U.S. patent application number 17/679743 was filed with the patent office on 2022-08-11 for methods and nodes for determining a transmission data block size.
This patent application is currently assigned to TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL). The applicant listed for this patent is TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL). Invention is credited to Yufei BLANKENSHIP, Jung-Fu CHENG, Dongsheng YU.
Application Number | 20220255691 17/679743 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | |
Filed Date | 2022-08-11 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220255691 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CHENG; Jung-Fu ; et
al. |
August 11, 2022 |
METHODS AND NODES FOR DETERMINING A TRANSMISSION DATA BLOCK
SIZE
Abstract
A method in a User Equipment (UE) for determining a transmission
data block size is provided. The method comprises: obtaining
parameters for a data transmission, the parameters including at
least a number of layers, a number of allocated resource blocks, a
modulation order and a code rate; determining an effective number
of resource elements; determining a transmission data block size
based on the obtained parameters and the determined effective
number of resource elements; and performing one of transmitting and
receiving data based on the determined transmission data block
size.
Inventors: |
CHENG; Jung-Fu; (FREMONT,
CA) ; BLANKENSHIP; Yufei; (KILDEER, IL) ; YU;
Dongsheng; (Ottawa, CA) |
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Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL) |
Stockholm |
|
SE |
|
|
Assignee: |
TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON
(PUBL)
Stockholm
SE
|
Appl. No.: |
17/679743 |
Filed: |
February 24, 2022 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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16673516 |
Nov 4, 2019 |
11290227 |
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17679743 |
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16226346 |
Dec 19, 2018 |
10491348 |
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16673516 |
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PCT/IB2018/051873 |
Mar 20, 2018 |
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16226346 |
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62473839 |
Mar 20, 2017 |
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International
Class: |
H04L 5/00 20060101
H04L005/00; H04L 1/00 20060101 H04L001/00; H04L 5/14 20060101
H04L005/14 |
Claims
1. A method in a User Equipment (UE), the method comprising:
receiving, from a network node, downlink control information (DCI)
indicating parameters for a data transmission, the parameters
including at least a number of layers, a number of allocated
resource blocks, a modulation order and a code rate; determining an
effective number of resource elements per physical resource block
(PRB) for the data transmission; calculating a transmission data
block size (TDBS) based on the parameters indicated by the received
DCI and the determined effective number of resource elements, and
without using a Transport Block Size (TBS) table; and transmitting
data based on the calculated transmission data block size.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the effective number
of resource elements is based at least on one or more of: a slot
configuration, mini-slot configuration, control region
configuration, reference symbol configuration, frequency division
duplex and time division duplex.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the effective number
of resource elements (N.sub.RE) comprises calculating:
N.sub.RE=12.times.n.sub.OFDM-N.sub.RE.sup.PTRS where n.sub.OFDM is
a number of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex (OFDM) symbols
used for the data transmission, N.sub.RE.sup.PTRS is an average
number of resource elements per Physical Resource Block (PRB) used
for Phase Tracking Reference Signal (PTRS), 12 refers to a number
of subcarriers in a PRB.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the TDBS is based on
calculating a value of N.sub.PRBN.sub.REvQ.sub.mr where N.sub.PRB
is the number of allocated resource blocks, N.sub.RE is the number
of effective resource elements, v is the number of layers, .sub.m
is the modulation order and r is the code rate.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein calculating the TDBS comprises
determining the TDBS to be a multiple of a size unit.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein calculating the TDBS to be a
multiple of a size unit is based on: C .times. N P .times. R
.times. B N R .times. E v Q m r C ##EQU00006## where N.sub.PRB is
the number of allocated resource blocks, N.sub.RE is the number of
effective resource elements, v is the number of layers, .sub.m is
the modulation order and r is the code rate, C is the size unit and
.left brkt-top. .right brkt-bot. is a ceiling function.
7. The method of claim 6, wherein the size unit C is used to adjust
the TDBS so that all code blocks are of equal size when the
transmission data block is sub-divided into multiple code
blocks.
8. A User Equipment (UE) comprising a network interface and a
processing circuitry connected thereto, the processing circuitry
comprising a processor and a memory connected thereto, the memory
containing instructions that, when executed, cause the processor
to: receive downlink control information (DCI) indicating
parameters for a data transmission, the parameters including at
least a number of layers, a number of allocated resource blocks, a
modulation order and a code rate; determine an effective number of
resource elements per physical resource block (PRB) for the data
transmission; calculate a transmission data block size (TDBS) based
on the parameters indicated in the received DCI and the determined
effective number of resource elements, and without using a
Transport Block Size (TBS) table; and transmit data based on the
calculated transmission data block size.
9. The UE of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured
to determine the effective number of resource elements based at
least on one or more of: a slot configuration, mini-slot
configuration, control region configuration, reference symbol
configuration, frequency division duplex and time division
duplex.
10. The UE of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured
to determine the effective number of resource elements (N.sub.RE)
by calculating:
N.sub.RE.sup.DL,PRB=12.times.n.sub.OFDM-N.sub.RE.sup.PTRS where
n.sub.OFDM is a number of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex
(OFDM) symbols used for the data transmission, N.sub.RE.sup.PTRS is
an average number of resource elements per Physical Resource Blocks
(PRB) used for Phase Tracking Reference Signal (PTRS), 12 refers to
a number of subcarriers in a PRB.
11. The UE of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured
to calculate the TDBS by calculating a value
N.sub.PRBN.sub.REvQ.sub.mr where N.sub.PRB is the number of
allocated resource blocks, N.sub.RE is the number of effective
resource elements, v is the number of layers, .sub.m is the
modulation order and r is the code rate.
12. The UE of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured
to calculate the TDBS to be a multiple of a size unit.
13. The UE of claim 12, wherein the processor is further configured
to calculate the TDBS to be a multiple of a size unit based on: C
.times. N P .times. R .times. B N R .times. E v Q m r C
##EQU00007## where N.sub.PRB is the number of allocated resource
blocks, N.sub.RE is the number of effective resource elements, v is
the number of layers, .sub.m is the modulation order and r is the
code rate, C is the size unit and .left brkt-top. .right brkt-bot.
is a ceiling function.
14. The UE of claim 13, wherein the size unit C is used to adjust
the TDBS so that all code blocks are of equal size when the
transport data block is sub-divided into multiple code blocks.
15. A method in a network node, the method comprising: transmitting
downlink control information (DCI) indicating parameters for a data
transmission, the parameters including a number of layers, a number
of allocated resource blocks, a modulation order and a code rate;
transmitting an effective number of resource elements per physical
resource block (PRB) for the data transmission; and receiving data
based on a transmission data block size (TDBS), which is determined
based on the parameters indicated in the transmitted DCI and the
effective number of resource elements, and without using a
Transport Block Size (TBS) table.
16. The method of claim 15, wherein the effective number of
resource elements is based at least on one or more of: a slot
configuration, mini-slot configuration, control region
configuration, reference symbol configuration, frequency division
duplex and time division duplex.
17. The method of claim 15, wherein transmitting the effective
number of resource elements comprises transmitting the effective
number of resource elements in one of a signal comprising DCI and a
signal via signaling of layer higher than a physical layer.
