Method, network node and wireless device for beam steering signaling

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method for beam control signaling performed by a network node. The network node is configured to communicate with a wireless device. The method includes obtaining a first set of candidate beams for communicating with the network node from the wireless device based on a beam quality indicator. The method includes determining a second set of candidate beams based on the first set and the number of beams to be used in communication with the wireless device. The number of candidate beams in the second set is greater than the number of beams to be used for communication with the wireless device. The method includes sending control signaling indicating the second set of candidate beams to the wireless device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure belongs to the field of wireless communications and relates to a method for beam control signalling, a related network node and a wireless device. Background Art

[0002] In wireless communications, today, wireless devices may include an increasing number of physical antenna panels. For example, a wireless device (e.g., user equipment, UE) may have multiple physical antenna panels, for example, one on its back, one on the front, and some on the sides. Each activated physical antenna panel consumes power even if the wireless device is in idle mode.

[0003] There is a need to reduce the power consumption of wireless devices while still maintaining the radio performance of the wireless devices. However, this can be a complex task due to the increasing number of physical antenna panels included in wireless devices. Summary of the invention

[0004] Furthermore, the above scenario may become even more complex due to the fact that the physical antenna panel comprises one or more panels, such as one or more antenna subarrays. For example, the physical antenna panel may be a module, such as multiple antenna arrays, with different properties. The panel may be, for example, a single antenna array. In order to reduce power consumption, it may be beneficial to power down one or more physical antenna panels that may not be needed for communication temporarily. However, considering the complex hardware and software implementation of the UE transceiver, choosing which antenna panel to power down while maintaining radio performance and possible beam correspondence is a complex task.

[0005] In the context of 3GPP radio access technology New Radio, beams are used for communication between wireless devices and network nodes (e.g., base stations). Each beam of a wireless device is associated with a panel of physical antenna panels, so the choice of beams used for communication also affects which physical antenna panels need to be used for communication.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need for network nodes, wireless devices and methods for beam control signaling that address, mitigate or alleviate existing shortcomings and enable flexibility in beam control signaling for improving the selection of one or more beams to be used in communications between a wireless device and a network node.

[0007] The present disclosure provides a method for beam control signaling performed by a network node. The network node is configured to communicate with a wireless device. The method includes obtaining a first set of candidate beams for communicating with the network node from the wireless device based on a beam quality indicator. The method includes determining a second set of candidate beams based on the first set and the number of beams to be used in communication with the wireless device. The number of candidate beams in the second set is greater than the number of beams to be used for communication with the wireless device. The method includes sending control signaling indicating the second set of candidate beams to the wireless device.

[0008] Furthermore, a network node is provided, comprising: a memory circuit, a processor circuit and a wireless interface, wherein the network node is configured to perform any of the methods described.

[0009] The disclosed network node can improve beam control signaling by determining and indicating to the wireless device candidate beams from a second set that maintain or enhance the radio performance of the wireless device and that are greater than the number of beams to be used, which allows flexibility at the wireless device. The flexibility provided by the second set of candidate beams allows the wireless device to perform further optimization to achieve power efficiency.

[0010] The present disclosure provides a method for beam control signaling performed by a wireless device. The wireless device includes one or more physical antenna panels, wherein each physical antenna panel includes one or more panels, wherein the wireless device is configured to communicate with a network node using one or more beams associated with the corresponding one or more panels, and the method includes: receiving control signaling indicating a set of candidate beams from the network node; and selecting one or more beams from the set of candidate beams for communicating with the network node based on hardware properties of the wireless device.

[0011] Furthermore, a wireless device is provided, the wireless device comprising: a memory circuit, a processor circuit and a wireless interface. The wireless device is configured to perform any of the methods disclosed herein.

[0012] The present disclosure enables a wireless device to select one or more beams with satisfactory radio performance from a set of candidate beams based on hardware attributes to increase the chance of being able to power off one or more of the physical antenna panels of the wireless device. Another advantage is that an execution beam can be selected for communication, and one or more physical antenna panels can be allowed to be powered off without sharing any hardware details with the network node (which is advantageous from a standardization perspective and a bandwidth usage perspective). Allowing one or more physical antenna panels to be deactivated can result in saving battery power at the wireless device. In addition, for example, the disclosed wireless device is able to meet a desired quality of service metric (e.g., low latency service or delay in context) by selecting one or more redundant beams based on redundant beams sharing the same physical antenna panel. For example, the disclosed wireless device can turn off one or more physical antenna panels to save power while still having redundant beams available for fast switching and avoiding any delays caused by the activation of one or more physical antenna panels. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The above and other features and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art through the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0014] Figure 1A is a diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless communication system including an exemplary network node and an exemplary wireless device according to the present disclosure,

[0015] Figure 1B is a diagram illustrating an example physical antenna panel and an example panel according to the present disclosure,

[0016] Figure 2 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method for beam control signaling performed by a network node according to the present disclosure,

[0017] Figure 3 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary method performed by a wireless device of a wireless communication system according to the present disclosure,

[0018] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless device according to the present disclosure, and

[0019] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary network node according to the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] Various exemplary embodiments and details will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings when relevant. It should be noted that the drawings may be drawn to scale or not to scale, and that elements of similar structure or function are represented by the same reference numerals throughout the drawings. It should also be noted that the drawings are intended only to facilitate the description of the embodiments. The drawings are not intended to serve as an exhaustive description of the present disclosure or to limit the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, the illustrated embodiments do not need to have all the aspects or advantages shown. The aspects or advantages described in conjunction with a particular embodiment are not necessarily limited to that embodiment and may be practiced in any other embodiment, even if not so illustrated, or even if not so explicitly described.

[0021] As described above, reducing the power consumption of wireless devices while still maintaining the radio performance of the wireless devices is a common concern in wireless communications. However, this can be complicated because each wireless device may have multiple physical antenna panels, and each activated physical antenna panel consumes power (even when the wireless device is in idle mode).

