INTERFERENCE MITIGATION IN SSB AND TRS PROCESSING

Abstract

Interference mitigation in SSB and/or TRS processing is described. An apparatus is configured to receive, from a network node, a reference signal associated with the network node and at least one neighboring network node. The apparatus is configured to obtain Rnn information from at least one noise tap of a CIR of the reference signal. The apparatus is also configured to apply a noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information.

Claims

1. An apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory and, based at least in part on information stored in the at least one memory, the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is configured to: receive, from a network node, a reference signal associated with the network node and at least one neighboring network node; obtain cross-correlation matrix (Rnn) information from at least one noise tap of a channel impulse response (CIR) of the reference signal; and apply a noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein to obtain the Rnn information from the at least one noise tap, the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is configured to obtain whitening matrix of noise (Wnn) information based on the Rnn information.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein to apply the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information, the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is configured to apply the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Wnn information.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein to obtain the Wnn information based on the Rnn information, the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is configured to obtain the Wnn information based on a Cholesky inverse of the Rnn information.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the CIR is associated with at least one of frequency or time tracking loops, a Doppler characteristic, or a delay-spread characteristic.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reference signal is at least one of a tracking reference signal (TRS) or a synchronized signal block (SSB).

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the Rnn information from the at least one noise tap of the CIR includes a set of Rnn information associated with at least two receivers of the UE.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the application of the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information is associated with an interference reduction of the at least one neighboring network node for a data channel, wherein the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is further configured to: communicate, with the network node, over the data channel based on at least one measurement of the data channel after the application of the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is further configured to: output an indication of the application of the noise whitening to the CIR.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein to output the indication of the application of the noise whitening to the CIR, the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is configured to: transmit the indication of the application of the noise whitening to the CIR; or store the indication of the application of the noise whitening to the CIR.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one transceiver coupled to the at least one processor; wherein to receive, from the network node, the reference signal associated with the network node and the at least one neighboring network node, the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is configured to receive, from the network node and via the at least one transceiver, the reference signal associated with the network node and the at least one neighboring network node.

12. A method of wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving, from a network node, a reference signal associated with the network node and at least one neighboring network node; obtaining cross-correlation matrix (Rnn) information from at least one noise tap of a channel impulse response (CIR) of the reference signal; and applying a noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein obtaining the Rnn information from the at least one noise tap includes obtaining whitening matrix of noise (Wnn) information based on the Rnn information.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein applying the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information includes applying the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Wnn information.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein obtaining the Wnn information based on the Rnn information comprises obtaining the Wnn information based on a Cholesky inverse of the Rnn information.

16. The method of claim 12, wherein the CIR is associated with at least one of a frequency or time tracking loops, a Doppler characteristic, or a delay-spread characteristic; or wherein the reference signal is at least one of a tracking reference signal (TRS) or a synchronized signal block (SSB).

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the Rnn information from the at least one noise tap of the CIR includes a set of Rnn information associated with at least two receivers of the UE.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the application of the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information is associated with an interference reduction of the at least one neighboring network node for a data channel, the method further comprising: communicating, with the network node, over the data channel based on at least one measurement of the data channel after the application of the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information.

19. The method of claim 12, further comprising: outputting an indication of the application of the noise whitening to the CIR.

20. A computer-readable medium storing computer executable code at a user equipment (UE), the code when executed by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to: receive, from a network node, a reference signal associated with the network node and at least one neighboring network node; obtain cross-correlation matrix (Rnn) information from at least one noise tap of a channel impulse response (CIR) of the reference signal; and apply a noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a wireless communications system and an access network.

[0009] FIG. 2A is a diagram illustrating an example of a first frame, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0010] FIG. 2B is a diagram illustrating an example of downlink (DL) channels within a subframe, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0011] FIG. 2C is a diagram illustrating an example of a second frame, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 2D is a diagram illustrating an example of uplink (UL) channels within a subframe, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0013] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of a base station and user equipment (UE) in an access network.

[0014] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a UE communication environment with a serving cell and neighboring cells.

[0015] FIG. 5 is a call flow diagram for wireless communications, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of interference mitigation in synchronized signal block (SSB)/tracking reference signal (TRS) processing, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0017] FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of interference mitigation in SSB/TRS processing, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0018] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method of wireless communication, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0019] FIG. 9 is a flowchart of a method of wireless communication, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an example apparatus and/or network entity.

[0021] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an example network entity.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Wireless communication networks may be designed to support communications between network nodes (e.g., base stations, gNBs, etc.) and UEs. For instance, a network node and a UE in a wireless communication network may communicate in various configurations and using reference signals. One example communication scheme includes interference management for a network node acting as a serving cell of a UE and one or more other network nodes acting as neighboring cells. In such scenarios, infra-node deployment of SSB/TRS transmissions may result in the serving cell colliding with a neighbor cell(s).

[0023] SSB/TRS transmission collisions may occur despite attempts at avoidance of other collisions. As an example, parameter estimation errors in the presence of strong structured interference on SSB/TRS transmissions (e.g., at a cell-edge) may happen in such collisions. Further, the impact may be different than introducing the same amount of power offset for SSB/TRS, as the statistical properties of noise may be different. As a result, many estimation parameters (e.g., for tracking loops, for a Doppler characteristic and/or other channel characteristics, for signal and noise estimation (SNE), etc.) could be significantly impacted. This issue may degrade the final throughput in various scenarios, such as highly frequency selective channels or fast fading channels. Throughput loss may be experienced in benign channels, and may be exacerbated in malignant channels.

[0024] Various aspects relate generally to interference mitigation. Some aspects more specifically relate to interference mitigation in SSB and/or TRS processing. In one examples, a UE may receive a reference signal from a network node (e.g., a base station, gNB, etc.) that is also associated with a neighboring node(s). The UE may obtain Rnn information from at least one noise tap of a CIR of the reference signal and apply a noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information. The application of the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information may be associated with an interference reduction of the neighboring node(s) resulting in a better estimation and decoding of the control channel and data channel.

[0025] Particular aspects of the subject matter described in this disclosure can be implemented to realize one or more of the following potential advantages. In one example, by applying CIR noise whitening, the described techniques can be used to null interference for a UE receiver to account for spatially correlated noise. In another example, by accounting for spatially correlated noise at multiple UE receivers, the described techniques can be used to optimize antenna combining flows in the presence of structured noise.

[0026] The detailed description set forth below in connection with the drawings describes various configurations and does not represent the only configurations in which the concepts described herein may be practiced. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough understanding of various concepts. However, these concepts may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well known structures and components are shown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring such concepts.

[0027] Several aspects of telecommunication systems are presented with reference to various apparatus and methods. These apparatus and methods are described in the following detailed description and illustrated in the accompanying drawings by various blocks, components, circuits, processes, algorithms, etc. (collectively referred to as elements). These elements may be implemented using electronic hardware, computer software, or any combination thereof. Whether such elements are implemented as hardware or software depends upon the particular application and design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0028] By way of example, an element, or any portion of an element, or any combination of elements may be implemented as a processing system that includes one or more processors. When multiple processors are implemented, the multiple processors may perform the functions individually or in combination. Examples of processors include microprocessors, microcontrollers, graphics processing units (GPUs), central processing units (CPUs), application processors, digital signal processors (DSPs), reduced instruction set computing (RISC) processors, systems on a chip (SoC), baseband processors, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, and other suitable hardware configured to perform the various functionality described throughout this disclosure. One or more processors in the processing system may execute software. Software, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise, shall be construed broadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments, program code, programs, subprograms, software components, applications, software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines, objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, or any combination thereof.

[0029] Accordingly, in one or more example aspects, implementations, and/or use cases, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, software, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on or encoded as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes computer storage media. Storage media may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. By way of example, such computer-readable media can include a random-access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an electrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, other magnetic storage devices, combinations of the types of computer-readable media, or any other medium that can be used to store computer executable code in the form of instructions or data structures that can be accessed by a computer.

[0030] While aspects, implementations, and/or use cases are described in this application by illustration to some examples, additional or different aspects, implementations and/or use cases may come about in many different arrangements and scenarios. Aspects, implementations, and/or use cases described herein may be implemented across many differing platform types, devices, systems, shapes, sizes, and packaging arrangements. For example, aspects, implementations, and/or use cases may come about via integrated chip implementations and other non-module-component based devices (e.g., end-user devices, vehicles, communication devices, computing devices, industrial equipment, retail/purchasing devices, medical devices, artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled devices, etc.). While some examples may or may not be specifically directed to use cases or applications, a wide assortment of applicability of described examples may occur. Aspects, implementations, and/or use cases may range a spectrum from chip-level or modular components to non-modular, non-chip-level implementations and further to aggregate, distributed, or original equipment manufacturer (OEM) devices or systems incorporating one or more techniques herein. In some practical settings, devices incorporating described aspects and features may also include additional components and features for implementation and practice of claimed and described aspect. For example, transmission and reception of wireless signals necessarily includes a number of components for analog and digital purposes (e.g., hardware components including antenna, RF-chains, power amplifiers, modulators, buffer, processor(s), interleaver, adders/summers, etc.). Techniques described herein may be practiced in a wide variety of devices, chip-level components, systems, distributed arrangements, aggregated or disaggregated components, end-user devices, etc. of varying sizes, shapes, and constitution.

[0031] Deployment of communication systems, such as 5G NR systems, may be arranged in multiple manners with various components or constituent parts. In a 5G NR system, or network, a network node, a network entity, a mobility element of a network, a radio access network (RAN) node, a core network node, a network element, or a network equipment, such as a base station (BS), or one or more units (or one or more components) performing base station functionality, may be implemented in an aggregated or disaggregated architecture. For example, a BS (such as a Node B (NB), evolved NB (eNB), NR BS, 5G NB, access point (AP), a transmission reception point (TRP), or a cell, etc.) may be implemented as an aggregated base station (also known as a standalone BS or a monolithic BS) or a disaggregated base station.

