC is used for the UE in a NR network, as in
block 810. The instructions when executed by one or more processors
of the UE perform: decoding, at the UE, a scheduling offset
received from the NR base station, wherein the scheduling offset is
an offset time for reception of beam indication related information
in a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), as in block 820. The
instructions when executed by one or more processors of the UE
perform: decoding, at the UE, the beam indication related
information received from the NR base station in the PDSCH on the
scheduled BWP or the scheduled CC at a time period greater than or
equal to the scheduling offset relative to the PDCCH transmission,
as in block 830. The instructions when executed by one or more
processors of the UE perform: determining, at the UE, a quasi-co
location (QCL) for reception of the beam indication related
information in the PDSCH based on the TCI, when the time period is
greater than or equal to the scheduling offset relative for the
PDCCH transmission, as in block 840.
[0055] FIG. 9 illustrates an architecture of a system 900 of a
network in accordance with some embodiments. The system 900 is
shown to include a user equipment (UE) 901 and a UE 902. The UEs
901 and 902 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.
[0056] In some embodiments, any of the UEs 901 and 902 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 IoT network describes
interconnecting IoT UEs, which may include uniquely identifiable
embedded computing devices (within the Internet infrastructure),
with short-lived connections. The IoT UEs may execute background
applications (e.g., keep-alive messages, status updates, etc.) to
facilitate the connections of the IoT network.
[0057] The UEs 901 and 902 may be configured to connect, e.g.,
communicatively couple, with a radio access network (RAN) 910--the
RAN 910 may be, for example, an Evolved Universal Mobile
Telecommunications System (UMTS) Terrestrial Radio Access Network
(E-UTRAN), a NextGen RAN (NG RAN), or some other type of RAN. The
UEs 901 and 902 utilize connections 903 and 904, respectively, each
of which comprises a physical communications interface or layer
(discussed in further detail below); in this example, the
connections 903 and 904 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 (5G) protocol, a New Radio (NR) protocol, and
the like.
[0058] In this embodiment, the UEs 901 and 902 may further directly
exchange communication data via a ProSe interface 905. The ProSe
interface 905 may alternatively be referred to as a sidelink
interface comprising one or more logical channels, including but
not limited to a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), a
Physical Sidelink Shared Channel (PSSCH), a Physical Sidelink
Discovery Channel (PSDCH), and a Physical Sidelink Broadcast
Channel (PSBCH).
[0059] The UE 902 is shown to be configured to access an access
point (AP) 906 via connection 907. The connection 907 can comprise
a local wireless connection, such as a connection consistent with
any IEEE 802.11 protocol, wherein the AP 906 would comprise a
wireless fidelity (WiFi.RTM.) router. In this example, the AP 906
is shown to be connected to the Internet without connecting to the
core network of the wireless system (described in further detail
below).
[0060] The RAN 910 can include one or more access nodes that enable
the connections 903 and 904. These access nodes (ANs) can be
referred to as base stations (BSs), NodeBs, evolved NodeBs (eNBs),
next Generation NodeBs (gNB), RAN nodes, and so forth, and can
comprise ground stations (e.g., terrestrial access points) or
satellite stations providing coverage within a geographic area
(e.g., a cell). The RAN 910 may include one or more RAN nodes for
providing macrocells, e.g., macro RAN node 911, 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., low power (LP) RAN node 912.
[0061] Any of the RAN nodes 911 and 912 can terminate the air
interface protocol and can be the first point of contact for the
UEs 901 and 902. In some embodiments, any of the RAN nodes 911 and
912 can fulfill various logical functions for the RAN 910
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.
[0062] In accordance with some embodiments, the UEs 901 and 902 can
be configured to communicate using Orthogonal Frequency-Division
Multiplexing (OFDM) communication signals with each other or with
any of the RAN nodes 911 and 912 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 subcarriers.
[0063] In some embodiments, a downlink resource grid can be used
for downlink transmissions from any of the RAN nodes 911 and 912 to
the UEs 901 and 902, while uplink transmissions can utilize similar
techniques. The grid can be a time-frequency grid, called a
resource grid or time-frequency resource grid, which is the
physical resource in the downlink in each slot. Such a
time-frequency plane representation is a common practice for OFDM
systems, which makes it intuitive for radio resource allocation.
Each column and each row of the resource grid corresponds to one
OFDM symbol and one OFDM subcarrier, respectively. The duration of
the resource grid in the time domain corresponds to one slot in a
radio frame. The smallest time-frequency unit in a resource grid is
denoted as a resource element. Each resource grid comprises a
number of resource blocks, which describe the mapping of certain
physical channels to resource elements. Each resource block
comprises a collection of resource elements; in the frequency
domain, this may represent the smallest quantity of resources that
currently can be allocated. There are several different physical
downlink channels that are conveyed using such resource blocks.
