TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure pertains to wireless communication technology, in particular for high frequencies.

BACKGROUND

For future wireless communication systems, use of higher frequencies are considered, which allow large bandwidths to be used for communication. However, the use of such higher frequencies brings new problems, e.g. regarding physical properties and timing. With the introduction of high carrier frequencies, increasingly larger bandwidths may be used for signaling. For example, in 5G, carrier bandwidths are usually limited to 100 MHz or several 100 MHz, whereas for high frequencies bandwidths of 1 GHz or 2 GHz or even more are considered. With increasing bandwidth, the associated symbol time interval in a numerology will decrease, and, accordingly, cyclic prefixes if used will be shorter as well.

SUMMARY

It is an object of this disclosure to provide improved approaches of handling wireless communication, in particular improved reference signaling for high frequencies. The approaches are particularly suitable for millimeter wave communication, in particular for radio carrier frequencies around and/or above 52.6 GHz, which may be considered high radio frequencies and/or as millimeter waves. The radio nodes and/or network described herein may operate in wideband, e.g. with a carrier bandwidth of 1 GHz or more, or 2 GHz or more, or even larger. In some cases, operation may be based on a single carrier waveform, e.g. SC-FDE (Frequency Domain Equalisation) or SC-FDMA, but some variants may utilise an OFDM based waveform, at least in one direction. Different waveforms may be used for different communication directions.

The approaches are particularly advantageously implemented in a 5th Generation (5G) telecommunication network or 5G radio access technology or network (RAT/RAN), in particular according to 3GPP (3rdGeneration Partnership Project, a standardisation organization). A suitable RAN may in particular be a RAN according to NR, for example release 15 or later, or LTE Evolution. However, the approaches may also be used with other RAT, for example future 5.5G or 6G systems.

There is disclosed a method of operating a transmitting node in a millimeter-wave communication network. The method comprises transmitting millimeter-wave, mmW, signaling in a transmission timing structure comprising a plurality of consecutive time intervals. The mmW signaling comprises a plurality of signaling blocks, each signaling block being transmitted in a different time interval of the transmission timing structure. The mmW signaling comprises an intermediate common reference signaling block between a first signaling block and a second signaling block of the signaling blocks if the first and second signaling blocks are intended for the same target.

Also, a transmitting node for a millimeter-wave communication network is discussed. The transmitting node is adapted to transmit millimeter-wave, mmW, signaling in a transmission timing structure comprising a plurality of consecutive time intervals. The mmW signaling comprises a plurality of signaling blocks, each signaling block being transmitted in a different time interval of the transmission timing structure. The mmW signaling further comprises an intermediate common reference signaling block between a first signaling block and a second signaling block of the signaling blocks if the first and second signaling blocks are intended for the same target. The transmitting node may comprise, and/or be adapted to utilise, processing circuitry and/or radio circuitry, in particular a transmitter and/or transceiver, for transmitting the mmW signaling.

There is also described a method of operating a receiving node in a millimeter-wave communication network. The method comprises receiving millimeter-wave, mmW, signaling in a transmission timing structure comprising a plurality of consecutive time intervals. The mmW signaling comprises a plurality of signaling blocks, each signaling block being transmitted in a different time interval of the transmission timing structure. Moreover, the mmW signaling comprises an intermediate common reference signaling block between a first signaling block and a second signaling block of the signaling blocks if the first and second signaling blocks are intended for the same target.

A receiving node for a millimeter-wave communication network is proposed. The receiving node is adapted to receive millimeter-wave, mmW, signaling in a transmission timing structure comprising a plurality of consecutive time intervals. The mmW signaling comprising a plurality of signaling blocks, each signaling block being transmitted in a different time interval of the transmission timing structure. The mmW signaling further comprises an intermediate common reference signaling block between a first signaling block and a second signaling block of the signaling blocks if the first and second signaling blocks are intended for the same target. The receiving node may comprise, and/or be adapted to utilise, processing circuitry and/or radio circuitry, in particular a receiver and/or transceiver, for receiving the communication signaling.

