HK1258297A1

HK1258297A1 - Flexible frame structure signaling for radio access networks operating in the unlicensed spectrum

Info

Publication number: HK1258297A1
Application number: HK19100661.7A
Authority: HK
Inventors: Abhijeet Bhorkar; Qiaoyang Ye; Hwan Joon Kwon; Huaning Niu; Jeongho Jeon
Original assignee: 苹果公司; 英特爾Ｉｐ公司
Priority date: 2016-02-04
Filing date: 2016-08-31
Publication date: 2019-11-08
Also published as: CN108476498B; CN108476498A; WO2017135999A1

Abstract

Techniques described herein may help conserve the power of user equipment devices (UEs) in a radio access network (RAN) that is implementing a communication policy involving flexible frame structures. A network device, such as a base station or wireless router, may monitor network traffic in the RAN and determine an appropriate frame structure based on the network traffic. The network device may convey the frame structure to UEs in the RAN so that the UEs know when an ongoing frame will transition from downlink (DL) subframes to uplink (UL) subframes. Doing so may alleviate a need for the UEs to continue monitoring the network for the actual transition from UL subframes to UL subframes, thereby conserving the power usage of the UEs.

Description

Flexible frame structure signaling for radio access networks operating in unlicensed spectrum

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. provisional patent application No.62/291,383, filed on day 4, 2/2016 and U.S. provisional patent application No.62/318,622, filed on day 5, 4/2016, the contents of both provisional applications being incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.

Background

Wireless telecommunications networks typically include a Radio Access Network (RAN) that enables User Equipment (UE) (e.g., smart phones, tablets, laptops, etc.) to connect to a core network. An example of a wireless telecommunications network may include an Evolved Packet System (EPS) operating based on third generation partnership project (3GPP) communication standards. The EPS may include an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network connected to one or more cellular networks, such as a Long Term Evolution (LTE) RAN (also known as an "evolved Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN)"), a fifth generation (5G) RAN, and so on. In cellular networks, UEs typically communicate with a base station using a channel corresponding to a licensed radio spectrum (e.g., a radio spectrum designated for cellular network communications).

Such as grant assisted access (LAA), Carrier Aggregation (CA),Such techniques may enable a UE to connect to a wireless telecommunications network via unlicensed spectrum, and examples of unlicensed spectrum include the 5 gigahertz (GHz) unlicensed spectrum for Wi-Fi and other unlicensed uses proposed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of the united states. Some of these techniques, such as LAA and CA, may include a UE maintaining a carrier (also referred to as an "anchor") from a licensed spectrum in order to use a carrier in an unlicensed spectrum. In contrast, such asOther technologies, referred to herein as "standalone technologies," may enable a UE to connect to a wireless telecommunications network without an anchor from the licensed spectrum. Standalone technologies may also enable network devices (e.g., small cell devices, wireless routers, etc.) to implement versions of the 3GPP LTE communication standard whereby UEs may establish LTE connections with wireless telecommunications networks.

In addition to increasing the overall DL and UL capabilities of a wireless telecommunications network by enabling UEs to connect to the network via unlicensed spectrum, standalone techniques may also increase the DL and UL capabilities of the network by implementing flexible frame structure techniques. Typically, the frame structures in the RAN are static (e.g., they have a fixed number of DL subframes and a fixed number of UL subframes in each frame structure). Examples of such frames may include LTE frames, such as LTE frames for Frequency Division Duplex (FDD), LTE frames for Time Division Duplex (TDD), and so forth.

Implementing a flexible frame structure technique may include a process by which a network device (e.g., a small cell device, a wireless access point, etc.) may define a frame structure based on an amount of existing and/or anticipated network traffic. For example, when a network device anticipates that the level of network traffic in the DL direction will increase, flexible frame structure techniques may enable a wireless access point to increase the number of DL subframes and decrease the number of UL subframes for each frame. Similarly, when the level of network traffic in the UL direction is expected to increase, flexible frame structure techniques may enable a network device to redefine the frame structure by reducing the number of DL subframes and increasing the number of UL subframes for each frame.

Drawings

Embodiments of the present embodiments will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. For convenience of description, the same reference numerals may denote the same structural elements. Embodiments are illustrated by way of example, and not by way of limitation, in the figures of the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example system in which systems and/or methods described herein may be implemented;

FIG. 2 is an illustration of an example control channel that may exist between a User Equipment (UE) and a network device of a Radio Access Network (RAN);

fig. 3 is an illustration of an example process for providing frame structure information to UEs within a RAN;

fig. 4 and 5 are diagrams of example frame structures;

6-9 are diagrams of example frame structures including frame structure information at different subframe locations;

FIG. 10 is a diagram of example components of an electronic device; and

FIG. 11 is a diagram of example components of a network device.

Detailed Description

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. The same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the same or similar elements. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of embodiments is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Techniques for implementing flexible frames in a standalone environment have certain drawbacks. For example, since the frame structure may change periodically in a flexible frame environment, the UE device may continuously monitor a particular control channel (e.g., a common control channel, such as a common physical downlink control channel (C-PDCCH)) to determine when the structure of the frame will change from a DL subframe to a UL subframe. The identification of this transition may enable the UE to identify the UL subframe(s) for which the UE has received a UL grant (i.e., a permission to actually use the UL subframe to transmit information to the network). Without identifying the transition, the UE may not be able to identify the UL subframe for which the UE has been granted because the UL grant information may be related to (e.g., measured from) the transition from the DL subframe to the UL subframe. In addition, even in the case where a subframe is scheduled for UL transmission to operate in a flexible frame environment, the UE may continuously monitor the DL control channel because the UE does not know whether the subframe is for DL transmission or UL transmission, which is undesirable in terms of UE power consumption.

The techniques described herein may be used to reduce the amount of UE power used to implement flexible frame structure techniques by proactively notifying the UE about the frame structure. For example, a wireless access device may monitor network traffic in the RAN, determine an appropriate frame structure based on the network traffic, and may transmit information describing the frame structure (also referred to herein as frame structure information) to each UE in the RAN. The frame structure information may be communicated in one or more ways depending on the implementation.

For example, a wireless access device may transmit frame structure information in each DL subframe of a frame, the first DL subframe of a frame, the last DL subframe of a frame, two or more DL subframes of a frame, and so on. In addition, the frame structure information may describe when a frame may transition from a DL subframe to a UL subframe, the time and/or location of UL subframes within a frame, the length of UL transmissions within a frame (e.g., the number of symbols per UL subframe), and so on. In this way, since the radio access device can actively inform each UE in the RAN about the frame structure being changed, the UE can save power by refraining from monitoring every subframe transmitted from the radio access device.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an example environment 100 in which systems and/or methods described herein may be implemented. Environment 100 may include a plurality of UEs 110, a wireless telecommunications network, and external networks and devices.

The wireless telecommunications network may include an Evolved Packet System (EPS) including a Long Term Evolution (LTE) network and/or an Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network operating based on a third generation partnership project (3GPP) wireless communication standard. The LTE network may be or may include a RAN that includes one or more base stations (some or all of which may be enbs 120) and/or wlan aps 130 through which UEs 110 may communicate with the EPC network.

The EPC network may include a Serving Gateway (SGW)140, a PDN Gateway (PGW)150, a Mobility Management Entity (MME)160, a Home Subscriber Server (HSS)170, and/or a Policy and Charging Rules Function (PCRF) 180. As shown, the EPC network may enable UE110 to communicate with external networks such as a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN), a Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), and/or an Internet Protocol (IP) network (e.g., the internet).

The UE110 may include portable computing and communication devices, such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), smart phones, cellular phones, laptop computers connected to a wireless telecommunications network, tablet computers, and the like. UE110 may also include a non-portable computing device, such as a desktop computer, a consumer or business device, or another device having the capability to connect to a RAN of a wireless telecommunications network. The UE110 may also include computing and communication devices (also referred to as wearable devices) that may be worn by the user, such as watches, fitness bracelets, necklaces, lenses, glasses, rings, belts, headsets, or other types of wearable devices.