18. The method of claim 15, wherein the TDBS is calculated based on
N.sub.PRBN.sub.REvQ.sub.mr where N.sub.PRB is the number of
allocated resource blocks, N.sub.RE is the number of effective
resource elements, v is the number of layers, .sub.m is the
modulation order and r is the code rate.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 16/673,516, filed Nov. 4, 2019, which is a
continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/226,346, filed
Dec. 19, 2018, which is a continuation of PCT application
WO2018/172939 filed on Mar. 20, 2018, which claims the benefits of
priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/473,839,
entitled "Transmission Data Block Size Determination", and filed at
the United States Patent and Trademark Office on Mar. 20, 2017, the
content of all the applications are incorporated herein by
reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present description generally relates to wireless
communication systems and, in particular, to determining
transmission data block size within such systems.
BACKGROUND
[0003] In 3GPP (Third Generation Partnership Project), there are
studies on new protocols collectively referred to as new radio (NR)
interface for 5G. Various terms are used in the art for this new
and next generation technology. The terms NR and 5G are used in the
present disclosure interchangeably. Moreover, a base-station can be
referred to as gNB instead of eNB. Alternatively, the term
Transmission-Receive-point (TRP) can also be used.
[0004] Slot Structure
[0005] An NR slot consists of several Orthogonal Frequency Division
Multiplexing (OFDM) symbols, according to current agreements either
7 or 14 symbols per slot (for OFDM subcarrier spacing .ltoreq.60
kHz) or 14 symbols per slot (for OFDM subcarrier spacing >60
kHz). FIG. 1a shows a subframe with 14 OFDM symbols as an example.
In FIG. 1a, T.sub.s and T.sub.symb denote the slot and OFDM symbol
duration, respectively.
[0006] In addition, a slot may also be shortened to accommodate
Downlink/Uplink (DL/UL) transient period or both DL and UL
transmissions. Potential slot variations are shown in FIG. 1b. For
example, FIG. 1b shows, from top to bottom, a slot with DL-only
transmission with a late start, a slot with DL-heavy transmission
with UL part, a slot with UL-heavy transmission with DL control and
a slot with UL-only transmission.
[0007] Furthermore, NR also defines mini-slots. Mini-slots are
shorter in time than slots (according to current agreements from 1
or 2 symbols up to the number of symbols in a slot minus one) and
can start at any symbol. Mini-slots are used if the transmission
duration of a slot is too long or the occurrence of the next slot
start (slot alignment) is too late. Applications of mini-slots
include, among others, latency critical transmissions (in this case
both mini-slot length and frequent opportunity of mini-slot are
important) and unlicensed spectrum where a transmission should
start immediately after listen-before-talk succeeded (here the
frequent opportunity of mini-slot is especially important). An
example of mini-slots is shown in FIG. 1c (the exemplary mini slots
are the OFDM symbols shown in FIG. 1c).
[0008] Control Information
[0009] PDCCHs (physical downlink control channels) are used in NR
for downlink control information (DCI), e.g. downlink scheduling
assignments and uplink scheduling grants. The PDCCHs are in general
transmitted at the beginning of a slot and relate to data in the
same or a later slot (for mini-slots PDCCH can also be transmitted
within a regular slot). Different formats (sizes) of the PDCCHs are
possible to handle different DCI payload sizes and different
aggregation levels (i.e. different code rate for a given payload
size). A UE is configured (implicitly and/or explicitly) to monitor
(or search) for a number of PDCCH candidates of different
aggregation levels and DCI payload sizes. Upon detecting a valid
DCI message (i.e. the decoding of a candidate is successful and the
DCI contains an Identity (ID) the UE is told to monitor) the UE
follows the DCI (e.g. receives the corresponding downlink data or
transmits in the uplink).
[0010] In NR concept discussions, the introduction of a
`broadcasted control channel` to be received by multiple UEs is
considered. Such a channel has been referred to as `group common
PDCCH`. The exact content of such a channel is under discussion.
One example of information that might be put in such a channel is
information about the slot format, i.e. whether a certain slot is
uplink or downlink, which portion of a slot is UL or DL; such
information which could be useful, for example, in a dynamic TDD
(Time Division Duplex) system.
[0011] Transmission Parameter Determination
[0012] In the Long Term Evolution (LTE) existent protocols, the
downlink control information (DCI) carries several parameters to
instruct the UE how to receive the downlink transmission or to
transmit in the uplink. For example, the Frequency Division Duplex
(FDD) LTE DCI format 1A carries parameter such as
Localized/Distributed Virtual Resource Block (VRB) assignment flag,
Resource block assignment, Modulation and coding scheme (MCS), HARQ
process number, New data indicator, Redundancy version and TPC
(Transmit Power Control) command for PUCCH (Physical Uplink Control
Channel).
[0013] One of the key parameters for the UE to be able to receive
or transmit in the system is the size of the data block (called
transport block size (TBS)) to be channel coded and modulated. In
LTE, this is determined as follows: [0014] The UE uses Modulation
and coding scheme given by the DCI to read a transport block size
(TBS) index I.sub.TBS from a modulation and coding scheme (MCS)
table. An example of the MCS table is shown in Table 1. [0015] The
UE determines the number of physical radio blocks (PRBs) as
N.sub.PRB from the Resource block assignment given in the DCI.
[0016] The UE uses the TBS index I.sub.TBS and the number of PRBs
N.sub.PRB to read the actual transport block size from a TBS table.
A portion of the TBS table is shown in Table 2 as an example.
TABLE-US-00001 [0016] TABLE 1 LTE modulation and coding scheme
(MCS) table MCS Modulation TBS Index Order Index I.sub.MCS Q.sub.m
I.sub.TBS 0 2 0 1 2 1 2 2 2 3 2 3 4 2 4 5 2 5 6 2 6 7 2 7 8 2 8 9 2
9 10 4 9 11 4 10 12 4 11 13 4 12 14 4 13 15 4 14 16 4 15 17 6 15 18
6 16 19 6 17 20 6 18 21 6 19 22 6 20 23 6 21 24 6 22 25 6 23 26 6
24 27 6 25 28 6 26 29 2 reserved 30 4 31 6
TABLE-US-00002 TABLE 2 LTE transport block size (TBS) table
(dimension is 27 .times. 110) N.sub.PRB I.sub.TBS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
. . . 0 16 32 56 88 120 152 176 208 224 . . . 1 24 56 88 144 176
208 224 256 328 . . . 2 32 72 144 176 208 256 296 328 376 . . . 3
40 104 176 208 256 328 392 440 504 . . . 4 56 120 208 256 328 408
488 552 632 . . . 5 72 144 224 328 424 504 600 680 776 . . . 6 328
176 256 392 504 600 712 808 936 . . . 7 104 224 328 472 584 712 840
968 1096 . . . 8 120 256 392 536 680 808 968 1096 1256 . . . 9 136
296 456 616 776 936 1096 1256 1416 . . . 10 144 328 504 680 872
1032 1224 1384 1544 . . . 11 176 376 584 776 1000 1192 1384 1608
1800 . . . 12 208 440 680 904 1128 1352 1608 1800 2024 . . . 13 224
488 744 1000 1256 1544 1800 2024 2280 . . . 14 256 552 840 1128
1416 1736 1992 2280 2600 . . . 15 280 600 904 1224 1544 1800 2152
2472 2728 . . . 16 328 632 968 1288 1608 1928 2280 2600 2984 . . .
17 336 696 1064 1416 1800 2152 2536 2856 3240 . . . 18 376 776 1160
1544 1992 2344 2792 3112 3624 . . . 19 408 840 1288 1736 2152 2600
2984 3496 3880 . . . 20 440 904 1384 1864 2344 2792 3240 3752 4136
. . . 21 488 1000 1480 1992 2472 2984 3496 4008 4584 . . . 22 520
1064 1608 2152 2664 3240 3752 4264 4776 . . . 23 552 1128 1736 2280
2856 3496 4008 4584 5160 . . . 24 584 1192 1800 2408 2984 3624 4264
4968 5544 . . . 25 616 1256 1864 2536 3112 3752 4392 5160 5736 . .
