WO2021167518A1

WO2021167518A1 - Frame structure for wireless communication

Info

Publication number: WO2021167518A1
Application number: PCT/SE2021/050114
Authority: WO
Inventors: Tai Do; Peter Alriksson; Jung-Fu Cheng; Yuhang Liu; Sorour Falahati
Original assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson AB
Current assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson AB
Priority date: 2020-02-20
Filing date: 2021-02-12
Publication date: 2021-08-26
Anticipated expiration: 2022-08-20

Abstract

Embodiments include methods performed by a user equipment (UE). Such methods include transmitting or receiving at least one signal or channel, with a wireless network, using resources from a frame structure of time resources and frequency resources. The time resources of the frame structure are arranged according to a first granularity, while the time resources used for transmitting or receiving have a second granularity that is an integer multiple of the first granularity. The integer multiple is greater than one. Other embodiments include complementary methods performed by a network node in a wireless network, as well as UEs and network nodes configured to perform such methods.

Description

FRAME STRUCTURE FOR WIRELESS COMMUNICATION

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention generally relates to wireless communication networks, and particularly relates to frame structures for wireless communication between devices and networks based on time resources that have an integer-multiple granularity.

BACKGROUND

Currently the fifth generation (“5G”) of cellular systems, also referred to as New Radio (NR), is being standardized within the Third-Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). NR is developed for maximum flexibility to support a variety of different use cases. These include enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), machine type communications (MTC), ultra-reliable low latency communications (URLLC), side-link device-to-device (D2D), and several other use cases. While the present disclosure relates primarily to 5G/NR, the following description of fourth-generation Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technology is provided to introduce various terms, concepts, architectures, etc. that are also used in 5G/NR.

LTE is an umbrella term that refers to radio access technologies developed within the Third-Generation Partnership Project (3 GPP) and initially standardized in Release 8 (Rel-8) and Release 9 (Rel-9), also known as Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN). LTE is targeted at various licensed frequency bands and is accompanied by improvements to non-radio aspects commonly referred to as System Architecture Evolution (SAE), which includes Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network. LTE continues to evolve through subsequent releases.

An overall exemplary architecture of a network comprising LTE and SAE is shown in Figure 1. E-UTRAN 100 includes one or more evolved Node B’s (eNB), such as eNBs 105, 110, and 115, and one or more user equipment (UE), such as UE 120. As used within the 3GPP standards, “user equipment” or “UE” means any wireless communication device ( e.g ., smartphone or computing device) that is capable of communicating with 3GPP-standard-compliant network equipment, including E-UTRAN as well as UTRAN and/or GERAN, as the third-generation (“3G”) and second-generation (“2G”) 3GPP RANs are commonly known.

As specified by 3GPP, E-UTRAN 100 is responsible for all radio-related functions in the network, including radio bearer control, radio admission control, radio mobility control, scheduling, and dynamic allocation of resources to UEs in uplink and downlink, as well as security of the communications with the UE. These functions reside in the eNBs, such as eNBs 105, 110, and 115. Each of the eNBs can serve a geographic coverage area including one more cells, including cells 106, 111, and 115 served by eNBs 105, 110, and 115, respectively. The eNBs in the E-UTRAN communicate with each other via the X2 interface, as shown in Figure 1. The eNBs also are responsible for the E-UTRAN interface to the EPC 130, specifically the SI interface to the Mobility Management Entity (MME) and the Serving Gateway (SGW), shown collectively as MME/S-GWs 134 and 138 in Figure 1. In general, the MME/S- GW handles both the overall control of the UE and data flow between the UE and the rest of the EPC. More specifically, the MME processes the signaling ( e.g ., control plane) protocols between the UE and the EPC, which are known as the Non-Access Stratum (NAS) protocols. The S-GW handles all Internet Protocol (IP) data packets (e.g., data or user plane) between the UE and the EPC and serves as the local mobility anchor for the data bearers when the UE moves between eNBs, such as eNBs 105, 110, and 115.

EPC 130 can also include a Home Subscriber Server (HSS) 131, which manages user- and subscriber-related information. HSS 131 can also provide support functions in mobility management, call and session setup, user authentication and access authorization. The functions of HSS 131 can be related to the functions of legacy Home Location Register (HLR) and Authentication Centre (AuC) functions or operations. HSS 131 can also communicate with MMEs 134 and 138 via respective S6a interfaces.

In some embodiments, HSS 131 can communicate with a user data repository (UDR) - labelled EPC-UDR 135 in Figure 1 - via a Ud interface. EPC-UDR 135 can store user credentials after they have been encrypted by AuC algorithms. These algorithms are not standardized (i.e., vendor-specific), such that encrypted credentials stored in EPC-UDR 135 are inaccessible by any other vendor than the vendor of HSS 131.

Figure 2 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary control plane (CP) protocol stack between a UE, an eNB, and an MME. The exemplary protocol stack includes Physical (PHY), Medium Access Control (MAC), Radio Link Control (RLC), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), and Radio Resource Control (RRC) layers between the UE and eNB. The PHY layer is concerned with how and what characteristics are used to transfer data over transport channels on the LTE radio interface. The MAC layer provides data transfer services on logical channels, maps logical channels to PHY transport channels, and reallocates PHY resources to support these services. The RLC layer provides error detection and/or correction, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly, reordering of data transferred to or from the upper layers. The PDCP layer provides ciphering/deciphering and integrity protection for both CP and user plane (UP), as well as other UP functions such as header compression. The exemplary protocol stack also includes non-access stratum (NAS) signaling between the UE and the MME.

The RRC layer controls communications between a UE and an eNB at the radio interface, as well as the mobility of a UE between cells in the E-UTRAN. After a UE is powered ON it will be in the RRC IDLE state until an RRC connection is established with the network, at which time the UE will transition to RRC_CONNECTED state (e.g, where data transfer can occur). The UE returns to RRC IDLE after the connection with the network is released. In RRC IDLE state, the UE does not belong to any cell, no RRC context has been established for the UE (e.g, in E- UTRAN), and the UE is out of UL synchronization with the network. Even so, a UE in RRC_IDLE state is known in the EPC and has an assigned IP address.

Furthermore, in RRC IDLE state, the UE’s radio is active on a discontinuous reception (DRX) schedule configured by upper layers. During DRX active periods (also referred to as “DRX On durations”), an RRC 11)1.1· UE receives system information (SI) broadcast by a serving cell, performs measurements of neighbor cells to support cell reselection, and monitors a paging channel for pages from the EPC via an eNB serving the cell in which the UE is camping.

A UE must perform a random-access (RA) procedure to move from RRC IDLE to RRC CONNECTED state. In RRC CONNECTED state, the cell serving the UE is known and an RRC context is established for the UE in the serving eNB, such that the UE and eNB can communicate. For example, a Cell Radio Network Temporary Identifier (C-RNTI) - a UE identity used for signaling between UE and network - is configured for a UE in RRC CONNECTED state.

The multiple access scheme for the LTE PHY is based on Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) with a cyclic prefix (CP) in the downlink, and on Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA) with a cyclic prefix in the uplink. To support transmission in paired and unpaired spectrum, the LTE PHY supports both Frequency Division Duplexing (FDD) (including both full- and half-duplex operation) and Time Division Duplexing (TDD). Figure 3 shows an exemplary radio frame structure for LTE FDD downlink (DL) operation. The radio frame has a fixed duration of 10 ms and consists of 20 slots, labeled 0 through 19, each with a fixed duration of 0.5 ms. A 1-ms subframe comprises two consecutive slots where subframe i consists of slots 2 i and 2/+1 Each exemplary downlink slot consists of N^DL _symb OFDM symbols, each of which is comprised of N_sc OFDM subcarriers. Exemplary values of N^DL _symb can be 7 (with a normal CP) or 6 (with an extended-length CP) for subcarrier spacing (SCS) of 15 kHz. The value of N_sc is configurable based upon the available channel bandwidth. An exemplary uplink slot can be configured in similar manner as shown in Figure 3, but comprises N^UL _symb OFDM symbols, each of which is comprised of N_sc OFDM subcarriers.

A combination of a particular subcarrier in a particular symbol is known as a resource element (RE). Each RE is used to transmit a particular number of bits, depending on the type of modulation and/or bit-mapping constellation used for that RE. in general, an LTE physical channel corresponds to a set of REs carrying information that originates from higher layers. DL physical channels provided by the LTE PHY include Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), Physical Multicast Channel (PMCH), Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Relay Physical Downlink Control Channel (R-PDCCH), Physical Broadcast Channel (PBCH), Physical Control Format Indicator Channel (PCFICH), and Physical Hybrid ARQ Indicator Channel (PHICH). In addition, the LTE PHY downlink includes various reference signals including demodulation reference signals (DM-RS), channel state information reference signals, CSI-RS), synchronization signals, etc.

PDSCH is used for unicast DL data transmission and also carries random access responses, certain system information blocks (SIBs), and paging information. PBCH carries basic system information required by the UE to access the network. PDCCH is used to transmit DL control information (DCI) including scheduling information for DL messages on PDSCH, grants for UL transmission on PUSCH, and channel quality feedback ( e.g ., CSI) for the UL channel. PHICH carries HARQ feedback (e.g., ACK/NAK) for UL transmissions by the UEs.

UL physical channels provided by the LTE PHY include Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), and Physical Random Access Channel (PRACH). In addition, the LTE PHY uplink includes various reference signals including demodulation reference signals (DM-RS), which are transmitted to aid the eNB in the reception of an associated PUCCH or PUSCH; and sounding reference signals (SRS), which are not associated with any uplink channel.

PUSCH is the UL counterpart to the PDSCH, used by UEs to transmit UL control information (UCI) including HARQ feedback for eNB DL transmissions, channel quality feedback (e.g, CSI) for the DL channel, scheduling requests (SRs), etc. PRACH is used for random access preamble transmission.

Fifth-generation (5G) NR technology shares many similarities with fourth-generation LTE. For example, NR uses CP-OFDM (Cyclic Prefix Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) in the DL and both CP-OFDM and DFT-spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM) in the UL. As another example, NR DL and UL time-domain physical resources are organized into equal sized 1-ms subframes. A subframe is further divided into multiple slots of equal duration, with each slot including multiple OFDM-based symbols. NR also uses many of the same physical channels as LTE. Additionally, the NR RRC layer includes RRC IDLE and RRC CONNECTED states, but adds an additional state known as RRC INACTIVE, which has some properties similar to a “suspended” condition used in LTE.

In addition to providing coverage via cells, as in LTE, NR networks also provide coverage via “beams.” In general, a DL “beam” is a coverage area of a network-transmitted RS that may be measured or monitored by a UE. Another difference is that time-frequency resources within a cell can be configured more flexibly for NR than for LTE. For example, rather than a fixed 15- kHz SCS as in LTE, NR SCS can range from 15 to 240 kHz, with even greater SCS being considered for future NR releases. However, increasing SCS decreases durations of corresponding time resources (e.g., symbols and slots), which can create various difficulties for resource scheduling in NR networks.

SUMMARY

Embodiments of the present disclosure provide specific improvements to communication between UEs and a wireless network, such as by facilitating solutions to overcome exemplary problems summarized above and described in more detail below.

Some embodiments include methods (e.g., procedures) performed by a UE (e.g, wireless device, MTC device, NB-IoT device, modem, etc. or component thereof).

These exemplary methods can include transmitting or receiving at least one signal or channel, with a wireless network, using resources from a frame structure of time resources and frequency resources. The time resources of the frame structure can be arranged according to a first granularity, and the time resources used for transmitting or receiving can have a second granularity that is an integer multiple of the first granularity. The integer multiple is greater than one.

In various embodiments, each time resource used for transmitting or receiving can include one of the following:

• B timeslots that are continuous in time;

• a mini-slot bundle of M timeslots that are continuous in time, where M<B;

• B timeslots that are non-continuous in time;

• B symbols that are continuous within a timeslot; or

• B symbols that are non-continuous within a timeslot.

In some embodiments, the frequency resources can be arranged according to a sub-carrier spacing (SCS) and the integer multiple is proportional to the SCS.

In some embodiments, the at least one signal or channel is transmitted or received at a carrier frequency greater than 52.6 GHz. In such embodiments, the integer multiple can be equal to one for signals or channels that are transmitted or received at carrier frequencies less than or equal to 52.6 GHz.

In some embodiments, these exemplary methods can also include receiving an indicator of the integer multiple from a network node (e.g., base station, eNB, gNB, ng-eNB, etc.) of the wireless network. In some of these embodiments, the indicator is received in one of the following:

• a message scheduling the resources used to transmit or receive the at least one signal or channel;

• broadcast system information (SI); • a dedicated radio resource control (RRC) message from the network node; or

• a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) from the network node.

In some of these embodiments, the indicator can be included in a PDCCH monitoring configuration.

In various embodiments, at least one signal or channel can include one or more of the following: a PDSCH, a PUSCH, a PDCCH, and a PUCCH.