[0064] The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) may carry user
data and higher-layer signaling to the UEs 901 and 902. The
physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) may carry information
about the transport format and resource allocations related to the
PDSCH channel, among other things. It may also inform the UEs 901
and 902 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 901 within a cell) may
be performed at any of the RAN nodes 911 and 912 based on channel
quality information fed back from any of the UEs 901 and 902. The
downlink resource assignment information may be sent on the PDCCH
used for (e.g., assigned to) each of the UEs 901 and 902.
[0065] The PDCCH may use control channel elements (CCEs) to convey
the control information. 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. Each PDCCH may be transmitted using
one or more of these CCEs, where each CCE may correspond to nine
sets of four physical resource elements known as resource element
groups (REGs). Four Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) symbols
may be mapped to each REG. The PDCCH can be transmitted using one
or more CCEs, depending on the size of the downlink control
information (DCI) and the channel condition. There can be four or
more different PDCCH formats defined in LTE with different numbers
of CCEs (e.g., aggregation level, L=1, 2, 4, or 8).
[0066] 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 an enhanced
resource element groups (EREGs). An ECCE may have other numbers of
EREGs in some situations.
[0067] The RAN 910 is shown to be communicatively coupled to a core
network (CN) 920--via an S1 interface 913. In embodiments, the CN
920 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 913 is split into two parts: the S1-U interface
914, which carries traffic data between the RAN nodes 911 and 912
and the serving gateway (S-GW) 922, and the S1-mobility management
entity (MME) interface 915, which is a signaling interface between
the RAN nodes 911 and 912 and MMEs 921.
[0068] In this embodiment, the CN 920 comprises the MMEs 921, the
S-GW 922, the Packet Data Network (PDN) Gateway (P-GW) 923, and a
home subscriber server (HSS) 924. The MMEs 921 may be similar in
function to the control plane of legacy Serving General Packet
Radio Service (GPRS) Support Nodes (SGSN). The MMEs 921 may manage
mobility aspects in access such as gateway selection and tracking
area list management. The HSS 924 may comprise a database for
network users, including subscription-related information to
support the network entities' handling of communication sessions.
The CN 920 may comprise one or several HSSs 924, depending on the
number of mobile subscribers, on the capacity of the equipment, on
the organization of the network, etc. For example, the HSS 924 can
provide support for routing/roaming, authentication, authorization,
naming/addressing resolution, location dependencies, etc.
[0069] The S-GW 922 may terminate the S1 interface 913 towards the
RAN 910, and routes data packets between the RAN 910 and the CN
920. In addition, the S-GW 922 may be a local mobility anchor point
for inter-RAN node handovers and also may provide an anchor for
inter-3GPP mobility. Other responsibilities may include lawful
intercept, charging, and some policy enforcement.
[0070] The P-GW 923 may terminate an SGi interface toward a PDN.
The P-GW 923 may route data packets between the EPC network 923 and
external networks such as a network including the application
server 930 (alternatively referred to as application function (AF))
via an Internet Protocol (IP) interface 925. Generally, the
application server 930 may be an element offering applications that
use IP bearer resources with the core network (e.g., UMTS Packet
Services (PS) domain, LTE PS data services, etc.). In this
embodiment, the P-GW 923 is shown to be communicatively coupled to
an application server 930 via an IP communications interface 925.
The application server 930 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 UEs 901 and 902 via the CN
920.
[0071] The P-GW 923 may further be a node for policy enforcement
and charging data collection. Policy and Charging Enforcement
Function (PCRF) 926 is the policy and charging control element of
the CN 920. In a non-roaming scenario, there may be a single PCRF
in the Home Public Land Mobile Network (HPLMN) associated with a
UE'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). The PCRF 926
may be communicatively coupled to the application server 930 via
the P-GW 923. The application server 930 may signal the PCRF 926 to
indicate a new service flow and select the appropriate Quality of
Service (QoS) and charging parameters. The PCRF 926 may provision
this rule into a Policy and Charging Enforcement Function (PCEF)
(not shown) with the appropriate traffic flow template (TFT) and
QoS class of identifier (QCI), which commences the QoS and charging
as specified by the application server 930.
