Resources for channel measurements

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus for wireless communications are described. A base station may identify resources associated with a beamformed signal, the identified resources being used by a user equipment (UE) for channel measurement of the beamformed signal, the beamformed signal being one of a plurality of beamformed signals. The base station may generate a signal indicating at least a portion of the identified resources and transmit the signal to the UE. The UE may receive the signal and perform channel measurement of the beamformed signal using the indicated resources. The UE may transmit a measurement report including the channel measurement associated with the beamformed signal to the base station.

Description

[0001] Cross-references

[0002] This patent application claims the benefit of U.S. Patent Application No. 16 / 143,799, entitled “Resources For Channel Measurements,” filed by Nagaraja et al. on September 27, 2018, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62 / 567,181, entitled “Resources For Channel Measurements,” filed by Nagaraja et al. on October 2, 2017; each of which is assigned to the assignee of this application. Background Art

[0003] The following relates generally to wireless communications, and more particularly to resources used for channel measurements.

[0004] Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide various types of communication content, such as voice, video, packet data, messaging, broadcast, and the like. These systems may be able to support communication with multiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., time, frequency, and power). Examples of such multiple access systems include fourth generation (4G) systems (such as long term evolution (LTE) systems or advanced LTE (LTE-A) systems), and fifth generation (5G) systems, which may be referred to as new radio (NR) systems. These systems may employ various technologies, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), or discrete Fourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-S-OFDM). A wireless multiple access communication system may include several base stations or network access nodes, each of which simultaneously supports communication with multiple communication devices, which may be further referred to as user equipment (UE).

[0005] Wireless communication systems may operate in the millimeter wave (mmW) frequency range, e.g., 28 GHz, 40 GHz, 60 GHz, etc. Wireless communication at these frequencies may be associated with increased signal attenuation (e.g., path loss), which may be affected by various factors, such as temperature, air pressure, diffraction, etc. As a result, signal processing techniques such as beamforming may be used to coherently combine energy and overcome path losses at these frequencies. Due to the increased amount of path loss in mmW communication systems, transmissions from base stations and / or UEs may be beamformed. In addition, a receiving device may use beamforming techniques to configure antenna(s) and / or antenna array(s) so that transmissions are received in a directional manner.

[0006] Millimeter wave wireless communication systems, while promising, present new challenges. For example, beamformed transmissions can have varying beam configurations so that each beam can have a different beam width, a different beam direction, and the like. Typically, a narrow beam width can have a relatively deep but narrow coverage area, while a wider beam width can have a relatively shallow but wide coverage area. The "coverage area" (or occupied area) within the context of a beamformed transmission can vary from one transmission to the next. A base station can use a variety of beamformed transmissions, such as reference signals, system information signals, and the like. However, each beamformed transmission can use different resources, where these resources can change for each transmission. This can present difficulties for a UE attempting to locate, receive, and / or measure a beamformed transmission.

[0007] Overview

[0008] The described technology relates to improved methods, systems, devices or apparatuses (equipment) that support resources for channel measurement. In general, the described technology provides a base station to transmit to a user equipment (UE) which resources (e.g., time, frequency, beam, etc.) the UE can use for channel measurement (e.g., interference measurement, etc.). In particular, various aspects of the described technology provide a manner in which resource information is specified or otherwise communicated to the UE. Resource information and associated channel measurements can support beam management, mobility, etc. As an example, a base station may have multiple available beamformed signals, such as synchronization signals, reference signals, etc. Some or all available beamformed signals may use different resources, such as time, frequency, quasi-co-located (QCL) information, etc. The base station may identify resources for some or all available beamformed signals and generate a signal that carries or otherwise communicates an indication of the resources. The base station may transmit a signal to the UE, and the UE may use the indicated resources to identify which beamformed signals will be used for channel measurement. The UE may use the indicated resources to perform channel measurement and transmit a measurement report to the base station based at least in part on the channel measurement.

[0009] A wireless communication method is described. The method may include: identifying resources associated with a beamformed signal, the identified resources being used by a UE for channel measurement of the beamformed signal, the beamformed signal being one of a plurality of beamformed signals; generating a signal indicating at least a portion of the identified resources; and transmitting the signal to the UE.

[0010] An apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatus may include: means for identifying resources associated with a beamformed signal, the identified resources being used by a UE for channel measurement of the beamformed signal, the beamformed signal being one of a plurality of beamformed signals; means for generating a signal indicating at least a portion of the identified resources; and means for transmitting the signal to the UE.

[0011] Another apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory in electronic communication with the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions are operable to cause the processor to: identify resources associated with a beamformed signal, the identified resources being used by a UE for channel measurement of the beamformed signal, the beamformed signal being one of a plurality of beamformed signals; generate a signal indicating at least a portion of the identified resources; and transmit the signal to the UE.

[0012] A non-transitory computer-readable medium for wireless communication is described. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may include instructions operable to cause a processor to: identify resources associated with a beamformed signal, the identified resources used by a UE for channel measurement of the beamformed signal, the beamformed signal being one of a plurality of beamformed signals; generate a signal indicating at least a portion of the identified resources; and transmit the signal to the UE.

[0013] Some examples of the above methods, apparatuses, and non-transitory computer-readable media may further include a process, feature, device, or instruction for receiving a measurement report associated with the beamformed signal based at least in part on the identified resource.

[0014] Some examples of the above methods, equipment (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media may further include a process, feature, device, or instruction for identifying a receive beam used by the UE to receive a previously beamformed signal. Some examples of the above methods, equipment (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media may further include a process, feature, device, or instruction for generating a signal to indicate a receive beam, wherein the identified resource includes a receive beam.

[0015] Some examples of the above-described methods, equipment (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media may further include processes, features, devices, or instructions for generating at least one of the following as a signal indicating at least a portion of the identified resource: a system information signal, or a radio resource control (RRC) signal, a switching message, or a combination thereof.

[0016] Some examples of the above-mentioned methods, devices (equipment) and non-transitory computer-readable media may further include processes, features, devices, or instructions for configuring at least one of the following to enable the UE to use the identified resources for channel measurement: media access control (MAC) control element (CE), or downlink control information (DCI), or a combination thereof.

[0017] Some examples of the above methods, apparatuses (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media may further include a process, feature, device, or instruction for applying a mask to a bit or field in a signal to indicate an identified resource.

[0018] Some examples of the above-mentioned methods, equipment (devices) and non-transitory computer-readable media may further include a process, feature, device or instruction for determining that a measurement report received from a UE includes an interference level that satisfies a threshold for a resource subset, wherein the identified resources may be based at least in part on the resource subset.

[0019] Some examples of the above methods, equipment (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media may further include a process, feature, device, or instruction for identifying a resource set associated with one or more neighboring base stations located adjacent to the UE. Some examples of the above methods, equipment (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media may further include a process, feature, device, or instruction for generating a signal to indicate a resource set,

[0020] Some examples of the above methods, equipment (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media may further include processes, features, devices, or instructions for coordinating with one or more neighboring base stations to identify resource sets.

[0021] In some examples of the above-mentioned methods, equipment (devices) and non-transitory computer-readable media, the identified resources include at least one of the following: time resources, or frequency resources, or time-frequency resources, or bandwidth resources, or specified QCL information, or system frame number (SFN), or time slot index, or codeword index, or measurement window, or a combination thereof.

[0022] In some examples of the above-mentioned methods, equipment (devices) and non-transitory computer-readable media, the identified resources may be associated with at least one of the following items of transmission: a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) region, or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) region, or a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) region, or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) region, or a combination thereof.

[0023] A wireless communication method is described. The method may include: receiving a signal from a base station indicating resources for a beamformed signal within a plurality of beamformed signals; performing a channel measurement of the beamformed signal using the indicated resources; and transmitting a measurement report including the channel measurement associated with the beamformed signal to the base station.

[0024] An apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatus may include: means for receiving a signal from a base station indicating resources for a beamformed signal within a plurality of beamformed signals; means for performing channel measurements of the beamformed signal using the indicated resources; and means for transmitting a measurement report including the channel measurement associated with the beamformed signal to the base station.

[0025] Another apparatus for wireless communication is described. The apparatus may include a processor, a memory in electronic communication with the processor, and instructions stored in the memory. The instructions are operable to cause the processor to: receive a signal from a base station indicating resources for a beamformed signal within a plurality of beamformed signals; perform channel measurements of the beamformed signal using the indicated resources; and transmit a measurement report to the base station including the channel measurements associated with the beamformed signal.

[0026] A non-transitory computer-readable medium for wireless communication is described. The non-transitory computer-readable medium may include instructions operable to cause a processor to: receive a signal from a base station indicating resources for a beamformed signal within a plurality of beamformed signals; perform channel measurements of the beamformed signal using the indicated resources; and transmit a measurement report including the channel measurements associated with the beamformed signal to the base station.

[0027] Some examples of the above-described methods, equipment (devices) and non-transitory computer-readable media may further include a previous measurement report process, feature, device or instruction for transmitting a previous measurement report identifying a receive beam for measuring a beamformed signal, wherein the signal includes an indication of the receive beam.

[0028] Some examples of the above methods, equipment (devices) and non-transitory computer-readable media may further include processes, features, devices or instructions for performing channel measurements on at least one beamformed signal from one or more neighboring base stations based at least in part on the signal.