UE110 may include software, firmware, or hardware (such as flexible frame structure software) that enables UE110 to perform one or more operations described herein. Examples of such operations may include receiving, by the RAN (e.g., from eNB120 and/or WLAN AP130), information via a particular channel (e.g., C-PDCCH), monitoring the information for frame structure information, interpreting the frame structure information to determine when UE110 transmits information to eNB120 and/or WLAN AP130, conserving battery power by ceasing to monitor subsequent information from eNB120 and/or WLAN AP130, and transmitting information to eNB120 and/or WLAN AP130 according to the frame structure information.

eNB120 may include one or more network devices that receive, process, and/or transmit (e.g., via an air interface) traffic destined for UE110 and/or received from UE 110. eNB120 may be connected to a network device (e.g., a site router) that acts as an intermediary for information communicated between eNB120 and EPC network 230. The eNB120 may include network equipment (e.g., modems, switches, gateways, routers, etc.) capable of implementing the flexible frame structure techniques described herein. The eNB120 may cooperate with the WLAN AP130 to implement LAA, CA, etc., in order to increase network resources (e.g., UL and/or DL bandwidth) of the wireless telecommunications network. Additionally, eNB120 may include software, firmware, or hardware (such as flexible frame structure software) that enables eNB120 to perform one or more operations described herein, such as monitoring network traffic within the RAN, implementing flexible frame structure techniques based on the network traffic to efficiently use frames and subframes, communicating frame structure information to UE110, and communicating with the UE according to the frame structure information.

WLAN AP130 may include one or more network devices that receive, process, and/or transmit (e.g., via an air interface) traffic destined for UE110 and/or received from UE 110. The WLAN AP130 may include network devices, such as switches, gateways, routers, small cell devices, wireless access points, routers, access points, and the like, capable of implementing the flexible frame structures described herein,Access points, base stations, etc. In some embodiments, the WLAN AP130 may implement a standalone (e.g., non-anchored) version of the 3GPP LTE communication standard in the 5 gigahertz (GHz) unlicensed spectrum for Wi-Fi and other unlicensed uses proposed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in the united states. In some embodiments, this may include implementingTechnology or another type of independent communication standard.

The WLAN AP130 may also cooperate with the eNB120 to implement LAA, CA, etc., in order to increase network resources (e.g., UL and/or DL bandwidth) of the wireless telecommunications network. Additionally, eNB120 may include software, firmware, or hardware (such as flexible frame structure software) that enables eNB120 to perform one or more operations described herein, such as monitoring network traffic within the RAN, implementing flexible frame structure techniques based on the network traffic to efficiently use frames and subframes, communicating frame structure information to UE110, and communicating with the UE according to the frame structure information.

The SGW 140 may aggregate traffic received from one or more enbs 120 and/or WLAN APs 130 and may transmit the aggregated traffic to an external network or device via the PGW 150. Additionally, the SGW 140 may aggregate traffic received from the one or more PGWs 150 and may transmit the aggregated traffic to one or more enbs 120 and/or WLAN APs 130. The SGW 140 may operate as an anchor for the user plane during inter-eNB handover and may operate as an anchor for mobility between different telecommunication networks.

MME 160 may include one or more computing and communication devices that act as control nodes for eNB120 and/or other devices providing an air interface for a wireless telecommunications network (e.g., WLAN AP 130). For example, the MME 160 may perform operations to register the UE110 with a wireless telecommunications network to establish a bearer channel (e.g., traffic flow) associated with a session of the UE110, to handover the UE110 to a different eNB, MME, or another network, and/or to perform other operations. MME 160 may perform policing operations on traffic to UE110 and/or received from UE 110.

PGW 150 may include one or more network devices that may aggregate traffic received from one or more SGWs 140 and may transmit the aggregated traffic to an external network. PGW 150 may also or alternatively receive traffic from an external network and may transmit traffic to UE110 (via eNB120 and/or WLAN 130). PGW 150 may be responsible for providing charging data for each communication session to PCRF 180 to help ensure that charging policies are properly applied to communication sessions conducted with the wireless telecommunications network.

The HSS 170 may include one or more devices that may manage, update, and/or store profile information associated with subscribers (e.g., subscribers associated with the UE 110) in a memory associated with the HSS 170. The profile information may identify applications and/or services allowed for and/or accessible by the subscriber; a Mobile Directory Number (MDN) associated with the subscriber; a bandwidth or data rate threshold associated with an application and/or service; and/or other information. A subscriber may be associated with UE 110. Additionally or alternatively, the HSS 170 may perform authentication, authorization, and/or accounting operations associated with the subscriber and/or the communication session with the UE 110.

PCRF 180 may receive information regarding policies and/or subscriptions from one or more sources (e.g., a subscriber database) and/or from one or more users. PCRF 180 may provide these policies to PGW 150 or another device to enable the policies to be enforced. As shown, in some embodiments, PCRF 180 may communicate with PGW 150 to ensure that charging policies are properly applied to local routing sessions within the telecommunications network. For example, after a local routing session terminates, PGW 150 may collect charging information for the session and provide the charging information to PCRF 180 for enforcement.

The number of devices and/or networks shown in fig. 1 is for illustration purposes only. In practice, there may be additional devices and/or networks; fewer devices and/or networks; different devices and/or networks; or devices and/or networks that are arranged differently than shown in fig. 1. Alternatively or additionally, one or more devices of system 100 may perform one or more functions described as being performed by another one or more devices of system 100. Further, while "direct" connections are shown in fig. 1, these connections should be interpreted as logical communication paths, and in practice one or more intermediate devices (e.g., routers, gateways, modems, switches, hubs, etc.) may be present.

Fig. 2 is an illustration of an example control channel that may be established between UE110 and WLAN AP 130. As shown, multiple control channels may be established between UE110 and the RAN, examples of which may include a common control channel (e.g., C-PDCCH) and a UE-specific control channel (e.g., UE-specific PDCCH).

The WLAN AP130 may communicate with multiple UEs 110 simultaneously using a common control channel such that each UE110 receives the same information sent via the common control channel. The common control channel may be used to provide the same frame structure information to all UEs 110, which may describe one or more aspects of the frame structure currently being implemented by the WLAN AP 130. As described herein, the frame structure information may indicate a total number of subframes per frame, a number of DL subframes per frame, a number of UL subframes per frame, a number of special subframes per frame, when one subframe ends and another subframe begins, when a sequence of subframes ends and another sequence of subframes begins, a number of symbols between a current subframe and a transition from a DL subframe to a UL subframe, and so on.

In contrast, the WLAN AP130 may transmit different information to different UEs 110 using UE-specific control channels, such that one UE110 may not receive the same information as another UE 110. For example, the WLAN AP130 may use one UE-specific control channel to provide UL grant information to one UE110 and another UE-specific control channel to provide a different UL grant information to another UE 110. The UL grant information may indicate when each UE110 is allowed to transmit information to the WLAN AP 130. Since the UL grant information may be transmitted via a UE-specific control channel, one UE110 may not know when another UE110 is allowed to transmit information in the UL direction (e.g., to WLAN AP130) (e.g., during which subframe in a frame).

In some embodiments, each UE110 may combine information received via common control channels and UE-specific control channels in order to know when the UE110 will transmit information in the UL. For example, frame structure information received via a common control channel may indicate when a UL subframe sequence starts and ends, and UL grant information received via a UE-specific control channel may indicate a time period, number of symbols, subframe sequence, etc. within the UL subframe sequence, so that UE110 may accurately determine when UE110 will transmit information to WLAN 130. Since the UL grant information may, for example, only indicate the UL subframe number (e.g., the third UL subframe in a sequence of UL subframes) granted to a particular UE110, the frame structure information (e.g., when the UL subframe starts) may enable the UE110 to identify which UL subframe is the third UL subframe without having to continuously monitor subframes in order to find when a DL subframe transitions to a UL subframe.

Fig. 3 is an illustration of an example process 300 for providing frame structure information to UEs within a RAN. The example process 300 may be implemented by the WLAN AP 130.

Referring to fig. 3, process 300 may include monitoring network traffic of a RAN (block 310). For example, WLAN AP130 may monitor information communicated between UE110 and the RAN of WLAN AP 130. The activity monitored by the WLAN AP130 may relate to a particular channel, such as a common control channel (e.g., C-PDCCH) monitored by all UEs 110 in the cell. The WLAN AP130 may use a common control channel to communicate paging information, information about the network (e.g., EPC), information about the random access procedure, etc. In some embodiments, the WLAN AP130 may monitor network traffic to determine a current level of network traffic flowing in the DL direction and/or the UL direction and an expected level of network traffic flowing in the DL direction and/or the UL direction. Such a determination may be based on other information, such as the number of UEs 110 in the RAN, the level of activity of UEs 110 in the RAN, the type of activity of UEs 110 in the RAN, the need for a core network (e.g., EPC) to communicate information to UEs 110 in the RAN, and so forth.

