Abstract: A method for non-orthogonal multiple access (NoMA) transmission is provided. In an embodiment, a method in a network device for transmission of a NoMA signal includes obtaining information bits. The method also includes transmitting the NoMA signal. The NoMA signal includes one or more layers. The NoMA signal is generated according to the information bits and according to a set of signal processing operations selected from a plurality of signal processing operations. At least one of the set of signal processing operations is layer-specific or UE-specific or a combination thereof.

Abstract: Methods and apparatus as described herein for determining whether to transmit a signal to at least one receiver of a plurality of receivers with an orthogonal multiplexing technique while signals to a remainder of the plurality of receivers are simultaneously transmitted with a non-orthogonal multiplexing technique If it is determined that the signal should be transmitted to the at least one receiver with the orthogonal multiplexing technique, simultaneously transmitting the signal to the at least one receiver with the orthogonal multiplexing technique and the signals to the remainder of the plurality of receivers with the non-orthogonal multiplexing technique. Methods and apparatus are also described for decoding the signals on the receiving end.

Abstract: Systems and methods for DFT-S-SCMA (discrete Fourier Transform-spread-sparse code multiple access) are provided. Input bits are encoded with an SCMA encoder. The output is precoded with a IDFT (inverse DFT) to produce a precoded SCMA block. Multiple precoded SCMA blocks are combined at the input of a DFT. This is done in parallel for multiple sets of SCMA blocks at multiple DFTs. Then, the outputs of the DFTs are combined and OFDM modulated. This approach can be used to improve the PAPR (peak to average power ratio) at the output of the OFDM modulation.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are an active resource unit detector and a method of use thereof. An embodiment method of detecting active resource units among a plurality of potential resource units includes receiving an aggregate signal containing active pilots transmitted over the active resource units via random access transmissions. The active pilots are then detected and respectively associated with the active resource units according to a pilot-to-resource unit mapping.

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: Embodiments are provided to enable distributed open-loop multi-user co-operative multi-point (MU-CoMP) scheduling and transmission. In an embodiment, network nodes schedule data transmissions for UEs among multiple transmission tiers that include a first transmission tier having predetermined modulation and coding and a second transmission tier having adaptive modulation and coding. The first transmission tier and the second transmission tier are in respective time-frequency resources that at least partially overlap. The network nodes transmit the scheduled data transmissions in the transmission tiers according to the scheduling for the UEs. A UE receives CoMP transmissions once it is scheduled for transmission by multiple network nodes.

Abstract: Embodiments of the present disclosure provide mechanisms for the following procedures: network signaling for user equipment (UE) measurements; UE measurements; UE feedback; feedback adjustment at network nodes; scheduling; Acknowledgements/Negative Acknowledgements; and network-wide planning. Some or all of these mechanisms can be used in implementing distributed open-loop multi-user co-operative multi-point (MU-CoMP) technology as well as other non-CoMP, one-tier or centralized wireless transmission technologies. The mechanisms are in line with proposed no-cell technology for 5G communication networks.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided to enable downlink open-loop multi-user coordinated multipoint (MU-CoMP) transmission using sparse code multiple access (SCMA). In an embodiment, a network controller selects, in a cluster of multiple transmission points (TPs) and multiple user equipment (UEs), a MU-CoMP with SCMA transmission mode and a UE paring scheme for data transmission from a set of TPs to a set of UEs. The controller schedules the set of UEs for data transmission from the set of TPs, including coordinating and allocating, for each TP in the set of TPs, a plurality of SCMA layers to the UEs in accordance with the selected MU CoMP with SCMA transmission mode. The controller also determines values for control signaling based on the scheduling. The control signaling configures the set of UEs to detect the data transmission from the TPs.

Abstract: Systems and methods for flexible channelization are provided. Different TU sizes are used for transmissions by different UEs. The different UEs may use different access schemes, and may transmit using time frequency resources that at least partially overlap.

