Abstract: A physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) region of a subframe may include a reference signal (RS) section that includes one or more of a beam-scanning subsection, a transmit (TX) beam-tracking subsection, a receive (RX) beam-tracking subsection, and a channel state information (CSI) subsection. Reference signals in the TX beam-tracking subsection may be used to update TX analog beams. Reference signals in the RX beam-tracking subsection may be used to update RX analog beams. Reference signals in the beam-scanning subsection may be used to evaluate different combinations of TX and RX analog beams for use in a future directional data transmission. Reference signals in the CSI subsection may be transmitted over quasi-co-located (QCL) antenna ports, and may be used for purposes of channel estimation.

Abstract: A system and method for uplink multi-antenna power control in a communications system are provided. A method for user equipment operations includes determining a transmit power level for transmit antennas of the user equipment having at least two transmit antennas, and setting a power amplifier output level for each of the at least two transmit antennas in accordance with a respective transmit power level.

Abstract: A method for receiving wideband (WB) LTE uplink signals. A base station may signal a first frequency tone assignment to a first user equipment (UE), the first frequency tone assignment scheduling at least a first set of subcarriers allocated to the first UE, subcarriers in the first set of subcarriers being non-contiguous in the frequency domain. Subcarriers in the first set of subcarriers may be interleaved with subcarriers in a second set of subcarriers. The first UE may perform a first single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) uplink transmission over the first set of subcarriers. A second UE may perform a second SC-FDMA uplink transmission, the second SC-FDMA uplink transmission spanning the second set of subcarriers.

Abstract: Communications in a wireless network for carrier Selection and switching are provided. A terminal in the wireless network is simultaneously receiving data on at most m carriers. A base station in the wireless network sends an activation command associated with more than m carriers to the terminal. The terminal activates the more than m carriers. Then the base station selects a first subset from the activated carriers, and sends a first monitoring command associated with the first subset via a first physical-layer signaling to the terminal. When load and/or interference situations are changed, the base station selects a second subset from the activated carriers, and sends a second monitoring command associated with the second subset via a second physical-layer signaling to the terminal, wherein the first subset is different from the second subset.

Abstract: User Equipments (UEs) may be assigned a set of aggregated component carriers for downlink carrier aggregation and/or carrier selection. Some UEs may be incapable of transmitting uplink signals over all component carriers in their assigned set of aggregated component carriers. In such scenarios, a UE may need to perform SRS switching in order to transmit SRS symbols over all of the component carriers. Embodiments of this disclosure provide various techniques for facilitating SRS switching. For example, a radio resource control (RRC) message may be used to signal a periodic SRS configuration parameter. As another example, a downlink control indication (DCI) message may be used to signal an aperiodic SRS configuration parameter. Many other examples are also provided.

Abstract: A network controller may configure one or more channel state information-reference signal (CSI-RS) configurations for transmitting RSs to user equipments (UEs) for tracking. A CSI-RS configuration may specify a set of CSI-RS resources for transmitting RSs in two consecutive slots. The set of CSI-RS resources may include a plurality of one-port CSI-RS resources configured according to the CSI-RS configuration. The CSI-RS configuration may specify a quasi co-location (QCL) configuration including a set of QCL parameters, where a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) has a QCL relationship with the RS with respect to the set of QCL parameters. The network controller may signal the one or more CSI-RS configurations to UEs.

Abstract: An embodiment method of network node operation includes indicating, by a first network node, to a first UE, a first number of REs in a first set of RBs for a first reference signal, transmitting, by the first network node, to the first UE, the first reference signal in accordance with the first number of REs and a first precoding in a first subframe, receiving, by the first network node, from the first UE, a report indicating a first MCS in accordance with a level of signal and interference measured by the first UE, wherein the measurement is restricted to the first reference signal, and transmitting, by the first network node, a first data with the indicated first MCS and the first precoding in a second subframe, the first data being transmitted on a second number of REs in the first set of RBs in the second subframe.

Abstract: A physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) region of a subframe may include a reference signal (RS) section that includes one or more of a beam-scanning subsection, a transmit (TX) beam-tracking subsection, a receive (RX) beam-tracking subsection, and a channel state information (CSI) subsection. Reference signals in the TX beam-tracking subsection may be used to update TX analog beams. Reference signals in the RX beam-tracking subsection may be used to update RX analog beams. Reference signals in the beam-scanning subsection may be used to evaluate different combinations of TX and RX analog beams for use in a future directional data transmission. Reference signals in the CSI subsection may be transmitted over quasi-co-located (QCL) antenna ports, and may be used for purposes of channel estimation.

Abstract: A system and method of subframe configuration in licensed-assisted access using long-term evolution (LAA-LTE) with carrier aggregation (CA). A wireless device such as an eNodeB (eNB) may transmit control information in a subframe from a secondary cell (SCell) in downlink control information (DCI) to a user equipment (UE). The SCell may operate in an unlicensed band. The control information may indicate at least one of a non-ending subframe in a data burst, an ending subframe, and a duration of the ending subframe. The duration may be one of a predefined number of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) symbol durations, and the ending subframe may be a partial or full subframe. A partial ending subframe may use a time slot structure in a time division duplexing (TDD) scheme, e.g., downlink pilot time slots (DwPTS). The eNB may then transmit to the UE data in the subframe according to the control information.

Abstract: A system and method of scheduling transmissions. A wireless device such as an eNodeB (eNB) may schedule a transmission of a wideband (WB) signal on a micro-frame selected from a plurality of WB micro-frames of a WB carrier. A narrowband (NB) subframe may span a portion of the selected WB micro-frame in the frequency-domain, and the selected WB micro-frame may overlap at least a portion of the NB subframe in the time-domain. The WB signal and an NB signal may be transmitted over the WB micro-frame and the NB subframe in accordance with a first numerology and a second numerology, respectively. A WB subframe may be divided into a plurality of micro-frames. The transmission direction of the WB micro-frame may be scheduled according to a transmission rule based on the contents of a payload in the NB subframe.