Process 300 may also include determining an appropriate frame structure based on the network traffic (block 320). For example, WLAN AP130 may analyze network traffic in the RAN and may determine an appropriate frame structure for communicating with UE 110. For example, when the WLAN AP130 expects an increase in the level of network traffic in the DL direction, the WLAN AP130 may increase the number of DL subframes and decrease the number of UL subframes for each frame. Similarly, when an increase in the level of network traffic in the UL direction is expected, the WLAN AP130 may redefine the frame structure by decreasing the number of DL subframes and increasing the number of UL subframes in the frame. In some embodiments, the WLAN AP130 may continuously monitor network traffic and modify the frame structure to best conform to the expected needs of the RAN.

Fig. 4 and 5 are diagrams of example frame structures. As shown in fig. 4, an example frame structure 400 may include a DL portion and an UL portion. Each portion may include a consecutive DL subframe sequence or a consecutive UL subframe sequence. In the example provided, the example frame structure 400 includes 10 subframes, where a frame is switched from a DL subframe to a UL subframe between subframe 5 and subframe 6. As such, the subframe structure determined by the WLAN AP130 may include a continuous subframe structure with only one continuous DL subframe sequence, one continuous UL subframe sequence, and transitions between DL subframes and UL subframes between subframes 5 and 6.

In contrast, as shown in fig. 5, the example frame structure 500 may include multiple DL portions and UL portions. Each portion may include a consecutive DL subframe sequence or a consecutive UL subframe sequence, and the DL and UL portions may be interspersed with each other. In the example provided, the frame structure includes 10 subframes, where a frame switches from a DL subframe to a UL subframe (or vice versa) between subframes 3 and 4, 6 and 7, and 8 and 9. As such, the example frame structure 500 includes a distributed frame structure having a plurality of alternating consecutive DL subframe sequences and UL subframe sequences.

In addition to determining that the frame structure is continuous or distributed, the WLAN AP130 may also determine which subframes may include subframe structure information. For example, the WLAN AP130 may determine that frame structure information is to be included in each DL subframe of the frame structure. In another example, the WLAN AP130 may determine that the frame structure information is to be included in only certain DL subframes, e.g., the first DL subframe of each DL subframe sequence, the last DL subframe of each DL subframe sequence, two or more DL subframes of each DL subframe sequence, etc. Specific examples of such frame structures are described in more detail below with reference to fig. 6-9.

In some embodiments, the frame structure information may be sent on every DL subframe between the subframe in which the UL grant is sent and before the first UL subframe transmission (e.g., a physical UL channel (PUSCH) transmission). As described herein, a transmission burst may include a period of continuous transmission in the RAN (e.g., between UE110 and WLAN AP 130). A transmission burst may include an entire frame, a portion of a frame (e.g., one or more DL portions and/or UL portions), or multiple frames. Additionally, the frame structure information that may be provided by the WLAN AP130 to the UE110 may include frame structure information related to a particular transmission burst.

Returning to fig. 3, process 300 may include generating information describing a frame structure (block 330). For example, WLAN AP130 may describe various aspects of the frame structure or frame structure in terms of a total number of DL subframes, a number of DL subframes transitioning from to UL subframes, a total number of UL subframes, a number of symbols (which may correspond to a number of symbols in one or more DL subframes and/or UL subframes), an indication of a transition from a DL subframe to a UL subframe (e.g., a frame number or frame position), an indication of a transition from a UL subframe back to a DL subframe, and so on. The provided information may indicate when a frame is to be transitioned from a DL subframe to a UL subframe, the number of consecutive UL subframes after the transition, whether the frame is to be transitioned back to a DL subframe, and so on. The descriptive information may indicate a transition from a DL subframe to a UL subframe, and may be provided in terms of a number of subframes, a location of one or more subframes (relative to other subframes), a duration (e.g., because each subframe may correspond to a particular amount of time), symbols (since, for example, each subframe may include a particular number of symbols), or a combination thereof.

A time position, as used herein, may indicate an amount of time between two subframes (e.g., an amount of time between a particular DL subframe and a transition from a DL subframe to a UL subframe). Similarly, as used herein, a frame position may indicate a number of subframes between two subframes (e.g., the number of DL subframes between a particular DL subframe and a transition from a DL subframe to a UL subframe). As such, as used herein, a symbol position may indicate the number of symbols between two symbols (e.g., the first symbol of a particular DL subframe and the symbol of the DL subframe immediately prior to the transition to the UL subframe). Additional examples of frame structure information are discussed below with reference to fig. 6-9.

Process 300 may also include transmitting frame structure information to the UE in the RAN using the frame structure determined to be appropriate (block 340). For example, WLAN AP130 may communicate frame structure information using a frame structure that is complementary to the RAN's network traffic conditions and/or expected network traffic conditions. As described above, the frame structure information may be included in one or more DL subframes of the frame structure, e.g., each DL subframe, only the first or last DL subframe of a sequence of DL subframes, etc. Additionally, the subframe structure information may be simultaneously transmitted to each UE110 in the RAN via one control channel, such as the C-PDCCH. In some embodiments, the processor of the WLAN AP130 may cause the WLAP 130 to transmit information describing the frame structure to the UE110 according to the frame structure.

The process 300 may also include communicating with the UE based on the frame structure (block 350). For example, the frame structure used to transmit the frame structure information may include other types of control information, such as paging information, information on parameters or capabilities of the network, and the like, in addition to the frame structure information. In some embodiments, the frame structure information may occupy only a small portion of the information provided via the DL subframe.

In some embodiments, for example, the frame structure information may include two or three bits in a particular DL subframe. For example, two bits may be used in a DL subframe located within four subframes of a transition from a DL subframe to a UL subframe. This is due to the fact that two bits can convey four combinations of information (e.g., 00, 01, 10, and 11), each of which can represent the number of subframes between the DL subframe in which the bit is conveyed and the transition from the DL subframe to the UL subframe. Similarly, since three bits may convey eight different combinations of information (e.g., 000, 001, 011, 111, etc.), three bits may be used in a DL subframe located within eight subframes of the transition from a DL subframe to a UL subframe.

In some embodiments, the number of bits used to communicate the frame structure information may depend on the number of subframes between the subframe used to communicate the frame structure information and the first (or next) UL subframe. For example, when there is only one subframe (e.g., DL subframe or special subframe) between a DL subframe (or special subframe for communicating subframe structure information) and a next UL subframe, frame structure information may be communicated using only one bit (e.g., where a "0" may indicate that the next subframe is a UL subframe and a "1" may indicate that another subframe (e.g., DL subframe or special subframe) exists before the UL subframe). In a similar manner, two bits may be used in cases where there are two to three subframes between the subframe used to convey the subframe structure information and the next UL subframe, three bits may be used in cases where there are at least four subframes between the subframe used to convey the subframe structure information and the next UL subframe, and so on. Additionally, in some embodiments, the number of bits used in each subframe for communicating frame structure information may vary within the same frame (e.g., according to the number of subframes between the communicating subframe and the first UL subframe). Alternatively, the number of bits used to convey the frame structure information may be the same in each subframe used to convey the frame structure information within the frame.

As such, the techniques described herein may provide an efficient solution for describing the frame structure (or significant portions of the frame structure) without significantly impacting other types of control information that may be beneficial for communication to UE 110.

Additionally, the environment or scenario in which the WLAN AP130 may implement one or more of the flexible frame structure techniques described herein may vary. For example, in some embodiments, the WLAN AP130 may implement a standalone technology (e.g., in conjunction with implementing a standalone technology)) And/or Listen Before Talk (LBT) communication procedures together implement the flexible frame structure techniques described herein within the context of C-PDCCH communications in unlicensed spectrum. In other embodiments, the flexible frame structure technique may be implemented in other scenarios, such as scenarios involving LAA techniques, where the UE 130 communicates with both the eNB120 (via licensed spectrum) and the WLAN AP130 implementing the flexible frame structure technique in unlicensed spectrum. As such, the techniques described herein may be applicable to a variety of scenarios involving flexible frame structure techniques.