[0072] FIG. 10 illustrates example components of a device 1000 in
accordance with some embodiments. In some embodiments, the device
1000 may include application circuitry 1002, baseband circuitry
1004, Radio Frequency (RF) circuitry 1006, front-end module (FEM)
circuitry 1008, one or more antennas 1010, and power management
circuitry (PMC) 1012 coupled together at least as shown. The
components of the illustrated device 1000 may be included in a UE
or a RAN node. In some embodiments, the device 1000 may include
less elements (e.g., a RAN node may not utilize application
circuitry 1002, and instead include a processor/controller to
process IP data received from an EPC). In some embodiments, the
device 1000 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).
[0073] The application circuitry 1002 may include one or more
application processors. For example, the application circuitry 1002
may include circuitry such as, but not limited to, one or more
single-core or multi-core processors. The processor(s) may include
any combination of general-purpose processors and dedicated
processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors,
etc.). The processors may be coupled with or may include
memory/storage and may be configured to execute instructions stored
in the memory/storage to enable various applications or operating
systems to run on the device 1000. In some embodiments, processors
of application circuitry 1002 may process IP data packets received
from an EPC.
[0074] The baseband circuitry 1004 may include circuitry such as,
but not limited to, one or more single-core or multi-core
processors. The baseband circuitry 1004 may include one or more
baseband processors or control logic to process baseband signals
received from a receive signal path of the RF circuitry 1006 and to
generate baseband signals for a transmit signal path of the RF
circuitry 1006. Baseband processing circuitry 1004 may interface
with the application circuitry 1002 for generation and processing
of the baseband signals and for controlling operations of the RF
circuitry 1006. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband
circuitry 1004 may include a third generation (3G) baseband
processor 1004a, a fourth generation (4G) baseband processor 1004b,
a fifth generation (5G) baseband processor 1004c, or other baseband
processor(s) 1004d for other existing generations, generations in
development or to be developed in the future (e.g., second
generation (2G), sixth generation (6G), etc.). The baseband
circuitry 1004 (e.g., one or more of baseband processors 1004a-d)
may handle various radio control functions that enable
communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuitry
1006. In other embodiments, some or all of the functionality of
baseband processors 1004a-d may be included in modules stored in
the memory 1004g and executed via a Central Processing Unit (CPU)
1004e. 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 1004
may include Fast-Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding, or
constellation mapping/demapping functionality. In some embodiments,
encoding/decoding circuitry of the baseband circuitry 1004 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.
[0075] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1004 may include
one or more audio digital signal processor(s) (DSP) 1004f. The
audio DSP(s) 1004f 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 1004 and the application
circuitry 1002 may be implemented together such as, for example, on
a system on a chip (SOC).
[0076] In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1004 may provide
for communication compatible with one or more radio technologies.
For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1004 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), a wireless
personal area network (WPAN). Embodiments in which the baseband
circuitry 1004 is configured to support radio communications of
more than one wireless protocol may be referred to as multi-mode
baseband circuitry.
[0077] RF circuitry 1006 may enable communication with wireless
networks using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a
non-solid medium. In various embodiments, the RF circuitry 1006 may
include switches, filters, amplifiers, etc. to facilitate the
communication with the wireless network. RF circuitry 1006 may
include a receive signal path which may include circuitry to
down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 1008 and
provide baseband signals to the baseband circuitry 1004. RF
circuitry 1006 may also include a transmit signal path which may
include circuitry to up-convert baseband signals provided by the
baseband circuitry 1004 and provide RF output signals to the FEM
circuitry 1008 for transmission.
[0078] In some embodiments, the receive signal path of the RF
circuitry 1006 may include mixer circuitry 1006a, amplifier
circuitry 1006b and filter circuitry 1006c. In some embodiments,
the transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 1006 may include
filter circuitry 1006c and mixer circuitry 1006a. RF circuitry 1006
may also include synthesizer circuitry 1006d for synthesizing a
frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 1006a of the receive
signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the
mixer circuitry 1006a of the receive signal path may be configured
to down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 1008
based on the synthesized frequency provided by synthesizer
circuitry 1006d. The amplifier circuitry 1006b may be configured to
amplify the down-converted signals and the filter circuitry 1006c
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 1004 for further processing. In
some embodiments, the output baseband signals may be zero-frequency
baseband signals. In some embodiments, mixer circuitry 1006a of the
receive signal path may comprise passive mixers, although the scope
of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.
[0079] In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 1006a of the
transmit signal path may be configured to up-convert input baseband
signals based on the synthesized frequency provided by the
synthesizer circuitry 1006d to generate RF output signals for the
FEM circuitry 1008. The baseband signals may be provided by the
baseband circuitry 1004 and may be filtered by filter circuitry
1006c.
