U.S. patent application number 17/319272 was filed with the patent office on 2021-08-26 for methods and devices for communication of a signal based on an allocated resource block.
The applicant listed for this patent is Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ). Invention is credited to Shaohua Li, Jinhua Liu, Zhan Zhang.
Application Number | 20210266913 17/319272 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000005583189 |
Filed Date | 2021-08-26 |
United States Patent
Application |
20210266913 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Zhang; Zhan ; et
al. |
August 26, 2021 |
METHODS AND DEVICES FOR COMMUNICATION OF A SIGNAL BASED ON AN
ALLOCATED RESOURCE BLOCK
Abstract
Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to methods and
devices for uplink puncturing. In example embodiments, the terminal
device obtains a first signal to be transmitted for a first service
requiring a first latency. Then, the terminal device determines
whether a resource block has been a shared one for the first
service requiring a first latency or allocated by a network device
for a second service requiring a second latency higher than the
first latency. If it is determined that the resource block has been
allocated for the second service, the terminal device selects a
first set of resource elements based on a predefined pattern of
resource elements. The first set of resource elements are
discontinuously distributed in the allocated resource block. The
terminal device transmits the first signal for the first service to
the network device at the first set of resource elements.
Inventors: |
Zhang; Zhan; (Beijing,
CN) ; Li; Shaohua; (Beijing, CN) ; Liu;
Jinhua; (Beijing, CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ) |
Stockholm |
|
SE |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000005583189 |
Appl. No.: |
17/319272 |
Filed: |
May 13, 2021 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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16317320 |
Jan 11, 2019 |
11026237 |
|
|
PCT/CN2018/073795 |
Jan 23, 2018 |
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17319272 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04W 72/1268 20130101;
H04W 72/08 20130101; H04W 72/1242 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H04W 72/08 20060101
H04W072/08; H04W 72/12 20060101 H04W072/12 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Mar 24, 2017 |
CN |
PCT/CN2017/078125 |
Claims
1. A method implemented at a terminal device, comprising: obtaining
a first signal to be transmitted for a first service requiring a
first latency; determining whether a resource block has been
allocated by a network device for a second service requiring a
second latency higher than the first latency; in response to
determining that the resource block has been allocated for the
second service, selecting a first set of resource elements based on
a predefined pattern of resource elements, the first set of
resource elements being discontinuously distributed in the
allocated resource block; and transmitting the first signal for the
first service to the network device at the first set of resource
elements.
2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: receiving an
indication of the predefined pattern of resource elements from the
network device; or obtaining a code block to be transmitted for the
second service; selecting a second set of resource elements in the
allocated resource block, the number of resource elements in an
intersection of the first and second sets of resource elements
being below a second threshold number; and mapping the code block
to the second set of resource elements.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein selecting the first set of
resource elements comprises: determining, based on the predefined
pattern of resource elements, resource element candidates of the
allocated resource block to be potentially used by the first
service, the resource element candidates being discontinuously
distributed in the allocated resource block; and selecting the
first set of resource elements from the resource element
candidates; or selecting the first set of resource elements within
a predetermined number of slots in the allocated resource block,
the predetermined number being below a first threshold number; or
selecting, in the allocated resource block, the first set of
resource elements positioned at a distance below a threshold
distance from reference resource elements.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: determining at least
one parameter for the transmission of the first signal, the at
least one parameter being selected from at least one of: a
transmission power, bundled repetition numbers, a size of a code
block, padding configuration of the code block, a size of a
transmission block, a modulation and coding scheme, and a Cyclic
Redundancy Check, CRC, sequence.
5. The method of claim 4, further comprising: receiving the at
least one parameter from the network device.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: transmitting a second
signal for the second service to the network device at other
resource elements than the first set of resource elements in the
allocated resource block.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the first signal for
the first service comprises: superimposing the first signal for the
first service and a first part of a second signal for the second
service as a third signal; and transmitting the third signal to the
network device at the first set of resource elements.
8. The method of claim 7, wherein superimposing the first signal
and the first part of the second signal comprises: superimposing
the first signal and the first part of the second signal as the
third signal by modulating the first signal and the first part of
the second signal using a predetermined superposition modulation
scheme.
9. The method of claim 7, further comprising: transmitting a second
part of the second signal to the network device at other resource
elements than the first set of resource elements in the allocated
resource block.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first part of the second
signal is modulated with a first modulation order, and the second
part of the second signal is modulated with a second modulation
order higher than the first modulation order; or wherein the first
part of the second signal is encoded with a first code rate, and
the second part of the second signal is encoded with a second code
rate different from the first code rate.
11. The method of claim 6, further comprising: receiving an
acknowledgement for at least one of the first and second signals
from the network device.
12. A method implemented at a network device, comprising:
determining a first set of resource elements based on a predefined
pattern of resource elements, the first set of resource elements
being to be used for receiving from a terminal device a first
signal for a first service requiring a first latency, the first set
of resource elements being discontinuously distributed in a
resource block having been allocated by the network device to the
terminal device for a second service requiring a second latency
higher than the first latency; and receiving the first signal for
the first service at the first set of resource elements.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: sending an
indication of the predefined pattern of resource elements to the
terminal device; or receiving a second signal for the second
service from the terminal device at other resource elements than
the first set of resource elements in the resource block.
14. The method of claim 12, wherein determining the first set of
resource elements comprises: determining, based on the predefined
pattern of resource elements, resource element candidates of the
resource block to be potentially used by the first service, the
resource element candidates being discontinuously distributed in
the allocated resource block; and determining the first set of
resource elements from the resource element candidates; or
determining the first set of resource elements within a
predetermined number of slots in the resource block, the
predetermined number being below a first threshold number; or
determining, in the resource block, the first set of resource
elements positioned at a distance below a threshold distance from
reference resource elements.
15. The method of claim 12, further comprising: determining at
least one parameter for the reception of the first signal, the at
least one parameter being selected from at least one of: a
transmission power, bundled repetition numbers, a size of a code
block, padding configuration of the code block, a size of a
transmission block, a modulation and coding scheme, and a Cyclic
Redundancy Check, CRC, sequence.
16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: sending the at
least one parameter to the terminal device.
17. The method of claim 12, wherein receiving the first signal for
the first service comprises: detecting a signal candidate at the
first set of resource elements.
18. The method of claim 17, wherein receiving the first signal for
the first service further comprises: demodulating the detected
signal candidate using a first demodulation scheme associated with
a first modulation order; or decoding the detected signal candidate
using a first decoding scheme associated with a first code
rate.
19. The method of claim 17, wherein receiving the first signal for
the first service further comprises: demodulating, using a third
demodulation scheme associated with a predetermined superposition
modulation, the detected signal candidate to obtain the first
signal and a first part of a second signal for the second
service.
