JP7673849B2 - User equipment, base station, and method - Google Patents

Description

Non-limiting and exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure relate generally to the technical field of wireless communication, and more particularly to a method, apparatus, and computer program for signal configuration in a wireless communication system.

This section introduces aspects that may facilitate a better understanding of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the statements in this section should be read in this light and not understood as admissions about what is in the prior art or what is not in the prior art.

Motivated by the emergence of new services and the increase in data traffic required by users, more advanced wireless communication technologies are currently being considered, for example, in the third generation partnership project (3GPP). One example of a more advanced wireless communication technology is called Next Radio, also referred to as NR in 3GPP. At the 3GPP RAN#71 meeting, a study item for an NR system was approved. The NR system to be developed may support a frequency range up to 100 GHz, with the aim of using a single technical framework to address all usage scenarios, requirements, and deployment scenarios defined in 3GPP TR38.913, including enhanced mobile broadband, massive machine type communications, and ultra-reliable, low-latency communications.

In the early stages of the NR system study agenda, it is important to gain a common understanding of the requirements for NR systems in terms of radio protocol structure and architecture, and progress in the following areas will be prioritized:
- Basic physical layer signal structure of the new RAT;
- OFDM-based waveforms, with potential support for non-orthogonal waveforms and multiple access;
- other waveforms if justified gain is demonstrated,
- the basic frame structure, and - the channel coding scheme.

To promote smooth evolution, it is assumed that the standardization of a new radio access technology (RAT, e.g., NR system) may include two phases. The Phase I specification of the new RAT should be forward compatible with respect to efficient co-cell/site/carrier operation from Phase II specification onwards, but backward compatibility with legacy wireless communication systems, e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE), is not required. The Phase II specification of the new RAT builds on the foundations of the Phase I specification with the goal of meeting all the requirements set for the new RAT. At the same time, it is necessary to ensure a smooth further evolution beyond Phase II in order to be able to support later advanced features and service requirements identified from Phase II specification onwards.

To ensure forward compatibility, one solution is to incorporate anticipated future applications into the current design of the NR system. For example, Phase I of the NR system design may focus on enhanced Mobile Broadband (eMBB) applications, but features anticipated in later phases such as massive Machine Type Communication (mMTC) applications, Ultra-Reliable and Low Latency Communication (URLLC), direct communication, and shared access communication should also be considered in the development of Phase I. At the 3GPP RAN1#84bis meeting, the basic principles of forward compatibility for the NR system were agreed upon as follows:
- Phase 1 and subsequent phases of NR must be designed based on the following principles to ensure forward compatibility and compatibility of various functions.
- aiming to - maximize the amount of time and frequency resources that can be flexibly used or left blank without causing backward compatibility issues in the future;
- blank resources are available for future use,
- Minimizing the transmission of always-on signals;
- Confining signals and channels for physical layer functions (signals, channels, signaling) within configurable/allocable time/frequency resources.

To solve at least some of the above problems, the present disclosure discloses a method, an apparatus, and a computer program for signal configuration in a wireless communication system.

A first aspect of the present disclosure provides a method implemented in a network device. The method includes transmitting information regarding a resource allocation for a signal, and broadcasting the information in response to the resource allocation, the information including at least one of a reference signal and a control signal including system information.

In one embodiment, the information may indicate at least one of the bandwidth of the resources allocated to the signal, the location of the resources allocated to the signal, the distribution density of the signal in the frequency domain, the distribution pattern of the signal in the frequency domain, the change over time in the distribution pattern of the signal, and the transmission period of the signal in the time domain.

In other embodiments, the information may indicate the bandwidth of the resources assigned to the signal by indicating a portion of the system bandwidth of the network device assigned to the signal. In yet other embodiments, the information may indicate the location of the resources assigned to the signal by indicating a group of physical resource blocks assigned to the signal.

In one embodiment, the method may further include transmitting the control signal in a resource region located within a resource region assigned to the reference signal.

In another embodiment, transmitting information regarding resource allocation for a signal may include transmitting the information over a broadcast channel. In a further embodiment, transmitting the information over a broadcast channel may include transmitting the broadcast channel with a selected cyclic redundancy check (CRC) mask, the CRC mask indicating the information.

In one embodiment, transmitting information regarding resource allocation for a signal may include transmitting a synchronization signal sequence to indicate the information. In another embodiment, transmitting a synchronization signal sequence to indicate the information may include transmitting the synchronization signal sequence with an associated indication of the information, the associated indication indicating at least one of a selected index, a selected type, and a selected root value of the synchronization signal sequence. In a further embodiment, transmitting a synchronization signal sequence to indicate the information may include transmitting a first synchronization signal sequence at a first time instance and transmitting a second synchronization signal sequence at a second time instance, the time gap between the first time instance and the second time instance indicating the information.

In one embodiment, the system bandwidth of the network device may be divided into a plurality of resource regions, and the method may further include transmitting numerology information and/or information regarding the resource allocation for the signal for at least one resource region of the plurality of resource regions. In another embodiment, transmitting numerology information and/or information regarding the resource allocation for the signal for at least one resource region of the plurality of resource regions may include transmitting the numerology information and/or information regarding the resource allocation for the signal for the at least one resource region via a broadcast channel in one of the at least one resource region. In a further embodiment, transmitting numerology information and/or information regarding the resource allocation for the signal for at least one resource region of the plurality of resource regions may include transmitting numerology information and/or information regarding the resource allocation for the signal for each resource region of the at least one resource region via a broadcast channel in the respective resource region.

A second aspect of the present disclosure provides a method implemented in a terminal device. The method includes receiving information regarding a resource allocation for a signal from a network device, and receiving the signal broadcast by the network device in response to the resource allocation, the signal including at least one of a reference signal and a control signal including system information.