[0080] In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 1006a of the
receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 1006a 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 1006a of the receive signal path
and the mixer circuitry 1006a 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 1006a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry
1006a may be arranged for direct downconversion and direct
upconversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer
circuitry 1006a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry
1006a of the transmit signal path may be configured for
super-heterodyne operation.
[0081] 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, the RF circuitry 1006 may include
analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter
(DAC) circuitry and the baseband circuitry 1004 may include a
digital baseband interface to communicate with the RF circuitry
1006.
[0082] In some dual-mode embodiments, a separate radio IC circuitry
may be provided for processing signals for each spectrum, although
the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.
[0083] In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 1006d 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 1006d may be a delta-sigma
synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer comprising a
phase-locked loop with a frequency divider.
[0084] The synthesizer circuitry 1006d may be configured to
synthesize an output frequency for use by the mixer circuitry 1006a
of the RF circuitry 1006 based on a frequency input and a divider
control input. In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuitry 1006d
may be a fractional N/N+1 synthesizer.
[0085] In some embodiments, frequency input may be provided by a
voltage controlled oscillator (VCO). Divider control input may be
provided by either the baseband circuitry 1004 or the applications
processor 1002 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
applications processor 1002.
[0086] Synthesizer circuitry 1006d of the RF circuitry 1006 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 (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.
[0087] In some embodiments, synthesizer circuitry 1006d 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 1006 may include an IQ/polar converter.
[0088] FEM circuitry 1008 may include a receive signal path which
may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received
from one or more antennas 1010, amplify the received signals and
provide the amplified versions of the received signals to the RF
circuitry 1006 for further processing. FEM circuitry 1008 may also
include a transmit signal path which may include circuitry
configured to amplify signals for transmission provided by the RF
circuitry 1006 for transmission by one or more of the one or more
antennas 1010. In various embodiments, the amplification through
the transmit or receive signal paths may be done solely in the RF
circuitry 1006, solely in the FEM 1008, or in both the RF circuitry
1006 and the FEM 1008.
[0089] In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry 1008 may include a
TX/RX switch to switch between transmit mode and receive mode
operation. The FEM circuitry may include a receive signal path and
a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM
circuitry 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 1006). The transmit signal path of the FEM
circuitry 1008 may include a power amplifier (PA) to amplify input
RF signals (e.g., provided by RF circuitry 1006), and one or more
filters to generate RF signals for subsequent transmission (e.g.,
by one or more of the one or more antennas 1010).
[0090] In some embodiments, the PMC 1012 may manage power provided
to the baseband circuitry 1004. In particular, the PMC 1012 may
control power-source selection, voltage scaling, battery charging,
or DC-to-DC conversion. The PMC 1012 may often be included when the
device 1000 is capable of being powered by a battery, for example,
when the device is included in a UE. The PMC 1012 may increase the
power conversion efficiency while providing desirable
implementation size and heat dissipation characteristics.
[0091] While FIG. 10 shows the PMC 1012 coupled only with the
baseband circuitry 1004. However, in other embodiments, the PMC
1012 may be additionally or alternatively coupled with, and perform
similar power management operations for, other components such as,
but not limited to, application circuitry 1002, RF circuitry 1006,
or FEM 1008.
[0092] In some embodiments, the PMC 1012 may control, or otherwise
be part of, various power saving mechanisms of the device 1000. For
example, if the device 1000 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. During this state, the
device 1000 may power down for brief intervals of time and thus
save power.
[0093] If there is no data traffic activity for an extended period
of time, then the device 1000 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 1000 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 1000 may not receive data in
this state, in order to receive data, it can transition back to
RRC_Connected state.
[0094] An additional power saving mode may allow a device to be
unavailable to the network for periods longer than a paging
interval (ranging from seconds to a few hours). During this time,
the device can be unreachable to the network and may power down
completely. Any data sent during this time incurs a large delay and
it is assumed the delay is acceptable.
[0095] Processors of the application circuitry 1002 and processors
of the baseband circuitry 1004 may be used to execute elements of
one or more instances of a protocol stack. For example, processors
of the baseband circuitry 1004, alone or in combination, may be
used execute Layer 3, Layer 2, or Layer 1 functionality, while
processors of the application circuitry 1004 may utilize data
(e.g., packet data) received from these layers and further execute
Layer 4 functionality (e.g., transmission communication protocol
(TCP) and user datagram protocol (UDP) layers). As referred to
herein, Layer 3 may comprise a radio resource control (RRC) layer,
described in further detail below. As referred to herein, Layer 2
may comprise a medium access control (MAC) layer, a radio link
control (RLC) layer, and a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP)
layer, described in further detail below. As referred to herein,
Layer 1 may comprise a physical (PHY) layer of a UE/RAN node,
described in further detail below.