20. The method of claim 19, further comprising: receiving a second
part of the second signal from the terminal device at other
resource elements than the first set of resource elements in the
resource block; or transmitting an acknowledgement for at least one
of the first and second signals to the terminal device.
Description
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 16/317,320, filed Jan. 11, 2019, which is a 35
U.S.C. .sctn. 371 national phase filing of International
Application No. PCT/CN2018/073795, filed Jan. 23, 2018, which
claims the benefit of International Application No.
PCT/CN2017/078125, filed Mar. 24, 2017, the disclosures of which
are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to
the field of telecommunications, and in particular, to methods and
devices for uplink (UL) puncturing transmission.
BACKGROUND
[0003] An Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communication (URLLC)
service has been proposed for providing high reliability and low
latency. For example, a latency required by the URLLC service may
range from 1 ms to 10 ms depending on different applications,
including automation applications, smart grid, intelligent
transportation, and the like. In terms of the reliability, the
URLLC service may require a residual error rate of 10.sup.-4,
10.sup.-6, or 10.sup.-9. In calculation of the residual error rate
of the URLLC service, it is proposed that a packet received after
the required latency such as 1 or 10 ms may be considered to be
errors or invalid.
[0004] In general, the high reliability and the low latency are
mutually conflicting requirements, and trade-off often needs to be
made between them. Accordingly, it will be a challenge for the
URLLC service to meet both of the two requirements. For example, a
remarkable challenge may be posed to user-plane (UP) design.
Furthermore, many layers and components of both a radio access
network (RAN) and a core network may be adapted, for example, to
provide relatively high Quality of Service (QoS) in terms of the
reliability and latency.
[0005] In particular, the URLLC service is often sporadic in uplink
(UL). Accordingly, a network device may not schedule a timely UL
grant for this service, especially, when a further UL service is
ongoing.
SUMMARY
[0006] In general, example embodiments of the present disclosure
provide methods and devices for UL puncturing transmission.
[0007] In a first aspect, a method implemented at a terminal device
is provided. According to the method, the terminal device obtains a
first signal to be transmitted for a first service requiring a
first latency. Then, the terminal device determines whether a
resource block has been allocated by a network device for a second
service requiring a second latency higher than the first latency.
If it is determined that the resource block has been allocated for
the second service, the terminal device selects a first set of
resource elements based on a predefined pattern of resource
elements. The first set of resource elements are discontinuously
distributed in the allocated resource block. The terminal device
transmits the first signal for the first service to the network
device at the first set of resource elements.
[0008] In some embodiments, the method may further comprise:
receiving an indication of the predefined pattern of resource
elements from the network device.
[0009] In some embodiments, selecting the first set of resource
elements may comprise: determining, based on the predefined pattern
of resource elements, resource element candidates of the allocated
resource block to be potentially used by the first service, the
resource element candidates being discontinuously distributed in
the allocated resource block; and selecting the first set of
resource elements from the resource element candidates.
[0010] In some embodiments, selecting the first set of resource
elements may comprise: selecting the first set of resource elements
within a predetermined number of slots in the allocated resource
block, the predetermined number being below a first threshold
number.
[0011] In some embodiments, selecting the first set of resource
elements may comprise: selecting, in the allocated resource block,
the first set of resource elements positioned at a distance below a
threshold distance from reference resource elements.
[0012] In some embodiments, the method may further comprise:
determining at least one parameter for the transmission of the
first signal, the at least one parameter being selected from at
least one of: a transmission power, bundled repetition numbers, a
size of a code block, padding configuration of the code block, a
size of a transmission block, a modulation and coding scheme, and a
Cyclic Redundancy Check, CRC sequence.
[0013] In some embodiments, the method may further comprise:
receiving the at least one parameter from the network device.
[0014] In some embodiments, the method may further comprise:
transmitting a second signal for the second service to the network
device at other resource elements than the first set of resource
elements in the allocated resource block.
[0015] In some embodiments, transmitting the first signal for the
first service may comprise: superimposing the first signal for the
first service and a first part of a second signal for the second
service as a third signal; and transmitting the third signal to the
network device at the first set of resource elements.
[0016] In some embodiments, superimposing the first signal and the
first part of the second signal may comprise: superimposing the
first signal and the first part of the second signal as the third
signal by modulating the first signal and the first part of the
second signal using a predetermined superposition modulation
scheme.
[0017] In some embodiments, the method may further comprise:
transmitting a second part of the second signal to the network
device at other resource elements than the first set of resource
elements in the allocated resource block.
[0018] In some embodiments, the first part of the second signal may
be modulated with a first modulation order, and the second part of
the second signal may be modulated with a second modulation order
higher than the first modulation order.
[0019] In some embodiments, the first part of the second signal may
be encoded with a first code rate, and the second part of the
second signal may be encoded with a second code rate different from
the first code rate.
[0020] In some embodiments, the method may further comprise:
receiving an acknowledgement for at least one of the first and
second signals from the network device.
[0021] In some embodiments, the method may further comprise:
obtaining a code block to be transmitted for the second service;
selecting a second set of resource elements in the allocated
resource block, the number of resource elements in an intersection
of the first and second sets of resource elements being below a
second threshold number; and mapping the code block to the second
set of resource elements.
[0022] In some embodiments, the first service may include an
ultra-reliable and low-latency communications, URLLC, service.
[0023] In some embodiments, the second service may include an
enhance Mobile Broadband, eMBB, service.
[0024] In a second aspect, a method implemented at a network device
is provided. The method comprises: determining a first set of
resource elements based on a predefined pattern of resource
elements, the first set of resource elements being to be used for
receiving from a terminal device a first signal for a first service
requiring a first latency, the first set of resource elements being
discontinuously distributed in a resource block having been
allocated by the network device to the terminal device for a second
service requiring a second latency higher than the first latency;
and receiving the first signal for the first service at the first
set of resource elements.
[0025] In some embodiments, the method may further comprise:
sending an indication of the predefined pattern of resource
elements to the terminal device.
[0026] In some embodiments, determining the first set of resource
elements may comprise: determining, based on the predefined pattern
of resource elements, resource element candidates of the resource
block to be potentially used by the first service, the resource
element candidates being discontinuously distributed in the
allocated resource block; and determining the first set of resource
elements from the resource element candidates.
[0027] In some embodiments, determining the first set of resource
elements may comprise: determining the first set of resource
elements within a predetermined number of slots in the resource
block, the predetermined number being below a first threshold
number.
[0028] In some embodiments, determining the first set of resource
elements may comprise: determining, in the resource block, the
first set of resource elements positioned at a distance below a
threshold distance from reference resource elements.
[0029] In some embodiments, the method may further comprise:
determining at least one parameter for the reception of the first
signal, the at least one parameter being selected from at least one
of: a transmission power, bundled repetition numbers, a size of a
code block, padding configuration of the code block, a size of a
transmission block, a modulation and coding scheme, and a Cyclic
Redundancy Check, CRC sequence.