[0022] In addition, the scenario may be further complicated by the fact that the physical antenna panel includes one or more panels (e.g., one or more antenna arrays, e.g., one or more antenna subarrays). For example, the physical antenna panel may be a module of, for example, multiple antenna arrays with different properties. The panel may be, for example, a single antenna array. It will be noted that the physical antenna panel disclosed herein refers to a hardware antenna module or a logical structure (e.g., a logical element and / or a software module) associated with a hardware antenna module. In other words, in one or more embodiments, the panel may be regarded as a logical device that sends a corresponding beam. In contrast, in one or more embodiments, the physical antenna panel may be regarded as a physical device that can send several beams. For example, a physical antenna panel as a physical device may have only a single power supply / power supply line. In other words, panels belonging to one physical antenna panel typically share the same power supply line or power supply and therefore cannot be powered on / off independently of each other.

[0023] Therefore, because a wireless device may have multiple physical antenna panels, each of which includes one or more panels and each activated physical antenna panel consumes power (even when the wireless device is in idle mode), reducing power consumption while maintaining radio performance can be complex.

[0024] Furthermore, from the wireless device perspective, multi-beam operation has some limitations related to the beam combinations that can be operated simultaneously (manipulated by different panels of the wireless device) and the beam combinations that require multiple physical antenna panels to be active simultaneously.

[0025] Multi-beam operation may involve multi-stream operation and / or diversity through simultaneous transmission (e.g., power sharing) and / or switching diversity (e.g., maintaining beam redundancy or having spare beams for use).

[0026] It may be advantageous for a wireless device to not share detailed information about the hardware configuration (e.g., related to the configuration of the physical antenna panel relative to the panel) with a network node. From a standardization perspective, it may be advantageous to not require wireless devices (and vendors of wireless devices) to disclose the hardware configuration of the wireless device to a network node, for example, to determine beams that achieve power efficiency at the wireless device. Additionally, the benefit of doing so may be saving resources or bandwidth that may be consumed by transmitting the hardware configuration to a network node.

[0027] In the present disclosure, a wireless device can select an uplink (UL) beam from a set of candidate beams (eg, a candidate list) shared by a network node. This can be done without having to transmit the hardware configuration of the wireless device to the network node.

[0028] At the wireless device, a downlink (DL) beam corresponds to a receive (Rx) beam, and a UL beam corresponds to a transmit (Tx) beam.

[0029] At a network node, when the network node is configured to communicate with a wireless device using a set of beams, the DL beam corresponds to a transmit (Tx) beam and the UL beam corresponds to a receive (Rx) beam.

[0030] It should be noted that the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) work specifies that beam correspondence (BC) holds when a wireless device can autonomously select an uplink beam for transmission to a network node based on a downlink reference signal (DL RS) from the network node.

[0031] The 3rd Generation Partnership Project 3GPP system can operate with Tx / Rx beam correspondence at network nodes (e.g., gNB and / or transmit receive points TRP) and wireless devices (so-called UEs) according to the following rules.

[0032] The Tx / Rx beam correspondence at the TRP holds if at least one of the following is true:

[0033] ·TRP is able to determine the TRP Rx beam for uplink reception based on the UE's downlink measurements of one or more Tx beams of the TRP.

[0034] ·The TRP is able to determine the TRP Tx beam for downlink transmission based on the TRP's uplink measurements of one or more Rx beams of the TRP.

[0035] The Tx / Rx beam correspondence at the UE is established if at least one of the following is satisfied:

[0036] The UE can determine the UE Tx beam to use for uplink transmission based on the UE's downlink measurements of one or more Rx beams of the UE.

[0037] ·The UE is able to determine the UE Rx beam for downlink reception based on an indication of the TRP based on uplink measurements of one or more Tx beams of the UE.

[0038] Beam mapping can be viewed as the ability of the UE to select an appropriate beam for UL transmission based on DL measurements, with or without UL beam scanning. In other words, beam mapping can be viewed as the ability of the UE to autonomously select an uplink beam based on DL measurements.

[0039] In a 3GPP 5G New Radio system, during an initial phase (assuming that beam correspondence is established on the wireless device side), the wireless device may measure DL beam scanning and establish a radio link on one or more stronger beams (e.g., on the strongest beam). The wireless device may report a DL beam candidate list to the network node. If the wireless device does not have a beam correspondence (e.g., the wireless device cannot select a UL beam based on a DL measurement of a UE DL beam), the following may occur: a) the wireless device may populate the DL beam candidate list with the transmit (Tx) beam of the network node based on the initial DL beam scanning of the network node (the DL beam candidate list may contain the DL beams (Tx beams or DL ​​beam identifiers) of the network node associated with the corresponding signal strength indication); b) in response, the wireless device may perform UL beam scanning (and optionally share the DL beam candidate list and the selected (strongest) first DL beam of the network node with the network node (using, for example, the corresponding beam identifier).

[0040] In both scenarios (eg, with or without beam correspondence), the network node may determine the UL (Tx) beam to be used by the wireless device and may inform the wireless device of the determination.

[0041] However, the network may determine a UL (Tx) beam to be used by the wireless device that is not optimal for the wireless device. For example, when multiple UL beams are to be activated, the number of physical antenna panels to be active may be suboptimal for the wireless device. Suboptimal determination of a wireless device's UL beam is likely to occur when the network node does not hold information about the hardware properties of the wireless device.

[0042] The present disclosure provides that a network node provides a set of candidate beams to a wireless device, which can then select a beam to use for communication based on wireless device hardware properties (e.g., an association between a physical antenna panel and the panel that generates the selected beam).

[0043] In the present disclosure, according to one or more embodiments, the number of physical antenna panels that must be active in a UE is minimized. The disclosed wireless device supports this minimization by selecting beams belonging to the same physical antenna panel (among the beams indicated by the network node due to their satisfactory performance). The present disclosure proposes that the network node indicates to the wireless device a set of candidate beams that is greater than the number of beams to be used by the wireless device. In this way, the wireless device is able to identify a set of physical antenna panels (e.g., the minimum possible set of physical antenna panels) for which there is a sufficient quality signal that meets the performance criteria.

[0044] The drawings are schematic and simplified for clarity, and they merely show details which are helpful for the understanding of the disclosure, while other details are left out.

[0045] The same reference numerals are used for the same or corresponding parts throughout.

[0046] Figure 1A is a diagram illustrating an exemplary wireless communication system 1 including an exemplary network node 400 and an exemplary wireless device 300 according to the present disclosure.

