HK1244989B - Control signaling supporting multi-priority scheduling - Google Patents

Description

Supports control signaling for multi-priority scheduling

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority to and the benefit of Provisional Patent Application No. 62/133,339 filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on March 14, 2015, Provisional Patent Application No. 62/133,391 filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on March 15, 2015, Provisional Patent Application No. 62/133,555 filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on March 16, 2015, and Non-Provisional Patent Application No. 14/948,099 filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on November 20, 2015, the entireties of which are incorporated herein by reference.

background

public domain

Aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to wireless communications, and more particularly, but not exclusively, to control signaling and/or multi-priority scheduling.

Related technical description

Wireless communication networks are widely deployed to provide various communication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging, broadcast, etc. Such networks, which are typically multiple-access networks, support communications for multiple users by sharing the available network resources.

Within such wireless networks, a variety of data services can be provided, including voice, video, and email. More recently, wireless communication networks are being used for an even wider range of services, including mission-critical applications and remote control applications (such as remote surgery, where real-time feedback is necessary). As the demand for mobile broadband access continues to grow, research and development continues to advance wireless communication technologies to not only meet the growing demand for mobile broadband access, but also to improve and enhance the user experience.

In conventional wireless communications (e.g., Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Long Term Evolution (LTE)), control signaling typically occurs with a subframe periodicity or some fixed periodicity. This periodicity can be the minimum regularly scheduled downlink (DL) time unit. There are no conflicting bursts scheduled with finer periodicity.

A brief overview of some examples

The following is a brief overview of some aspects of the present disclosure to provide a basic understanding of these aspects. This overview is not an exhaustive overview of all contemplated features of the present disclosure, and is neither intended to identify key or critical elements of all aspects of the present disclosure nor to delineate the scope of any or all aspects of the present disclosure. Its sole purpose is to present various concepts of some aspects of the present disclosure in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that will be presented later.

In one aspect, the present disclosure provides an apparatus configured for communication, the apparatus comprising a memory device and a processing circuit coupled to the memory device. The processing circuit is configured to: determine an interval for communicating a scheduling indicator, wherein the scheduling indicator is one of a plurality of scheduling indicators mapped to a plurality of transmission time interval (TTI) lengths; and communicate the scheduling indicator according to the interval.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a method for communication, comprising: determining an interval for communicating a scheduling indicator, wherein the scheduling indicator is one of a plurality of scheduling indicators mapped to a plurality of transmission time interval (TTI) lengths; and communicating the scheduling indicator according to the interval.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides an apparatus configured for communication, comprising: means for determining an interval for communicating a scheduling indicator, wherein the scheduling indicator is one of a plurality of scheduling indicators mapped to a plurality of transmission time interval (TTI) lengths; and means for communicating the scheduling indicator according to the interval.

Another aspect of the present disclosure provides a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code, including code for: determining an interval for communicating a scheduling indicator, wherein the scheduling indicator is one of a plurality of scheduling indicators mapped to a plurality of transmission time interval (TTI) lengths; and communicating the scheduling indicator according to the interval.

These and other aspects of the present disclosure will be more fully understood after reading the following detailed description. After studying the description of the specific implementation of the present disclosure below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, other aspects, features and implementations of the present disclosure will be obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art. Although the features of the present disclosure may be discussed below with respect to certain implementations and drawings, all implementations of the present disclosure may include one or more of the advantageous features discussed herein. In other words, although one or more implementations may be discussed as having certain advantageous features, one or more of such features may also be used according to the various implementations of the present disclosure discussed herein. In a similar manner, although some implementations may be discussed below as device, system or method implementations, it should be understood that such implementations can be implemented in various devices, systems, and methods.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of control signaling according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a multiple-access wireless communication system in which aspects of the present disclosure may find application.

3 is a block diagram conceptually illustrating an example of a scheduling entity communicating with one or more subordinate entities in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of a scheduling entity employing a processing system according to aspects of the present disclosure.

5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of a lower-level entity employing a processing system according to aspects of the present disclosure.

6 is a diagram illustrating an example of multiplexed multi-priority scheduling in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

7 is a diagram illustrating an example of potential conflicts due to multiplexed multi-priority scheduling, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

8 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a process for control signaling according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

9 is a diagram illustrating an example of signaling allocation of resources assigned to devices with different scheduling priority indices (SPIs), in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

10 is a diagram illustrating an example of SPI-based resource block (RB) assignment, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

11 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of a decision tree for DL grant decoding, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

12 is a flow diagram illustrating another example of a decision tree for DL grant decoding, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

13 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of operations for detecting potential conflicts in SPI-based resource allocation, in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

14 is a flow diagram illustrating an example of operations for signaling SPI information and resource allocations in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

15 is a block diagram of an example hardware implementation of an apparatus (eg, an electronic device) capable of supporting control signaling according to some aspects of the present disclosure.

16 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a process for control signaling in accordance with some aspects of the present disclosure.

17 is a schematic diagram of a wireless communication network in which one or more aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented.

Detailed description

The detailed description set forth below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings is intended as a description of various configurations and is not intended to represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. This detailed description includes specific details to provide a thorough understanding of the various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components are shown in block diagram form to avoid overstating such concepts.

As the scale and types of wireless applications evolve, services with various quality of service (QoS) levels and/or round-trip time (RTT) latencies may coexist, making it difficult for legacy system designs to support these services. More specifically, legacy system designs may struggle to support user signals multiplexed across time and spectrum resource regions in the system for the various service requirements. The present disclosure, in some aspects, relates to efficient signaling design that addresses these challenges to ensure timely action while maintaining high system efficiency.

In some aspects, the disclosed techniques can be applied, for example, in a system where multiple devices with different priorities share a common set of resources for DL transmissions. These aspects provide new indication channels and procedures for signaling scheduling priority information. As will be described in more detail below, such information can be used as an indicator of possible new DL grants. Such information can additionally be used as an indicator of higher priority scheduling conflicts (e.g., scheduling conflicts that result in puncturing of resources allocated for transmissions to lower priority devices).

The present disclosure relates in some aspects to a two-layer signaling design for supporting multi-priority scheduling. First, given the definition of a scheduling priority indicator, Layer 1 signaling operates over a shared channel to detect the scheduling priority indicator for two purposes: a) detecting possible new DL grants and b) confirming whether a conflicting higher-priority scheduling update has occurred. Second, Layer 2 signaling involves detecting dedicated D grants, where a flexible downlink control information (DCI) design further addresses the signaling characteristics of multi-priority scheduling.

The present disclosure relates in some aspects to a control channel that can carry control indicators and control messages for wireless communications. In some examples, an embedded control channel can carry appropriate information about puncture detection so that subordinate entities scheduled to receive data can be notified that the scheduled resources are being punctured.

FIG1 illustrates an example of a communication system 100 supporting control signaling according to the teachings herein. The communication system 100 includes a first device 102 and a second device 104 that can communicate with each other. Typically, the communication system 100 will include other devices. However, to reduce the complexity of FIG1 , only the first and second devices 102 and 104 are shown. In some implementations, the first device 102 is a scheduling entity (e.g., an access point (such as an eNB)) and the second device 104 is a subordinate entity of the scheduling entity (e.g., an access terminal (such as a UE)). In some implementations, the first device 102 and the second device 104 are peer devices. At a certain point in time (e.g., when the first device 102 and the second device 104 initially associate with each other), the first device 102 and the second device 104 communicate via a control channel 106 to indicate whether a potential grant is available (e.g., via an SPI) and send a priority-based control message (e.g., an SPI or an explicit command). For example, the first device 102 may periodically send an SPI to the second device 104 via the control channel 106. Subsequently, the first device 102 and the second device 104 communicate a grant control message 108 indicating whether a grant is available. For example, the first device 102 can send downlink control information (DCI) to the second device 104.

2 illustrates an example wireless communication network 200 in which aspects of the present disclosure may be performed.For example, the techniques presented herein may be used to share a common set of resources among various devices having different priorities.

In the example of FIG2 , base station (BS) 201 may include multiple antenna groups, one group including antennas 204 and 206, another group including antennas 208 and 210, and another group including antennas 212 and 214. In FIG2 , each antenna group is shown with only two antennas, however, each antenna group may utilize more or fewer antennas. A wireless node 216 may communicate with antennas 212 and 214, where antennas 212 and 214 transmit information to wireless node 216 via forward link 220 and receive information from wireless node 216 via reverse link 218. A wireless node 222 may communicate with antennas 204 and 206, where antennas 204 and 206 transmit information to wireless node 222 via forward link 226 and receive information from wireless node 222 via reverse link 224. BS 201 may also communicate with other wireless nodes, which may be, for example, Internet of Everything (IoE) devices. IoE device 236 can communicate with one or more other antennas of BS 201, where these antennas transmit information to IoE device 236 via forward link 240 and receive information from IoE device 236 via reverse link 238. IoE device 242 can communicate with one or more other antennas of BS 201, where these antennas transmit information to IoE device 242 via forward link 246 and receive information from IoE device 242 via reverse link 244. In a frequency division duplex (FDD) system, communication links 218, 220, 224, 226, 238, 240, 244, and 246 can use different frequencies for communication. For example, forward link 220 can use a different frequency than that used by reverse link 218, and forward link 240 can use a different frequency than that used by reverse link 238.