[0096] FIG. 11 illustrates example interfaces of baseband circuitry
in accordance with some embodiments. As discussed above, the
baseband circuitry 1004 of FIG. 10 may comprise processors
1004a-1004e and a memory 1004g utilized by said processors. Each of
the processors 1004a-1004e may include a memory interface,
1104a-1104e, respectively, to send/receive data to/from the memory
1004g.
[0097] The baseband circuitry 1004 may further include one or more
interfaces to communicatively couple to other circuitries/devices,
such as a memory interface 1112 (e.g., an interface to send/receive
data to/from memory external to the baseband circuitry 1004), an
application circuitry interface 1114 (e.g., an interface to
send/receive data to/from the application circuitry 1002 of FIG.
10), an RF circuitry interface 1116 (e.g., an interface to
send/receive data to/from RF circuitry 1006 of FIG. 10), a wireless
hardware connectivity interface 1118 (e.g., an interface to
send/receive data to/from Near Field Communication (NFC)
components, Bluetooth.RTM. components (e.g., Bluetooth.RTM. Low
Energy), Wi-Fi.RTM. components, and other communication
components), and a power management interface 1120 (e.g., an
interface to send/receive power or control signals to/from the PMC
1012.
[0098] FIG. 12 provides an example illustration of the wireless
device, such as a user equipment (UE), a mobile station (MS), a
mobile wireless device, a mobile communication device, a tablet, a
handset, or other type of wireless device. The wireless device can
include one or more antennas configured to communicate with a node,
macro node, low power node (LPN), or, transmission station, such as
a base station (BS), an evolved Node B (eNB), a baseband processing
unit (BBU), a remote radio head (RRH), a remote radio equipment
(RRE), a relay station (RS), a radio equipment (RE), or other type
of wireless wide area network (WWAN) access point. The wireless
device can be configured to communicate using at least one wireless
communication standard such as, but not limited to, 3GPP LTE,
WiMAX, High Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Bluetooth, and WiFi. The
wireless device can communicate using separate antennas for each
wireless communication standard or shared antennas for multiple
wireless communication standards. The wireless device can
communicate in a wireless local area network (WLAN), a wireless
personal area network (WPAN), and/or a WWAN. The wireless device
can also comprise a wireless modem. The wireless modem can
comprise, for example, a wireless radio transceiver and baseband
circuitry (e.g., a baseband processor). The wireless modem can, in
one example, modulate signals that the wireless device transmits
via the one or more antennas and demodulate signals that the
wireless device receives via the one or more antennas.
[0099] FIG. 12 also provides an illustration of a microphone and
one or more speakers that can be used for audio input and output
from the wireless device. The display screen can be a liquid
crystal display (LCD) screen, or other type of display screen such
as an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display. The display
screen can be configured as a touch screen. The touch screen can
use capacitive, resistive, or another type of touch screen
technology. An application processor and a graphics processor can
be coupled to internal memory to provide processing and display
capabilities. A non-volatile memory port can also be used to
provide data input/output options to a user. The non-volatile
memory port can also be used to expand the memory capabilities of
the wireless device. A keyboard can be integrated with the wireless
device or wirelessly connected to the wireless device to provide
additional user input. A virtual keyboard can also be provided
using the touch screen.
EXAMPLES
[0100] The following examples pertain to specific technology
embodiments and point out specific features, elements, or actions
that can be used or otherwise combined in achieving such
embodiments.
[0101] Example 1 includes an apparatus of a user equipment (UE)
operable to decode beam indication related information received
from a New Radio (NR) base station in a physical downlink shared
channel (PDSCH), the apparatus comprising: decode, at the UE, a
transmission configuration indication (TCI) received in a downlink
control information (DCI) from the NR base station on a scheduling
physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in a scheduled bandwidth
part (BWP) or a scheduled component carrier (CC), wherein
cross-carrier scheduling for the scheduled BPW or the scheduled CC
is used for the UE in a NR network; decode, at the UE, a scheduling
offset received from the NR base station, wherein the scheduling
offset is an offset time for reception of beam indication related
information in a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH); decode,
at the UE, the beam indication related information received from
the NR base station in the PDSCH on the scheduled BWP or the
scheduled CC at a time period greater than or equal to the
scheduling offset relative to the PDCCH transmission; and
determine, at the UE, a quasi-co location (QCL) for reception of
the beam indication related information in the PDSCH based on the
TCI, when the time period is greater than or equal to the
scheduling offset relative for the PDCCH transmission, and a memory
interface configured to send to a memory the TCI, the scheduling
offset and the beam indication related information.