In a third aspect of the present disclosure, a network device is provided. The network device includes a configuration transmission unit that transmits information regarding resource allocation for a signal, and a signal transmission unit that broadcasts the signal in response to the resource allocation, and the signal includes at least one of a reference signal and a control signal including system information.

In a fourth aspect of the present disclosure, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes an information receiving unit that receives information regarding resource allocation for a signal from a network device, and a signal receiving unit that receives the signal broadcast by the network device in response to the resource allocation, the signal including at least one of a reference signal and a control signal including system information.

In a fifth aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a network device. The network device includes a processor and a memory, the memory including instructions executable by the processor, and the processor is configured to cause the network device to perform a method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

In a sixth aspect of the present disclosure, a terminal device is provided. The terminal device includes a processor and a memory, the memory includes instructions executed by the processor, and the processor is configured to cause the terminal device to execute a method according to the second aspect of the present disclosure.

A seventh aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer program comprising instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

An eighth aspect of the present disclosure provides a computer program comprising instructions that, when executed on at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to perform a method according to the second aspect of the present disclosure.

According to various aspects and embodiments described above, resource utilization can be controlled more flexibly. For example, transmission of signals (e.g., always-on signals) can be minimized for different scenarios and/or time/frequency resources that can be flexibly utilized or left for future use can be maximized.

The above and other aspects, features and advantages of various embodiments of the present disclosure will become more fully apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which, by way of example, like reference numbers or letters are used to indicate similar or equivalent elements. The drawings are presented to facilitate a better understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure and are not necessarily drawn to scale.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example wireless communication network 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented.

FIG. 2 shows a flowchart of a method implemented in a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3a shows an example of resource allocation for reference signals. FIG. 3b shows an example of resource allocation for reference signals. FIG. 3c shows an example of resource allocation for reference signals. FIG. 3d shows an example of resource allocation for reference signals. FIG. 3e shows an example of resource allocation for reference signals. FIG. 3f shows an example of resource allocation for reference signals. FIG. 3g shows an example of resource allocation for reference signals. FIG. 3h shows an example of resource allocation for reference signals.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example implementation for transmitting information regarding resource allocation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5a shows an example for showing information based on time distance/gap. FIG. 5b shows an example for showing information based on time distance/gap.

FIG. 6 shows a flowchart of another method implemented in a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7a shows a schematic block diagram illustrating numerology information for resource regions. FIG. 7b shows a schematic block diagram illustrating numerology information for resource regions.

FIG. 8a shows a flowchart of a method implemented in a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 8b shows a flowchart of a method implemented in a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8c shows a flowchart of another method implemented in a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 illustrates a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 900 implemented as/in a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 1000 implemented as/in a terminal device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 11 shows a simplified block diagram of an apparatus 1110, which may be embodied as/in a network apparatus, and an apparatus 1120, which may be embodied as/in a terminal apparatus.

Hereinafter, the principles and spirit of the present disclosure will be described with reference to exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that all these embodiments are provided only to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and further practice the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure. For example, features illustrated or described as part of one embodiment may be used with other embodiments to produce further embodiments. For clarity, actual implementations are not described in this specification.

In the specification, references to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," "an exemplary embodiment," and the like, may indicate that the described embodiment includes a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but do not require that all embodiments include the particular feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment. Moreover, 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 of ordinary skill in the art to affect such feature, structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments, whether or not explicitly stated.

Terms such as "first" and "second" may be used herein to describe various elements, but it should be understood that these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element can be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element can be referred to as a first element, without departing from the scope of the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed terms.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting to example embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that "comprises", "comprising", "has", "having", "includes" and/or "including", as used herein, specify the presence of stated features, elements, and/or components, etc., but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, elements, components, and/or combinations thereof.

In the following description and claims, unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs.

For purposes of illustration, some embodiments of the present disclosure are described in the context of an NR system, but it should be understood that the principles of the present disclosure may be used more broadly. That is, embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in any wireless communication system in which similar challenges exist, such as, for example, a fifth generation (5G) communication system, and/or any other system now known or developed in the future.

As used herein, the term "network device" refers to a device in a wireless communication network through which a terminal device accesses the network and receives services therefrom. A network device may refer to a base station (BS) or an access point (AP), such as a Node B (NodeB or NB), an evolved Node B (eNodeB or eNB), a remote radio unit (RRU), a radio header (RH), a remote radio head (RRH), a relay device, a low power node such as femto, pico, etc.

The term "terminal device" refers to any end device that can connect to and receive services from a wireless communication network. By way of example and not limitation, a terminal device may be referred to as a user equipment (UE), a subscriber station (SS), a portable subscriber station, a mobile station (MS), or an access terminal (AT). Terminal devices may include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, tablets, wearable devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable computers, image capture terminal devices such as digital cameras, gaming terminal devices, music storage and playback devices, wearable terminal devices, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, and the like. In the following description, the terms "terminal device", "terminal", "user equipment" and "UE" may be used interchangeably.

1 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication network 100 in which embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the wireless communication network 100 may include one or more network devices, such as, for example, a network device 101, which may be in the form of an eNB. It will be appreciated that the network device 101 may also be in the form of a NodeB, a Base Transceiver Station (BTS), and/or a Base Station Subsystem (BSS), an Access Point (AP), etc. The network device 101 may provide wireless connectivity to a set of terminal devices, such as, for example, UEs 102 and 103, within its coverage. Downlink (DL) transmissions in this specification refer to transmissions from the network device to the terminal devices, and uplink (UL) transmissions refer to transmissions in the opposite direction.

To connect to the wireless communication system 100, the terminal device (e.g., UE 102) must first synchronize with the network device (e.g., network device 101). This can be done, for example, by detecting a synchronization signal (SS) transmitted from the network device. In addition to the synchronization signal, the UE 102 may also detect a reference signal (RS) from the network device 101 to obtain finer synchronization. Even after obtaining synchronization, the UE 102 still needs to obtain some necessary system information from the network device to enable initial connection. Even after establishing a connection with the network device, the UE 102 may still need to perform measurements based on some reference signals from the network device to assist radio resource management (RRM) on the network side. That is, some signals will always be transmitted by the network device to enable initial access, paging, mobility or other RRM-related measurements of the terminal device. These signals may be called "always-on" signals.