The various concepts presented throughout this disclosure can be implemented across a wide variety of telecommunication systems, network architectures, and communication standards. For example, the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) is a standards body that defines several wireless communication standards for networks involving the Evolved Packet System (EPS), often referred to as Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks.

LTE networks can provide end-to-end latency between transmitting and receiving devices on the order of 50ms, with air latency for specific packets in the 10ms range. Currently known LTE functionality uses a 1ms Transmission Time Interval (TTI) to provide a round-trip time (RTT) of at least about 8ms for specific feedback signaling (i.e., hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) signaling). In some aspects, the TTI corresponds to the minimum duration of an information unit that can be decoded. For time division duplex (TDD) LTE configurations, the uplink/downlink configuration has a relatively fixed configuration that takes about 10ms to change. Generally speaking, LTE provides a one-size-fits-all approach, where all services and packets rely on these same latency ranges.

Evolved versions of LTE networks, such as fifth-generation (5G) networks, can provide many different types of services or applications, including but not limited to web browsing, video streaming, VoIP, mission-critical applications, multi-hop networks, remote operations with real-time feedback (e.g., remote surgery), etc. Different service sets can benefit from having multiple latency targets that are significantly different from each other. However, the above-described unchanging aspects of LTE networks can make it very difficult to multiplex traffic with different latency targets.

The spectrum compatibility of the system to support such diverse latency targets can be challenging. For example, time multiplexing of regular traffic with low-latency or mission-critical (MiCr) traffic may violate MiCr grouping requirements. Furthermore, frequency domain resources reserved for low-latency traffic may limit peak rate and relay efficiency. Therefore, new approaches are needed for next-generation networks to support the ability to multiplex various types, categories, and classes of traffic and services, including but not limited to traffic with significantly different latency characteristics.

To illustrate some of the entities or devices described in the present disclosure, FIG3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary scheduling entity 302 in wireless communication with multiple subordinate entities 304. Scheduling entity 302 transmits downlink data channels 306 and downlink control channels 308, while the subordinate entities transmit uplink data channels 310 and uplink control channels 312. Of course, the channels illustrated in FIG3 are not necessarily all of the channels that may be utilized between scheduling entity 302 and subordinate entities 304, and one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other channels, such as other data, control, and feedback channels, may be utilized in addition to those illustrated.

As illustrated in Figure 3, a scheduling entity 302 may broadcast downlink data 304 to one or more subordinate entities 306. According to aspects of the present disclosure, the term downlink may refer to a point-to-multipoint transmission originating at the scheduling entity 302. Broadly speaking, the scheduling entity 302 is a node or device responsible for scheduling traffic in a wireless communication network, including downlink transmissions and, in some examples, uplink data 310 from one or more subordinate entities 304 to the scheduling entity 302. Another way to describe this approach may be to use the term broadcast channel multiplexing. The scheduling entity may be or may reside within a base station, a network node, a user equipment (UE), an access terminal, or any suitable node in a wireless communication network.

According to aspects of the present disclosure, the term uplink may refer to a point-to-point transmission originating at a subordinate entity 304. Broadly speaking, the subordinate entity 304 is a node or device that receives scheduling control information (including but not limited to scheduling grants, synchronization or timing information), or other control information, from another entity in the wireless communication network, such as the scheduling entity 302. The subordinate entity may be or may reside within a base station, a network node, a UE, an access terminal, or any suitable node in the wireless communication network.

4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of the scheduling entity 302 employing a processing system 414 that includes one or more processors 404. According to various aspects of the present disclosure, an element, or any portion of an element, or any combination of elements may be implemented using the processing system 414.

In various aspects of the present disclosure, the scheduling entity 302 can be any suitable radio transceiver device, and in some examples can be implemented by a base station (BS), a base transceiver station (BTS), a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), an access point (AP), a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNB), a mesh node, a relay, or some other suitable terminology. Within this document, a base station may be referred to as a scheduling entity, indicating that the base station provides scheduling information to one or more subordinate entities.

In other examples, the scheduling entity 302 may be implemented by a wireless user equipment (UE). Examples of UE include a cellular phone, a smartphone, a Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) phone, a laptop, a notebook, a netbook, a smartbook, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a satellite radio, a global positioning system (GPS) device, a multimedia device, a video device, a digital audio player (e.g., an MP3 player), a camera, a game console, an entertainment device, a vehicle component, a wearable computing device (e.g., a smart watch, a health or fitness tracker, etc.), an appliance, a sensor, a vending machine, or any other similar functional device. A UE may also be referred to by those skilled in the art as a mobile station (MS), a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal (AT), a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a terminal, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable terminology. Within this document, a UE may be referred to as a scheduling entity or a subordinate entity. That is, in various aspects of the present disclosure, the wireless UE may operate as a scheduling entity that provides scheduling information to one or more subordinate entities, or may operate as a subordinate entity based on scheduling information provided by the scheduling entity.

In this example, processing system 414 can be implemented with a bus architecture generally represented by bus 402. Depending on the specific application and overall design constraints of processing system 414, bus 402 may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges. Bus 402 links together various circuits including one or more processors (generally represented by processor 404), memory 405, and computer-readable media (generally represented by computer-readable media 406). Bus 402 may also link various other circuits (such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits), which are well known in the art and therefore will not be described further. Bus interface 408 provides an interface between bus 402 and transceiver 410. Transceiver 410 provides a means for communicating with various other devices over a transmission medium. Depending on the nature of the device, a user interface 412 (e.g., a keypad, display, speaker, microphone, joystick) may also be provided.

The processor 404 is responsible for managing the bus 402 and general processing, including executing software stored on the computer-readable medium 406. The software, when executed by the processor 404, causes the processing system 414 to perform the various functions described below for any particular device. The computer-readable medium 406 may also be used to store data that is manipulated by the processor 404 when executing the software.

5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation of an exemplary lower-level entity 304 employing a processing system 514 that includes one or more processors 504. According to various aspects of the disclosure, an element, or any portion of an element, or any combination of elements may be implemented using the processing system 514.

The processing system 514 may be substantially the same as the processing system 414 illustrated in FIG4 , including the bus interface 508, the bus 502, the memory 505, the processor 504, and the computer-readable medium 506. In addition, the lower-level entity 304 may include a user interface 512 and a transceiver 510 substantially similar to those described above in FIG4 . The processor 504, as utilized in the lower-level entity 304, may be used to implement any one or more of the processes described below.

Control channel signaling

As described above, in a system with multi-priority scheduling, transmissions to and from devices with different priorities can be multiplexed in time and/or regions of subcarrier resources. In such a scenario, lower priority users may be subject to scheduling updates made by higher priority users that may affect their resources (in the form of TTI puncturing).

Aspects of the present disclosure can help address this scenario by providing certain information to mobile devices with different priorities that allows them to detect potential resource allocation conflicts and act accordingly. For example, such information can be provided via a new indication channel and procedure for signaling scheduling priority information.

In conventional systems (e.g., LTE), control signaling typically occurs in subframes or some fixed periodicity, which is the minimum conventional DL scheduling time unit, and there are no conflicting bursts of activity scheduled with even finer periodicity. However, in systems designed for multi-priority scheduling, services at various priorities (or QoS) and/or RTT latencies can be multiplexed with different transmission time intervals (TTIs) over regions of time and spectrum (i.e., subcarriers) resources in ODMA systems. As used herein, the term TTI generally refers to the duration of a transmission on a radio link and is generally equal to the periodicity with which the physical layer delivers a set of transport blocks (e.g., TTI is generally related to the size of a data block delivered from a higher network layer to the radio link layer).

6 , in some examples, variable transmission time intervals (TTIs) can be utilized to accommodate different priorities for different devices, or different applications, or different types of data to be communicated over the air interface. In one example, multiple TTIs can be utilized, where each shorter TTI packet has a higher priority than any longer TTI packet. The example of FIG6 shows a TTI 602 with a 125 μs period (highest priority), a TTI 604 with a 250 μs period, a TTI 606 with a 500 μs period, and a TTI 608 with a 1 ms period (lowest priority). Here, during ongoing communications within any given TTI, if a shorter TTI or higher priority packet (e.g., mission-critical, low-latency unscheduled data) is to be transmitted, the short TTI transmission can puncture the ongoing scheduled data transmission.