[0029] Some examples of the above methods, equipment (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media may further include a process, feature, device, or instruction for determining, based at least in part on the channel measurement, that the interference level of the beamformed signal exceeds a threshold. Some examples of the above methods, equipment (devices), and non-transitory computer-readable media may further include a process, feature, device, or instruction for omitting an indication of the interference level from the measurement report. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] Figure 1

[0013] An example of a system for wireless communication supporting resources for channel measurements in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0032] Figure 2

[0013] An example of a system for wireless communication supporting resources for channel measurements in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0033] Figure 3 An example of a process for supporting resources for channel measurements in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0034] Figures 4 to 6 A block diagram of a device supporting resources for channel measurement according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0035] Figure 7 A block diagram of a system including a base station supporting resources for channel measurement in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0036] Figures 8 to 10 A block diagram of a device supporting resources for channel measurement according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0037] Fig.11 A block diagram of a system including a UE supporting resources for channel measurement is illustrated in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

[0038] Figures 12 to 15 Methods for resources for channel measurement in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure are illustrated.

[0039] Detailed Description

[0040] Next generation wireless communication systems may rely on millimeter wave (mmW) communication technology. MmW technology typically uses beamformed transmission / reception to provide directional communication. Each beamformed transmission / reception may have an associated beam configuration, such as beam width, beamforming configuration, beam shape, etc. A beam configuration may refer to a digital / analog antenna configuration that provides directional transmission toward a receiving device, such as a user equipment (UE). A receive beam may refer to a digital / analog antenna configuration that provides beam-directional reception from a transmitting device. A transmit beam may refer to a digital / analog antenna configuration that provides beam-directional transmission from a transmitting device. For beam pairs used for wireless communication, the transmit beam may be the same or different from the receive beam (e.g., due to beam reflection, diffraction, etc.).

[0041] In addition, certain beamformed transmissions may include the use of quasi-co-located (QCL) information about the transmitting device. In general, if large-scale properties of the channel over which symbols on one antenna port are communicated can be inferred from the channel over which symbols on another antenna port are communicated, then the two or more antenna ports may be considered to be QCL. In some aspects, the large-scale properties may include one or more of delay spread, Doppler spread, Doppler shift, average gain, average delay, departure angle, arrival angle, etc. (alone or in any combination).

[0042] mmW wireless communication systems present unique challenges with respect to interference management, media access, etc. For example, the directionality of transmission and / or reception demonstrates a certain level of interference isolation in mmW systems. mmW communications present unique challenges with respect to high path loss. mmW wireless communication systems may use techniques such as hybrid beamforming (analog and digital) for beamformed signals. Hybrid beamforming may create narrow beam directional patterns that may enhance link budget / signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). For beam management, layer 3 (L3) mobility, etc., in radio resource control (RRC) connected or idle mode, the UE may need to measure the signal quality of one or more beams and report the signal quality to the base station.

[0043] Various aspects of the present disclosure are initially described in the context of a wireless communication system. Various aspects of the described technology provide identification and indication of which resources a UE is to use for channel measurement, and in some aspects, provide how to provide indications of resources to the UE. For example, a base station may identify resources allocated to or otherwise used for a beamformed signal. A beamformed signal may be one beamformed signal among multiple beamformed signals, for example in a multi-signal scenario (such as a mmW wireless communication system). The base station may configure or otherwise generate a signal (e.g., a message) to carry or otherwise convey an indication of resources and transmit the signal to the UE. The UE may receive the signal and use the indication to identify the resources for the beamformed signal. The UE may use the beamformed signal to perform channel measurements and transmit a measurement report back to the base station.

[0044] Aspects of the present disclosure are further illustrated and described by and with reference to apparatus diagrams, system diagrams, and flow diagrams related to resources for channel measurements.

[0045] Figure 1 An example of a wireless communication system 100 according to various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. The wireless communication system 100 includes a base station 105, a UE 115, and a core network 130. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may be a long term evolution (LTE) network, an advanced LTE (LTE-A) network, or a new radio (NR) network. In some cases, the wireless communication system 100 may support enhanced broadband communications, ultra-reliable (e.g., mission-critical) communications, low latency communications, or communications with low-cost and low-complexity devices.

[0046] The base station 105 may communicate wirelessly with the UE 115 via one or more base station antennas. The base station 105 described herein may include or may be referred to by those skilled in the art as a base transceiver station, a radio base station, an access point, a radio transceiver, a Node B, an evolved Node B (eNB), a next generation Node B, or a Gigabit Node B (any of which may be referred to as a gNB), a Home Node B, a Home Evolved Node B, or some other suitable terminology. The wireless communication system 100 may include different types of base stations 105 (e.g., macro base stations or small cell base stations). The UE 115 described herein may be able to communicate with various types of base stations 105 and network equipment (including macro eNBs, small cell eNBs, gNBs, relay base stations, etc.).

[0047] Each base station 105 may be associated with a particular geographic coverage area 110 in which it supports communications with various UEs 115. Each base station 105 may provide communications coverage for a respective geographic coverage area 110 via a communication link 125, and the communication link 125 between the base station 105 and the UE 115 may utilize one or more carriers. The communication link 125 shown in the wireless communication system 100 may include an uplink transmission from the UE 115 to the base station 105, or a downlink transmission from the base station 105 to the UE 115. Downlink transmissions may also be referred to as forward link transmissions, and uplink transmissions may also be referred to as reverse link transmissions.

[0048] The geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 105 may be divided into sectors that constitute only a portion of the geographic coverage area 110, and each sector may be associated with a cellular cell. For example, each base station 105 may provide communication coverage for a macrocellular cell, a small cellular cell, a hotspot, or other types of cellular cells, or various combinations thereof. In some examples, the base station 105 may be mobile and therefore provide communication coverage for a mobile geographic coverage area 110. In some examples, different geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may overlap, and overlapping geographic coverage areas 110 associated with different technologies may be supported by the same base station 105 or different base stations 105. The wireless communication system 100 may include, for example, a heterogeneous LTE / LTE-A, or NR network, in which different types of base stations 105 provide coverage for various geographic coverage areas 110.

[0049] The term "cell" refers to a logical communication entity for communicating with base station 105 (e.g., on a carrier), and may be associated with an identifier to distinguish adjacent cells operating via the same or different carriers (e.g., physical cell identifier (PCID), virtual cell identifier (VCID)). In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured according to different protocol types that may provide access to different types of devices (e.g., machine type communication (MTC), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or others). In some cases, the term "cell" may refer to a portion of a geographic coverage area 110 (e.g., a sector) on which the logical entity operates.

[0050] Each UE 115 may be dispersed throughout the wireless communication system 100, and each UE 115 may be stationary or mobile. UE 115 may also be referred to as a mobile device, a wireless device, a remote device, a handheld device, or a subscriber device, or some other suitable term, wherein "device" may also be referred to as a unit, a station, a terminal, or a client. UE 115 may also be a personal electronic device, such as a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet computer, a laptop computer, or a personal computer. In some examples, UE 115 may also refer to a wireless local loop (WLL) station, an Internet of Things (IoT) device, an Internet of Everything (IoE) device, or an MTC device, etc., which may be implemented in various items such as electrical appliances, vehicles, meters, etc.

[0051] Some UEs 115, such as MTC or IoT devices, may be low-cost or low-complexity devices and may provide automated communication between machines (e.g., via machine-to-machine (M2M) communication). M2M communication or MTC may refer to data communication technology that allows devices to communicate with each other or with a base station 105 without human intervention. In some examples, M2M communication or MTC may include communications from devices that integrate sensors or meters to measure or capture information and relay the information to a central server or application, which may utilize the information or present the information to a person interacting with the program or application. Some UEs 115 may be designed to collect information or implement automated behavior of machines. Examples of applications for MTC devices include: smart metering, inventory monitoring, water level monitoring, equipment monitoring, health care monitoring, field survival monitoring, weather and geographic event monitoring, queue management and tracking, remote security sensing, physical access control, and transaction-based commercial charging.

[0052] Some UEs 115 may be configured to employ a reduced power consumption mode of operation, such as half-duplex communication (e.g., a mode that supports one-way communication via transmission or reception but not simultaneous transmission and reception). In some examples, half-duplex communication may be performed with a reduced peak rate. Other power saving techniques for UE 115 include entering a power saving "deep sleep" mode when not engaged in active communications, or operating over a limited bandwidth (e.g., in accordance with narrowband communications). In some cases, UE 115 may be designed to support critical functions (e.g., mission critical functions), and the wireless communication system 100 may be configured to provide ultra-reliable communications for these functions.

[0053] In some cases, UE 115 may also be able to communicate directly with other UE 115 (e.g., using a peer-to-peer (P2P) or device-to-device (D2D) protocol). One or more UEs in a group of UEs 115 utilizing D2D communication may be within the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 105. Other UEs 115 in such a group may be outside the geographic coverage area 110 of the base station 105, or may not be able to receive transmissions from the base station 105 for other reasons. In some cases, each group of UEs 115 communicating via D2D communication may utilize a one-to-many (1:M) system, in which each UE 115 transmits to each other UE 115 in the group. In some cases, the base station 105 facilitates the scheduling of resources for D2D communication. In other cases, D2D communication is performed between UEs 115 without involving the base station 105.

[0054] Each base station 105 can communicate with the core network 130 and with each other. For example, the base station 105 can interface with the core network 130 via a backhaul link 132 (e.g., via S1 or other interface). The base stations 105 can communicate with each other directly (e.g., directly between each base station 105) or indirectly (e.g., via the core network 130) on a backhaul link 134 (e.g., via X2 or other interface).