In the LTE system, the always-on signals include a primary synchronization signal (PSS), a secondary reference signal (SSS), a common reference signal (CRS), a demodulation reference signal (DRS), a master information block (MIB), and a system information block (SIB). In future wireless communication systems, such as NR systems, the always-on signals may include fewer, more, or different signals than those in the LTE system. Furthermore, the current design of the always-on signals in the LTE system is hardly applicable to the NR system because most of the always-on signals in the LTE system are fixed in resource allocation. That means that the resources occupied by such signals cannot be reused for future purposes. For example, in LTE, the CRS is present in all subframes across the entire system bandwidth. Many LTE features and implementations are built on this assumption. As a result, the requirements for forward compatibility cannot be met. Therefore, a new signal design for the NR system is required.

To enable forward compatibility, one method is to minimize the transmission of always-on signals. For example, always-on signal transmissions may be condensed in a time-intensive manner. Alternatively, CRS signals may be transmitted with a minimum bandwidth in the frequency domain. However, it remains open as to how to minimize the transmission of always-on signals and/or maximize the amount of time and frequency resources that can be flexibly utilized by future wireless communication systems, e.g., Phase II NR systems.

To solve at least some of the above problems, a method, an apparatus and a computer program are proposed herein. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to NR systems being developed by 3GPP, but may be more broadly applied to any scenario in which similar problems exist.

Reference is now made to FIG. 2, which illustrates a flow chart of a method 200 implemented on a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For simplicity, the method 200 is described below with reference to the network device 101 shown in FIG. 1. However, it should be understood that the method 200 may be implemented by any other network device.

As shown in FIG. 2, in block 210, the network device 101 transmits information regarding resource allocation for a signal. For illustration and not limitation, in one embodiment, the signal may include at least one of a reference signal and a control signal including system information. For example, the signal may be an always-on reference signal that is measured by a group of terminal devices or all terminal devices served by the network device for synchronization and/or RRM measurements. The signal may be a reference signal such as a CRS as specified in 3GPP LTE. In another example, the signal may be a control signal that is detected by a group of terminal devices or all terminal devices served by the network device to obtain system information. The signal may be similar to an SIB as specified in LTE. It should be understood that embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to any particular type of signal. In some embodiments, the signal may be different from reference signals such as CRS and SIBs and may be utilized for different purposes.

The operation of block 210 allows the resource allocation for signals to be configurable, meaning that the resources allocated to the signals can be adjusted based on need. This allows the network device to minimize resource allocation for signals, thereby improving resource efficiency.

In block 220, the network device 101 broadcasts a signal according to the resource allocation. In this way, the network device (e.g., the network device 101 in FIG. 1) can control/set the resource allocation for the signal broadcast by the network device and to be detected by multiple terminal devices, and can transmit the signal with the set resource configuration, rather than transmitting the signal with fixed (e.g., wideband) resources as in current LTE. This allows the resources of the network device to be managed more flexibly.

The embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to any particular configuration message for configuring the resource allocation for the signal. For illustrative purposes only, in one embodiment, the information regarding the resource allocation for the signal transmitted in block 210 may indicate at least one of the following:
- the bandwidth of resources allocated to the signal;
- resource location allocated to the signal;
- distribution density of the signal in the frequency domain;
- the distribution pattern of the signal in the frequency domain;
- the time evolution of the distribution pattern of the signal; and - the transmission period of the signal in the time domain.

In Figures 3a-3h, some examples are shown to illustrate resource allocation for signals. For simplicity, in these examples, the signals are assumed to be CRS, but it should be understood that the embodiments are not limited thereto and similar principles may be applied to other signals. Similarly, in these examples, the broadcast channel is shown to be PBCH, but it should be understood that the embodiments are not limited thereto and similar principles may be applied to other broadcast channels.

As shown in FIG. 3a, in one embodiment, the network device may configure several central frequency resources around f0 within the system bandwidth for CRS. The bandwidth/location of the allocated resources may be indicated to the terminal device in block 210. In one embodiment, the network device may indicate the bandwidth of the allocated resources by indicating the portion of the network device's system bandwidth allocated to a signal. For example, the network device may indicate that ¼ or ½ or ¾ or 1 (all) of the system bandwidth is allocated to CRS transmission. This may be indicated, for example, via a two-bit indication. Another example is provided in FIG. 3b, where the network device allocates all available system bandwidth to CRS transmission.

In these examples, the synchronization signal (SS), physical broadcast channel (PBCH), and CRS are shown occurring in the same transmission time interval (TTI), but it should be understood that in other embodiments, these signals/channels may be transmitted in different TTIs.

In Figures 3c and 3d, an example with distributed resource allocation for CRS is provided. As shown in Figure 3c, the network device may allocate approximately 1/2 of the system bandwidth for CRS, and the allocated resources are distributed across the system bandwidth with a density of 0.5. A density of 0.5 means that CRS is transmitted only on even or odd PRBs or PRB groups. In this case, since there is no always-on signal on the 1/2 resources, the 1/2 resources (except for the middle few PRBs) in this time interval can be left for future use by UEs.

A distributed resource allocation with a density of 0.25 for CRS is shown in Figure 3d. With a density of 0.25, except for a few PRBs in the middle, 3/4 resources in this time interval can be left for future use since there is no always-on signal.