Relatively low-priority users may be subject to bursty but conflicting scheduling updates (in the form of transmission time interval (TTI) puncturing) by relatively high-priority users. For example, low-latency or mission-critical users may be given priority over nominal users. When TTI lengths can become very small, legacy signaling for DCI may become unnecessarily excessive as channel conditions become less variable.

Several examples of collisions (punctures) are illustrated in FIG7. Initially, FIG7 shows a TTI 702 with a 31.25 μs period (highest priority), a TTI 704 with a 62.5 μs period, a TTI 706 with a 125 μs period, a TTI 708 with a 250 μs period, a TTI 770 with a 500 μs period, and a TTI 712 with a 1 ms period (lowest priority). In the first example, a TTI 714 assigned to a higher priority device (TTI 704, second row) along with a grant may cause puncturing of a larger TTI 716 assigned to a lower priority device (TTI 712, bottom row). In a second example, TTI 718 assigned to a higher priority device (TTI 702, top row) along with a grant may result in puncturing of a larger TTI 720 assigned to a device with lower priority (TTI 706, third row). Similarly, TTIs 718 and 720 may in turn result in puncturing of a larger TTI 716 assigned to an even lower priority device (TTI 712, bottom row).

However, aspects of the present disclosure may provide an efficient and reliable signaling design to address such challenges by supporting timely actions of users for both higher and lower priority users in case of bursty scheduling updates.

In various aspects of the present disclosure, a control channel may be provided. In some examples, the control channel may be embedded in the allocated data portion of a frame or subframe. For example, a scheduling entity may utilize an OFDMA air interface to communicate with one or more subordinate entities. On this air interface, time-frequency resources may be divided into frames or subframes. In some examples, a subframe may include a control/grant portion and a data portion. Here, the scheduling entity may utilize the control/grant portion to provide scheduling information indicating the scheduled time-frequency resources in the data portion. In some aspects of the present disclosure, an embedded control channel may be provided within the data portion of a subframe and outside the control/grant portion of the subframe.

Such a channel may be referred to herein as a Priority Indicator Channel (PICH), which may be used to indicate resource allocation to devices with different priorities in a multi-priority scheduling system. The PICH may be sent, for example, by a base station or other network node and may indicate resource assignments for different Scheduling Priority Indexes (SPIs). As discussed in more detail below, the PICH may take different forms in different implementations. In some implementations, the PICH is a Common PICH (CPICH). In some implementations, the PICH is a Directed Common PICH (DC-PICH). In some implementations, the PICH is a Dedicated PICH (DPICH).

In some aspects, an SPI refers to a priority assigned to a device, and each SPI generally refers to the scheduling priority of the user with that SPI. Thus, each SPI value may correspond to a unique TTI length (e.g., a higher priority SPI has a shorter TTI, while a lower priority SPI has a longer TTI).

Each user may be assigned at least one SPI by the network, namely "SPI_user", each SPI_user corresponding to a "TTI_user", i.e., the associated TTI for that user. For example, if a user has a single bearer, a single SPI may be assigned. Alternatively, if a user has multiple bearers, these bearers may share a single SPI or different SPIs may be assigned to one or more bearers (e.g., different sets of bearers may share different SPIs). The network may update the SPI_user when the target RTT of a user changes. In addition, a quantity called "TTI_min" or "TTI_minimum" may be signaled by the network to indicate the minimum TTI_user value among all active users (e.g., generally corresponding to the highest priority SPI among these users).

The present disclosure relates in some aspects to a layered DL signaling procedure design for supporting multi-priority scheduling (MPS). For illustrative purposes, a two-layer example is described below. However, it should be recognized that more than two layers can be used in other implementations.

MPS layer 1: Signaling for scheduling indicators

The network sends a scheduling indicator via the PICH, a channel used to indicate resource block (RB) scheduling priorities for DL data scheduling. This channel can be common to all users or dedicated to each user individually. A different (e.g., coarser) granularity can be used in other implementations. For example, the scheduling indicator can indicate subband-level scheduling priorities.

In some implementations of a shared channel, the SPI does not distinguish between individual users. For example, the SPI typically does not include a user identifier.

The scheduling indicator information is transmitted once on an OFDM symbol in each T_pich time interval. The T_pich value is usually signaled by the network.

The network assigns each user a scheduling indicator (e.g., "SPI_user") that uniquely corresponds to the TTI length "TTI_user". In some aspects, the SPI_user of a given user quantifies the priority of the user. The network also schedules RBs to the user (e.g., schedules RBs using the SPI).

The network uses one of the following schemes to send a scheduling indication to the user once every TTI_min.

The first approach uses a common (eg, multicast) scheduling priority indicator channel. Here, the common channel carries the scheduling priority indicators of all active users.

The second solution uses a unicast scheduling indicator channel. This is a dedicated channel that carries the user's scheduling indicator. This channel can, for example, indicate one of "start/continue," "pause," or "stop" to start, pause, or stop receiving the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) within the corresponding TTI_min.

Each active user monitors the scheduling indication channel (in either the first or second scheme) for possible grant indications or possible scheduling conflicts.

Regarding new possible grants for a user, the user can monitor possible DL grants available to the user once in each TTI_user on the shared channel by looking for SPI_user. This is a "possible" grant because a given SPI can be mapped to multiple users (e.g., users with the same priority).

Regarding possible scheduling conflicts, a user can detect a possible higher-priority scheduling conflict (puncture) within TTI_min. For example, the user can suspend reception and/or decoding if a conflict is detected (e.g., a higher-priority SPI is received). Otherwise, the user can start/continue reception and/or decoding. As another example, if the user detects a "stop" indicator, the user can stop reception and/or decoding until the end of TTI_user.

When assigned a DL grant in the current TTI_user, each active user also monitors the SPI once per T_pich on the command channel, looking for any higher-priority SPIs (higher than SPI_user) to detect possible higher-priority scheduling updates (e.g., TTI puncturing). Thus, active users can check the SPI more frequently to see if a higher-priority SPI (higher priority than the user) is indicated. If there is a higher-priority SPI that conflicts with the user's ongoing DL grant, the user suspends decoding of the ongoing grant.

MPS Layer 2: Signaling for dedicated grants in DCI

Upon successful decoding and detection of the SPI_user from the common scheduling priority indicator channel, a possible new DL grant exists. The user further seeks confirmation by decoding and detecting dedicated downlink control information (DCI) regarding the possible DL grant. Thus, the user can determine whether the potential grant indicated in Layer 1 is a dedicated grant for that specific user by monitoring the dedicated channel information.

As discussed in more detail below, the user can derive the grant details within each TTI_user by detecting and decoding the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). First, the user can decode the DCI on a dedicated channel. Together with the user DCI, the network prepares an SPI user bit map to further indicate to the user the RB allocation for the DL grant. Second, the user can derive the length of the SPI user bit map and construct an SPI sequence. The SPI sequence can be constructed based on the known SPI_user from the common priority indication channel. Third, the user can derive the RB allocation for the grant. Here, the user can extract the SPI user bit map from the DCI and mask the bit map with the constructed SPI sequence to derive the final RB allocation for the grant. The user may be scheduled for DL grant within TTI_user when it is punctured at the beginning of the TTI_min interval.

In some aspects, a given grant (e.g., associated with a particular SPI) may be associated with one or more specific RBs. In some aspects, signaling may indicate only the specifically granted RBs (e.g., rather than using a bitmap corresponding to all RBs). In some aspects, one or more subbands may be allocated to a given user (e.g., the SPI may be specified at the subband level rather than at the RB level).

Example Process

FIG8 illustrates a process 800 for supporting signaling of control messages according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Process 800 may be performed at least in part within at least one processing circuit (e.g., processing circuit 1510 of FIG15 ), which may be located in an access terminal, a base station, some other suitable device, or a combination of these devices. Of course, in various aspects within the scope of the present disclosure, process 800 may be implemented by any suitable device or devices capable of supporting control-related operations.

At block 802, a high priority monitoring space (HPMS) is predefined or signaled by the network (e.g., by a network operator). The HPMS can be a subset of the entire resource block (RB) allocation space for OFDM symbols. As discussed herein, RBs in the HPMS can be punctured with higher priority scheduling updates at the network's discretion.

The set of valid TTI lengths from which the network assigns (e.g., based on user priority) is defined in the Multiplexed Multi-Priority Scheduling System (MMPSS). In some aspects, a TTI comprises one or more equal-duration OFDM symbols, with one CP duration between any two adjacent symbols.

At block 804, each TTI length is uniquely mapped to a scheduling indicator (e.g., SPI). Additionally, the SPI may be defined as an SPI that identifies "unassigned." In some aspects, the smallest scheduling unit for a user may be a resource block (RB). Thus, a corresponding number of bits may be used to represent the per-RB SPI for all RBs belonging to an OFDM symbol (discussed in more detail below).