[0047] As discussed in detail herein, the present disclosure relates to a wireless communication system 1 including a cellular system, eg, a 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) wireless communication system, eg, millimeter wave communication. The wireless communication system 1 includes a wireless device 300 and / or a network node 400 .

[0048] The network node disclosed in this document refers to a radio network node and / or a radio access network node operating in a radio access network, such as a base station, an evolved Node B, an eNB, or a gNB.

[0049] The wireless communication system 1 described herein may include one or more wireless devices 300, 300A and / or one or more network nodes 400, such as one or more of the following: a base station, an eNB, a gNB and / or an access point.

[0050] A wireless device may be referred to as a mobile device and / or user equipment UE.

[0051] The wireless device 300, 300A may be configured to communicate with a network node 400 via a wireless link (or radio access link) 10, 10A.

[0052] Figure 1Bis a diagram illustrating an example physical antenna panel and an example panel according to the present disclosure.

[0053] It should be noted that the physical antenna panel disclosed herein refers to a hardware antenna circuit or a logical structure (eg, logic elements and / or software circuit) associated with the hardware antenna circuit.

[0054] In one or more embodiments, a panel as disclosed herein may be a hardware element. In one or more embodiments, a panel as disclosed herein may be a logical element (e.g., an abstract element, a logical element, and / or a software circuit) configured to send one beam at a time and select a beam among multiple beams. In other words, in one or more embodiments, a panel may be viewed as a logical device that sends a corresponding beam. In contrast, a physical antenna panel may be viewed as a physical device that can send several beams. For example, a physical antenna panel as a physical device typically has a single power supply / power supply line. In other words, panels belonging to a physical antenna panel typically share the same power supply line or power supply and therefore cannot be powered on / off independently of each other.

[0055] Diagram 50 shows a wireless device 300 including a first physical antenna panel 301A and a second physical antenna panel 301B. The first physical antenna panel 301A is capable of transmitting two beams (e.g., using two Tx spatial filters). The second physical antenna panel 301B is capable of transmitting one beam (e.g., using one Tx spatial filter).

[0056] Figure 51 shows a wireless device 300, wherein the first physical antenna panel 301A includes a first panel 301AA and a second panel 301AB. In other words, the first panel 301AA and the second panel 301AB are associated with the first physical antenna panel 301A. The second physical antenna panel 301B includes a panel 301BB. The panel 301BB is associated with the second physical antenna panel 301B.

[0057] In the illustrative example, the network node observes that for panels 301AA, 301AB and 301BB, the beam strengths are (in relative proportions) 10, 8, 9 respectively. This results in a situation where the network node selects beams corresponding to panels 301AA and 301BB having superior strengths compared to panel 301AB for both spatial layers. At the wireless device, this does not result in any deactivation of any of the physical antenna panels, since panel 301AA belongs to the first physical antenna panel 301A and the first physical antenna panel 301A must remain active and powered for the beams of panel 301AA, while panel 301BB belongs to the second physical antenna panel 301B and the second physical antenna panel 301B must remain active and powered for the beams of panel 301BB.

[0058] The disclosed network node indicates to a wireless device a set of candidate beams greater than the number of beams to be used by the wireless device ( Figure 2 According to this example, the disclosed network node sends a set of candidate beams ( Figure 2 In the example of three panels 301AA, 301AB, 301BB with beam strengths of 10, 8, 9 respectively, the network node sends control signaling indicating 3 beams corresponding to panels 301AA, 301AB and 301BB respectively. After receiving the control signaling, the wireless device can select the beams corresponding to panels 301AA and 301AB to achieve deactivation of the second physical antenna panel 301B based on settings and hardware properties (in this example, the association between the physical panel and the panel generating the corresponding beam).

[0059] The disclosed wireless device minimizes the number of active physical antenna panels by selecting beams that belong to the same physical antenna panel. In this way, the wireless device is able to identify a set of physical antenna panels (e.g., the minimum possible set of physical antenna panels) for which there are beams and signals of sufficient quality that meet performance criteria.

[0060] Figure 2 A flow chart of an exemplary method 200 for beam steering signaling according to the present disclosure is shown. The method 200 is performed by a network node.

[0061] The network node is configured to communicate with the wireless device.

[0062] It should be noted that before executing the method 200 , initial access has been completed between the network node and the wireless device, and it is first assumed that the beam corresponds to the wireless device.

[0063] The method 200 comprises obtaining S202, from a wireless device, a first set of candidate beams for communicating with a network node based on a beam quality indicator. Obtaining S202, from the wireless device, the first set of candidate beams comprises, for example, receiving control signaling indicating the first set of candidate beams from the wireless device. Obtaining S202, from the wireless device, the first set of candidate beams comprises, for example, determining the first set of candidate beams based on the beam quality indicator. The beam quality indicator comprises, for example, a signal strength indicator and / or a signal to interference plus noise ratio.

[0064] In one or more embodiments, the set may include one or more elements.In one or more embodiments, the first set of candidate beams may include a plurality of candidate beams.

[0065] The method 200 comprises determining S204 a second set of candidate beams based on the first set and the number of beams to be used in communicating with the wireless device. The number of candidate beams in the second set is greater than the number of beams to be used for communicating with the wireless device.

[0066] The number of beams to be used in communicating with a wireless device may include, for example, the number of spatial filters to be used and / or the number of directions in which signals are radiated and / or the number of polarizations to be used.

[0067] In one or more embodiments, the selected beam may be configured to carry one or more data streams and / or one or more layers to be used.

[0068] In one or more embodiments, the second set of candidate beams may include a plurality of candidate beams.

[0069] In one or more embodiments, the one or more candidate beams in the second set include one or more of the following: a downlink DL beam and an uplink UL beam. For example, the UE may make a final UL beam selection based on a suggested selection of a beam shared by the network node via control signaling indicating the second set.

[0070] The method 200 comprises sending S206 control signaling indicating a second set of candidate beams to the wireless device. Sending S206 control signaling indicating the second set of candidate beams comprises optionally sending one or more control signals indicating the second set of candidate beams to the wireless device. Optionally, sending S206 control signaling indicating the second set of candidate beams comprises optionally sending one or more control signals including the second set to the wireless device.