In some of these embodiments, each time resource having the second granularity can include non-overlapping first and second portions. In such embodiments, the transmitting or receiving operations can include the following during each time resource having the second granularity: receiving PDSCH or transmitting PUSCH together with an associated DMRS during the first portion; and receiving PDSCH or transmitting PUSCH without an associated DMRS during the second portion. In other words, the DMRS can be concentrated in the first portion. In some of these embodiments, the first portion can be an initial portion of the first time resource, or every Nth time resource having the first granularity, where N > 2.

In other of these embodiments, the first granularity can be one timeslot and the integer multiple can be B. Moreover, each timeslot can include a plurality of symbols. In such embodiments, the transmitting or receiving operations can include operations monitoring for PDCCH in at least a portion of each time resource of B timeslots, according to one of following:

• in a first subset of the symbols during each of the B timeslots, or

• in a second subset of symbols during a subset of the B timeslots, wherein the second subset includes at least as many symbols as the first subset.

In some of these embodiments, the subset of the B timeslots can be an initial portion of the B timeslots or every Nth timeslot of the B timeslots, where N > 2.

In some embodiments, the first granularity can be one timeslot and the integer multiple can be B. In such embodiments, these exemplary methods can also include receiving, from a network node of the wireless network, a message scheduling time resources during B timeslots of the frame structure for transmitting or receiving the at least one signal or channel. For example, the message can be a DCI.

In some embodiments, the message scheduling the time resources can include a first offset indicating a first time resource during the B timeslots. The message can also include one or more start and length indicators (SLIVs), each SLIV indicating one or more symbols within the first time resource.

In some of these embodiments, the first offset can also indicate a start of the B timeslots or a timeslot within the B timeslots. In other of these embodiments, the one or more SLIVs can include one of the following: • a single SLIV indicating a starting symbol and number of consecutive symbols within the first time resource; or

• a first SLIV indicating a starting timeslot and a number of consecutive timeslots within the first time resource, and a second SLIV indicating a starting symbol of the starting timeslot and a final symbol of a final timeslot within the first time resource.

Other embodiments include methods ( e.g procedures) performed by a network node (e.g, base station, eNB, gNB, etc. , or component thereof) in a wireless network (e.g, E-UTRAN, NG-RAN).

These exemplary methods can include receiving or transmitting at least one signal or channel, with a UE, using resources from a frame structure of time resources and frequency resources. The time resources of the frame structure can be arranged according to a first granularity, and the time resources used for receiving or transmitting can have a second granularity that is an integer multiple of the first granularity. The integer multiple is greater than one.

In various embodiments, each time resource used for receiving or transmitting can include one of the following:

• B timeslots that are continuous in time;

• a mini-slot bundle of M timeslots that are continuous in time, where M<B;

• B timeslots that are non-continuous in time;

• B symbols that are continuous within a timeslot; or

• B symbols that are non-continuous within a timeslot.

In some embodiments, the frequency resources can be arranged according to a sub-carrier spacing (SCS) and the integer multiple can be proportional to the SCS.

In some embodiments, the at least one signal or channel is received or transmitted at a carrier frequency greater than 52.6 GHz. In such embodiments, the integer multiple can be equal to one for signals or channels that are transmitted or received at carrier frequencies less than or equal to 52.6 GHz.

In some embodiments, these exemplary methods can also include transmitting an indicator of the integer multiple to the UE. In some of these embodiments, the indicator can be transmitted in one of the following:

• a message scheduling the resources for the UE to transmit or receive the at least one signal or channel;

• broadcast system information (SI);

• a dedicated radio resource control (RRC) message; or

• a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE). In some of these embodiments, the indicator can be included in a PDCCH monitoring configuration.

In some of these embodiments, each time resource having the second granularity includes non-overlapping first and second portions. In such embodiments, the receiving or transmitting operations can include the following during each time resource having the second granularity: transmitting PDSCH or receiving PUSCH together with an associated DMRS during the first portion; and transmitting PDSCH or receiving PUSCH without an associated DMRS during the second portion. In other words, the DMRS can be concentrated in the first portion. In some of these embodiments, the first portion can be an initial portion of the first time resource, or every Nth time resource having the first granularity, where N > 2.

In other of these embodiments, the first granularity can be one timeslot and the integer multiple can be B. Moreover, each timeslot can include a plurality of symbols. In such embodiments, the receiving or transmitting operations can include transmitting PDCCH in at least a portion of each time resource of B timeslots, according to one of following:

• in a first subset of the symbols during each of the B timeslots, or

In some embodiments, the first granularity can be one timeslot and the integer multiple can be B. In such embodiments, these exemplary methods can also include transmitting, to the UE, a message scheduling time resources during B timeslots of the frame structure for transmitting or receiving the at least one signal or channel. For example, the message can be a DCI.

In some of these embodiments, the first offset can also indicate a start of the B timeslots or a timeslot within the B timeslots. In other of these embodiments, the one or more SLIVs can include one of the following:

• a single SLIV indicating a starting symbol and number of consecutive symbols within the first time resource; or • a first SLIV indicating a starting timeslot and a number of consecutive timeslots within the first time resource, and a second SLIV indicating a starting symbol of the starting timeslot and a final symbol of a final timeslot within the first time resource.

Other embodiments include UEs ( e.g ., wireless devices, MTC devices, NB-IoT devices, modems, etc. or components thereof) and network nodes (e.g., base stations, eNBs, gNBs, ng- eNBs, etc. , or components thereof) configured to perform operations corresponding to any of the exemplary methods described herein. Other exemplary embodiments include non-transitory, computer-readable media storing program instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry, configure such UEs or network nodes to perform operations corresponding to any of the exemplary methods described herein.

These and other objects, features, and advantages of embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent upon reading the following Detailed Description in view of the Drawings briefly described below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Figure 1 is a high-level block diagram of an exemplary architecture of the Long-Term Evolution (LTE) Evolved UTRAN (E-UTRAN) and Evolved Packet Core (EPC) network, as standardized by 3 GPP.

Figure 2 is a block diagram of exemplary protocol layers of the control-plane (CP) portion of the radio (Uu) interface between a user equipment (UE) and the E-UTRAN.

Figure 3 is a block diagram of an exemplary downlink LTE radio frame structures used for frequency division duplexing (FDD) operation.

Figure 4 shows an exemplary frequency-domain configuration for a 5G/New Radio (NR)

UE.

Figure 5 shows an exemplary time-frequency resource grid for an NR slot.

Figures 6A-6C show exemplary NR slot and mini-slot configurations.

Figures 7A-7D show various exemplary uplink-downlink (UL-DL) arrangements within an NR slot.

Figure 8 shows an exemplary time-resource bundling configuration, according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

Figure 9 shows a flow diagram of an exemplary method for a UE (e.g, wireless device, MTC device, NB-IoT device, etc.), according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 10 shows a flow diagram of an exemplary method for a network node ( e.g ., base station, eNB, gNB, ng-eNB, etc.), according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

Figure 11 illustrates a high-level view of an exemplary 5G network architecture, according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

Figure 12 shows a block diagram of an exemplary wireless device or UE, according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

Figure 13 shows a block diagram of an exemplary network node according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

Figure 14 shows a block diagram of an exemplary network configured to provide over- the-top (OTT) data services between a host computer and a UE, according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Some of the embodiments contemplated herein will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Other embodiments, however, are contained within the scope of the subject matter disclosed herein, the disclosed subject matter should not be construed as limited to only the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are given by way of example to convey the scope of the subject matter to those skilled in the art.

Generally, all terms used herein are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the relevant technical field, unless a different meaning is clearly given and/or is implied from the context in which it is used. All references to a/an/the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc. are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. Any feature of any of the embodiments disclosed herein can be applied to any other embodiment, wherever appropriate. Likewise, any advantage of any of the embodiments can apply to any other embodiments, and vice versa. Other objects, features, and advantages of the disclosed embodiments will be apparent from the following description.

Furthermore, the following terms are used throughout the description given below:

• Radio Node: As used herein, a “radio node” can be either a “radio access node” or a “wireless device.”

• Radio Access Node: As used herein, a “radio access node” (or equivalently “radio network node,” “radio access network node,” or “RAN node”) can be any node in a radio access network (RAN) of a cellular communications network that operates to wirelessly transmit and/or receive signals. Some examples of a radio access node include, but are not limited to, a base station ( e.g ., a New Radio (NR) base station (gNB) in a 3GPP Fifth Generation (5G) NR network or an enhanced or evolved Node B (eNB) in a 3GPP LTE network), base station distributed components (e.g., CU and DU), a high-power or macro base station, a low-power base station (e.g, micro, pico, femto, or home base station, or the like), an integrated access backhaul (IAB) node, a transmission point, a remote radio unit (RRU or RRH), and a relay node.

• Core Network Node: As used herein, a “core network node” is any type of node in a core network. Some examples of a core network node include, e.g, a Mobility Management Entity (MME), a serving gateway (SGW), a Packet Data Network Gateway (P-GW), an access and mobility management function (AMF), a session management function (AMF), a user plane function (UPF), a Service Capability Exposure Function (SCEF), or the like.

• Wireless Device: As used herein, a “wireless device” (or “WD” for short) is any type of device that has access to (i.e., is served by) a cellular communications network by communicate wirelessly with network nodes and/or other wireless devices. Communicating wirelessly can involve transmitting and/or receiving wireless signals using electromagnetic waves, radio waves, infrared waves, and/or other types of signals suitable for conveying information through air. Some examples of a wireless device include, but are not limited to, smart phones, mobile phones, cell phones, voice over IP (VoIP) phones, wireless local loop phones, desktop computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), wireless cameras, gaming consoles or devices, music storage devices, playback appliances, wearable devices, wireless endpoints, mobile stations, tablets, laptops, laptop- embedded equipment (LEE), laptop-mounted equipment (LME), smart devices, wireless customer-premise equipment (CPE), mobile-type communication (MTC) devices, Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices, vehicle-mounted wireless terminal devices, etc. Unless otherwise noted, the term “wireless device” is used interchangeably herein with the term “user equipment” (or “UE” for short).

• Network Node: As used herein, a “network node” is any node that is either part of the radio access network (e.g, a radio access node or equivalent name discussed above) or of the core network (e.g, a core network node discussed above) of a cellular communications network. Functionally, a network node is equipment capable, configured, arranged, and/or operable to communicate directly or indirectly with a wireless device and/or with other network nodes or equipment in the cellular communications network, to enable and/or provide wireless access to the wireless device, and/or to perform other functions (e.g, administration) in the cellular communications network. Note that the description herein focuses on a 3 GPP cellular communications system and, as such, 3GPP terminology or terminology similar to 3GPP terminology is oftentimes used. However, the concepts disclosed herein are not limited to a 3GPP system. Furthermore, although the term “cell” is used herein, it should be understood that (particularly with respect to 5G NR) beams may be used instead of cells and, as such, concepts described herein apply equally to both cells and beams.

As briefly mentioned above, the configuration of time-frequency resources within a cell is much more flexible for NR than for LTE. For example, NR SCS can range from 15 to 240 kHz, with even greater SCS being considered for future NR releases. However, an increase in SCS results in a proportionally reduced duration of corresponding time resources (e.g., symbols and slots), which can create various difficulties for resource scheduling in NR networks. This is discussed in more detail below.

Figure 4 shows an exemplary frequency-domain configuration for an NR UE. In Rel-15 NR, a UE can be configured with up to four carrier bandwidth parts (BWPs) in the DL with a single DL BWP being active at a given time. A UE can be configured with up to four BWPs in the UL with a single UL BWP being active at a given time. If a UE is configured with a supplementary UL, the UE can be configured with up to four additional BWPs in the supplementary UL, with a single supplementary UL BWP being active at a given time.

Common RBs (CRBs) are numbered from 0 to the end of the system bandwidth. Each BWP configured for a UE has a common reference of CRB 0, such that a particular configured BWP may start at a CRB greater than zero. In this manner, a UE can be configured with a narrow BWP (e.g., 10 MHz) and a wide BWP (e.g, 100 MHz), each starting at a particular CRB, but only one BWP can be active for the UE at a given point in time.

Within a BWP, RBs are defined and numbered in the frequency domain from 0 to

, where i is the index of the particular BWP for the carrier. Similar to LTE, each NR resource element (RE) corresponds to one OFDM subcarrier during one OFDM symbol interval. NR supports various SCS values Af = (15 X 2^m) kHz, where m e (0,1, 2, 3, 4) are referred to as “numerologies.” Numerology m = 0 (i.e., Af = 15 kHz) provides the basic (or reference) SCS that is also used in LTE. The symbol duration, cyclic prefix (CP) duration, and slot duration are inversely related to SCS or numerology. For example, there is one (1-ms) slot per subframe for Af = 15 kHz, two 0.5-ms slots per subframe for Af = 30 kHz, etc. In addition, the maximum carrier bandwidth is directly related to numerology according to 2^m * 50 MHz.

Table 1 below summarizes the supported NR numerologies and associated parameters. Different DL and UL numerologies can be configured by the network. Table 1.

Figure 5 shows an exemplary time-frequency resource grid for an NR slot. As illustrated in Figure 5, a resource block (RB) consists of a group of 12 contiguous OFDM subcarriers for a duration of a 14-symbol slot. Like in LTE, a resource element (RE) consists of one subcarrier in one slot. An NR slot can include 14 OFDM symbols for normal cyclic prefix ( e.g ., as shown in Figure 3) and 12 symbols for extended cyclic prefix.