[0055] The core network 130 may provide user authentication, access authorization, tracking, Internet Protocol (IP) connectivity, and other access, routing, or mobility functions. The core network 130 may be an evolved packet core (EPC), which may include at least one mobility management entity (MME), at least one serving gateway (S-GW), and at least one packet data network (PDN) gateway (P-GW). The MME may manage non-access layer (e.g., control plane) functions such as mobility, authentication, and bearer management of UEs 115 served by base stations 105 associated with the EPC. User IP packets may be delivered through the S-GW, which itself may be connected to the P-GW. The P-GW may provide IP address allocation and other functions. The P-GW may be connected to network operator IP services. Operator IP services may include access to the Internet, an intranet, an IP multimedia subsystem (IMS), or packet switched (PS) streaming services.

[0056] At least some network devices (such as base stations 105) may include subcomponents, such as access network entities, which may be examples of access node controllers (ANCs). Each access network entity may communicate with each UE 115 through a number of other access network transport entities, which may be referred to as radio heads, smart radio heads, or transmission / reception points (TRPs). In some configurations, the various functions of each access network entity or base station 105 may be distributed across various network devices (e.g., radio heads and access network controllers) or merged into a single network device (e.g., base station 105).

[0057] The wireless communication system 100 can operate using one or more frequency bands, typically in the range of 300 MHz to 300 GHz. In general, the region of 300 MHz to 3 GHz is referred to as the ultra-high frequency (UHF) region or decimeter band because the wavelengths are in the range of from about 1 decimeter to 1 meter long. UHF waves can be blocked or redirected by buildings and environmental features. However, the waves can penetrate various structures sufficiently for macro cells to provide services to UEs 115 located indoors. Transmission of UHF waves can be associated with smaller antennas and shorter ranges (e.g., less than 100 km) compared to transmission using lower frequencies and longer waves in the high frequency (HF) or very high frequency (VHF) portion of the spectrum below 300 MHz.

[0058] The wireless communication system 100 may also operate in the very high frequency (SHF) region using a frequency band from 3 GHz to 30 GHz, also known as a centimeter frequency band. The SHF region includes frequency bands that may be opportunistically used by devices that can tolerate interference from other users, such as the 5 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band.

[0059] The wireless communication system 100 may also operate in the extremely high frequency (EHF) region of the spectrum (e.g., from 30 GHz to 300 GHz), which is also referred to as the millimeter band. In some examples, the wireless communication system 100 may support mmW communications between the UE 115 and the base station 105, and the EHF antennas of the corresponding devices may be even smaller and more closely spaced than the UHF antennas. In some cases, this may facilitate the use of antenna arrays within the UE 115. However, the propagation of EHF transmissions may be subject to even greater atmospheric attenuation and shorter range than SHF or UHF transmissions. The technology disclosed herein may be adopted across transmissions using one or more different frequency regions, and the use of frequency bands specified across these frequency regions may vary by country or regulatory agency.

[0060] In some cases, the wireless communication system 100 may utilize both licensed and unlicensed radio frequency spectrum bands. For example, the wireless communication system 100 may adopt license assisted access (LAA), LTE unlicensed (LTE-U) radio access technology, or NR technology in an unlicensed band (such as a 5GHz ISM band). When operating in an unlicensed radio frequency spectrum band, wireless devices (such as base stations 105 and UE 115) may adopt a listen-before-talk (LBT) procedure to ensure that the frequency channel is clear before transmitting data. In some cases, operations in unlicensed bands may be based on CA configurations (e.g., LAA) in coordination with CCs operating in licensed bands. Operations in unlicensed spectrum may include downlink transmissions, uplink transmissions, peer-to-peer transmissions, or a combination of these. Duplexing in unlicensed spectrum may be based on frequency division duplexing (FDD), time division duplexing (TDD), or a combination of the two.

[0061] In some examples, the base station 105 or the UE 115 may be equipped with multiple antennas, which may be used to employ techniques such as transmit diversity, receive diversity, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication, or beamforming. For example, the wireless communication system 100 may use a transmission scheme between a transmitting device (e.g., the base station 105) and a receiving device (e.g., the UE 115), wherein the transmitting device is equipped with multiple antennas and the receiving device is equipped with one or more antennas. MIMO communication may employ multipath signal propagation to increase spectral efficiency by transmitting or receiving multiple signals via different spatial layers, which may be referred to as spatial multiplexing. For example, the transmitting device may transmit multiple signals via different antennas or different antenna combinations. Similarly, the receiving device may receive multiple signals via different antennas or different antenna combinations. Each of these multiple signals may be referred to as a separate spatial stream and may carry bits associated with the same data stream (e.g., the same codeword) or different data streams. Different spatial layers may be associated with different antenna ports for channel measurement and reporting. MIMO technology includes single-user MIMO (SU-MIMO), in which multiple spatial layers are transmitted to the same receiving device, and multi-user MIMO (MU-MIMO), in which multiple spatial layers are transmitted to multiple devices.

[0062] Beamforming (which may also be referred to as spatial filtering, directional transmission, or directional reception) is a signal processing technique that may be used at a transmitting device or a receiving device (e.g., a base station 105 or a UE 115) to shape or steer an antenna beam (e.g., a transmit beam or a receive beam) along a spatial path between the transmitting device and the receiving device. Beamforming may be achieved by combining signals communicated via antenna elements of an antenna array so that signals propagating at a particular orientation relative to the antenna array experience constructive interference, while other signals experience destructive interference. Adjustments to signals communicated via antenna elements may include the transmitting device or the receiving device applying a particular amplitude and phase shift to the signal carried via each antenna element associated with the device. Adjustments associated with each antenna element may be defined by a set of beamforming weights associated with a particular orientation (e.g., relative to the antenna array of the transmitting device or the receiving device, or relative to some other orientation).

[0063] In one example, the base station 105 may use multiple antennas or antenna arrays to perform beamforming operations for directional communication with the UE 115. For example, some signals (e.g., synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) may be transmitted multiple times by the base station 105 in different directions, which may include signals transmitted according to different beamforming weight sets associated with different transmission directions. Transmissions in different beam directions may be used to identify (e.g., by the base station 105 or a receiving device, such as the UE 115) a beam direction used by the base station 105 for subsequent transmission and / or reception. Some signals (such as data signals associated with a particular receiving device) may be transmitted by the base station 105 in a single beam direction (e.g., a direction associated with a receiving device (such as the UE 115)). In some examples, the beam direction associated with transmissions along a single beam direction may be determined based at least in part on signals transmitted in different beam directions. For example, UE 115 may receive one or more signals transmitted by base station 105 in different directions, and UE 115 may report indications of the signals it received with the highest signal quality or other acceptable signal quality to base station 105. Although these techniques are described with reference to signals transmitted by base station 105 in one or more directions, UE 115 may use similar techniques for transmitting signals multiple times in different directions (e.g., for identifying a beam direction for subsequent transmission or reception by UE 115) or for transmitting signals in a single direction (e.g., for transmitting data to a recipient device).

[0064] A receiving device (e.g., UE 115, which may be an example of a mmW receiving device) may try multiple receive beams when receiving various signals (such as synchronization signals, reference signals, beam selection signals, or other control signals) from base station 105. For example, the receiving device may try multiple receive directions by receiving via different antenna subarrays, processing received signals according to different antenna subarrays, receiving according to different receive beamforming weight sets applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of an antenna array, or processing received signals according to different receive beamforming weight sets applied to signals received at multiple antenna elements of an antenna array, any of which may be referred to as "listening" according to different receive beams or receive directions. In some examples, the receiving device may use a single receive beam to receive along a single beam direction (e.g., when receiving a data signal). A single receive beam may be aligned in a beam direction determined based at least in part on listening according to different receive beam directions (e.g., a beam direction determined to have the highest signal strength, highest signal-to-noise ratio, or other acceptable signal quality based at least in part on listening according to multiple beam directions).

[0065] In some cases, the antennas of a base station 105 or a UE 115 may be located within one or more antenna arrays that may support MIMO operations or transmit or receive beamforming. For example, one or more base station antennas or antenna arrays may be co-located at an antenna assembly, such as an antenna tower. In some cases, the antennas or antenna arrays associated with a base station 105 may be located at different geographic locations. A base station 105 may have an antenna array having several rows and columns of antenna ports that the base station 105 may use to support beamforming for communications with a UE 115. Likewise, a UE 115 may have one or more antenna arrays that may support various MIMO or beamforming operations.

[0066] In some cases, the wireless communication system 100 can be a packet-based network that operates according to a layered protocol stack. In the user plane, the communication of the bearer or packet data convergence protocol (PDCP) layer can be based on IP. In some cases, the radio link control (RLC) layer can perform packet segmentation and reorganization to communicate on the logical channel. The media access control (MAC) layer can perform priority handling and multiplex logical channels into transport channels. The MAC layer can also use hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) to provide retransmission of the MAC layer, thereby improving link efficiency. In the control plane, the RRC protocol layer can provide the establishment, configuration and maintenance of the RRC connection of the radio bearer supporting user plane data between the UE 115 and the base station 105 or the core network 130. In the physical (PHY) layer, the transport channel can be mapped to the physical channel.

[0067] In some cases, UE 115 and base station 105 may support retransmission of data to increase the likelihood that the data is successfully received. HARQ feedback is a technique that increases the likelihood of correctly receiving data on communication link 125. HARQ may include a combination of error detection (e.g., using a cyclic redundancy check (CRC)), forward error correction (FEC), and retransmission (e.g., automatic repeat request (ARQ)). HARQ can improve the throughput of the MAC layer in poor radio conditions (e.g., signal-to-noise ratio conditions). In some cases, a wireless device may support simultaneous slot HARQ feedback, where the device may provide HARQ feedback in a specific time slot for data received in a previous symbol in the time slot. In other cases, the device may provide HARQ feedback in a subsequent time slot or according to some other time interval.