[0071] The network node advantageously provides the wireless device with a set of candidate beams (i.e., a second set) that at least satisfies the number of beams to be used in communication with the wireless device and allows the wireless device to select the beam to be used for communication based on wireless device hardware properties. For example, the UE may make a final UL beam selection based on a suggested selection of beams shared by the network node via control signaling indicating the second set.

[0072] In one or more example methods, the second set of candidate beams is sorted by determining the priority of the candidate beams in the second set. In one or more example methods, the second set is determined by filtering the first set based on the priority of the candidate beams in the first set. For example, for multi-beam operation, the network node is configured to send back a second set, which optionally includes a filtered (e.g., prioritized) set of beams for multi-beam operation and is configured to allocate UL resources to each beam that may be selected by the wireless device. For example, the filtered beam set may include a set of UL beams (e.g., UE Tx beams) filtered based on measured performance at the network node. For example, the second beam set may include a set of candidate beams (e.g., UL beams (e.g., UE Tx beams)) arranged in priority. For example, the second beam set may include a set of UL beams (e.g., UE Tx beams) prioritized based on measured performance at the network node (e.g., sorted according to measured performance, for example, in descending order of performance). In other words, the wireless device can then choose what beam to use (depending on the physical antenna panel setup and / or the power supply arrangement of the physical antenna panel) and respond by addressing the associated resource allocated by the network node. The power supply arrangement of the physical antenna panel involves the arrangement of one or more power supply lines and / or power supply feeding the physical antenna panel.

[0073] In one or more example methods, the second set is a proper subset of the first set. In other words, the second set may be smaller than the first set. In other words, the number of candidate beams in the second set is smaller than the number of candidate beams in the first set. In one or more example methods, the second set as a proper subset of the first set is determined by reducing the first set to, for example, match the maximum number of beams. In one or more example methods, the second set as a proper subset of the first set is determined by filtering the first set based on a beam quality indicator. The network node remains in control, thereby limiting the size of the second set in scenarios where, for example, there is dense traffic in the cell.

[0074] In one or more example methods, the second set of candidate beams is sorted by determining a priority order of the candidate beams in the second set. For example, the second set is determined by determining a priority order of the candidate beams in the first set. For example, the second set can include candidate beams sorted according to a priority order. In other words, the second set is, for example, a prioritized set of beams determined based on the first set. For example, the second set is determined by determining a priority order of the candidate beams of the first set for multi-beam operation.

[0075] In one or more example methods, the second set is determined by filtering the first set based on the priority of the candidate beams in the first set. For example, the network node can filter the first set to obtain the second set, which indicates to the wireless device which candidate beams are acceptable using a certain priority order.

[0076] In one or more example methods, the second set is sorted by prioritizing the candidate beams in the first set based on a system quality metric. In other words, the second set can be a set of beams prioritized based on the system quality metric. For example, the priority order can be based on the system quality metric.

[0077] It can be appreciated that the network node can then benefit from improved multi-beam operation and improved resource allocation to beams that maintain or enhance radio performance of the wireless device compared to the un-prioritized beam set. The network node can be viewed as enabling the wireless device to select one or more beams among the prioritized beam sets (e.g., based on system performance), which in turn can allow the wireless device to judiciously select antenna panels to deactivate to reduce power consumption.

[0078] In one or more example methods, a second set is determined by filtering the first set based on a system quality metric S204A. For example, the first set is filtered based on the system quality metric as part of the second set by selecting a candidate beam in the first set that provides a received signal strength parameter that meets a performance criterion (e.g., above a threshold). In other words, filtering the first set based on the system quality metric S204A may include filtering the first set to obtain a second set that includes one or more candidate beams with favorable system quality parameters (e.g., lower interference level, higher received signal strength, etc.). For example, the system quality parameters include one or more of the following: cell traffic parameters, interference parameters, power level parameters, signal strength parameters, and beam group capacity parameters. For example, the system quality parameters include one or more of the following: received signal strength, number of UEs in a cell, interference level in a cell, interference level with neighboring cells, beam correlation or beam group capacity, network node hardware limitations, power level, and power supply delay. Filtering S204A may be viewed as reducing the first set based on the system quality metric, for example reducing the number of candidate beams in the first set based on the system quality metric, so that the second set includes candidate beams with good performance.

[0079] In one or more example methods, the second set is determined by sorting the first set based on the system quality metric S204B. Sorting S204B may be performed on the filtered first set produced by S204A. Optionally, filtering S204A may be performed on the sorted first set produced by S204B.

[0080] In one or more example methods, candidate beams from a wireless device for communicating with a network node include downlink candidate beams for the network node.

[0081] In one or more example methods, obtaining S202 a first set of candidate beams based on a beam quality indicator comprises receiving S202A control signaling indicating a set of downlink DL beam candidates of the network node. For example, the DL candidate beams comprise Tx candidate beams of the network node, e.g., Tx beams of the network node (suggested by the wireless device as candidate beams).

[0082] For example, the DL candidate beams include Rx candidate beams of the wireless device.

[0083] In one or more example methods, candidate beams from a wireless device for communicating with a network node include uplink candidate beams. For example, the uplink candidate beams include Tx candidate beams of the wireless device. For example, the uplink candidate beams include Rx candidate beams of the network node, such as Rx beams of the network node (suggested by the wireless device as candidate beams).

[0084] In one or more example methods, the candidate beams include beam pairs, such as a Tx beam of a wireless device paired with an Rx beam of a network node, such as an Rx beam of a wireless device paired with a Tx beam of a network node. For example, in other words, the candidate beams include one or more beam pairs, wherein the beam pair includes an Rx beam of a receiver device and a Tx beam of a transmitter device. In some embodiments, the Rx beam of the receiver device is the Rx beam of the network node, such as in UL communication, and the Tx beam of the transmitter device is the Tx beam of the wireless device. In some embodiments, the Rx beam of the receiver device is the Rx beam of the wireless device, such as in DL communication, and the Tx beam of the transmitter device is the Tx beam of the network node.