[0030] In some embodiments, the method may further comprise:
sending the at least one parameter to the terminal device.
[0031] In some embodiments, the method may further comprise:
receiving a second signal for the second service from the terminal
device at other resource elements than the first set of resource
elements in the resource block.
[0032] In some embodiments, receiving the first signal for the
first service may comprise: detecting a signal candidate at the
first set of resource elements.
[0033] In some embodiments, receiving the first signal for the
first service may further comprise: demodulating the detected
signal candidate using a first demodulation scheme associated with
a first modulation order.
[0034] In some embodiments, receiving the first signal for the
first service may further comprise: decoding the detected signal
candidate using a first decoding scheme associated with a first
code rate.
[0035] In some embodiments, receiving the first signal for the
first service may further comprise: demodulating, using a third
demodulation scheme associated with a predetermined superposition
modulation, the detected signal candidate to obtain the first
signal and a first part of a second signal for the second
service.
[0036] In some embodiments, the method may further comprise:
receiving a second part of the second signal from the terminal
device at other resource elements than the first set of resource
elements in the resource block.
[0037] In some embodiments, the method may further comprise:
transmitting an acknowledgement for at least one of the first and
second signals to the terminal device.
[0038] In a third aspect, there is provided a device implemented at
a terminal device. The device comprises a processor and a memory.
The memory contains instructions executable by the processor,
whereby the device is operative to perform the method according to
the first aspect.
[0039] In a fourth aspect, there is provided a device implemented
at a network device. The device comprises a processor and a memory.
The memory contains instructions executable by the processor,
whereby the device is operative to perform the method according to
the second aspect.
[0040] In a fifth aspect, there is provided a computer readable
storage medium that tangibly stores a computer program product. The
computer program product includes instructions which, when executed
on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to
carry out the method according to the first or second aspect.
[0041] Through the following description, it would be appreciated
that according to embodiments of the present disclosure, the
terminal device uses the first set of resource elements (REs)
discontinuously distributed in a resource block allocated by the
network device for the second service to transmit the first signal
for the first service requiring a lower latency than the second
service. In this way, the low latency requirement of the first
service may be met while impairing of the second service due to the
missing of the REs preempted by the first service may be
reduced.
[0042] It is to be understood that the summary section is not
intended to identify key or essential features of embodiments of
the present disclosure, nor is it intended to be used to limit the
scope of the present disclosure. Other features of the present
disclosure will become easily comprehensible through the following
description.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0043] Through the more detailed description of some embodiments of
the present disclosure in the accompanying drawings, the above and
other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure
will become more apparent, wherein:
[0044] FIG. 1 shows an example conventional approach of
multiplexing data transmissions of the URLLC and eMBB services in
UL;
[0045] FIG. 2 shows an example wireless communication network in
which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented;
[0046] FIG. 3 shows example timing in the scenario where the data
of the first service occurs after the second service have been
initiated in accordance with some embodiments of the present
disclosure;
[0047] FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of an example method in accordance
with some embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0048] FIG. 5 shows an example predefined pattern of REs in
accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0049] FIG. 6 shows an example of autonomous repetitions in
accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0050] FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of an example method in accordance
with some other embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0051] FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of an apparatus in accordance
with some embodiments of the present disclosure;
[0052] FIG. 9 shows a block diagram of an apparatus in accordance
with some other embodiments of the present disclosure; and
[0053] FIG. 10 shows a simplified block diagram of a device that is
suitable for implementing embodiments of the present
disclosure.
[0054] Throughout the drawings, the same or similar reference
numerals represent the same or similar element.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0055] Principle of the present disclosure will now be described
with reference to some example embodiments. It is to be understood
that these embodiments are described only for the purpose of
illustration and help those skilled in the art to understand and
implement the present disclosure, without suggesting any limitation
as to the scope of the disclosure. The disclosure described herein
can be implemented in various manners other than the ones described
below.
[0056] In the following description and claims, unless defined
otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the
same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skills in
the art to which this disclosure belongs.
[0057] As used herein, the term "terminal device" refers to a
device capable of, configured for, arranged for, and/or operable
for communications with a network device or a further terminal
device in a wireless communication network. The communications may
involve transmitting and/or receiving wireless signals using
electromagnetic signals, radio waves, infrared signals, and/or
other types of signals suitable for conveying information through
air. In particular embodiments, the terminal device may be
configured to transmit and/or receive information without direct
human interaction. For instance, the terminal device may be
designed to transmit information to a network side on predetermined
schedules, when triggered by an internal or external event, or in
response to requests from the network side.
[0058] The terminal device may refer to the endpoint of a wireless
connection. Accordingly, the terminal device may be referred to as
a wireless terminal. Furthermore, the terminal device may be mobile
and, accordingly, referred to as a mobile device or a mobile
terminal. Examples of the terminal device include, but are not
limited to, user equipment (UE) such as smart phones. Further
examples of the terminal device include wireless-enabled tablet
computers, laptop-embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted
equipment (LME), and/or wireless customer-premises equipment
(CPE).
[0059] As one specific example, the terminal device may be
configured for communication in accordance with one or more
communication technologies and corresponding communication
standards promulgated by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project
(3GPP), the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), or other
standardization organizations, such as Global System for Mobile
(GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS), Code
Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Wideband Code Division Multiple
Access (WCDMA), High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA), Long Term
Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), Orthogonal Frequency
Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Device-to-Device (D2D)
communications, the fifth generation (5G) standards, wireless local
area network (WLAN), Worldwide Interoperability for Microwave
Access (WIMAX) wireless communication technology, BLUETOOTH
wireless communication technology, ZIGBEE wireless communication
technology, and/or any other technologies either currently known or
to be developed in the future.
[0060] As used herein, the term "user equipment" or "UE" may not
necessarily have a "user" in the sense of a human user who owns
and/or operates the relevant device. Instead, the UE refers to a
device that is intended for sale to, or operation by, a human user
but that may not initially be associated with a specific human
user. For the purpose of discussion, in the following, some
embodiments will be described with reference to UEs as examples of
the terminal devices, and the terms "terminal device" and "user
equipment" (UE) may be used interchangeably in the context of the
present disclosure.
[0061] As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a
transmission/reception device in a wireless communication network,
which provides a coverage area and via which a terminal device
within the coverage area may access the network and/or services.
Examples of the network device include, but are not limited to, a
base station (BS), a relay, an access point (AP),
Multi-cell/Multicast Coordination Entity (MCE), a gateway, a
server, a controller or any other suitable device in the wireless
communication network. The BS may include, for example, a node B
(NodeB or NB), an evolved NodeB (eNodeB or eNB), a next generation
NodeB (gNB), a Remote Radio Unit (RRU), a radio header (RH), a
remote radio head (RRH), a low power node such as a femto, a pico,
and the like. For the purpose of discussion, in the following, some
embodiments will be described with reference to an eNB as an
example of the network device.