[0068] The time interval in LTE or NR can be represented by a basic time unit (which may refer to a sampling period T, for example). s =1 / 30,720,000 seconds). The time intervals of the communication resources may be organized according to radio frames each having a duration of 10 milliseconds (ms), where the frame period may be expressed as T f =307,200T s . A radio frame may be identified by a system frame number (SFN) ranging from 0 to 1023. Each frame may include 10 subframes numbered from 0 to 9, and each subframe may have a duration of 1 ms. A subframe may be further divided into 2 time slots, each having a duration of 0.5 ms, where each time slot may contain 6 or 7 modulation codeword periods (e.g., depending on the length of the cyclic prefix added before each codeword period). Excluding the cyclic prefix, each codeword period may contain 2048 sampling periods. In some cases, a subframe may be the minimum scheduling unit of the wireless communication system 100 and may be referred to as a transmission time interval (TTI). In other cases, the minimum scheduling unit of the wireless communication system 100 may be shorter than a subframe or may be dynamically selected (e.g., in a burst of a shortened TTI (sTTI) or in a selected component carrier using sTTI).

[0069] In some wireless communication systems, a time slot may be further divided into a plurality of mini-slots containing one or more symbols. In some instances, a symbol of a mini-slot or a mini-slot may be the minimum scheduling unit. For example, each symbol may vary in duration depending on the subcarrier spacing or the operating frequency band. Further, some wireless communication systems may implement time slot aggregation, wherein a plurality of time slots or mini-slots are aggregated together and used for communication between UE 115 and base station 105.

[0070] The term "carrier" refers to a set of radio frequency spectrum resources having a defined physical layer structure for supporting communications on the communication link 125. For example, a carrier of the communication link 125 may include a portion of a radio frequency spectrum band that operates according to a physical layer channel for a given radio access technology. Each physical layer channel may carry user data, control information, or other signaling. A carrier may be associated with a predefined frequency channel (e.g., an E-UTRA Absolute Radio Frequency Channel Number (EARFCN)) and may be located according to a channel grid for discovery by a UE 115. A carrier may be downlink or uplink (e.g., in FDD mode), or may be configured to carry downlink communications and uplink communications (e.g., in TDD mode). In some examples, a signal waveform transmitted on a carrier may include multiple subcarriers (e.g., using a multi-carrier modulation (MCM) technique such as OFDM or DFT-s-OFDM).

[0071] The organizational structure of a carrier may be different for different radio access technologies (e.g., LTE, LTE-A, NR, etc.). For example, communications on a carrier may be organized according to TTIs or time slots, each of which may include user data and control information or signaling to support decoding of the user data. A carrier may also include dedicated acquisition signaling (e.g., synchronization signals or system information, etc.) and control signaling to coordinate carrier operations. In some examples (e.g., in a carrier aggregation configuration), a carrier may also have acquisition signaling or control signaling to coordinate the operations of other carriers.

[0072] Physical channels may be multiplexed on a carrier according to various techniques. Physical control channels and physical data channels may be multiplexed on a downlink carrier, for example, using a time division multiplexing (TDM) technique, a frequency division multiplexing (FDM) technique, or a hybrid TDM-FDM technique. In some examples, control information transmitted in a physical control channel may be distributed in a cascaded manner between different control regions (e.g., between a common control region or a common search space and one or more UE-specific control regions or UE-specific search spaces).

[0073] A carrier may be associated with a particular bandwidth of the radio frequency spectrum, and in some examples, the carrier bandwidth may be referred to as the "system bandwidth" of the carrier or wireless communication system 100. For example, the carrier bandwidth may be one of several predetermined bandwidths of a carrier for a particular radio access technology (e.g., 1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20, 40, or 80 MHz). In some examples, each served UE 115 may be configured to operate on part or all of the carrier bandwidth. In other examples, some UEs 115 may be configured to operate using a narrowband protocol type associated with a predefined portion or range (e.g., a set of subcarriers or RBs) within a carrier (e.g., an "in-band" deployment of a narrowband protocol type).

[0074] In a system using MCM technology, a resource element may include a symbol period (e.g., the duration of a modulation symbol) and a subcarrier, where the symbol period and the subcarrier spacing are inversely related. The number of bits carried by each resource element may depend on the modulation scheme (e.g., the order of the modulation scheme). Thus, the more resource elements received by UE 115 and the higher the order of the modulation scheme, the higher the data rate of UE 115 can be. In a MIMO system, wireless communication resources may refer to a combination of radio frequency spectrum resources, time resources, and space resources (e.g., space layers), and the use of multiple space layers may further increase the data rate of communication with UE 115.

[0075] A device (e.g., base station 105 or UE 115) of wireless communication system 100 may have a hardware configuration that supports communication on a particular carrier bandwidth, or may be configurable to support communication on one of a set of carrier bandwidths. In some examples, wireless communication system 100 may include base stations 105 and / or UEs that may support simultaneous communication via carriers associated with more than one different carrier bandwidths.

[0076] The wireless communication system 100 may support communication with the UE 115 on multiple cells or carriers, a feature that may be referred to as carrier aggregation (CA) or multi-carrier operation. The UE 115 may be configured with multiple downlink CCs and one or more uplink CCs according to a carrier aggregation configuration. Carrier aggregation may be used with both FDD and TDD component carriers.

[0077] In some cases, the wireless communication system 100 may utilize an enhanced component carrier (eCC). An eCC may be characterized by one or more features including a wider carrier or frequency channel bandwidth, a shorter symbol duration, a shorter TTI duration, or a modified control channel configuration. In some cases, an eCC may be associated with a carrier aggregation configuration or a dual connectivity configuration (e.g., when multiple serving cells have suboptimal or non-ideal backhaul links). An eCC may also be configured for use in an unlicensed spectrum or a shared spectrum (e.g., where more than one operator is allowed to use the spectrum). An eCC characterized by a wide carrier bandwidth may include one or more segments that may be utilized by a UE 115 that is not capable of monitoring the entire carrier bandwidth or is otherwise configured to use a limited carrier bandwidth (e.g., to save power).

[0078] In some cases, an eCC may utilize a different symbol duration than other CCs, which may include using a reduced symbol duration compared to the symbol duration of other CCs. A shorter symbol duration may be associated with an increased spacing between adjacent subcarriers. A device utilizing an eCC (such as a UE 115 or a base station 105) may transmit a wideband signal (e.g., based on a frequency channel or carrier bandwidth of 20, 40, 60, 80 MHz, etc.) with a reduced symbol duration (e.g., 16.67 microseconds). A TTI in an eCC may include one or more symbol periods. In some cases, the TTI duration (i.e., the number of symbol periods in a TTI) may be variable.

[0079] Wireless communication systems such as NR systems may utilize any combination of licensed, shared, and unlicensed bands, etc. The flexibility of eCC symbol duration and subcarrier spacing may allow eCC to be used across multiple spectrums. In some examples, NR shared spectrum may increase spectrum utilization and spectrum efficiency, particularly through dynamic vertical (e.g., across frequency) and horizontal (e.g., across time) sharing of resources.

[0080] The base station 105 may identify resources associated with the beamformed signal. The identified resources may be used by the UE 115 for channel measurement of the beamformed signal. The beamformed signal may be one of a plurality of beamformed signals. The base station 105 may generate a signal indicating at least a portion of the identified resources. The base station 105 may transmit the signal to the UE 115.

[0081] UE 115 may receive a signal from base station 105 indicating resources for a beamformed signal within a plurality of beamformed signals. UE 115 may perform channel measurements of the beamformed signal using the indicated resources. UE 115 may transmit a measurement report to base station 105 including the channel measurements associated with the beamformed signal.

[0082] Figure 2 An example of a wireless communication system 200 supporting resources for channel measurement in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. In some examples, the wireless communication system 200 may include a base station 205 and UEs 210 and 215, which may be examples of corresponding devices described herein. The wireless communication system 200 may be a mmW wireless communication system.

[0083] In general, base station 205 may be associated with UEs 210 and 215. For example, base station 205 may communicate with UE 210 using beam configuration 220 and communicate with UE 215 using beam configuration 225. Beam configurations 220 and / or 225 may broadly refer to beamformed transmissions, where each beam configuration may include a transmit beam and / or a receive beam (e.g., a beam pair link).

[0084] Broadly, the base station 205 may identify resources associated with a beamformed signal for each of the UEs 210 and 215. The identified resources may be used by the UE for channel measurement of the beamformed signal. The beamformed signal may be one of a plurality of beamformed signals. The base station 205 may generate a signal indicating at least a portion of the identified resources. The base station 205 may transmit a signal to the UE, for example, in a manner that is transmitted separately to the UE 210 and the UE 215. One or both of the UEs 210 and 215 may receive a signal indicating the resources from the base station 205 and use the information to identify or otherwise determine which resources are being used for the beamformed signal. One or both of the UEs 210 and 215 may perform channel measurement on the beamformed signal and provide a channel measurement report to the base station 205.

[0085] In some aspects, the beamformed signal may include a reference signal, such as an NR synchronization signal (SS) (e.g., an NR primary SS (PSS), an NR secondary SS (SSS), a demodulation reference signal (DMRS) associated with a physical broadcast channel (PBCH)), a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), or any other reference signal. The base station 205 may provide an indication of time, frequency, and QCL resources for channel measurements (e.g., measurements of reference signal received quality (RSRQ), reference signal signal-to-noise and interference ratio (RS-SINR), etc.) for the UE 210 and / or 215. The base station 205 may provide an indication of the resources (e.g., configuration information) as part of system information, a random mobile subscriber identity (RMSI), a system information message, an RRC message, etc.