[0102] Example 2 includes the apparatus of Example 1, further
comprising a transceiver configured to: receive the TCI from the NR
base station; receive the scheduling offset from the NR base
station; and receive the beam indication related information from
the NR base station.
[0103] Example 3 includes the apparatus of any of Examples 1 to 2,
wherein the PDSCH is spatially QCLed with a corresponding downlink
reference signal in the TCI when the TCI is included in the
scheduling PDCCH and the scheduling offset is greater than or equal
to a defined threshold.
[0104] Example 4 includes the apparatus of any of Examples 1 to 3,
wherein N TCI states are configured for the scheduled BWP or the
scheduled CC, wherein N is a positive integer, and the TCI is
selected from the N TCI states for the scheduled BWP or the
scheduled CC.
[0105] Example 5 includes the apparatus of any of Examples 1 to 4,
wherein the TCI is included in the scheduling PDCCH when no control
resource set (CORESET) is configured or a monitoring occasion of
the CORESET is after a data transmission in the PDSCH in the
scheduled BWP or the scheduled CC with the PDSCH transmission, and
the TCI is included in the scheduling PDCCH with a scheduling delay
that is greater than or equal to a defined threshold.
[0106] Example 6 includes the apparatus of any of Examples 1 to 5,
wherein the CORESET indicates monitoring CORESETs for the UE, and
the CORSET is for one or more of a unicast PDSCH transmission or a
broadcast PDSCH transmission.
[0107] Example 7 includes the apparatus of any of Examples 1 to 6,
wherein the PDSCH is spatially QCLed with a control resource set
(CORESET) identifier (ID) in a slot of a target BWP or a target CC
with a data transmission in the PDSCH, when the scheduling offset
is less than a defined threshold.
[0108] Example 8 includes the apparatus of any of Examples 1 to 7,
wherein the UE expects the TCI to be present in the scheduling
PDCCH with a scheduling delay that is longer than or equal to a
defined threshold.
[0109] Example 9 includes an apparatus of a New Radio (NR) base
station operable to encode beam indication related information for
transmission in a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) to a
user equipment (UE), the apparatus comprising: one or more
processors configured to: encode, at the NR base station, a
transmission configuration indication (TCI) in a downlink control
information (DCI) for transmission to the UE on a scheduling
physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in a scheduled bandwidth
part (BWP) or a scheduled component carrier (CC), wherein
cross-carrier scheduling for the scheduled BPW or the scheduled CC
is used for the UE in a NR network; encode, at the NR base station,
a scheduling offset for transmission to the UE, wherein the
scheduling offset is an offset time for transmission of beam
indication related information in a physical downlink shared
channel (PDSCH); and encode, at the NR base station, the beam
indication related information in the PDSCH for transmission to the
UE on the scheduled BWP or the scheduled CC at a time period
greater than or equal to the scheduling offset relative to the
PDCCH transmission, wherein the TCI enables the UE to determine a
quasi-co location (QCL) for reception of the beam indication
related information in the PDSCH when the time period is greater
than or equal to the scheduling offset relative for the PDCCH
transmission, and a memory interface configured to retrieve from a
memory the TCI, the scheduling offset and the beam indication
related information.
[0110] Example 10 includes the apparatus Examples 9, further
comprising a transceiver configured to: transmit the TCI to the UE;
transmit the scheduling offset to the UE; and transmit the beam
indication related information to the UE.
[0111] Example 11 includes the apparatus of any of Examples 9 to
10, wherein the PDSCH is spatially QCLed with a corresponding
downlink reference signal in the TCI when the TCI is included in
the scheduling PDCCH and the scheduling offset is greater than or
equal to a defined threshold.
[0112] Example 12 includes the apparatus of any of Examples 9 to
11, wherein
[0113] N TCI states are configured for the scheduled BWP or the
scheduled CC, wherein N is a positive integer, and the TCI is
selected from the N TCI states for the scheduled BWP or the
scheduled CC.
[0114] Example 13 includes the apparatus of any of Examples 9 to
12, wherein the TCI is included in the scheduling PDCCH when no
control resource set (CORESET) is configured or a monitoring
occasion of the CORESET is after a data transmission in the PDSCH
in the scheduled BWP or the scheduled CC with the PDSCH
transmission, and the TCI is included in the scheduling PDCCH with
a scheduling delay that is greater than or equal to a defined
threshold.