[0062] Further examples of the network device include
multi-standard radio (MSR) radio equipment such as MSR BSs, network
controllers such as radio network controllers (RNCs) or base
station controllers (BSCs), base transceiver stations (BTSs),
transmission points, transmission nodes, transmit-receive points
(TRPs), Multi-cell/multicast Coordination Entities (MCEs), core
network nodes, such as Mobile Switching Centers (MSCs) and MMEs,
Operation and Management (O&M) nodes, Operation Support System
(OSS) nodes, Self-Organization Network (SON) nodes, positioning
nodes, such as Enhanced Serving Mobile Location Centers (E-SMLCs),
and/or Mobile Data Terminals (MDTs). More generally, the network
device refers to any suitable device (or group of devices) capable
of, configured for, arranged for, and/or operable for enabling
and/or allowing the access of the terminal device to the wireless
communication network or providing some services to the terminal
device that has accessed the wireless communication network.
[0063] As used herein, the term "resource block" refers to a
plurality of resource elements (REs) that are continuous for
example in time and frequencies. One resource block may include any
suitable number of physical resource blocks (PRBs) as specified by
the 3GPP.
[0064] As used herein, the phrase "pattern of resource elements" or
"pattern of REs" refers to a pattern formed by a plurality of
resource elements (REs) in a resource block. This pattern may
represent positions, positional relations, or distributions of the
plurality of REs within the resource block.
[0065] As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are
intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context
clearly indicates otherwise. The term "includes" and its variants
are to be read as open terms that mean "includes, but is not
limited to." The term "based on" is to be read as "based at least
in part on." The term "one embodiment" and "an embodiment" are to
be read as "at least one embodiment." The term "another embodiment"
is to be read as "at least one other embodiment." Other
definitions, explicit and implicit, may be included below.
[0066] As describe above, the URLLC service is often sporadic in
UL. For example, data of the URLLC service (or URLLC data) arrives
at a terminal device (for example, a UE), sporadically. In this
case, the network device (for example, a gNB) does not know when
the URLLC data will occur from the UE and may not schedule
corresponding uplink (UL) resources. Accordingly, when the UE has
the URLLC data to be transmitted, the UE may have no grant for the
transmission. In particular, if a Media Access Control (MAC) Packet
Data Unit (PDU) for a further service has been built or even
already started when the URLLC data is generated, the UE has to
wait to transmit the URLLC data until a next UL granted time
period. Therefore, the latency of the URLLC service may be
significantly increased. If time duration for scheduling is
relatively long, the latency may get larger.
[0067] In downlink (DL), it has proposed to multiplex the URLLC
service and an enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) service to improve
the latency of the URLLC service. Several configurations for this
multiplexing have been proposed to meet different latency and/or
reliability requirements of the two services. For example, one
configuration is that the same sub-carrier spacing may be adopted
for the multiplexed services, and the same CP overhead may or may
not applied. Another configuration is that different sub-carrier
spacing may be adopted for the multiplexed services. The network
may enable both of the configurations. Furthermore, dynamic
resource sharing may be allowed between the two services.
[0068] The eMBB service in UL is contention-free and grant-based.
If the UE has the URLLC data to be transmitted during the granted
time duration for the transmission of data of the eMBB service (or
eMBB data), it is proposed to multiplex the two services by
prioritizing the URLLC data over the eMBB data due to the different
QoS requirements of the eMBB and URLLC services. In this way, the
UE may use the grant assigned to the eMBB service for the URLLC
service.
[0069] FIG. 1 shows an example conventional approach of
multiplexing data transmissions of the two services in UL. In this
example, a group of physical resource blocks (PRBs) 100 have been
allocated to the data transmission of the eMBB service. The group
of PRBs 100 include a plurality of PRBs 105. The UE may select a
consecutive time-frequency resource block 110 from the group of
PRBs 100 for the data transmission of the URLLC service. The URLLC
data may be transmitted as a MAC PDU independent of MAC PDUs for
the eMBB data. In this way, the URLLC service may preempt the
resources scheduled for the eMBB service, and therefore the latency
requirement of the URLLC service may be ensured.
[0070] The above preempting of the resources may fasten the data
transmission of the URLLC service. However, this preempting may
cause a part of the eMBB data missing, and further cause a
detection of a whole transport block (TB) of the eMBB data failed
at a receiving side. The failed detection of the TB may then cause
a retransmission of the eMBB data. Therefore, transmission
performance of the ongoing eMBB service may be seriously
deteriorated, and system spectrum efficiency may be degraded. In
addition, the multiplexing of the URLLC and eMBB services may
induce a substantially high processing complexity and additional
signaling overhead.
[0071] In order to at least in part solve the above and other
potential problems, embodiments of the present disclosure present
allow a terminal device to use a set of resource elements (REs)
(referred to as "a first set of REs") discontinuously distributed
in a resource block allocated by a network device for a service to
transmit a signal for a further service requiring a lower latency
than the service. For the purpose of discussion, the service
requiring the lower latency will be referred to as a first service.
The signal for the first service will be referred to as a first
signal. The service requiring a higher latency will be referred to
as a second service.
[0072] In this way, if the first service occurs when the second
service is ongoing, the terminal device may initiate the first
service using the discontinuously distributed REs that are
determined based on a predefined pattern of REs from the resource
block allocated for the second service. Thereby, the low latency
requirement of the first service may be met while impairing of the
second service due to the missing of the REs preempted by the first
service may be reduced.
[0073] Considering an example where the first service is the URLLC
service and the second service is the eMBB service, according to
embodiments of the present disclosure, a predefined pattern of REs
may be used to select a first set of REs from a resource block (for
example, one or more PRBs) allocated for the eMBB service to carry
the URLLC service. The first set of REs are discontinuously
distributed in the allocated resource block. A TB of URLLC data may
be separately encoded or modulated, and the encoded data are
transmitted in a form of symbols using the selected REs. In
general, a data packet of the URLLC service has a block size much
smaller than a data packet of the eMBB service. The preempting of
discontinuous REs in the allocated resource block may significantly
mitigate impact on the transmission performance of the eMBB
data.
[0074] In order to further optimize the resource efficiency,
latency, and/or robustness, other mechanisms for multiplexing the
first and second services may also presented in the present
disclosure. Related details will be described in the following
paragraphs.
[0075] FIG. 2 shows an example wireless communication network 200
in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented.
The network 200 includes a terminal device 210 and a network device
220. The terminal device 210 may communicate with the network
device 220, or with a further terminal device (not shown) via the
network device 220. The communications may conform to any suitable
standard and using any suitable communication technologies such as
LTE, LTE-A, OFDM, HSPA, WCDMA, CDMA, GSM, WLAN, WIMAX, BLUETOOTH,
ZIGBEE, and/or any other technologies either currently known or to
be developed in the future. It is to be understood that the network
200 may include any suitable number of terminal devices and network
devices.