[0085] In one or more example methods, the candidate beams include DL candidate beams corresponding to beams of the network node, such as Tx beams. In one or more example methods, the candidate beams include uplink candidate beams corresponding to beams of the network node, such as Rx beams. For example, the uplink candidate beams include Rx candidate beams of the network node, such as Rx beams of the network node suggested as candidate beams by the wireless device. In one or more example methods, obtaining S202 a first set of candidate beams based on the beam quality indicator includes determining S202B based on a UL beam scan performed by the wireless device.

[0086] A set of uplink UL candidate beams. For example, a first set of candidate beams includes a set of DL candidate beams to be used by a network node, such as an Rx beam of a network node for receiving UL communications from a wireless device. In other words, the wireless device may determine (e.g., select) a first set of feasible beams and provide the first set to the network node.

[0087] In one or more example methods, method 200 includes allocating S208 one or more resources for at least one beam in the second set to communicate with the wireless device.

[0088] In one or more example methods, the method 200 includes receiving S210 control signaling indicating a third set of beams selected by the wireless device for communicating with the network node. For example, the third set of beams may include an updated beam list corresponding to the beams that the wireless device is to use for communicating with the network node. The updated beam list is the beam that the wireless device selects based on hardware properties and that the wireless device intends to use for communicating with the network node. In other words, the number of beams in the third set of beams may be equal to the number of beams to be used for communication.

[0089] In one or more example methods, method 200 includes allocating corresponding uplink resources to each candidate beam in the second set.

[0090] In one or more example methods, method 200 includes receiving control signaling indicating a third set of beams selected by the wireless device (300) for communicating with the network node (400) using corresponding uplink resources. It will be appreciated that the resources used for the control signaling indicating the third set may be less than the resources allocated for the third set.

[0091] In one or more example methods, the system quality parameter includes one or more of: a cell traffic parameter, an interference parameter, a power level parameter, a signal strength parameter, and a beam group capacity parameter.

[0092] In an illustrative example where beam correspondence has not yet been implemented in initial access, the network node populates a first set (e.g., a UL beam candidate list and / or a DL candidate list) and filters the first set to obtain a second set. The network node may determine whether to apply multi-beam operation in communication with the wireless device and notify the wireless device of the determination of multi-beam operation. The network node may allocate UL resources for each available UE UL beam (in the second set). The network nodes may share a second set (e.g., a filtered list based on the DL beam selected by the UE in the first set). For example, the network nodes may share a second set (e.g., a filtered list based on the DL beam selected by the UE in the first set (e.g., the DL beam used by the network node, e.g., the Tx beam of the network node)). Upon receiving control signaling indicating the second set, the wireless device may perform a selection of DL and UL beams based on the hardware properties of the wireless device (e.g., selecting what beam to use by addressing the associated UL resources), and again share a third set (e.g., an updated DL list reflecting its preference). This allows the wireless device to select any UL and DL beam combination available in the second set for multi-beam operation.

[0093] Figure 3A flow chart of an exemplary method 100 for beam control signaling according to the present disclosure is shown. The method 100 is performed by a wireless device. The wireless device includes one or more physical antenna panels. Each physical antenna panel includes one or more panels. The wireless device is configured to communicate with a network node using one or more beams associated with the corresponding one or more panels. It should be noted that the physical antenna panel disclosed herein refers to a hardware antenna circuit or a logical structure (e.g., a logical element and / or a software circuit) associated with the hardware antenna circuit.

[0094] The wireless device is configured to communicate with the network node using one or more beams controlled by the wireless device and one or more beams controlled by the network node. For example, the wireless device is configured to communicate with the network node using one or more DL beams and / or one or more UL beams. At the wireless device, the DL beam corresponds to a receive (Rx) beam, and the UL beam corresponds to a transmit (Tx) beam. At the network node, when the network node is configured to communicate with the wireless device using a set of beams, the DL beam corresponds to a transmit (Tx) beam, and the UL beam corresponds to a receive (Rx) beam.

[0095] In one or more example methods, one or more beams for communication between a wireless device and a network node are associated with corresponding one or more panels. In one or more example methods, one or more beams include a beam pair, such as a Tx beam of a wireless device paired with an Rx beam of a network node, such as an Rx beam of a wireless device paired with a Tx beam of a network node. The beam pair includes an Rx beam of a receiver device and a Tx beam of a transmitter device. In some embodiments, the Rx beam of the receiver device is the Rx beam of the network node, such as in UL communication, and the Tx beam of the transmitter device is the Tx beam of the wireless device. In some embodiments, the Rx beam of the receiver device is the Rx beam of the wireless device, such as in DL communication, and the Tx beam of the transmitter device is the Tx beam of the network node.

[0096] In one or more example methods, the method includes sending control signaling to a network node indicating a first set of candidate beams. This may correspond to Figure 2 For example, the UE may indicate the candidate beams to the network node.

[0097] In one or more embodiments, a panel as disclosed herein may be a hardware element. In one or more embodiments, a panel as disclosed herein may be a logical element (e.g., an abstract element, a logical element, and / or a software circuit) configured to send one beam at a time and select a beam among multiple beams. In other words, in one or more embodiments, a panel may be viewed as a logical device that sends a corresponding beam. In contrast, a physical antenna panel may be viewed as a physical device that can send several beams. For example, a physical antenna panel as a physical device typically has a single power supply / power supply line. In other words, panels belonging to a physical antenna panel typically share the same power supply line or power supply and therefore cannot be powered on / off independently of each other.

[0098] The method 100 comprises receiving S102 control signaling indicating a set of candidate beams from a network node. In other words, the set of candidate beams received in S102 corresponds to a second set of candidate beams sent by the network node via control signaling (e.g., Figure 2 (in S206).

[0099] The set of candidate beams may include one or more beams of the network node and / or one or more beams of the wireless device.The set of candidate beams may include one or more DL beams and / or one or more UL beams.

[0100] The set of candidate beams may include a set of candidate beams that have been filtered (e.g., sorted, such as prioritized). The set of candidate beams may include a set of candidate beams that have been filtered (e.g., sorted, such as prioritized according to a system quality metric) by a network node.