Figure 6A shows an exemplary NR slot configuration comprising 14 symbols, where the slot and symbols durations are denoted T_s and T_symb , respectively. In addition, NR includes a Type-B scheduling, also known as “mini-slots.” These are shorter than slots, typically ranging from one symbol up to one less than the number of symbols in a slot (e.g., 13 or 11), and can start at any symbol of a slot. Mini-slots can be used if the transmission duration of a slot is too long and/or the occurrence of the next slot start (slot alignment) is too late. Figure 6B shows an exemplary mini-slot arrangement in which the mini-slot begins in the third symbol of the slot and is two symbols in duration. Applications of mini-slots include unlicensed spectrum and latency- critical transmission (e.g, URLLC). However, mini-slots are not service-specific and can also be used for eMBB or other services.

Figure 6C shows another exemplary NR slot structure comprising 14 symbols. In this arrangement, PDCCH is confined to a region containing a particular number of symbols and a particular number of subcarriers, referred to as the control resource set (CORESET). In the exemplary structure shown in Figure 6C, the first two symbols contain PDCCH and each of the remaining 12 symbols contains physical data channels (PDCH), i.e., either PDSCH or PUSCH. Depending on the particular CORESET configuration (discussed below), however, the first two slots can also carry PDSCH or other information, as required. An NR slot can also be arranged with various combinations of UL and DL symbols.

Figure 7, which includes Figures 7A-7D, shows various exemplary UL-DL arrangements within an NR slot. For example, Figure 7A shows an exemplary DL-only (i.e., no UL transmission) slot with transmission starting in symbol 1, i.e., a “late start.” Figure 7B shows an exemplary “DL-heavy” slot with one UL symbol. Moreover, this exemplary slot includes guard periods before and after the UL symbol to facilitate change of transmission direction. Figure 7C shows an exemplary “UL-heavy” slot with a single UL symbol that can carry DL control information (i.e., the initial UL symbol, as indicated by a different shading style). Figure 7D shows an exemplary UL-only slot with on-time start in symbol 0, with the initial UL symbol usable to carry DL control information (denoted “UL (D)”).

A CORESET includes multiple RBs {i.e., multiples of 12 REs) in the frequency domain and 1-3 OFDM symbols in the time domain, as further defined in 3GPP TS 38.211 § 7.3.2.2. A CORESET is functionally similar to the control region in LTE subframe. In NR, however, each REG consists of all 12 REs of one OFDM symbol in an RB, whereas an LTE REG includes only four REs. Like in LTE, the CORESET time domain size can be indicated by PCFICH. In LTE, the frequency bandwidth of the control region is fixed {i.e., to the total system bandwidth), whereas in NR, the frequency bandwidth of the CORESET is variable. CORESET resources can be indicated to a UE by RRC signaling.

The smallest unit used for defining CORESET is the REG, which spans one PRB in frequency and one OFDM symbol in time. In addition to PDCCH, each REG contains demodulation reference signals (DM-RS) to aid in the estimation of the radio channel over which that REG was transmitted. When transmitting the PDCCH, a precoder can be used to apply weights at the transmit antennas based on some knowledge of the radio channel prior to transmission. It is possible to improve channel estimation performance at the UE by estimating the channel over multiple REGs that are proximate in time and frequency, if the precoder used at the transmitter for the REGs is not different. To assist the UE with channel estimation, the multiple REGs can be grouped together to form a REG bundle, and the REG bundle size for a CORESET {i.e., 2, 3, or 5 REGs) can be indicated to the UE. The UE can assume that any precoder used for the transmission of the PDCCH is the same for all the REGs in the REG bundle.

An NR control channel element (CCE) consists of six REGs. These REGs may either be contiguous or distributed in frequency. When the REGs are distributed in frequency, the CORESET is said to use interleaved mapping of REGs to a CCE, while if the REGs are contiguous in frequency, a non-interleaved mapping is said to be used. Interleaving can provide frequency diversity. Not using interleaving is beneficial for cases where knowledge of the channel allows the use of a precoder in a particular part of the spectrum improve the SINR at the receiver.

Similar to LTE, NR data scheduling can be performed dynamically, e.g., on a per-slot basis. In each slot, the base station {e.g, gNB) transmits downlink control information (DCI) over PDCCH that indicates which UE is scheduled to receive data in that slot, as well as which RBs will carry that data. A UE first detects and decodes DCI and, if the DCI includes DL scheduling information for the UE, receives the corresponding PDSCH based on the DL scheduling information. DCI formats 1 0 and 1 1 are used to convey PDSCH scheduling.

Likewise, DCI on PDCCH can include UL grants that indicate which UE is scheduled to transmit data on PUCCH in that slot, as well as which RBs will carry that data. A UE first detects and decodes DCI and, if the DCI includes an uplink grant for the UE, transmits the corresponding PUSCH on the resources indicated by the UL grant. DCI formats 0 0 and 0 1 are used to convey UL grants for PUSCH, while Other DCI formats (2 0, 2 1, 2 2 and 2 3) are used for other purposes including transmission of slot format information, reserved resource, transmit power control information, etc.

In NR Rel-15, the DCI formats 0 0/1 0 are referred to as “fallback DCI formats,” while the DCI formats 0 1/1 1 are referred to as “non-fallback DCI formats.” The fallback DCI support resource allocation type 1 in which DCI size depends on the size of active BWP. As such DCI formats 0 1/1 1 are intended for scheduling a single TB transmission with limited flexibility. On the other hand, the non-fallback DCI formats can provide flexible TB scheduling with multi-layer transmission.

A DCI includes a payload complemented with a Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) of the payload data. Since DCI is sent on PDCCH that is received by multiple UEs, an identifier of the targeted UE needs to be included. In NR, this is done by scrambling the CRC with a Radio Network Temporary Identifier (RNTI) assigned to the UE. Most commonly, the cell RNTI (C- RNTI) assigned to the targeted UE by the serving cell is used for this purpose.

DCI payload together with an identifier-scrambled CRC is encoded and transmitted on the PDCCH. Given previously configured search spaces, each UE tries to detect a PDCCH addressed to it according to multiple hypotheses (also referred to as “candidates”) in a process known as “blind decoding.” PDCCH candidates span 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 CCEs, with the number of CCEs referred to as the aggregation level (AL) of the PDCCH candidate. If more than one CCE is used, the information in the first CCE is repeated in the other CCEs. By varying AL, PDCCH can be made more or less robust for a certain payload size. In other words, PDCCH link adaptation can be performed by adjusting AL. Depending on AL, PDCCH candidates can be located at various time-frequency locations in the CORESET.

Once a UE decodes a DCI, it de-scrambles the CRC with RNTI(s) that is(are) assigned to it and/or associated with the particular PDCCH search space. In case of a match, the UE considers the detected DCI as being addressed to it, and follows the instructions ( e.g scheduling information) in the DCI.

For example, to determine the modulation order, target code rate, and TB size(s) for a scheduled PDSCH transmission, the UE first reads the five-bit modulation and coding scheme field (IMCS) in the DCI (e.g., formats 1 0 or 1 1) to determine the modulation order (Q_m) and target code rate ( R ) based on the procedure defined in 3GPP TS 38.214 (vl5.0.0) clause 5.1.3.1. Subsequently, the UE reads the redundancy version field (rv) in the DCI to determine the redundancy version. Based on this information, the number of layers (u), and the total number of allocated PRBs before rate matching (TIPRB), the UE determines the Transport Block Size (TBS) for the PDSCH according to the procedure defined in 3GPP TS 38.214 (vl5.0.0) clause 5.1.3.2.

DCI can also include information about various timing offsets (e.g., in slots or subframes) between PDCCH and PDSCH, PUSCH, HARQ, and/or CSI-RS. For example, offset K0 represents the number of slots between the UE’s PDCCH reception of a PDSCH scheduling DCI (e.g., formats 1 0 or 1 1) and the subsequent PDSCH transmission. Likewise, offset K1 represents the number of slots between this PDSCH transmission and the UE’s responsive HARQ ACK/NACK transmission on the PUSCH. In addition, offset K3 represents the number of slots between this responsive ACK/NACK and the corresponding retransmission of data on PDSCH. In addition, offset K2 represents the number of slots between the UE’s PDCCH reception of a PUSCH grant DCI (e.g., formats 0 0 or 0 1) and the subsequent PUSCH transmission. Each of these offsets can take on values of zero and positive integers.

Offset K0 is part of a UE’s PDSCH time-domain resource allocation (TDRA) provided by the network node. Also included in the PDSCH TDRA is a slot length indicator value (SLIV), which identifies a particular combination of a starting symbol (S) and a length (L) of the time- domain allocation for PDSCH. In general, S can be any symbol 0-13 and L can be any number of symbols beginning with S until the end of the slot (i.e., symbol 13). The SLIV can be used as an index to a table of (S, L) combinations. Similarly, offset K2 is part of a UE’s PUSCH TDRA provided by the network node, which also includes a corresponding SLIV.

As illustrated in Table 1 above, NR Rel-16 supports SCS up to 240 kHz, which can be used for carrier frequencies up to 52.6 GHz. For NR Rel-17, 3GPP RAN WG has agreed to study supporting NR in the frequency range 52.6-71 GHz. The study includes the following objectives:

• Study of required changes to NR using existing DL/UL NR waveform to support operation between 52.6 GHz and 71 GHz. o Study of applicable numerology including subcarrier spacing, channel BW (including maximum BW), and their impact to FR2 physical layer design to support system functionality considering practical RF impairments o Identify potential critical problems to physical signal/channels, if any.

• Study of channel access mechanism, considering potential interference to/from other nodes, assuming beam-based operation, in order to comply with the regulatory requirements applicable to unlicensed spectrum for frequencies between 52.6 GHz and 71 GHz. Note: It is clarified that potential interference impact, if identified, may require interference mitigation solutions as part of channel access mechanism.

As part of the study, support for higher SCS (e.g., 960 kHz and above) has been proposed for 52.6-71 GHz.

As discussed above, the finest granularity of time resources in NR is one OFDM symbol. As illustrated in Table 1, OFDM symbol duration is inversely proportional to SCS. As such, the number of OFDM symbols in a given transmission duration (e.g., 1 ms) increases proportionally with SCS.

In NR, scheduling of time resources is based on units of slots or symbols. The signaling overhead associated with scheduling is dependent on the granularity of the scheduling and/or signaling. For higher frequency bands using higher SCS, it is neither necessary nor reasonable to schedule based on units of slots or mini-slots since the slot duration is very short. For example, a slot duration for 960 kHz SCS is approximately 15.7 ps. Scheduling for such small slot durations would severely constrain hardware and software resources in the network (e.g., in gNBs serving cells). As such, it would be beneficial to schedule in units of multiple slots for higher SCS. However, the signaling overhead would be very large if NR Rel-16 frame structures and signaling procedures were used for multi-slot scheduling.

Accordingly, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure mitigate, reduce, and/or eliminate these and other exemplary problems, issues, and/or drawbacks by providing a flexible frame structure and signaling procedure for higher subcarrier spacing (SCS), in which the frame structure, scheduling, and/or corresponding signaling are based on time resources having a granularity that is an integer multiple (i.e., >1) of a fundamental time-resource granularity (e.g., slot or symbol). The integer multiple can be proportional and/or related to the SCS. At a high level, such techniques are referred to herein as “time-resource bundling” (or, equivalently, “bundling of time resources”). Such techniques can provide various benefits and/or advantages for NR networks, including reduction of signaling overhead for scheduling of resources in higher frequency bands (e.g., 52.6-71 GHz) while reducing and/or minimizing impact to 3GPP specifications for adding support for higher SCS.

In some embodiments, an NR frame structure (e.g., Rel-16 frame structure) can be defined for higher SCS (e.g., higher than Rel-16 SCS, such as 960 kHz) to be based on a plurality of slot bundles. Each slot bundle can include B slots, which include 14*B OFDM symbols for normal CP. The parameter B is also referred to herein as a “bundling factor” or a “degree of bundling.” The signal (e.g., DMRS) and channel (e.g., PDCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, PUCCH, etc.) mapping to slot bundles can be based on legacy (e.g., Rel-16) techniques or modifications of Rel- 16 mapping structures for each of the slot bundles. Scheduling, signaling, and monitoring operations can then be based on units of slot bundles. In a variant, the mapping, scheduling, signaling, and monitoring can be based on units mini-slot bundles, each of which corresponds to M slots, where M is less than the slot bundling factor B.

Figure 8 shows an exemplary time-resource bundling configuration, according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. In the example shown in Figure 8, the bundling is based on units of B=4 slots, i.e., one time-resource bundle is four slots. Although Figure 8 shows bundling of slots that are contiguous in time, this is merely exemplary and other embodiments can apply similar principles for bundling of slots (or symbols) that are non-continuous in time. In the example shown in Figure 8, the first two slot bundles are configured for DL and the fourth slot bundle is configured for UL. In contrast, the third slot bundle is configured primarily for DL operation but includes an end portion that is configured for UL operation. The third slot bundle is an example of a “mixed slot bundle”.