[0076] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the
terminal device 210 may conduct the first and second services via
the network device 220 in UL. The terminal device 210 may obtain an
UL grant from the network device 220 to initiate the second
service. The UL grant may be scheduled by the network device 220 in
a semi-persistent or dynamical way. The terminal device 210 may
also intend to initiate the first service after the network device
220 sends downlink control information (DCI) or even during the
transmission of a MAC PDU or a corresponding TB of the second
service.
[0077] FIG. 3 shows example timing in the scenario where the data
of the first service arrives at the terminal device 210 after the
second service have been initiated. In this example, the first and
second services are implemented as the URLLC and eMBB services,
respectively. As shown, the terminal device 210 sends to the
network device 220 a scheduling request for initiating the eMBB
service at a time instant 305. Then, an UL grant for the eMBB
service is sent from the network device 220 to the terminal device
210 in a time period 310 of transmission of DCI. In this example,
the network device 220 allocates two frequency-hopping resource
blocks 315 and 320 for the UL transmission.
[0078] After the data transmission for the eMBB service has
started, a packet burst for the URLLC service occurs in a time
instant 325 at the terminal device 210. In this case,
conventionally, the terminal device 210 may not obtain an UL grant
for the URLLC service until a next time period 330 of the DCI
transmission. The terminal device 210 may then transmit the packet
burst for the URLLC service using newly granted resources (not
shown) within or after a time period 335 for UL transmission. This
may result in a relatively high latency, which is not acceptable
for the URLLC service.
[0079] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, when the
packet burst for the URLLC service occurs at the time instant 325,
the terminal device 210 may select a set of REs from the resource
block 315 or 320 based on a predefined pattern of REs, and the
selected REs are discontinuously distributed in the corresponding
resource block 315 or 320. The terminal device 210 may then use
these REs to transmit the packet burst for the URLLC service. In
this way, the latency of the URLLC service may be significantly
reduced while the impact on the transmission performance of the
ongoing eMBB service may be mitigated. Principles and
implementations of the present disclosure will be described below
with reference to FIGS. 4-7.
[0080] FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of an example method 400 in
accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The
method 400 can be implemented at the terminal device 210 as shown
in FIG. 2. For the purpose of discussion, the method 400 will be
described with reference to FIG. 2.
[0081] At block 405, the terminal device 210 obtains the first
signal to be transmitted for the first service requiring a latency
(referred to as a "first latency"). Then, at block 410, the
terminal device 210 determines whether a resource block (for
example, one or more PRBs) has been allocated by the network device
220 for the second service requiring a latency (referred to as a
"second latency") higher than the first latency. The first and
second services may include any suitable services having different
latency requirements. As an example, the first service may include
the URLLC service, and the second service may include the eMBB
service. Other types of services are also possible. For example, in
some implementations, the second service may be implemented as a
machine type communication service which has a lower latency
requirement compared with the URLLC service.
[0082] If it is determined that the resource block has been
allocated for the second service, at block 415, the terminal device
210 selects a first set of REs in the allocated resource block
based on a predefined pattern of REs. The first set of REs are
discontinuously distributed in the allocated resource block.
[0083] The terminal device 210 may obtain the predefined pattern of
REs in any suitable approach. For example, the terminal device 210
may receive an indication of the predefined pattern of REs from the
network device 220. As another example, the predefined pattern of
REs may be pre-configured in the network 200, and any entity in the
network is aware of the pattern. In some embodiments, several
patterns of the REs may be predefined. The terminal device 210 may
select one of the patterns for the selection of the first set of
REs.
[0084] According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the
predefined pattern indicates the REs of the allocated resource
block which will be potentially used by or shared with the first
service. In some embodiments, when the terminal device 210 selects
the first set of resource elements from the allocated resource
block, the terminal device 210 may first determine, based on the
predefined pattern of resource elements, resource element
candidates of the allocated resource block to be potentially used
by the first service. The resource element candidates are
discontinuously distributed in the allocated resource block. Then,
the terminal device 210 may select the first set of resource
elements from the resource element candidates.
[0085] The predefined pattern of REs may be any suitable pattern
that may enable the selected REs to be discontinuous in time and
frequency domains within the resource block allocated for the
second service. In order to further reduce the latency of the first
service, in some embodiments, the predefined pattern of REs may be
arranged to enable the first set of REs within a predetermined
number of slots in the allocated resource block. The predetermined
number is below a threshold number (referred to as a "first
threshold number"). For example, the REs based on the predefined
pattern may be arranged within one OFDM symbol or several
subsequent OFDM symbols as less as possible so as to quicken the
initiation of the first service as soon as possible.
[0086] In order to further enhance the reliability of the first
service, in some embodiments, the predefined pattern of REs may be
arranged near reference REs. The reference REs may be implemented
as any suitable RE. In some embodiments, the reference REs may
include REs for transmitting a reference signal (RS). For example,
the REs based on the predefined pattern may be arranged at a
distance below a threshold distance from the REs for the
transmission of the RS. In this way, a receiving side, the network
device 220 may detect the first service from the terminal device
210 based on the RS and corresponding channel estimation.
Accordingly, the transmission performance of the first service may
be further improved. In some other embodiments, the predefined
pattern of REs may be arranged to be frequency-hopping to further
improve the reliability.
[0087] An example pattern of REs in the vicinity of the RS is shown
FIG. 5. In this example, the URLLC and eMBB services are also taken
as examples of the first and second services, respectively. As
shown, UL time and frequency resources 505 have been allocated for
the transmission for the eMBB data. The UL time and frequency
resources 505 include a plurality of resource blocks 510. One of
the resource blocks 510 occupies one PRB 515 in the frequency
domain and one subframe 520 in the time domain. A PRB 515 may
include a plurality of subcarriers in the frequency domain and a
slot in the time domain.
[0088] A resource block 510 includes a plurality of REs 525. One of
the REs 525 occupies one OFDM symbol in the time domain and one
subcarrier in the frequency domain. In the resource block 510, the
predefined pattern of REs for the URLLC service is arranged to
include four groups of REs (denoted by "P") 530-1, 530-2, 530-3,
and 530-4 (collectively referred to as "REs 530") immediately prior
and subsequent to the REs 535 for the transmission of the RSs in
the time domain. As shown, an example of the RSs is a Demodulation
Reference Signal (DMRS).
[0089] As shown, if the URLLC data arrives at the terminal device
210 prior to the REs 530-1, the REs 530-1 and 530-2 may be selected
for the transmission of the URLLC data. If the URLLC data arrives
between the REs 530-2 and 530-3, the REs 530-3 and 530-4 may be
selected for the transmission.