[0086] In some aspects, aspects of the described techniques may include a 'MeasObjectNR' information element (UE). The IE may show that the network has configured the UE 210 with resources for channel measurements. Most importantly, the SSB-to-Measure IE may be used to show that the base station 205 is providing a bitmap of indices of the actual transmitted SSBs, which may be transmitted in different directions. In some aspects, the CSI-RS-configMobility IE (which may be called from the 'MeasObjectNR' IE) may contain the index of the SSB for which the CSI-RS is a QCL (which means that the CSI-RS and the SSB corresponding to the QCL are "transmitted using similar beams" and can be received using the same UE receive beam).

[0087] In some aspects, the base station 205 may dynamically enable / disable the UE(s) from performing channel measurements using the indicated resources / refrain from performing channel measurements using the indicated resources using a MAC control element (MAC-CE), downlink control information (DCI), etc. For example, the base station 205 may configure or otherwise select bit(s) or field(s) of the MAC-CE, DCI, etc. to convey the enabling indication.

[0088] In some aspects, the base station 205 may provide a mask to indicate the resources used for channel measurement (e.g., RSSI or interference measurement) for the UE 210 and / or 215. For example, the base station 205 may apply a mask associated with the identified resources on one or more bits, fields, etc. in the signal to convey the indication. The mask may indicate a system frame number (SFN), a time slot index, a codeword index, etc. used for channel measurement. The identified resources may include a time period configured such as during a measurement gap (e.g., an SS / PBCH block measurement time configuration (SMTC) window) or outside a measurement gap window. In some aspects, the indication of the resources (e.g., the applied mask) may specify or otherwise indicate a bandwidth parameter, such as a bandwidth portion or frequency resource of a beamformed signal.

[0089] In some aspects, base station 205 may provide a mask for channel measurements that are common to a subset of reference signal resources. For example, the indication of the resources may be used for NR-SS blocks, CSI-RS resources, etc.

[0090] In some aspects, the resources used for beamformed signals may include time resources that appear in a data or control region (e.g., PDCCH, PDSCH, PUSCH, PUCCH). In some aspects, the indication of the resources used for beamformed signals may include a subset of SS blocks where the UE has a measured RSRP greater than a configured threshold, a subset of SS blocks where the UE has a measured RSRP less than a configured threshold, etc. In some aspects, the indication of the resources may include frequency resources used for channel measurement, which may be located in the same bandwidth (bandwidth portion) as RSRP measurement, located on a different bandwidth (bandwidth portion) than RSRP measurement, etc.

[0091] In some aspects, base station 205 may provide one or more masks (SFN, symbol index, slot index, etc.) indicating resources to be used by UE 210 and / or 215 for channel measurement of neighbor cells (e.g., neighbor base stations). In this context, the timing reference may be a timing reference of serving base station 205 and / or neighbor base station(s). In some aspects, the timing reference may be used for a serving base station (e.g., base station 205) in a synchronized system and for a serving base station and neighbor base station(s) in a non-synchronized system. The mask may be selected using DCI, MAC-CE, etc.

[0092] In some aspects, base station 205 may coordinate among neighboring base station(s) regarding downlink / uplink scheduling for corresponding time blocks to support channel measurements.

[0093] In some aspects, one or both of UE 210 and 215 may perform channel measurements (e.g., measuring RSSI or interference) and identify channel performance above a threshold. For example, a high RSSI or interference value may indicate an adjacent uplink transmission. The UE may report a high RSSI or interference value to the network, or may choose to omit the information from the measurement report (e.g., the network may configure a threshold to identify uplink time resources). If the RSSI is above the threshold, this may indicate an uplink transmission from another UE. In this case, the UE may not include interference or RS-SINR for RSSI or RSRQ, or may report it, and the network may ignore, for example, blocking neighbor uplink transmissions. In this case, the UE may select different masks for RSSI / interference measurements. In some aspects, different masks may be different due to UE implementation or configured by base station 205.

[0094] Figure 3 An example of a process 300 for supporting resources for channel measurement according to various aspects of the present disclosure is illustrated. In some examples, the process 300 can implement aspects of the wireless communication system 100 / 200. The process 300 can include a base station 305 and a UE 310, which can be examples of corresponding devices described herein.

[0095] At 315, the base station 305 may identify resources allocated to or otherwise used for the beamformed signal. The resources may be used by a UE (e.g., UE 310) for channel measurement of the beamformed signal. The beamformed signal may be one of a plurality of beamformed signals. In some aspects, the base station 305 may determine that a measurement report previously received from the UE 310 indicates an interference level that meets a threshold, and identify the resource based on the previous measurement report. In some aspects, the base station 305 may identify resources associated with (all) neighboring base stations. For example, the base station 305 may coordinate with (all) neighboring base stations to identify resources, coordinate uplink / downlink communications within a specific time period, and the like.

[0096] In some aspects, the identified resources may include time resources, frequency resources, time-frequency resources, or bandwidth resources, specify QCL information, SFN, time slot index, codeword index, measurement window, or a combination thereof. In some aspects, the identified resources may be associated with PDCCH, PDSCH, PUCCH, PUSCH, etc.

[0097] At 320, the base station 305 may generate a signal indicating at least a portion of the identified resources. In some aspects, the base station 305 may identify a receive beam previously used by the UE to receive a beamformed signal, and include an indication of the receive beam in the signal. In some aspects, the base station 305 may generate or otherwise configure a system information signal, an RRC signal, a switching message, etc. as a signal indicating at least a portion of the identified resources. In some aspects, the base station 305 may apply a mask to carry or otherwise convey an indication of the identified resources. In some aspects, the base station 305 may configure a signal to indicate the resource(s) associated with the neighboring base station(s). In some aspects, the base station 305 may configure a MAC-CE, a DCI, etc. to enable the UE to use the identified resources for channel measurement.

[0098] At 325, the base station 305 may transmit the signal to the UE 310, and the UE 310 may receive a signal indicating resources to use for the beamformed signal from the base station 305. In some aspects, the UE 310 may have transmitted a previous measurement report identifying a receive beam to use for measurement of the beamformed signal to the base station 305. The signal may also include an indication of the receive beam to be used by the UE 310 to perform channel measurements on the beamformed signal.

[0099] At 330, UE 310 may perform channel measurements of the beamformed signals using the indicated resources. In some aspects, UE 310 may perform channel measurements of the beamformed signal(s) from the neighboring base station(s), e.g., based on the indication received in the signal.

[0100] At 335, the UE 310 may transmit (and the base station 305 may receive) a measurement report associated with the beamformed signal. In some aspects, the UE 310 may determine that the interference level of the beamformed signal exceeds a threshold (e.g., due to nearby uplink transmissions) and omit an indication of the interference level from the measurement report. In other aspects, the UE 310 may include an indication of the interference level in the measurement report, and the base station 305 may be configured to identify nearby uplink transmissions and, therefore, ignore the interference level.

[0101] Figure 4 A block diagram 400 of a wireless device 405 supporting resources for channel measurement according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The wireless device 405 may be an example of aspects of a base station 105 as described herein. The wireless device 405 may include a receiver 410, a base station communication manager 415, and a transmitter 420. The wireless device 405 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0102] Receiver 410 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to resources used for channel measurement, etc.). The information may be passed to other components of the device. Receiver 410 may be a reference Figure 7 Examples of aspects of the described transceiver 735. The receiver 410 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of antennas.

[0103] The base station communication manager 415 may be a reference Figure 7 Examples of aspects of base station communications manager 715 are described.

[0104] The base station communication manager 415 and / or at least some of its various subcomponents may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions of the base station communication manager 415 and / or at least some of its various subcomponents may be performed by a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device designed to perform the functions described in the present disclosure, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. The base station communication manager 415 and / or at least some of its various subcomponents may be physically located at various locations, including being distributed so that portions of the functions are implemented by one or more physical devices at different physical locations. In some examples, according to various aspects of the present disclosure, the base station communication manager 415 and / or at least some of its various subcomponents may be separate and distinct components. In other examples, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the base station communication manager 415 and / or at least some of its various subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components (including, but not limited to, I / O components, a transceiver, a network server, another computing device, one or more other components described in the present disclosure, or a combination thereof).

[0105] The base station communication manager 415 may identify resources associated with a beamformed signal, the identified resources being used by the UE for channel measurement of the beamformed signal, the beamformed signal being a beamformed signal in a set of beamformed signals; generate a signal indicating at least a portion of the identified resources; and transmit the signal to the UE.

[0106] The transmitter 420 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device. In some examples, the transmitter 420 may be co-located with the receiver 410 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 420 may be a reference Figure 7 Examples of aspects of the described transceiver 735. The transmitter 420 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of antennas.

[0107] Figure 5 A block diagram 500 is shown of a wireless device 505 supporting resources for channel measurement according to aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless device 505 may be a reference Figure 4 Examples of aspects of the described wireless device 405 or base station 105. The wireless device 505 may include a receiver 510, a base station communication manager 515, and a transmitter 520. The wireless device 505 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0108] Receiver 510 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to resources used for channel measurement, etc.). The information may be passed to other components of the device. Receiver 510 may be a reference Figure 7 Examples of aspects of the described transceiver 735. The receiver 510 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of antennas.

[0109] The base station communication manager 515 may be a reference Figure 7 Examples of aspects of base station communications manager 715 are described.

[0110] The base station communication manager 515 may also include a resource manager 525 , an indication manager 530 , and a signal manager 535 .