Fig. 6-9 are diagrams of example frame structures 600 and 900, which include frame structure information at different subframe locations. The example frame structures of fig. 6-9 include multiple subframes designated as DL subframes, UL subframes, or special subframes. The example frame structures of fig. 6-9 are provided primarily for purposes of explanation and not to limit the scope of the techniques described herein. In practice, the frame structure may include additional subframes, fewer subframes, different distribution of subframes, different arrangement of subframes, different coding of subframes (e.g., no special subframes), and so on.

Referring to fig. 6, an example frame structure 600 may include a continuous DL subframe sequence from subframe 3 to subframe 5. These DL subframes may be followed by a special subframe (subframe 6) comprising a DL portion and a UL portion, followed by a sequence of consecutive UL subframes from subframe 7 to subframe 9. In some implementations, the example frame structure 600 may include additional subframes (e.g., subframes 1, 2, 10, etc.). As shown, the special subframe may include a DL portion and an UL portion (also referred to herein as "DL segment" and "UL segment," respectively). In some embodiments, the special subframe may include a DL portion and the remaining portion (e.g., the portion that may be used as an UL portion) may be blank. In such embodiments, the DL portion may comprise 3, 6, 9, 10, 11, or 12 symbols.

As shown, each DL subframe in fig. 6 includes frame structure information describing the frame structure or at least a portion thereof (e.g., a point or time at which information transmitted in the DL direction is converted to information transmitted in the UL direction). In some embodiments, the frame structure information in each DL subframe may include the same information, thereby creating information redundancy to better ensure that the frame structure information is received by all UEs 110 within the RAN. In other embodiments, the subframe information may vary from DL subframe to DL subframe. For example, each subframe may indicate the number of remaining DL subframes (e.g., before the next UL subframe). In some embodiments, the frame structure information may include an indication of the time, subframe, and/or symbol at which the UL portion of the subframe begins within the subframe.

For example, the frame structure information may indicate that the UL portion of the frame starts during the second half of subframe 6, which may be dedicated to Physical UL Control Channel (PUCCH) information. The frame structure information may also indicate that the UL part of the frame extends from the second half of subframe 6 through subframe 9. The frame structure information may also indicate that the frame is a continuous subframe structure (see, e.g., fig. 4) having only one continuous DL subframe sequence and only one continuous UL subframe sequence. As shown, several UL portions of the frame may include an LBT (listen before talk) portion, where UE110 may verify that a control channel corresponding to the example frame of fig. 6 is idle (or sufficiently idle), e.g., before transmitting information in the UL direction. In scenarios where LBT is not implemented, a frame and its subframes may not include an LBT segment throughout the UL portion of the frame.

The frame structure information may also or alternatively indicate the start of the first full UL subframe at subframe 7, the number of symbols in each UL subframe, the total number of UL subframes, the total duration of the UL portion of the frame, etc. In some embodiments, the frame structure information may be redundant in each DL subframe, which may, for example, increase the likelihood that each UE110 will successfully receive the frame structure information. In other embodiments, some frame structure information may be provided via a specific DL subframe, while other frame structure information may be provided in the DL subframe.

Referring now to fig. 7, an example frame structure 700 may include DL subframes from subframe 1 to a first portion of subframe 4 and UL subframes from a second portion of subframe 4 to subframe 7. In some implementations, the example frame structure 700 may include additional subframes (e.g., subframes 8-10, etc.). As shown, the example frame structure 700 includes frame structure information only in the first DL subframe (subframe 1). Transmitting the frame structure information in the first DL subframe may, for example, enable other DL subframes to be used for transmitting other types of control information in the DL direction.

As described herein, the frame structure information may include a description of the overall frame structure, including the time and/or subframe at which the subframe switches from a DL subframe to a UL subframe (i.e., subframe 4). The frame structure information may also indicate that the second half of subframe 4 is dedicated to enable UE110 to transmit UL information (e.g., Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH) information) to the network. The frame structure information may also indicate that the frame is a continuous subframe structure (see, e.g., fig. 4), rather than a distributed subframe structure (see, e.g., fig. 5), where one continuous DL subframe sequence is followed by one continuous UL subframe sequence. However, if the frame comprises a distributed frame structure, the frame structure information may comprise the number of UL subframe sequences in the frame, the duration or length (e.g., number of subframes) of each (or particular) sequence of UL subframes, the beginning and/or end of one or more UL subframe sequences, and/or the like.

Referring now to fig. 8, an example frame structure 800 may include DL subframes from subframe 3 to a first portion of subframe 6 and UL subframes from a second portion of subframe 6 to subframe 9. In some implementations, the example frame structure 800 may include additional subframes (e.g., subframes 1 and 2, subframe 10, etc.). In contrast to the frame structure of fig. 6, the example frame structure 800 includes frame structure information only in the special subframe (subframe 6) of the example frame structure 800. Transmitting the frame structure information in the last DL part of the frame may, for example, enable other DL subframes to be used for transmitting other types of information in the C-PDCCH.

As described herein, the frame structure information may include a description of the overall frame structure, including the time and/or subframe at which the subframe switches from a DL subframe to a UL subframe (i.e., special subframe 6). The frame structure information may indicate that the second half of the subframe 6 is a UL subframe including UL control information. The frame structure information may also indicate that the frame is a continuous subframe structure (see, e.g., fig. 4), rather than a distributed subframe structure (see, e.g., fig. 5), where one continuous DL subframe sequence is followed by one continuous UL subframe sequence.

The frame structure information may indicate that the UL portion of the frame starts at a particular symbol of the transition frame 6 and lasts for a number of symbols equal to the actual number of symbols in the UL portion of the frame. As shown, several UL portions of the frame may include an LBT (listen before talk) portion, where UE110 may verify that a control channel corresponding to the example frame of fig. 8 is idle (or sufficiently idle), e.g., before transmitting information in the UL direction. In scenarios where LBT is implemented, the frame structure information may include an indication of the symbols allocated in each subframe for LBT purposes.

Referring now to fig. 9, an example frame structure 900 may include DL subframes from subframe 5 to subframe 8 and UL subframes from subframe 9 to subframe 1. In some implementations, the example frame structure 900 may include additional subframes (e.g., subframes 1-4, etc.). The example frame structure 900 includes frame structure information in only two DL subframes (subframes 7 and 8) prior to a transition from the DL portion of the frame to the UL portion of the frame. As shown in fig. 9, as represented in fig. 9, UL control channel information (UL (c)) may be transmitted (e.g., physical UL channel (PUSCH) transmission) by frequency multiplexing instead of time multiplexing.

In some embodiments, the frame structure information may include an indication of the distance (whether measured in units of time, frame, symbol, or the like) of a particular DL subframe from the first UL subframe. For example, if the first UL subframe is after N subframes (e.g., 2 subframes after, on subframe 9), the frame structure information in DL subframe 7 may be 1 to indicate that the first UL subframe is two subframes from subframe 7 (e.g., the first UL subframe is offset from the subframe of the DL subframe having the frame structure information). Similarly, the frame structure information of DL subframe 8 may be 0 to indicate that the next subframe (subframe 9) is the first UL subframe in the frame. In some embodiments, the information may indicate the start of a subframe containing UL control channel information. The frame structure information may also or alternatively indicate the first full UL subframe starts at subframe 10, the total number of UL subframes, the total number of symbols in all UL subframes, the combined duration of UL subframes, etc. In this way, the frame structure information may provide a clear description of when a frame transitions from the DL portion of the frame to the UL portion of the frame and the length of the UL portion of the frame. Doing so may enable the UE110 to conserve battery power by stopping monitoring each subframe when the UE110 has received a description of the frame itself or portions of the frame that are of particular interest to the UE110 (e.g., a transition from the DL portion of the frame to the UL portion of the frame and the length of the UL portion of the frame).

In some embodiments, a frame may not include any UL subframes. In such a scenario, the frame structure information may be provided in any DL subframe or combination of DL subframes, as described herein. Additionally, the frame structure information may indicate that there are no UL subframes in the frame. For example, the frame structure information may indicate explicitly that there is no UL subframe (e.g., by a particular bit sequence) or implicitly that there is no UL subframe (e.g., by failing to indicate a transition from a DL subframe to a UL subframe). In embodiments where the frame structure information is provided in a special subframe (see, e.g., fig. 6-8), the UL portion of the special subframe may be blank.