[0032] An aggregated base station may be configured to utilize a radio protocol stack that is physically or logically integrated within a single RAN node. A disaggregated base station may be configured to utilize a protocol stack that is physically or logically distributed among two or more units (such as one or more central or centralized units (CUs), one or more distributed units (DUs), or one or more radio units (RUs)). In some aspects, a CU may be implemented within a RAN node, and one or more DUs may be co-located with the CU, or alternatively, may be geographically or virtually distributed throughout one or multiple other RAN nodes. The DUs may be implemented to communicate with one or more RUs. Each of the CU, DU and RU can be implemented as virtual units, i.e., a virtual central unit (VCU), a virtual distributed unit (VDU), or a virtual radio unit (VRU).

[0033] Base station operation or network design may consider aggregation characteristics of base station functionality. For example, disaggregated base stations may be utilized in an integrated access backhaul (IAB) network, an open radio access network (O-RAN (such as the network configuration sponsored by the O-RAN Alliance)), or a virtualized radio access network (vRAN, also known as a cloud radio access network (C-RAN)). Disaggregation may include distributing functionality across two or more units at various physical locations, as well as distributing functionality for at least one unit virtually, which can enable flexibility in network design. The various units of the disaggregated base station, or disaggregated RAN architecture, can be configured for wired or wireless communication with at least one other unit.

[0034] FIG. 1 is a diagram 100 illustrating an example of a wireless communications system and an access network. The illustrated wireless communications system includes a disaggregated base station architecture. The disaggregated base station architecture may include one or more CUs 110 that can communicate directly with a core network 120 via a backhaul link, or indirectly with the core network 120 through one or more disaggregated base station units (such as a Near-Real Time (Near-RT) RAN Intelligent Controller (RIC) 125 via an E2 link, or a Non-Real Time (Non-RT) RIC 115 associated with a Service Management and Orchestration (SMO) Framework 105, or both). A CU 110 may communicate with one or more DUs 130 via respective midhaul links, such as an F1 interface. The DUs 130 may communicate with one or more RUs 140 via respective fronthaul links. The RUs 140 may communicate with respective UEs 104 via one or more radio frequency (RF) access links. In some implementations, the UE 104 may be simultaneously served by multiple RUs 140.

[0035] Each of the units, i.e., the CUs 110, the DUs 130, the RUs 140, as well as the Near-RT RICs 125, the Non-RT RICs 115, and the SMO Framework 105, may include one or more interfaces or be coupled to one or more interfaces configured to receive or to transmit signals, data, or information (collectively, signals) via a wired or wireless transmission medium. Each of the units, or an associated processor or controller providing instructions to the communication interfaces of the units, can be configured to communicate with one or more of the other units via the transmission medium. For example, the units can include a wired interface configured to receive or to transmit signals over a wired transmission medium to one or more of the other units. Additionally, the units can include a wireless interface, which may include a receiver, a transmitter, or a transceiver (such as an RF transceiver), configured to receive or to transmit signals, or both, over a wireless transmission medium to one or more of the other units.

[0036] In some aspects, the CU 110 may host one or more higher layer control functions. Such control functions can include radio resource control (RRC), packet data convergence protocol (PDCP), service data adaptation protocol (SDAP), or the like. Each control function can be implemented with an interface configured to communicate signals with other control functions hosted by the CU 110. The CU 110 may be configured to handle user plane functionality (i.e., Central Unit-User Plane (CU-UP)), control plane functionality (i.e., Central Unit-Control Plane (CU-CP)), or a combination thereof. In some implementations, the CU 110 can be logically split into one or more CU-UP units and one or more CU-CP units. The CU-UP unit can communicate bidirectionally with the CU-CP unit via an interface, such as an E1 interface when implemented in an O-RAN configuration. The CU 110 can be implemented to communicate with the DU 130, as necessary, for network control and signaling.

[0037] The DU 130 may correspond to a logical unit that includes one or more base station functions to control the operation of one or more RUs 140. In some aspects, the DU 130 may host one or more of a radio link control (RLC) layer, a medium access control (MAC) layer, and one or more high physical (PHY) layers (such as modules for forward error correction (FEC) encoding and decoding, scrambling, modulation, demodulation, or the like) depending, at least in part, on a functional split, such as those defined by 3GPP. In some aspects, the DU 130 may further host one or more low PHY layers. Each layer (or module) can be implemented with an interface configured to communicate signals with other layers (and modules) hosted by the DU 130, or with the control functions hosted by the CU 110.

[0038] Lower-layer functionality can be implemented by one or more RUs 140. In some deployments, an RU 140, controlled by a DU 130, may correspond to a logical node that hosts RF processing functions, or low-PHY layer functions (such as performing fast Fourier transform (FFT), inverse FFT (iFFT), digital beamforming, physical random access channel (PRACH) extraction and filtering, or the like), or both, based at least in part on the functional split, such as a lower layer functional split. In such an architecture, the RU(s) 140 can be implemented to handle over the air (OTA) communication with one or more UEs 104. In some implementations, real-time and non-real-time aspects of control and user plane communication with the RU(s) 140 can be controlled by the corresponding DU 130. In some scenarios, this configuration can enable the DU(s) 130 and the CU 110 to be implemented in a cloud-based RAN architecture, such as a vRAN architecture.

[0039] The SMO Framework 105 may be configured to support RAN deployment and provisioning of non-virtualized and virtualized network elements. For non-virtualized network elements, the SMO Framework 105 may be configured to support the deployment of dedicated physical resources for RAN coverage requirements that may be managed via an operations and maintenance interface (such as an O1 interface). For virtualized network elements, the SMO Framework 105 may be configured to interact with a cloud computing platform (such as an open cloud (O-Cloud) 190) to perform network element life cycle management (such as to instantiate virtualized network elements) via a cloud computing platform interface (such as an O2 interface). Such virtualized network elements can include, but are not limited to, CUs 110, DUs 130, RUs 140 and Near-RT RICs 125. In some implementations, the SMO Framework 105 can communicate with a hardware aspect of a 4G RAN, such as an open eNB (O-eNB) 111, via an O1 interface. Additionally, in some implementations, the SMO Framework 105 can communicate directly with one or more RUs 140 via an O1 interface. The SMO Framework 105 also may include a Non-RT RIC 115 configured to support functionality of the SMO Framework 105.

[0040] The Non-RT RIC 115 may be configured to include a logical function that enables non-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources, artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) (AI/ML) workflows including model training and updates, or policy-based guidance of applications/features in the Near-RT RIC 125. The Non-RT RIC 115 may be coupled to or communicate with (such as via an A1 interface) the Near-RT RIC 125. The Near-RT RIC 125 may be configured to include a logical function that enables near-real-time control and optimization of RAN elements and resources via data collection and actions over an interface (such as via an E2 interface) connecting one or more CUs 110, one or more DUs 130, or both, as well as an O-eNB, with the Near-RT RIC 125.

[0041] In some implementations, to generate AI/ML models to be deployed in the Near-RT RIC 125, the Non-RT RIC 115 may receive parameters or external enrichment information from external servers. Such information may be utilized by the Near-RT RIC 125 and may be received at the SMO Framework 105 or the Non-RT RIC 115 from non-network data sources or from network functions. In some examples, the Non-RT RIC 115 or the Near-RT RIC 125 may be configured to tune RAN behavior or performance. For example, the Non-RT RIC 115 may monitor long-term trends and patterns for performance and employ AI/ML models to perform corrective actions through the SMO Framework 105 (such as reconfiguration via O1) or via creation of RAN management policies (such as A1 policies).

[0042] At least one of the CU 110, the DU 130, and the RU 140 may be referred to as a base station 102. Accordingly, a base station 102 may include one or more of the CU 110, the DU 130, and the RU 140 (each component indicated with dotted lines to signify that each component may or may not be included in the base station 102). The base station 102 provides an access point to the core network 120 for a UE 104. The base station 102 may include macrocells (high power cellular base station) and/or small cells (low power cellular base station). The small cells include femtocells, picocells, and microcells. A network that includes both small cell and macrocells may be known as a heterogeneous network. A heterogeneous network may also include Home Evolved Node Bs (eNBs) (HeNBs), which may provide service to a restricted group known as a closed subscriber group (CSG). The communication links between the RUs 140 and the UEs 104 may include uplink (UL) (also referred to as reverse link) transmissions from a UE 104 to an RU 140 and/or downlink (DL) (also referred to as forward link) transmissions from an RU 140 to a UE 104. The communication links may use multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) antenna technology, including spatial multiplexing, beamforming, and/or transmit diversity. The communication links may be through one or more carriers. The base station 102/UEs 104 may use spectrum up to Y MHz (e.g., 5, 10, 15, 20, 100, 400, etc. MHz) bandwidth per carrier allocated in a carrier aggregation of up to a total of Yx MHz (x component carriers) used for transmission in each direction. The carriers may or may not be adjacent to each other. Allocation of carriers may be asymmetric with respect to DL and UL (e.g., more or fewer carriers may be allocated for DL than for UL). The component carriers may include a primary component carrier and one or more secondary component carriers. A primary component carrier may be referred to as a primary cell (PCell) and a secondary component carrier may be referred to as a secondary cell (SCell).

[0043] Certain UEs 104 may communicate with each other using device-to-device (D2D) communication link 158. The D2D communication link 158 may use the DL/UL wireless wide area network (WWAN) spectrum. The D2D communication link 158 may use one or more sidelink channels, such as a physical sidelink broadcast channel (PSBCH), a physical sidelink discovery channel (PSDCH), a physical sidelink shared channel (PSSCH), and a physical sidelink control channel (PSCCH). D2D communication may be through a variety of wireless D2D communications systems, such as for example, Bluetooth (Bluetooth is a trademark of the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG)), Wi-Fi (Wi-Fi is a trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance) based on the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 standard, LTE, or NR.

[0044] The wireless communications system may further include a Wi-Fi AP 150 in communication with UEs 104 (also referred to as Wi-Fi stations (STAs)) via communication link 154, e.g., in a 5 GHz unlicensed frequency spectrum or the like. When communicating in an unlicensed frequency spectrum, the UEs 104/AP 150 may perform a clear channel assessment (CCA) prior to communicating in order to determine whether the channel is available.