In the exemplary configuration, PDCCH is mapped to the first one or two slots in each DL slot bundle while PUCCH is mapped to the last slot in the UL slot bundle and the mixed slot bundle. PDSCH is mapped in remaining slots and OFDM symbols in the DL and mixed slot bundles, while PUSCH is mapped in remaining slots and OFDM symbols in the UL slot bundle. Slot offsets K0, Kl, and K2 are given in units of slot bundles (e.g., K0=0 indicates PDSCH scheduled in same slot bundle as scheduling PDCCH). More details on the mapping of different channels and signals are discussed below.

In some embodiments, the bundling factor B can be a power of two, i.e., B=2ⁿ, where n is a non-negative integer. The value B=1 provides an equivalent frame structure as legacy NR Rel- 16. In some embodiments, since SCS increases by 2^m, the integer n can be related to the numerology m such that the slot bundle duration is constant for all SCS.

In some embodiments, the bundling factor B can be specified and/or configured (e.g., via RRC) per physical signal or channel, per BWP, or a combination thereof (e.g., per channel per BWP). For common signals and channels needed in initial channel access when dedicated RRC configuration is not available, the value of B needs to broadcast in system information (e.g., master information block (MIB) and/or relevant system information blocks (SIBs)). Alternately, the value of B used in initial access can be pre-configured and/or specified in 3GPP specification(s) such that it is known to both UE and network. Alternately, the value(s) of B corresponding to various signals and channels can be signaled to UEs in dedicated RRC signaling after UE has entered RRC CONNECTED state. Alternately, the value(s) of B value for PDSCH and/or PUSCH can signaled to UEs in scheduling DCIs and/or in MAC control elements (CEs).

When PDSCH and/or PUSCH are mapped to bundled time resources, the DMRS associated with the PDSCH and/or PUSCH can be mapped to the corresponding time-resource bundle in various ways. In some embodiments, DMRS can be mapped to a bundle in a distributed manner, e.g., in every slot as in NR Rel-16. As such, these embodiments do not require much change to 3 GPP specifications, However, channel estimation may be relatively poor for very high SCS since DMRS can only be mapped to a maximum of two consecutive symbols (i.e., according to Rel-16 specifications), which is a very short duration for high SCS (e.g., 960 kHz and above). Moreover, the density of DMRS may be too high relative to channel variation over such a short duration (e.g., microseconds).

In other embodiments, DMRS can be mapped to a bundle in a concentrated manner (e.g., at the beginning slot(s) or mini-slot(s)) to enable early channel estimation. For instance, DMRS can be mapped to most or all of the 14 symbols in each of the first one or more slots in slot bundle. Then, very few or no DMRS is mapped to the following slot(s) in the bundle. Alternately, DMRS can be mapped in every Nth (N>2) slot within a slot bundle. In either case, the portions of the bundle having the concentrated DMRS are non-overlapping with (or disjoint from) the positions of the bundle with little or no DMRS. In general, these embodiments can require some changes to 3GPP specifications (e.g., 3GPP TS 38.211) to add support for additional DMRS patterns (e.g., slot with more DMRS symbols than NR Rel-16, slot with no DMRS symbols, etc.).

In various embodiments, PDCCH can be mapped in a distributed (e.g., every slot in a bundle) or in a concentrated (e.g., front-load) manner, similar to DMRS discussed above. For example, distributed mapping can re-use Rel-16 PDCCH mapping configurations, in which PDCCH can be mapped to the first 1-3 symbols of a slot. PDCCH would then be mapped in these symbols within every Nth slot in a bundle, where N > 1.

In concentrated-mapping embodiments, PDCCH can be front-loaded at the beginning slot(s) of a bundle so that the UE has time to decode the PDCCH (e.g., DCIs) before decoding the remaining slots. Another benefit with front-loaded PDCCH is that the PDCCH transmissions are long enough for the UEs to reliably decode the included DCI. In such embodiments, PDCCH can be mapped to most or all of the 14 symbols in the first slot of a slot bundle, with very few or no PDCCH mapped to the remaining slot(s) in the bundle. Alternately, PDCCH can be mapped in every Nth (N > 2) slot within a slot bundle. In either case, the portions of the bundle having the concentrated PDCCH are non-overlapping with (or disjoint from) the positions of the bundle with little or no PDCCH. The concentrated-mapping embodiments can require some changes to 3 GPP specifications to add support for more PDCCH mapping patterns (e.g., slot with more PDCCH symbols than NR Rel-16, longer-duration CORESET, etc.).

If the PDCCH is configured as front-loaded or in every Nth (N > 2) slot within a slot bundle, then a UE can be configured to monitor for PDCCH only during those slots instead of during all slots, as in NR Rel-16. For example, a UE can be configured in this manner by setting the RRC parameter monitoringSlotPeriodicityAndOffset (i.e., in searchSpace information element (IE) defined in 3 GPP TS 38.331) to (sl4: 0} for B=4 or (sl8: 0} for B=8.

In various embodiments, PUCCH can be mapped in slot bundles in a similar manner as NR Rel-16, which already supports both short PUCCH and long PUCCH (up to full slot). However, at higher carrier frequencies and higher SCS, it may be preferable to use long PUCCH in slot bundles due to very short symbol lengths at those higher SCS.

In various embodiments, PDSCH and PUSCH can be mapped to middle slots in a slot bundle. Slot structures for PDSCH and PUSCH may be modified from NR Rel-16, e.g., for consistency with DMRS and PDCCH mapping patterns in slot. Additionally, unused OFDM symbols in the PDCCH and PUCCH slots in a bundle can be allocated to PDSCH or PUSCH.

As briefly mentioned above, the scheduling, signaling, and monitoring operations used by the network and UE can be based on units of bundled time resources, e.g., slot bundle of B slots or mini-slot bundle of M<B slots. According to the example shown in Figure 8, the first slot in the first slot bundle carries is used for PDCCHs, i.e., PDCCH1 used to schedule the UL slot bundle (with K2=3) and PDCCH2 used to schedule the first DL slot bundle (with K0=0). In the second and third slot bundles, the first slot carries PDCCH1 but not PDCCH2, with the available resources being used instead for PDSCH.

In various embodiments, time domain resource allocation (TDRA) for scheduling of UL resources can be provided according to various options. In a first option, NR Rel-16 scheduling can be employed, whereby the gNB serving the cell uses multi-slot UL scheduling to schedule B slots in an UL slot bundle (e.g., fourth slot bundle in Figure 8). In such case, TDRA for different slots in the bundle are indicated by different SLIV (start and length) values and a common K2 value that indicates the offset for the first slot in the bundle.

In a second option, NR Rel-16 UL TDRA can be employed with modification. In this option, K2 indicates an offset for PUSCH scheduling in units of slot bundles rather than in units of slots, as in option 1. This option can reduce signaling overhead due to the smaller range of K2 values.

In a third option, a single K2 offset can be used to indicate slot bundle offset but a new range for SLIV can be employed. In NR rel-16 (as well as the first and second options above), the range of starting symbol and length in SLIV is 0 to 14, which is used to indicate TDRA within a single slot. Instead, in this option, a single SLIV is used for all B slots in a slot bundle. Accordingly, the range of starting symbol and length in SLIV is extended from 14 to 14*B. The number of bits needed for the extended SLIV is [l°g₂

is the smallest integer no smaller than x. In a fourth option, a single K2 offset can be used to indicate slot bundle offset but two SLIVs can be employed, i.e., a first SLIV that indicates (starting slot, length in slots) and a second SLIV that indicates (starting symbol of first slot, ending symbols of last slot). The first SLIV requires [log₂ the second SLIV requires [log₂ 14²] bits. The two SLIVs can

be signaled separately or jointly and require a total of [log₂ 14²j bits. Note that

the length in slots could be zero to indicate the same starting and ending slots.

NR Rel-16 does not support multi-slots scheduling for DL transmissions (e.g., PDSCH). In various embodiments, however, TDRA for scheduling of DL resources can employ similar techniques as discussed above with respect to UL resources (e.g., options 1-4). For example, K0 (indicating PDSCH offset) or K1 (indicating feedback delay) can be provided in units of slot bundles rather than slots, as shown in the example of Figure 8.

With more possible slot patterns compared to NR rel-16, two slots of the same duration in a single slot bundle may have different slot patterns. In some embodiments, the network node provides an additional indicator of which slot pattern corresponds to which slot.

In general, for high SCS with shorter slots, the number and/or pattern of scheduled slots is expected to be different than in NR Rel-16. As such, the slot offsets K0, Kl, and K2 may need different ranges of values than their respective ranges in Rel-16. In some embodiments, the respective ranges can be simply increased. To reduce DCI bits needed to convey the offset(s), a DCI field can be used to point to a table entry corresponding to particular values of K0, Kl, and/or K2. A table can have any number of such entries and can be configured in the UE via RRC signaling from the network. Alternately, such a table can be pre-configured and/or specified in a 3GPP specification such that it is known to both UEs and networks.

In other embodiments, rather than merely increasing the range of available slot offsets, the granularity of available slot offsets can be changed. As an example, the granularity of K0, Kl, and/or K2 can be configured via RRC signaling, similar to sub-slots for Rel-16 URLLC. In some embodiments, the granularity of K0, Kl, and/or K2 can be related to the bundling factor B, such that a UE can determine the granularity directly from B. In such case, the UE can apply the determined granularity when determining K0, Kl, and/or K2 based on DCI from the network.

In various embodiments, since a single PDCCH can schedule resources over multiple slots in a bundle, it is possible that multiple transport blocks (TBs) may be transmitted based on the larger number of resources provided by those multiple slots. Each of the multiple TBs will require a HARQ ACK/NACK feedback from the receiver. To save HARQ signaling overhead, compression of the multiple HARQ indicators (e.g., multiple bits) can be applied. In some embodiments, the multiple HARQ indicators can be AND’d together to derive a single HARQ indicator. The combining/compression of the multiple HARQ indicators can be performed in response to a bundling factor B (e.g., as specified in a 3GPP specification). Alternately, the combining/compression can be based on a different indicator than the bundling factor (e.g., in broadcast SI, etc.).

In various embodiments, the SS/PBCH block (SSB) broadcast by the network can also be adapted in accordance with other time-resource bundling techniques. For example, a repetition factor R can be introduced for SSB, and SSB can be transmitted in a distributed or a concentrated (e.g., front-loaded) manner like DMRS and PDCCH discussed above.

In distributed SSB embodiments, the entire set of SSB can be repeated R times. That is a particular SSB is repeated at the end of a set of SSBs. For example, using Case E defined for 240kHZ SCS in 3GPP TS 38.213 section 4.1, an SSB will be repeated every 64 SSB occasions. In other words, for SSBs 0-63, the order will be SSB0, SSB1, SSB2, ... SSB63, SSB0, SSB1, SSB2, ... SSB63, SSB0, etc. However, it may not be feasible for the UE to use a matched filter to cover all repetitions of an SSB (e.g., SSB0) because they are too far apart in time. Thus, the repetition cycle R needs to be signaled to enable the UE to determine the frame timing. For example, additional bits can be added in PBCH payload to indicate the repetition cycle.

In front-loaded SSB embodiments, each SSB can be repeated B times within the already defined pattern. In other words, for SSBs 0-63, the order will be SSB0, ... SSB0, SSB1, ..., SSB1, ... SSB63, ... SSB63, SSB0, etc. In the front-loaded approach, the UE can use a matched filter covering all repetitions of an SSB (e.g., SSB0) to determine the timing of the first repetition and, consequently, the frame timing in the cell. Furthermore, no additional bits need to be added in the PBCH payload for these embodiments.

The SSB repetition factor R can be the same as or different than the slot bundle factor B. To facilitate UE initial access, R needs to be fixed in the specification, e.g., in the same manner that block patterns are specified in 3GPP TS 38.213. The repetition factor can be chosen to maintain the same time distance between repetitions in the front-loaded approach. This can simplify detection as only one matched filter needs to be used. For case D defined in 3 GPP TS 38.213 section 4.1, R can be chosen as a non-negative integer power of two, e.g., R = 2^r. For case E (mentioned above), only r = 0-2 can fulfill the criterion of maintaining the time distance between repetitions.

The embodiments described above can be further illustrated with reference to Figures 9- 10, which show exemplary methods (e.g., procedures) for UEs and network nodes, respectively. Put differently, various features of the operations described below correspond to various embodiments described above. Furthermore, the exemplary methods shown in Figures 9-10 can be used cooperatively to provide various exemplary benefits described herein. Although Figures 9-10 shows specific blocks in particular orders, the operations of the exemplary methods can be performed in different orders than shown and can be combined and/or divided into blocks with different functionality than shown. Optional blocks or operations are indicated by dashed lines.

In particular, Figure 9 shows a flow diagram of an exemplary method ( e.g ., procedure) performed by a UE (e.g., wireless device, MTC device, NB-IoT device, modem, etc. or component thereof), according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the exemplary method shown in Figure 9 can be implemented in a UE configured according to other figures described herein.