Each active user is assigned a specific scheduling indicator (eg, SPI_user) that uniquely corresponds to the TTI length (TTI_user) at block 806. The network may also update the scheduling indicator for a user as it deems necessary.

At block 808, the minimum TTI (TTI_min) among all active users is signaled by the network.

At block 810, the network sends an RB-level scheduling indicator once per TTI_min ( _TPICH ) on the PICH at one OFDM symbol.

At block 812, the scheduling indicator indicates that the RB is not assigned or indicates an assigned scheduling indicator value (eg, SPI value) for each RB that is actively scheduled (ie, assigned) for downlink (DL) transmission.

At block 814, each active user decodes the PICH once per TTI_user time interval (TTI length) if no grant is currently assigned. Additionally, the user monitors the entire RB allocation space for possible new DL grants assigned to the user. For example, if an SPI is received that matches the SPI assigned to the user, then a new DL grant is possible for the user.

At block 816, if a matching scheduling indicator is found at block 814, the given user may confirm whether the grant is intended for that user (eg, by performing the layer 2 operations discussed above).

Each active user that has been assigned a grant decodes the PICH once every TTI_min (T _PICH ) to obtain the start/stop indication at block 818. Additionally, in some implementations, the users only monitor the HPMS for possible scheduling updates until the assigned DL grant expires.

For implementations using dedicated channels, the start/stop indication may be an explicit command to the user. For example, the command may instruct the user to start, continue, pause, or stop receiving data within a corresponding TTI_min.

For implementations using a shared channel, the start/stop indication may be an SPI. If an SPI of higher priority (higher than the SPI user) is detected in the HPMS that conflicts with an ongoing grant of the user, the schedule update with the higher priority puncture may be continued. This will cause the user to suspend ongoing decoding of a grant assigned to the user. Conversely, if the user had previously suspended ongoing decoding of an assigned grant due to a higher priority schedule update and there is no longer a conflict (as indicated by the SPI in the HPMS), this will cause the user to continue receiving decoding of the suspended assigned grant as long as the grant has not expired.

At block 820, the user starts/stops decoding of pending grants if an SPI conflict is identified (eg, for a shared channel) or an explicit command is received (eg, for a dedicated channel), as discussed above.

Flexible DCI

In some implementations, DCI is categorized into two subsets based on the relative rate of change of the following information: semi-static information and dynamic information.

Semi-static information includes at least one parameter that changes, for example, every multiple TTIs. Examples of such information include: {Modulation and Coding Scheme (MCS), RB allocation}. Semi-static information can be excluded from DCI because it does not change as frequently as in every TTI.

Dynamic information includes, for example, at least one parameter that changes once per TTI. Examples of such information include: {Precoding Matrix Index (PMI), New Data Indicator (NDI), Redundancy Version (RV), HARQ ID}. Dynamic information may be mandatory in each DCI.

DCI including both semi-static information and dynamic information is defined as normal DCI (N-DCI). DCI without semi-static information is defined as lightweight DCI (L-DCI).

There are two options for delivering and decoding DCI. In option 1 (blind decoding), the network decides which type (N-DCI or L-DCI) to transmit, and the UE performs blind decoding on both hypotheses for each DCI. In option 2 (coherent decoding), the network transmits N-DCI that can be inferred by the UE in a subset of TTIs (according to a predefined strategy as a design choice) so that both the network and the UE always transmit/decode the DCI coherently. In either option, the network can assume that the UE's N-DCI was not successfully received unless the network receives a HARQ ACK for the DL data (or PDSCH) corresponding to the DCI.

SPI and RB Examples

Figure 9 illustrates an example of the type of information that can be conveyed in the PICH regarding resource allocation by SPI. TTIs with various priorities and SPIs can be indicated on the PICH. For example, RB i is assigned an SPI value of P0, RB i+1 is assigned an SPI value of P1, and so on. For RBs that are not assigned to any user, the "unassigned" value can be used as the SPI.

For each RB assigned to a user (for a DL grant) in the RB allocation space (e.g., HPMS 902), the network may extract the corresponding SPI_user values and send these SPI_user values once per TTI_smallest on the PICH (e.g., in the first OFDM symbol 904 of the higher priority (smallest) TTI 906). FIG. 9 also illustrates an example of a T _PICH period 908 and a lower priority (longer) TTI 910.

There may be various types of SPI allocation types in the PICH. For example, there may be an "RB allocation type" (as illustrated in FIG9 ) or a "subband allocation" type (as discussed below).

FIG10 illustrates an example derivation of an SPI sequence 1002, a variable-length SPI user bitmap 1004, and RB assignments 1006. In some aspects, a user at the SPI_user priority level can determine the "SPI sequence" and sequence length from a common priority indicator channel (CPIC) 1008 by counting the number of SPIs that match the SPI_user. For example, the SPI 1010 for the first RB or subband is mapped 1012 to the first element 1014 in the SPI sequence. By applying the appropriate bitmap 1004 to a given SPI sequence 1002, the resulting RB assignment 1006 can be determined. As indicated by the dashed box (e.g., box 1016), the bitmap can result in a reduction in the size of the RB assignment.

The constructed SPI sequence and its length are used to detect and decode the user's DCI on the dedicated channel to ultimately derive the user's RB allocation for DL grant. In some cases, a separate variable-length DCI design can support detection and decoding for such a DCI design.

As described above, the SPI allocation on the CPIC (represented by line 1018) can be per RB or per subband. In the latter case, the RB allocation space can be divided into subbands, and one SPI can be indicated for each subband (e.g., with a similar principle to the SPI user bit mapping for RB allocation as shown in FIG9).

Example Processing Procedure

FIG11 illustrates an example of a process for a device (e.g., a UE) to monitor the PICH. As discussed herein, a higher priority monitoring space (HPMS) may be a subset of the entire RB allocation space. A higher priority scheduling update may be made by the network in the HPMS (e.g., only in the HPMS). A TTI_min is defined (typically signaled by the network), and the network assigns an SPI_user or TTI_user to the user (block 1102).

In blocks 1104-1110, each active user that has been assigned a DL grant in the current TTI_user should additionally decode the PICH once in each TTI_min to monitor for possible scheduling updates (in order to detect possible conflicts). If a higher priority SPI (higher than SPI_user) is detected that conflicts with the user's ongoing grant (in terms of RB allocation), then a higher priority scheduling update (puncture) exists. The user can act accordingly. For example, the user can suspend ongoing data decoding (at least decoding of resources that have been punctured due to allocation to the higher priority). If the user has already suspended ongoing data decoding and there is no longer a higher priority scheduling conflict (as indicated by the SPI in the user's assigned RB), the user can continue to receive/decode the suspended assigned grant as long as the grant has not expired.

Thus, if the user is assigned (paused or not) a DL grant in the current TTI_user, the operational flow continues to block 1106. Here, the user decodes the indicator channel once every TTI_min to check whether it needs to pause/stop reception. If not (block 1110), the user starts/continues reception and decoding. If yes (block 1108), the user pauses/stops the ongoing decoding according to the scheduling indicator.

In blocks 1112-1124, when no DL grant has been assigned, each active user can decode the CPICH once per TTI_user to monitor for possible new grants. For example, if a matching SPI_user is detected, a new DL grant for that user is possible. If it is determined in block 1104 that a DL grant has not been assigned, the operational flow continues to block 1112. Here, the user decodes the indicator channel once per TTI_user to detect whether an SPI_user exists. If not (block 1114), no action is taken because no DL grant has been detected. If yes, the operational flow continues to block 1116. In this case, a DL grant for the user may exist. Thus, the user attempts to decode DCI on a dedicated channel. If no DCI is detected (block 1118), no action is taken because no DL grant has been detected. Otherwise, a DL grant exists. From this, the user uses SPI_user to derive the length of the SPI user bitmap and uses the SPI user bitmap in the DCI to derive the RB allocation for the grant, as discussed above in FIG10 (block 1120). Flexible DCI options may be employed, as discussed above. From this, the user can derive semi-static information and extract dynamic information (block 1122). At this point, the entire DL grant is derived and the user is ready to decode DL data (e.g., from the PDSCH).

FIG12 illustrates another example of a process for a device (eg, UE) to support multi-priority scheduling. This example illustrates a self-scheduling signaling mode (SSSM) and an SPI-specific approach. In SSSM, DCI and data are combined for encoding and transmission.

For example, there are two approaches for the network to signal DL grants in DCI based on user-specific conditions. In the first approach, DCI is signaled via PDCCH (SSSM inactive). In the second approach, DCI is signaled via PDSCH (SSSM active).

At block 1202, _TPICH is defined (typically signaled by the network), HPMS is signaled on the PICH (typically signaled by the network), and each user is assigned an SPI_user by the network.