[0045] The electromagnetic spectrum is often subdivided, based on frequency/wavelength, into various classes, bands, channels, etc. In 5G NR, two initial operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR1 (410 MHz-7.125 GHz) and FR2 (24.25 GHz-52.6 GHz). Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6 GHz, FR1is often referred to (interchangeably) as a sub-6 GHz band in various documents and articles. A similar nomenclature issue sometimes occurs with regard to FR2, which is often referred to (interchangeably) as a millimeter wave band in documents and articles, despite being different from the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz-300 GHz) which is identified by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) as a millimeter wave band.

[0046] The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are often referred to as mid-band frequencies. Recent 5G NR studies have identified an operating band for these mid-band frequencies as frequency range designation FR3 (7.125 GHz-24.25 GHz). Frequency bands falling within FR3 may inherit FR1 characteristics and/or FR2 characteristics, and thus may effectively extend features of FR1 and/or FR2 into mid-band frequencies. In addition, higher frequency bands are currently being explored to extend 5G NR operation beyond 52.6 GHz. For example, three higher operating bands have been identified as frequency range designations FR2-2 (52.6 GHz-71 GHz), FR4 (71 GHz-114.25 GHz), and FR5 (114.25 GHz-300 GHz). Each of these higher frequency bands falls within the EHF band.

[0047] With the above aspects in mind, unless specifically stated otherwise, the term sub-6 GHz or the like if used herein may broadly represent frequencies that may be less than 6 GHz, may be within FR1, or may include mid-band frequencies. Further, unless specifically stated otherwise, the term millimeter wave or the like if used herein may broadly represent frequencies that may include mid-band frequencies, may be within FR2, FR4, FR2-2, and/or FR5, or may be within the EHF band.

[0048] The base station 102 and the UE 104 may each include a plurality of antennas, such as antenna elements, antenna panels, and/or antenna arrays to facilitate beamforming. The base station 102 may transmit a beamformed signal 182 to the UE 104 in one or more transmit directions. The UE 104 may receive the beamformed signal from the base station 102 in one or more receive directions. The UE 104 may also transmit a beamformed signal 184 to the base station 102 in one or more transmit directions. The base station 102 may receive the beamformed signal from the UE 104 in one or more receive directions. The base station 102/UE 104 may perform beam training to determine the best receive and transmit directions for each of the base station 102/UE 104. The transmit and receive directions for the base station 102 may or may not be the same. The transmit and receive directions for the UE 104 may or may not be the same.

[0049] The base station 102 may include and/or be referred to as a gNB, Node B, eNB, an access point, a base transceiver station, a radio base station, a radio transceiver, a transceiver function, a basic service set (BSS), an extended service set (ESS), a TRP, network node, network entity, network equipment, or some other suitable terminology. The base station 102 can be implemented as an integrated access and backhaul (IAB) node, a relay node, a sidelink node, an aggregated (monolithic) base station with a baseband unit (BBU) (including a CU and a DU) and an RU, or as a disaggregated base station including one or more of a CU, a DU, and/or an RU. The set of base stations, which may include disaggregated base stations and/or aggregated base stations, may be referred to as next generation (NG) RAN (NG-RAN).

[0050] The core network 120 may include an Access and Mobility Management Function (AMF) 161, a Session Management Function (SMF) 162, a User Plane Function (UPF) 163, a Unified Data Management (UDM) 164, one or more location servers 168, and other functional entities. The AMF 161 is the control node that processes the signaling between the UEs 104 and the core network 120. The AMF 161 supports registration management, connection management, mobility management, and other functions. The SMF 162 supports session management and other functions. The UPF 163 supports packet routing, packet forwarding, and other functions. The UDM 164 supports the generation of authentication and key agreement (AKA) credentials, user identification handling, access authorization, and subscription management. The one or more location servers 168 are illustrated as including a Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC) 165 and a Location Management Function (LMF) 166. However, generally, the one or more location servers 168 may include one or more location/positioning servers, which may include one or more of the GMLC 165, the LMF 166, a position determination entity (PDE), a serving mobile location center (SMLC), a mobile positioning center (MPC), or the like. The GMLC 165 and the LMF 166 support UE location services. The GMLC 165 provides an interface for clients/applications (e.g., emergency services) for accessing UE positioning information. The LMF 166 receives measurements and assistance information from the NG-RAN and the UE 104 via the AMF 161 to compute the position of the UE 104. The NG-RAN may utilize one or more positioning methods in order to determine the position of the UE 104. Positioning the UE 104 may involve signal measurements, a position estimate, and an optional velocity computation based on the measurements. The signal measurements may be made by the UE 104 and/or the base station 102 serving the UE 104. The signals measured may be based on one or more of a satellite positioning system (SPS) 170 (e.g., one or more of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), global position system (GPS), non-terrestrial network (NTN), or other satellite position/location system), LTE signals, wireless local area network (WLAN) signals, Bluetooth signals, a terrestrial beacon system (TBS), sensor-based information (e.g., barometric pressure sensor, motion sensor), NR enhanced cell ID (NR E-CID) methods, NR signals (e.g., multi-round trip time (Multi-RTT), DL angle-of-departure (DL-AoD), DL time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA), UL time difference of arrival (UL-TDOA), and UL angle-of-arrival (UL-AoA) positioning), and/or other systems/signals/sensors.

[0051] Examples of UEs 104 include a cellular phone, a smart phone, a session initiation protocol (SIP) phone, a laptop, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a satellite radio, a global positioning system, a multimedia device, a video device, a digital audio player (e.g., MP3 player), a camera, a game console, a tablet, a smart device, a wearable device, a vehicle, an electric meter, a gas pump, a large or small kitchen appliance, a healthcare device, an implant, a sensor/actuator, a display, or any other similar functioning device. Some of the UEs 104 may be referred to as IoT devices (e.g., parking meter, gas pump, toaster, vehicles, heart monitor, etc.). The UE 104 may also be referred to as a station, a mobile station, a subscriber station, a mobile unit, a subscriber unit, a wireless unit, a remote unit, a mobile device, a wireless device, a wireless communications device, a remote device, a mobile subscriber station, an access terminal, a mobile terminal, a wireless terminal, a remote terminal, a handset, a user agent, a mobile client, a client, or some other suitable terminology. In some scenarios, the term UE may also apply to one or more companion devices such as in a device constellation arrangement. One or more of these devices may collectively access the network and/or individually access the network.

[0052] Referring again to FIG. 1, in certain aspects, the UE 104 may have an interference mitigation component 198 (component 198) that may be configured to receive, from a network node, a reference signal associated with the network node and at least one neighboring network node. The component 198 may also be configured to obtain Rnn information from at least one noise tap of a CIR of the reference signal. The component 198 may also be configured to apply a noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information. The component 198 may be configured to estimate an energy level of the CIR of the reference signal. The component 198 may be configured to obtain the at least one noise tap based on the energy level. The component 198 may be configured to communicate, with the network node, over the data channel based on at least one measurement of the data channel after the application of the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information. The component 198 may be configured to output an indication of the application of the noise whitening to the CIR. In certain aspects, the base station 102 may have an interference mitigation component 199 (component 199) that may be configured to provide, for a UE, a reference signal associated with the network node and at least one neighboring network node. The component 199 may also be configured to communicate, with the UE, over the data channel based on at least one measurement of the data channel after an application of noise whitening to a CIR based on Rnn information associated with at least one noise tap of the CIR of the reference signal at the UE. The application of the noise whitening to the CIR of a reference signal based on the Rnn information may be associated with an interference reduction of the neighboring node(s) resulting in a better estimation and decoding of the control channel and data channel.

[0053] FIG. 2A is a diagram 200 illustrating an example of a first subframe within a 5G NR frame structure. FIG. 2B is a diagram 230 illustrating an example of DL channels within a 5G NR subframe. FIG. 2C is a diagram 250 illustrating an example of a second subframe within a 5G NR frame structure. FIG. 2D is a diagram 280 illustrating an example of UL channels within a 5G NR subframe. The 5G NR frame structure may be frequency division duplexed (FDD) in which for a particular set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth), subframes within the set of subcarriers are dedicated for either DL or UL, or may be time division duplexed (TDD) in which for a particular set of subcarriers (carrier system bandwidth), subframes within the set of subcarriers are dedicated for both DL and UL. In the examples provided by FIGS. 2A, 2C, the 5G NR frame structure is assumed to be TDD, with subframe 4 being configured with slot format 28 (with mostly DL), where D is DL, U is UL, and F is flexible for use between DL/UL, and subframe 3 being configured with slot format 1 (with all UL). While subframes 3, 4 are shown with slot formats 1, 28, respectively, any particular subframe may be configured with any of the various available slot formats 0-61. Slot formats 0, 1 are all DL, UL, respectively. Other slot formats 2-61include a mix of DL, UL, and flexible symbols. UEs are configured with the slot format (dynamically through DL control information (DCI), or semi-statically/statically through radio resource control (RRC) signaling) through a received slot format indicator (SFI). Note that the description infra applies also to a 5G NR frame structure that is TDD.

[0054] FIGS. 2A-2D illustrate a frame structure, and the aspects of the present disclosure may be applicable to other wireless communication technologies, which may have a different frame structure and/or different channels. A frame (10 ms) may be divided into 10 equally sized subframes (1 ms). Each subframe may include one or more time slots. Subframes may also include mini-slots, which may include 7, 4, or 2 symbols. Each slot may include 14 or 12 symbols, depending on whether the cyclic prefix (CP) is normal or extended. For normal CP, each slot may include 14 symbols, and for extended CP, each slot may include 12 symbols. The symbols on DL may be CP orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) (CP-OFDM) symbols. The symbols on UL may be CP-OFDM symbols (for high throughput scenarios) or discrete Fourier transform (DFT) spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM) symbols (for power limited scenarios; limited to a single stream transmission). The number of slots within a subframe is based on the CP and the numerology. The numerology defines the subcarrier spacing (SCS) (see Table 1). The symbol length/duration may scale with 1/SCS.

TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Numerology, SCS, and CP SCS f = 2.sup. .Math. 15[kHz] Cyclic prefix 0 15 Normal 1 30 Normal 2 60 Normal, Extended 3 120 Normal 4 240 Normal 5 480 Normal 6 960 Normal

[0055] For normal CP (14 symbols/slot), different numerologies 0 to 4 allow for 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 slots, respectively, per subframe. For extended CP, the numerology 2 allows for 4 slots per subframe. Accordingly, for normal CP and numerology , there are 14 symbols/slot and 2.sup. slots/subframe. The subcarrier spacing may be equal to 2.sup.*15 kHz, where is the numerology 0 to 4. As such, the numerology =0 has a subcarrier spacing of 15 kHz and the numerology =4 has a subcarrier spacing of 240 kHz. The symbol length/duration is inversely related to the subcarrier spacing. FIGS. 2A-2D provide an example of normal CP with 14 symbols per slot and numerology =2 with 4 slots per subframe. The slot duration is 0.25 ms, the subcarrier spacing is 60 kHz, and the symbol duration is approximately 16.67 s. Within a set of frames, there may be one or more different bandwidth parts (BWPs) (see FIG. 2B) that are frequency division multiplexed. Each BWP may have a particular numerology and CP (normal or extended).

[0056] A resource grid may be used to represent the frame structure. Each time slot includes a resource block (RB) (also referred to as physical RBs (PRBs)) that extends 12 consecutive subcarriers. The resource grid is divided into multiple resource elements (REs). The number of bits carried by each RE depends on the modulation scheme.

[0057] As illustrated in FIG. 2A, some of the REs carry reference (pilot) signals (RS) for the UE. The RS may include demodulation RS (DM-RS) (indicated as R for one particular configuration, but other DM-RS configurations are possible) and channel state information reference signals (CSI-RS) for channel estimation at the UE. The RS may also include beam measurement RS (BRS), beam refinement RS (BRRS), and phase tracking RS (PT-RS).

[0058] FIG. 2B illustrates an example of various DL channels within a subframe of a frame. The physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) carries DCI within one or more control channel elements (CCEs) (e.g., 1, 2, 4, 8, or 16 CCEs), each CCE including six RE groups (REGs), each REG including 12 consecutive REs in an OFDM symbol of an RB. A PDCCH within one BWP may be referred to as a control resource set (CORESET). A UE is configured to monitor PDCCH candidates in a PDCCH search space (e.g., common search space, UE-specific search space) during PDCCH monitoring occasions on the CORESET, where the PDCCH candidates have different DCI formats and different aggregation levels. Additional BWPs may be located at greater and/or lower frequencies across the channel bandwidth. A primary synchronization signal (PSS) may be within symbol 2 of particular subframes of a frame. The PSS is used by a UE 104 to determine subframe/symbol timing and a physical layer identity. A secondary synchronization signal (SSS) may be within symbol 4 of particular subframes of a frame. The SSS is used by a UE to determine a physical layer cell identity group number and radio frame timing. Based on the physical layer identity and the physical layer cell identity group number, the UE can determine a physical cell identifier (PCI). Based on the PCI, the UE can determine the locations of the DM-RS. The physical broadcast channel (PBCH), which carries a master information block (MIB), may be logically grouped with the PSS and SSS to form a synchronization signal (SS)/PBCH block (also referred to as SS block (SSB)). The MIB provides a number of RBs in the system bandwidth and a system frame number (SFN). The physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) carries user data, broadcast system information not transmitted through the PBCH such as system information blocks (SIBs), and paging messages.

[0059] As illustrated in FIG. 2C, some of the REs carry DM-RS (indicated as R for one particular configuration, but other DM-RS configurations are possible) for channel estimation at the base station. The UE may transmit DM-RS for the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) and DM-RS for the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH). The PUSCH DM-RS may be transmitted in the first one or two symbols of the PUSCH. The PUCCH DM-RS may be transmitted in different configurations depending on whether short or long PUCCHs are transmitted and depending on the particular PUCCH format used. The UE may transmit sounding reference signals (SRS). The SRS may be transmitted in the last symbol of a subframe. The SRS may have a comb structure, and a UE may transmit SRS on one of the combs. The SRS may be used by a base station for channel quality estimation to enable frequency-dependent scheduling on the UL.

[0060] FIG. 2D illustrates an example of various UL channels within a subframe of a frame. The PUCCH may be located as indicated in one configuration. The PUCCH carries uplink control information (UCI), such as scheduling requests, a channel quality indicator (CQI), a precoding matrix indicator (PMI), a rank indicator (RI), and hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) acknowledgment (ACK) (HARQ-ACK) feedback (i.e., one or more HARQ ACK bits indicating one or more ACK and/or negative ACK (NACK)). The PUSCH carries data, and may additionally be used to carry a buffer status report (BSR), a power headroom report (PHR), and/or UCI.

[0061] FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a base station 310 in communication with a UE 350 in an access network. In the DL, Internet protocol (IP) packets may be provided to a controller/processor 375. The controller/processor 375 implements layer 3 and layer 2 functionality. Layer 3 includes a radio resource control (RRC) layer, and layer 2 includes a service data adaptation protocol (SDAP) layer, a packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer, a radio link control (RLC) layer, and a medium access control (MAC) layer. The controller/processor 375 provides RRC layer functionality associated with broadcasting of system information (e.g., MIB, SIBs), RRC connection control (e.g., RRC connection paging, RRC connection establishment, RRC connection modification, and RRC connection release), inter radio access technology (RAT) mobility, and measurement configuration for UE measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression/decompression, security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification), and handover support functions; RLC layer functionality associated with the transfer of upper layer packet data units (PDUs), error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC service data units (SDUs), re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto transport blocks (TBs), demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0062] The transmit (TX) processor 316 and the receive (RX) processor 370 implement layer 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. Layer 1, which includes a physical (PHY) layer, may include error detection on the transport channels, forward error correction (FEC) coding/decoding of the transport channels, interleaving, rate matching, mapping onto physical channels, modulation/demodulation of physical channels, and MIMO antenna processing. The TX processor 316 handles mapping to signal constellations based on various modulation schemes (e.g., binary phase-shift keying (BPSK), quadrature phase-shift keying (QPSK), M-phase-shift keying (M-PSK), M-quadrature amplitude modulation (M-QAM)). The coded and modulated symbols may then be split into parallel streams. Each stream may then be mapped to an OFDM subcarrier, multiplexed with a reference signal (e.g., pilot) in the time and/or frequency domain, and then combined together using an Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) to produce a physical channel carrying a time domain OFDM symbol stream. The OFDM stream is spatially precoded to produce multiple spatial streams. Channel estimates from a channel estimator 374 may be used to determine the coding and modulation scheme, as well as for spatial processing. The channel estimate may be derived from a reference signal and/or channel condition feedback transmitted by the UE 350. Each spatial stream may then be provided to a different antenna 320 via a separate transmitter 318Tx. Each transmitter 318Tx may modulate a radio frequency (RF) carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission.

[0063] At the UE 350, each receiver 354Rx receives a signal through its respective antenna 352. Each receiver 354Rx recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to the receive (RX) processor 356. The TX processor 368 and the RX processor 356 implement layer 1 functionality associated with various signal processing functions. The RX processor 356 may perform spatial processing on the information to recover any spatial streams destined for the UE 350. If multiple spatial streams are destined for the UE 350, they may be combined by the RX processor 356 into a single OFDM symbol stream. The RX processor 356 then converts the OFDM symbol stream from the time-domain to the frequency domain using a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). The frequency domain signal includes a separate OFDM symbol stream for each subcarrier of the OFDM signal. The symbols on each subcarrier, and the reference signal, are recovered and demodulated by determining the most likely signal constellation points transmitted by the base station 310. These soft decisions may be based on channel estimates computed by the channel estimator 358. The soft decisions are then decoded and deinterleaved to recover the data and control signals that were originally transmitted by the base station 310 on the physical channel. The data and control signals are then provided to the controller/processor 359, which implements layer 3 and layer 2 functionality.

[0064] The controller/processor 359 can be associated with at least one memory 360 that stores program codes and data. The at least one memory 360 may be referred to as a computer-readable medium. In the UL, the controller/processor 359 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, and control signal processing to recover IP packets. The controller/processor 359 is also responsible for error detection using an ACK and/or NACK protocol to support HARQ operations.

[0065] Similar to the functionality described in connection with the DL transmission by the base station 310, the controller/processor 359 provides RRC layer functionality associated with system information (e.g., MIB, SIBs) acquisition, RRC connections, and measurement reporting; PDCP layer functionality associated with header compression/decompression, and security (ciphering, deciphering, integrity protection, integrity verification); RLC layer functionality associated with the transfer of upper layer PDUs, error correction through ARQ, concatenation, segmentation, and reassembly of RLC SDUs, re-segmentation of RLC data PDUs, and reordering of RLC data PDUs; and MAC layer functionality associated with mapping between logical channels and transport channels, multiplexing of MAC SDUs onto TBs, demultiplexing of MAC SDUs from TBs, scheduling information reporting, error correction through HARQ, priority handling, and logical channel prioritization.

[0066] Channel estimates derived by a channel estimator 358 from a reference signal or feedback transmitted by the base station 310 may be used by the TX processor 368 to select the appropriate coding and modulation schemes, and to facilitate spatial processing. The spatial streams generated by the TX processor 368 may be provided to different antenna 352 via separate transmitters 354Tx. Each transmitter 354Tx may modulate an RF carrier with a respective spatial stream for transmission.

[0067] The UL transmission is processed at the base station 310 in a manner similar to that described in connection with the receiver function at the UE 350. Each receiver 318Rx receives a signal through its respective antenna 320. Each receiver 318Rx recovers information modulated onto an RF carrier and provides the information to a RX processor 370.

[0068] The controller/processor 375 can be associated with at least one memory 376 that stores program codes and data. The at least one memory 376 may be referred to as a computer-readable medium. In the UL, the controller/processor 375 provides demultiplexing between transport and logical channels, packet reassembly, deciphering, header decompression, control signal processing to recover IP packets. The controller/processor 375 is also responsible for error detection using an ACK and/or NACK protocol to support HARQ operations.

[0069] At least one of the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and the controller/processor 359 may be configured to perform aspects in connection with the component 198 of FIG. 1.

[0070] At least one of the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and the controller/processor 375 may be configured to perform aspects in connection with the component 199 of FIG. 1.