The exemplary method can include the operations of block 930, where the UE can transmit or receive at least one signal or channel, with a wireless network (e.g, E-UTRAN, NG- RAN), using resources from a frame structure of time resources and frequency resources. The time resources of the frame structure can be arranged according to a first granularity, while the time resources used for transmitting or receiving can have a second granularity that is an integer multiple of the first granularity. The integer multiple is greater than one.

• B timeslots that are continuous in time;

• a mini-slot bundle of M timeslots that are continuous in time, where M<B;

• B timeslots that are non-continuous in time;

• B symbols that are continuous within a timeslot; or

• B symbols that are non-continuous within a timeslot.

The B timeslots are examples of the “slot bundles” discussed above.

In some embodiments, the frequency resources can be arranged according to a sub-carrier spacing (SCS) and the integer multiple is proportional to the SCS. For example, the integer multiple can change in direct proportion to the SCS. As another example, a first integer multiple can be used for SCS below a threshold and a second, larger integer multiple can be used for SCS above the threshold.

In some embodiments, the exemplary method can include the operations of block 910, where the UE can receive an indicator of the integer multiple from a network node (e.g., base station, eNB, gNB, ng-eNB, etc.) of the wireless network. In some of these embodiments, the indicator is received in one of the following: • a message (e.g., DCI) scheduling the resources used to transmit or receive the at least one signal or channel;

• broadcast system information (SI);

• a dedicated radio resource control (RRC) message from the network node; or

• a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) from the network node.

In some of these embodiments, the indicator can be included in a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) monitoring configuration.

In some of these embodiments, each time resource having the second granularity can include non-overlapping first and second portions. Put differently, the first and second portions can be disjoint. In such embodiments, the operations of block 930 can include the operations of sub-blocks 931-932 during each time resource having the second granularity. In sub-block 931, the UE can receive PDSCH or transmit PUSCH together with an associated demodulation reference signal (DMRS) during the first portion. In sub-block 932, the UE can receive PDSCH or transmit PUSCH without an associated DMRS during the second portion. In other words, the DMRS can be concentrated in the first portion. In some of these embodiments, the first portion can be an initial portion of the first time resource, or every Nth time resource having the first granularity, where N > 2.

In other of these embodiments, the first granularity can be one timeslot and the integer multiple can be B. Moreover, each timeslot can include a plurality of symbols. In such embodiments, the operations of block 930 can include the operations of sub-block 933, where the UE can monitor for PDCCH in at least a portion of each time resource of B timeslots, according to one of following:

• in a first subset of the symbols during each of the B timeslots, or

In some embodiments, the first granularity can be one timeslot and the integer multiple can be B. In such embodiments, the exemplary method can also include the operations of block 920, where the UE can receive, from a network node of the wireless network, a message scheduling time resources during B timeslots of the frame structure for transmitting or receiving the at least one signal or channel. For example, the message can be a DCI.

In some embodiments, the message scheduling the time resources can include a first offset (e.g., KO, K2) indicating a first time resource during the B timeslots. The message can also include one or more start and length indicators (SLIVs), each SLIV indicating one or more symbols within the first time resource.

• a single SLIV indicating a starting symbol and number of consecutive symbols within the first time resource; or

In addition, Figure 10 shows a flow diagram of an exemplary method (e.g., procedure) performed by a network node (e.g, base station, eNB, gNB, etc. , or component thereof) serving a cell in a wireless network (e.g, E-UTRAN, NG-RAN), according to various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the exemplary method shown in Figure 10 can be implemented in a network node configured according to other figures described herein.

The exemplary method can include the operations of block 1020, where the network node can receive or transmit at least one signal or channel, with a user equipment (UE), using resources from a frame structure of time resources and frequency resources. The time resources of the frame structure can be arranged according to a first granularity, while the time resources used for receiving or transmitting can have a second granularity that is an integer multiple of the first granularity. The integer multiple is greater than one.

• B timeslots that are continuous in time;

• a mini-slot bundle of M timeslots that are continuous in time, where M<B;

• B timeslots that are non-continuous in time;

• B symbols that are continuous within a timeslot; or

• B symbols that are non-continuous within a timeslot.

The B timeslots are examples of the “slot bundles” discussed above.

In some embodiments, the frequency resources can be arranged according to a sub-carrier spacing (SCS) and the integer multiple can be proportional to the SCS. For example, the integer multiple can change in direct proportion to the SCS. As another example, a first integer multiple can be used for SCS below a threshold and a second, larger integer multiple can be used for SCS above the threshold. In some embodiments, the at least one signal or channel is received or transmitted at a carrier frequency greater than 52.6 GHz. In such embodiments, the integer multiple can be equal to one for signals or channels that are transmitted or received at carrier frequencies less than or equal to 52.6 GHz.

In some embodiments, the exemplary method can include the operations of block 1010, where the network node can transmit an indicator of the integer multiple to the UE In some of these embodiments, the indicator can be transmitted in one of the following:

• a message (e.g., DCI) scheduling the resources for the UE to transmit or receive the at least one signal or channel;

• broadcast system information (SI);

• a dedicated radio resource control (RRC) message; or

• a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE).

In various embodiments, at least one signal or channel can include one or more of the following: a PDSCH, a PUSCH, a PDCCH and a PUCCH.

In some of these embodiments, each time resource having the second granularity includes non-overlapping first and second portions. Put differently, the first and second portions can be disjoint. In such embodiments, the operations of block 1030 can include the operations of sub blocks 1031-1032 during each time resource having the second granularity. In sub-block 1031, the network node can transmit PDSCH or receive PUSCH together with an associated DMRS during the first portion. In sub-block 1032, , the network node can transmit PDSCH or receive PUSCH without an associated DMRS during the second portion. In other words, the DMRS can be concentrated in the first portion. In some of these embodiments, the first portion can be an initial portion of the first time resource, or every Nth time resource having the first granularity, where N > 2.

In other of these embodiments, the first granularity can be one timeslot and the integer multiple can be B. Moreover, each timeslot can include a plurality of symbols. In such embodiments, the operations of block 1030 can include the operations of sub-block 1033, where the network node can transmit PDCCH in at least a portion of each time resource of B timeslots, according to one of following:

• in a first subset of the symbols during each of the B timeslots, or

In some embodiments, the first granularity can be one timeslot and the integer multiple can be B. In such embodiments, the exemplary method can also include the operations of block 1020, where the network node can transmit, to the UE, a message scheduling time resources during B timeslots of the frame structure for transmitting or receiving the at least one signal or channel. For example, the message can be a DCI.

In some embodiments, the message scheduling the time resources can include a first offset (e.g., K0, K2) indicating a first time resource during the B timeslots. The message can also include one or more start and length indicators (SLIVs), each SLIV indicating one or more symbols within the first time resource.

Although various embodiments are described above in terms of methods, techniques, and/or procedures, the person of ordinary skill will readily comprehend that such methods, techniques, and/or procedures can be embodied by various combinations of hardware and software in various systems, communication devices, computing devices, control devices, apparatuses, non-transitory computer-readable media, computer program products, etc.

Figure 11 shows a high-level view of an exemplary 5G network architecture, including a Next Generation Radio Access Network (NG-RAN) 1199 and a 5G Core (5GC) 1198. As shown in the figure, NG-RAN 1199 can include gNBs 1110 (e.g., 1110a,b) and ng-eNBs 1120 (e.g, 1120a, b) that are interconnected with each other via respective Xn interfaces. The gNBs and ng- eNBs are also connected via the NG interfaces to 5GC 1198, more specifically to the AMF (Access and Mobility Management Function) 1130 (e.g, AMFs 1130a, b) via respective NG-C interfaces and to the UPF (User Plane Function) 1140 (e.g, UPFs 1140a, b) via respective NG-U interfaces. Moreover, the AMFs 1130a, b can communicate with one or more policy control functions (PCFs, e.g., PCFs 1150a, b) and network exposure functions (NEFs, e.g., NEFs 1160a, b).

Each of the gNBs 1110 can support the NR radio interface including frequency division duplexing (FDD), time division duplexing (TDD), or a combination thereof. In contrast, each of ng-eNBs 1120 can support the LTE radio interface but, unlike conventional LTE eNBs (such as shown in Figure 1), connect to the 5GC via the NG interface. Each of the gNBs and ng-eNBs can serve a geographic coverage area including one more cells, including cells 111 la-b and 1121a-b shown as exemplary in Figure 11. The gNBs and ng-eNBs can also use various directional beams to provide coverage in the respective cells. Depending on the particular cell in which it is located, a UE 1105 can communicate with the gNB or ng-eNB serving that particular cell via the NR or LTE radio interface, respectively.

The gNBs shown in Figure 11 can include a central (or centralized) unit (CU or gNB-CU) and one or more distributed (or decentralized) units (DEI or gNB-DU), which can be viewed as logical nodes. CUs host higher-layer protocols and perform various gNB functions such controlling the operation of DEis, which host lower-layer protocols and can include various subsets of the gNB functions. As such, each of the CUs and DUs can include various circuitry needed to perform their respective functions, including processing circuitry, communication interface circuitry ( e.g ., for communication via Xn, NG, radio, etc. interfaces), and power supply circuitry. Moreover, the terms “central unit” and “centralized unit” can be used interchangeably, as can the terms “distributed unit” and “decentralized unit.”

A CU connects to its associated DUs over respective FI logical interfaces. A CU and associated DUs are only visible to other gNBs and the 5GC as a gNB, e.g., the FI interface is not visible beyond a CU. A CU can host higher-layer protocols such as FI application part protocol (Fl-AP), Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP), GPRS Tunneling Protocol (GTP), Packet Data Convergence Protocol (PDCP), User Datagram Protocol (UDP), Internet Protocol (IP), and Radio Resource Control (RRC) protocol. In contrast, a DU can host lower-layer protocols such as Radio Link Control (RLC), Medium Access Control (MAC), and physical-layer (PHY) protocols.

Other variants of protocol distributions between CU and DU can exist, however, such as hosting the RRC, PDCP and part of the RLC protocol in the CU (e.g, Automatic Retransmission Request (ARQ) function), while hosting the remaining parts of the RLC protocol in the DU, together with MAC and PHY. In some embodiments, the CU can host RRC and PDCP, where PDCP is assumed to handle both UP traffic and CP traffic. Nevertheless, other exemplary embodiments may utilize other protocol splits that by hosting certain protocols in the CU and certain others in the DU.

1200 (hereinafter referred to as “UE 1200”) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, including those described above with reference to other figures. For example, UE 1200 can be configured by execution of instructions, stored on a computer-readable medium, to perform operations corresponding to one or more of the exemplary methods described herein. UE 1200 can include a processor 1210 (also referred to as “processing circuitry”) that can be operably connected to a program memory 1220 and/or a data memory 1230 via a bus 1270 that can comprise parallel address and data buses, serial ports, or other methods and/or structures known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Program memory 1220 can store software code, programs, and/or instructions (collectively shown as computer program product 1221 in Figure 12) that, when executed by processor 1210, can configure and/or facilitate UE 1200 to perform various operations, including operations corresponding to various exemplary methods described herein. As part of or in addition to such operations, execution of such instructions can configure and/or facilitate UE 1200 to communicate using one or more wired or wireless communication protocols, including one or more wireless communication protocols standardized by 3GPP, 3GPP2, or IEEE, such as those commonly known as 5G/NR, LTE, LTE-A, UMTS, HSPA, GSM, GPRS, EDGE, lxRTT, CDMA2000, 802.11 WiFi, HDMI, USB, Firewire, etc., or any other current or future protocols that can be utilized in conjunction with radio transceiver 1240, user interface 1250, and/or control interface 1260.

As another example, processor 1210 can execute program code stored in program memory 1220 that corresponds to MAC, RLC, PDCP, and RRC layer protocols standardized by 3GPP ( e.g ., for NR and/or LTE). As a further example, processor 1210 can execute program code stored in program memory 1220 that, together with radio transceiver 1240, implements corresponding PHY layer protocols, such as Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM), Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA), and Single-Carrier Frequency Division Multiple Access (SC-FDMA). As another example, processor 1210 can execute program code stored in program memory 1220 that, together with radio transceiver 1240, implements device-to-device (D2D) communications with other compatible devices and/or UEs.

Program memory 1220 can also include software code executed by processor 1210 to control the functions of UE 1200, including configuring and controlling various components such as radio transceiver 1240, user interface 1250, and/or control interface 1260. Program memory 1220 can also comprise one or more application programs and/or modules comprising computer- executable instructions embodying any of the exemplary methods described herein. Such software code can be specified or written using any known or future developed programming language, such as e.g., Java, C++, C, Objective C, HTML, XHTML, machine code, and Assembler, as long as the desired functionality, e.g, as defined by the implemented method steps, is preserved. In addition, or as an alternative, program memory 1220 can comprise an external storage arrangement (not shown) remote from UE 1200, from which the instructions can be downloaded into program memory 1220 located within or removably coupled to UE 1200, so as to enable execution of such instructions. Data memory 1230 can include memory area for processor 1210 to store variables used in protocols, configuration, control, and other functions of UE 1200, including operations corresponding to, or comprising, any of the exemplary methods described herein. Moreover, program memory 1220 and/or data memory 1230 can include non-volatile memory ( e.g ., flash memory), volatile memory (e.g., static or dynamic RAM), or a combination thereof. Furthermore, data memory 1230 can comprise a memory slot by which removable memory cards in one or more formats (e.g, SD Card, Memory Stick, Compact Flash, etc.) can be inserted and removed.

