Method and apparatus for downlink and uplink multibeam operation in a wireless communication system

Abstract

This disclosure relates to a fifth-generation pre- (5G) or 5G communication system to be provided for supporting higher data rates such as LTE and beyond fourth-generation (4G) communication systems. This disclosure provides a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, the UE comprising: at least one transceiver; at least one processor operatively coupled to the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive configuration information including a plurality of Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) states; receive a beam indication indicating a TCI state from the plurality of TCI states; identify a beam based on the beam indication; and transmit uplink (UL) data via the identified beam.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates generally to wireless communication systems, and more specifically to downlink and uplink multibeam operation in wireless communication systems. Background Technology

[0002] To meet the increased demand for wireless data traffic since the deployment of fourth-generation (4G) communication systems, efforts have been made to develop improved fifth-generation (5G) or pre-5G communication systems. Therefore, 5G or pre-5G communication systems are also referred to as "beyond 4G networks" or "post long term evolution (LTE) systems".

[0003] 5G communication systems are considered to be implemented in higher (mmWave) frequency bands, such as the 60GHz band, to achieve higher data rates. To reduce radio wave propagation loss and increase transmission distance, beamforming, massive MIMO, full-size MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antennas, analog beamforming, and massive MIMO technologies are discussed in relation to 5G communication systems.

[0004] In addition, improvements and developments are underway in 5G communication systems based on advanced small cells, cloud radio access networks (RAN), ultra-dense networks, device-to-device (D2D) communication, wireless backhaul, mobile networks, system networks, cooperative communication, cooperative multipoint (CoMP), and receiver interference cancellation.

[0005] In 5G systems, hybrid frequency shift keying (FSK), orthogonal amplitude modulation (FQAM), and sliding window superposition coding (SWSC) have been developed as advanced coding and modulation (ACM), as well as filter bank multicarrier (FBMC), non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA), and sparse code division multiple access (SCMA) as advanced access technologies.

[0006] Wireless communication has consistently been one of the most successful innovations in modern history. The demand for wireless data traffic is rapidly increasing due to the growing popularity of smartphones and other mobile data devices such as tablets, notebook computers, netbooks, e-book readers, and machine-type devices among consumers and businesses. To meet this rapid growth in mobile data traffic and support new applications and deployments, improvements in radio interface efficiency and coverage are crucial.

[0007] Mobile devices or user equipment (UEs) can measure the quality of the downlink channel and report this quality to the base station, thereby determining whether various parameters should be adjusted during communication with the mobile device. Existing channel quality reporting processes in wireless communication systems are not adequately suited for reporting channel state information associated with large two-dimensional array transmit antennas or (generally) antenna array geometries that accommodate a large number of antenna elements. Summary of the Invention

[0008] Technical issues

[0009] Embodiments of this disclosure provide methods and apparatus for implementing downlink and uplink multi-beam operation in a wireless communication system.

[0010] Problem Solution

[0011] In one embodiment, a UE is provided. The UE includes a transceiver configured to receive configuration information including a plurality of Transport Configuration Indicator (TCI) states, and to receive beam indications indicating TCI states from the plurality of TCI states. The TCI states indicate N entities (E1, E2, ... E...). N The beam of each in ) . TCI state packet TCI state ID and at most N+1 components (A0, A1, A2, ..., A N ), where A0 includes the common components of all entities, and for each n∈{1,2,...,N}, A n Including entity E n Specific components, and component A0 and component A n Together, indicate entity E n The UE may include a processor operatively connected to the transceiver. The processor is configured to determine N entities (E1, E2, ... E...) indicated by the TCI state. N The transceiver is configured based on the beams of each of the N entities (E1, E2, ... E...). N Each of the beams transmits uplink (UL) transmissions or receives downlink (DL) transmissions.