In one embodiment, the network device 101 may indicate to the terminal device the density and/or bandwidth of the allocated resources in block 210. In other embodiments, the system bandwidth may be divided into multiple resource groups. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 3c, there are two groups, and in the example shown in FIG. 3d, there are four groups. Then, in block 210, the network device may indicate to the terminal device the group of resources of the terminal device (e.g., listing all resource blocks to be allocated) or indicate the group number, or in other words, the index of the group (e.g., the second group) to the terminal device.

Alternatively or additionally, there may be several predefined patterns or densities for CRS resource allocation. Each pattern may indicate a different distribution of CRS in the frequency domain, or in the frequency and time domain. The network device may indicate the pattern (e.g., an index of the pattern) to the terminal device in block 210.

A periodic transmission of the CRS is shown generally in Figures 3e-3h. As shown in Figure 3e, the CRS may be transmitted with a period of 5 ms. However, it should be understood that embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to any particular period of the signal. In one embodiment, in block 210, the network device may indicate the period to the terminal device.

In the example of FIG. 3f, different CRS distribution patterns, which may be referred to as "CRS patterns" or "CRS transmission patterns", are employed for different periods of time. This may be referred to as CRS pattern hopping. In one embodiment, the network device may indicate to the terminal device in block 210 how the CRS pattern hops/changes over time. CRS pattern hopping may result in a change in at least one of the resource location, density and bandwidth of the CRS transmission. In the example of FIG. 3f, the resource location of the CRS changes but the density remains unchanged due to pattern hopping. In FIG. 3g, the resource location changes over time but the resource bandwidth remains unchanged. In another example shown in FIG. 3h, the bandwidth of the CRS also changes over time. As shown in FIG. 3h, in TTIs with PBCH, the CRS is wideband, while in other TTIs without PBCH, the CRS is narrowband. Furthermore, in other TTIs, pattern hopping may be used.

As shown in some examples in Figures 3a-3h, the CRS may always be present in some central PRBs in which the PBCH is transmitted to facilitate PBCH detection. However, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the CRS may also be transmitted distributed across some central PRBs, for example, with a density of 0.5.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to any particular method for transmitting information regarding resource allocation in a signal (e.g., a reference signal such as a CRS). For illustrative purposes only, some example implementations 211 and 212 of block 210 are provided below with reference to FIG. 4.

すなわち、リソース割り当てに関する情報は、ＭＩＢの「ＣＲＳ帯域幅（CRS bandwidth）」のフィールドを介して示されてもよい。使用されている用語及び／又は技術に応じて、情報を送信するための正確なブロードキャストチャネルは異なり得る。 As shown in Figure 4, in one embodiment, the network device may transmit information over a broadcast channel in block 211. For example, the network device may transmit at least a portion of the information as a payload of a broadcast channel, such as the PBCH. Specifically, information regarding CRS resource allocation may be transmitted in the PBCH as part of a master information block (MIB), as follows:

That is, information regarding resource allocation may be indicated via the "CRS bandwidth" field of the MIB. Depending on the terminology and/or technology used, the exact broadcast channel for transmitting the information may vary.

Alternatively or additionally, in other embodiments, the network device may transmit at least a portion of the information implicitly, for example, by transmitting a broadcast channel with a selected CRC mask. The selected CRC mask indicates at least a portion of the information. For example, assume there are four predefined CRC masks, and by selecting one CRC mask from the four predefined CRC masks, two bits of information can be indicated.

As another alternative, as shown in FIG. 4, the network device may transmit at least a portion of the information by transmitting a synchronization signal sequence (SS). That is, in block 212, the network device may transmit a synchronization signal sequence to indicate at least a portion of the information. In an NR system, the length of the cyclic prefix (CP) of the symbol may be UE-specific rather than cell-specific, and in such a case, it may not be necessary for the CP-related information to be indicated by the SS. In one embodiment, the network device may reuse the CP indication to indicate information regarding resource allocation for signals such as CRS.

In current LTE, the SS includes a PSS and an SSS. However, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to such a design for the SS. For example, in other embodiments, the SS may include only a single synchronization signal sequence. In embodiments in which the SSS includes both a PSS and an SSS, the PSS and SSS may be transmitted within one TTI for forward compatibility, regardless of whether the system is a frequency division duplex (FDD) or a time division duplex (TDD) system.

In one embodiment, the network device may use different SS sequences (e.g., different sequence indexes or different sequence types, etc.) to indicate CRS resource allocation related information. In other embodiments, the network device may use different root values of the synchronization signal sequence to indicate information regarding resource allocation of the signal. That is, in block 212, the network device may select and transmit a synchronization signal sequence with an associated indication, which indicates information regarding resource allocation of the signal or a portion of the signal.

As explained above, the associated indication may include at least one of a selected index of the synchronization signal sequence, a selected type of the synchronization signal sequence, and a selected root value of the synchronization signal sequence. For example, if the SS is a ZC sequence, different root values of the ZC sequence may be used to indicate information regarding resource allocation of the signal (e.g., CRS). In other embodiments, other sequences than ZC sequences may be used.

Alternatively or additionally, in other embodiments, the network device may use different time distances between the PSS and SSS transmissions, or between two adjacent PSS transmissions, or between two adjacent SSS transmissions, or between two adjacent SS transmissions, to indicate information regarding resource allocation of the signal or a portion of the signal. That is, in block 212, the network device may transmit a first synchronization signal sequence at a first time instance and a second synchronization signal sequence at a second time instance. The time gap between the first and second instances indicates information regarding resource allocation of the signal.

In one embodiment, the first synchronization signal sequence and the second synchronization signal sequence may be the same synchronization signal sequence (e.g., PSS, SSS, or SS). In other embodiments, the first synchronization signal sequence and the second synchronization signal sequence may be different. For example, the first synchronization signal sequence and the second synchronization signal sequence may be PSS and SSS, respectively.

