Abstract: A method embodiment includes implementing, by a base station (BS), a grant-free uplink transmission scheme. The grant-free uplink transmission scheme defines a first contention transmission unit (CTU) access region in a time-frequency domain, defines a plurality of CTUs, defines a default CTU mapping scheme by mapping at least some of the plurality of CTUs to the first CTU access region, and defines a default user equipment (UE) mapping scheme by defining rules for mapping a plurality of UEs to the plurality of CTUs.

Abstract: Methods and devices for enhancing the spectral efficiency and/or reliability of uplink transmission without grant are provided. Uplink transmissions without grant are transmitted by UEs or received by base stations in accordance with resource groups that map initial uplink transmissions without grant and non-zero numbers of re-transmissions without grant to sub-regions of a grant-free region of a time-frequency resource.

Abstract: Aspects of the present application relate to mobile communication devices having active device components and passive device components and, more particularly, to operation of the passive device components to form a backscatter signal from a received forward signal. Upon receipt of the backscatter signal, a reception point may obtain information about the mobile communication device that contains the passive device components. Such information may relate to timing, position and identity.

Abstract: A bit-level operation may be implemented prior to modulation and resource element (RE) mapping in order to generate a NoMA transmission using standard (QAM, QPSK, BPSK, etc.) modulators. In this way, the bit-level operation is exploited to achieve the benefits of NoMA (e.g., improved spectral efficiency, reduced overhead, etc.) at significantly less signal processing and hardware implementation complexity. The bit-level operation is specifically designed to produce an output bit-stream that is longer than the input bit-stream, and that includes output bit-values that are computed as a function of the input bit-values such that when the output bit-stream is subjected to modulation (e.g., m-ary QAM, QPSK, BPSK), the resulting symbols emulate a spreading operation that would otherwise have been generated from the input bit-stream, either by a NoMA-specific modulator or by a symbol-domain spreading operation.

Abstract: Systems and methods for estimating locations of signal shadowing obstructions in a wireless communication network are disclosed. The method involves at a network equipment, receiving from User Equipments (UEs), an identification of neighboring UEs from which the UEs have received a reference signal via a non-line-of-sight (NLoS) sidelink transmission. The method also involves estimating locations of signal shadowing obstructions based on location information of UEs associated with the NLoS sidelink transmissions, and configuring communications between the network equipment and at least one UE based on an estimated location of at least one signal shadowing obstruction.

Abstract: A method embodiment includes implementing, by a base station (BS), a grant-free uplink transmission scheme. The grant-free uplink transmission scheme defines a first contention transmission unit (CTU) access region in a time-frequency domain, defines a plurality of CTUs, defines a default CTU mapping scheme by mapping at least some of the plurality of CTUs to the first CTU access region, and defines a default user equipment (UE) mapping scheme by defining rules for mapping a plurality of UEs to the plurality of CTUs.

Abstract: A method embodiment includes implementing, by a base station (BS), a grant-free uplink transmission scheme. The grant-free uplink transmission scheme defines a first contention transmission unit (CTU) access region in a time-frequency domain, defines a plurality of CTUs, defines a default CTU mapping scheme by mapping at least some of the plurality of CTUs to the first CTU access region, and defines a default user equipment (UE) mapping scheme by defining rules for mapping a plurality of UEs to the plurality of CTUs.

Abstract: A bit-level operation may be implemented prior to modulation and resource element (RE) mapping in order to generate a NoMA transmission using standard (QAM, QPSK, BPSK, etc.) modulators. In this way, the bit-level operation is exploited to achieve the benefits of NoMA (e.g., improved spectral efficiency, reduced overhead, etc.) at significantly less signal processing and hardware implementation complexity. The bit-level operation is specifically designed to produce an output bit-stream that is longer than the input bit-stream, and that includes output bit-values that are computed as a function of the input bit-values such that when the output bit-stream is subjected to modulation (e.g., m-ary QAM, QPSK, BPSK), the resulting symbols emulate a spreading operation that would otherwise have been generated from the input bit-stream, either by a NoMA-specific modulator or by a symbol-domain spreading operation.

Abstract: Systems, methods, and apparatuses for providing waveform adaptation are provided. In an example, a method is provided for identifying a plurality of candidate waveforms, and selecting one of the candidate waveforms for data transmission. The candidate waveforms may be identified in accordance with one or more criteria, such as a transmission capability of the transmitting device, a reception capability of the receiving device, a desired Peak-to-Average-Power-Ratio (PAPR) characteristic, adjacent channel interference (ACI) rejection requirements, spectrum localization requirements, and other criteria. The waveform selected for data transmission may be selected in accordance with one or more waveform selection criteria, such as traffic characteristic, application types, etc.

Abstract: Systems and methods for the generation of sensing signals and sensing signal configurations for a wireless communication network are provided. In an embodiment, a sensing node identifier (ID) associated with a network entity is determined. This sensing node ID is used to determine a sensing signal configuration, which includes a resource configuration and a symbol sequence. The resource configuration is selected from a set of physical resources associated with a wireless communication network. The symbol sequence is based on the sensing node ID and is specific to the network entity in the wireless communication network. A sensing signal can be transmitted according to the sensing signal configuration.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure relate to integration of sensing and wireless communications. Wireless communication networks can configure and implement both sensing signals and communication signals. Sensing signals, or sensing reference signals, can be used to determine properties of the environment, and do not carry any information or data for the purpose of communications. Communication signals, on the other hand, are signals that carry information or data between network entities. Sensing agents can be used for both passive and active sensing. Sensing agents may be dedicated devices capable of performing passive sensing, active sensing, or both. Sensing agents can also be existing networks device such as user equipment or transmit receive points. Methodologies described here may be particularly beneficial for half-duplex systems, but could also be implemented in full duplex systems.