[0111] The resource manager 525 may identify resources associated with a beamformed signal, the identified resources being used by the UE for channel measurement of the beamformed signal, the beamformed signal being a beamformed signal in a set of beamformed signals. In some cases, the identified resources include at least one of the following: time resources, or frequency resources, or time-frequency resources, or bandwidth resources, or specified QCL information, or SFN, or time slot index, or symbol index, or measurement window, or a combination thereof. In some cases, the identified resources are associated with at least one of the following of a transmission: a PDCCH region, or a PDSCH region, or a PUCCH region, or a PUSCH region, or a combination thereof

[0112] Indication manager 530 may generate a signal indicative of at least a portion of the identified resource.

[0113] The signal manager 535 may transmit the signal to the UE and generate at least one of the following as a signal indicating at least a portion of the identified resources: a system information signal, or an RRC signal, or a handover message, or a combination thereof.

[0114] The transmitter 520 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device. In some examples, the transmitter 520 may be co-located with the receiver 510 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 520 may be a reference Figure 7 Examples of aspects of the described transceiver 735. The transmitter 520 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of antennas.

[0115] Figure 6 A block diagram 600 of a base station communication manager 615 supporting resources for channel measurement according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The base station communication manager 615 may be a reference Figure 4 , 5 7 and 8. The base station communication manager 615 may include a resource manager 620, an indication manager 625, a signal manager 630, a measurement report manager 635, a receive beam manager 640, an enablement manager 645, a mask manager 650, and a neighbor BS manager 655. Each of these modules may communicate directly or indirectly with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0116] The resource manager 620 may identify resources associated with a beamformed signal, the identified resources being used by the UE for channel measurement of the beamformed signal, the beamformed signal being one of the beamformed signals in the set of beamformed signals. In some cases, the identified resources include at least one of the following: time resources, or frequency resources, or time-frequency resources, or bandwidth resources, or specified QCL information, or SFN, or time slot index, or symbol index, or measurement window, or a combination thereof. In some cases, the identified resources are associated with at least one of the following of the transmission: a PDCCH region, or a PDSCH region, or a PUCCH region, or a PUSCH region, or a combination thereof

[0117] Indication manager 625 may generate a signal indicative of at least a portion of the identified resource.

[0118] The signal manager 630 may transmit the signal to the UE and generate at least one of the following as a signal indicating at least a portion of the identified resources: a system information signal, or an RRC signal, or a handover message, or a combination thereof.

[0119] The measurement report manager 635 may receive a measurement report associated with the beamformed signal based on the identified resources and determine that the measurement report received from the UE includes an interference level that satisfies a threshold for a subset of resources, wherein the identified resources are based on the subset of resources.

[0120] The receive beam manager 640 may identify a receive beam used by the UE to receive a previously beamformed signal, and generate the signal to indicate the receive beam, wherein the identified resources include the receive beam.

[0121] The enabling manager 645 may configure at least one of the following to enable the UE to use the identified resources for channel measurement: MAC-CE, or DCI, or a combination thereof.

[0122] The mask manager 650 may apply a mask to bits or fields in the signal to indicate the identified resources.

[0123] The neighbor BS manager 655 may identify resource sets associated with one or more neighbor base stations located proximate to the UE, generate the signal to indicate the resource sets, and coordinate with the one or more neighbor base stations to identify the resource sets.

[0124] Figure 7 A diagram of a system 700 including a device 705 supporting resources for channel measurement according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The device 705 may be as described above, for example, with reference to Figure 4 and 5 Examples of components of the wireless device 405, wireless device 505, or base station 105 described herein may include or include these components. The device 705 may include components for two-way voice and data communications, including components for transmitting and receiving communications, including a base station communication manager 715, a processor 720, a memory 725, software 730, a transceiver 735, an antenna 740, a network communication manager 745, and an inter-station communication manager 750. These components may be in electronic communication via one or more buses (e.g., bus 710). The device 705 may communicate wirelessly with one or more UEs 115.

[0125] The processor 720 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general purpose processor, a DSP, a central processing unit (CPU), a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof). In some cases, the processor 720 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In other cases, the memory controller may be integrated into the processor 720. The processor 720 may be configured to execute computer readable instructions stored in the memory to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks of resources supporting channel measurement).

[0126] The memory 725 may include random access memory (RAM) and read-only memory (ROM). The memory 725 may store computer-readable, computer-executable software 730 including instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform the various functions described herein. In some cases, the memory 725 may include, among other things, a basic input / output system (BIOS), which may control basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0127] The software 730 may include code for implementing various aspects of the present disclosure, including code to support resources for channel measurement. The software 730 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as a system memory or other memory. In some cases, the software 730 may not be directly executed by a processor, but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein.

[0128] The transceiver 735 can communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas, wired or wireless links, as described above. For example, the transceiver 735 can represent a wireless transceiver and can communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 735 can also include a modem to modulate packets and provide the modulated packets to an antenna for transmission, and demodulate packets received from an antenna.

[0129] In some cases, a wireless device may include a single antenna 740. However, in some cases, the device may have more than one antenna 740, which may be capable of transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions concurrently.

[0130] The network communications manager 745 may manage communications with the core network (eg, via one or more wired backhaul links). For example, the network communications manager 745 may manage the delivery of data communications for client devices, such as one or more UEs 115.

[0131] The inter-site communication manager 750 may manage communications with other base stations 105 and may include a controller or scheduler for controlling communications with UE 115 in cooperation with other base stations 105. For example, the inter-site communication manager 750 may coordinate scheduling of transmissions to UE 115 for various interference mitigation techniques such as beamforming or joint transmission. In some examples, the inter-site communication manager 750 may provide an X2 interface within an LTE / LTE-A wireless communication network technology to provide communications between base stations 105.

[0132] Figure 8A block diagram 800 of a wireless device 805 supporting resources for channel measurement according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The wireless device 805 may be an example of aspects of the UE 115 as described herein. The wireless device 805 may include a receiver 810, a UE communication manager 815, and a transmitter 820. The wireless device 805 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0133] The receiver 810 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to resources used for channel measurement, etc.). The information may be passed to other components of the device. The receiver 810 may be a reference Fig.11 Examples of various aspects of the described transceiver 1135. The receiver 810 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of antennas.

[0134] UE communication manager 815 may be a reference Fig.11 Examples of various aspects of the UE communications manager 1115 are described.

[0135] The UE communication manager 815 and / or at least some of its various subcomponents may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions of at least some of the UE communication manager 815 and / or its various subcomponents may be performed by a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device designed to perform the functions described in the present disclosure, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof. The UE communication manager 815 and / or at least some of its various subcomponents may be physically located at various locations, including being distributed so that parts of the functions are implemented by one or more physical devices at different physical locations. In some examples, according to various aspects of the present disclosure, at least some of the UE communication manager 815 and / or its various subcomponents may be separate and distinct components. In other examples, in accordance with various aspects of the present disclosure, the UE communications manager 815 and / or at least some of its various subcomponents may be combined with one or more other hardware components (including but not limited to I / O components, a transceiver, a network server, another computing device, one or more other components described in the present disclosure, or a combination thereof).

[0136] The UE communication manager 815 may receive a signal indicating resources for a beamformed signal in a set of beamformed signals from a base station; perform channel measurement of the beamformed signal using the indicated resources; and transmit a measurement report including the channel measurement associated with the beamformed signal to the base station.

[0137] The transmitter 820 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device. In some examples, the transmitter 820 may be co-located with the receiver 810 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 820 may be a reference Fig.11 Examples of various aspects of the described transceiver 1135. The transmitter 820 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of antennas.

[0138] Fig. 9 A block diagram 900 is shown of a wireless device 905 supporting resources for channel measurement according to various aspects of the present disclosure. The wireless device 905 may be as described with reference to Figure 8 An example of aspects of the described wireless device 805 or UE 115. The wireless device 905 may include a receiver 910, a UE communication manager 915, and a transmitter 920. The wireless device 905 may also include a processor. Each of these components may be in communication with each other (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0139] The receiver 910 may receive information such as packets, user data, or control information associated with various information channels (e.g., control channels, data channels, and information related to resources used for channel measurement, etc.). The information may be passed to other components of the device. The receiver 910 may be a reference Fig.11 Examples of various aspects of the described transceiver 1135. The receiver 910 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of antennas.

[0140] UE communication manager 915 may be a reference Fig.11 Examples of various aspects of the UE communications manager 1115 are described.

[0141] The UE communication manager 915 may also include a signal manager 925 , a channel measurement manager 930 , and a measurement report manager 935 .

[0142] The signal manager 925 may receive a signal from a base station indicating resources to be used for a beamformed signal in the set of beamformed signals.

[0143] Signal measurement manager 930 may perform channel measurements of the beamformed signal using the indicated resources.

[0144] The measurement report manager 935 may transmit a measurement report including channel measurements associated with the beamformed signal to the base station.

[0145] The transmitter 920 may transmit signals generated by other components of the device. In some examples, the transmitter 920 may be co-located with the receiver 910 in a transceiver module. For example, the transmitter 920 may be a reference Fig.11Examples of various aspects of the described transceiver 1135. The transmitter 920 may utilize a single antenna or a collection of antennas.

[0146] Fig.10 A block diagram 1000 of a UE communication manager 1015 supporting resources for channel measurement according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown. The UE communication manager 1015 may be a reference Figure 8 , 9 11 and 11. The UE communication manager 1015 may include a signal manager 1020, a channel measurement manager 1025, a measurement report manager 1030, a receive beam manager 1035, a neighbor BS manager 1040, and an interference manager 1045. Each of these modules may communicate with each other directly or indirectly (e.g., via one or more buses).