In Figs. 5a-5b, examples for indicating information based on time distance/time gap are shown. In Fig. 5a, a time gap of m=1 symbol indicates a wideband CRS, and in Fig. 5b, a time gap of n=2 symbols indicates a narrowband CRS, e.g., a CRS with a resource allocation of 1/2 system bandwidth. It should be understood that in other embodiments, different values of m and n can be used for such indication. For example, m=3 symbols may indicate a wideband CRS for a TDD system, and n=4 symbols may indicate a narrowband CRS with 1/2 DL system bandwidth for a TDD system.

Although some embodiments are described in the context of CRS resource allocation, it should be understood that the same principles apply to other signals, e.g., control signals carrying system information such as SIBs. That is, the network device may transmit information regarding resource allocation in the SIB (e.g., in block 210 of FIG. 2) and then broadcast the SIB according to the resource allocation, e.g., in block 220 of FIG. 2. Thus, the description provided with reference to CRS also applies to SIBs.

In other embodiments, the resources of the control signal (e.g., SIB) may be indicated implicitly. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the method may optionally include block 230. Throughout the context of this disclosure, optional elements are indicated by dashed blocks in the flowcharts and/or block diagrams. In block 230, the network device may transmit the control signal with resources located within the resource region allocated for the reference signal (e.g., the central narrow band shown in FIG. 3a). Thus, the UE only needs to decode the control signal in the configured CRS resource region.

Reference is now made to FIG. 6, which illustrates another method 600 implemented in a network device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Method 600 may be considered as another example implementation of method 200. In this example implementation, it is assumed that the system bandwidth of the network device is divided into multiple resource regions.

As shown in FIG. 6, method 600 includes blocks 610-630. In blocks 610 and 620, the network may perform operations similar to those of blocks 210 and 220, respectively, and therefore details are omitted for simplicity. In block 630, the network device transmits numerology information for at least one resource region of the plurality of resource regions. The numerology information may include subcarrier spacing or CP length, etc. Method 600 allows the network device to apply different numerologies to different resource regions, thus allowing more flexibility in resource utilization.

Further, in one embodiment, at block 610, the network device may transmit information regarding resource allocation for the signal for at least one of the multiple resource regions. In this manner, the network device may allocate resources to the signal in different manners in the multiple resource regions. For example, the network device may configure resources for the signal only in a particular region and/or the network device may configure different resource allocation patterns for each resource region. This may further increase the flexibility of resource configuration.

7a-7b show an example of dividing the system bandwidth into three resource regions (701, 702 and 703). However, it can be understood that in other examples, the system bandwidth may be divided into more or fewer resource regions. The network device may transmit numerology information for one or more resource regions (e.g., via block 630) in various ways and/or transmit information regarding resource allocation for the signal (e.g., via block 610). For example, as shown in FIG. 7a, in block 630, the network device may transmit numerology information for at least one resource region via a single broadcast channel in one of the at least one resource region (the central resource region 702 in this example). Alternatively or additionally, in block 610, the network device may transmit information regarding resource allocation for the signal for at least one resource region via a single broadcast channel in one of the at least one resource region. For example, the network device may transmit numerology information for all resource regions except the central resource region and/or transmit information regarding resource allocation for signals for all resource regions via the PBCH in the central resource region. The numerology information for the central resource region may be fixed or may be predefined.

In other embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7b, the network device may transmit numerology information for each resource region and/or information regarding resource allocation for signals via a broadcast channel in each resource region. That is, the network device may transmit numerology information for the i-th resource region (e.g., 701 shown in FIG. 7b) via a broadcast channel (e.g., PBCH) of the i-th resource region. In other embodiments, the network device 101 may transmit numerology information and information regarding resource allocation for signals in a different manner. For example, numerology information may be transmitted as shown in FIG. 7a in block 630, but information regarding resource allocation for signals may be transmitted in a manner as shown in FIG. 7b in block 610, or vice versa.

Reference is now made to FIG. 8a, which illustrates a flow chart of a method 800 implemented on the terminal device side according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For simplicity, the method 800 is described below with reference to the terminal device 102 shown in FIG. 1. However, it can be understood that the method 800 can also be implemented by any other terminal device.

8a, in block 810, the terminal device 102 receives information on resource allocation for signals from a network device (e.g., network device 101). The information received by the terminal device 102 may be transmitted by the network device 101 according to the methods 200 or 600 described with reference to Figs. 2 and 6, respectively. Thus, the description of the signals and the information on resource allocation for the signals provided with reference to methods 200 and 600 also applies here and will not be repeated for the sake of brevity. For example, as described with reference to methods 200 and 600, the signals may include at least one of a reference signal (such as, but not limited to, CRS) and a control signal including system information (such as, but not limited to, SIB). Some examples of resource allocation for signals can be found in Figs. 3a-3h.

Depending on the transmission method used for the information at the transmitter side, the terminal device may receive the information in different ways. In FIG. 8b, exemplary embodiments 811 and 812 of block 810 are provided for illustration.

In one embodiment, as described with reference to FIG. 4, the network device 101 may transmit information regarding resource allocation of the signal via a broadcast channel. Thus, as shown in FIG. 8b, in block 811, the terminal device may receive the information via the broadcast channel. In one embodiment, in block 811, the terminal device may receive the information by detecting the payload (e.g., MIB) of the broadcast channel. In another embodiment, in block 811, the terminal device may detect a CRC mask of the broadcast channel and obtain the information based on the detected CRC mask.

In other embodiments, the network device may transmit the information by, for example, transmitting a synchronization signal sequence, block 212 of FIG. 4. In this case, as shown in FIG. 8b, the terminal device may receive the information by detecting the synchronization signal sequence, block 812. For example, the terminal device may detect an indication associated with the synchronization signal sequence and may obtain the information or a portion of the information based on the detected indication. In one embodiment, the detected indication may include at least one of an index, a type, and a root value of the synchronization signal sequence. In this way, the terminal device implicitly derives the information.