Persons of ordinary skill will recognize that processor 1210 can include multiple individual processors (including, e.g, multi-core processors), each of which implements a portion of the functionality described above. In such cases, multiple individual processors can be commonly connected to program memory 1220 and data memory 1230 or individually connected to multiple individual program memories and or data memories. More generally, persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various protocols and other functions of UE 1200 can be implemented in many different computer arrangements comprising different combinations of hardware and software including, but not limited to, application processors, signal processors, general-purpose processors, multi-core processors, ASICs, fixed and/or programmable digital circuitry, analog baseband circuitry, radio-frequency circuitry, software, firmware, and middleware.

Radio transceiver 1240 can include radio-frequency transmitter and/or receiver functionality that facilitates the UE 1200 to communicate with other equipment supporting like wireless communication standards and/or protocols. In some exemplary embodiments, the radio transceiver 1240 includes one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that enable UE 1200 to communicate according to various protocols and/or methods proposed for standardization by 3GPP and/or other standards bodies. For example, such functionality can operate cooperatively with processor 1210 to implement a PHY layer based on OFDM, OFDMA, and/or SC-FDMA technologies, such as described herein with respect to other figures.

In some exemplary embodiments, radio transceiver 1240 includes one or more transmitters and one or more receivers that can facilitate the UE 1200 to communicate with various LTE, LTE- Advanced (LTE- A), and/or NR networks according to standards promulgated by 3 GPP. In some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the radio transceiver 1240 includes circuitry, firmware, etc. necessary for the UE 1200 to communicate with various NR, NR-U, LTE, LTE- A, LTE-LAA, UMTS, and/or GSM/EDGE networks, also according to 3GPP standards. In some embodiments, radio transceiver 1240 can include circuitry supporting D2D communications between UE 1200 and other compatible devices.

In some embodiments, radio transceiver 1240 includes circuitry, firmware, etc. necessary for the UE 1200 to communicate with various CDMA2000 networks, according to 3GPP2 standards. In some embodiments, the radio transceiver 1240 can be capable of communicating using radio technologies that operate in unlicensed frequency bands, such as IEEE 802.11 WiFi that operates using frequencies in the regions of 2.4, 5.6, and/or 60 GHz. In some embodiments, radio transceiver 1240 can include a transceiver that is capable of wired communication, such as by using IEEE 802.3 Ethernet technology. The functionality particular to each of these embodiments can be coupled with and/or controlled by other circuitry in the UE 1200, such as the processor 1210 executing program code stored in program memory 1220 in conjunction with, and/or supported by, data memory 1230.

User interface 1250 can take various forms depending on the particular embodiment of UE 1200, or can be absent from UE 1200 entirely. In some embodiments, user interface 1250 can comprise a microphone, a loudspeaker, slidable buttons, depressible buttons, a display, a touchscreen display, a mechanical or virtual keypad, a mechanical or virtual keyboard, and/or any other user-interface features commonly found on mobile phones. In other embodiments, the UE 1200 can comprise a tablet computing device including a larger touchscreen display. In such embodiments, one or more of the mechanical features of the user interface 1250 can be replaced by comparable or functionally equivalent virtual user interface features ( e.g ., virtual keypad, virtual buttons, etc.) implemented using the touchscreen display, as familiar to persons of ordinary skill in the art. In other embodiments, the UE 1200 can be a digital computing device, such as a laptop computer, desktop computer, workstation, etc. that comprises a mechanical keyboard that can be integrated, detached, or detachable depending on the particular exemplary embodiment. Such a digital computing device can also comprise a touch screen display. Many exemplary embodiments of the UE 1200 having a touch screen display are capable of receiving user inputs, such as inputs related to exemplary methods described herein or otherwise known to persons of ordinary skill.

In some embodiments, UE 1200 can include an orientation sensor, which can be used in various ways by features and functions of UE 1200. For example, the UE 1200 can use outputs of the orientation sensor to determine when a user has changed the physical orientation of the UE 1200’s touch screen display. An indication signal from the orientation sensor can be available to any application program executing on the UE 1200, such that an application program can change the orientation of a screen display (e.g., from portrait to landscape) automatically when the indication signal indicates an approximate 120-degree change in physical orientation of the device. In this exemplary manner, the application program can maintain the screen display in a manner that is readable by the user, regardless of the physical orientation of the device. In addition, the output of the orientation sensor can be used in conjunction with various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. A control interface 1260 of the UE 1200 can take various forms depending on the particular exemplary embodiment of UE 1200 and of the particular interface requirements of other devices that the UE 1200 is intended to communicate with and/or control. For example, the control interface 1260 can comprise an RS-232 interface, aUSB interface, an HDMI interface, a Bluetooth interface, an IEEE (“Firewire”) interface, an I²C interface, a PCMCIA interface, or the like. In some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, control interface 1260 can comprise an IEEE 802.3 Ethernet interface such as described above. In some exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the control interface 1260 can comprise analog interface circuitry including, for example, one or more digital-to-analog converters (DACs) and/or analog-to-digital converters (ADCs).

Persons of ordinary skill in the art can recognize the above list of features, interfaces, and radio-frequency communication standards is merely exemplary, and not limiting to the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, the UE 1200 can comprise more functionality than is shown in Figure 12 including, for example, a video and/or still-image camera, microphone, media player and/or recorder, etc. Moreover, radio transceiver 1240 can include circuitry necessary to communicate using additional radio-frequency communication standards including Bluetooth, GPS, and/or others. Moreover, the processor 1210 can execute software code stored in the program memory 1220 to control such additional functionality. For example, directional velocity and/or position estimates output from a GPS receiver can be available to any application program executing on the UE 1200, including any program code corresponding to and/or embodying any exemplary embodiments ( e.g ., of methods) described herein.

Figure 13 shows a block diagram of an exemplary network node 1300 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, including those described above with reference to other figures. For example, exemplary network node 1300 can be configured by execution of instructions, stored on a computer-readable medium, to perform operations corresponding to one or more of the exemplary methods described herein. In some exemplary embodiments, network node 1300 can comprise a base station, eNB, gNB, or one or more components thereof. For example, network node 1300 can be configured as a central unit (CU) and one or more distributed units (DUs) according to NR gNB architectures specified by 3GPP. More generally, the functionally of network node 1300 can be distributed across various physical devices and/or functional units, modules, etc.

Network node 1300 can include processor 1310 (also referred to as “processing circuitry”) that is operably connected to program memory 1320 and data memory 1330 via bus 1370, which can include parallel address and data buses, serial ports, or other methods and/or structures known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Program memory 1320 can store software code, programs, and/or instructions (collectively shown as computer program product 1321 in Figure 13) that, when executed by processor 1310, can configure and/or facilitate network node 1300 to perform various operations, including operations corresponding to various exemplary methods described herein. As part of and/or in addition to such operations, program memory 1320 can also include software code executed by processor 1310 that can configure and/or facilitate network node 1300 to communicate with one or more other UEs or network nodes using other protocols or protocol layers, such as one or more of the PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, and RRC layer protocols standardized by 3GPP for LTE, LTE- A, and/or NR, or any other higher-layer ( e.g ., NAS) protocols utilized in conjunction with radio network interface 1340 and/or core network interface 1350. By way of example, core network interface 1350 can comprise the SI or NG interface and radio network interface 1340 can comprise the Uu interface, as standardized by 3 GPP. Program memory 1320 can also comprise software code executed by processor 1310 to control the functions of network node 1300, including configuring and controlling various components such as radio network interface 1340 and core network interface 1350.

Data memory 1330 can comprise memory area for processor 1310 to store variables used in protocols, configuration, control, and other functions of network node 1300. As such, program memory 1320 and data memory 1330 can comprise non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory, hard disk, etc.), volatile memory (e.g, static or dynamic RAM), network-based (e.g, “cloud”) storage, or a combination thereof. Persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that processor 1310 can include multiple individual processors (not shown), each of which implements a portion of the functionality described above. In such case, multiple individual processors may be commonly connected to program memory 1320 and data memory 1330 or individually connected to multiple individual program memories and/or data memories. More generally, persons of ordinary skill will recognize that various protocols and other functions of network node 1300 may be implemented in many different combinations of hardware and software including, but not limited to, application processors, signal processors, general-purpose processors, multi-core processors, ASICs, fixed digital circuitry, programmable digital circuitry, analog baseband circuitry, radio-frequency circuitry, software, firmware, and middleware.

Radio network interface 1340 can comprise transmitters, receivers, signal processors, ASICs, antennas, beamforming units, and other circuitry that enables network node 1300 to communicate with other equipment such as, in some embodiments, a plurality of compatible user equipment (UE). In some embodiments, interface 1340 can also enable network node 1300 to communicate with compatible satellites of a satellite communication network. In some exemplary embodiments, radio network interface 1340 can comprise various protocols or protocol layers, such as the PHY, MAC, RLC, PDCP, and/or RRC layer protocols standardized by 3GPP for LTE, LTE-A, LTE-LAA, NR, NR-U, etc. ; improvements thereto such as described herein above; or any other higher-layer protocols utilized in conjunction with radio network interface 1340. According to further exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the radio network interface 1340 can comprise a PHY layer based on OFDM, OFDMA, and/or SC-FDMA technologies. In some embodiments, the functionality of such a PHY layer can be provided cooperatively by radio network interface 1340 and processor 1310 (including program code in memory 1320).

Core network interface 1350 can comprise transmitters, receivers, and other circuitry that enables network node 1300 to communicate with other equipment in a core network such as, in some embodiments, circuit-switched (CS) and/or packet-switched Core (PS) networks. In some embodiments, core network interface 1350 can comprise the SI interface standardized by 3GPP. In some embodiments, core network interface 1350 can comprise the NG interface standardized by 3GPP. In some exemplary embodiments, core network interface 1350 can comprise one or more interfaces to one or more AMFs, SMFs, SGWs, MMEs, SGSNs, GGSNs, and other physical devices that comprise functionality found in GERAN, UTRAN, EPC, 5GC, and CDMA2000 core networks that are known to persons of ordinary skill in the art. In some embodiments, these one or more interfaces may be multiplexed together on a single physical interface. In some embodiments, lower layers of core network interface 1350 can comprise one or more of asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), Internet Protocol (IP)-over-Ethemet, SDH over optical fiber, T1/E1/PDH over a copper wire, microwave radio, or other wired or wireless transmission technologies known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

In some embodiments, network node 1300 can include hardware and/or software that configures and/or facilitates network node 1300 to communicate with other network nodes in a RAN, such as with other eNBs, gNBs, ng-eNBs, en-gNBs, IAB nodes, etc. Such hardware and/or software can be part of radio network interface 1340 and/or core network interface 1350, or it can be a separate functional unit (not shown). For example, such hardware and/or software can configure and/or facilitate network node 1300 to communicate with other RAN nodes via the X2 or Xn interfaces, as standardized by 3 GPP.

OA&M interface 1360 can comprise transmitters, receivers, and other circuitry that enables network node 1300 to communicate with external networks, computers, databases, and the like for purposes of operations, administration, and maintenance of network node 1300 or other network equipment operably connected thereto. Lower layers of OA&M interface 1360 can comprise one or more of asynchronous transfer mode (ATM), Internet Protocol (IP)-over- Ethemet, SDH over optical fiber, T1/E1/PDH over a copper wire, microwave radio, or other wired or wireless transmission technologies known to those of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, in some embodiments, one or more of radio network interface 1340, core network interface 1350, and OA&M interface 1360 may be multiplexed together on a single physical interface, such as the examples listed above.

Figure 14 is a block diagram of an exemplary communication network configured to provide over-the-top (OTT) data services between a host computer and a user equipment (UE), according to one or more exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. UE 1410 can communicate with radio access network (RAN) 1430 over radio interface 1420, which can be based on protocols described above including, e.g., LTE, LTE-A, and 5G/NR. For example, UE 1410 can be configured and/or arranged as shown in other figures discussed above.

RAN 1430 can include one or more terrestrial network nodes (e.g, base stations, eNBs, gNBs, controllers, etc.) operable in licensed spectrum bands, as well one or more network nodes operable in unlicensed spectrum (using, e.g, LAA or NR-U technology), such as a 2.4-GHz band and/or a 5-GHz band. In such cases, the network nodes comprising RAN 1430 can cooperatively operate using licensed and unlicensed spectrum. In some embodiments, RAN 1430 can include, or be capable of communication with, one or more satellites comprising a satellite access network.