As used herein, the term "circuit" or "processing circuit" may refer to, belong to, or include an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group), and/or memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that executes one or more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit, and/or other suitable hardware components that provide the described functionality. In some embodiments, the circuitry may be implemented in, or functions associated with, one or more software or firmware modules. In some embodiments, the circuitry may comprise logic operable, at least in part, in hardware.

The embodiments described herein may be implemented into a system using any suitably configured hardware and/or software. FIG. 10 illustrates example components of an electronic device 1000 for one embodiment. In embodiments, the electronic device 1000 may be a UE, an eNB, a WLAN AP, or some other suitable electronic device. In some embodiments, the electronic device 1000 may include application circuitry 1002, baseband circuitry 1004, Radio Frequency (RF) circuitry 1006, front-end module (FEM) circuitry 1008, and one or more antennas 1060 coupled together at least as shown. In other embodiments, any of the circuits may be included in different devices.

The application circuitry 1002 may include one or more application processors. For example, the application circuitry 1002 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to: one or more single-core or multi-core processors. The processor(s) may include any combination of general-purpose processors and special-purpose processors (e.g., graphics processors, application processors, etc.). The processor may be coupled with and/or may include memory/storage and may be configured to execute instructions stored in the memory/storage to enable various applications and/or operating systems to run on the system. In some implementations, the storage medium 1003 may include a non-transitory computer-readable medium. The memory/storage may include, for example, a computer-readable medium 1003, which may be a non-transitory computer-readable medium. In some embodiments, the application circuitry 1002 may be connected to or include one or more sensors, such as environmental sensors, cameras, and the like.

Baseband circuitry 1004 may include circuitry such as, but not limited to: one or more single-core or multi-core processors. Baseband circuitry 1004 may include one or more baseband processors and/or control logic to process baseband signals received from the receive signal path of RF circuitry 1006 and to generate baseband signals for the transmit signal path of RF circuitry 1006. Baseband processing circuitry 1004 may interface with application circuitry 1002 to generate and process baseband signals and control operation of RF circuitry 1006. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1004 may include a second generation (2G) baseband processor 1004a, a third generation (3G) baseband processor 1004b, a fourth generation (4G) baseband processor 1004c, and/or one or more other baseband processors 1004d for other existing generations, generations in development or to be developed in the future (e.g., fifth generation (5G), 6G, etc.). The baseband circuitry 1004 (e.g., one or more of the baseband processors 1004a-1004 d) may handle various radio control functions that support communication with one or more radio networks via the RF circuitry 1006. The radio control functions may include, but are not limited to: signal modulation/demodulation, encoding/decoding, radio frequency shifting, etc. In some implementations, the baseband circuitry 1004 may be associated with the storage medium 1003 or with another storage medium.

In some embodiments, the modulation/demodulation circuitry of baseband circuitry 1004 may include Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), precoding, and/or constellation mapping/demapping functionality. In some embodiments, the encoding/decoding circuitry of baseband circuitry 1004 may include convolution, tail-biting convolution, turbo, Viterbi (Viterbi), and/or Low Density Parity Check (LDPC) encoder/decoder functionality. Embodiments of modulation/demodulation and encoder/decoder functions are not limited to these examples, and other suitable functions may be included in other embodiments. In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1004 may include elements of a protocol stack, e.g., elements of an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) protocol, including, for example: physical (PHY), MAC, Radio Link Control (RLC), PDCP, and/or radio link control (RRC) elements. A Central Processing Unit (CPU)1004e of the baseband circuitry 1004 may be configured to run elements of a protocol stack for signaling of the PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, and/or RRC layers. In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry may include one or more audio Digital Signal Processors (DSPs) 1004 f. The one or more audio DSPs 1004f may include elements for compression/decompression and echo cancellation, and may include other suitable processing elements in other embodiments.

The baseband circuitry 1004 may also include memory/storage 1004 g. The memory/storage 1004g may be used to load and store data and/or instructions for operations performed by the processor of the baseband circuitry 1004. The memory/storage for one embodiment may comprise any combination of suitable volatile memory and/or non-volatile memory. Memory/storage 1004g may include any combination of various levels of memory/storage including, but not limited to: read Only Memory (ROM) with embedded software instructions (e.g., firmware), random access memory (e.g., Dynamic Random Access Memory (DRAM)), cache, buffers, and so forth. The memory/storage 1004g may be shared among various processors or dedicated to a particular processor.

In some embodiments, components of the baseband circuitry may be combined as appropriate in a single chip, a single chipset, or disposed on the same circuit board. In some embodiments, some or all of the constituent components of the baseband circuitry 1004 and the application circuitry 1002 may be implemented together, for example, on a system on a chip (SOC).

In some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1004 may provide communications compatible with one or more radio technologies. For example, in some embodiments, the baseband circuitry 1004 may support communication with E-UTRAN and/or other Wireless Metropolitan Area Networks (WMANs), WLANs, Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPANs). Embodiments in which the baseband circuitry 1004 is configured to support radio communications of multiple wireless protocols may be referred to as multi-mode baseband circuitry.

The RF circuitry 1006 may support communication with a wireless network using modulated electromagnetic radiation through a non-solid medium. In various embodiments, the RF circuitry 1006 may include switches, filters, amplifiers, and the like to facilitate communication with the wireless network. The RF circuitry 1006 may include a receive signal path that may include circuitry to down-convert RF signals received from the FEM circuitry 1008 and provide baseband signals to the baseband circuitry 1004. RF circuitry 1006 may also include a transmit signal path, which may include circuitry to up-convert baseband signals provided by baseband circuitry 1004 and provide RF output signals to FEM circuitry 1008 for transmission.

In some embodiments, the RF circuitry 1006 may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the RF circuitry 1006 may include a mixer circuit 1006a, an amplifier circuit 1006b, and a filter circuit 1006 c. The transmit signal path of the RF circuitry 1006 may include filter circuitry 1006c and mixer circuitry 1006 a. The RF circuitry 1006 may also include synthesizer circuitry 1006d for synthesizing frequencies for use by the mixer circuitry 1006a of the receive signal path and the transmit signal path. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1006a of the receive signal path may be configured to down-convert the RF signal received from the FEM circuit 1008 based on a synthesized frequency provided by the synthesizer circuit 1006 d. The amplifier circuit 1006b may be configured to amplify the downconverted signal, and the filter circuit 1006c may be a Low Pass Filter (LPF) or Band Pass Filter (BPF) configured to remove unwanted signals from the downconverted signal to generate an output baseband signal.

The output baseband signal may be provided to baseband circuitry 1004 for further processing. In some embodiments, the output baseband signal may be a zero frequency baseband signal, but this is not required. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 1006a of the receive signal path may comprise a passive mixer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 1006a of the transmit signal path may be configured to upconvert the input baseband signal based on a synthesis frequency provided by the synthesizer circuitry 1006d to generate an RF output signal for the FEM circuitry 1008. The baseband signal may be provided by baseband circuitry 1004 and may be filtered by filter circuitry 1006 c. Filter circuit 1006c may include a Low Pass Filter (LPF), although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, mixer circuit 1006a of the receive signal path and mixer circuit 1006a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for quadrature down-conversion and/or up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, the mixer circuit 1006a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuit 1006a of the transmit signal path may include two or more mixers and may be arranged for image rejection (e.g., Hartley image rejection). In some embodiments, the mixer circuitry 1006a of the receive signal path and the mixer circuitry 1006a of the transmit signal path may be arranged for direct down-conversion and/or direct up-conversion, respectively. In some embodiments, mixer circuit 1006a of the receive signal path and mixer circuit 1006a of the transmit signal path may be configured for superheterodyne operation.

In some embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be analog baseband signals, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect. In some alternative embodiments, the output baseband signal and the input baseband signal may be digital baseband signals. In these alternative embodiments, the RF circuitry 1006 may include analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and digital-to-analog converter (DAC) circuitry, and the baseband circuitry 1004 may include a digital baseband interface to communicate with the RF circuitry 1006.

In some dual-mode embodiments, separate radio IC circuitry may be provided to process signals for each spectrum, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect.

In some embodiments, synthesizer circuit 1006d may be a fractional-N synthesizer or a fractional-N/N +6 synthesizer, although the scope of the embodiments is not limited in this respect as other types of frequency synthesizers may be suitable. For example, synthesizer circuit 1006d may be a delta-sigma (delta-sigma) synthesizer, a frequency multiplier, or a synthesizer including a phase locked loop with a frequency divider.