[0090] It is to be understood that the pattern that the pattern of
REs where involved REs are immediately adjacent to the REs for the
RS as shown in FIG. 5 is only for the purpose of illustration,
without suggesting any limitations. Other arrangements in
associated with the RE of the RS are also possible. For example,
the predefined pattern of REs may be arranged to be at a distance
of one or more OFDM symbol from the RE of the RS in the time
domain.
[0091] The predefined pattern of REs may be represented in any
suitable form. For example, the predefined pattern may be directly
represented in indexes of the related REs. As an alternative
example, the predefined pattern may be represented as an offset
between the REs involved in the pattern and reference REs. The
reference REs may include any suitable RE that is associated with
the predefined pattern of REs. In the embodiment where the
predefined pattern of REs is arranged in associated with the REs
for the RS, the REs for the RS may function as the reference REs.
In this example, the pattern of REs may be represented by a
position offset between involved REs and the RSs.
[0092] Next, still with reference to FIG. 4, after the first set of
REs are selected, at block 420, the terminal device 210 transmits
the first signal for the first service to the network device 220 at
the first set of REs. The transmission of the first signal may be
implemented in any suitable way.
[0093] In the embodiment where the first and second services are
implemented as the URLLC and eMBB services, the URLLC data may form
a MAC PDU or TB independent of the MAC PDU or TB of the eMBB data,
for example. In this case, the terminal device 110 may have a new
MAC PDU generated only for the URLLC data. A data packet for the
URLLC service may have a small size of 50 or 200 bytes.
Accordingly, the MAC PDU/TB of the URLLC data may be very short.
After this new MAC PDU is generated, the MAC PDU may be directly
passed from a MAC layer to a physical layer (L1) for transmission.
At the same time, an indication may be sent from the MAC layer to
the physical layer to indicate that the MAC PDU needs to be
transmitted as soon as possible.
[0094] Then, the URLLC data may be transmitted at the physical
layer. This transmission may be implemented by puncturing the MAC
PDU/TB for the eMBB service at the first set of REs. The puncturing
may be performed in any suitable approach. In some embodiments, the
punctured REs may be used to transmit the first signal for the
first service instead of the second service. Accordingly, at the
receiving side, the network device 220 may detect the URLLC data at
these REs. Embodiments in this regard will be described in the
following paragraphs with reference to FIG. 7.
[0095] For example, if the URLLC data is modulated with an m-ary
Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) scheme and the eMBB data is
modulated with an n-ary Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM)
scheme, the m-ary QAM symbol of the URLLC data will replace the
n-ary QAM symbol previously intended for the eMBB data. Other REs
of the granted UL resources may be still used to transmit a signal
(referred to as a "second signal") for the eMBB service, such as
the eMBB data.
[0096] In some other embodiments, the punctured REs may be used for
the transmission of both the first and second services. For
example, the terminal device 210 may superimpose the first signal
for the first service and a part (referred to as a "first part") of
the second signal for the second service as a superimposed signal
(referred to as a "third signal"). The terminal device 210 may then
transmit the third signal to the network device 220 at the first
set of resource elements. In this example, the terminal device 210
may transmit another part (referred to as a "second part") of the
second signal to the network device at other REs in the allocated
resource block.
[0097] The superimposing of the signals may be implemented in any
suitable approach. In some embodiments, the superimposing may be
implemented using a predetermined superposition modulation scheme.
For example, the first signal and the first part of the second
signal may be modulated to generate a superposition-modulated QAM
symbol. Then, the superposition-modulated QAM symbol may be
transmitted using the punctured REs. The superposition modulation
is known in the art, and details thereof will be omitted here.
[0098] During the superposition modulation, the power ratio of the
two signals may be specified according to their QoS requirements.
For example, considering the high reliability requirements of the
URLLC service, the first signal of the URLLC service may be
prioritized over the second signal of the eMBB service in the terms
of the transmission power.
[0099] It is to be understood that the superposition modulation as
an example implementation of the superimposing are only for the
purpose of illustration. Other implementations of the superimposing
may also be possible. For example, the superimposing may be
implemented by superposition-coding in a code domain. Accordingly,
the network device 220 may demodulate or decode received signals
based on the pre-configured superimposing approach.
[0100] In addition to the pattern of the REs for the second
service, in some embodiments, some parameters related to the
transmission of the first signal may be pre-configured. In some
embodiments, the terminal device may receive the parameters from
the network device 220.
[0101] The parameters include any suitable parameter for the
transmission. For example, a Code Block (CB) size for the first
service and its padding (non-padding) configuration may be
specified or pre-configured. A candidate TB size list may also be
preconfigured. The terminal device 210 may determine which TB size
will be used for the transmission of the first signal.
[0102] Furthermore, a modulation and coding scheme (MCS) may be
pre-configured for a specific service. For example, a Quadrature
Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) modulation scheme may be configured to be
used at the punctured RE for the URLLC service. A cyclic redundancy
check (CRC) sequence may also be pre-configured. For example,
considering the residual error requirements of the URLLC service, a
longer CRC sequence may be assigned to achieve a lower residual
error.
[0103] In addition, a transmission power of the first service may
be pre-configured. In the embodiment where the first signal for the
first service and the first part of the second signal for the
second service are superimposed at the first set of REs, the
transmission power of the first signal may be set in relation to
the transmission power of the first part of the second signal. As
an example, the transmission power of the first signal may be a
function of the transmission power of the first part of the second
signal, the MCSs of the two signals, and a preconfigured power
offset between the two services. The configuration of the
transmission power, such as an algorithm and related parameters,
may be notified by the network device 220 to the terminal device
210 in any suitable timing. As an example, the notification may be
performed at a session setup procedure of the first service.
[0104] In order to further enhance the transmission reliability,
bundled transmission may be preconfigured. For example, the bundled
repetitions of the first signal may be pre-configured. FIG. 6 shows
an example of autonomous repetitions according to some embodiments
of the present disclosure. In this example, during the transmission
of the eMBB data, the URLLC data is generated at the terminal
device 210 prior to the REs 630-1. The REs 630-1 and 630-2 are
predefined to be used for initial transmission of the URLLC data,
and the REs 630-3 and 630-4 are predefined to be used for
retransmission of the URLLC data. In this way, the time interval
between the two transmissions may be configured to be lower than
one subframe (for example, 1 ms) to further reduce the latency of
the URLLC service.
[0105] In some cases, a size of TB and/or a MCS for the second
service may be dynamically changed. Furthermore, potential REs
interfered by the first service may be semi-static. In these cases,
some code blocks of the second service may have more bits
punctured, but some other code blocks of the second service may
have less bits punctured. Therefore, some code blocks may suffer a
higher error rate, which may result in the retransmission of the
whole TB of the second service.