RAN 1430 can further communicate with core network 1440 according to various protocols and interfaces described above. For example, one or more apparatus (e.g, base stations, eNBs, gNBs, etc.) comprising RAN 1430 can communicate to core network 1440 via core network interface 1450 described above. In some exemplary embodiments, RAN 1430 and core network 1440 can be configured and/or arranged as shown in other figures discussed above. For example, eNBs comprising an E-UTRAN 1430 can communicate with an EPC core network 1440 via an SI interface. As another example, gNBs and ng-eNBs comprising an NG-RAN 1430 can communicate with a 5GC core network 1430 via an NG interface.

Core network 1440 can further communicate with an external packet data network, illustrated in Figure 14 as Internet 1450, according to various protocols and interfaces known to persons of ordinary skill in the art. Many other devices and/or networks can also connect to and communicate via Internet 1450, such as exemplary host computer 1460. In some exemplary embodiments, host computer 1460 can communicate with UE 1410 using Internet 1450, core network 1440, and RAN 1430 as intermediaries. Host computer 1460 can be a server (e.g, an application server) under ownership and/or control of a service provider. Host computer 1460 can be operated by the OTT service provider or by another entity on the service provider’s behalf.

For example, host computer 1460 can provide an over-the-top (OTT) packet data service to UE 1410 using facilities of core network 1440 and RAN 1430, which can be unaware of the routing of an outgoing/incoming communication to/from host computer 1460. Similarly, host computer 1460 can be unaware of routing of a transmission from the host computer to the UE, e.g., the routing of the transmission through RAN 1430. Various OTT services can be provided using the exemplary configuration shown in Figure 14 including, e.g, streaming (unidirectional) audio and/or video from host computer to UE, interactive (bidirectional) audio and/or video between host computer and UE, interactive messaging or social communication, interactive virtual or augmented reality, etc.

The exemplary network shown in Figure 14 can also include measurement procedures and/or sensors that monitor network performance metrics including data rate, latency and other factors that are improved by exemplary embodiments disclosed herein. The exemplary network can also include functionality for reconfiguring the link between the endpoints (e.g, host computer and UE) in response to variations in the measurement results. Such procedures and functionalities are known and practiced; if the network hides or abstracts the radio interface from the OTT service provider, measurements can be facilitated by proprietary signaling between the UE and the host computer.

The exemplary embodiments described herein provide a flexible frame structure and signaling procedure for NR with higher subcarrier spacing (SCS), in which the frame structure, scheduling, and/or corresponding signaling are based on time resources having a granularity that is an integer multiple (i.e., >1) of a fundamental time-resource granularity (e.g., slot or symbol). The integer multiple granularity can be related to the SCS. Such techniques can provide various benefits and/or advantages for NR networks, including reduction of signaling overhead for scheduling of resources in higher frequency bands (e.g., 52.6-71 GHz) while reducing and/or minimizing impact to 3GPP specifications for adding support for higher SCS. When used in NRUEs (e.g, UE 1410) and gNBs (e.g, gNBs comprising RAN 1430), exemplary embodiments described herein can facilitate the use of such high frequency bands for OTT data services, thereby providing increased value for both users and OTT service providers.

The foregoing merely illustrates the principles of the disclosure. Various modifications and alterations to the described embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the teachings herein. It will thus be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devise numerous systems, arrangements, and procedures that, although not explicitly shown or described herein, embody the principles of the disclosure and can be thus within the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Various exemplary embodiments can be used together with one another, as well as interchangeably therewith, as should be understood by those having ordinary skill in the art.

The term unit, as used herein, can have conventional meaning in the field of electronics, electrical devices and/or electronic devices and can include, for example, electrical and/or electronic circuitry, devices, modules, processors, memories, logic solid state and/or discrete devices, computer programs or instructions for carrying out respective tasks, procedures, computations, outputs, and/or displaying functions, and so on, as such as those that are described herein.

Any appropriate steps, methods, features, functions, or benefits disclosed herein may be performed through one or more functional units or modules of one or more virtual apparatuses. Each virtual apparatus may comprise a number of these functional units. These functional units may be implemented via processing circuitry, which may include one or more microprocessor or microcontrollers, as well as other digital hardware, which may include Digital Signal Processor (DSPs), special-purpose digital logic, and the like. The processing circuitry may be configured to execute program code stored in memory, which may include one or several types of memory such as Read Only Memory (ROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), cache memory, flash memory devices, optical storage devices, etc. Program code stored in memory includes program instructions for executing one or more telecommunications and/or data communications protocols as well as instructions for carrying out one or more of the techniques described herein. In some implementations, the processing circuitry may be used to cause the respective functional unit to perform corresponding functions according one or more embodiments of the present disclosure.

As described herein, device and/or apparatus can be represented by a semiconductor chip, a chipset, or a (hardware) module comprising such chip or chipset; this, however, does not exclude the possibility that a functionality of a device or apparatus, instead of being hardware implemented, be implemented as a software module such as a computer program or a computer program product comprising executable software code portions for execution or being run on a processor. Furthermore, functionality of a device or apparatus can be implemented by any combination of hardware and software. A device or apparatus can also be regarded as an assembly of multiple devices and/or apparatuses, whether functionally in cooperation with or independently of each other. Moreover, devices and apparatuses can be implemented in a distributed fashion throughout a system, so long as the functionality of the device or apparatus is preserved. Such and similar principles are considered as known to a skilled person.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It will be further understood that terms used herein should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of this specification and the relevant art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

In addition, certain terms used in the present disclosure, including the specification and drawings, can be used synonymously in certain instances ( e.g “data” and “information”). It should be understood, that although these terms (and/or other terms that can be synonymous to one another) can be used synonymously herein, there can be instances when such words can be intended to not be used synonymously. Further, to the extent that the prior art knowledge has not been explicitly incorporated by reference herein above, it is explicitly incorporated herein in its entirety. All publications referenced are incorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

Embodiments of the techniques and apparatus described herein also include, but are not limited to, the following enumerated examples:

El . A method performed by a user equipment (UE), the method comprising: receiving, from a network node serving a cell in a wireless network, an indicator of a time-resource bundling factor used for scheduling UE usage of cell resources; receiving, from the network node, a message scheduling resources for the UE to use for transmitting or receiving at least one signal or channel in the cell; and transmitting or receiving the at least one signal or channel, with the network node, using the scheduled resources in accordance with the indicated bundling factor.

E2. The method of embodiment El, wherein the indicator is received in one of the following: the message scheduling the resources for the UE; system information (SI) broadcast in the cell; a dedicated radio resource control (RRC) message from the network node; or a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) from the network node.

E3. The method of any of embodiments E1-E2, wherein: the time resources are organized into timeslots, each timeslot including a plurality of symbols; and the indicator indicates that scheduling UE usage of cell resources is based on a plurality of timeslots or a plurality of symbols in a timeslot.

E4. The method of embodiment E3, wherein: each symbol comprises a plurality of subcarriers that are equally spaced in frequency according to a subcarrier spacing; and the bundling factor is proportional to the subcarrier spacing.

E5. The method of any of embodiments E1-E4, wherein the at least one signal or channel is one or more of the following: a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH); a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH); a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH); and a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) associated with a channel.

E6. The method of embodiment E5, wherein: the at least one signal or channel includes a PDSCH or a PUSCH, and DMRS associated with the PDSCH or PUSCH; and transmitting or receiving the at least one signal or channel comprises: during a first portion of a bundled time resource, receiving PDSCH or transmitting PUSCH together with the associated DMRS, and otherwise during the bundled time resource, receiving PDSCH or transmitting PUSCH without an associated DMRS.

E7. The method of embodiment E6, wherein the first portion is one of the following: an initial portion of the bundled time resource, or every Nth individual time resource during the bundled time resource, where N > 2.

E8. The method of any of embodiments E5-E7, wherein: each bundled time resource comprises a plurality of slots, each slot comprising a plurality of symbols; and the method further comprises, based on the bundling factor, monitoring for the PDCCH in at least a portion of the bundled time resources according to one of following: in a first subset of the symbols during each of the slots, or in a second subset of symbols only during a third subset of the slots, wherein the second subset includes a greater number of symbols than the first subset.

E9. The method of embodiment E8, wherein the third subset of slots is one of the following: an initial portion of slots within a bundled time resource, or every Nth slot during the bundled time resource, where N > 2.

E10. The method of any of embodiments E5-E9, wherein: the at least one signal or channel includes a PDSCH carrying a plurality of transport blocks (TBs) data, and a PUCCH carrying hybrid ARQ feedback for the plurality of TBs; and transmitting or receiving the at least one signal or channel comprises: receiving the plurality of TBs on the PDSCH; determining HARQ feedback for each of the plurality of TBs; based on the bundling factor, combining the determined HARQ feedback into a single HARQ indicator for the plurality of TBs; and transmitting the single HARQ indicator on the PUCCH.

Ell. The method of any of embodiments E1-E10, wherein the message scheduling resources for the UE includes: a first offset indicating a particular bundled time resource that is scheduled for the UE’s use; and one or more start and length indicators (SLIV), each SLIV indicating one or more symbols within the particular bundled time resource that are scheduled for the UE’s use.

E12. The method of embodiment Ell, wherein the first offset also indicates a particular slot within the particular bundled time resource.

E13. The method of any of embodiments El 1-E12, wherein the one or more SLIVs comprise one of the following: a single SLIV indicating a starting symbol and number of consecutive symbols within the bundled time resource; or a first SLIV indicating a starting slot and number of consecutive slots within the bundled time resource, and a second SLIV indicating a starting symbol of the starting slot and a final symbol of a final slot within the bundled time resource.

E14. The method of any of embodiments E1-E13, further comprising: receiving a plurality of repetitions of a synchronization signal/PBCH block (SSB) broadcast in the cell, wherein the plurality of repetitions is based on the bundling factor; and determining a frame timing for the cell based on applying a matched filter to the plurality of repetitions.

E15. The method of any of embodiments E1-E14, wherein: the bundling factor is one of the following: a first bundling factor corresponding to a first number of slots, each of a first duration; and a second bundling factor corresponding to a second number of slots, each of a second duration; and the product of the first number of slots and the first duration is equal to the product of the second number of slots and the second duration.

E16. The method of any of embodiments E1-E15, wherein: the bundling factor comprises a plurality of bundling factors associated with a respective plurality of bandwidth parts (BWPs) used in the cell; the scheduled resources include frequency resources in one or more of the plurality of BWPs; and transmitting or receiving the at least one signal or channel is performed using the one or more BWPs according to the associated bundling factors.

E17. A method performed by a network node serving a cell in a wireless network, the method comprising: transmitting, to one or more UEs operating in the cell, an indicator of a time-resource bundling factor used for scheduling UE usage of cell resources; transmitting, to a particular UE, a message scheduling resources for the UE to use for transmitting or receiving at least one signal or channel in the cell; and receiving or transmitting the at least one signal or channel, with the particular UE, using the scheduled resources in accordance with the indicated bundling factor.

E18. The method of embodiment E17, wherein the indicator is transmitted in one of the following: the message scheduling the resources for the particular UE; system information (SI) broadcast in the cell; a dedicated radio resource control (RRC) message to the particular UE; or a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE) to the particular UE.

E19. The method of any of embodiments E17-18, wherein: the time resources are organized into timeslots, each timeslot including a plurality of symbols; and the indicator indicates that scheduling UE usage of cell resources is based on a plurality of timeslots or a plurality of symbols in a timeslot.

E20. The method of embodiment E19, wherein: each symbol comprises a plurality of subcarriers that are equally spaced in frequency according to a subcarrier spacing; and the bundling factor is proportional to the subcarrier spacing.

E21. The method of any of embodiments E17-E20, wherein the at least one signal or channel is one or more of the following: a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH); a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH); a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH); or a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) associated with a channel.

E22. The method of embodiment E21, wherein: the at least one signal or channel includes a PDSCH or a PUSCH, and DMRS associated with the PDSCH or PUSCH; and receiving or transmitting the at least one signal or channel comprises: during a first portion of a bundled time resource, transmitting PDSCH or receiving PUSCH together with the associated DMRS, and otherwise during the bundled time resource, transmitting PDSCH or receiving PUSCH without an associated DMRS.

E23. The method of embodiment E22, wherein the first portion is one of the following: an initial portion of the bundled time resource, or every Nth individual time resource during the bundled time resource, where N > 2.

E24. The method of any of embodiments E21-E23, wherein: each bundled time resource comprises a plurality of slots, each slot comprising a plurality of symbols; and the method further comprises, based on the bundling factor, transmitting PDCCH in at least a portion of the bundled time resources according to one of following: in a first subset of the symbols during each of the slots, or in a second subset of symbols only during a third subset of the slots, wherein the second subset includes a greater number of symbols than the first subset.

E25. The method of embodiment E24, wherein the third subset of slots is one of the following: an initial portion of slots within a bundled time resource, or every Nth slot during the bundled time resource, where N > 2.

E26. The method of any of embodiments E21-E25, wherein: the at least one signal or channel includes a PDSCH carrying a plurality of transport blocks (TBs) data, and a PUCCH carrying hybrid ARQ feedback for the plurality of TBs; and receiving or transmitting the at least one signal or channel comprises: transmitting the plurality of TBs on the PDSCH; receiving a single HARQ indicator for the plurality of TBs on the PUCCH; and determining HARQ feedback for the respective TBs based on the single HARQ indicator.

