# US 11,122,580 B2 · Evolved node-b (ENB), user equipment (UE) and methods for flexible duplex communication > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,122,580 B2 - Document ID: US11122580B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/407,143 - Filed: 2019-05-08 - Published: 2019-10-31 - Granted: 2021-09-14 - Earliest claimed: 2015-09-10 - Assignees: Apple Inc. - Applicants: Apple Inc. - Inventors: Gang Xiong; Hong He; Ralf Matthias Bendlin; Jong-Kae Fwu; Seunghee Han; Huaning Niu; Yushu Zhang; Yuan Zhu - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11122580B2 ## CPC - H04W 72/542: using measured or perceived quality - H04B 7/2656: {for structure of frame, burst} - H04L 5/14: Two-way operation using the same type of signal, i.e. duplex - H04W 72/0446: Resources in time domain, e.g. slots or frames - H04W 72/21: in the uplink direction of a wireless link, i.e. towards the network - H04L 1/1854: {Scheduling and prioritising arrangements} - H04L 5/0007: {the frequencies being orthogonal, e.g. OFDM(A) or DMT} - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H04L: TRANSMISSION OF DIGITAL INFORMATION, e.g. TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION (arrangements common to telegraphic and telephonic communication H04M) ## Abstract Embodiments of an Evolved Node-B (eNB), User Equipment (UE), and methods for flexible duplex communication are generally described herein. The eNB may transmit a downlink control information (DCI) block to the UE during a group of time-division duplex (TDD) sub-frames. The eNB may further receive an uplink control information (UCI) block from the UE during the group of TDD sub-frames. A first candidate flexible duplex format for the TDD sub-frames may include a downlink control portion and an uplink control portion. A second candidate flexible duplex format for the TDD sub-frames may include a downlink control portion and may exclude uplink control portions. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An apparatus, comprising: a processor configured to cause a user equipment (UE) to: monitor, based on radio resource control (RRC) configuration information, a search space set of candidate physical downlink control channels (PDCCHs) for a downlink control information (DCI), wherein the RRC configuration information further indicates resource blocks and symbols for the candidate PDCCHs; decode the DCI to determine at least one of downlink or uplink symbols in a flexible duplex format of symbols within a subframe, wherein the flexible duplex format includes one or more of downlink symbols, uplink symbols, and a flexible region, wherein the DCI includes either a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) assignment or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) assignment, wherein the DCI includes an indication of a starting symbol of the PDSCH assignment or the PUSCH assignment; and communicate using the determined at least one of downlink or uplink symbols in the flexible duplex format of symbols within the subframe based on either the PDSCH or PUSCH assignment. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the UE to set a first flexible duplex format pattern over a first number of symbols and set a second flexible duplex format pattern over a second number of symbols. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a second DCI indicates a flexible duplex format configuration for the flexible duplex format, wherein the flexible duplex format configuration indicates whether downlink symbols are allocated in the subframe and whether uplink symbols are allocated in the subframe, and enables a determination of the flexible region. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the flexible symbols may include the PDSCH or the PUSCH carrying downlink or uplink data, respectively. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the subframe includes: the DCI, the PDSCH, and uplink symbols carrying uplink control information. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the UE to include hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) information in a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) within the uplink symbols of the subframe. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the UE to determine the flexible duplex format based in part on decoding further RRC information that indicates one or more of the downlink symbols and the uplink symbols allocated in the subframe. ### Claim 8 A user equipment (UE), comprising: a radio; and a processor operably coupled to the radio and configured to cause the UE to: monitor, based on radio resource control (RRC) configuration information, a search space set of candidate physical downlink control channels (PDCCHs) for a downlink control information (DCI), wherein the RRC configuration information further indicates resource blocks and symbols for the candidate PDCCHs; decode the DCI to determine at least one of downlink or uplink symbols in a flexible duplex format of symbols within a subframe, wherein the flexible duplex format includes one or more of downlink symbols, uplink symbols, and a flexible region, wherein the DCI includes either a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) assignment or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) assignment, wherein the DCI includes an indication of a starting symbol of the PDSCH assignment or the PUSCH assignment; and communicate using the determined at least one of downlink or uplink symbols in the flexible duplex format of symbols within the subframe based on either the PDSCH or PUSCH assignment. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The UE of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the UE to set a first flexible duplex format pattern over a first number of symbols and set a second flexible duplex format pattern over a second number of symbols. ### Claim 10 (depends on 8) The UE of claim 8, wherein a second DCI indicates a flexible duplex format configuration for the flexible duplex format, wherein the flexible duplex format configuration indicates whether downlink symbols are allocated in the subframe and whether uplink symbols are allocated in the subframe, and enables a determination of the flexible region. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The UE of claim 8, wherein the flexible symbols may include the PDSCH or the PUSCH carrying downlink or uplink data, respectively. ### Claim 12 (depends on 8) The UE of claim 8, wherein the subframe includes: the DCI, the PDSCH, and uplink symbols carrying uplink control information. ### Claim 13 (depends on 8) The UE of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the UE to include hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) information in a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) within the uplink symbols of the subframe. ### Claim 14 (depends on 8) The UE of claim 8, wherein the processor is further configured to cause the UE to determine the flexible duplex format based in part on decoding further RRC information that indicates one or more of the downlink symbols and the uplink symbols allocated in the subframe. ### Claim 15 A method, comprising: at a base station: transmitting, to a user equipment (UE), radio resource control (RRC) configuration information indicating a search space set of candidate physical downlink control channels (PDCCHs) for a downlink control information (DCI) and further indicating resource blocks and symbols for the candidate PDCCHs; transmitting, to the UE, the DCI, wherein the DCI is useable to determine at least one of downlink or uplink symbols in a flexible duplex format of symbols within a subframe, wherein the flexible duplex format includes one or more of downlink symbols, uplink symbols, and a flexible region, wherein the DCI includes either a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) assignment or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) assignment, wherein the DCI includes an indication of a starting symbol of the PDSCH assignment or the PUSCH assignment; and communicating, with the UE, using the at least one of downlink or uplink symbols in the flexible duplex format of symbols within the subframe based on either the PDSCH or PUSCH assignment. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising setting a first flexible duplex format pattern over a first number of symbols and setting a second flexible duplex format pattern over a second number of symbols. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein a second DCI indicates a flexible duplex format configuration for the flexible duplex format, wherein the flexible duplex format configuration indicates whether downlink symbols are allocated in the subframe and whether uplink symbols are allocated in the subframe, and enables a determination of the flexible region. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the flexible symbols may include the PDSCH or the PUSCH carrying downlink or uplink data, respectively. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, wherein the subframe includes: the DCI, the PDSCH, and uplink symbols carrying uplink control information. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The method of claim 15, further comprising receiving, from the UE, hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) information in a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) within the uplink symbols of the subframe.