[0106] In order to further enhance the transmission performance or
efficiency of the second service, in some embodiments, after the
terminal device 210 obtains a code block to be transmitted for the
second service, the terminal device 210 may select a set of REs
(referred to as "a second set of REs") in the allocated resource
block. The number of REs in an intersection of the first and second
sets of REs is below a threshold number (referred to as a "second
threshold number"). Then, the terminal device 210 may map the code
block to the second set of REs. In this way, the probabilities that
the REs for the code blocks of the second service may be interfered
by the first service may be equalized. Thereby, similar
transmission performance may be achieved for individual code
blocks, and the transmission performance of the second service may
be improved.
[0107] As an example, the resources allocated for the second
service may be divided into two parts. One part (referred to as a
"first part") includes all REs not shared with the first service,
and the other part (referred to as a "second part") includes all
REs potentially shared with the first service. In some embodiments,
the potentially shared REs may be arranged to equally fall into the
resource for the individual code blocks.
[0108] An example of this arrangement will be discussed below. In
this example, G.sub.non-share represents the total number of bits
available to one TB carried at the first part of REs, and
G.sub.share represents the total number of bits available to one TB
carried at the second part of REs. The number of coded bits for the
rth code block (represented by E') can be determined according to
the following procedure:
TABLE-US-00001 {Set E' = 0, r=0, 1,...,C-1 LOOP: G' =
{G.sub.non-share/Q.sub.m, G.sub.share/Q.sub.m } Set .gamma. = G'
mod C if r .ltoreq. C - .gamma. - 1 set E = Q.sub.m .left
brkt-bot.G' / C .right brkt-bot. else set E = Q.sub.m .left
brkt-top.G' / C .right brkt-bot. end if E' = E' +E End}
where Q.sub.m is equal to 2, 4, 6, or 8, which corresponds to QPSK,
16QAM, 64QAM, or 256QAM, respectively; and C represents the number
of code blocks. It is noted that the number of mapped bits (REs) is
a sum of the REs from the first and second parts for each code
block.
[0109] In this example, one MIMO layer is considered. If more than
one layer is used, the above procedure may be updated accordingly.
In this way, the impacted REs are almost equally distributed in the
individual code blocks, and therefore the transmission performance
of the second service may be improved.
[0110] In some embodiments, the modulation orders for the REs of
the two parts may be different. For example, the modulation order
for the second part may be lower than that for the REs of the first
part. As a specific example, a QPSK modulation scheme with a
relatively low modulation order may used for the second part of
REs, and a 16QAM modulation scheme with a relatively high
modulation order may be used for the first part of REs.
Accordingly, the first part of the second signal may be modulated
with the QPSK modulation scheme, and the second part of the second
signal may be modulated with the 16QAM modulation scheme.
[0111] In addition to modulation orders, in some embodiments,
different code rates may be applied to the two parts of REs in
order to further improve the transmission performance of the second
service. Accordingly, the first and second parts of the second
signal may be encoded with different code rates.
[0112] After the terminal device 210 transmits the first and second
signals for the two services to the network device 220, the
terminal device 210 may receive a positive acknowledgement (ACK) or
negative acknowledgement (NACK) for both of the two signals from
the network device 220. The acknowledgement may be implemented in
any suitable way. In some embodiments, separate Hybrid Automatic
Repeat Quest (HARQ) processes may be used respectively for the two
services. Accordingly, the terminal device 210 may receive
respective ACK/NACKs for the two services. In some embodiments, an
integrated HARQ process may be used, and one ACK/NACK feedback may
be received for the two services. In some other embodiments, the
network 200 may enable the above two HARQ procedures. In this case,
the terminal device 210 may receive ACK/NACKs from the network
device 220 for both or single TBs multiplexed at the punctured
REs.
[0113] FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of an example method 500 in
accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The
method 500 can be implemented at the network device 220 as shown in
FIG. 2. For the purpose of discussion, the method 700 will be
described with reference to FIG. 2.
[0114] At block 705, the network device 220 determines a first set
of resource elements based on a predefined pattern of REs. The
first set of REs are to be used for receiving from the terminal
device 210 a first signal for a first service requiring a first
latency, and the first set of REs are discontinuously distributed
in a resource block having been allocated by the network device 220
to the terminal device 210 for a second service requiring a second
latency higher than the first latency. Then, at block 710, the
network device 220 receives the first signal for the first service
at the first set of REs.
[0115] As described above, in some embodiments, the modulation
schemes for the first set of REs and other REs of the resource
block may be different. In this case, the network device may detect
the first signal based on the corresponding modulation scheme. In
the embodiment where the M-ary QAM modulation scheme is applied to
the punctured REs and the N-ary QAM modulation scheme is applied to
other REs, if the M-ary QAM symbols are found at the punctured REs
instead of N-ary QAM symbols, the network device 220 may determine
that the puncturing happened.
[0116] Demodulation and decoding units in the network device 220
may process the data separately at different REs. Then, the two
sets of QAM symbols may be decoded to form two MAC PDUs. If the
corresponding CRC passes, the MAC PDUs may be passed to the MAC
layer.
[0117] If it is determined puncturing happened, and the puncturing
is done by a replacement of the QAM symbols, the decoding unit of
the network device 220 may set the data at the punctured REs to be
zero or other values depending on different decoding algorithms. If
the puncturing is implemented by the superposition modulation, at
the punctured REs, the demodulation unit (or a demodulator) of the
network device 220 needs to demodulate a superimposed QAM symbol to
obtain two QAM symbols out of one superimposed QAM symbol.
[0118] If the modulation schemes are same for all REs, or it is
difficult to determine the modulation and/or coding scheme, the
network device 220 may consider possible puncturing schemes at the
predefined REs or no-puncturing. For example, the network device
220 may try all of the possible puncturing schemes to determine
whether the puncturing has been performed.
[0119] It is to be understood that all operations and features
related to the network device 220 described above with reference to
FIGS. 4-6 are likewise applicable to the method 700 and have
similar effects. For the purpose of simplification, the details
will be omitted.
[0120] FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of an apparatus 800 in
accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. The
apparatus 800 can be considered as an example implementation of the
terminal device 210 as shown in FIG. 2.
[0121] As shown, the apparatus 800 comprises: an obtaining unit 805
configured to obtain a first signal to be transmitted for a first
service requiring a first latency; a determining unit 810
configured to determine whether a resource block has been allocated
by a network device for a second service requiring a second latency
higher than the first latency; a selecting unit 815 configured to
in response to determining that the resource block has been
allocated for the second service, select a first set of resource
elements based on a predefined pattern of resource elements, the
first set of resource elements being discontinuously distributed in
the allocated resource block; and a transmitting unit 820
configured to transmit the first signal for the first service to
the network device at the first set of resource elements.
[0122] FIG. 9 shows a block diagram of an apparatus 900 in
accordance with some other embodiments of the present disclosure.
The apparatus 900 can be considered as an example implementation of
the network device 220 as shown in FIG. 2.