[0101] The method 100 comprises selecting S104 one or more beams for communicating with a network node among a set of candidate beams based on a hardware attribute of the wireless device. In one or more example methods, the hardware attribute indicates an association between a respective panel and a corresponding physical antenna panel and / or indicates a power supply arrangement associated with the physical antenna panel. The association between the panel and the corresponding physical antenna panel may take the form of a panel identifier associated with a physical antenna identifier. The beam may be characterized by a beam identifier, which may be associated with a panel identifier.

[0102] In other words, the wireless device can then choose what beam to use (depending on the physical antenna panel setup and / or power supply arrangement) and respond by addressing the associated resources allocated by the network node. This can result in deactivation of unused physical antenna panels and reduced power consumption by using beams in a way that the wireless device can disable one or more physical antenna panels.

[0103] In one or more embodiments, the one or more beams selected by the wireless device may include beams determined at initial access.

[0104] In one or more embodiments, the set of candidate beams may include a primary set of UL candidate beams and / or a secondary set of DL candidate beams.

[0105] In one or more embodiments, the set of candidate beams may include one or more UL candidate beams and / or one or more DL candidate beams.

[0106] In one or more example methods, the method 100 comprises sending S106 control signaling to the network node indicating one or more beams selected by the wireless device for communicating with the network node.For example, the one or more beams may comprise the updated list.

[0107] In one or more example methods, method 100 includes communicating S107 (eg, transmitting and / or receiving) with a network node using the selected one or more beams.

[0108] In one or more example methods, the method 100 includes determining S108 one or more physical antenna panels to be deactivated based on the selected one or more beams (and optionally based on an association between the one or more physical antenna panels and the one or more panels associated with the selected one or more beams). In one or more example methods, the method 100 includes deactivating S110 the determined one or more physical antenna panels.

[0109] In one or more example methods, receiving S102 control signaling indicating a set of candidate beams from a network node includes receiving S102A one or more control messages from the network node, the one or more control messages including one or more identifiers indicating one or more candidate beams in the set of candidate beams.

[0110] In one or more example methods, the one or more beams used for communicating with the network node include one or more of: a downlink DL beam and an uplink UL beam.

[0111] In one or more example methods, selecting S104 one or more beams for communicating with the network node from among a set of candidate beams based on hardware properties of the wireless device comprises: selecting S104A one or more beams for communicating with the network node from among a set of candidate beams based on a relationship between a UL beam and a DL beam. The relationship between the UL beam and the DL beam may be based on a beam correspondence between the DL beam and the UL beam. For example, the relationship between the UL beam and the DL beam may correspond to the existence of a beam correspondence between a given UL beam and a given DL beam.

[0112] Figure 4 300 according to the present disclosure. The wireless device 300 includes a memory circuit 301, a processor circuit 302, and a wireless interface 303. The wireless device 300 may be configured to perform Figure 3 Any of the methods disclosed in .

[0113] The wireless device 300 is configured to communicate with a network node (such as the network node disclosed herein) using a wireless communication system. The wireless interface 303 is configured for wireless communication via a wireless communication system such as a 3GPP system (eg, a 3GPP system supporting millimeter wave communication).

[0114] The wireless device comprises one or more physical antenna panels including a first physical antenna panel 301A, wherein the first physical antenna panel 301A is configured to communicate with a network node using one or more panels including a first panel 301AA.

[0115] The wireless device 300 is configured to receive control signaling indicating a set of candidate beams from a network node via the wireless interface 303. The set of candidate beams corresponds to the second set of candidate beams indicated in the control signaling sent by the network node.

[0116] The wireless device 300 is configured to select one or more beams among a set of candidate beams for communicating with a network node via the processor circuit 302 based on hardware attributes of the wireless device 300. In one or more example methods, the hardware attributes indicate an association between the panel and a physical antenna panel and / or indicate a power supply arrangement related to the physical antenna panel.

[0117] Advantageously, the wireless device is able to select beams that allow one or more of the physical antenna panels to be powered off without sharing any hardware implementation details with the network node.

[0118] Processor circuit 302 is optionally configured to perform Figure 3The operations of the wireless device 300 may be embodied in the form of executable logic routines (e.g., lines of code, software programs, etc.) stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., memory circuit 303) and executed by the processor circuit 302.

[0119] Furthermore, the operation of the wireless device 300 can be considered as a method that the wireless circuit is configured to perform. Also, although the functions and operations described may be implemented in software, such functions may also be performed via dedicated hardware or firmware or some combination of hardware, firmware and / or software.

[0120] Memory circuit 303 may be one or more of a buffer, flash memory, a hard drive, a removable medium, a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, a random access memory (RAM), or other suitable devices. In a typical arrangement, memory circuit 303 may include non-volatile memory for long-term data storage and volatile memory used as system memory for processor circuit 303. Memory circuit 303 may exchange data with processor circuit 302 via a data bus. There may also be control lines and an address bus ( Figure 4 Memory circuit 303 is considered a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

[0121] The memory circuit 303 may be configured to store the association in a portion of the memory based on the received software data.

[0122] Figure 5 4 shows a block diagram of an exemplary network node 400 according to the present disclosure. The network node 400 includes a wireless interface 401, a processor circuit 402, and a memory circuit 403. The network node 400 may be configured to execute Figure 2 Any of the methods disclosed in .

[0123] The network node 400 is configured to communicate with a wireless device (such as the wireless device disclosed herein) using a wireless communication system. The wireless interface 403 is configured for wireless communication via a wireless communication system such as a 3GPP system (eg supporting mmWave communication).

[0124] The wireless interface 401 may include an antenna array 401A including a plurality of antenna array elements. The network node 400 is optionally configured to communicate with a wireless device using a set of beams (e.g., radiated by 401A) (via the wireless interface 401). The network node 400 is optionally configured to communicate with a wireless device using an omnidirectional antenna (via the wireless interface 401).

[0125] The network node 400 is configured to obtain, from a wireless device via the wireless interface 401 and / or the processor circuit 402, a first set of candidate beams for communicating with the network node based on the beam quality indicator.

[0126] The processor circuit 402 is configured to determine a second set of candidate beams based on the first set and the number of beams to be used in communicating with the wireless device, wherein the number of candidate beams in the second set is greater than the number of beams to be used for communicating with the wireless device.

[0127] The wireless interface 401 is configured to send control signaling indicating a second set of candidate beams to the wireless device.