At block 1204, a determination is made as to whether the user has been assigned a DL grant (suspended or unsuspended) in the current TTI. If so, operational flow continues to block 1206. Here, the user decodes the PICH once every T _PICH to check whether any higher-priority SPIs conflict with the user's ongoing DL grant. If a conflict exists (a higher-priority scheduling update (TTI puncturing) occurs), the user suspends ongoing decoding in the current TTI_user (block 1208). Conversely (no conflict at block 1206), if the user has previously suspended an ongoing DL grant, the user checks to see if the previous SPI conflict has been resolved (block 1210). If the conflict has not been resolved (block 1212), the user continues ongoing data decoding (i.e., there is no change in user operation). If the conflict has been resolved, the user resumes the suspended decoding of the DL grant (block 1214).

If it is determined in block 1204 that a DL grant has not been assigned, the operational flow continues to block 1216. Here, the user decodes the PICH once every TTI_user to find out whether the SPI_user exists in the HPMS. If not (block 1218), no action is taken. If yes, the operational flow continues to block 1220. The user then determines whether the SSSM is active. If not (block 1222), the user determines whether a grant is detected in the DCI (e.g., via the PDCCH). If no grant is detected (block 1226), no action is taken because no DL grant is detected. Otherwise, a new DL grant is found (block 1224) and the user decodes the DL data (e.g., on the PDSCH).

If SSSM is active at block 1220, operational flow continues to block 1228. The user decodes the received data (e.g., PDSCH) under the assumption that the semi-static information in the DCI has not changed. Thus, data decoding is either successful (block 1230) or unsuccessful (block 1232). If data decoding is unsuccessful (e.g., PDSCH decoding fails), the user may send a NACK on the uplink (UL).

Potential effects and benefits

The following are examples of potential effects and/or benefits of a layered control signaling design. In layer 1 control signaling with a common scheduling priority indicator, a user decodes the common scheduling priority indicator for two purposes. The first purpose is to check whether a possible new DL grant is available for the user (e.g., once per TTI_user). The second purpose is to confirm whether a conflicting higher priority scheduling update occurs when the user has an ongoing DL grant (e.g., once per _TPICH when a DL grant is assigned within the current TTI_user).

In layer 2 control signaling with dedicated DL grants, once layer 1 signaling confirms that a possible new DL grant is available, the user further decodes the DCI to confirm such new DL grant. In addition, if SSSM (self-scheduled signaling mode) is active, the DCI is signaled together with the DL data (i.e., "combined" for decoding and transmission, which further reduces processing overhead at the receiver). Otherwise, if SSSM is not active, legacy signaling is used (i.e., DCI and DL data are separated).

The following are examples of potential effects and/or benefits of a flexible DCI design. Defining two types of DCI, N-DCI and L-DCI, enables flexibility in including both semi-static information and dynamic information, or only dynamic information. The exact choice of parameters to be included in N-DCI and L-DCI is a design choice. Two options for signaling/decoding have been described (e.g., selected by the designer). In either option, unnecessary excess signaling in a subset of the DCI can be eliminated, which achieves further savings in multi-priority scheduling systems.

In contrast, conventional wireless communications (e.g., LTE) use periodic PDCCH scheduling and configure data decoding in each single DCI, which may be too heavy (e.g., too processing-intensive) for shorter TTI lengths. SPS (semi-persistent scheduling) is different and does not involve PDCCH between configurations. In addition, periodic PDCCH and SPS are not specifically designed for multi-priority scheduling with dynamic updates. For example, RB allocations typically represent 30-60% of the entire DCI. In LTE PDCCH format 1/1C for 20 MHz, RB allocations occupy 60% of the DCI.

Directional Control Channel

In wireless systems equipped with a large number of transmit antennas (e.g., massive multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) systems), relatively finer spatial resolution in signal transmission (i.e., beamforming) can be achieved. Typically, such advanced transmission capabilities are used for dedicated (or UE-specific) signaling, such as UE-specific reference signals (UERS) and dedicated control signals (e.g., LTE PDCCH).

To additionally leverage such advanced transmission capabilities in signaling that is common to multiple users or all users, the present disclosure in some aspects relates to the use of a directional common channel (DCC, where the term "common" in some aspects refers to a common payload intended for multiple users) to beamform the common payload to multiple users by utilizing the available capacity of a larger number of transmit antennas through beamforming transmissions to individual users.

In order for each individual user to correctly receive and decode signals on this type of DCC in an OFDMA system, a reference signal with an appropriately designed subcarrier pattern can be transmitted along with the same multi-antenna system. In this way, the user can receive both the DCC payload signal and the reference signal through identical antennas and MIMO propagation channels, and use such reference signals as a source of estimation (e.g., channel estimation and interference estimation) to assist in detecting and decoding the DCC payload signal.

Several examples of shared physical channels may be suitable for the proposed type of DCC technique.Such shared channels include a shared broadcast channel, a pilot channel, and a shared indicator channel.

Thus, the PICH can be sent in a directionally (e.g., using beamforming). This can involve reusing the same set of subcarrier resources and unicasting a channelized common payload via directional signaling by correctly utilizing the spatial characteristics of individual users. To assist in reception and decoding for each intended user, UE-specific reference signals can be transmitted along with the common payload signal by correctly utilizing the spatial characteristics of individual users (the same characteristics as those used for the common payload signal).

The following are examples of the benefits that can be achieved by using directional beamforming to share a channel.

Spectral efficiency, power efficiency, and link performance: Legacy (broadcast/non-directional/non-beamforming) shared channels are typically limited to transmission using lower modulation orders (e.g., QPSK in LTE PDCCH) due to link budget limitations (such as for cell-edge users). However, DCC overcomes these limitations and enables spatial processing at the transmitter for beamforming toward individual users, thereby enabling the use of higher modulation orders.

Subcarrier resource efficiency: Since the same payload targets multiple users (receivers) as a common channel, the post-modulation frequency-domain constellation symbols targeting multiple receiving users can be weighted and linearly superimposed on the same (reused) set of subcarriers at the antenna system during transmit (Tx) processing (due to the common payload).

The following are examples of benefits that can be achieved through the use of the Directional Common Priority Indicator Channel (DC-PICH).

Subcarrier Resource Efficiency - O(N) vs. O(logN): To deliver DL grant (scheduling) information to multiple users, the DC-PICH uses a common scheduling priority indicator to provide a "top-level" indication of the required action to all active users, rather than relying entirely on UE-specific signaling (e.g., LTE PDCCH). Specifically, in the LTE PDCCH, a copy of the RBG bitmap information is transmitted to each active user along with the grant assignment, while in the DC-PICH, only the common SPI is transmitted, resulting in significant savings in subcarrier resources. The following is a complexity order comparison.

LTE PDCCH (allocation type 0): Assume that the RBG table size is "T" bits. For "N" active users, a total of "T*N" bits are required for subcarrier resources for transmission.

DC-PDCH with another dedicated indicator: Assuming that "N" active users are divided into "M=N" priority levels. For the same amount of granted scheduling information for all "N" active users, only "T*log2(N)" bits are required for the subcarrier resources used to deliver scheduling information to all "N" active users.

Link performance efficiency: Conventionally, DL grant scheduling information is conveyed via non-directional transmission (e.g., LTE PDCCH), which is not as spectrum and power efficient and not as link performance efficient as beamformed DC-PICH (e.g., combined with another dedicated channel as described herein).

Example Process

While network monitoring equipment (such as a base station) may transmit the CPICH in every minimum TTI, the UE may monitor the CPICH to detect potential grants and possible conflicts. Figures 13 and 14 illustrate example operations corresponding to transmitting and monitoring the CPICH.

FIG13 illustrates a process 1300 for monitoring collisions based on SPI information and resource allocation by a mobile device (e.g., a UE) according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Process 1300 may be performed within a processing circuit (e.g., processing circuit 1510 of FIG15 ), which may be located in an access terminal, a base station, or some other suitable device. Of course, in various aspects within the scope of the present disclosure, process 1300 may be implemented by any suitable device capable of supporting control-related operations.

Process 1300 begins at block 1302 by determining a scheduling priority index (SPI) of a mobile device, a transmission time interval (TTI) of the mobile device corresponding to the SPI, and a shortest TTI of active mobile devices in a network that share a common resource space with the mobile device. In some aspects, the determination may involve or be a result of receiving signaling indicating the SPI and the shortest TTI of the mobile device.

At block 1304, the mobile device monitors for possible downlink grants at least once in each TTI of the mobile device. In some aspects, monitoring for possible downlink grants at least once in each TTI of the mobile device may involve monitoring a common priority indication channel (CPICH) that indicates resources assigned by the SPI. In some aspects, the CPICH may indicate resources at an integer-valued granularity of one or more resource blocks (RBs). In some aspects, the CPICH may indicate resources at an integer-valued granularity of a subband. In some aspects, the CPICH may be transmitted in the first symbol of each shortest TTI.

