Abstract: A master user equipment (UE) device may coordinate device-to-device (D2D) communications amongst a plurality of UE devices. For example, a UE device, which has been designated as a master UE device, may coordinate a D2D communication between a first UE device and a second UE device. The master UE device may be a UE device that obtains an indication that it is a master UE device that is to coordinate D2D communications amongst the plurality of UE devices. In some embodiments, the coordinating the D2D communication may be on behalf of a network and/or to facilitate wireless communication between the network and at least one of the plurality of UE devices.

Abstract: Aspects of the present disclosure provide a manner of avoiding excessive latency and resource consumption due to exhaustive beam searching and pairing for finding an appropriate bi-directional beam pair combination with manageable mutual interference to enable point-to-point FD transmission. Aspects of the present disclosure also provide a solution for enabling multi-user transmission where one or all UEs are with FD capability and the cross-UE interference raised from FD transmission are measured and taken into account during multi-user pairing.

Abstract: A user equipment in a wireless communication system may operate in different states, e.g. an idle state, an active/connected state, or an inactive state. Depending upon the state the UE is in, the UE may or may not have its uplink transmission synchronized with the uplink transmissions of other UEs. Mechanisms are disclosed for the UE to send a grant-free uplink transmission, even when the UE does not have its uplink transmission synchronized with the uplink transmissions from other UEs.

Abstract: An integrated terrestrial/non-terrestrial network may allow for enhanced network coverage. However, there are control and management challenges associated with an integrated terrestrial/non-terrestrial network because the network and user equipments (UEs) are no longer confined to only using conventional cellular communication via terrestrial transmit-and-receive points (T-TRPs). One challenge is how to perform beam management. In some embodiments, methods and systems are disclosed in which an indication of angular direction (e.g. beam direction) is provided by the T-TRP. The indication of angular direction may be used by a UE for communicating with a non-terrestrial TRP (NT-TRP), e.g. using beamforming. However, the methods are not limited to integrated terrestrial/non-terrestrial networks or the involvement of NT-TRPs, but apply more generally to indicating angular direction for directional communication.

Abstract: Sparse reference signal-related signaling, for a wireless channel that is associated with multiple antenna ports, is communicated with a User Equipment (UE). The sparse reference signal-related signaling is consistent with a sparse signaling pattern. In an embodiment, the sparse signaling pattern includes reference signal-related signaling associated with each of the antenna ports, and has been determined based on previous reference signal-related signaling previously communicated with the UE or another UE. In another embodiment, the sparse reference signal-related signaling is consistent with a varying sparse signaling pattern that is based on previous reference signal-related signaling previously communicated with the UE or another UE.

Abstract: A method for operating a user equipment (UE) includes determining a first operating state in accordance with a first message traffic generated by a non-session based application executing in the UE, setting a state machine in the UE to the first operating state, and transmitting a first message in accordance with the state machine.

Abstract: Aspects of the present invention provide additional MAC functionality to support the PHY features of a wireless communication system framework. The additional MAC functionality aids in enabling feedback from wireless terminals to base stations. In some aspects of the invention the feedback is provided on an allocated feedback channel. In other aspects of the invention the feedback is provided by MAC protocol data units (PDU) in a header, mini-header, or subheader. The feedback may be transmitted from the wireless terminal to the base station autonomously by the wireless terminal or in response to an indication from the base station that feedback is requested. Aspects of the invention also provide for allocating feedback resources to form a dedicated feedback channel. One or more of these enhancements is included in a given implementation. Base stations and wireless terminals are also described upon which methods described herein can be implemented.

Abstract: Some user equipments (UEs) served by a base station may need to receive data from the base station and/or transmit data to the base station with lower latency than other UEs. It is desired to accommodate the presence of both low latency and latency tolerant communications in shared time-frequency resources to try to improve resource utilization. Embodiments are disclosed in which low latency and latency tolerant communications coexist in the same time-frequency resources. In some embodiments, a latency tolerant transmission is postponed to free resources to send a low latency transmission.

Abstract: Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a user equipment (UE) having active device components and passive device components. Responsive to receiving downlink (DL) transmissions in time division duplexing (TDD) mode, the active device components perform DL decoding while the passive device components perform passive transmission of ACK/NACK data. Such passive transmission may involve encoding the ACK/NACK data in an altered version of received radio frequency (RF) signals and using so-called backscatter communications to reflect the received RF signals, with alteration, using the same frequency resources used to receive the DL transmissions.

Abstract: Embodiments are provided for supporting variable sub-carrier spacing and symbol duration for transmitting OFDM or other waveform symbols and associated cyclic prefixes. The symbol duration includes the useful symbol length and its associated cyclic prefix length. The variable sub-carrier spacing and symbol duration is determined via parameters indicating the sub-carrier spacing, useful symbol length, and cyclic prefix length. An embodiment method, by a network or a network controller, includes establishing a plurality of multiple access block (MAB) types defining different combinations of sub-carrier spacing and symbol duration for waveform transmissions. The method further includes partitioning a frequency and time plane of a carrier spectrum band into a plurality of MAB regions comprising frequency-time slots for the waveform transmissions. The MAB types are then selected for the MAB regions, wherein one MAB type is assigned to one corresponding MAB region.

Abstract: A method for scheduling a downlink transmission is provided. The method includes receiving, by a user equipment (UE), downlink control information (DCI) from a base station, the DCI indicating a location of a transmission duration within a subframe, the location of the transmission duration including a start position of the transmission duration and a length of the transmission duration, the length of the transmission duration being 2, 4, or 7 symbols. The method further includes receiving downlink data from the base station, the downlink data carried by the transmission duration at the location indicated by the DCI.