Abstract: Disclosed herein are an active resource unit detector and a method of use thereof. An embodiment method of detecting active resource units among a plurality of potential resource units includes receiving an aggregate signal containing active pilots transmitted over the active resource units via random access transmissions. The active pilots are then detected and respectively associated with the active resource units according to a pilot-to-resource unit mapping.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided herein for increasing low density signature space for multiplexed transmissions for a plurality of users. The embodiments include generating a virtual signature using a combination operation on a plurality of basic signatures. The generated virtual signatures are provisioned as basic resource units (BRUs) for transmissions for corresponding users. The combination operation is a row-wise or column-wise permutation for combining, in each of the virtual signatures, rows or columns of corresponding basic signatures. The rows or columns represent sequences of frequency bands at one time interval or sequences of allocated time intervals at one frequency band. Alternatively, the combination operation is intra-basic resource unit (BRU) hopping. The embodiments also include generating a plurality of BRU sets comprised of virtual signatures. Each of the BRU sets is provisioned for a corresponding user.

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: User Equipment (UE) mobility in Ultra Dense Networks (UDNs) is based on communication signal layers, which could include respective data streams in an Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) domain, a code domain using respective codebooks, and/or a spatial domain, for example. A UE uses candidate layer decoding parameters in applying layer-based decoding to communication signals that it received from network nodes. Layers could be allocated to UEs and transition between network nodes as UEs move between different network service areas. Layers could instead be allocated to network nodes. Layer-based decoding provides for UE mobility without requiring explicit handover processing every time a UE moves between different service areas.

Abstract: Higher rates of data communication may be utilized for downlink than for uplink. However, the decoding complexity of Sparse Code Multiple Access (SCMA) may become prohibitive for very high rates, resulting from, for example, a large number of layers, for very large constellations, or a combination of the two. Methods and transmitters are provided herein for transmitting that has been generated to reduce complexity at the receiver and methods and receivers are provided herein for receiving and decoding a received signal with reduced complexity. The reduced complexity in part is provided by the ability to maintain real and imaginary parts of a transmitted signal independent from one another.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided herein for increasing low density signature space for multiplexed transmissions for a plurality of users. The embodiments include generating a virtual signature using a combination operation on a plurality of basic signatures. The generated virtual signatures are provisioned as basic resource units (BRUs) for transmissions for corresponding users. The combination operation is a row-wise or column-wise permutation for combining, in each of the virtual signatures, rows or columns of corresponding basic signatures. The rows or columns represent sequences of frequency bands at one time interval or sequences of allocated time intervals at one frequency band. Alternatively, the combination operation is intra-basic resource unit (BRU) hopping. The embodiments also include generating a plurality of BRU sets comprised of virtual signatures. Each of the BRU sets is provisioned for a corresponding user.

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: Method and apparatus embodiments are provided for low complexity message passing algorithm (MPA) detection with substantially minor or tolerated performance loss compared to the standard MPA. A method includes calculating, at a detector, a plurality of function nodes (FNs) according to a plurality of received multiplexing signals for a one or a plurality of user equipments (UEs) using a plurality of first MPA computations that map a plurality of variable nodes (VNs) corresponding to the UEs to the FNs and using a priori information in an initial vector of probabilities for each of the VNs, excluding from the first MPA computations a plurality of first relatively small multiplication terms, updating the probabilities for the VNs using the last calculated FNs and a plurality of second MPA computations that map the FNs to the VNs, and excluding a plurality of second relatively small multiplication terms from the second MPA calculations.

Abstract: A method for operating a transmission point includes determining power offset levels of data layers assigned to at least one reception point, encoding a first data stream associated with a first data layer to produce a first encoded data, encoding a second data stream associated with a second data layer to produce a second encoded data, and transmitting the first and second encoded data at different power offset levels.

Abstract: A method for generating a codebook includes applying a unitary rotation to a baseline multidimensional constellation to produce a multidimensional mother constellation, wherein the unitary rotation is selected to optimize a distance function of the multidimensional mother constellation, and applying a set of operations to the multidimensional mother constellation to produce a set of constellation points. The method also includes storing the set of constellation points as the codebook of the plurality of codebooks.

Abstract: In one embodiment, a method for blindly detecting low density activity includes receiving, by a first node from a second node, a signal and executing a joint message passing algorithm (JMPA) on the signal, where executing the JMPA includes jointly producing a decoded signal and an activity list in accordance with the decoded signal, and calculating a plurality of a priori probabilities in accordance with a plurality of log likelihood ratios (LLRs) corresponding to the signal and a plurality of decoded LLRs.