At block 1306, the mobile device detects a downlink grant for the mobile device during the monitoring period.In some aspects, detecting a downlink grant for the mobile device may involve detecting a CPICH having a resource assignment for an SPI that matches an SPI of the mobile device.

At block 1308, the mobile device monitors for DL grants to other mobile devices at least once per shortest TTI in response to the detection at block 1306. In some aspects, monitoring for DL grants to other mobile devices at least once per shortest TTI may involve monitoring a common priority indication channel (CPICH) that indicates resources assigned per SPI.

At block 1310, the mobile device takes action in response to detecting a conflict between resources for a DL grant to the mobile device and resources for a DL grant to another mobile device having a higher priority SPI and a lower corresponding TTI than the mobile device. In some aspects, taking action involves suspending ongoing data decoding for the DL grant when the conflicting resources are touched. In this case, data decoding can continue on the remaining non-conflicting resources.

FIG14 illustrates a process 1400 for signaling SPI information and resource allocation by a network node (e.g., a base station) according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Process 1400 may be performed within a processing circuit (e.g., processing circuit 1510 of FIG15 ), which may be located in an access terminal, a base station, or some other suitable device. Of course, in various aspects within the scope of the present disclosure, process 1400 may be implemented by any suitable device capable of supporting control-related operations.

Process 1400 begins at block 1402 by signaling to a mobile device in a network a scheduling priority index (SPI) of the mobile device and a shortest transmission time interval (TTI) of active mobile devices in the network that share a common resource space with the mobile device.

At block 1404, the network interface transmits a common priority indicator channel (CPICH) in each shortest TTI indicating resources assigned by the SPI for downlink (DL) grants. In some aspects, the CPICH may indicate resources with an integer value granularity of one or more resource blocks (RBs). In some aspects, the CPICH may indicate resources with an integer value granularity of a subband. In some aspects, the CPICH may be transmitted in the first symbol of each shortest TTI. In some aspects, the CPICH may be transmitted via at least one of: beamformed transmission or directional transmission. In some aspects, the CPICH may be transmitted using spatial characteristics of each user. In some aspects, the CPICH may be transmitted along with a reference signal that varies with individual users.

Example device

FIG15 is an illustration of an apparatus 1500 that can support scheduling according to one or more aspects of the present disclosure. Apparatus 1500 may be implemented or realized in a mobile device, an access point, or some other type of device that supports wireless communication. In various implementations, apparatus 1500 may be implemented or realized in an access terminal (e.g., UE), a base station (BS), or some other type of device. In various implementations, apparatus 1500 may be implemented or realized in a mobile phone, a smart phone, a tablet device, a portable computer, a server, a personal computer, a sensor, an entertainment device, a medical device, or any other electronic device having a circuit system. Apparatus 1500 includes a communication interface (e.g., at least one transceiver) 1502, a storage medium 1504, a user interface 1506, a memory device 1508, and a processing circuit 1510.

These components may be coupled to and/or in electrical communication with each other via a signaling bus or other suitable components (generally represented by connecting lines in FIG. 15 ). Depending on the specific application and overall design constraints of the processing circuit 1510, the signaling bus may include any number of interconnecting buses and bridges. The signaling bus links the various circuits together so that each of the communication interface 1502, the storage medium 1504, the user interface 1506, and the memory device 1508 is coupled to and/or in electrical communication with the processing circuit 1510. The signaling bus may also link various other circuits (not shown), such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are well known in the art and therefore will not be described further.

The communication interface 1502 may be adapted to facilitate wireless communication of the apparatus 1500. For example, the communication interface 1502 may include circuitry and/or programming adapted to facilitate bidirectional information communication with respect to one or more communication devices in a network. In some implementations, the communication interface 1502 may be configured for wired-based communication. In some implementations, the communication interface 1502 may be coupled to one or more antennas 1512 for wireless communication within a wireless communication system. The communication interface 1502 may be configured with one or more stand-alone receivers and/or transmitters and one or more transceivers. In the illustrated example, the communication interface 1502 includes a transmitter 1514 and a receiver 1516.

Memory device 1508 may represent one or more memory devices. As indicated, memory device 1508 may maintain schedule-related information 1518 along with other information used by apparatus 1500. In some implementations, memory device 1508 and storage medium 1504 are implemented as a shared memory component. Memory device 1508 may also be used to store data manipulated by processing circuit 1510 or some other component of apparatus 1500.

Storage media 1504 may represent one or more computer-readable, machine-readable, and/or processor-readable devices for storing programming (such as processor-executable code or instructions (e.g., software, firmware)), electronic data, databases, or other digital information. Storage media 1504 may also be used to store data manipulated by processing circuit 1510 when executing programming. Storage media 1504 may be any available medium that can be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose processor, including portable or fixed storage devices, optical storage devices, and various other media capable of storing, containing, or carrying programming.

By way of example and not limitation, storage medium 1504 may include: a magnetic storage device (e.g., a hard disk, a floppy disk, a magnetic stripe), an optical disk (e.g., a compact disc (CD) or a digital versatile disc (DVD)), a smart card, a flash memory device (e.g., a memory card, a memory stick, or a key drive), a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable ROM (PROM), an erasable PROM (EPROM), an electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM), registers, a removable disk, and any other suitable medium for storing software and/or instructions that can be accessed and read by a computer. Storage medium 1504 may be embodied in an article of manufacture (e.g., a computer program product). As an example, a computer program product may include a computer-readable medium in packaging material. In view of the foregoing, in some implementations, storage medium 1504 may be a non-transitory (e.g., tangible) storage medium.

Storage medium 1504 may be coupled to processing circuit 1510 such that processing circuit 1510 can read information from and write information to storage medium 1504. That is, storage medium 1504 may be coupled to processing circuit 1510 such that storage medium 1504 is at least accessible by processing circuit 1510, including examples in which at least one storage medium is integrated into processing circuit 1510 and/or examples in which at least one storage medium is separate from processing circuit 1510 (e.g., resident in device 1500, external to device 1500, distributed across multiple entities, etc.).

The programming stored by storage medium 1504, when executed by processing circuit 1510, causes processing circuit 1510 to perform one or more of the various functional and/or procedural operations described herein. For example, storage medium 1504 may include programming configured to govern operations at one or more hardware blocks of processing circuit 1510 and to communicate wirelessly using communication interface 1502 by utilizing its corresponding communication protocol.

The processing circuitry 1510 is generally adapted for processing, including executing such programming stored on the storage medium 1504. As used herein, the terms "code" or "programming" should be interpreted broadly to include, without limitation, instructions, instruction sets, data, code, code segments, program code, programs, programming, subroutines, software modules, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, and the like, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.

Processing circuit 1510 is arranged to obtain, process, and/or transmit data, control access and storage of data, issue commands, and control other desired operations. In at least one example, processing circuit 1510 may include circuitry configured to implement desired programming provided by appropriate media. For example, processing circuit 1510 may be implemented as one or more processors, one or more controllers, and/or other structures configured to execute executable programming. Examples of processing circuit 1510 may include a general-purpose processor designed to perform the functions described herein, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic component, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. A general-purpose processor may include a microprocessor, as well as any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. Processing circuit 1510 may also be implemented as a combination of computing components, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, several microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, an ASIC and a microprocessor, or any other number of varying configurations. These examples of processing circuit 1510 are for illustrative purposes, and other suitable configurations that fall within the scope of the present disclosure are also contemplated.

According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, processing circuitry 1510 may be adapted to perform any or all of the features, processes, functions, operations, and/or routines for any or all of the devices described herein. For example, processing circuitry 1510 may be configured to perform any of the steps, functions, and/or processes described with respect to Figures 1, 8-14, and 16. As used herein, the term "adapted" with respect to processing circuitry 1510 may refer to processing circuitry 1510 being configured, employed, implemented, and/or programmed (one or more of the above) to perform specific processes, functions, operations, and/or routines according to the various features described herein.

1, 8-14, and 16. The processing circuit 1510 may be a dedicated processor such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) serving as a means (eg, structure) for performing any of the operations described in conjunction with Figures 1, 8-14, and 16. The processing circuit 1510 may serve as an example of a transmitting device and/or a receiving device.

According to at least one example of the device 1500, the processing circuit 1510 may include one or more of a circuit/module 1520 for determining an interval, a circuit/module 1522 for communicating, a circuit/module 1524 for decoding, a circuit/module 1526 for determining a length, or a circuit/module 1528 for determining a resource block allocation.