The mmW signaling may be communication signaling, which may comprise control signaling and/or data signaling. The mmW signaling may be transmitted on the same beam, which may be switched or swept if the signaling blocks are not intended for the same target. An intermediate common reference signaling block may correspond to common reference signaling and/or intermediate reference signaling, and may be referred to as either or as common signaling block. A first signaling block or a second signaling block may not necessarily the first or second blocks in the transmission timing structure, but rather be ordered such that the first block is earlier in time than the second block, for example with the common signaling block and/or one or more other signaling blocks being arranged between them. A target may in general be another radio node, for example a receiving node.

The millimeter-wave signaling and/or transmitting timing structure may have a single carrier waveform. Such a waveform may be particularly suitable for large bandwidth and/or carrier frequency, e.g. covering the bandwidth to a large degree.

In some variants, the first signaling block may corresponds to and/or carries control signaling and/or the second signaling block may correspond to and/or carries control signaling or data signaling. Control signaling of the first signaling block may schedule the data signaling of a second block, e.g. indicating one or more transmission parameters thereof, e.g. size and/or timing and/or sequence and/or modulation and/or coding and/or HARQ information like HARQ timing and/or HARQ process number associated to the data transmission.

The intermediate common reference signaling may be Demodulation Reference Signaling, DMRS. In other variants, it may be pilot signaling or SRS.

It may be considered that control signaling leads data signaling in time domain, e.g. corresponding blocks. The control signaling may schedule the data signaling, e.g. indicating one or more transmission parameters like size and/or coding.

In general, the transmission timing structure may correspond to a symbol time interval, e.g. analogous to a duration of an OFDM symbol, based on the numerology.

In some variants, the mmW signaling may not comprise an intermediate common reference signaling block if the first and second signaling blocks are not intended for the same target. In this case the first and/or second signaling block may comprise each a separate RS time-domain sequence, e.g. a DMRS sequence. The transmitting node may insert or omit the common signaling block based on a determination whether the intended targets are the same or not. If the common signaling block is omitted, there may be inserted a guard period instead, which may allow beam switching or sweeping to the different target.

The approaches described herein allow improve demodulation with low signaling overhead, as the common RS may be used to demodulate both control signaling and data signaling. Moreover, a receiver or target may quickly identify whether a second signaling block is intended for it or another target, e.g. based on the presence of the intermediate common RS block.

The reference signaling may comprise and/or be implemented in a time-domain sequence, e.g. a predefined and/or configured or configurable. The sequence of the common RS may be referred to as common sequence or common time-domain sequence. Control signaling and/or data signaling may be represented by time-domain sequences.

The transmitting node may be a radio node, in particular a network node or a wireless device like a terminal or UE. The receiving node may be a radio node, in particular a wireless device like a terminal or UE, or a network node. The mmW signaling or communication signaling may be downlink or uplink or sidelink signaling.

The reference signaling common to control signaling and data signaling may in particular be arranged in time domain between the control signaling and the data signaling. This facilitates good demodulation for both signalings. The reference signaling may correspond to intermediate reference signaling.

The mmW or communication signaling may comprise leading reference signaling in a leading time interval at the beginning of the transmission timing structure and/may comprise trailing reference signaling in a trailing time interval at the end of the transmission timing structure. The leading reference signaling may start with a first reference signaling time-domain sequence, and/or the trailing reference signaling may end with the first reference time-domain signaling sequence, or a different sequence. The leading RS starting with the first RS time-domain sequence may represent the communication signaling having modulation symbols of the first RS time-domain sequence at the beginning. In some variants, there may be a guard interval before, and alternatively, or additionally, no other symbols of the communication signaling associated to the transmission timing structure. The trailing RS starting with the first RS time-domain sequence may represent the communication signaling having modulation symbols of the first RS time-domain sequence at the end, in the same order as at the beginning, or in some cases reversed. There may be a guard interval thereafter, and alternatively, or additionally, no other symbols of the communication signaling associated to the transmission timing structure. A RS time-domain sequence may in general be predefined, or configured or configurable. These approaches described herein allow using the reference signaling as cyclic prefix (and/or appendix/suffix, depending on view).