The synthesizer circuit 1006d may be configured to synthesize an output frequency for use by the mixer circuit 1006a of the RF circuit 1006 based on the frequency input and the divider control input. In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuit 1006d may be a fractional N/N +6 synthesizer.

In some embodiments, the frequency input may be provided by a Voltage Controlled Oscillator (VCO), but this is not required. The divider control input may be provided by the baseband circuitry 1004 or the application processor 1002 depending on the desired output frequency. In some embodiments, the divider control input (e.g., N) may be determined from a look-up table based on the channel indicated by the application processor 1002.

Synthesizer circuit 1006d of RF circuit 1006 may include a frequency divider, a Delay Locked Loop (DLL), a multiplexer, and a phase accumulator. In some embodiments, the divider may be a dual-mode divider (DMD) and the phase accumulator may be a Digital Phase Accumulator (DPA). In some embodiments, the DMD may be configured to divide an input signal by N or N +6 (e.g., based on a carry out) to provide a fractional division ratio. In some example embodiments, a DLL may include a set of cascaded, tunable delay elements, a phase detector, a charge pump, and a D-type flip-flop. In these embodiments, the delay elements may be configured to decompose the VCO period into Nd equal phase groups, where Nd is the number of delay elements in the delay line. In this manner, the DLL provides negative feedback to help ensure that the total delay through the delay line is one VCO cycle.

In some embodiments, the synthesizer circuit 1006d may be configured to generate a carrier frequency as the output frequency, while in other embodiments, the output frequency may be a multiple of the carrier frequency (e.g., twice the carrier frequency, four times the carrier frequency) and used with a quadrature generator and divider circuit to generate a plurality of signals having a plurality of mutually different phases at the carrier frequency. In some embodiments, the output frequency may be the LO frequency (fLO). In some embodiments, the RF circuitry 1006 may include an IQ/polarity converter.

FEM circuitry 1008 may include a receive signal path that may include circuitry configured to operate on RF signals received from one or more antennas 1060, amplify the received signals, and provide amplified versions of the received signals to RF circuitry 1006 for further processing. The FEM circuitry 1008 may also include a transmit signal path that may include circuitry configured to amplify signals provided by the RF circuitry 1006 for transmission by one or more of the one or more antennas 1060.

In some embodiments, the FEM circuitry 1008 may include a TX/RX switch to switch between transmit mode and receive mode operation. The FEM circuitry may include a receive signal path and a transmit signal path. The receive signal path of the FEM circuitry may include a Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) to amplify the received RF signal and provide the amplified received RF signal as an output (e.g., to the RF circuitry 1006). The transmit signal path of the FEM circuitry 1008 may include: a Power Amplifier (PA) for amplifying an input RF signal (e.g., provided by RF circuitry 1006), and one or more filters for generating an RF signal for subsequent transmission (e.g., by one or more of the one or more antennas 1060).

In some embodiments, electronic device 1000 may include additional elements, such as memory/storage, a display, a camera, sensors, and/or input/output (I/O) interfaces. In some embodiments, the electronic device of fig. 10 may be configured to perform one or more methods, processes, and/or techniques, such as those described herein.

Fig. 11 is a block diagram illustrating components capable of reading instructions from a machine-readable or computer-readable medium (e.g., a machine-readable storage medium) and performing any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein, according to some example embodiments. In particular, fig. 11 shows a graphical representation of a hardware resource 1100 that includes one or more processors (or processor cores) 1110, one or more memory/storage devices 1120, and one or more communication resources 1130, each communicatively coupled together by a bus 1140.

Processor 1110 (e.g., a Central Processing Unit (CPU), a Reduced Instruction Set Computing (RISC) processor, a Complex Instruction Set Computing (CISC) processor, a Graphics Processing Unit (GPU), a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) such as a baseband processor, an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), a Radio Frequency Integrated Circuit (RFIC), another processor, or any suitable combination thereof) may, for example, include processor 1112 and processor 1114. Memory/storage 1120 may include a main memory, a disk storage, or any suitable combination thereof.

Communication resources 1130 may include interconnection and/or network interface components or other suitable devices to communicate with one or more peripherals 1104 and/or one or more databases 1106 via network 1108. For example, communication resources 1130 may include wired communication components (e.g., for coupling via a Universal Serial Bus (USB)), cellular communication components, Near Field Communication (NFC) components, a wireless communication component, and/or a wireless communication component,(Bluetooth) components (e.g. Bluetooth Low energy),Components, and other communication components.

The instructions 1150 may include software, a program, an application, an applet, an app, or other executable code for causing at least any of the processors 1110 to perform any one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. The instructions 1150 may reside, completely or partially, within at least one of the processors 1110 (e.g., within a cache memory of the processor), the memory/storage 1120, or any suitable combination thereof. Further, any portion of instructions 1150 may be communicated to hardware resources 1100 from any combination of peripherals 1104 and/or database 1106. Thus, the memories of processor 1110, memory/storage 1120, peripheral 1104, and database 1106 are examples of computer-readable and machine-readable media.

Next, many examples will be given regarding embodiments of the above-described technology.

In example 1, an apparatus for a processor of a network device, comprising circuitry to: monitoring network traffic corresponding to communications between a plurality of user equipment devices (UEs) and a Radio Access Network (RAN) of a wireless telecommunications network; determining a frame structure for communicating with the plurality of UEs based on the network traffic, the frame structure comprising: a plurality of Downlink (DL) subframes, a plurality of Uplink (UL) subframes, at least one location for transmitting information describing the frame structure to the plurality of UEs; generating information describing a frame structure; and causing the network device to transmit the information to the plurality of UEs according to the frame structure and at least one location of the frame structure.

In example 2 according to example 1 or the subject matter of any example herein, the frame structure comprises at least one special subframe located between a plurality of DL subframes and a plurality of UL subframes, and the at least one location for transmitting the information comprises a location within at least one of the plurality of DL subframes immediately preceding the at least one special subframe, but not within each of the plurality of DL subframes.

In example 3 according to example 1 or the subject matter of any example herein, the plurality of DL subframes comprises a first DL subframe sequence and a second DL subframe sequence, the plurality of UL subframes comprises a first UL subframe sequence preceded by the first DL subframe sequence and a second UL subframe sequence preceded by the second DL subframe sequence, the at least one location for transmitting the information comprises a first location within the first DL subframe sequence and a second location within the second DL subframe sequence, and the information corresponding to the first location and the second location indicates a length of remaining information corresponding to a subsequent UL subframe.

In example 4 according to the subject matter of example 1 or any example herein, wherein the information indicates a length of remaining information corresponding to a subsequent UL subframe.

In example 5, a non-transitory computer-readable medium containing program instructions for causing one or more processors to: determining a flexible frame structure for enabling wireless communication between a plurality of user equipment devices (UEs) of a Radio Access Network (RAN) corresponding to a wireless telecommunications network, the flexible frame structure comprising: a plurality of Downlink (DL) subframes comprising a first DL subframe sequence, a plurality of Uplink (UL) subframes comprising a first UL subframe sequence, and at least one location within at least one of the plurality of DL subframes for transmitting information indicating a transition from a DL subframe to a UL subframe within the flexible frame structure, the information indicating the transition being generated; the network device is caused to transmit the information to the plurality of UEs via a control channel of each of the plurality of UEs connected to the RAN according to the flexible frame structure and the at least one location.

In example 6 of the subject matter of example 5 or any example herein, wherein: the flexible frame structure includes at least one special subframe, and the at least one location for transmitting the information is located only within a DL portion of the special subframe.

In example 7 of the subject matter of example 5 or any example herein, wherein: the flexible frame structure is located between a plurality of DL subframes and a plurality of UL subframes, and the at least one location for transmitting the information comprises: a first position within at least one of the plurality of DL subframes immediately preceding the special subframe, but not within each of the plurality of DL subframes, and a second position within a DL portion of the special subframe.

In example 8, a network device, comprising: means for monitoring network traffic corresponding to communications between a plurality of user equipment devices (UEs) and a Radio Access Network (RAN) of a wireless telecommunications network; means for determining a frame structure for communicating with the plurality of UEs based on the network traffic, the frame structure comprising: a plurality of Downlink (DL) subframes, a plurality of Uplink (UL) subframes, and at least one location for transmitting information describing the frame structure to the plurality of UEs; means for generating information describing the frame structure; and means for causing the network device to transmit the information to the plurality of UEs according to the frame structure and at least one location of the frame structure.