[0128] Processor circuit 402 is optionally configured to perform Figure 2 The operations of network node 400 may be embodied in the form of an executable logic routine (e.g., a line of code, a software program, etc.) stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium (e.g., memory circuit 403) and executed by processor circuit 402.

[0129] Furthermore, the operation of network node 400 may be considered as a method that the wireless circuitry is configured to perform. Also, although the functions and operations described may be implemented in software, such functions may also be performed via dedicated hardware or firmware or some combination of hardware, firmware and / or software.

[0130] The memory circuit 403 may be one or more of a buffer, a flash memory, a hard drive, a removable medium, a volatile memory, a non-volatile memory, a random access memory (RAM), or other suitable devices. In a typical arrangement, the memory circuit 403 may include a non-volatile memory for long-term data storage and a volatile memory used as a system memory for the processor circuit 403. The memory circuit 403 may exchange data with the processor circuit 402 via a data bus. There may also be control lines and an address bus ( Figure 5 Memory circuit 403 is considered a non-transitory computer-readable medium.

[0131] The following clauses set forth implementations of methods and products (network nodes and wireless devices) according to the present disclosure:

[0132] 1. A method for beam steering signaling performed by a network node, wherein the network node is configured to communicate with a wireless device, the method comprising the following steps:

[0133] - obtaining (S202) from the wireless device a first set of candidate beams for communicating with the network node based on the beam quality indicator;

[0134] - determining (S204) a second set of candidate beams based on the first set and the number of beams to be used in communication with the wireless device, wherein the number of candidate beams in the second set is greater than the number of beams to be used for communication with the wireless device; and

[0135] - sending (S206) control signaling indicating the second set of candidate beams to the wireless device.

[0136] 2. The method of clause 1, wherein the second set is a proper subset of the first set.

[0137] 3. The method according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the second set is determined by filtering (S204A) the first set based on a system quality metric.

[0138] 4. The method according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the second set is determined by sorting (S204B) the first set based on the system quality metric.

[0139] 5. A method according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the candidate beams for communicating with the network node include downlink candidate beams,

[0140] And wherein the step of obtaining (S202) a first set of candidate beams based on the beam quality indicator comprises: receiving (S202A) control signaling indicating a set of downlink DL candidate beams.

[0141] 6. A method according to any of the preceding clauses, wherein the candidate beams for communicating with the network node include uplink candidate beams, and

[0142] The step of obtaining (S202) the first set of candidate beams based on a beam quality indicator comprises: determining (S202B) a set of uplink UL candidate beams based on a UL beam scan performed by the wireless device.

[0143] 7. A method according to any of the preceding clauses, comprising the steps of:

[0144] - allocating (S208) one or more resources to at least one beam in the second set for communicating with the wireless device.

[0145] 8. A method according to any of the preceding clauses, comprising the steps of:

[0146] Control signaling indicating selection by the wireless device of a third set of beams for communicating with the network node is received (S210).

[0147] 9. A method according to any one of clauses 3 to 8, wherein the system quality parameters include one or more of the following items: cell traffic parameters, interference parameters, power level parameters, signal strength parameters, beam group capacity parameters.

[0148] 10. A method for beam steering signaling performed by a wireless device, the wireless device comprising one or more physical antenna panels, wherein each physical antenna panel comprises one or more panels, wherein the wireless device is configured to communicate with a network node using one or more beams associated with the corresponding one or more panels, the method comprising the steps of:

[0149] - receiving (S102) control signaling from the network node indicating a set of candidate beams; and

[0150] - Based on hardware properties of the wireless device, selecting (S104) one or more beams from among the set of candidate beams for communicating with the network node.

[0151] 11. A method according to clause 10, wherein the hardware attributes indicate an association between the respective panel and a corresponding physical antenna panel and / or indicate a power supply arrangement associated with the physical antenna panel.

[0152] 12. The method according to any one of clauses 10 to 11, comprising the steps of:

[0153] Control signaling indicating one or more beams selected by the wireless device for communicating with the network node is sent (S106) to the network node.

[0154] 13. The method according to any one of clauses 10 to 12, comprising the steps of:

[0155] - determining (S108) one or more physical antenna panels to be deactivated based on the selected one or more beams; and

[0156] - Deactivating (S110) the determined one or more physical antenna panels.

[0157] 14. A method according to any of clauses 10 to 13, wherein the step of receiving (S102) control signalling from the network node indicating a set of candidate beams comprises:

[0158] - receiving (S102A) one or more control messages from the network node, the one or more control messages comprising one or more identifiers indicating one or more candidate beams in the set of candidate beams.

[0159] 15. A method according to any of clauses 10 to 14, wherein the one or more beams used for communicating with the network node include one or more of: a downlink (DL) beam and an uplink (UL) beam.

[0160] 16. A method according to any one of clauses 10 to 15, wherein the step of selecting (S104) one or more beams for communicating with the network node from the set of candidate beams based on hardware properties of the wireless device includes: selecting (S104A) one or more beams for communicating with the network node from the set of candidate beams based on the relationship between UL beams and DL beams.

[0161] 17. A network node comprising a memory circuit, a processor circuit and a wireless interface, wherein the network node is configured to perform any of the methods according to any of clauses 1 to 9.

[0162] 18. A wireless device comprising a memory circuit, a processor circuit and a wireless interface, wherein the wireless device is configured to perform any of the methods according to any of clauses 10 to 16.

[0163] The use of the terms "first", "second", "third" and "fourth", "primary", "secondary", "third place", etc. does not imply any particular order, but is included to identify each element. In addition, the use of the terms "first", "second", "third" and "fourth", "primary", "secondary", "third place", etc. does not indicate any order or importance, but the terms "first", "second", "third" and "fourth", "primary", "secondary", "third place", etc. are used to distinguish one element from another element. Please note that the words "first", "second", "third" and "fourth", "primary", "secondary", "third place", etc. are used here and elsewhere only for marking purposes and are not intended to represent any particular spatial or temporal ordering. In addition, the marking of the first element does not mean that there is a second element, and vice versa.