. 26 712 1480 2216 2984 3752 4392 5160 5992 6712 . . .
[0017] Problems with the Existent LTE Approach
[0018] Problem 1
[0019] The LTE TBS table was originally designed with specific
assumptions on the number of resource elements (REs) available
within each allocated PRB as well as the number of OFDM symbols for
data transmissions. When different transmission modes with
different amount of reference symbol overheads were introduced
later in LTE, it became difficult to define another TBS table to
optimize for the new transmission modes. A few new rows were
introduced in the LTE TBS table to optimize for a few limited
cases. It can be seen that the explicit TBS table approach hinders
continual evolution and improvement of the LTE system.
[0020] Problem 2
[0021] The existing approach of determining the data block size
does not provide high performance operation with different slot
sizes or structures. This is a problem in LTE system since a
subframe in LTE may be of various sizes. A regular subframe may
have different sizes of control region and thus leaves different
sizes for the data region. TDD LTE supports special subframes of
different sizes in the Downlink part of the Special Subframe
(DwPTS). Various different sizes of subframe are summarized in
Table 3.
[0022] However, the LTE MCS and TBS tables are designed based on
the assumption that 11 OFDM symbols are available for the data
transmission. That is, when the actual number of available OFDM
symbols for PDSCH (Physical Downlink Shared Channel) is different
than 11, the spectral efficiency of the transmission will deviate
from those shown in Table 4. First, the code rate becomes
excessively high when the actual number of OFDM symbols for PDSCH
is substantially less than the assumed 11 symbols. These cases are
highlighted with bold entries in Table 4. Currently in LTE, the UE
is not expected to decode any PDSCH transmission with effective
code rate higher than 0.930. Since the mobile station will not be
able to decode such high code rates, transmissions based on these
dark shaded MCSs will fail and retransmissions will be needed.
Secondly, with the mismatch of radio resource assumption, code
rates for some of the MCSs deviate out of the optimal range for the
wideband wireless system. Based on extensive link performance
evaluation for the downlink transmission as an example, the code
rates for QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying) and 16QAM
(Quadrature Amplitude Modulation) should not be higher than 0.70.
Furthermore, the code rates for 16QAM and 64QAM should not be lower
than 0.32 and 0.40, respectively. As illustrated with bold entries,
some of the MCSs in Table 4 result in sub-optimal code rates.
[0023] Since data throughput is reduced when transmissions are
based on unsuitable sub-optimal code rates, a good scheduling
implementation in the base station should avoid using any of the
bold entries of MCSs shown in Table 4. It can be concluded that the
number of usable MCSs shrink significantly when the actual number
of OFDM symbols for PDSCH deviates from the assumed 11 symbols.
TABLE-US-00003 TABLE 3 Available number of OFDM symbols for PDSCH
(N.sub.OS) in LTE Number of OFDM symbols for control information
Operation mode 1 2 3 4 FDD, TDD Normal CP 13 12 11 10 Extended CP
11 10 9 8 TDD DwPTS configurations 1, 6 8 7 6 5 normal CP
configurations 2, 7 9 8 7 6 configurations 3, 8 10 9 8 7
configuration 4 11 10 9 8 TDD DwPTS configurations 1, 5 7 6 5 4
extended CP configurations 2, 6 8 7 6 5 configuration 3 9 8 7 6
TABLE-US-00004 TABLE 4 Code rate with different number of OFDM
symbols for data transmission in LTE MCS index Available number of
OFDM symbols for PDSCH (N.sub.OS) (I.sub.MCS) Modulation 13 12 11
10 9 8 7 6 5 0 QPSK 0.10 0.11 0.12 0.13 0.14 0.16 0.18 0.21 0.25 1
QPSK 0.13 0.14 0.16 0.17 0.19 0.21 0.24 0.28 0.34 2 QPSK 0.16 0.17
0.19 0.21 0.23 0.26 0.30 0.35 0.42 3 QPSK 0.21 0.22 0.25 0.27 0.30
0.34 0.39 0.45 0.54 4 QPSK 0.25 0.28 0.30 0.33 0.37 0.41 0.47 0.55
0.66 5 QPSK 0.31 0.34 0.37 0.41 0.45 0.51 0.58 0.68 0.81 6 QPSK
0.37 0.40 0.44 0.48 0.54 0.61 0.69 0.81 0.97 7 QPSK 0.44 0.47 0.52
0.57 0.63 0.71 0.81 0.94 1.13 8 QPSK 0.50 0.54 0.59 0.65 0.72 0.81
0.93 1.08 1.30 9 QPSK 0.56 0.61 0.67 0.73 0.81 0.91 1.05 1.22 1.46
10 16QAM 0.28 0.30 0.33 0.37 0.41 0.46 0.52 0.61 0.73 11 16QAM 0.31
0.34 0.37 0.41 0.45 0.51 0.58 0.68 0.81 12 16QAM 0.36 0.39 0.43
0.47 0.52 0.58 0.67 0.78 0.94 13 16QAM 0.40 0.44 0.48 0.53 0.58
0.66 0.75 0.88 1.05 14 16QAM 0.46 0.50 0.54 0.59 0.66 0.74 0.85
0.99 1.19 15 16QAM 0.51 0.55 0.60 0.66 0.74 0.83 0.95 1.10 1.33 16
16QAM 0.54 0.59 0.64 0.71 0.79 0.88 1.01 1.18 1.41 17 64QAM 0.36
0.39 0.43 0.47 0.52 0.59 0.67 0.79 0.94 18 64QAM 0.39 0.42 0.46
0.50 0.56 0.63 0.72 0.83 1.00 19 64QAM 0.43 0.46 0.51 0.56 0.62
0.69 0.79 0.93 1.11 20 64QAM 0.47 0.51 0.55 0.61 0.68 0.76 0.87
1.01 1.22 21 64QAM 0.51 0.55 0.60 0.66 0.74 0.83 0.95 1.10 1.32 22
64QAM 0.55 0.60 0.65 0.72 0.79 0.89 1.02 1.19 1.43 23 64QAM 0.59
0.64 0.70 0.77 0.86 0.96 1.10 1.29 1.54 24 64QAM 0.64 0.69 0.75
0.83 0.92 1.04 1.18 1.38 1.66 25 64QAM 0.68 0.74 0.80 0.88 0.98
1.10 1.26 1.47 1.77 26 64QAM 0.72 0.78 0.85 0.94 1.04 1.17 1.34
1.56 1.88 27 64QAM 0.75 0.81 0.89 0.98 1.09 1.22 1.40 1.63 1.95 28
64QAM 0.88 0.95 1.04 1.15 1.27 1.43 1.64 1.91 2.29
[0024] Problem 3
[0025] As mentioned in the above section on Slot Structure, the
slot structure for NR tends to be more flexible with much larger
range of the amount of allocated resource for the UE to receive or
transmit. The base of designing a TBS table (as stated earlier on
the specific assumption on the number of resource elements (REs)
available within each allocated PRB as well as the number of OFDM
symbols for data transmissions) diminishes significantly.
SUMMARY
[0026] Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide methods,
nodes and computer programs to determine a transmission data block
size (TDBS) that may address some or all of the above noted
problems, and/or may allow an easier evolution or changes of a
radio access system and/or may allow improved performance of a
radio access network. According to some embodiments of the present
disclosure, the transmission data block size can be determined by
an Modulation Coding Scheme (MCS) index and an effective number of
Resource Elements (REs) per allocated Physical Resource Block
(PRB).