[0012] In another embodiment, a Base Station (BS) in a wireless communication network is provided. The BS includes a processor configured to generate configuration information including a plurality of Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) states, and to generate beam indications indicating TCI states from the plurality of TCI states. The BS also includes a transceiver operatively connected to the processor. The transceiver is configured to transmit the configuration information including the plurality of TCI states, and to transmit beam indications indicating TCI states from the plurality of TCI states. The TCI states indicate N entities (E1, E2, ... E...). NThe beam of each in ) . TCI state packet TCI state ID and at most N+1 components (A0, A1, A2, ..., A N ), where A0 includes the common components of all entities, and for each n∈{1,2,...,N}, A n Including entity E n Specific components, and component A0 and component A n Together, indicate entity E n The transceiver is configured based on N entities (E1, E2, ... E...). N Each of the beams receives uplink (UL) transmissions or sends downlink (DL) transmissions.

[0013] In another embodiment, a method for operating a UE is provided. The method includes: receiving configuration information including a plurality of Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) states; receiving a beam indication indicating a TCI state from the plurality of TCI states, wherein the TCI states indicate N entities (E1, E2, ... E...). N The beam of each of the TCI states, and where the TCI state includes the TCI state ID and at most N+1 components (A0, A1, A2, ..., A...). N ), where A0 includes the common components of all entities, and for each n∈{1,2,...,N}, A n Including entity E n Specific components, and component A0 and component A n Together, indicate entity E n The beam; identify N entities (E1, E2, ... E) indicated by the TCI state. N The beam of each of the N entities (E1, E2, ... E) N Each of the beams in the signal is used to send uplink (UL) transmissions or receive downlink (DL) transmissions.

[0014] Other technical features can be readily understood by those skilled in the art from the following figures, description and claims.

[0015] Before proceeding with the detailed description below, it may be advantageous to clarify the definitions of certain words and phrases used throughout this disclosure. The term “coupled” and its derivatives refer to any direct or indirect communication between two or more elements, whether or not these elements are physically in contact with each other. The terms “send,” “receive,” and “communicate,” and their derivatives include both direct and indirect communication. The terms “include” and “contain” and their derivatives mean, but are not limited to, including. The term “or” is inclusive, meaning “and / or.” The phrase “associated with” and its derivatives mean including, comprising, interconnecting, containing, contained within, connected to or linked to, coupled to or coupled with, communicating with, cooperating with, interleaving with, juxtaposed with, proximate with, bound to or bound to, having, possessing its properties, associated with or associated with, etc. The term “controller” refers to any device, system, or part thereof that controls at least one operation. Such controllers may be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and software and / or firmware. The functionality associated with any particular controller may be centralized or distributed, local or remote. When used with a series of items, the phrase “at least one of…” means that different combinations of one or more of the listed items may be used, and that only one of the listed items may be required. For example, “at least one of A, B, and C” includes any of the following combinations: A, B, C, A; B, A; C, B, and C; and A, B, and C.

[0016] Furthermore, the various functions described below may be implemented or supported by one or more computer programs, each of which is formed by computer-readable program code and implemented in a computer-readable medium. The terms "application" and "program" refer to one or more computer programs, software components, instruction sets, programs, functions, objects, classes, instances, associated data, or portions thereof implemented in appropriate computer-readable program code. The phrase "computer-readable program code" includes any type of computer code, including source code, object code, and executable code. The phrase "computer-readable medium" includes any type of medium that can be accessed by a computer, such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), hard disk drive, optical disc (CD), digital video disc (DVD), or any other type of storage. "Non-transitory" computer-readable medium does not include wired, wireless, optical, or other communication links that transmit transient electrical signals or other signals. Non-transitory computer-readable medium includes media that can permanently store data and media that can store data and overwrite data later, such as rewritable optical discs or erasable storage devices.

[0017] Definitions of certain other words and phrases are provided throughout this patent document. It will be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art that, in many cases, if not most, these definitions apply to the prior and future use of the defined words and phrases.

[0018] Various aspects and features of the invention are defined in the appended claims. Combinations of features from dependent claims may be suitably combined with features of the independent claims, and not merely as expressly set forth in the claims.