In example 9 of the subject matter of example 1 or any example herein, wherein: the frame structure includes at least one special subframe located between a plurality of DL subframes and a plurality of UL subframes, and the at least one location for transmitting the information includes a location within at least one of the plurality of DL subframes immediately preceding the at least one special subframe, but not within each of the plurality of DL subframes.

In example 10 of the subject matter of example 1, 5, 8, or any example herein, wherein the at least one location comprises a location within each of the plurality of DL subframes.

In example 11 of the subject matter of example 1, 5, 8, or any example herein, wherein: the plurality of DL subframes includes at least three subframes, and the at least one location for transmitting the information includes: a position within two or more of the plurality of DL subframes but not within each of the plurality of DL subframes.

In example 12 of the subject matter of example 1, 5, 8, or any example herein, wherein: the frame structure further includes at least one special subframe between the plurality of DL subframes and the plurality of UL subframes, and the at least one location for transmitting the information is located within a DL portion of the at least one special subframe.

In example 13 of the subject matter of example 1, 5, 8, or any example herein, wherein: the information includes one bit of information indicating a start of the plurality of UL subframes when a number of DL subframes between a DL subframe for transmitting the information and a first UL subframe of the plurality of UL subframes is between zero and one subframe, the information includes two bits of information indicating a start of the plurality of UL subframes when a number of DL subframes between a DL subframe for transmitting the information and a first UL subframe of the plurality of UL subframes is between two and three subframes, and the information includes four bits of information indicating a start of the plurality of UL subframes when a number of DL subframes between a DL subframe for transmitting the information and a first UL subframe of the plurality of UL subframes is greater than three subframes.

In example 14 of the subject matter of example 1, 5, 8, or any example herein, wherein the information comprises four bits indicating: the duration of the current DL subframe used to transmit the information, and the duration of when the current DL subframe immediately follows another DL or special subframe, the other DL or the special subframe.

In example 15 according to the subject matter of example 1, 5, 8, or any example herein, wherein the information comprises four bits indicating a duration of the plurality of UL subframes.

In example 16 according to the subject matter of example 1, 5, 8, or any example herein, wherein the at least one location for transmitting the information comprises a location within each of the plurality of DL subframes.

In example 17 according to the subject matter of example 1, 5, 8, or any example herein, wherein the at least one location for transmitting the information is located only within a first DL subframe of the plurality of DL subframes.

In example 18 according to the subject matter of example 1, 5, 8, or any example herein, wherein the information comprises a number of symbols corresponding to the plurality of UL subframes.

In example 19 according to the subject matter of example 1, 5, 8, or any example herein, wherein the information indicates a time location corresponding to the plurality of UL subframes.

In example 20 according to the subject matter of example 1, 5, 8, or any example herein, wherein the information indicates subframe locations corresponding to the plurality of UL subframes.

In example 21 of the subject matter of example 1, 5, 8, or any example herein, wherein: the plurality of DL subframes includes a first DL subframe and a second DL subframe contiguous with the first DL subframe, the at least one location includes a first location within the first DL subframe and a second location within the second DL subframe, the information included in the first location indicates a duration of the second DL subframe and a first number of subframes between the first DL subframe and a first UL subframe of the plurality of UL subframes, and the information included in the second location indicates a second number of subframes between the second DL subframe and the first UL subframe.

In example 22 according to the subject matter of example 1, 5, 8, or any example herein, wherein the information comprises a number of subframes corresponding to the plurality of UL subframes.

In example 23, an apparatus of a baseband processor for a user equipment device (UE) includes circuitry to: receiving information from a Radio Access Network (RAN) of a wireless telecommunications network via a common control channel; monitoring the information for a description of a frame structure being implemented by the RAN, the frame structure comprising a Downlink (DL) portion and an Uplink (UL) portion; determining a transition from a DL part to an Uplink (UL) part based on the information; stopping monitoring of the information during the remaining UL portion of the frame structure being implemented by the RAN; receiving, from the RAN and via a UE-specific control channel, a grant to communicate with the RAN during an UL portion of the frame structure; and communicating with the wireless telecommunications network during the UL portion of the frame structure in accordance with the grant to communicate with the RAN.

In example 24 of the subject matter of example 23 or any example herein, wherein: the frame structure further includes a special subframe having a DL segment and a UL segment, and the description about the frame structure is received only within the DL segment of the special subframe.

In example 25 of the subject matter of example 23 or any example herein, wherein: the frame structure further includes a special subframe having a DL segment and a UL segment, the special subframe being located between the plurality of DL subframes and the plurality of UL subframes within the frame structure, and a description of the frame structure is received within: within at least one but not all of the plurality of DL subframes, and within the DL segment of the special subframe.

In example 26, a method comprising: monitoring network traffic corresponding to communications between a plurality of user equipment devices (UEs) and a Radio Access Network (RAN) of a wireless telecommunications network; determining a frame structure for communicating with the plurality of UEs based on the network traffic, the frame structure comprising: a plurality of Downlink (DL) subframes, a plurality of Uplink (UL) subframes, and at least one location for transmitting information describing the frame structure to the plurality of UEs; generating, by the network device, information describing the frame structure; the information is transmitted to the plurality of UEs according to the frame structure and at least one position of the frame structure.

In example 27 of the subject matter of example 26 or any example herein, wherein: the frame structure includes at least one special subframe located between a plurality of DL subframes and a plurality of UL subframes, and the at least one location for transmitting the information includes: a position within each of the plurality of DL subframes, and a position within a DL portion of each of the at least one special subframe.

In example 28 of the subject matter of example 26 or any example herein, wherein: the frame structure includes at least one special subframe located between a plurality of DL subframes and a plurality of UL subframes, the plurality of DL subframes includes at least three subframes, and the at least one location for transmitting the information includes: a location within two or more of the plurality of DL subframes but not within each of the plurality of DL subframes, and a location within the DL portion of each special subframe of the at least one transition subframe.

In example 29 of the subject matter of example 26 or any example herein, wherein: the frame structure includes at least one special subframe located between the plurality of DL subframes and the plurality of UL subframes, and the at least one location for transmitting the information is located only within a DL portion of each special subframe of the at least one special subframe.

In example 30 of the subject matter of example 26 or any example herein, wherein: the frame structure includes at least one special subframe located between a plurality of DL subframes and a plurality of UL subframes, and the at least one location for communicating the information includes: a position within at least one of the plurality of DL subframes immediately preceding the at least one special subframe, but not within each of the plurality of DL subframes.

In example 31 of the subject matter of example 26 or any example herein, wherein: the plurality of DL subframes includes a first DL subframe sequence and a second DL subframe sequence, the plurality of UL subframes includes a first UL subframe sequence preceded by the first DL subframe sequence and a second UL subframe sequence preceded by the second DL subframe sequence, the at least one location for transmitting the information includes a first location within the first DL subframe sequence and a second location within the second DL subframe sequence, and the information corresponding to the first location and the second location indicates a length of remaining information corresponding to a subsequent UL subframe.

In example 32 according to example 26 or the subject matter of any example herein, wherein the information indicates a length of remaining information corresponding to a subsequent UL subframe.

In example 33 according to example 26 or the subject matter of any example herein, wherein the information is transmitted to the UE via an established common physical downlink control channel (C-PDCCH).

In example 34 according to example 26 or the subject matter of any example herein, wherein the at least one location for transmitting the information comprises a location within each of the plurality of DL subframes.

In example 35 according to example 26 or the subject matter of any example herein, wherein the at least one location for transmitting the information is located only within a first DL subframe of the plurality of DL subframes.

In example 36 according to example 26 or the subject matter of any example herein, wherein the information comprises a number of symbols corresponding to the plurality of UL subframes.

In example 37 according to example 26 or the subject matter of any example herein, wherein the information indicates a temporal location corresponding to the plurality of UL subframes.

In example 38 according to example 26 or the subject matter of any example herein, wherein the information indicates subframe locations corresponding to the plurality of UL subframes.

In the foregoing specification, various embodiments have been described with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto, and additional embodiments may be implemented, without departing from the broader scope as set forth in the appended claims. The specification and drawings are, accordingly, to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense.

For example, while a series of signals may have been described with respect to one or more figures, the order of the signals may be modified in other embodiments. Furthermore, the uncorrelated signals may be performed in parallel.