[0027] According to one aspect, some embodiments include a method
performed by a user equipment for determining a transmission data
block size. The method generally comprises obtaining parameters for
a data transmission, the parameters including at least a number of
layers, a number of allocated resource blocks, a modulation order
and a code rate; determining an effective number of resource
elements; determining a transmission data block size (TDBS) based
on the obtained parameters and the determined effective number of
resource elements; and performing one of transmitting and receiving
data based on the determined transmission data block size.
[0028] According to another aspect, some embodiments include a user
equipment configured, or operable, to perform one or more
functionalities (e.g. actions, operations, steps, etc.) as
described herein.
[0029] In some embodiments, the user equipment may comprise a
processing circuitry configured to: obtain parameters for a data
transmission, the parameters including at least a number of layers,
a number of allocated resource blocks, a modulation order and a
code rate; determine an effective number of resource elements;
determine a transmission data block size (TDBS) based on the
obtained parameters and the determined effective number of resource
elements; and perform one of transmit and receive data based on the
determined transmission data block size.
[0030] In some embodiments, the user equipment (UE) may comprise
one or more functional modules configured to perform one or more
functionalities of the UE as described herein.
[0031] According to another aspect, some embodiments include a
non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a computer program
product comprising instructions which, upon being executed by a
processing circuitry (e.g., at least one processor) of the UE,
configure the processing circuitry to perform one or more UE
functionalities as described herein.
[0032] According to another aspect, there is provided a method for
transmitting or receiving data. The method comprises: transmitting
parameters for a data transmission, the parameters including at
least a number of layers, a number of allocated resource blocks, a
modulation order and a code rate; transmitting an effective number
of resource elements; and performing one of receiving and
transmitting data based on a transmission data block size, which is
determined based on the transmitted parameters and effective number
of resource elements.
[0033] Yet, according to another aspect, there is provided a
network node for transmitting or receiving data. The network node
comprises a processing circuitry configured to: transmit parameters
for a data transmission, the parameters including a number of
layers, a number of allocated resource blocks, a modulation order
and a code rate; transmit an effective number of resource elements;
and perform one of receive and transmit data based on a
transmission data block size, which is determined based on the
transmitted parameters and effective number of resource
elements.
[0034] This summary is not an extensive overview of all
contemplated embodiments and is not intended to identify key or
critical aspects or features of any or all embodiments or to
delineate the scope of any or all embodiments. In that sense, other
aspects and features will become apparent to those ordinarily
skilled in the art upon review of the following description of
specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying
figures.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0035] Exemplary embodiments will be described in more detail with
reference to the following figures, in which:
[0036] FIGS. 1a, 1b and 1c illustrate examples of a slot, slot
variations and a mini-slot according to an NR system.
[0037] FIG. 2 illustrates one example of a wireless communications
system in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be
implemented.
[0038] FIG. 3 is a flow chart that illustrates the operation of a
radio node according to some embodiments of the present
disclosure.
[0039] FIG. 4 is a flow chart that illustrates the operation of a
radio node according to other embodiments of the present
disclosure.
[0040] FIGS. 5 and 6 are block diagrams that illustrate a wireless
device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0041] FIGS. 7 through 9 are block diagrams that illustrate a radio
access node according to some embodiments of the present
disclosure.
[0042] FIG. 10 illustrates a flow chart of a method in a user
equipment (UE) according to some embodiments.
[0043] FIG. 11 illustrates a flow chart of a method in a network
node in accordance with some embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0044] The embodiments set forth below represent information to
enable those skilled in the art to practice the embodiments. Upon
reading the following description in light of the accompanying
figures, those skilled in the art will understand the concepts of
the description and will recognize applications of these concepts
not particularly addressed herein. It should be understood that
these concepts and applications fall within the scope of the
description.
[0045] In the following description, numerous specific details are
set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments may be
practiced without these specific details. In other instances,
well-known circuits, structures, and techniques have not been shown
in detail in order not to obscure the understanding of the
description. Those of ordinary skill in the art, with the included
description, will be able to implement appropriate functionality
without undue experimentation.
[0046] References in the specification to "one embodiment," "an
embodiment," "an example embodiment," etc., indicate that the
embodiment described may include a particular feature, structure,
or characteristic, but every embodiment may not necessarily include
the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover,
such phrases are not necessarily referring to the same embodiment.
Further, when a particular feature, structure, or characteristic is
described in connection with an embodiment, it is submitted that it
is within the knowledge of one skilled in the art to implement such
feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other
embodiments whether or not explicitly described.
[0047] 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. It will be further understood that the
terms "comprises," "comprising," "includes," and/or "including"
when used herein, specify the presence of stated features,
integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do
not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other
features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or
groups thereof.
[0048] In the present application, the terms UE (User Equipment),
terminal, mobile station, handset, wireless device etc. are used
interchangeably to denote a device that communicates with a
wireless infrastructure. The term should not be construed as to
mean any specific type of device, it applies to them all, and the
solutions described here are applicable to all devices that use
methods according embodiments of the present disclosure. Similarly,
a base-station is intended to denote the node in the wireless
infrastructure that communicates with the UE. Different names may
be applicable, and the functionality of the base-station may be
distributed in various ways. For example, there could be a radio
head implementing (or carrying out) parts of the radio protocols
and a centralized unit that implements (or carries out) other parts
of the radio protocols. We will not distinguish such
implementations here, instead the term base-station will refer to
all alternative architectures that can implement (or is operable to
carry out) some embodiments according to the present
disclosure.
[0049] Furthermore, as used herein, a "radio node" is either a
radio access node or a wireless device.
[0050] As used herein, a "radio access node" is any node in a radio
access network of a cellular communications network that operates
to wirelessly transmit and/or receive signals. Some examples of a
radio access node include, but are not limited to, a base station
(e.g., an enhanced or evolved Node B (eNB) in a Third Generation
Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE) network or a
gNB in a 3GPP New Radio (NR) network), a high-power or macro base
station, a low-power base station (e.g., a micro base station, a
pico base station, a home eNB, or the like), and a relay node.
[0051] As used herein, a "core network node" is any type of node in
a core network. Some examples of a core network node include, e.g.,
a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a Packet Data Network (PDN)
Gateway (P-GW), a Service Capability Exposure Function (SCEF), or
the like.
[0052] As used herein, a "wireless device" is any type of device
that has access to (i.e., is served by) a cellular communications
network by wirelessly transmitting and/or receiving signals to a
radio access node(s). Some examples of a wireless device include,
but are not limited to, a User Equipment device (UE) in a 3GPP
network and a Machine Type Communication (MTC) device.
[0053] As used herein, a "network node" is any node that is either
part of the radio access network or the core network of a cellular
communications network/system.
[0054] Note that the description given herein focuses on a 3GPP
cellular communications system and, as such, 3GPP LTE terminology
or terminology similar to 3GPP LTE terminology is oftentimes used.
However, the concepts disclosed herein are not limited to LTE or a
3GPP system.
[0055] Note that, in the description herein, reference may be made
to the term "cell;" however, particularly with respect to the Fifth
Generation (5G), or NR's concepts, beams may be used instead of
cells and, as such, it is important to note that the concepts
described herein are equally applicable to both cells and beams.
Throughout the disclosure, `downlink (DL)/uplink (UL) transmission`
refers to a communication link with a transmitter from one radio
node and a receiver at another radio node. In legacy cellular
systems, the functions of network node and UE node are not
symmetric, therefore there is DL or UL. For the sidelink
communications, two nodes (often both are UE devices) are symmetric
by function. `Sidelink transmission (or communication)` also refers
to a communication link with a transmitter from one node and a
receiver at another node.