Alternatively or additionally, in other embodiments, in block 812, the terminal device may receive a first synchronization signal sequence at a first time instance and a second synchronization signal sequence at a second time instance, and may obtain information based on a time gap between the first time instance and the second time instance. In one embodiment, the first synchronization signal sequence and the second synchronization signal sequence may be the same synchronization signal sequence (e.g., PSS, SSS, or SS). In other embodiments, the first synchronization signal sequence and the second synchronization signal sequence may be different. For example, the first synchronization signal sequence and the second synchronization signal sequence may be PSS and SSS, respectively.

Referring to FIG. 8a, in block 820, the terminal device receives a signal broadcast by the network device according to the resource allocation. In one embodiment, the signal may be a reference signal similar to the CRS defined in LTE. At this point, in block 820, the terminal device may receive the reference signal with the resource allocation indicated by the signal received in block 810. In another embodiment, the signal may be a control signal similar to the system information block 1 (SIB1) defined in LTE, and in block 820, the terminal device may receive the control signal with the resource allocation indicated by the information received in block 810.

Optionally, in one embodiment, resource allocations for control signals, such as SIBs, may be predefined to be within resource regions allocated for reference signals, such as CRSs. In such an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8a, the method 800 may further include block 830, in which the terminal device 102 may detect control signals in resources located within the resource regions allocated for reference signals. This embodiment may simplify detection of SIBs.

In some embodiments, the system bandwidth of the network device 101 may be divided into multiple resource regions, and different numerologies may be applied to different resource regions to improve flexibility of resource utilization. To enable this, as shown in FIG. 8a, the method 800 may optionally include block 840. In block 840, the terminal may receive numerology information for at least one resource region of the multiple resource regions. Alternatively or additionally, in other embodiments, in block 810, the terminal may receive information regarding resource allocation for a signal for at least one resource region of the multiple resource regions.

In one embodiment, in block 840, the terminal device may receive numerology information for at least one resource region via a broadcast channel in one of the at least one resource region. In one embodiment, the numerology for the resource region in which the broadcast channel is located may be fixed or predefined. In another embodiment, in block 810, the terminal device may receive information regarding a resource allocation for a signal for at least one resource region via a broadcast channel in one of the at least one resource region.

In other embodiments, there may be a broadcast channel in more than one resource region. In some embodiments, in block 840, the terminal device may receive numerology information for each of the at least one resource regions via a broadcast channel in the respective resource region. Alternatively or additionally, in other embodiments, in block 810, the terminal device may receive information regarding resource allocations for signals for each of the at least one resource regions via a broadcast channel in the respective resource region. This allows the numerology information and/or information regarding resource allocations for signals to be distributed across several broadcast channels.

Embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit any particular number of resource regions and number of broadcast channels for transmitting numerology information.

An exemplary embodiment 801 of method 800 is shown in FIG. 8c. As shown in FIG. 8c, the terminal device may receive the SS in block 850. The SS may be transmitted by the network device periodically in fixed frequency/time resources. In one embodiment, as in legacy LTE, the SS may include a PSS and an SSS. In another embodiment, a transmission mechanism similar to that in LTE may be used for the NR system, but the PSS and the SSS may be transmitted within one TTI in the central 6 PRBs or several PRBs. After detecting the SS, the terminal device may obtain coarse synchronization with the network device, a cell ID, and a duplex type.

In block 860, the terminal device may receive the PBCH transmitted by the network device. The MIB may be transmitted in the PBCH by the network device. After detecting/receiving the PBCH, the terminal device may obtain information related to the system bandwidth, the number of CRS ports, and the frame number. In one embodiment, the terminal device may also obtain information regarding resource allocation for the CRS, such as CRS bandwidth/period/CRS density/location, etc. In another embodiment, the information regarding resource allocation for the CRS may be obtained instead via the SS received in block 850. In a further embodiment, the information regarding resource allocation for the CRS may be obtained based on a combination of the SS detected in block 850 and the MIB detected in block 860. For simplicity, the CRS bandwidth may be a portion of the system bandwidth, such as 1 (all), 3/4, 1/2, 1/4 of the system bandwidth. In yet another embodiment, the terminal device may obtain information regarding possible time/frequency locations of the SIB via reception in blocks 850 and/or 860.

Then, in block 870, the CRS is transmitted by the network device in the configured time/frequency resources according to the information transmitted in the SS and/or MIB, and the terminal device detects the CRS according to the acquired information on resource allocation. The terminal may perform fine synchronization and/or RRM measurements based on the detected CRS. Optionally, the network device may transmit the SIB in the configured time/frequency resources according to the information transmitted in the SS and/or MIB. That is, in one embodiment, the transmission period, the time offset between the two synchronization signal sequences, and the frequency domain of the SIB may be broadcast via the MIB and/or SS. In another embodiment, the resources for the SIB may be predefined to be within the configured resources for the CRS. In block 880, the terminal device detects the SIB according to the acquired information on the resource allocation of the CRS and/or the SIB in blocks 850 and/or 860.

Reference is now made to FIG. 9, which shows a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 900 in a wireless communication network (e.g., wireless communication network 100 shown in FIG. 1). The apparatus 900 may be implemented as/in a network device, e.g., network device 101 shown in FIG. 1. The apparatus 900 is operable to perform the exemplary methods 200 or 600 described with reference to FIGS. 2-7, and any other possible processes or methods. It should also be understood that the methods 200 or 500 are not necessarily performed by the apparatus 900. At least some steps of the method 200 may be performed by one or more other entities.

As shown in FIG. 9, the apparatus 900 includes a configuration transmitting unit 901 configured to transmit information regarding a resource allocation for a signal, and a signal transmitting unit 902 configured to broadcast a signal according to the resource allocation. In one embodiment, the signal may include at least one of a reference signal and a control signal including system information.