[0071] A network node and a UE in a wireless communication network may communicate in various configurations and using reference signals. One example communication scheme includes interference management for a network node acting as a serving cell of a UE and one or more other network nodes acting as neighboring cells. In such scenarios, infra-node deployment of SSB/TRS transmissions may result in the serving cell colliding with a neighbor cell(s). SSB and/or TRS transmission collisions may occur despite attempts at avoidance of IMR/CMR collisions. As an example, parameter estimation errors in the presence of strong structured interference on SSB/TRS transmissions (e.g., at a cell-edge) may happen due to such collisions. Further, the impact may be different than introducing the same amount of power offset for SSB/TRS, as the statistical properties of noise may be different. Estimated parameters (e.g., for tracking loops, for a Doppler characteristic and other channel characteristics, for signal and noise estimation (SNE), etc.) could be significantly impacted. This issue may degrade the final throughput in various scenarios, such as highly frequency selective channels or fast fading channels. Throughput loss may be experienced in benign channels, and may be exacerbated in malignant channels.

[0072] FIG. 4 is a diagram 400 illustrating an example of a UE communication environment with a serving cell and neighboring cells. Diagram 400 shows a UE 402 that receives reference signals (e.g., SSB/TRS) from a network node, e.g., a base station 404, that acts as a serving cell 412 for the UE 402. Additionally, in scenarios, one or more neighboring cells may be present, such as for a base station 406, a base station 408, etc., and such neighboring cells may also provide the reference signals (e.g., SSB/TRS) that may be received by the UE 402. Parameter estimation errors at the UE 402 in the presence of strong structured interference on SSB/TRS transmissions (e.g., at a cell-edge of the serving cell 412) from the base station 406, the base station 408, etc., may result in collisions and degrade the final throughput for communications between the UE 402 and the base station 404 serving the UE 402. Aspects herein enable a UE to reduce/mitigate the effects of collisions from such structure interference.

[0073] Aspects herein provide for whitening on PDP estimated from SSB and/or TRS to reflect better what the best linear minimum mean square error (LMMSE) channel is. The aspects herein for interference mitigation in SSB and/or TRS processing enable a UE to receive a reference signal from a network node (e.g., a base station, gNB, etc.) that is also associated with a neighboring node(s). In such aspects, the UE may be enabled to obtain Rnn information from at least one noise tap of a CIR of the reference signal and apply a noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information. The application of the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information may be associated with an interference reduction of the neighboring node(s) resulting in a better estimation and decoding of control channel and data channel. Aspects provide for nulling interference for a UE receiver to account for spatially correlated noise by applying CIR noise whitening. Aspects also provide for optimizations in antenna combining flows in the presence of structured noise by accounting for spatially correlated noise at multiple UE receivers.

[0074] FIG. 5 is a call flow diagram 500 for wireless communications, in various aspects. Call flow diagram 500 illustrates interference mitigation in SSB and/or TRS processing for a wireless device (a UE 502, by way of example) that communicates with a network node (a base station 504, such as a gNB or other type of base station, by way of example, as shown), in various aspects. Aspects described for the base station 504, and for network nodes herein, generally, may be performed by the base station in aggregated form and/or by one or more components of the base station in disaggregated form. Additionally, or alternatively, the aspects may be performed by the UE 502 autonomously, in addition to, and/or in lieu of, operations of the base station 504.

[0075] In the illustrated aspect, the UE 502 may be configured to receive, and the base station 504 may be configured to transmit/provide, a reference signal 506. The reference signal 506 may be associated with the network node (e.g., the base station 504) and at least one neighboring network node. In aspects, the reference signal 506 may be an SSB, a TRS, and/or the like. In some aspects, the reference signal 506, or instances thereof, may be received more than once and/or by one or more antennas/receivers of the UE 502.

[0076] The UE 502 may be configured to obtain (at 508) Rnn information from at least one noise tap of a CIR of the reference signal. In aspects, the CIR may include multiple taps, e.g., 1024 taps, of which some may include signal/noise, while others of which may include solely noise. As described herein, taps that include solely noise may be referred to as noise taps. In some aspects, to obtain (at 508) the Rnn information from the at least one noise tap, the UE 502 may be configured to obtain (e.g., also at 508) whitening matrix of noise (Wnn) information based on the Rnn information (e.g., via a Cholesky inverse). In some aspects, to obtain (at 508) the Rnn information from the at least one noise tap, the UE 502 may be configured to extract the noise part from the CIR based on a CIR noise tap representation (e.g., a CIR noise bitmap of the UE 502), such as for antenna receivers of the UE 502. The Rnn information may be subsequently calculated by the UE 502 based on the CIR noise tap representation.

[0077] The UE 502 may be configured to apply (at 510) a noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information. In aspects, to apply (at 510) the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information, the UE 502 may be configured to apply (at 510) the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Wnn information. The application (at 510) of the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information may be associated with an interference reduction of the neighboring node(s) for a better estimation and decoding of the control channel and data channel.

[0078] The UE 502 may be configured to transmit/provide and/or receive a communication(s) 512 with the base station 504. In aspects, the UE 502 may be configured to transmit/provide and/or receive the communication(s) 512, with the base station 504, over a data channel based on at least one measurement of the data channel after the application (at 510) of the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information. In some aspects, the UE 502 may be configured to output an indication of the application (at 510) of the noise whitening to the CIR. For example, the UE 502 may be configured to transmit and/or to store the indication of the application (at 510) of the noise whitening to the CIR. In one example, the UE 502 may transmit the indication to the base station 504 as the serving cell and/or may transmit the indication to one or more neighboring cell base stations (e.g., 606 in FIG. 6). In another example, the UE 502 may be configured to store the indication in a memory thereof or in a storage elsewhere, as described herein.

[0079] In aspects, application (at 510) of the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information may be associated with an interference reduction, such as for structured noise, of the at least one neighboring network node. That is, the channel parameters may be estimated by the UE 502, e.g., as part of performing the channel estimation and decoding or prior thereto, based on the application (at 510) of the noise whitening better reflecting the channel characteristics.

[0080] FIG. 6 is a diagram 600 illustrating an example of interference mitigation in SSB/TRS processing, in various aspects. Diagram 600 shows a UE 602 that receives reference signals 612 (e.g., SSB/TRS) from a network node, e.g., a base station 604, that acts as a serving cell 608 for the UE 602. One or more neighboring cells may also be present, such as for a base station 606, etc., and such neighboring cells may also provide reference signals 614 (e.g., SSB/TRS) that may be received by the UE 602 and that are similar instances as the reference signals 612 (e.g., a reference signal(s) associated with the base station 604 and at least one neighboring base station, the base station 606). Parameter estimation errors at the UE 602 in the presence of strong structured interference on SSB/TRS transmissions (e.g., at a cell-edge of the serving cell 608) from the base station 606, may result in collisions and degrade the final throughput for communications between the UE 602 and the base station 604 serving the UE 602. However, aspects herein enable the UE 602 to reduce/mitigate the effects of collisions from such structure interference.

[0081] As one example, the UE 602 may be configured to receive, via an antenna receiver(s) 610, the reference signals 612 from the base station 604. The reference signals 612 may include a CIR characteristic experienced by the UE 602. For one or more of the antenna receiver(s) 610, the UE 602 may be configured to generate/calculate, respectively, a CIR noise tap representation 618 (e.g., a CIR noise bitmap), which may include one or more of the CIR noise tap representation 618 for one, up to each, of the antenna receiver(s) 610.

[0082] In aspects, to obtain the Rnn information 622, the UE 602 may be configured to extract the noise part from the CIR based on the CIR noise tap representation 618 (e.g., a CIR noise bitmap of the UE 602). The Rnn information 622 may be subsequently calculated by the UE 602 based on the CIR noise tap representation 618. The UE 602 may also be configured to obtain the Rnn information 622 based on symbols 626 from the antenna receiver(s) 610. In some aspects, the UE 602 may be configured to perform noise whitening based on Wnn information 616. In aspects, the Wnn information 616 may be based on the Rnn information 622, such as by performing a Cholesky inverse 624 of the Rnn information 622.

[0083] In aspects, the CIR described for the examples herein may be associated with time or frequency tracking loops and/or a channel characteristic for a Doppler estimation and/or delay-spread estimation at the UE 602. The UE 602 may be configured to apply the noise whitening (e.g., based on the Rnn information 622, or based the Wnn information 616 as shown) to the tracking loops. The UE 602 may be configured to apply the noise whitening (e.g., based on the Rnn information 622, or based the Wnn information 616 as shown) to the channel characteristic for the Doppler estimation and/or delay-spread estimation. The UE 602 may be configured to apply the noise whitening (e.g., based on the Rnn information 622, or based the Wnn information 616 as shown) to FIR-combined raw CIR.

[0084] Accordingly, the UE 602 may be configured to transmit/provide and/or receive communications, with the base station 604, as described above for FIG. 5 (512) over a data channel based on at least one measurement of the data channel after the application of the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Run information 622 or the Wnn information 616 (which may be based on the Rnn information 622). That is, the data channel may be selected by the UE 602, e.g., as part of performing the communications or prior thereto, based on the application of the noise whitening better reflecting which channel is good/best for the communications (e.g., the best linear minimum mean square error (LMMSE) channel).

[0085] FIG. 7 is a diagram 700 illustrating an example of interference mitigation in SSB/TRS processing, in various aspects. Diagram 700 shows a UE 702 in communication with a base station 704 (e.g., a network node).

[0086] The UE 702 may be configured to receive, and the base station 704 may be configured to transmit/provide, a reference signal 706. The reference signal 706 may be associated with the network node (e.g., the base station 704) and at least one neighboring network node. In aspects, the reference signal 706 may be an SSB, a TRS, and/or the like. In some aspects, the reference signal 706, or instances thereof, may be received more than once and/or by one or more antennas/receivers of the UE 702.

[0087] As noted above, a UE herein may be configured to extract the noise part from the CIR based on a CIR noise tap representation of the UE. In aspects, the UE 702 may be configured with a number N of antennas 710 that receive the reference signal 706. The number N of the antennas 710 may be any number of one or more antennas. The UE 702 may be configured to obtain/calculate Rnn information 722, as described herein, from at least one noise tap of a CIR of the reference signal 706. In aspects, the Rnn information 722 may include a set of Rnn information 724 associated with at least two receivers (e.g., of the antennas 710) of the UE 702. In some aspects, the set of the Rnn information 724 may be a matrix of values having NN dimensions.