The circuit/module for determining intervals 1520 may include circuitry and/or programming (e.g., code 1530 for determining intervals stored on storage medium 1504) adapted to perform several functions related to, for example, determining intervals for communicating scheduling indicators. In various scenarios, determining intervals may involve one or more of: defining intervals, receiving intervals (e.g., receiving an indication of an interval from another apparatus or component), retrieving intervals (e.g., retrieving an indication of an interval from a memory device or some other component), etc. In some implementations, the circuit/module for determining intervals 1520 determines whether the interval matches a bearer associated with a device (e.g., a UE). For example, for a given UE, the circuit/module for determining intervals 1520 may identify a bearer associated with the UE and then identify an interval that maps to the bearer (e.g., as shown in FIG. 7 ). These determinations may be based, for example, on a mapping retrieved from memory device 1508 or otherwise obtained. The circuit/module for determining intervals 1520 may then output an indication of the interval to a component of apparatus 1500 (e.g., memory device 1508 or some other component).

The circuit/module for communicating 1522 may include circuitry and/or programming (e.g., code for communicating 1534 stored on the storage medium 1504) adapted to perform several functions related to, for example, sending and/or receiving information. In some implementations, the information is a scheduling indicator and the circuit/module for communicating 1522 communicates the scheduling indicator based on an interval (e.g., received from the circuit/module for determining intervals 1520, retrieved from the memory device 1508, or obtained in some other manner). In some implementations, the communication interface 1502 includes the circuit/module for communicating 1522 and/or the code for communicating 1534.

In some scenarios, communicating involves the communicating circuit/module 1522 receiving information directly from the device transmitting the data or receiving information from a component of the apparatus 1500 (e.g., receiver 1516, memory device 1508, or some other component). In this case, the communicating circuit/module 1522 may process (e.g., decode) the received information. The communicating circuit/module 1522 then outputs the received information to a component of the apparatus 1500 (e.g., memory device 1508 or some other component).

In some scenarios, communicating involves sending information to another component of apparatus 1500 (e.g., transmitter 1514) for transmission to another device or directly to a final destination (e.g., if circuit/module 1522 for communicating includes a transmitter). In this case, circuit/module 1522 for communicating initially obtains the information to be communicated (e.g., from memory device 1508 or some other component). Circuit/module 1522 for communicating may process (e.g., encode) the information to be transmitted. Circuit/module 1522 for communicating then transmits the information. For example, circuit/module 1522 for communicating may transmit the information directly or pass the information to transmitter 1514 for subsequent radio frequency (RF) transmission.

In some implementations, the circuit/module for communicating 1522 obtains downlink control information (e.g., from the memory device 1508) and sends the downlink control information to the UE. The sending of the information may be triggered by receiving an indication from the circuit/module for determining the interval 1520 indicating that the interval matches a bearer associated with the UE device.

The circuit/module 1524 for decoding may include circuitry and/or programming (e.g., code 1534 for decoding stored on the storage medium 1504) adapted to perform several functions related to, for example, decoding information. In some implementations, the information is downlink control information (DCI). In some implementations, the information is associated with an ongoing grant. The circuit/module 1524 for decoding obtains the information to be decoded from a component of the apparatus 1500 (e.g., the memory device 1508 or some other component). The decoding may be conditional. For example, in some implementations, the circuit/module 1524 for decoding decodes the downlink control information if a scheduling indicator indicates that a grant may be available (e.g., available to a UE). In some implementations, the circuit/module 1524 for decoding temporarily suspends decoding of the ongoing grant if the scheduling indicator indicates a higher priority than the priority associated with the grant. In some implementations, the circuit/module 1524 for decoding decodes the downlink control information according to an SPI interval associated with a particular device (e.g., a UE). For example, the circuit/module 1524 for decoding may attempt to decode downlink control information from a designated channel once per SPI interval.

The circuit/module 1524 for decoding may employ different types of decoding. In some implementations, decoding involves blind decoding of each instance of the DCI. Here, blind decoding may use assumptions about dynamic parameters as well as assumptions about semi-static parameters. In some implementations, decoding involves coherent decoding of a subset of the DCI. In this case, coherent decoding may use assumptions about semi-static parameters.

The circuit/module for determining the length 1526 may include circuitry and/or programming (e.g., code 1536 for determining the length stored on the storage medium 1504) adapted to perform several functions related to, for example, determining the length of the bitmap for the scheduling indicator. The circuit/module for determining the length 1526 obtains information about the scheduling indicator (e.g., from the memory device 1508 or some other component of the apparatus 1500). The circuit/module for determining the length 1526 may then determine the length using, for example, the operations described above in conjunction with FIG. 10. The circuit/module for determining the length 1526 may then output an indication of the length to a component of the apparatus 1500 (e.g., the circuit/module for determining resource block allocation 1528, the memory device 1508, or some other component).

The circuit/module for determining resource block allocation 1528 may include circuitry and/or programming (e.g., code for determining resource block allocation 1538 stored on storage medium 1504) adapted to perform several functions related to, for example, determining resource block allocations for a grant.

In some implementations, the circuit/module for determining resource block allocation 1528 determines the resource block allocation based on the length of the bitmap. In this case, the circuit/module for determining resource block allocation 1528 obtains an indication of the length of the bitmap (e.g., from the circuit/module for determining length 1526, the memory device 1508, or some other component). The circuit/module for determining resource block allocation 1528 may then determine the resource block allocation using, for example, the operations described above in conjunction with FIG. 10. The circuit/module for determining resource block allocation 1528 may then output the indication of the resource block allocation to a component of the apparatus 1500 (e.g., the memory device 1508 or some other component).

As described above, the programming stored by the storage medium 1504, when executed by the processing circuit 1510, causes the processing circuit 1510 to perform one or more of the various functional and/or process operations described herein. For example, the storage medium 1504 may include code 1530 for determining an interval, code 1532 for communicating, code 1534 for decoding, code 1536 for determining a length, or code 1538 for determining a resource block allocation.

Example Process

FIG16 illustrates a process 1600 for supporting control signaling according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Process 1600 may be performed within a processing circuit (e.g., processing circuit 1510 of FIG15 ), which may be located in an access terminal, a base station, or some other suitable device. Of course, in various aspects within the scope of the present disclosure, process 1600 may be implemented by any suitable device capable of supporting control-related operations.

At block 1602, an apparatus (e.g., an access terminal or a base station) determines an interval for communicating a scheduling indicator. Here, the scheduling indicator may be one of a plurality of scheduling indicators mapped to a plurality of transmission time interval (TTI) lengths. In some aspects, the scheduling indicator indicates whether a grant is available for a user assigned a particular one of the TTI lengths.

In some scenarios, scheduling indicators are allocated on a per-resource block basis. In some scenarios, scheduling indicators are allocated on a per-subband basis. In some scenarios, scheduling indicators are communicated on a channel common to multiple users. In some scenarios, scheduling indicators are communicated via beamforming. In some scenarios, scheduling indicators are communicated on a channel dedicated to a specific user.

At block 1604, the apparatus communicates a scheduling indicator according to the interval. The communication may involve transmitting and/or receiving, depending on, for example, whether the process 1600 is performed by a scheduling entity or a subordinate entity.

In some scenarios, the scheduling indicator includes multiple scheduling priority indicators indicating corresponding scheduling priorities of TTI lengths. In some aspects, the communication of the scheduling indicator may involve receiving the scheduling indicator (e.g., at a UE). In this case, process 1600 may further include temporarily stopping decoding of an ongoing grant if the scheduling indicator indicates a higher priority than the priority associated with the grant.

At optional block 1606, in some scenarios, a device (e.g., a UE) decodes downlink control information (DCI) if a scheduling indicator indicates that a grant may be available. In some aspects, the DCI may include dynamic parameters that sometimes vary in each TTI and semi-static parameters that vary only once across multiple TTIs. In some aspects, decoding may include blind decoding of each instance of the DCI. The blind decoding may use assumptions about the dynamic parameters and assumptions about the semi-static parameters. In some aspects, decoding may include coherent decoding of a subset of the DCI. The coherent decoding may use assumptions about the semi-static parameters. In some aspects, the DCI may be combined with data for encoding and transmission.

At optional block 1608, in some scenarios, the apparatus decodes downlink control information (DCI) based on the SPI interval associated with the UE.For example, the UE may monitor downlink control information at a time based on the SPI interval assigned to the UE.

At optional block 1610, in some scenarios, the apparatus (e.g., a base station) determines a length of a bitmap for a scheduling indicator. At optional block 1612, in some scenarios, the apparatus determines a resource block allocation for the grant based on the length of the bitmap as determined at block 1610. In some aspects, the operations of blocks 1610 and 1612 may correspond to the operations discussed above in conjunction with FIG.

At optional block 1614, in some scenarios, the apparatus determines whether the interval (e.g., the interval of block 1602) matches a bearer associated with the UE. For example, for a given UE, the base station may identify the bearer associated with the UE and then identify the interval mapped to the bearer (e.g., as shown in FIG. 7 ). At optional block 1616, in some scenarios, the apparatus sends downlink control information to the UE if the determination at block 1614 indicates that the interval matches a bearer associated with the UE device. For example, the base station may transmit DCI regarding a given UE at a time based on an interval assigned to the UE based on the bearer used by the UE.