[0164] Understandably, Figures 1A to 5 Some circuits or operations illustrated with solid lines and some circuits or operations illustrated with dotted lines are included. The circuits or operations included in the solid lines are the circuits or operations included in the most extensive example implementation. The circuits or operations included in the dotted lines are such example implementations: they can be included in the circuits or operations of the solid line example implementations or are part of them, or they can be used in addition to the circuits or operations of the solid line example implementations. It should be understood that these operations do not need to be performed in the order presented. In addition, it should be understood that not all operations need to be performed. The exemplary operations can be performed in any order and in any combination.

[0165] It should be noted that the word "comprising" does not necessarily exclude the presence of other elements or steps than those listed.

[0166] It should be noted that the word "a" or "an" preceding an element does not exclude the presence of a plurality of such elements.

[0167] It should also be noted that any reference signs do not limit the scope of the claims, that exemplary embodiments may be implemented at least partially by means of hardware and software, and that multiple "means," "units," or "devices" may be represented by the same hardware item.

[0168] Various exemplary methods, devices, nodes, and systems described herein are described in the overall context of method steps or processes, which in one aspect may be implemented by a computer program product embodied in a computer-readable medium, the computer program product including computer executable instructions, such as program code executed by a computer in a networked environment. Computer-readable media may include removable and non-removable storage devices, including but not limited to read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), compact disk (CD), digital versatile disk (DVD), etc. In general, program circuits may include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific tasks or implement specific abstract data types. Computer executable instructions, associated data structures, and program circuits represent examples of program codes for performing the steps of the methods disclosed herein. Specific sequences of such executable instructions or associated data structures represent examples of corresponding actions for implementing the functions described in these steps or processes.

[0169] Although features have been shown and described, it will be understood that the features are not intended to limit the claimed disclosure, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the scope of the claimed disclosure. Therefore, the specification and drawings are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. The claimed disclosure is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for beam control signaling performed by a network node (400), wherein: The network node (400) is configured to communicate with the wireless device (300), and the method comprises the following steps: - obtaining (S202) from the wireless device (300) a first set of candidate beams for communicating with the network node (400) based on the beam quality indicator; - determining (S204) a second set of candidate beams based on the first set and the number of beams to be used in communication with the wireless device (300), wherein the number of candidate beams in the second set is greater than the number of beams to be used for communication with the wireless device (300); and - sending (S206) control signaling indicating the second set of candidate beams to the wireless device (300), wherein the wireless device (300) is configured to select one or more beams from the second set of candidate beams for communicating with the network node (400) based on hardware properties of the wireless device (300), The hardware attributes indicate an association between a corresponding panel and a corresponding physical antenna panel and / or indicate a power supply arrangement associated with the physical antenna panel, each physical antenna panel including one or more panels.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The second set is a proper subset of the first set.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The second set of candidate beams is ordered by prioritizing the candidate beams in the second set.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The second set is determined by filtering the first set based on the priority order of candidate beams in the first set.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The second set is determined by filtering (S204A) the first set based on a system quality metric.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein: The second set is determined by sorting the first set based on the system quality metric (S204B).

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The one or more candidate beams in the second set include one or more of the following: a downlink DL beam and an uplink UL beam.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The candidate beams from the wireless device (300) for communicating with the network node (400) include downlink candidate beams for the network node, and The step of obtaining (S202) a first set of candidate beams based on the beam quality indicator comprises: receiving (S202A) control signaling indicating a set of downlink DL candidate beams of the network node.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The candidate beams for communicating with the network node include uplink candidate beams, and Therein, the step of obtaining (S202) the first set of candidate beams based on the beam quality indicator comprises: determining (S202B) a set of uplink UL candidate beams based on UL beam scanning performed by the wireless device.

10. The method according to claim 1, comprising the steps of: - allocating (S208) one or more resources for at least one candidate beam of the second set for communicating with the wireless device (300).

11. The method according to claim 1, comprising the steps of: Control signaling instructing the wireless device (300) to select a third set of beams for communicating with the network node (400) is received (S210).

12. The method according to claim 11, comprising the steps of: - Allocate corresponding uplink resources to each candidate beam in the second set.

13. The method according to claim 12, comprising the steps of: Control signaling indicative of the third set of beams selected by the wireless device (300) for communicating with the network node (400) is received using the corresponding uplink resources.

14. A method for beam steering signaling performed at a wireless device (300), the wireless device (300) comprising one or more physical antenna panels, wherein: Each physical antenna panel comprises one or more panels, wherein the wireless device (300) is configured to communicate with a network node (400) using one or more beams associated with the corresponding one or more panels, and the method comprises the following steps: - receiving (S102) control signaling indicating a set of candidate beams from the network node (400); and - selecting (S104) one or more beams from among the set of candidate beams for communicating with the network node (400) based on hardware properties of the wireless device (300), The hardware attributes indicate an association between the respective panel and a corresponding physical antenna panel and / or indicate a power supply arrangement associated with the physical antenna panel.

15. The method according to claim 14, comprising the steps of: Control signaling is sent (S106) to the network node (400) indicating one or more beams selected by the wireless device (300) for communicating with the network node (400).

16. The method according to claim 14, comprising the steps of: - determining (S108) one or more physical antenna panels to be deactivated based on the selected one or more beams; as well as - Deactivating (S110) the determined one or more physical antenna panels.

17. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The step of receiving (S102) control signaling indicating a set of candidate beams from the network node (400) comprises: - receiving (S102A) one or more control messages from the network node (400), the one or more control messages comprising one or more identifiers indicating one or more candidate beams in the set of candidate beams.

18. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The one or more beams used for communicating with the network node (400) include one or more of the following: a downlink DL beam and an uplink UL beam.

19. The method according to claim 14, wherein: The step of selecting (S104) one or more beams for communicating with the network node (400) from the set of candidate beams based on the hardware properties of the wireless device (300) includes: selecting (S104A) the one or more beams for communicating with the network node (400) from the set of candidate beams based on the relationship between the UL beam and the DL beam.

20. A network node (400), comprising a memory circuit, a processor circuit and a wireless interface, wherein: The network node (400) is configured to perform any of the methods according to any of claims 1 to 13.

21. A wireless device (300), comprising a memory circuit, a processor circuit and a wireless interface, wherein: The wireless device (300) is configured to perform any of the methods according to any of claims 14 to 19.

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