[0147] The signal manager 1020 may receive a signal from a base station indicating resources for a beamformed signal from the set of beamformed signals.

[0148] The signal measurement manager 1025 may perform channel measurements of the beamformed signal using the indicated resources.

[0149] The measurement report manager 1030 may transmit a measurement report including channel measurements associated with the beamformed signal to the base station.

[0150] The receive beam manager 1035 may transmit a previous measurement report identifying a receive beam used to make measurements on the beamformed signal, wherein the signal includes an indication of the receive beam.

[0151] The neighbor BS manager 1040 may perform channel measurement on at least one beamformed signal from one or more neighbor base stations based on the signal.

[0152] The interference manager 1045 may determine, based on the channel measurement, that an interference level of the beamformed signal exceeds a threshold and omit an indication of the interference level from the measurement report.

[0153] Fig.11 1 shows a diagram of a system 1100 including a device 1105 supporting resources for channel measurement according to various aspects of the present disclosure. The device 1105 may be as described above (e.g., with reference to Figure 1) or include examples of components of UE 115 described in the foregoing. Device 1105 may include components for two-way voice and data communications, including components for transmitting and receiving communications, including UE communication manager 1115, processor 1120, memory 1125, software 1130, transceiver 1135, antenna 1140, and I / O controller 1145. These components may be in electronic communication via one or more buses (e.g., bus 1110). Device 1105 may wirelessly communicate with one or more base stations 105.

[0154] The processor 1120 may include an intelligent hardware device (e.g., a general-purpose processor, a DSP, a CPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, an FPGA, a programmable logic device, a discrete gate or transistor logic component, a discrete hardware component, or any combination thereof). In some cases, the processor 1120 may be configured to operate a memory array using a memory controller. In other cases, the memory controller may be integrated into the processor 1120. The processor 1120 may be configured to execute computer-readable instructions stored in the memory to perform various functions (e.g., functions or tasks of resources supporting channel measurement).

[0155] The memory 1125 may include RAM and ROM. The memory 1125 may store computer-readable, computer-executable software 1130 including instructions that, when executed, cause the processor to perform the various functions described herein. In some cases, the memory 1125 may include, among other things, a BIOS that may control basic hardware or software operations, such as interaction with peripheral components or devices.

[0156] The software 1130 may include code for implementing various aspects of the present disclosure, including code to support resources for channel measurement. The software 1130 may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable medium, such as a system memory or other memory. In some cases, the software 1130 may not be directly executed by a processor, but may cause a computer (e.g., when compiled and executed) to perform the functions described herein.

[0157] The transceiver 1135 may communicate bidirectionally via one or more antennas, wired or wireless links, as described above. For example, the transceiver 1135 may represent a wireless transceiver and may communicate bidirectionally with another wireless transceiver. The transceiver 1135 may also include a modem to modulate packets and provide the modulated packets to an antenna for transmission, and demodulate packets received from an antenna.

[0158] In some cases, a wireless device may include a single antenna 1140. However, in some cases, the device may have more than one antenna 1140, which may be capable of transmitting or receiving multiple wireless transmissions concurrently.

[0159] I / O controller 1145 can manage input and output signals for device 1105. I / O controller 1145 can also manage peripheral devices that are not integrated into device 1105. In some cases, I / O controller 1145 can represent a physical connection or port to an external peripheral device. In some cases, I / O controller 1145 can utilize an operating system, such as or another known operating system. In other cases, I / O controller 1145 may represent or interact with a modem, keyboard, mouse, touch screen, or similar device. In some cases, I / O controller 1145 may be implemented as part of a processor. In some cases, a user may interact with device 1105 via I / O controller 1145 or via hardware components controlled by I / O controller 1145.

[0160] Fig.12 1 is a flow chart illustrating a method 1200 for determining resources for channel measurement according to aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1200 may be implemented by a base station 105 or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1200 may be implemented by a base station 105 or components thereof as described herein. Figures 4 to 7 The base station 105 may be executed by the base station communication manager described. In some examples, the base station 105 may execute a code set to control the functional elements of the device to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the base station 105 may use dedicated hardware to perform various aspects of the functions described below.

[0161] At 1205, the base station 105 may identify resources associated with a beamformed signal, the identified resources being used by the UE for channel measurement of the beamformed signal, the beamformed signal being one of the plurality of beamformed signals. The operations of 1205 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1205 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 The resource manager described is executed.

[0162] At 1210, the base station 105 may generate a signal indicating at least a portion of the identified resource. The operations of 1210 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1210 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 The described instructions manager to execute.

[0163] At 1215, the base station 105 may transmit the signal to the UE. The operations of 1215 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1215 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 The signal manager described is executed.

[0164] Fig.13 1 is a flow chart illustrating a method 1300 for determining resources for channel measurement according to aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1300 may be implemented by a base station 105 or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1300 may be implemented by a base station 105 or components thereof as described herein. Figures 4 to 7 The base station 105 may be executed by the base station communication manager described. In some examples, the base station 105 may execute a code set to control the functional elements of the device to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the base station 105 may use dedicated hardware to perform various aspects of the functions described below.

[0165] At 1305, the base station 105 may identify resources associated with a beamformed signal, the identified resources being used by the UE for channel measurement of the beamformed signal, the beamformed signal being one of the plurality of beamformed signals. The operations of 1305 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1305 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 The resource manager described is executed.

[0166] At 1310, the base station 105 may generate a signal indicating at least a portion of the identified resource. The operations of 1310 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1310 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 The described instructions manager to execute.

[0167] At 1315, the base station 105 may transmit the signal to the UE. The operations of 1315 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1315 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 The signal manager described is executed.

[0168] At 1320, the base station 105 may receive a measurement report associated with the beamformed signal based at least in part on the identified resource. The operations of 1320 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1320 may be described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 The measurement report manager described herein is used to perform the above operations.

[0169] Fig.14 1400 is a flowchart illustrating a method 1400 for determining resources for channel measurement according to aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1400 may be implemented by a base station 105 or components thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1400 may be implemented by a base station 105 or components thereof as described herein. Figures 4 to 7 The base station 105 may be executed by the base station communication manager described. In some examples, the base station 105 may execute a code set to control the functional elements of the device to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the base station 105 may use dedicated hardware to perform various aspects of the functions described below.

[0170] At 1405, the base station 105 may identify resources associated with a beamformed signal, the identified resources being used by the UE for channel measurement of the beamformed signal, the beamformed signal being one of the plurality of beamformed signals. The operations of 1405 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1405 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 The resource manager described is executed.

[0171] At 1410, the base station 105 may generate a signal indicating at least a portion of the identified resource. The operations of 1410 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1410 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 The described instructions manager to execute.

[0172] At 1415, the base station 105 may apply a mask to a bit or field in the signal to indicate the identified resource. The operations of 1415 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1415 may be described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 The mask manager described is implemented.

[0173] At 1420, the base station 105 may transmit the signal to the UE. The operations of 1420 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1420 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 4 to 7 The signal manager described is executed.

[0174] Fig.15 1 is a flow chart illustrating a method 1500 for determining resources for channel measurement according to aspects of the present disclosure. The operations of the method 1500 may be implemented by a UE 115 or a component thereof as described herein. For example, the operations of the method 1500 may be implemented by a UE 115 or a component thereof as described herein. Figures 8 to 11 In some examples, the UE 115 may execute a code set to control the functional elements of the device to perform the functions described below. Additionally or alternatively, the UE 115 may use dedicated hardware to perform various aspects of the functions described below.

[0175] At 1505, UE 115 may receive a signal from a base station indicating resources for a beamformed signal within a plurality of beamformed signals. The operations of 1505 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1505 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 8 to 11 The signal manager described is executed.

[0176] At 1510, UE 115 may perform channel measurements of the beamformed signal using the indicated resources. The operations of 1510 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1510 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 8 to 11 The described channel measurement manager is performed.

[0177] At 1515, UE 115 may transmit a measurement report including a channel measurement associated with the beamformed signal to the base station. The operations of 1515 may be performed according to the methods described herein. In some examples, aspects of the operations of 1515 may be performed as described with reference to Figures 8 to 11 The measurement report manager described herein is used to perform the above operations.

[0178] It should be noted that the above methods describe possible implementations, and that the operations and steps may be rearranged or otherwise modified and other implementations are possible. Furthermore, aspects from two or more methods may be combined.

[0179] The technology described herein can be used for various wireless communication systems, such as code division multiple access (CDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) and other systems. CDMA systems can implement radio technologies such as CDMA2000, Universal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA). CDMA2000 covers IS-2000, IS-95 and IS-856 standards. IS-2000 versions are often referred to as CDMA2000 1X, 1X, etc. IS-856 (TIA-856) is often referred to as CDMA2000 1xEV-DO, high rate packet data (HRPD), etc. UTRA includes wideband CDMA (WCDMA) and other CDMA variants. TDMA systems can implement radio technologies such as global system for mobile communications (GSM).

[0180] OFDMA systems can implement radio technologies such as Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB), Evolved UTRA (E-UTRA), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 (Wi-Fi), IEEE 802.16 (WiMAX), IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDM, etc. UTRA and E-UTRA are part of Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS). LTE and LTE-A are versions of UMTS that use E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, UMTS, LTE, LTE-A, NR, and GSM are described in documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project" (3GPP). CDMA2000 and UMB are described in documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). The techniques described herein can be used for the systems and radio technologies mentioned above as well as for other systems and radio technologies. Although aspects of LTE or NR systems may be described for example purposes, and LTE or NR terminology may be used in most of the above descriptions, the techniques described herein may also be applied to applications other than LTE or NR applications.