In some scenarios, process 1600 may also include determining another interval for communicating another scheduling indicator and communicating the another scheduling indicator according to the other interval. Here, the another scheduling indicator may indicate whether to stop or start decoding of the active grant.

Example Network

FIG17 is a schematic illustration of a wireless communication network 1700 including multiple communication entities as may occur in some aspects of the present disclosure. As described herein, a scheduling entity or a scheduled entity (e.g., as illustrated in FIG3-5 ) may reside in or be a part of a base station, a smartphone, a small cell, or another entity. A subordinate entity or mesh node may reside in or be a part of a smart alarm, a remote sensor, a smartphone, a phone, a smart meter, a PDA, a personal computer, a mesh node, and/or a tablet computer. Of course, the illustrated devices and components are merely examples, and any suitable node or device may appear in a wireless communication network within the scope of the present disclosure.

Other aspects

Of course, these examples are provided only to illustrate certain concepts of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these examples are merely exemplary in nature and that other examples may fall within the scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims.

As will be readily appreciated by those skilled in the art, the various aspects described throughout this disclosure can be extended to any suitable telecommunication system, network architecture, and communication standard. By way of example, various aspects can be applied to UMTS systems such as W-CDMA, TD-SCDMA, and TD-CDMA. Various aspects can also be applied to systems employing Long Term Evolution (LTE) (in FDD, TDD, or both modes), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A) (in FDD, TDD, or both modes), CDMA2000, Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), IEEE 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Bluetooth, and/or other suitable systems, including those described by yet-to-be-defined wide area network standards. The actual telecommunication standard, network architecture, and/or communication standard employed will depend on the specific application and the overall design constraints imposed on the system.

Within this disclosure, the word "exemplary" is used to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any implementation or aspect described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as superior or preferred over other aspects of the disclosure. Likewise, the term "aspect" does not require that all aspects of the disclosure include the feature, advantage, or mode of operation discussed. The term "coupled" is used herein to refer to a direct or indirect coupling between two objects. For example, if object A physically contacts object B, and object B contacts object C, objects A and C may still be considered to be coupled to each other - even if they are not in direct physical contact with each other. For example, a first die may be coupled to a second die in a package even if the first die is never in direct physical contact with the second die. The terms "circuit" and "circuitry" are used broadly and are intended to include both hardware implementations of electronic devices and conductors that, when connected and configured, enable the functions described in this disclosure to be performed without limitation on the type of electronic circuitry, as well as software implementations of information and instructions that, when executed by a processor, enable the functions described in this disclosure to be performed.

One or more of the components, steps, features and/or functions described above can be rearranged and/or combined into a single component, step, feature or function, or can be implemented in several components, steps or functions. Additional elements, components, steps and/or functions can also be added without departing from the novel features disclosed herein. The apparatus, equipment and/or components described above can be configured to perform one or more methods, features, or steps described herein. The novel algorithms described herein can also be efficiently implemented in software and/or embedded in hardware.

It should be understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in the disclosed methods is an illustration of exemplary processes. Based on design preferences, it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of steps in these methods may be rearranged. The accompanying method claims present elements of the various steps in a sample order and are not meant to be limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented unless specifically recited herein.

The preceding description is provided to enable anyone skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the universal principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Accordingly, the claims are not intended to be limited to the aspects shown herein, but rather should be granted the full scope consistent with the claim language, wherein singular references to elements are not intended to mean "one and only one" unless specifically stated otherwise, but rather "one or more." Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term "one" refers to "one or more." A phrase referring to "at least one" of a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including individual members. As an example, "at least one of a, b, or c" is intended to encompass: a; b; c; a and b; a and c; b and c; and a, b, and c. All structural and functional equivalents of the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are currently or hereafter known to those skilled in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are intended to be covered by the claims. In addition, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public, regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No element of a claim is to be construed under 35 U.S.C. §112(f) unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “step for.”

Claims (22)

1. A wireless communication method, comprising: Receive instructions regarding user priority; Determine a Transmission Time Interval (TTI) corresponding to the user priority, the TTI defining an interval for monitoring scheduling indicators, wherein the scheduling indicator is one of a plurality of scheduling indicators mapped to a plurality of user priorities, and each scheduling indicator indicates whether permission is available for a user assigned a corresponding user priority among the plurality of user priorities; and Monitor the scheduling indicator according to the determined interval. 2. The method as described in claim 1, further comprising: Decode the downlink control information (DCI) if the scheduling indicator indicates that permission is available. 3. The method as described in claim 2, wherein the DCI comprises: Dynamic parameters that vary across multiple TTIs; and Semi-static parameters that change only once across multiple TTIs. 4. The method as described in claim 3, characterized in that: The decoding includes blind decoding of each instance of the DCI; and The blind decoding uses assumptions about the dynamic parameters and assumptions about the semi-static parameters. 5. The method as described in claim 3, characterized in that: The decoding includes coherent decoding of a subset of the DCI; and The coherent decoding uses assumptions about the semi-static parameters. 6. The method of claim 2, wherein the DCI is combined with data for encoding and transmission. 7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: Determine another interval for monitoring another scheduling indicator, wherein the other scheduling indicator indicates whether to stop or start decoding of an ongoing grant; and Monitor the other scheduling indicator based on the other interval. 8. The method of claim 7, further comprising: Receive the other scheduling indicator; and If the other scheduling indicator indicates a higher priority than the priority associated with the grant, the decoding of the ongoing grant is temporarily suspended. 9. The method of claim 1, further comprising: Receive the scheduling indicator; Determine the length of the bitmap used for the received scheduling indicator; and The allocation of the permitted resource blocks is determined based on the length of the bitmap. 10. The method of claim 1, further comprising: Downlink control information (DCI) is decoded based on the scheduling priority index range associated with the user equipment. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of scheduling indicators are allocated on a per-resource-block basis or on a per-subband basis. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the scheduling indicator is monitored on a channel shared by multiple users. 13. The method of claim 1, wherein the scheduling indicator is monitored on a channel dedicated to a specific user. 14. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: Memory devices; A transceiver configured to receive an indication of user priority; and Processing circuitry, coupled to and adapted to the memory device and the transceiver, is configured to: Determine a Transmission Time Interval (TTI) corresponding to the user priority, the TTI defining an interval for monitoring scheduling indicators, wherein the scheduling indicator is one of a plurality of scheduling indicators mapped to a plurality of user priorities, and each scheduling indicator indicates whether permission is available for a user assigned a corresponding user priority among the plurality of user priorities; and Monitor the scheduling indicator according to the determined interval. 15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: Decode the downlink control information (DCI) if the scheduling indicator indicates that permission is available. 16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: Determine another interval for monitoring another scheduling indicator, wherein the other scheduling indicator indicates whether to stop or start decoding of an ongoing grant; and Monitor the other scheduling indicator based on the other interval. 17. The apparatus as claimed in claim 16, characterized in that: The transceiver is further configured to receive the other scheduling instruction; and The processing circuitry is further configured to temporarily halt decoding of the ongoing grant if another scheduling indicator indicates a higher priority than the priority associated with the grant. 18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the processing circuit is further configured to: Receive the scheduling indicator; Determine the length of the bitmap used for the received scheduling indicator; and The allocation of the permitted resource blocks is determined based on the length of the bitmap. 19. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: A device for receiving instructions on user priority; A means for determining a Transmission Time Interval (TTI) corresponding to the user priority, the TTI defining an interval for monitoring scheduling indicators, wherein the scheduling indicators are one of a plurality of scheduling indicators mapped to a plurality of user priorities, and each scheduling indicator indicates whether permission is available for a user assigned a corresponding user priority among the plurality of user priorities; and A means for monitoring the scheduling indicator based on a determined interval. 20. The equipment as claimed in claim 19, further comprising: A means for decoding downlink control information (DCI) when the scheduling indicator indicates that permission is available. 21. The equipment as claimed in claim 19, further comprising: A means for receiving the scheduling indicator; A means for determining the length of the bit mapping used for a received scheduling indicator; and A means for determining the allocation of the permitted resource block based on the length of the bitmap. 22. A non-transient computer-readable medium storing computer-executable code for wireless communication, the computer-executable code comprising code for: Receive instructions regarding user priority; Determine a Transmission Time Interval (TTI) corresponding to the user priority, the TTI defining an interval for monitoring scheduling indicators, wherein the scheduling indicator is one of a plurality of scheduling indicators mapped to a plurality of user priorities, and each scheduling indicator indicates whether permission is available for a user assigned a corresponding user priority among the plurality of user priorities; and Monitor the scheduling indicator according to the determined interval.