[0056] Embodiments of the present disclosure for determining a
transmission data block size potentially allow an easier evolution
or changes of the system and/or improved performance.
[0057] FIG. 2 illustrates one example of a wireless communications
system 10 (e.g., a cellular network) in which embodiments of the
present disclosure may be implemented. As illustrated, the wireless
communications system 10 includes a radio access node 12 that
provides wireless, or radio, access to a wireless device 14. In
some embodiments, the wireless communications system 10 is a 3GPP
LTE network in which case the radio access node 12 may be an eNB
(and thus referred to herein as an eNB 12). In some other
embodiments, the wireless communications system 10 is a 3GPP NR
network in which case the radio access node 12 may be a gNB (and
thus referred to therein as a gNB 12). Notably, for the following
description, the radio access node 12 is an eNB 12 and the wireless
device 14 is a UE (and thus referred to herein as a UE 14);
however, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.
[0058] In the present disclosure, the generic term transmission
data block size (TDBS) is used. Such transmission data block size
(TDBS) may correspond to the transport block size (TBS) as used in
current LTE specifications. Such transmission data block size
(TDBS) may also correspond to different protocol definitions and
different aggregations of radio resource units. Non-limiting
examples of radio resource units include OFDM symbols, spatial
layers, bandwidth parts and carriers. The term PRB (Physical
Resource Block) is also used as a generic term to refer to resource
allocation unit in a system operating based on various protocols,
not only based on current LTE specifications. It will be clear to
one skilled in the art to apply the teaching to these different
definitions or aggregation variations.
[0059] A flow chart illustrating a method 110 for a radio node
according to embodiments of one aspect of the disclosure is
illustrated in FIG. 3. The method 110 is for a radio node, for
example wireless device 14. The method comprises the following
steps:
[0060] Step 100 (optional): Obtaining information that allows to
determine TDBS;
[0061] Step 104: Determining TDBS, wherein the TDBS is based, at
least in part, on an effective number of resource elements,
N.sub.RE;
[0062] Step 108 (optional): Using the determined TDBS in
communication over a radio access link.
[0063] A flow chart illustrating a method 210 for a radio node
according to embodiments of another aspect of the disclosure is
illustrated in FIG. 4. The method is for a radio node, for example
network node 12. The method 210 comprises the following steps:
[0064] STEP 200-A: transmitting information that allows a second
radio node to determine TDBS, the TDBS based at least in part on an
effective number of resource elements; and/or
[0065] STEP 200-B: causing another radio node to transmit
information that allows a second radio node to determine TDBS, the
TDBS based at least in part on an effective number of resource
elements;
[0066] Steps 200-A and 200-B, may both be performed, or only one
may be performed. If both are performed, the information
transmitted in each step may be complementary.
[0067] Further embodiments, that may be used on their own or in
combination with the methods in FIGS. 3 and 4, are described
next.
[0068] Determination Using the Effective Number of Resource
Elements Per PRB (Method A)
[0069] In one aspect of the present disclosure, in a method (A) for
a radio node such as a UE, the transmission data block size is
determined using the effective number of resource elements per PRB.
Throughout the present disclosure, PRB is used as the frequency
domain unit of resource allocation and has no limitation of the
resource allocated in the time domain.
[0070] According to one embodiment according to this aspect, the
radio node (e.g. a UE) determines the transmission data block size
based on a modulation order Q.sub.m, a code rate r, the number of
spatial layers v, the allocated number of PRBs N.sub.PRB and an
effective number of resource elements per PRB N.sub.RE.
[0071] In another nonlimiting embodiment, the transmission data
block size is given by:
N.sub.PRBN.sub.REvQ.sub.mr [1]
[0072] In another nonlimiting embodiment, the transmission data
block size is adjusted to be aligned with a specific size unit
C:
C .times. N P .times. R .times. B N R .times. E .times. v Q m r C [
2 ] ##EQU00001##
[0073] where .left brkt-top.x.right brkt-bot. is the ceiling
function giving the smallest integer no smaller than x. One
nonlimiting example is C=8 such that the transmission data block
size is adjusted to be aligned with byte size:
8 .times. N P .times. R .times. B N R .times. E v Q m r 8 [ 3 ]
##EQU00002##
[0074] Different settings of C allow the transmission data block
size to be adjusted to satisfy different constraints. For example,
in LTE, a transport block may be sub-divided into multiple code
blocks with constraint that all code blocks are of equal size. The
same may be applicable to other protocols.
[0075] In one embodiment, the parameters that are used to derive
the transmission data block size may be known to both the
transmitter and the receiver of a radio access link. In one
embodiment, the parameters (or parameter values, or information
related to the parameters) may be signaled between the transmitter
and receiver either semi-statically, i.e. via higher layer
signaling, or dynamically such as via physical control information
(e.g. downlink control information (DCI)). The signaling of
parameter values can be implicit (e.g. via other parameters) or
explicit (e.g. as standalone parameters). While other variations
are possible, one embodiment is described below:
[0076] Together the modulation order Q.sub.m and code rate r are
signaled dynamically via DCI and are provided by one DCI field
called MCS (modulation and coding scheme). This is described with
further details below:
[0077] The number of spatial layers v is provided by a DCI field,
e.g. with the related MIMO scheme configured semi-statically via
higher layer signaling.
[0078] The number of allocated PRBs N.sub.PRB is signaled
dynamically by a DCI field, or implied by PRB allocation which is
also signaled dynamically by a DCI field.
[0079] The effective number of resource elements per PRB N.sub.RE
can be provided in multiple ways as described below: [0080] i.
Implicitly via other configuration parameters. For example, the
effective number of resource elements per PRB can be determined by
various configurations, including: the slot configuration
(including mini-slot), FDD vs TDD, control region configuration,
the reference symbol configuration etc. In this case, no signaling
of N.sub.RE is necessary. In some embodiments, the implicitly
derived value can also be considered the default value, which can
be overwritten by an explicitly signaled value. [0081] ii.
Explicitly via higher layer signaling. This is a semi-static
configuration of N.sub.RE. For example, the gNB can select a value
of N.sub.RE from a set of predefined values of N.sub.RE, and then
send the selected value of N.sub.RE to the radio node (e.g. a UE)
during RRC configuration or reconfiguration. The selected value of
N.sub.RE is assumed by both the transmitter and receiver for all
subsequent transmissions until a new value is signaled via higher
layer signaling. [0082] iii. Explicitly via DCI. This is a dynamic
configuration of N.sub.RE. For example, the gNB can select a value
of N.sub.RE from a set of predefined values of N.sub.RE, and then
send the selected value to the UE via a DCI field. In some
embodiments, the DCI signaled value is only used for the data
transmission related to the DCI, not for all the subsequent
transmissions. For DCI providing information for a single data
transmission, the value of N.sub.RE may be used for the single data
transmission only. For DCI providing information of semi-persistent
data transmission, the value of N.sub.RE may be used for the
multiple data transmission in the semi-persistent configuration.
[0083] iv. A combination of the above methods. For example,
explicitly via a combination of higher layer signaling and DCI
signaling. This uses a combination of semi-static configuration and
dynamic configuration of N.sub.RE. A higher layer signaling could
be a base value, while an offset from the base value could be
signaled by the DCI.