Abstract: In multi-domain modulation, also known as overlaid modulation, information is transmitted over more than one modulation domain. In such a transmission, different modulation domains are overlaid on top of each other. Signaling that is indicative of multiple modulation domains for overlaid modulation and is indicative of multiple modulation switching intervals is communicated in a wireless communication network, data modulated using the overlaid modulation is also communicated in the wireless communication network. The multiple modulation switching intervals include a respective modulation switching interval for each of the multiple modulation domains, and each respective modulation switching interval is different from other modulation switching intervals in the multiple modulation switching intervals.

Abstract: Methods and systems for two-dimensional (2D) coding are described for broadcast, multicast or groupcast applications. Two or more information code blocks (CBs) are transmitted to a plurality of intended receiving nodes. One or more cross-CB check blocks are generated, each cross-CB check block being generated based on a set of cross-CB bits, the set of cross-CB bits including at least one bit selected from each of at least two of the information CBs. At least one cross-CB check block is transmitted to at least one of the intended receiving nodes.

Abstract: The present disclosure relates to configurable modulation in wireless communications. Constellation set signaling and constellation selection signaling are communicated in a wireless communication network. The constellation set signaling is associated with modulation of data using each constellation in a constellation set that includes multiple constellations. The constellation selection signaling is indicative of one of the multiple constellations of the constellation set that is to be used in modulation of data for transmission in the wireless communication network. Data that is modulated using the one of the multiple constellations is also communicated in the wireless communication network.

Abstract: The present invention employs a pilot scheme for frequency division multiple access (FDM) communication systems, such as single carrier FDM communication systems. A given transmit time interval will include numerous traffic symbols and two or more short pilot symbols, which are spaced apart from one another by at least one traffic symbol and will have a Fourier transform length that is less than the Fourier transform length of any given traffic symbol. Multiple transmitters will generate pilot information and modulate the pilot information onto sub-carriers of the short pilot symbols in an orthogonal manner. Each transmitter may use different sub-carriers within the time and frequency domain, which is encompassed by the short pilot symbols within the transmit time interval. Alternatively, each transmitter may uniquely encode the pilot information using a unique code division multiplexed code and modulate the encoded pilot information onto common sub-carriers of the short pilot symbols.

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for performing combined grant-free and grant-based UL resource allocation. In a particular embodiment, a network entity sends a first type of UL transmission resource assignment selected from two types of UL transmission resource assignment mechanisms to a UE for grant-free transmission and a second type of UL transmission resource assignment from two types of UL transmission resource assignment mechanism to a UE for grant based transmission. The network entity then receives a first data transmission from the UE for grant free transmission using an assigned transmission resource and a second data transmission from the UE for grant based transmission using an assigned transmission resources. Other embodiments pertain to changing the resource allocation scheme from grant free to grant based for a UE, or vice versa. Examples reasons for doing so may include HARQ re-transmissions.

Abstract: It is possible to reduce the implementation complexity associated with dynamic carrier configuration by defining overlapping sets of candidate numerologies for at least some carriers in the network. A common numerology is included in sets of candidate numerologies pre-associated with two different carriers. This reduces the amount of numerologies that need to be supported by the corresponding user equipments (UEs) and base stations, which in turn reduces the complexity of those devices, e.g., less complex hardware, protocol stacks, and software, lower storage and processing requirements, etc. The common numerology specifies a common subset of physical layer parameters for both carriers. In one example, the common numerology specifies the same sub-carrier frequency spacing and symbol duration for both carriers. The common numerology may further specify the same cyclic prefix (CP) length for symbols communicated over both carriers.

Abstract: A network for facilitating wireless radio communication. The network includes a first access area, wherein the access area includes one or more transmission/receive points. At least one transmission/receive point includes a base station that supports wireless communication between a network and user equipment (UE), such as, a mobile device. The network includes a dedicated connection signature (DCS) that is assigned to a UE. The DCS provides for and is used by the UE to maintain active, unified access to the wireless network. More particularly, the DCS provides for active, contention free, and fast access for the UE to the network through transmission/receive points within the first access area, which is of significance to present and future UE centric virtual radio access networks having high densities of mobile and non-mobile users and with high populations of different types of traffic patterns and applications.

Abstract: An enhanced User Equipment (UE) is formed by multiple UEs in a wireless communication network to assist one of the multiple UEs with communications, and involves UE cooperation between the multiple UEs. A capability, or at least one capability, of the enhanced UE is an enhanced capability relative to a capability of the UE that the enhanced UE is to assist. Information that is indicative of the (at least one) capability of the enhanced UE is obtained by a network device, and the network device communicates with the enhanced UE after obtaining the information. From a UE side, information indicative of a capability, or at least one capability, associated with the enhanced UE is transmitted, and the UE communicates with the network device after transmitting the information.

Abstract: A system and method of non-orthogonal multiple access (NoMA) transmission using a configurable NoMA scheme is provided. A bit level processor, a modulation block, a phase and amplitude adjuster, and a symbol to resource element mapper collectively produce a NoMA signal for output or transmission. A NoMA scheme implemented by the system and method is configurable through one or more NoMA configuration inputs that configure one or more of the bit level processor, the modulation block, the phase and amplitude adjustment block and the symbol to resource element mapper. A multiple access (MA) signature produced by the apparatus once configured for the particular NoMA scheme is selectable through one or more MA signature inputs.