It should be apparent that the example aspects described above may be implemented in many different forms of software, firmware, and hardware in the embodiments illustrated in the figures. The actual software code or specialized control hardware used to implement these aspects should not be construed as limiting. Thus, the operation and acts of the aspects were described without reference to the specific software code-it being understood that software and control hardware may be designed to implement the aspects based on the description herein.

Further, some portions may be implemented as "logic" that performs one or more functions. This logic may include hardware, such as an application specific integrated circuit ("ASIC") or a field programmable gate array ("FPGA"), or a combination of hardware and software.

Although particular combinations of features are set forth in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are not intended to be limiting. Indeed, many of these features may be combined in ways not specifically recited in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification.

No element, act, or instruction used in the present application should be construed as critical or essential unless explicitly described as such. An example of the use of the terms "and" as used herein does not necessarily exclude the interpretation of the intended phrase "and/or" in that example. Similarly, an instance of use of the term "or" as used herein does not necessarily exclude interpretation of the intended phrase "and/or" in that instance. Further, as used herein, the article "a" is intended to include one or more items, and may be used interchangeably with the phrase "one or more. Where only one item is intended, the terms "a," "an," "only," or similar language is used.

Claims

1. An apparatus for a processor of a network device, comprising circuitry to:

monitoring network traffic corresponding to communications between a plurality of user equipment devices (UEs) and a Radio Access Network (RAN) of a wireless telecommunications network;

determining a frame structure for communicating with the plurality of UEs based on the network traffic, the frame structure comprising:

a plurality of Downlink (DL) subframes that are,

a plurality of Uplink (UL) sub-frames,

at least one location for transmitting information describing the frame structure to the plurality of UEs;

generating the information describing the frame structure; and

causing the network device to transmit the information to the plurality of UEs according to the frame structure and the at least one position of the frame structure.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the frame structure includes at least one special subframe located between the plurality of DL subframes and the plurality of UL subframes, an

The at least one location for transmitting the information comprises a location within at least one of the plurality of DL subframes immediately preceding the at least one special subframe, but not within each of the plurality of DL subframes.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the plurality of DL subframes includes a first DL subframe sequence and a second DL subframe sequence,

the plurality of UL subframes includes a first UL subframe sequence preceded by the first DL subframe sequence and a second UL subframe sequence preceded by the second DL subframe sequence,

the at least one position for transmitting the information comprises a first position within the first DL subframe sequence and a second position within the second DL subframe sequence, an

The information corresponding to the first and second positions indicates a length of remaining information corresponding to a subsequent UL subframe.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the information indicates a length of remaining information corresponding to a subsequent UL subframe.

5. A computer-readable medium containing program instructions for causing one or more processors to:

determining a flexible frame structure for enabling wireless communication between a plurality of user equipment devices (UEs) of a Radio Access Network (RAN) corresponding to a wireless telecommunications network, the flexible frame structure comprising:

a plurality of Downlink (DL) subframes comprising a first DL subframe sequence,

a plurality of Uplink (UL) subframes including a first UL subframe sequence, an

At least one location within at least one of the plurality of DL subframes for transmitting information indicating a transition from a DL subframe to a UL subframe within the flexible frame structure,

generating the information indicative of the transformation;

causing the network device to transmit the information to the plurality of UEs via a control channel of each of the plurality of UEs connected to the RAN according to the flexible frame structure and the at least one location.

6. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein:

the flexible frame structure includes at least one special subframe, an

The at least one location for transmitting the information is located only within a DL portion of the special subframe.

7. The computer-readable medium of claim 5, wherein:

the flexible frame structure is located between the plurality of DL subframes and the plurality of UL subframes, an

The at least one location for communicating the information comprises:

a first position within at least one of the plurality of DL subframes immediately preceding a special subframe, but not within each of the plurality of DL subframes, and

a second position within a DL portion of the special subframe.

8. A network device, comprising:

means for monitoring network traffic corresponding to communications between a plurality of user equipment devices (UEs) and a Radio Access Network (RAN) of a wireless telecommunications network;

means for determining a frame structure for communicating with the plurality of UEs based on the network traffic, the frame structure comprising:

a plurality of Downlink (DL) subframes that are,

a plurality of Uplink (UL) subframes, an

At least one location for transmitting the information describing the frame structure to the plurality of UEs;

means for generating the information describing the frame structure; and

means for causing the network device to transmit the information to the plurality of UEs according to the frame structure and the at least one position of the frame structure.

9. The network device of claim 8, wherein:

10. The apparatus of claim 1, 5, or 8, wherein the at least one location comprises a location within each of the plurality of DL subframes.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, 5, or 8, wherein:

the plurality of DL subframes includes at least three subframes, an

The at least one location for communicating the information comprises: a position within two or more of the plurality of DL subframes but not within each of the plurality of DL subframes.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, 5, or 8, wherein:

the frame structure further includes at least one special subframe between the plurality of DL subframes and the plurality of UL subframes, an

The at least one location for transmitting the information is located within a DL portion of the at least one special subframe.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, 5, or 8, wherein:

the information includes one bit of information indicating a start of the plurality of UL subframes when:

a number of DL subframes of the plurality of DL subframes between a DL subframe used to transmit the information and a first UL subframe of the plurality of UL subframes is between zero and one subframe,

the information includes two bits of information indicating the start of the plurality of UL subframes when:

the number of DL subframes in the plurality of DL subframes between a DL subframe used to transmit the information and a first UL subframe in the plurality of UL subframes is between two and three subframes, an

The information includes four-bit information indicating a start of the plurality of UL subframes when:

a number of DL subframes of the plurality of DL subframes between a DL subframe used to transmit the information and a first UL subframe of the plurality of UL subframes is greater than three subframes.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, 5, or 8, wherein the information comprises four bits indicating:

a duration of a current DL subframe for transmitting the information, an

When the current DL subframe immediately follows another DL or special subframe, the duration of the other DL or the special subframe.

15. The apparatus of claim 1, 5, or 8, wherein the information comprises four bits indicating a duration of the plurality of UL subframes.

16. The apparatus of claim 1, 5, or 8, wherein the at least one location for transmitting the information comprises a location within each of the plurality of DL subframes.

17. The device of claim 1, 5, or 8, wherein the at least one location for transmitting the information is located only within a first DL subframe of the plurality of DL subframes.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, 5, or 8, wherein the information comprises a number of symbols corresponding to the plurality of UL subframes.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, 5, or 8, wherein the information indicates a time position corresponding to the plurality of UL subframes.

20. The apparatus of claim 1, 5, or 8, wherein the information indicates subframe locations corresponding to the plurality of UL subframes.

21. The apparatus of claim 1, 5, or 8, wherein:

the plurality of DL subframes include a first DL subframe and a second DL subframe contiguous with the first DL subframe,

the at least one location includes a first location within the first DL subframe and a second location within the second DL subframe,

the information included in the first location indicates a duration of a second DL subframe and a first number of subframes between the first DL subframe and a first UL subframe of the plurality of UL subframes, an

The information included in the second location indicates a second number of subframes between the second DL subframe and the first UL subframe.

22. The apparatus of claim 1, 5, or 8, wherein the information comprises a number of subframes corresponding to the plurality of UL subframes.

23. An apparatus of a baseband processor for a user equipment device (UE), comprising circuitry to:

processing information from a Radio Access Network (RAN) of a wireless telecommunications network via a common control channel;

monitoring the information for a description of a frame structure being implemented by the RAN, the frame structure comprising a Downlink (DL) portion and an Uplink (UL) portion;

determining a transition from the DL part to the UL part based on the information;

stopping monitoring of the information during the remaining UL portion of the frame structure being implemented by the RAN;

processing a grant of a UE-specific control channel from the RAN for communication with the RAN during the UL portion of the frame structure; and

processing communications for the UL portion of the frame structure in accordance with the permission to communicate with the RAN.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein:

the frame structure further includes a special subframe having a DL segment and a UL segment, an

The description of the frame structure is received only within the DL segment of the special subframe.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein:

the frame structure further includes a special subframe having a DL segment and a UL segment, the special subframe being located between a plurality of DL subframes and a plurality of UL subframes within the frame structure, an

The description of the frame structure is received within:

within at least one but not all of the plurality of DL subframes, an

Within the DL segment of the special subframe.