[0084] In general, the aspects and their embodiments of the present
disclosure are applicable for any radio access link between a
transmitter and a receiver of two different radio nodes,
respectively, including downlink data transmission, uplink data
transmission and side-link communication. For the parameter
N.sub.RE, according to some embodiments, there may be one for the
downlink communication and another one for the uplink
communication. For example, one parameter N.sub.RE.sup.DL,PRB is
defined for the downlink data transmission, while another parameter
N.sub.RE.sup.UL,PRB is defined for the uplink data transmission.
Typically, N.sub.RE.sup.DL,PRB and N.sub.RE.sup.UL,PRB take
independent and different values.
[0085] Furthermore, yet another parameter can be defined for the
sidelink communication. In this case, two peer devices can share a
single sidelink parameter N.sub.RE.sup.SL,PRB.
[0086] For HARQ transmission and retransmission of a same data
block (e.g., transport block, TB), the block size may have to be
kept the same, even when:
[0087] DCI of a transmission or retransmission is not received
correctly, including the initial transmission;
[0088] HARQ-ACK response to a transmission or retransmission is not
received correctly, including the initial transmission;
[0089] Time and/or frequency resource configuration changes between
the (re-)transmissions of a same data block.
[0090] Hence, the base station may have to make sure that when
considering the aggregated effect of all the parameters, the
transmission data block size (TDBS) obtained by embodiments of the
above method stays the same for a given transport block, even if
individual parameter value may change.
[0091] Signaling of MCS
[0092] It's one feature of some embodiments of the present
disclosure that a radio node (e.g. a UE) use an MCS index I.sub.MCS
to determine the modulation order Q.sub.m and code rate r. In one
exemplary embodiment, the radio node (e.g. a UE) reads the
modulation order Q.sub.m and code rate r from an MCS table using
the MCS index I.sub.MCS. A nonlimiting example of the MCS table is
shown in Table 5.
[0093] It is noted that multiple MCS tables can be defined in the
NR system. For example:
[0094] Downlink and uplink may have different MCS tables.
[0095] OFDM and DFT-S-OFDM based transmissions may use different
MCS tables;
[0096] Different radio node (e.g. UE) categories may use different
MCS tables. For example, low-cost UEs (e.g., MTC UE, NB-IoT UEs)
may use different MCS tables.
TABLE-US-00005 TABLE 1 Nonlimiting exemplary MCS table according to
some embodiments of the disclosure MCS index Modulation order Code
rate I.sub.MCS Q.sub.m r .times. 1024 0 2 120 1 2 157 2 2 193 3 2
251 4 2 308 5 2 379 6 2 449 7 2 526 8 2 602 9 2 679 10 4 340 11 4
378 12 4 434 13 4 490 14 4 553 15 4 616 16 4 658 17 6 438 18 6 466
19 6 517 20 6 567 21 6 616 22 6 666 23 6 719 24 6 772 25 6 822 26 6
873 27 6 910 28 6 948
[0097] Signaling of the Effective Number of Resource Elements Per
PRB N.sub.RE
[0098] It's a further feature of some embodiments according to the
present disclosure that the effective number of resource elements
per PRB N.sub.RE is semi-statically configured by the network node
(such as 12) via higher layer signaling system. The effective
number of resource elements per PRB N.sub.RE can be included in the
system information block transmission or broadcast. The effective
number of resource elements per PRB N.sub.RE can be configured by
higher protocols such as the radio resource control (RRC) layer
protocol.
[0099] It's yet another feature of some embodiments according to
the present disclosure that the network node 12, via higher layer
signaling, semi-statically configures a set of values for the
effective number of resource elements per PRB N.sub.RE. An index
may be included in the downlink control information (DCI) to
indicate the N.sub.RE value that the radio node (e.g. UE) should
apply to the corresponding transmission or reception. In one
nonlimiting example, two N.sub.RE values are semi-statically
configured and a 1-bit index is included in the DCI to select the
applicable N.sub.REvalue. In another nonlimiting example, four
N.sub.RE values are semi-statically configured and a 2-bit index is
included in the DCI to select the applicable N.sub.RE value.
[0100] In a further embodiment, the effective one or multiple
numbers of resource elements per PRB N.sub.RE are provided in the
DCI.
[0101] Examples for calculating the effective number of resource
elements per PRB N.sub.RE are now provided.
[0102] One example of calculating N.sub.RE for DL,
N.sub.RE.sup.DL,PRB is:
N.sub.RE.sup.DL,PRB=12.times.n.sub.OFDM-N.sub.RE.sup.PTRS [4]
[0103] Here n.sub.OFDM is the number of OFDM symbols used for data
transmission. Typical value of n.sub.OFDM for a slot is
n.sub.OFDM=5 or n.sub.OFDM=12, where 2 OFDM symbols are excluded
for DL control and DMRS. Lower values of nO.sub.FDM is expected
when a mini-slot is used for data transmission.
[0104] N.sub.RE.sup.PTRS is the average number of resource elements
per PRB used for Phase Tracking Reference Signal (PTRS). In the
above, 12 refers to the number of subcarriers in a PRB, i.e. there
are 12 subcarriers in a PRB in this example.
[0105] In one embodiment, if the slot configuration does not change
between (re-)transmissions associated with the given transport
block, the parameter N.sub.RE.sup.DL,PRB may be calculated by:
N.sub.RE.sup.DL,PRB=12.times.(N.sub.symb.sup.(n.sup.sc.sup.)(n.sub.DataS-
lots-1)+l.sub.DataStop-l.sub.DataStart+1)-N.sub.RE.sup.PTRS [5]
[0106] where n.sub.DataSlots, l.sub.DataStart, l.sub.DataStop are
defined as: [0107] the length in number of slots of the resource
allocation, n.sub.DataSlots, [0108] the first OFDM symbol in the
first slot of the corresponding PDSCH, l.sub.DataStart, [0109] the
last OFDM symbol in the last slot of the corresponding PDSCH,
l.sub.DataStop. [0110] and N.sub.RE.sup.PTRS is the average number
of REs per PRB that is used for PTRS.
[0111] Determination Using the Effective Number of Resource
Elements Per Time-Domain Symbol Per PRB (Method B)
[0112] In another embodiment, in a method (B) for a radio node
(e.g. either a UE or a base station), the transmission data block
size is determined using the effective number of resource elements
per time-domain symbol per PRB. The time-domain symbol can be
either OFDM symbol or DFT-SC-OFDM symbol, for an uplink
transmission for example.
[0113] The UE determines the transmission data block size based on
a modulation order Q.sub.m, a code rate r, the number of spatial
layers v, the allocated number of PRBs N.sub.PRB, the number of
allocated time-domain symbols (OFDM symbols or DFT-SOFDM symbols)
N.sub.symb, and an effective number of resource elements per OFDM
symbol (or DFT-SC-OFDM symbol) per PRB N.sub.RE.sup.symb.
[0114] In one nonlimiting embodiment, the transmission data block
size is given by:
N.sub.PRBN.sub.symbN.sub.RE.sup.symbvQ.sub.mr [6]
[0115] In another nonlimiting embodiment, the transmission data
block size is adjusted to be aligned with a specific size unit
C:
C .times. N P .times. R .times. B N symb N R .times. E symb v Q m r
C [ 7 ] ##EQU00003##
[0116] where [x] is the ceiling function giving the smallest
integer no smaller than x. One nonlimiting example is C=8 such that
the transmission data block size is adjusted to be aligned with
byte size:
8 .times. N P .times. R .times. B N symb N R .times. E symb v Q m r
8 [ 8 ] ##EQU00004##
[0117] Different settings of C allow the transmission data block
size to be adjusted to satisfy different constraints. For example,
currently in LTE, a transport block may be sub-divided into
multiple code blocks with the constraint that all code blocks are
of equal size.