[0115] Example 14 includes the apparatus of any of Examples 9 to
13, wherein the CORESET indicates monitoring CORESETs for the UE,
and the CORSET is for one or more of a unicast PDSCH transmission
or a broadcast PDSCH transmission.
[0116] Example 15 includes the apparatus of any of Examples 9 to
14, wherein the PDSCH is spatially QCLed with a control resource
set (CORESET) identifier (ID) in a slot of a target BWP or a target
CC with a data transmission in the PDSCH, when the scheduling
offset is less than a defined threshold.
[0117] Example 16 includes the apparatus of any of Examples 9 to
15, wherein the UE expects the TCI to be present in the scheduling
PDCCH with a scheduling delay that is longer than or equal to a
defined threshold.
[0118] Example 17 includes at least one non-transitory machine
readable storage medium having instructions embodied thereon for
encoding beam indication related information for transmission in a
physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) from a New Radio (NR) base
station to a user equipment (UE), the instructions when executed by
one or more processors at the NR base station perform the
following: decoding, at the UE, a transmission configuration
indication (TCI) received in a downlink control information (DCI)
from the NR base station on a scheduling physical downlink control
channel (PDCCH) in a scheduled bandwidth part (BWP) or a scheduled
component carrier (CC), wherein cross-carrier scheduling for the
scheduled BPW or the scheduled CC is used for the UE in a NR
network; decoding, at the UE, a scheduling offset received from the
NR base station, wherein the scheduling offset is an offset time
for reception of beam indication related information in a physical
downlink shared channel (PDSCH); decoding, at the UE, the beam
indication related information received from the NR base station in
the PDSCH on the scheduled BWP or the scheduled CC at a time period
greater than or equal to the scheduling offset relative to the
PDCCH transmission; and determining, at the UE, a quasi-co location
(QCL) for reception of the beam indication related information in
the PDSCH based on the TCI, when the time period is greater than or
equal to the scheduling offset relative for the PDCCH
transmission.
[0119] Example 18 includes the at least one non-transitory machine
readable storage medium of Example 17, wherein the PDSCH is
spatially QCLed with a corresponding downlink reference signal in
the TCI when the TCI is included in the scheduling PDCCH.
[0120] Example 19 includes the at least one non-transitory machine
readable storage medium of any of Examples 17 to 18, wherein N TCI
states are configured for the scheduled BWP or the scheduled CC,
wherein N is a positive integer, and the TCI is selected from the N
TCI states for the scheduled BWP or the scheduled CC.
[0121] Example 20 includes the at least one non-transitory machine
readable storage medium of any of Examples 17 to 19, wherein the
TCI is included in the scheduling PDCCH when no control resource
set (CORESET) is configured or a monitoring occasion of the CORESET
is after a data transmission in the PDSCH in the scheduled BWP or
the scheduled CC with the PDSCH transmission, and the TCI is
included in the scheduling PDCCH with a scheduling delay that is
greater than or equal to a defined threshold.
[0122] Example 21 includes the at least one non-transitory machine
readable storage medium of any of Examples 17 to 20, wherein the
CORESET indicates monitoring CORESETs for the UE, and the CORSET is
for one or more of a unicast PDSCH transmission or a broadcast
PDSCH transmission.
[0123] Example 22 includes the at least one non-transitory machine
readable storage medium of any of Examples 17 to 21, wherein the
PDSCH is spatially QCLed with a control resource set (CORESET)
identifier (ID) in a slot of a target BWP or a target CC with a
data transmission in the PDSCH, when the scheduling offset is less
than a defined threshold.
[0124] Example 23 includes a New Radio (NR) base station operable
to encode beam indication related information for transmission in a
physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) to a user equipment (UE),
the NR base station comprising: means for decoding, at the UE, a
transmission configuration indication (TCI) received in a downlink
control information (DCI) from the NR base station on a scheduling
physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) in a scheduled bandwidth
part (BWP) or a scheduled component carrier (CC), wherein
cross-carrier scheduling for the scheduled BPW or the scheduled CC
is used for the UE in a NR network; means for decoding, at the UE,
a scheduling offset received from the NR base station, wherein the
scheduling offset is an offset time for reception of beam
indication related information in a physical downlink shared
channel (PDSCH); means for decoding, at the UE, the beam indication
related information received from the NR base station in the PDSCH
on the scheduled BWP or the scheduled CC at a time period greater
than or equal to the scheduling offset relative to the PDCCH
transmission; and means for determining, at the UE, a quasi-co
location (QCL) for reception of the beam indication related
information in the PDSCH based on the TCI, when the time period is
greater than or equal to the scheduling offset relative for the
PDCCH transmission.