[0088] FIG. 8 is a flowchart 800 of a method of wireless communication, in various aspects. The method may be performed by a UE (e.g., the UE 104, 502, 602, 702; the apparatus 1004). In some aspects, the method may include aspects described in connection with the communication flow in FIG. 5 and/or aspects described in FIGS. 6, 7. The method may be for interference mitigation in SSB/TRS processing. The method may provide for the application of the noise whitening to the CIR of a reference signal based on the Rnn information associated with an interference reduction of the neighboring node(s) for a data channel, and may enable the UE to communicate, with the network node, over the data channel based on a measurement(s) of the data channel after the application of the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information, such as by data channel selection based on the application of the noise whitening better reflecting which channel is good/best for communications (e.g., the best linear minimum mean square error (LMMSE) channel).

[0089] At 802, the UE receives, from a network node, a reference signal associated with the network node and at least one neighboring network node. As an example, the reception may be performed by one or more of the component 198, the transceiver(s) 1022, and/or the antenna 1080 in FIG. 10. FIG. 5 illustrates, in the context of FIGS. 6-7, an example of the UE 502 receiving such a reference signal from a network node (e.g., the base station 504).

[0090] The UE 502 may be configured to receive, and the base station 504 may be configured to transmit/provide, a reference signal 506 (e.g., 612 in FIG. 6; 706 in FIG. 7). The reference signal 506 (e.g., 612 in FIG. 6; 706 in FIG. 7) may be associated with the network node (e.g., the base station 504) and at least one neighboring network node (e.g., 606 in FIG. 6). In aspects, the reference signal 506 (e.g., 612 in FIG. 6; 706 in FIG. 7) may be an SSB, a TRS, and/or the like. In some aspects, the reference signal 506 (e.g., 612 in FIG. 6; 706 in FIG. 7), or instances thereof, may be received more than once and/or by one or more antennas/receivers (e.g., 610 in FIG. 6) of the UE 502.

[0091] At 804, the UE obtains Rnn information from at least one noise tap of a CIR of the reference signal. As an example, the obtainment may be performed by one or more of the component 198, the transceiver(s) 1022, and/or the antenna 1080 in FIG. 10. FIG. 5 illustrates, in the context of FIGS. 6-7, an example of the UE 502 obtaining such Rnn information.

[0092] The UE 502 may be configured to obtain (at 508) Rnn information (e.g., 622 in FIG. 6; 722, 724 in FIG. 7), from at least one noise tap of a CIR of the reference signal (e.g., 612 in FIG. 6; 706 in FIG. 7). In aspects, the CIR may include multiple taps, e.g., 1024 taps, of which some may include signal/noise, while others of which may include solely noise. As described herein, taps that include solely noise may be referred to as noise taps. In some aspects, to obtain (at 508) the Rnn information (e.g., 622 in FIG. 6; 722, 724 in FIG. 7) from the at least one noise tap, the UE 502 may be configured to obtain (e.g., also at 508) whitening matrix of noise (Wnn) information (e.g., 616 in FIG. 6) based on the Rnn information (e.g., 622 in FIG. 6; 722, 724 in FIG. 7) (e.g., via a Cholesky inverse) (e.g., 624 in FIG. 6). In some aspects, to obtain (at 508) the Rnn information (e.g., 622 in FIG. 6; 722, 724 in FIG. 7) from the at least one noise tap, the UE 502 may be configured to extract the noise part from the CIR based on a CIR noise tap representation (e.g., a CIR noise bitmap of the UE 502) (e.g., 618 in FIG. 6), such as for antenna receivers (e.g., 610 in FIG. 6) of the UE 502. The Rnn information (e.g., 622 in FIG. 6; 722, 724 in FIG. 7) may be subsequently calculated by the UE 502 based on the CIR noise tap representation (e.g., 618 in FIG. 6).

[0093] At 806, the UE applies a noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information. As an example, the application may be performed by one or more of the component 198, the transceiver(s) 1022, and/or the antenna 1080 in FIG. 10. FIG. 5 illustrates, in the context of FIGS. 6-7, an example of the UE 502 applying such noise whitening to a CIR.

[0094] The UE 502 may be configured to apply (at 510) a noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information (e.g., 622 in FIG. 6; 722, 724 in FIG. 7). In aspects, to apply (at 510) the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information (e.g., 622 in FIG. 6; 722, 724 in FIG. 7), the UE 502 may be configured to apply (at 510) the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Wnn information (e.g., 616 in FIG. 6). The application (at 510) of the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information (e.g., 622 in FIG. 6; 722, 724 in FIG. 7) may be associated with an interference reduction of the neighboring node(s) for a better estimation and decoding of the control channel and data channel.

[0095] In the context of FIG. 6, in aspects, the CIR described for the examples herein may be associated with time or frequency tracking loops and/or a channel characteristic for a Doppler estimation and/or delay-spread estimation at the UE 602. The UE 602 may be configured to apply the noise whitening (e.g., based on the Rnn information 622, or based the Wnn information 616 as shown) to the tracking loops. The UE 602 may be configured to apply the noise whitening (e.g., based on the Rnn information 622, or based the Wnn information 616 as shown) to the channel characteristic for the Doppler estimation and/or delay-spread estimation. The UE 602 may be configured to apply the noise whitening (e.g., based on the Rnn information 622, or based the Wnn information 616 as shown) to FIR-combined raw CIR.

[0096] Referring back to FIG. 5, the UE 502 may be configured to transmit/provide and/or receive a communication(s) 512 with the base station 504. In aspects, the UE 502 may be configured to transmit/provide and/or receive the communication(s) 512, with the base station 504, over a data channel based on at least one measurement of the data channel after the application (at 510) of the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information (e.g., 622 in FIG. 6; 722, 724 in FIG. 7). In some aspects, the UE 502 may be configured to output an indication of the application (at 510) of the noise whitening to the CIR. In aspects, application (at 510) of the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information (e.g., 622 in FIG. 6; 722, 724 in FIG. 7) may be associated with an interference reduction, such as for structured noise, of the at least one neighboring network node. That is, the channel parameters may be estimated by the UE 502, e.g., as part of performing channel estimation and decoding or prior thereto, based on the application (at 510) of the noise whitening better reflecting the channel characteristics.

[0097] FIG. 9 is a flowchart 900 of a method of wireless communication, in various aspects. The method may be performed by a UE (e.g., the UE 104, 502, 602, 702; the apparatus 1004). In some aspects, the method may include aspects described in connection with the communication flow in FIG. 5 and/or aspects described in FIGS. 6, 7. The method may be for interference mitigation in SSB/TRS processing. The method may provide for the application of the noise whitening to the CIR of a reference signal based on the Rnn information associated with an interference reduction of the neighboring node(s) for a data channel, and may enable the UE to communicate, with the network node, over the data channel based on a measurement(s) of the data channel after the application of the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information, such as by data channel selection based on the application of the noise whitening better reflecting which channel is good/best for communications (e.g., the best linear minimum mean square error (LMMSE) channel).

[0098] At 902, the UE receives, from a network node, a reference signal associated with the network node and at least one neighboring network node. As an example, the reception may be performed by one or more of the component 198, the transceiver(s) 1022, and/or the antenna 1080 in FIG. 10. FIG. 5 illustrates, in the context of FIGS. 6-7, an example of the UE 502 receiving such a reference signal from a network node (e.g., the base station 504).

[0099] The UE 502 may be configured to receive, and the base station 504 may be configured to transmit/provide, a reference signal 506 (e.g., 612 in FIG. 6; 706 in FIG. 7). The reference signal 506 (e.g., 612 in FIG. 6; 706 in FIG. 7) may be associated with the network node (e.g., the base station 504) and at least one neighboring network node (e.g., 606 in FIG. 6). In aspects, the reference signal 506 (e.g., 612 in FIG. 6; 706 in FIG. 7) may be an SSB, a TRS, and/or the like. In some aspects, the reference signal 506 (e.g., 612 in FIG. 6; 706 in FIG. 7), or instances thereof, may be received more than once and/or by one or more antennas/receivers (e.g., 610 in FIG. 6) of the UE 502.

[0100] At 904, the UE obtains Rnn information from at least one noise tap of a CIR of the reference signal. As an example, the obtainment may be performed by one or more of the component 198, the transceiver(s) 1022, and/or the antenna 1080 in FIG. 10. FIG. 5 illustrates, in the context of FIGS. 6-7, an example of the UE 502 obtaining such Rnn information.

[0101] The UE 502 may be configured to obtain (at 508) Rnn information (e.g., 622 in FIG. 6; 722, 724 in FIG. 7), from at least one noise tap of a CIR of the reference signal (e.g., 612 in FIG. 6; 706 in FIG. 7). In aspects, the CIR may include multiple taps, e.g., 1024 taps, of which some may include signal/noise, while others of which may include solely noise. As described herein, taps that include solely noise may be referred to as noise taps. In some aspects, to obtain (at 508) the Rnn information (e.g., 622 in FIG. 6; 722, 724 in FIG. 7) from the at least one noise tap, the UE 502 may be configured to obtain (e.g., also at 508) whitening matrix of noise (Wnn) information (e.g., 616 in FIG. 6) based on the Rnn information (e.g., 622 in FIG. 6; 722, 724 in FIG. 7) (e.g., via a Cholesky inverse) (e.g., 624 in FIG. 6). In some aspects, to obtain (at 508) the Rnn information (e.g., 622 in FIG. 6; 722, 724 in FIG. 7) from the at least one noise tap, the UE 502 may be configured to extract the noise part from the CIR based on a CIR noise tap representation (e.g., a CIR noise bitmap of the UE 502) (e.g., 618 in FIG. 6), such as for antenna receivers (e.g., 610 in FIG. 6) of the UE 502. The Rnn information (e.g., 622 in FIG. 6; 722, 724 in FIG. 7) may be subsequently calculated by the UE 502 based on the CIR noise tap representation (e.g., 618 in FIG. 6).