Quick demodulation of signaling is enabled, while orthogonality and/or reliable transformation is facilitated. Demodulating on a sub-symbol level may be performed in some variants.

The reference signaling may be associated to control and/or data signaling, e.g. for demodulation. Receiving communication signaling may comprise demodulating the control signaling and data signaling based on reference signaling, in particular the common RS. The mmW or communication signaling may be beamformed.

In some variants, the mmW or communication signaling and/or transmission timing structure may comprise, in an intermediate time interval between the leading time interval and the trailing time interval, intermediate reference signaling, which may be the common RS. The intermediate RS may comprise the common sequence, which may be the first RS time-domain sequence or a different sequence. In some variants there may be prefixed and/or appended a second and/or third RS time-domain sequence.

In some variant, the control signaling may be in one or more blocks before the common RS signaling, and/or the data signaling may be in one or more blocks after the common RS signaling. The control signaling and/or data signaling may be in one or more blocks between the leading reference signaling and the trailing reference signaling, and/or in one or more blocks between the leading reference signaling and intermediate reference signaling and/or in one or more blocks between the intermediate reference signaling and the trailing reference signaling. The intermediate reference signaling may be DMRS for signaling on both sides. The type of signaling before the intermediate reference signaling may be the same or different from the type after the intermediate RS, e.g. the type may be control signaling before and data signaling or control signaling after. The control signaling and/or data signaling, and the reference signaling, may be transmitted with one or more common transmission parameters, e.g. number of layers and/or antenna array/s used and/or one or more beamforming parameters (in particular, shape/solid angle distribution of the beam) and/or precoder used. The control signaling and/or data signaling on both sides may be intended for the same or different receivers. For different receivers, a beam may be swept or switched during transmission of the transmission timing structure.

A program product comprising instructions causing processing circuitry to control and/or perform a method as described herein may be considered. Also, a carrier medium arrangement carrying and/or storing a program product as described herein is disclosed.

A transmission timing structure may correspond to a symbol time interval, e.g. the equivalent of an OFDM symbol time interval, for example according to a numerology. A transmission timing structure may be divided and/or dividable in a plurality of time intervals, which may be referred to as timing blocks, e.g. symbol blocks. When processing the signaling to transmit and/or receive the transmission timing structure, blocks of a transmission timing structure may undergo common transform in a transformation and/or filter, e.g. FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) or DFT (Discrete Fourier Transform) or IFFT (Inverse FFT). In some variants, a block or blocks may be treated separately, e.g. by setting taps of a transformation to zero when they fall outside the block and/or blocks. The transmission timing structure may be embedded in a larger structure comprising a plurality of transmission timing structures, e.g. a slot or subframe. The larger structure may undergo a transformation as described herein together. A block may comprise one or more modulation symbols and/or signals, e.g. a signal or (modulation) symbol sequence. A data channel transmission may cover one or more symbol blocks, which may be considered a block group.

Signaling, e.g. the communication signaling, on a transmission timing structure and/or block and/or for a modulation symbol may extend in frequency domain over a bandwidth, which may for example be the carrier bandwidth, or a cover an interval having a percentage thereof, e.g. at least 50%, at least 75%, at least 90% or more. A guard interval may be added at a lower frequency border and/or a higher frequency border. The bandwidth may be equal to or larger than 1 GHz, 1.5 GHz, 2 GHz or in between. A numerology may be associated, which may indicate a symbol duration (duration of a symbol time interval), for example analogous to an OFDM system. The symbol duration may be smaller than 1×10−6s. A sequence may in particular a sequence in time domain, in which for example one modulation symbol of the sequence is followed by the other.

For a time-domain sequence in general, the modulation symbols may cover the same bandwidth, and/or may be arranged in pure time-domain sequence, e.g. without frequency-domain multiplexing (e.g., no two symbols are at the same time, but in different frequencies on the same carrier). A modulation symbol may represent a one of a number V of values depending on the modulation scheme used. A sequence may indicate which modulation symbols and/or values are to be transmitted. The sequence may in general be predefined or configured or configurable for reference signaling, or scheduled and/or be dynamic for control or data signaling, e.g. within a suitable or predefined or configured or configurable format, e.g. for control signaling.