[0123] As shown, the apparatus 900 comprises: a determining unit
905 configured to determine a first set of resource elements based
on a predefined pattern of resource elements, the first set of
resource elements being to be used for receiving from a terminal
device a first signal for a first service requiring a first
latency, the first set of resource elements being discontinuously
distributed in a resource block having been allocated by the
network device to the terminal device for a second service
requiring a second latency higher than the first latency; and a
receiving unit 910 configured to receive the first signal for the
first service at the first set of resource elements.
[0124] It should be appreciated that units included in the
apparatuses 800 and 900 correspond to the blocks of the methods 400
and 700, respectively. Therefore, all operations and features
described above with reference to FIGS. 4 to 7 are likewise
applicable to the units included in the apparatuses 800 and 900 and
have similar effects. For the purpose of simplification, the
details will be omitted.
[0125] The units included in the apparatuses 800 and 900 may be
implemented in various manners, including software, hardware,
firmware, or any combination thereof. In one embodiment, one or
more units may be implemented using software and/or firmware, for
example, machine-executable instructions stored on the storage
medium. In addition to or instead of machine-executable
instructions, parts or all of the units in the terminal device 500
may be implemented, at least in part, by one or more hardware logic
components. For example, and without limitation, illustrative types
of hardware logic components that can be used include
Field-programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Application-specific
Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Application-specific Standard Products
(ASSPs), System-on-a-chip systems (SOCs), Complex Programmable
Logic Devices (CPLDs), and the like.
[0126] FIG. 10 is a simplified block diagram of a device 1000 that
is suitable for implementing embodiments of the present disclosure.
The device 1000 can be considered as a further example
implementation of the terminal device 210 or the network device 220
as shown in FIG. 2. Accordingly, the device 1000 can be implemented
at or as at least a part of the terminal device 210 or the network
device 220.
[0127] As shown, the device 1000 includes a processor 1010, a
memory 1020 coupled to the processor 1010, a suitable transmitter
(TX) and receiver (RX) 1040 coupled to the processor 1010, and a
communication interface coupled to the TX/RX 1040. The memory 1010
stores at least a part of a program 1030. The TX/RX 1040 is for
bidirectional communications. The TX/RX 1040 has multiple antennas
to facilitate communications. The communication interface may
represent any interface that is necessary for communication with
other network elements, such as X2 interface for bidirectional
communications between eNBs, S1 interface for communication between
a Mobility Management Entity (MME)/Serving Gateway (S-GW) and the
eNB, Un interface for communication between the eNB and a relay
node (RN), or Uu interface for communication between the eNB and a
UE.
[0128] The program 1030 is assumed to include program instructions
that, when executed by the associated processor 1010, enable the
device 1000 to operate in accordance with the embodiments of the
present disclosure, as discussed herein with reference to FIGS. 3
to 7. The embodiments herein may be implemented by computer
software executable by the processor 1010 of the device 1000, or by
hardware, or by a combination of software and hardware. The
processor 1010 may be configured to implement various embodiments
of the present disclosure. Furthermore, a combination of the
processor 1010 and memory 1010 may form processing means 1050
adapted to implement various embodiments of the present
disclosure.
[0129] The memory 1010 may be of any type suitable to the local
technical network and may be implemented using any suitable data
storage technology, such as a non-transitory computer readable
storage medium, semiconductor based memory devices, magnetic memory
devices and systems, optical memory devices and systems, fixed
memory and removable memory, as non-limiting examples. While only
one memory 1010 is shown in the device 1000, there may be several
physically distinct memory modules in the device 1000. The
processor 1010 may be of any type suitable to the local technical
network, and may include one or more of general purpose computers,
special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal
processors (DSPs) and processors based on multicore processor
architecture, as non-limiting examples. The device 1000 may have
multiple processors, such as an application specific integrated
circuit chip that is slaved in time to a clock which synchronizes
the main processor.
[0130] Generally, various embodiments of the present disclosure may
be implemented in hardware or special purpose circuits, software,
logic or any combination thereof. Some aspects may be implemented
in hardware, while other aspects may be implemented in firmware or
software which may be executed by a controller, microprocessor or
other computing device. While various aspects of embodiments of the
present disclosure are illustrated and described as block diagrams,
flowcharts, or using some other pictorial representation, it will
be appreciated that the blocks, apparatus, systems, techniques or
methods described herein may be implemented in, as non-limiting
examples, hardware, software, firmware, special purpose circuits or
logic, general purpose hardware or controller or other computing
devices, or some combination thereof.
[0131] The present disclosure also provides at least one computer
program product tangibly stored on a non-transitory computer
readable storage medium. The computer program product includes
computer-executable instructions, such as those included in program
modules, being executed in a device on a target real or virtual
processor, to carry out the methods 400 and 700 as described above
with reference to FIGS. 4-7. Generally, program modules include
routines, programs, libraries, objects, classes, components, data
structures, or the like that perform particular tasks or implement
particular abstract data types. The functionality of the program
modules may be combined or split between program modules as desired
in various embodiments. Machine-executable instructions for program
modules may be executed within a local or distributed device. In a
distributed device, program modules may be located in both local
and remote storage media.
[0132] Program code for carrying out methods of the present
disclosure may be written in any combination of one or more
programming languages. These program codes may be provided to a
processor or controller of a general purpose computer, special
purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus,
such that the program codes, when executed by the processor or
controller, cause the functions/operations specified in the
flowcharts and/or block diagrams to be implemented. The program
code may execute entirely on a machine, partly on the machine, as a
stand-alone software package, partly on the machine and partly on a
remote machine or entirely on the remote machine or server.
[0133] The above program code may be embodied on a machine readable
medium, which may be any tangible medium that may contain, or store
a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution
system, apparatus, or device. The machine readable medium may be a
machine readable signal medium or a machine readable storage
medium. A machine readable medium may include but not limited to an
electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or
semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any suitable
combination of the foregoing. More specific examples of the machine
readable storage medium would include an electrical connection
having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard
disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an
erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an
optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM),
an optical storage device, a magnetic storage device, or any
suitable combination of the foregoing.
[0134] Further, while operations are depicted in a particular
order, this should not be understood as requiring that such
operations be performed in the particular order shown or in
sequential order, or that all illustrated operations be performed,
to achieve desirable results. In certain circumstances,
multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Likewise,
while several specific implementation details are contained in the
above discussions, these should not be construed as limitations on
the scope of the present disclosure, but rather as descriptions of
features that may be specific to particular embodiments. Certain
features that are described in the context of separate embodiments
may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment.
Conversely, various features that are described in the context of a
single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments
separately or in any suitable sub-combination.
[0135] Although the present disclosure has been described in
language specific to structural features and/or methodological
acts, it is to be understood that the present disclosure defined in
the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific
features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and
acts described above are disclosed as example forms of implementing
the claims.
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