E27. The method of any of embodiments E17-E26, wherein the message scheduling resources for the particular UE includes: a first offset indicating a particular bundled time resource that is scheduled for the particular UE’s use; and one or more start and length indicators (SLIV), each SLIV indicating one or more symbols within the particular bundled time resource that are scheduled for the particular UE’s use.

E28. The method of embodiment E27, wherein the first offset also indicates a particular slot within the particular bundled time resource.

E29. The method of any of embodiments E27-E28, wherein the one or more SLIVs comprise one of the following: a single SLIV indicating a starting symbol and number of consecutive symbols within the bundled time resource; or a first SLIV indicating a starting slot and number of consecutive slots within the bundled time resource, and a second SLIV indicating a starting symbol of the starting slot and a final symbol of a final slot within the bundled time resource.

E30. The method of any of embodiments E17-E29, further comprising broadcasting a plurality of repetitions of a synchronization signal/PBCH block (SSB) broadcast in the cell, wherein the plurality of repetitions is based on the bundling factor.

E31. The method of any of embodiments E17-E30, wherein: the bundling factor is one of the following: a first bundling factor corresponding to a first number of slots, each of a first duration; and a second bundling factor corresponding to a second number of slots, each of a second duration; and the product of the first number of slots and the first duration is equal to the product of the second number of slots and the second duration.

E32. The method of any of embodiments E17-E31, wherein: the bundling factor comprises a plurality of bundling factors associated with a respective plurality of bandwidth parts (BWPs) used in the cell; the scheduled resources include frequency resources in one or more of the plurality of BWPs; and receiving or transmitting the at least one signal or channel is performed using the one or more BWPs according to the associated bundling factors.

E33. A user equipment (LIE) comprising: radio transceiver circuitry configured to communicate with a network node serving a cell in a wireless network; and processing circuitry operatively coupled to the radio transceiver circuitry, whereby the processing circuitry and the radio transceiver circuitry are configured to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of embodiments E1-E16.

E34. A user equipment (UE) configured to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of embodiments E1-E16. E35. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry of a user equipment (UE), configure the EGE to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of embodiments E1-E16.

E36. A computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry of a user equipment (EGE), configure the EGE to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of embodiments E1-E16.

E37. A network node configured to serve a cell in a wireless network, the network node comprising: radio network interface circuitry configured to communicate with one or more EIEs; and processing circuitry operatively coupled to the radio network interface circuitry, whereby the processing circuitry and the radio network interface circuitry are configured to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of embodiments E17- E32.

E38. A network node configured to serve a cell in a wireless network, the network node being further arranged to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of embodiments E17-E32.

E39. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry of a network node configured to serve a cell in a wireless network, configure the network node to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of embodiments E17-E32.

E40. A computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry of a network node configured to serve a cell in a wireless network, configure the network node to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of embodiments E17-E32.

Claims

1. A method performed by a user equipment, UE, the method comprising: transmitting or receiving (930) at least one signal or channel, with a wireless network, using resources from a frame structure of time resources and frequency resources, wherein: the time resources of the frame structure are arranged according to a first granularity, the time resources used for transmitting or receiving have a second granularity that is an integer multiple of the first granularity, and the integer multiple is greater than one.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein each time resource used for transmitting or receiving includes one of the following:

B timeslots that are continuous in time; a mini-slot bundle of M timeslots that are continuous in time, where M<B;

B timeslots that are non-continuous in time;

B symbols that are continuous within a timeslot; or B symbols that are non-continuous within a timeslot.

3. The method of any of claims 1-2, wherein: the frequency resources are arranged according to a sub-carrier spacing, SCS; and the integer multiple is proportional to the SCS.

4. The method of any of claims 1-3, wherein: the at least one signal or channel is transmitted or received at a carrier frequency greater than 52.6 GHz; and the integer multiple is equal to one for signals or channels that are transmitted or received at carrier frequencies less than or equal to 52.6 GHz.

5. The method of any of claims 1-3, further comprising receiving (910) an indicator of the integer multiple from a network node of the wireless network.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the indicator is received in one of the following: a message scheduling the resources used to transmit or receive the at least one signal or channel; broadcast system information, SI; a dedicated radio resource control, RRC, message from the network node; or a medium access control, MAC, control element, CE, from the network node.

7. The method of any of claims 5-6, wherein the indicator is included in a physical downlink control channel, PDCCH, monitoring configuration.

8. The method of any of claims 1-7, wherein the at least one signal or channel includes one or more of the following: a physical downlink shared channel, PDSCH; a physical uplink shared channel, PUSCH; a physical downlink control channel, PDCCH; and a physical uplink control channel, PUCCH.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein: each time resource having the second granularity includes non-overlapping first and second portions; and transmitting or receiving (930) the at least one signal or channel comprises, during each time resource having the second granularity:

, receiving PDSCH or transmitting PUSCH (931) together with an associated demodulation reference signal, DMRS, during the first portion; and , receiving PDSCH or transmitting PUSCH (932) without an associated DMRS during the second portion.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first portion is one of the following: an initial portion of the first time resource, or every Nth time resource having the first granularity, where N > 2.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein: the first granularity is one timeslot and the integer multiple is B; each timeslot comprises a plurality of symbols; and transmitting or receiving (930) the at least one signal or channel comprises monitoring (933) for PDCCH in at least a portion of each time resource of B timeslots, according to one of following: in a first subset of the symbols during each of the B timeslots, or in a second subset of symbols during a subset of the B timeslots, wherein the second subset includes at least as many symbols as the first subset.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the subset of the B timeslots is one of the following: an initial portion of the B timeslots, or every Nth timeslot of the B timeslots, where N > 2.

13. The method of any of claims 1-12, wherein: the first granularity is one timeslot and the integer multiple is B; and the method further comprises receiving (920), from a network node of the wireless network, a message scheduling time resources during B timeslots of the frame structure for transmitting or receiving the at least one signal or channel.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the message scheduling the time resources includes: a first offset indicating a first time resource during the B timeslots; and one or more start and length indicators, SLIV, with each SLIV indicating one or more symbols within the first time resource.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first offset indicates one of the following: a start of the B timeslots; or a timeslot within the B timeslots.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more SLIVs comprise one of the following: a single SLIV indicating a starting symbol and a number of consecutive symbols within the first time resource; or a first SLIV indicating a starting timeslot and a number of consecutive timeslots within the first time resource, and a second SLIV indicating a starting symbol of the starting timeslot and a final symbol of a final timeslot within the first time resource.

17. A method performed by a network node in a wireless network, the method comprising: receiving or transmitting (1030) at least one signal or channel, with a user equipment, UE, using resources from a frame structure of time resources and frequency resources, wherein: the time resources of the frame structure are arranged according to a first granularity, the time resources used for receiving or transmitting have a second granularity that is an integer multiple of the first granularity, and the integer multiple is greater than one.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein each time resource used for receiving or transmitting includes one of the following:

B timeslots that are non-continuous in time;

19. The method of any of claims 17-18, wherein: the frequency resources are arranged according to a sub-carrier spacing, SCS; and the integer multiple is proportional to the SCS.

20. The method of any of claims 17-19, wherein: the at least one signal or channel is received or transmitted at a carrier frequency greater than 52.6 GHz; and the integer multiple is equal to one for signals or channels that are received or transmitted at carrier frequencies less than or equal to 52.6 GHz.

21. The method of any of claims 17-19, further comprising transmitting (1010) an indicator of the integer multiple to the UE.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the indicator is transmitted in one of the following: a message scheduling the resources for the UE to transmit or receive the at least one signal or channel; broadcast system information, SI; a dedicated radio resource control, RRC, message; or a medium access control, MAC, control element, CE.

23. The method of any of claims 21-22, wherein the indicator is included in a physical downlink control channel, PDCCH, monitoring configuration.

24. The method of any of claims 17-23, wherein the at least one signal or channel includes one or more of the following: a physical downlink shared channel, PDSCH; a physical uplink shared channel, PUSCH; a physical downlink control channel, PDCCH; and a physical uplink control channel, PUCCH.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein: each time resource having the second granularity includes non-overlapping first and second portions; and receiving or transmitting (1030) the at least one signal or channel comprises, during each time resource having the second granularity: transmitting PDSCH or receiving PUSCH (1031) together with an associated demodulation reference signal, DMRS, during the first portion; and transmitting PDSCH or receiving PUSCH (1032) without an associated DMRS during the second portion.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the first portion is one of the following: an initial portion of the first time resource, or every Nth time resource having the first granularity, where N > 2.

27. The method of claim 24, wherein: the first granularity is one timeslot and the integer multiple is B; each timeslot comprises a plurality of symbols; and transmitting or receiving (1030) the at least one signal or channel comprises transmitting (1033) PDCCH in at least a portion of each time resource of B timeslots, according to one of following: in a first subset of the symbols during each of the B timeslots, or in a second subset of symbols during a subset of the B timeslots, wherein the second subset includes at least as many symbols as the first subset.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein the subset of the B timeslots is one of the following: an initial portion of the B timeslots, or every Nth timeslot of the B timeslots, where N > 2.

29. The method of any of claims 17-28, wherein: the first granularity is one timeslot and the integer multiple is B; and the method further comprises transmitting (1020), to the UE, a message scheduling time resources during B timeslots of the frame structure for the UE to transmit or receive the at least one signal or channel.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the message scheduling the time resources includes: a first offset indicating a first time resource during the B timeslots; and one or more start and length indicators, SLIV, with each SLIV indicating one or more symbols within the first time resource.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the first offset indicates one of the following: a start of the B timeslots; or a timeslot within the B timeslots.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the one or more SLIVs comprise one of the following: a single SLIV indicating a starting symbol and a number of consecutive symbols within the first time resource; or a first SLIV indicating a starting timeslot and a number of consecutive timeslots within the first time resource, and a second SLIV indicating a starting symbol of the starting timeslot and a final symbol of a final timeslot within the first time resource.

33. A user equipment, UE (120, 1105, 1200, 1410) comprising: radio transceiver circuitry (1240) configured to communicate with a wireless network; and processing circuitry (1210) operatively coupled to the radio transceiver circuitry, whereby the processing circuitry and the radio transceiver circuitry are configured to transmit or receive at least one signal or channel, with the wireless network, using resources from a frame structure of time resources and frequency resources, wherein: the time resources of the frame structure are arranged according to a first granularity, the time resources used for transmitting or receiving have a second granularity that is an integer multiple of the first granularity, and the integer multiple is greater than one.

34. The UE of claim 33, wherein the processing circuitry and the radio transceiver circuitry are further configured to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of claims 2- 16.

35. A user equipment, UE (120, 1105, 1200, 1410) configured to: transmit or receive at least one signal or channel, with a wireless network, using resources from a frame structure of time resources and frequency resources, wherein: the time resources of the frame structure are arranged according to a first granularity, the time resources used for transmitting or receiving have a second granularity that is an integer multiple of the first granularity, and the integer multiple is greater than one.

36. The UE of claim 35, being further configured to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of claims 2-16.

37. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium (1220) storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry (1210) of a user equipment, UE (120, 1105, 1200, 1410), configure the UE to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of claims 1-16.

38. A computer program product (1221) comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry (1210) of a user equipment, UE (120, 1105, 1200, 1410), configure the UE to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of claims 1-16.

39. A network node (105, 110, 115, 1110, 1120, 1300) configured to operate in a wireless network (199, 1199, 1430), the network node comprising: radio network interface circuitry (1340) configured to communicate with one or more user equipment, UEs (120, 1105, 1200, 1410); and processing circuitry (1310) operatively coupled to the radio network interface circuitry, whereby the processing circuitry and the radio network interface circuitry are configured to receive or transmit at least one signal or channel, with a UE, using resources from a frame structure of time resources and frequency resources, wherein: the time resources of the frame structure are arranged according to a first granularity, the time resources used for receiving or transmitting have a second granularity that is an integer multiple of the first granularity, and the integer multiple is greater than one.

40. The network node of claim 39, wherein the processing circuitry and the radio network interface circuitry are further configured to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of claims 18-32.

41. A network node (105, 110, 115, 1110, 1120, 1300) configured to operate in a wireless network (199, 1199, 1430), the network node being further configured to: receive or transmit at least one signal or channel, with a user equipment, UE (120, 1105, 1200, 1410), using resources from a frame structure of time resources and frequency resources, wherein: the time resources of the frame structure are arranged according to a first granularity, the time resources used for receiving or transmitting have a second granularity that is an integer multiple of the first granularity, and the integer multiple is greater than one.

42. The network node of claim 41, being further configured to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of claims 18-32.

43. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium (1320) storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry (1310) of a network node (105, 110,

115, 1110, 1120, 1300) configured to operate in a wireless network (199, 1199, 1430), configure the network node to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of claims 17-32.

44. A computer program product (1321) comprising computer-executable instructions that, when executed by processing circuitry (1310) of a network node (105, 110, 115, 1110, 1120, 1300) configured to operate in a wireless network (199, 1199, 1430), configure the network node to perform operations corresponding to any of the methods of claims 17-32.