In some embodiments, the device 900 may be used to perform methods 200 or 600, and therefore the descriptions regarding the operation of transmitting information and broadcasting signals provided with respect to methods 200 and 600 also apply to the configuration transmitting unit 901 and the signal transmitting unit 902. Similarly, the descriptions regarding information and signals provided with reference to methods 200 and 600 also apply here and will not be repeated in detail for the sake of brevity.

In one embodiment, the setting transmitter 901 may be configured to transmit the information or a portion thereof over a broadcast channel. For example, the setting transmitter 901 may be configured to transmit the information as a payload or over a broadcast channel with a selected CRC mask, the selected CRC mask being configured to indicate the information.

Alternatively or additionally, in other embodiments, the setting transmission unit 901 may be configured to transmit a synchronization signal sequence to indicate information or a portion of information. For example, the setting transmission unit 901 may be configured to transmit a synchronization signal sequence with an associated indication, where the associated indication indicates information. In one embodiment, the associated indication may include at least one of a selected index, a selected type, and a selected root value of the synchronization signal sequence. In other embodiments, the setting transmission unit 901 may be configured to transmit a first synchronization signal sequence at a first time instance and a second synchronization signal sequence at a second time instance, where a time gap between the first time instance and the second time instance may indicate information.

Optionally, in one embodiment, the apparatus 900 may further include a control signal transmission unit 903 configured to transmit a control signal in resources located within the resource region allocated for the reference signal.

In other embodiments, the system bandwidth of the network device is divided into multiple resource regions, and the device 900 may further include a numerology information transmission unit 904 configured to transmit numerology information for at least one of the multiple resource regions.

For illustrative purposes only, in one embodiment, the numerology information transmitting unit 904 may be configured to transmit numerology information for at least one resource region via a broadcast channel in one of the at least one resource region. In other embodiments, the numerology information transmitting unit 904 may be configured to transmit numerology information for at least one resource region via multiple broadcast channels. For example, the numerology information transmitting unit may be configured to transmit numerology information for each resource region of the at least one resource region via a broadcast channel in the respective resource region.

Reference is now made to FIG. 10, which illustrates a schematic block diagram of an apparatus 1000 in a wireless communication network (e.g., wireless communication network 100 shown in FIG. 1). The apparatus 1000 may be implemented as/in a terminal device, e.g., terminal device 102 shown in FIG. 1. The apparatus 1000 is operable to perform the exemplary method 800 described with reference to FIGS. 8a-8b, as well as any other possible processes or methods. It should also be understood that the method 800 is not necessarily performed by the apparatus 1000, as at least some steps of the method 800 may be performed by one or more other entities.

As shown in Fig. 10, the device 1000 includes an information receiving unit 1001 and a signal receiving unit 1002. The information receiving unit 1001 may be configured to receive information on resource allocation for signals from a network device (e.g., the network device 101 shown in Fig. 1), and the signal receiving unit 1002 may be configured to receive signals broadcasted by the network device according to the resource allocation. The information and signals received by the device 1000 may be those transmitted by the network device 101 according to the method 200 or 600, and therefore the description about the signals and information on resource allocation of the signals provided with reference to the methods 200 and 600 also applies here, and details will not be repeated for the sake of brevity.
In one embodiment, the information receiving unit 1001 may be configured to receive information via a broadcast channel. For example, the information receiving unit 1001 may be configured to receive information by detecting a payload of the broadcast channel, or the information receiving unit 1001 may include a mask detecting unit 1011 that detects a CRC mask of the broadcast channel, and a first information acquiring unit 1021 that acquires information based on the detected CRC mask.
Alternatively or additionally, in one embodiment, the information receiving unit 1001 may be configured to receive the information or a part of the information by detecting the synchronization signal sequence. For example, the information receiving unit 1001 may include an indication detection unit 1031 and a second information acquisition unit 1041. The indication detection unit 1031 is configured to detect an indication associated with the synchronization signal sequence, the associated indication including at least one of an index, a type, and a root value of the synchronization signal sequence. The second information acquisition unit 1041 is configured to acquire the information based on the detected indication.
In another example, the information receiving unit 1001 may include a first sequence receiving unit 1051 that receives a first synchronization signal sequence at a first time instance, a second sequence receiving unit 1061 that receives a second synchronization signal sequence at a second time instance, and a third information acquisition unit 1071 that acquires information based on a time gap between the first time instance and the second time instance.
As shown in FIG. 10, in one embodiment, the apparatus 1000 may further include a control signal detector 1003 for detecting a control signal in a resource located within a resource region allocated for a reference signal.
In some embodiments, the system bandwidth of the network device may be divided into a plurality of resource regions, and the device 1000 may further include a numerology information receiver 1004 configured to receive numerology information for at least one resource region of the plurality of resource regions. In one embodiment, the numerology information receiver 1004 may be configured to receive numerology information for the at least one resource region via a broadcast channel in one of the at least one resource region. In other embodiments, the numerology information receiver 1004 may be configured to receive numerology information for each resource region of the at least one resource region via a broadcast channel in the respective resource region.

FIG. 11 shows a simplified block diagram of a network device, e.g., device 1110, which may be embodied in/as network device 101 shown in FIG. 1, and a terminal device, e.g., device 1120, which may be embodied in/as terminal devices 102 and 103 shown in FIG. 1.

The device 1110 may include at least one processor 1111, such as a data processor (DP), and at least one memory (MEM) 1112 coupled to the processor 1111. The device 1110 may further include a transmitter TX and a receiver RX 1113 coupled to the processor 1111. The MEM 1112 may be a non-transitory machine-readable recording medium and may store a program (PROG) 1114. The PROG 1114 may include instructions that, when executed on an associated processor 1111, enable the device 1110 to operate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, e.g., to perform the method 200 or 600. The combination of the at least one processor 1111 and the at least one MEM 1112 may form a processing means 1115 adapted to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure.