[0102] At 906, the UE applies a noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information. As an example, the application may be performed by one or more of the component 198, the transceiver(s) 1022, and/or the antenna 1080 in FIG. 10. FIG. 5 illustrates, in the context of FIGS. 6-7, an example of the UE 502 applying such noise whitening to a CIR.

[0103] The UE 502 may be configured to apply (at 510) a noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information (e.g., 622 in FIG. 6; 722, 724 in FIG. 7). In aspects, to apply (at 510) the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information (e.g., 622 in FIG. 6; 722, 724 in FIG. 7), the UE 502 may be configured to apply (at 510) the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Wnn information (e.g., 616 in FIG. 6). The application (at 510) of the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information (e.g., 622 in FIG. 6; 722, 724 in FIG. 7) may be associated with an interference reduction of the neighboring node(s) for a better estimation and decoding of the control channel and.

[0104] In the context of FIG. 6, in aspects, the CIR described for the examples herein may be associated with time or frequency tracking loops and/or a channel characteristic for a Doppler estimation and/or delay-spread estimation at the UE 602. The UE 602 may be configured to apply the noise whitening (e.g., based on the Rnn information 622, or based the Wnn information 616 as shown) to the tracking loops. The UE 602 may be configured to apply the noise whitening (e.g., based on the Rnn information 622, or based the Wnn information 616 as shown) to the channel characteristic for the Doppler estimation and/or delay-spread estimation. The UE 602 may be configured to apply the noise whitening (e.g., based on the Rnn information 622, or based the Wnn information 616 as shown) to FIR-combined raw CIR.

[0105] At 908, the UE outputs an indication of the application of the noise whitening to the CIR. As an example, the communication(s) may be performed by one or more of the component 198, the transceiver(s) 1022, and/or the antenna 1080 in FIG. 10.

[0106] With reference to FIG. 5, in some aspects, the UE 502 may be configured to output an indication of the application (at 510) of the noise whitening to the CIR. For example, the UE 502 may be configured to transmit and/or to store the indication of the application (at 510) of the noise whitening to the CIR. In one example, the UE 502 may transmit the indication to the base station 504 as the serving cell and/or may transmit the indication to one or more neighboring cells of base stations (e.g., 606 in FIG. 6). In another example, the UE 502 may be configured to store the indication in a memory thereof or in a storage elsewhere, as described herein.

[0107] At 910, the UE communicates, with the network node, over the data channel based on at least one measurement of the data channel after the application of the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information. As an example, the communication(s) may be performed by one or more of the component 198, the transceiver(s) 1022, and/or the antenna 1080 in FIG. 10. FIG. 5 illustrates, in the context of FIGS. 6-7, an example of the UE 502 communicating with a network node (e.g., the base station 504).

[0108] The UE 502 may be configured to transmit/provide and/or receive a communication(s) 512 with the base station 504. In aspects, the UE 502 may be configured to transmit/provide and/or receive the communication(s) 512, with the base station 504, over a data channel based on at least one measurement of the data channel after the application (at 510) of the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information (e.g., 622 in FIG. 6; 722, 724 in FIG. 7). In aspects, application (at 510) of the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information (e.g., 622 in FIG. 6; 722, 724 in FIG. 7) may be associated with an interference reduction, such as for structured noise, of the at least one neighboring network node. That is, the channel parameters may be estimated by the UE 502, e.g., as part of performing channel estimation and decoding or prior thereto, based on the application (at 510) of the noise whitening better reflecting the channel characteristics.

[0109] FIG. 10 is a diagram 1000 illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for an apparatus 1004. The apparatus 1004 may be a UE, a component of a UE, or may implement UE functionality. In some aspects, the apparatus 1004 may include at least one cellular baseband processor 1024 (also referred to as a modem) coupled to one or more transceivers 1022 (e.g., cellular RF transceiver). The cellular baseband processor(s) 1024 may include at least one on-chip memory 1024. In some aspects, the apparatus 1004 may further include one or more subscriber identity modules (SIM) cards 1020 and at least one application processor 1006 coupled to a secure digital (SD) card 1008 and a screen 1010. The application processor(s) 1006 may include on-chip memory 1006. In some aspects, the apparatus 1004 may further include a Bluetooth module 1012, a WLAN module 1014, an SPS module 1016 (e.g., GNSS module), one or more sensor modules 1018 (e.g., barometric pressure sensor/altimeter; motion sensor such as inertial measurement unit (IMU), gyroscope, and/or accelerometer(s); light detection and ranging (LIDAR), radio assisted detection and ranging (RADAR), sound navigation and ranging (SONAR), magnetometer, audio and/or other technologies used for positioning), additional memory modules 1026, a power supply 1030, and/or a camera 1032. The Bluetooth module 1012, the WLAN module 1014, and the SPS module 1016 may include an on-chip transceiver (TRX) (or in some cases, just a receiver (RX)). The Bluetooth module 1012, the WLAN module 1014, and the SPS module 1016 may include their own dedicated antennas and/or utilize the antennas 1080 for communication. The cellular baseband processor(s) 1024 communicates through the transceiver(s) 1022 via one or more antennas 1080 with the UE 104 and/or with an RU associated with a network entity 1002. The cellular baseband processor(s) 1024 and the application processor(s) 1006 may each include a computer-readable medium/memory 1024, 1006, respectively. The additional memory modules 1026 may also be considered a computer-readable medium/memory. Each computer-readable medium/memory 1024, 1006, 1026 may be non-transitory. The cellular baseband processor(s) 1024 and the application processor(s) 1006 are each responsible for general processing, including the execution of software stored on the computer-readable medium/memory. The software, when executed by the cellular baseband processor(s) 1024/application processor(s) 1006, causes the cellular baseband processor(s) 1024/application processor(s) 1006 to perform the various functions described supra. The cellular baseband processor(s) 1024 and the application processor(s) 1006 are configured to perform the various functions described supra based at least in part of the information stored in the memory. That is, the cellular baseband processor(s) 1024 and the application processor(s) 1006 may be configured to perform a first subset of the various functions described supra without information stored in the memory and may be configured to perform a second subset of the various functions described supra based on the information stored in the memory. The computer-readable medium/memory may also be used for storing data that is manipulated by the cellular baseband processor(s) 1024/application processor(s) 1006 when executing software. The cellular baseband processor(s) 1024/application processor(s) 1006 may be a component of the UE 350 and may include the at least one memory 360 and/or at least one of the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and the controller/processor 359. In one configuration, the apparatus 1004 may be at least one processor chip (modem and/or application) and include just the cellular baseband processor(s) 1024 and/or the application processor(s) 1006, and in another configuration, the apparatus 1004 may be the entire UE (e.g., see UE 350 of FIG. 3) and include the additional modules of the apparatus 1004.

[0110] As discussed supra, the component 198 may be configured to receive, from a network node, a reference signal associated with the network node and at least one neighboring network node. The component 198 may also be configured to obtain Rnn information from at least one noise tap of a CIR of the reference signal. The component 198 may also be configured to apply a noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information. The component 198 may be configured to estimate an energy level of the CIR of the reference signal. The component 198 may be configured to obtain the at least one noise tap based on the energy level. The component 198 may be configured to communicate, with the network node, over the data channel based on at least one measurement of the data channel after the application of the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information. The component 198 may be configured to output an indication of the application of the noise whitening to the CIR. The component 198 may be further configured to perform any of the aspects described in connection with the flowcharts in any of FIGS. 8, 9 and/or any of the aspects performed by a UE for any of FIGS. 5-7. The component 198 may be within the cellular baseband processor(s) 1024, the application processor(s) 1006, or both the cellular baseband processor(s) 1024 and the application processor(s) 1006. The component 198 may be one or more hardware components specifically configured to carry out the stated processes/algorithm, implemented by one or more processors configured to perform the stated processes/algorithm, stored within a computer-readable medium for implementation by one or more processors, or some combination thereof. When multiple processors are implemented, the multiple processors may perform the stated processes/algorithm individually or in combination. As shown, the apparatus 1004 may include a variety of components configured for various functions. In one configuration, the apparatus 1004, and in particular the cellular baseband processor(s) 1024 and/or the application processor(s) 1006, may include means for receiving, from a network node, a reference signal associated with the network node and at least one neighboring network node. In the configuration, the apparatus 1004, and in particular the cellular baseband processor(s) 1024 and/or the application processor(s) 1006, may include means for obtaining Rnn information from at least one noise tap of a CIR of the reference signal. In the configuration, the apparatus 1004, and in particular the cellular baseband processor(s) 1024 and/or the application processor(s) 1006, may include means for applying a noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information. In one configuration, the apparatus 1004, and in particular the cellular baseband processor(s) 1024 and/or the application processor(s) 1006, may include means for estimating an energy level of the CIR of the reference signal. In one configuration, the apparatus 1004, and in particular the cellular baseband processor(s) 1024 and/or the application processor(s) 1006, may include means for obtaining the at least one noise tap based on the energy level. In one configuration, the apparatus 1004, and in particular the cellular baseband processor(s) 1024 and/or the application processor(s) 1006, may include means for communicating, with the network node, over the data channel based on at least one measurement of the data channel after the application of the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information. In one configuration, the apparatus 1004, and in particular the cellular baseband processor(s) 1024 and/or the application processor(s) 1006, may include means for outputting an indication of the application of the noise whitening to the CIR. The means may be the component 198 of the apparatus 1004 configured to perform the functions recited by the means. As described supra, the apparatus 1004 may include the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and the controller/processor 359. As such, in one configuration, the means may be the TX processor 368, the RX processor 356, and/or the controller/processor 359 configured to perform the functions recited by the means.