[0181] A macro cell generally covers a relatively large geographic area (e.g., an area of ​​several kilometers in radius) and may allow unrestricted access by UEs 115 that have a service subscription with a network provider. A small cell may be associated with a lower power base station 105 (compared to a macro cell), and the small cell may operate in the same or different (e.g., licensed, unlicensed, etc.) frequency band as the macro cell. According to various examples, a small cell may include a pico cell, a femto cell, and a micro cell. A pico cell, for example, may cover a smaller geographic area and may allow unrestricted access by UEs 115 that have a service subscription with a network provider. A femto cell may also cover a smaller geographic area (e.g., a residence) and may provide restricted access by UEs 115 associated with the femto cell (e.g., UEs 115 in a closed subscriber group (CSG), UEs 115 of users in a residence, etc.). An eNB for a macro cell may be referred to as a macro eNB. An eNB for a small cell may be referred to as a small cell eNB, a pico eNB, a femto eNB, or a home eNB. An eNB may support one or more (eg, two, three, four, etc.) cells and may also support communication using one or more component carriers.

[0182] One or more wireless communication systems 100 described herein may support synchronous or asynchronous operation. For synchronous operation, the base stations 105 may have similar frame timing, and transmissions from different base stations 105 may be approximately aligned in time. For asynchronous operation, the base stations 105 may have different frame timing, and transmissions from different base stations 105 may not be aligned in time. The techniques described herein may be used for synchronous or asynchronous operation.

[0183] The information and signals described herein may be represented using any of a variety of different techniques and technologies. For example, data, instructions, commands, information, signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be mentioned throughout the above description may be represented by voltage, current, electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or magnetic particles, optical fields or optical particles, or any combination thereof.

[0184] The various illustrative blocks and modules described in conjunction with the disclosure herein may be implemented or executed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device (PLD), discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor may be any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices (e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration).

[0185] The functions described herein may be implemented in hardware, software executed by a processor, firmware, or any combination thereof. If implemented in software executed by a processor, the functions may be stored on or transmitted by a computer-readable medium as one or more instructions or codes. Other examples and implementations fall within the scope of this disclosure and the appended claims. For example, due to the nature of software, the functions described above may be implemented using software executed by a processor, hardware, firmware, hardwiring, or any combination thereof. Features that implement the functions may also be physically located in various locations, including being distributed so that parts of the functions are implemented at different physical locations.

[0186] Computer readable medium includes both non-transient computer storage medium and communication medium, and it includes any medium that facilitates computer program to transfer from one place to another place.Non-transient storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by general or special-purpose computer.As an example and not limitation, non-transient computer readable medium can include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory, compact disk (CD) ROM or other optical disk storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage device, or can be used to carry or store instruction or data structure form of desired program code means and can be accessed by general or special-purpose computer or general or special-purpose processor any other non-transient medium.Any connection is also properly referred to as computer readable medium.For example, if software is transmitted from website, server or other remote source using coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL) or wireless technology such as infrared, radio and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL or wireless technology such as infrared, radio and microwave are just included in the definition of medium. Disk and disc as used herein include CDs, laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks, and Blu-ray discs, where disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproduce data optically with lasers. Combinations of the above are also included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0187] As used herein (including in the claims), "or" used in a list of items (e.g., a list of items with a phrase such as "at least one of" or "one or more of") indicates an inclusive list, so that, for example, a list of at least one of A, B, or C means A or B or C or AB or AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C). Similarly, as used herein, the phrase "based on" should not be interpreted as referring to a closed set of conditions. For example, an exemplary step described as "based on condition A" may be based on both condition A and condition B without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. In other words, as used herein, the phrase "based on" should be interpreted in the same manner as the phrase "based at least in part on."

[0188] In the accompanying drawings, similar components or features may have the same reference number. In addition, various components of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference number with a dash and a second reference number that distinguishes between similar components. If only the first reference number is used in the specification, the description may apply to any of the similar components having the same first reference number regardless of the second reference number, or other subsequent reference numbers.

[0189] The descriptions set forth herein in conjunction with the accompanying drawings describe example configurations and do not represent all examples that may be implemented or that fall within the scope of the claims. The term "exemplary" as used herein means "used as an example, instance, or illustration" and does not mean "better than" or "better than other examples." This detailed description includes specific details to provide an understanding of the described techniques. However, these techniques may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in block diagram form to avoid obscuring the concepts of the described examples.

[0190] The description herein is provided to enable those skilled in the art to make or use the present disclosure. Various modifications to the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the universal principles defined herein may be applied to other variations without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. Thus, the present disclosure is not limited to the examples and designs described herein, but should be granted the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. A method for wireless communication, comprising: identifying resources associated with a beamformed signal, the identified resources to be used by a user equipment (UE) for channel measurement of the beamformed signal, the beamformed signal being one of a plurality of beamformed signals; generating a signal indicating at least a portion of the identified resources to be used for channel measurement; as well as The signal is transmitted to the UE.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: A measurement report associated with the beamformed signal is received based at least in part on the identified resources.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: identifying a receive beam used by the UE to receive a previously beamformed signal; as well as The signal is generated to indicate the receive beam, wherein the identified resource includes the receive beam.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: At least one of the following is generated as the signal indicating at least a portion of the identified resources: a system information signal, or a radio resource control (RRC) signal, or a handover message, or a combination thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising: At least one of the following is configured to enable the UE to use the identified resources for channel measurement: a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), or downlink control information (DCI), or a combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising: A mask is applied to bits or fields in the signal to indicate the identified resources.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising: A determination is made that a measurement report received from the UE includes an interference level that satisfies a threshold for a subset of resources, wherein the identified resources are based at least in part on the subset of resources.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: identifying resource sets associated with one or more neighboring base stations located proximate to the UE; as well as The signal is generated to indicate the set of resources.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: Coordinate with the one or more neighboring base stations to identify the set of resources.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the identified resources include at least one of the following: time resources, or frequency resources, or time-frequency resources, or bandwidth resources, or specified quasi-co-location (QCL) information, or system frame number (SFN), or time slot index, or codeword index, or measurement window, or a combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the identified resource is associated with at least one of the following of a transmission: a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) region, or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) region, or a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) region, or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) region, or a combination thereof.

12. A method for wireless communication, comprising: receiving a signal from a base station indicating resources to be used for a beamformed signal within a plurality of beamformed signals; performing channel measurement of the beamformed signal using the indicated resources; as well as A measurement report including the channel measurement associated with the beamformed signal is transmitted to the base station.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: A previous measurement report identifying a receive beam used to measure the beamformed signal is transmitted, wherein the signal includes an indication of the receive beam.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising: The channel measurement is performed on at least one beamformed signal from one or more neighboring base stations based at least in part on the signal.

15. The method of claim 12, further comprising: determining, based at least in part on the channel measurements, that an interference level of the beamformed signal exceeds a threshold; as well as An indication of the interference level is omitted from the measurement report.

16. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: means for identifying resources associated with a beamformed signal, the identified resources to be used by a user equipment (UE) for channel measurement of the beamformed signal, the beamformed signal being one of a plurality of beamformed signals; means for generating a signal indicating at least a portion of the identified resources to be used for channel measurement; as well as means for transmitting the signal to the UE.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising: Means for receiving a measurement report associated with the beamformed signal based at least in part on the identified resources.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising: means for identifying a receive beam used by the UE to receive a previously beamformed signal; as well as means for generating the signal to indicate the receive beam, wherein the identified resource comprises the receive beam.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising: Means for generating at least one of the following as the signal indicating at least a portion of the identified resources: a system information signal, or a radio resource control (RRC) signal, or a handover message, or a combination thereof.

20. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising: Means for configuring at least one of the following to enable the UE to use the identified resources for channel measurement: a medium access control (MAC) control element (CE), or downlink control information (DCI), or a combination thereof.

21. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising: Means for applying a mask to bits or fields in the signal to indicate the identified resources.

22. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising: Means for determining that a measurement report received from the UE includes an interference level that satisfies a threshold for a subset of resources, wherein the identified resources are based at least in part on the subset of resources.

23. The apparatus of claim 16, further comprising: means for identifying resource sets associated with one or more neighboring base stations located proximate to the UE; as well as means for generating the signal to indicate the set of resources.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, further comprising: Means for coordinating with the one or more neighboring base stations to identify the set of resources.

25. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the identified resources comprise at least one of: time resources, or frequency resources, or time-frequency resources, or bandwidth resources, or specified quasi-co-location (QCL) information, or system frame number (SFN), or time slot index, or codeword index, or measurement window, or a combination thereof.

26. An apparatus as described in claim 16, wherein the identified resources are associated with at least one of the following transmissions: a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH) region, or a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH) region, or a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) region, or a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) region, or a combination thereof.

27. An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising: means for receiving, from a base station, a signal indicating resources to be used for a beamformed signal within a plurality of beamformed signals; means for performing channel measurements of the beamformed signal using the indicated resources; as well as Means for transmitting, to the base station, a measurement report including the channel measurement associated with the beamformed signal.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising: Means for transmitting a previous measurement report identifying a receive beam used to measure the beamformed signal, wherein the signal includes an indication of the receive beam.

29. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising: Means for performing the channel measurement on at least one beamformed signal from one or more neighboring base stations based at least in part on the signal.

30. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising: means for determining, based at least in part on the channel measurements, that an interference level of the beamformed signal exceeds a threshold; as well as Means for omitting an indication of the interference level from the measurement report.

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