The device 1120 includes at least one processor 1121, such as a DP, and at least one MEM 1122 coupled to the processor 1121. The device 920 may further include a suitable TX/RX 1123 coupled to the processor 1121. The MEM 1122 may be a non-transitory machine-readable recording medium and may store a PROG 1124. The PROG 1124 may include instructions that, when executed in an associated processor 1121, enable the device 1120 to operate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, e.g., to perform the method 800. The combination of the at least one processor 1121 and the at least one MEM 1122 may form a processing means 1125 adapted to implement various embodiments of the present disclosure.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented by computer programs, software, firmware, hardware, or combinations thereof executable by one or more of processors 1111 and 1121.

MEMs 1112 and 1122 may be of any type suitable for the local technology environment and may be implemented using any suitable data storage technology, such as, by way of non-limiting example, semiconductor-based memory terminal devices, on-board memory terminal devices and systems, optical memory terminal devices and systems, fixed memory, and removable memory.

Processors 1111 and 1121 may be of any type suitable for the local technology environment and may include, by way of non-limiting example, one or more of the following: general purpose computers, special purpose computers, microprocessors, digital signal processors DSPs, and processors based on multi-core processors.

Although some of the above description is made in the context of an NR system, this should not be construed as limiting the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. The principles and concepts of the present disclosure may be more generally applicable to other wireless systems.

Furthermore, the present disclosure may also provide a memory including a computer program as described above, including a machine-readable medium and a machine-readable transmission medium. The machine-readable medium may also be referred to as a computer-readable medium, and may include, for example, a machine-readable storage medium such as a magnetic disk, a magnetic tape, an optical disk, a phase-change memory, or a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a flash memory device, a CD-ROM, a DVD, a Blu-ray disk, etc. The machine-readable transmission medium may also be referred to as a carrier, and may include, for example, an electrical, optical, radio, acoustic, or other form of propagated signal, such as a carrier wave, an infrared signal, etc.

Just as an apparatus implementing one or more functions of a corresponding apparatus described using the embodiments includes not only prior art means, but also means for implementing one or more functions of a corresponding apparatus described using the embodiments, the techniques described herein may be implemented by various means, including separate means for each separate function, or means that can be configured to perform two or more functions. For example, these techniques may be implemented in hardware (one or more devices), firmware (one or more devices), software (one or more modules), or a combination thereof. In the case of firmware or software, it may be implemented via modules (e.g., procedures, functions, etc.) that perform the functions described herein.

The exemplary embodiments herein are described above with reference to block diagrams and flowcharts of methods and apparatus. It will be understood that each block of the block diagrams and flowchart diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and flowchart diagrams, can be implemented by various means including hardware, software, firmware, or combinations thereof. For example, each block of the block diagrams and flowchart diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and flowchart diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions may be loaded into a general purpose computer, a special purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions executing on the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus generate means for performing the functions specified in the blocks of the flowcharts.

Furthermore, although operations are described in a particular order, it should not be understood that such operations need to be performed in the particular order or sequence shown, or that all of the operations shown need to be performed, to achieve the desired results. In certain circumstances, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous. Similarly, although some specific implementation details have been included in the above discussion, these should not be construed as limiting the scope of the subject matter described herein, but rather as a description of features specific to particular embodiments. Certain features described herein in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented in multiple embodiments separately or in any suitable subcombination. Furthermore, although features may be described above as acting in a particular combination and may initially be claimed as such, one or more features from the claimed combination may be separated from the combination, and the claimed combination may be a subcombination or a variation of the subcombination.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that as technology advances, the concept of the present invention can be implemented in various ways. The above-mentioned embodiments are given to illustrate, rather than limit, the present disclosure, and as those skilled in the art will readily understand, modifications and variations can be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Such modifications and variations are deemed to be within the scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims. The scope of protection of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

Claims (16)

means for receiving, from a base station, first information indicating a subcarrier space for a system information block (SIB) in a master information block (MIB);
and means for receiving the SIB from the base station. A system band of the base station is divided into a plurality of frequency regions;
The frequency domain in which the MIB is transmitted is one of the plurality of frequency domains.
The user device of claim 1. means for receiving, from the base station, resource allocation information for control information related to the SIB;
A user device according to claim 1 or 2. The resource allocation information is information indicating a period in the time domain of the control information regarding the SIB.
A user device according to claim 3. A means for transmitting first information indicating a subcarrier space for a system information block (SIB) in a master information block (MIB) to a user equipment (UE);
and means for transmitting the SIB to the UE. A system band of the base station is divided into a plurality of frequency regions;
The frequency domain in which the MIB is transmitted is one of the plurality of frequency domains.
The base station according to claim 5. means for receiving resource allocation information for the SIB from the base station;
A base station as claimed in claim 5 or 6. The resource allocation information is information indicating a period in the time domain of the control information regarding the SIB.
The base station according to claim 7. 1. A method performed by a user equipment (UE), comprising:
receiving, from a base station, first information indicating a subcarrier space for a system information block (SIB) in a master information block (MIB);
receiving the SIB from the base station. A system band of the base station is divided into a plurality of frequency regions;
The frequency domain in which the MIB is transmitted is one of the plurality of frequency domains.
10. The method of claim 9. receiving, from the base station, resource allocation information relating to the SIB;
11. The method according to claim 9 or 10. The resource allocation information is information indicating a period in the time domain of the control information regarding the SIB.
The method of claim 11. 1. A method performed by a base station, comprising:
Transmitting first information indicating a subcarrier space for a system information block (SIB) to a user equipment (UE) in a master information block (MIB);
and transmitting the SIB to the UE. A system band of the base station is divided into a plurality of frequency regions;
The frequency domain in which the MIB is transmitted is one of the plurality of frequency domains.
The method of claim 13. receiving, from the base station, resource allocation information relating to the SIB;
15. The method according to claim 13 or 14. The resource allocation information is information indicating a period in the time domain of the control information regarding the SIB.
The method of claim 15.

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