Abstract: A grant-free transmission mode may be used to communicate small traffic transmissions to reduce overhead and latency. The grant-free transmission mode may be used in downlink and uplink data channels of a wireless network. In the downlink channel, a base station transmits packets to a group of UEs in a search space without communicating any transmission code assignments to the UEs. The UEs receive the downlink packets using blind detection. In the uplink channel, UEs transmit packets in an access space using assigned access codes which are either independently derived by the UEs or otherwise communicated by the base station using a slow-signaling channel. Hence, the grant-free transmission mode allows mobile devices to make small traffic transmissions without waiting for uplink grant requests.

Abstract: A grant-free transmission mode may be used to communicate small traffic transmissions to reduce overhead and latency. The grant-free transmission mode may be used in downlink and uplink data channels of a wireless network. In the downlink channel, a base station transmits packets to a group of UEs in a search space without communicating any transmission code assignments to the UEs. The UEs receive the downlink packets using blind detection. In the uplink channel, UEs transmit packets in an access space using assigned access codes which are either independently derived by the UEs or otherwise communicated by the base station using a slow-signaling channel. Hence, the grant-free transmission mode allows mobile devices to make small traffic transmissions without waiting for uplink grant requests.

Abstract: Aspects of the present application use a linear transformation of a sparse mapped single carrier transmission at a transmitter, for which a comparable inverse transform of the linear transform applied at the transmitter can be applied at the receiver. The linear transform reduces the sparsity of sparse mapped symbols. The use of the linear transform to reduce the sparsity enables peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) and/or cubic metric to be reduced as compared to if the linear transform is not used. The linear transforms may be implemented in a block-wise manner, element-wise manner or combination thereof.

Abstract: Longer pilot sequences can be supported by transmitting pilot values of a given pilot sequence over different orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) symbols of an uplink frame. The pilot values may be contiguous, or non-contiguous, with one another in the time domain. Consecutive pilot values in a pilot sequence may be transmitted in different OFDM symbols of the frame. For example, odd pilot values (e.g., P1, P3, P5 . . . ) in a pilot sequence may be transmitted over a different OFDM symbol than even pilot values (e.g., P2, P4, P6 . . . ) in the pilot sequence. Alternatively, a leading subset of pilot values in a pilot sequence is transmitted over a different OFDM symbol than a trailing subset of pilot values in the pilot sequence.

Abstract: A method embodiment includes implementing, by a base station (BS), a grant-free uplink transmission scheme. The grant-free uplink transmission scheme defines a first contention transmission unit (CTU) access region in a time-frequency domain, defines a plurality of CTUs, defines a default CTU mapping scheme by mapping at least some of the plurality of CTUs to the first CTU access region, and defines a default user equipment (UE) mapping scheme by defining rules for mapping a plurality of UEs to the plurality of CTUs.

Abstract: A method embodiment includes implementing, by a base station (BS), a grant-free uplink transmission scheme. The grant-free uplink transmission scheme defines a first contention transmission unit (CTU) access region in a time-frequency domain, defines a plurality of CTUs, defines a default CTU mapping scheme by mapping at least some of the plurality of CTUs to the first CTU access region, and defines a default user equipment (UE) mapping scheme by defining rules for mapping a plurality of UEs to the plurality of CTUs.

Abstract: A method embodiment includes implementing, by a base station (BS), a grant-free uplink transmission scheme. The grant-free uplink transmission scheme defines a first contention transmission unit (CTU) access region in a time-frequency domain, defines a plurality of CTUs, defines a default CTU mapping scheme by mapping at least some of the plurality of CTUs to the first CTU access region, and defines a default user equipment (UE) mapping scheme by defining rules for mapping a plurality of UEs to the plurality of CTUs.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure provide a scheme for generating a multiple access (MA) signal that include mapping each of at least one stream of bits to generate a set of modulated symbols and transmitting the set of modulated symbols. The spreading signatures that are selected to map the at least one stream of bits are selected, at least in part, based on a set of compatibility rules. The spreading involves mapping each stream of bits using a respective spreading signature from a set of spreading signatures to generate a respective set of modulated symbols, wherein real spreading signature components of the spreading signatures are orthogonal to each other and imaginary spreading signature components of the spreading signatures are orthogonal to each other.

Abstract: In accordance with embodiments, methods and systems for data transmissions are disclosed. A station (STA) transmits an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) frame to an access point (AP). The OFDM frame comprises an OFDM symbol. The OFDM symbol comprises data tones and pilot tones. The total number of the data tones and the pilot tones in the OFDM symbol is divisible by 4. In some embodiments, the OFDM symbol may comprises 232 data tones, 8 pilot tones, 5 direct current (DC) tones, and 11 edge tones. The 232 data tones and 8 pilot tones of the OFDM symbol may be segmented to a set of 15 blocks for channel estimation between the AP and the STA.