[0125] Various techniques, or certain aspects or portions thereof,
may take the form of program code (i.e., instructions) embodied in
tangible media, such as floppy diskettes, compact disc-read-only
memory (CD-ROMs), hard drives, non-transitory computer readable
storage medium, or any other machine-readable storage medium
wherein, when the program code is loaded into and executed by a
machine, such as a computer, the machine becomes an apparatus for
practicing the various techniques. In the case of program code
execution on programmable computers, the computing device may
include a processor, a storage medium readable by the processor
(including volatile and non-volatile memory and/or storage
elements), at least one input device, and at least one output
device. The volatile and non-volatile memory and/or storage
elements may be a random-access memory (RAM), erasable programmable
read only memory (EPROM), flash drive, optical drive, magnetic hard
drive, solid state drive, or other medium for storing electronic
data. The node and wireless device may also include a transceiver
module (i.e., transceiver), a counter module (i.e., counter), a
processing module (i.e., processor), and/or a clock module (i.e.,
clock) or timer module (i.e., timer). In one example, selected
components of the transceiver module can be located in a cloud
radio access network (C-RAN). One or more programs that may
implement or utilize the various techniques described herein may
use an application programming interface (API), reusable controls,
and the like. Such programs may be implemented in a high level
procedural or object oriented programming language to communicate
with a computer system. However, the program(s) may be implemented
in assembly or machine language, if desired. In any case, the
language may be a compiled or interpreted language, and combined
with hardware implementations.
[0126] 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.
[0127] It should be understood that many of the functional units
described in this specification have been labeled as modules, in
order to more particularly emphasize their implementation
independence. For example, a module may be implemented as a
hardware circuit comprising custom very-large-scale integration
(VLSI) circuits or gate arrays, off-the-shelf semiconductors such
as logic chips, transistors, or other discrete components. A module
may also be implemented in programmable hardware devices such as
field programmable gate arrays, programmable array logic,
programmable logic devices or the like.
[0128] Modules may also be implemented in software for execution by
various types of processors. An identified module of executable
code may, for instance, comprise one or more physical or logical
blocks of computer instructions, which may, for instance, be
organized as an object, procedure, or function. Nevertheless, the
executables of an identified module may not be physically located
together, but may comprise disparate instructions stored in
different locations which, when joined logically together, comprise
the module and achieve the stated purpose for the module.
[0129] Indeed, a module of executable code may be a single
instruction, or many instructions, and may even be distributed over
several different code segments, among different programs, and
across several memory devices. Similarly, operational data may be
identified and illustrated herein within modules, and may be
embodied in any suitable form and organized within any suitable
type of data structure. The operational data may be collected as a
single data set, or may be distributed over different locations
including over different storage devices, and may exist, at least
partially, merely as electronic signals on a system or network. The
modules may be passive or active, including agents operable to
perform desired functions.
[0130] Reference throughout this specification to "an example" or
"exemplary" means that a particular feature, structure, or
characteristic described in connection with the example is included
in at least one embodiment of the present technology. Thus,
appearances of the phrases "in an example" or the word "exemplary"
in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily
all referring to the same embodiment.
[0131] As used herein, a plurality of items, structural elements,
compositional elements, and/or materials may be presented in a
common list for convenience. However, these lists should be
construed as though each member of the list is individually
identified as a separate and unique member. Thus, no individual
member of such list should be construed as a de facto equivalent of
any other member of the same list solely based on their
presentation in a common group without indications to the contrary.
In addition, various embodiments and example of the present
technology may be referred to herein along with alternatives for
the various components thereof. It is understood that such
embodiments, examples, and alternatives are not to be construed as
defacto equivalents of one another, but are to be considered as
separate and autonomous representations of the present
technology.
[0132] Furthermore, the described features, structures, or
characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or
more embodiments. In the following description, numerous specific
details are provided, such as examples of layouts, distances,
network examples, etc., to provide a thorough understanding of
embodiments of the technology. One skilled in the relevant art will
recognize, however, that the technology can be practiced without
one or more of the specific details, or with other methods,
components, layouts, etc. In other instances, well-known
structures, materials, or operations are not shown or described in
detail to avoid obscuring aspects of the technology.
[0133] While the forgoing examples are illustrative of the
principles of the present technology in one or more particular
applications, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the
art that numerous modifications in form, usage and details of
implementation can be made without the exercise of inventive
faculty, and without departing from the principles and concepts of
the technology.
* * * * *