[0111] FIG. 11 is a diagram 1100 illustrating an example of a hardware implementation for a network entity 1102. The network entity 1102 may be a BS, a component of a BS, or may implement BS functionality. The network entity 1102 may include at least one of a CU 1110, a DU 1130, or an RU 1140. For example, depending on the layer functionality handled by the component 199, the network entity 1102 may include the CU 1110; both the CU 1110 and the DU 1130; each of the CU 1110, the DU 1130, and the RU 1140; the DU 1130; both the DU 1130 and the RU 1140; or the RU 1140. The CU 1110 may include at least one CU processor 1112. The CU processor(s) 1112 may include on-chip memory 1112. In some aspects, the CU 1110 may further include additional memory modules 1114 and a communications interface 1118. The CU 1110 communicates with the DU 1130 through a midhaul link, such as an F1 interface. The DU 1130 may include at least one DU processor 1132. The DU processor(s) 1132 may include on-chip memory 1132. In some aspects, the DU 1130 may further include additional memory modules 1134 and a communications interface 1138. The DU 1130 communicates with the RU 1140 through a fronthaul link. The RU 1140 may include at least one RU processor 1142. The RU processor(s) 1142 may include on-chip memory 1142. In some aspects, the RU 1140 may further include additional memory modules 1144, one or more transceivers 1146, antennas 1180, and a communications interface 1148. The RU 1140 communicates with the UE 104. The on-chip memory 1112, 1132, 1142 and the additional memory modules 1114, 1134, 1144 may each be considered a computer-readable medium/memory. Each computer-readable medium/memory may be non-transitory. Each of the processors 1112, 1132, 1142 is responsible for general processing, including the execution of software stored on the computer-readable medium/memory. The software, when executed by the corresponding processor(s) causes the processor(s) to perform the various functions described supra. The computer-readable medium/memory may also be used for storing data that is manipulated by the processor(s) when executing software.

[0112] As discussed supra, the component 199 may be configured to provide, for a UE, a reference signal associated with the network node and at least one neighboring network node. The component 199 may also be configured to communicate, with the UE, over the data channel based on at least one measurement of the data channel after an application of noise whitening to a CIR based on Rnn information associated with at least one noise tap of the CIR of the reference signal at the UE. The component 199 may be further configured to perform any of the aspects described in connection with the flowcharts in any of FIGS. 8, 9 and/or any of the aspects performed by a network node, base station, gNB, etc., for any of FIGS. 5-7. The component 199 may be within one or more processors of one or more of the CU 1110, DU 1130, and the RU 1140. The component 199 may be one or more hardware components specifically configured to carry out the stated processes/algorithm, implemented by one or more processors configured to perform the stated processes/algorithm, stored within a computer-readable medium for implementation by one or more processors, or some combination thereof. When multiple processors are implemented, the multiple processors may perform the stated processes/algorithm individually or in combination. The network entity 1102 may include a variety of components configured for various functions. In one configuration, the network entity 1102 may include means for providing, for a UE, a reference signal associated with the network node and at least one neighboring network node. In the configuration, the network entity 1102 may include means for communicating, with the UE, over the data channel based on at least one measurement of the data channel after an application of noise whitening to a CIR based on Rnn information associated with at least one noise tap of the CIR of the reference signal at the UE. The means may be the component 199 of the network entity 1102 configured to perform the functions recited by the means. As described supra, the network entity 1102 may include the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and the controller/processor 375. As such, in one configuration, the means may be the TX processor 316, the RX processor 370, and/or the controller/processor 375 configured to perform the functions recited by the means.

[0113] A network node and a UE in a wireless communication network may communicate in various configurations and using reference signals. One example communication scheme includes interference management for a network node acting as a serving cell of a UE and one or more other network nodes acting as neighboring cells. In such scenarios, infra-node deployment of SSB/TRS transmissions may result in the serving cell colliding with a neighbor cell(s). SSB/TRS transmission collisions may still occur despite attempts at avoidance of other collisions. As an example, parameter estimation errors in the presence of strong structured interference on SSB/TRS transmissions (e.g., at a cell-edge) may happen in such collisions. Further, the impact may be different than introducing the same amount of power offset for SSB/TRS, as the statistical properties of noise may be different. As a result, many estimation parameters (e.g., for tracking loops, for a Doppler characteristic and/or other channel characteristics, for SNE, etc.) could be significantly impacted. This issue may degrade the final throughput in various scenarios, such as highly frequency selective channels or fast fading channels. Throughput loss may be experienced in benign channels, and may be exacerbated in malignant channels.

[0114] The aspects herein for interference mitigation in SSB and/or TRS processing enable a UE to receive a reference signal from a network node (e.g., a base station, gNB, etc.) that is also associated with a neighboring node(s). In such aspects, the UE may be enabled to obtain Rnn information from at least one noise tap of a CIR of the reference signal and apply a noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information. The application of the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information may be associated with an interference reduction of the neighboring node(s) resulting in a better estimation and decoding of control channel and data channel. Aspects provide for nulling interference for a UE receiver to account for spatially correlated noise by applying CIR noise whitening. Aspects also provide for optimizations in antenna combining flows in the presence of structured noise by accounting for spatially correlated noise at multiple UE receivers.

[0115] It is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the processes/flowcharts disclosed is an illustration of example approaches. Based upon design preferences, it is understood that the specific order or hierarchy of blocks in the processes/flowcharts may be rearranged. Further, some blocks may be combined or omitted. The accompanying method claims present elements of the various blocks in a sample order, and are not limited to the specific order or hierarchy presented.

[0116] The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these aspects will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein may be applied to other aspects. Thus, the claims are not limited to the aspects described herein, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language claims. Reference to an element in the singular does not mean one and only one unless specifically so stated, but rather one or more. Terms such as if, when, and while do not imply an immediate temporal relationship or reaction. That is, these phrases, e.g., when, do not imply an immediate action in response to or during the occurrence of an action, but simply imply that if a condition is met then an action will occur, but without requiring a specific or immediate time constraint for the action to occur. The word exemplary is used herein to mean serving as an example, instance, or illustration. Any aspect described herein as exemplary is not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects. Unless specifically stated otherwise, the term some refers to one or more. Combinations such as at least one of A, B, or C, one or more of A, B, or C, at least one of A, B, and C, one or more of A, B, and C, and A, B, C, or any combination thereof include any combination of A, B, and/or C, and may include multiples of A, multiples of B, or multiples of C. Specifically, combinations such as at least one of A, B, or C, one or more of A, B, or C, at least one of A, B, and C, one or more of A, B, and C, and A, B, C, or any combination thereof may be A only, B only, C only, A and B, A and C, B and C, or A and B and C, where any such combinations may contain one or more member or members of A, B, or C. Sets should be interpreted as a set of elements where the elements number one or more. Accordingly, for a set of X, X would include one or more elements. When at least one processor is configured to perform a set of functions, the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is configured to perform the set of functions. Accordingly, each processor of the at least one processor may be configured to perform a particular subset of the set of functions, where the subset is the full set, a proper subset of the set, or an empty subset of the set. A processor may be referred to as processor circuitry. A memory/memory module may be referred to as memory circuitry. If a first apparatus receives data from or transmits data to a second apparatus, the data may be received/transmitted directly between the first and second apparatuses, or indirectly between the first and second apparatuses through a set of apparatuses. A device configured to output data or provide data, such as a transmission, signal, or message, may transmit the data, for example with a transceiver, or may send the data to a device that transmits the data. A device configured to obtain data, such as a transmission, signal, or message, may receive, for example with a transceiver, or may obtain the data from a device that receives the data. Information stored in a memory includes instructions and/or data. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the various aspects described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are expressly incorporated herein by reference and are encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. The words module, mechanism, element, device, and the like may not be a substitute for the word means. As such, no claim element is to be construed as a means plus function unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase means for.

[0117] As used herein, the phrase based on shall not be construed as a reference to a closed set of information, one or more conditions, one or more factors, or the like. In other words, the phrase based on A (where A may be information, a condition, a factor, or the like) shall be construed as based at least on A unless specifically recited differently.

[0118] The following aspects are illustrative only and may be combined with other aspects or teachings described herein, without limitation.

[0119] Aspect 1 is a method of wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising: receiving, from a network node, a reference signal associated with the network node and at least one neighboring network node; obtaining cross-correlation matrix (Rnn) information from at least one noise tap of a channel impulse response (CIR) of the reference signal; and applying a noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information.

[0120] Aspect 2 is the method of aspect 1, wherein obtaining the Rnn information from the at least one noise tap includes obtaining whitening matrix of noise (Wnn) information based on the Rnn information.

[0121] Aspect 3 is the method of aspect 2, wherein applying the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information includes applying the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Wnn information.

[0122] Aspect 4 is the method of aspect 2, wherein obtaining the Wnn information based on the Rnn information comprises obtaining the Wnn information based on a Cholesky inverse of the Rnn information.

[0123] Aspect 5 is the method of any of aspects 1 to 4, wherein the CIR is associated with at least one of frequency or time tracking loops, a Doppler characteristic, or a delay-spread characteristic.

[0124] Aspect 6 is the method of any of aspects 1 to 5, wherein the reference signal is at least one of a tracking reference signal (TRS) or a synchronized signal block (SSB).

[0125] Aspect 7 is the method of any of aspects 1 to 6, wherein the Rnn information from the at least one noise tap of the CIR includes a set of Rnn information associated with at least two receivers of the UE.

[0126] Aspect 8 is the method of any of aspects 1 to 7, wherein the application of the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information is associated with an interference reduction of the at least one neighboring network node for a data channel, the method further comprising: communicating, with the network node, over the data channel based on at least one measurement of the data channel after the application of the noise whitening to the CIR based on the Rnn information.

[0127] Aspect 9 is the method of any of aspects 1 to 8, further comprising: outputting an indication of the application of the noise whitening to the CIR.

[0128] Aspect 10 is the method of aspect 9, wherein outputting the indication of the application of the noise whitening to the CIR comprises: transmitting the indication of the application of the noise whitening to the CIR; or storing the indication of the application of the noise whitening to the CIR.

[0129] Aspect 11 is an apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising: at least one memory; and at least one processor coupled to the at least one memory, the at least one processor, individually or in any combination, is configured to perform the method of any of aspects 1 to 10.

[0130] Aspect 12 is an apparatus for wireless communication at a user equipment (UE), comprising means for performing each step in the method of any of aspects 1 to 11.

[0131] Aspect 13 is the apparatus of any of aspects 11 and 12, further comprising a transceiver configured to receive or to transmit in association with the method of any of aspects 1 to 10.

[0132] Aspect 14 is a computer-readable medium (e.g., a non-transitory computer-readable medium) storing computer executable code at a user equipment (UE), the code when executed by at least one processor causes the at least one processor to perform the method of any of aspects 1 to 10.