[0118] Similar to some embodiments of the method (A), the
parameters that are used to derive the transmission data block size
are known to both the transmitter and the receiver. The knowledge
about the parameter values is signaled between the transmitter and
receiver either semi-statically via higher layer signaling, or
dynamically via downlink control information (DCI). The signaling
of the parameter values can be implicit or explicit.
[0119] Similar to some embodiments of the method (A), the base
station can make sure that when considering the aggregated effect
of all parameters, the data block size obtained by the above method
stays the same for a given transport block, even if individual
parameter values may change.
[0120] An example for calculating the number of allocated
time-domain symbols N.sub.symb is shown below.
[0121] For DL transmissions, the resource allocation in the time
domain is given by: [0122] the length in number of slots of the
resource allocation, n.sub.DataSlots, [0123] the first OFDM symbol
in the first slot of the corresponding PDSCH, l.sub.DataStart,
[0124] the last OFDM symbol in the last slot of the corresponding
PDSCH, l.sub.DataStop.
[0125] Then,
N.sub.symb=#symbols_per_slot*#slots-#symbols_lost_at_start-#symbols_lost_-
at_end, i.e.:
N.sub.symb=N.sub.symb.sup.(n.sup.sc.sup.)n.sub.DataSlots-l.sub.DataStart-
-(N.sub.symb.sup.(n.sup.sc.sup.)-l.sub.DataStop-1)=N.sub.symb.sup.(n.sup.s-
c.sup.)(n.sub.DataSlots-1)+l.sub.DataStop-l.sub.DataStart+1 [9]
[0126] Examples of N.sub.RE.sup.symb values are provided below.
[0127] If all REs in a time domain symbol per PRB is used for data
transmission, then N.sub.RE.sup.symb=12.
[0128] If on average, d REs cannot be used for data transmission in
a time domain symbol per PRB, then N.sub.RE.sup.symb=12-d.
[0129] Now, turning to FIG. 10, a method 300 in a user equipment
(UE), such 14, for determining the TDBS will be described. Method
300 is an example embodiment of method 110.
[0130] Method 300 comprises the following steps:
[0131] Step 310: Obtaining parameters for a data transmission, the
parameters including at least a number of layers, a number of
allocated resource blocks, a modulation order and a code rate.
[0132] Step 320: Determining an effective number of resource
elements.
[0133] Step 330: Determining a transmission data block based on the
obtained parameters and the determined effective number of resource
elements.
[0134] Step 340: Performing one of transmitting and receiving data
based on the determined transmission data block size.
[0135] For example, in step 310, obtaining the parameters may
comprise receiving a signal comprising information (such as DCI)
from a network node, such as the gNB 12, the information related to
the number of layers, the modulation order and the code rate and
the number of allocated resource blocks. For example, the DCI may
comprise a first field such as the MCS field for indicating the
modulation order and the code rate, a second field for indicating
the number of layers, and a third field (such as a resource
allocation field) for indicating the number of allocated PRBs. The
MCS field may comprise a MCS index, which can be used by the UE to
look up a MCS table to determine the modulation order and code
rate. In some embodiments, the signal or DCI may comprise
information related to the modulation order and the code rate and
the number of allocated resource blocks. The number of layers can
be predefined or configured. In some embodiments, the signal may be
a signaling of higher layer than the physical layer. For example,
the signal can be a RRC signal, which comprises the information
related to the parameters.
[0136] In step 320, the effective number of resource elements
N.sub.RE can be determined in different ways. It should be noted
that the effective number of resource elements represent the number
of REs which are exclusively used for carrying user data (i.e. no
control data).
[0137] For example, the determination of the effective number of
resource elements can be based at least on one or more of: a slot
configuration, mini-slot configuration, control region
configuration, reference symbol configuration, frequency division
duplex and time division duplex.
[0138] In some embodiments, the gNB can select a value of N.sub.RE
from a set of predefined values of N.sub.RE and then send the
selected value to the UE. As such, the UE receives the N.sub.RE via
higher layer signaling, for example, during a RRC configuration.
The gNB can also send the selected value of N.sub.RE via DCI. In
some embodiments, the UE can determine an effective number of
resource elements for an uplink transmission, a downlink
transmission or a sidelink transmission. An example of the
effective number of resource elements for the downlink transmission
(N.sub.RE.sup.DL,PRB) can be determined as follows:
N.sub.RE.sup.DL,PRB=12.times.n.sub.OFDM-N.sub.RE.sup.PTRS
[0139] where n.sub.OFDM is a number of OFDM symbols used for the
data transmission, N.sub.RE.sup.PTRS is an average number of
resource elements per PRB used for Phase Tracking Reference Signal
(PTRS), 12 refers to the number of subcarriers in a PRB.
[0140] In step 330, the UE can determine the TDBS based on the
obtained parameters and the determined effective number of resource
elements as follows:
N.sub.PRBN.sub.REvQ.sub.mr
[0141] where N.sub.PRB is the number of allocated resource blocks,
N.sub.RE is the number of effective resource elements, v is the
number of layers, .sub.m is the modulation order and r is the code
rate.
[0142] In some embodiments, the UE may further adjust the
determined TDBS to be aligned with a size unit, such as C. As such,
the adjusted TDBS is able to satisfy different constraints, imposed
by the size C, for example.
[0143] To do so, the UE may determine the adjusted TDBS as
follows:
C .times. N P .times. R .times. B N R .times. E v Q m r C
##EQU00005##
[0144] It should be noted that the effective number of resource
elements can comprise an effective number of resource elements per
PRB or an effective number of resource elements per time domain
symbol per PRB. For example, the time-domain symbol can be an OFDM
symbol or a DFT-SC-OFDM symbol. In this case, the TDBS can be given
by equation [6] and the adjusted TDBS to align with the size C can
be given by equation [7].
[0145] In step 340, once the TDBS is determined, the UE can either
transmit data or receive data, based on the determined TDBS.
[0146] FIG. 11 illustrates a flow chart of a method 400 for
receiving or transmitting data. Method 400 is an example of method
210 of FIG. 4. Method 400 can be implemented in the network 12, for
example.
[0147] Method 400 comprises the following steps.
[0148] Step 410: transmitting parameters for a data transmission,
the parameters including at least a number of layers, a number of
allocated resource blocks, a modulation and a code rate.
[0149] Step 420: transmitting an effective number of resource
elements.
[0150] step 430: performing one of receiving and transmitting data
based on a transmission data block size, which is determined based
on the transmitted parameters and effective number of resource
elements.
[0151] For example, in step 410, the network node can transmit the
parameters for the data transmission in a signal comprising
information such as DCI. The DCI may comprise different fields for
indicating the parameters. For example, the DCI may have a MCS
field for indicating the modulation order and code rate, a resource
allocation field for indicating the number of allocated PRBs and a
field for indicating the number of layers. In some embodiments, the
signal or DCI may comprise information related to the modulation
order and code rate and the number of allocated PRBs. The number of
layers can be predefined or configured. In some embodiments, the
network node can transmit the parameters using higher layer
signaling, such as a RRC signal.
[0152] In step 420, the network node can first determine the
effective number of resource elements (N.sub.RE) before sending it.
For example, the network node can determine N.sub.RE based on at
least on one or more of: a slot configuration, mini-slot
configuration, control region configuration, reference symbol
configuration, frequency division duplex and time division duplex.
The network node can also select a N.sub.RE value among a set of
predefined effective number of resource elements and then send the
selected N.sub.RE to the UE.
[0153] Furthermore, the effective number of resource elements can
be transmitted to the UE in a signal comprising DCI or through
higher layer signaling such as a RRC signal.