Abstract: An embodiment method for beam-related information and channel state information feedback includes receiving first analog beamformed reference signals; transmitting a first report indicating a set of selected analog beamformed reference signals and a transmission rank that jointly maximize a first performance criterion for subsequent transmissions by a transmitter that transmitted the first analog beamformed reference signals; receiving second analog beamformed reference signals maximized in accordance with the set of selected analog beamformed reference signals and the transmission rank; and transmitting a second report, in accordance with the second analog beamformed reference signals, indicating a channel quality indicator and a precoding matrix indicator that maximize a second performance criterion for subsequent transmissions by the transmitter that transmitted the first analog beamformed reference signals and the second analog beamformed reference signals.

Abstract: Notifying served user equipments (UEs) of the presence or absence of cell-specific reference signal (CRS) symbols transmitted by neighboring base stations in the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) region of a subframe can be achieved through various of signaling techniques. The served UE may be notified by communicating a one or multi-bit indicator in a physical layer signaling channel of the serving cell, such as the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) of the subframe. Alternatively, the served UE may be notified through higher layer signaling.

Abstract: A method for transmitting resource allocation information to a wireless node in a communications system includes selecting a search space from one of a first search space and a second search space, the first search space associated with a first set of control channel parameters and the second search space associated with a second set of control channel parameters. The method also includes modulating the first control information, and mapping the modulated first control information onto the selected search space in a first subframe, where at least one of modulating the first control information and mapping the modulated first control information is according to a selected set of control channel parameters associated with the selected search space. The method further includes transmitting the first subframe to the wireless node, and transmitting a first parameter indicator identifying the selected set of control channel parameters to the wireless node.

Abstract: A method for operating a user equipment (UE) includes receiving at least one of a configuration of a first group of one or more downlink (DL) signals, a configuration of a second group of one or more open-loop power control (PC) parameters, a configuration of a third group of one or more closed-loop PC parameters, or a configuration of a fourth group of one or more loop states, receiving a configuration of a PC setting, wherein the PC setting is associated with at least one of a subset of the first group, a subset of the second group, a subset of the third group, or a subset of the fourth group, selecting a transmit power level in accordance with the PC setting and a pathloss, wherein the pathloss is determined in accordance with a DL reference signal (SS) and a synchronization signal (SS).

Abstract: A device and method for transmission and reception of control and data channels with a group reference signal (GRS). A GRS may include a first common reference signal associated with a first group of users and a second common reference signal associated with a second group of users. Some users or channels can be grouped to use one set of common reference signals and other users or channels can be grouped to use another set of common reference signals.

Abstract: System and method embodiments are provided for a subframe structure for wideband LTE. In an embodiment, a method in a communications controller for transmitting a packet to a wireless device includes signaling a UL/DL configuration to the wireless device, wherein the UL/DL configuration indicates a quantity of uplink microframes in a group of microframes, wherein each subframe includes a plurality of microframes, and wherein the group of microframes includes a consecutive sequence downlink microframes and a consecutive sequence of uplink microframes. The packet is transmitted to the wireless device in one downlink microframe. The method further includes receiving an acknowledgement of the packet in an uplink microframe, wherein the uplink microframe is determined in accordance with the one downlink microframe and the uplink-downlink configuration, and wherein the acknowledgement is received in a same subframe as a subframe utilized for transmitting the packet to the wireless device.

Abstract: System and method embodiments are provided for signaling reference signals and Channel State Information (CSI) feedback for wireless communications. An embodiment method implemented by a user equipment (UE) for wireless communications measurements and CSI feedback includes receiving, from a network, at least one of a first index that indicates a corresponding non-zero-power CSI reference signal (CSI-RS) resource, a second index that indicates a corresponding zero-power CSI-RS resource, a third index that indicates a corresponding CSI-RS resource for interference measurement, and a fourth index that indicates a corresponding channel quality indicator (CQI) report configuration.

Abstract: Various methods and systems are provided to provide for Channel State Information (CSI) feedback of hybrid beamforming. In a first example embodiment, a method for signaling a beamforming reference signal (BFRS) is provided. A resource block is created for the BFRS, the resource block containing a plurality of resource elements, each resource element defined by a time-frequency resource within one subcarrier and one multiplexing symbol. A total number of analog transmit beams for the BFRS is then determined, along with grouping information for the analog transmit beams for the BFRS. Then, the resource block, the total number of analog beams, and the grouping information are transmitted from a first network controller to a user equipment (UE). Then the BFRS is transmitted from the first network controller to the UE.

Abstract: A method for operating a communication device includes receiving a first transmission including a first signal on one or more resources associated with signal reception, deriving a receive filter in accordance with the received first transmission, deriving a transmit filter in accordance with the receive filter, precoding a second signal with the transmit filter, thereby producing a second transmission, and transmitting the second transmission.

Abstract: An embodiment method for adaptation and reconfiguration in a wireless network includes base stations coordinating and setting aside a set of time-frequency resources for probing purposes, the base stations coordinating a set of probing transmissions and timings to be used to synchronize base stations/UEs actions, the base stations signaling the resources and timings to UEs, the base stations performing coordinated operations on the resources according to the timings, the base stations receiving feedback reports from UEs based on UE measurements on the signaled resources according to the signaled timings, and the base stations further coordinating the operations for further probing or to apply probing transmissions on broader time-frequency resources.