[0154] In step 430, the network node can either transmit data or
receive data, based on a determined TDBS. The TDBS can be
determined by the network node itself or it can be received from
the UE or even from another node.
[0155] FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram of the wireless device
14 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. As
illustrated, the wireless device 14 includes circuitry 16
comprising one or more processors 18 (e.g., Central Processing
Units (CPUs), Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs),
Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), and/or the like) and memory
20. The wireless device 14 also includes one or more transceivers
22 each including one or more transmitter 24 and one or more
receivers 26 coupled to one or more antennas 28. In some
embodiments, the functionality of the wireless device 14 described
above may be fully or partially implemented in software that is,
e.g., stored in the memory 20 and executed by the processor(s) 18.
For example, the processor 18 is configured to perform method 110
of FIG. 3 and method 300 of FIG. 10.
[0156] In some embodiments, a computer program including
instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor 18,
causes the at least one processor 18 to carry out the functionality
of the wireless device 14 according to any of the embodiments
described herein is provided (e.g. methods 110 and 300). In some
embodiments, a carrier containing the aforementioned computer
program product is provided. The carrier is one of an electronic
signal, an optical signal, a radio signal, or a computer readable
storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer readable medium
such as memory).
[0157] FIG. 6 is a schematic block diagram of the wireless device
14 according to some other embodiments of the present disclosure.
The wireless device 14 includes one or more modules 30, each of
which is implemented in software. The module(s) 30 provide the
functionality of the wireless device 14 described herein. The
module(s) 30 may comprise, for example, an obtaining module
operable to perform steps 100 of FIGS. 3 and 310 of FIG. 10, a
determination module operable to perform steps 104 of FIGS. 3 and
320 and 330 of FIG. 10, and a use module operable to perform step
108 of FIG. 3 or a transmitting/receiving module operable to
perform step 340 of FIG. 10.
[0158] FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of a network node 32
(e.g., a radio access node 12) according to some embodiments of the
present disclosure. As illustrated, the network node 32 includes a
control system 34 that includes circuitry comprising one or more
processors 36 (e.g., CPUs, ASICs, FPGAs, and/or the like) and
memory 38. The control system 34 also includes a network interface
40. In embodiments in which the network node 32 is a radio access
node 12, the network node 32 also includes one or more radio units
42 that each include one or more transmitters 44 and one or more
receivers 46 coupled to one or more antennas 48. In some
embodiments, the functionality of the network node 32 described
above may be fully or partially implemented in software that is,
e.g., stored in the memory 38 and executed by the processor(s) 36.
For example, the processor 36 can be configured to perform the
methods 210 of FIGS. 4 and 400 of FIG. 11.
[0159] FIG. 8 is a schematic block diagram of the network node 32
(e.g., the radio access node 12) according to some other
embodiments of the present disclosure. The network node 32 includes
one or more modules 62, each of which is implemented in software.
The module(s) 62 provide the functionality of the network node 32
described herein. The module(s) 62 may comprise a transmitting
module operable to transmit or cause another node to transmit to a
wireless device 14 information that allows determining a TDBS, as
per steps 200-A and 200-B of FIG. 4. The transmitting module may
also be operable to perform the steps 410 and 420 of FIG. 11. The
modules 62 may further comprise a receiving/transmitting module
operable to perform step 430 of FIG. 11.
[0160] FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram that illustrates a
virtualized embodiment of the network node 32 (e.g., the radio
access node 12) according to some embodiments of the present
disclosure. As used herein, a "virtualized" network node 32 is a
network node 32 in which at least a portion of the functionality of
the network node 32 is implemented as a virtual component (e.g.,
via a virtual machine(s) executing on a physical processing node(s)
in a network(s)). As illustrated, the network node 32 optionally
includes the control system 34, as described with respect to FIG.
10. In addition, if the network node 32 is the radio access node
12, the network node 32 also includes the one or more radio units
42, as described with respect to FIG. 10. The control system 34 (if
present) is connected to one or more processing nodes 50 coupled to
or included as part of a network(s) 52 via the network interface
40. Alternatively, if the control system 34 is not present, the one
or more radio units 42 (if present) are connected to the one or
more processing nodes 50 via a network interface(s). Alternatively,
all of the functionality of the network node 32 described herein
may be implemented in the processing nodes 50 (i.e., the network
node 32 does not include the control system 34 or the radio unit(s)
42). Each processing node 50 includes one or more processors 54
(e.g., CPUs, ASICs, FPGAs, and/or the like), memory 56, and a
network interface 58.
[0161] In this example, functions 60 of the network node 32
described herein are implemented at the one or more processing
nodes 50 or distributed across the control system 34 (if present)
and the one or more processing nodes 50 in any desired manner. In
some particular embodiments, some or all of the functions 60 of the
network node 32 described herein are implemented as virtual
components executed by one or more virtual machines implemented in
a virtual environment(s) hosted by the processing node(s) 50. As
will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art, additional
signaling or communication between the processing node(s) 50 and
the control system 34 (if present) or alternatively the radio
unit(s) 42 (if present) is used in order to carry out at least some
of the desired functions. Notably, in some embodiments, the control
system 34 may not be included, in which case the radio unit(s) 42
(if present) communicates directly with the processing node(s) 50
via an appropriate network interface(s).
[0162] In some embodiments, a computer program including
instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor 36,
54, causes the at least one processor 36, 54 to carry out the
functionality of the network node 32 or a processing node 50
according to any of the embodiments described herein is provided.
In some embodiments, a carrier containing the aforementioned
computer program product is provided. The carrier is one of an
electronic signal, an optical signal, a radio signal, or a computer
readable storage medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer readable
medium such as the memory 56.
[0163] The above described embodiments are intended to be examples
only. Alterations, modifications and variations may be effected to
the particular embodiments by those of skilled in the art without
departing from the scope of the description, which is defined by
the appended claims.
ABBREVIATIONS
[0164] The present description may comprise one or more of the
following abbreviations: [0165] 3GPP Third Generation Partnership
Project [0166] 5G Fifth Generation [0167] ACK Acknowledgement
[0168] ASIC Application Specific Integrated Circuit [0169] CC Chase
Combining [0170] CPU Central Processing Unit [0171] CRC Cyclic
Redundancy Check [0172] DCI Downlink Control Information [0173]
DFT-SC-OFDM Discrete Fourier Transform Single Carrier Orthogonal
Frequency Division Multiplexing [0174] eMBB Enhanced Mobile
Broadband [0175] eNB Enhanced or Evolved Node B [0176] FPGA Field
Programmable Gate Array [0177] gNB Base station in 5G network
[0178] HARQ Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request [0179] IR Incremental
Redundancy [0180] LDPC Low-Density Parity-Check [0181] LTE Long
Term Evolution [0182] MCS Modulation and Coding Scheme [0183] MME
Mobility Management Entity [0184] MTC Machine Type Communication
[0185] NACK Negative Acknowledgement [0186] NDI New Data Indicator
[0187] NR New Radio [0188] OFDM Orthogonal Frequency Division
Multiplexing [0189] PDCCH Physical Downlink Control Channel [0190]
PDN Packet Data Network [0191] PDSCH Physical Downlink Shared
Channel [0192] P-GW Packet Data Network Gateway [0193] RV
Redundancy Version [0194] SCEF Service Capability Exposure Function
[0195] SRS Sounding Reference Signal [0196] TRP
Transmission-Receive-Point [0197] UE User Equipment [0198] URLLC
Ultra-Reliable and Low-Latency Communications
* * * * *