[0019] Furthermore, one or more selected features of any embodiment described in this disclosure may be combined with one or more selected features of any other embodiment described herein, provided that the alternative combination of features at least partially alleviates one or more technical problems described in this disclosure, or at least partially alleviates technical problems that can be identified by a person skilled in the art from this disclosure, and further provided that the particular combination or arrangement of the embodiment features thus formed is not to be understood by a person skilled in the art as incompatible.

[0020] Two or more physically distinct components in any exemplary embodiment described in this disclosure may alternatively be integrated into a single component where possible, provided that the same functionality is performed by the thus formed single component. Conversely, where appropriate, a single component of any embodiment described in this disclosure may alternatively be implemented as two or more distinct components to achieve the same functionality.

[0021] The purpose of certain embodiments of the present invention is to at least partially solve, mitigate, or eliminate at least one of the problems and / or disadvantages associated with the prior art. Certain embodiments are intended to provide at least one of the following advantages.

[0022] The advantages and effects of this disclosure

[0023] The apparatus and methods according to various embodiments of this disclosure can determine the optimal beam by considering the beam correspondence in downlink and uplink data transmission in the system. Attached Figure Description

[0024] To gain a more complete understanding of this disclosure and its advantages, reference will now be made to the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals denote the same parts:

[0025] Figure 1 Exemplary wireless networks according to various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in a wireless communication system;

[0026] Figure 2 Exemplary gNBs are shown in various embodiments of this disclosure in a wireless communication system;

[0027] Figure 3 Exemplary UEs according to various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in a wireless communication system;

[0028] Figure 4AA high-level schematic diagram of an orthogonal frequency division multiple access transmission path according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown in a wireless communication system;

[0029] Figure 4B A high-level schematic diagram of an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDM) receiving path according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown in a wireless communication system.

[0030] Figure 5 A block diagram of a PDSCH transmitter in a subframe according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown in a wireless communication system.

[0031] Figure 6 A receiver block diagram of PDSCH in a subframe according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown in a wireless communication system;

[0032] Figure 7 A block diagram of a PUSCH transmitter in a subframe according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown in a wireless communication system.

[0033] Figure 8 A receiver block diagram of PUSCH in a subframe according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown in a wireless communication system.

[0034] Figure 9 Exemplary antenna blocks are shown in various embodiments of the present disclosure in a wireless communication system;

[0035] Figure 10 This illustrates downlink multi-beam operation in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0036] Figure 11 This illustrates downlink multi-beam operation in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 12 This illustrates uplink multi-beam operation in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0038] Figure 13 This illustrates uplink multi-beam operation in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0039] Figure 14 This illustrates downlink and / or uplink multibeam operation in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0040] Figure 15 This illustrates downlink and / or uplink multibeam operation in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure;

[0041] Figure 16 A flowchart illustrating a method for operating a user equipment (UE) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in a wireless communication system; and

[0042] Figure 17 A flowchart is shown illustrating another method that can be performed by a BS in a wireless communication system according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0043] The scope of protection is defined by the appended independent claims. The appended dependent claims specify further features. Exemplary embodiments may be implemented, which include one or more features of any claim, whether used in combination or individually in any and all permutations.

[0044] The examples described in this disclosure include non-limiting example implementations of components corresponding to one or more features specified in the appended independent claims, and these features (or their corresponding components) individually or in combination may help improve one or more technical problems that can be deduced by those skilled in the art.

[0045] Furthermore, one or more selected components of any example described in this disclosure may be combined with one or more selected components of any other example described in this disclosure, or alternatively may be combined with the features of the appended independent claims to form another alternative example.

[0046] Further exemplary embodiments may be implemented, which include one or more components of any of the embodiments described herein, taken in any and all arrangements, jointly and separately. Further exemplary embodiments may also be implemented by combining one or more features of the appended claims with one or more selected components of any of the exemplary embodiments described herein.

[0047] In forming these further exemplary embodiments, some components of any of the exemplary embodiments described in this disclosure may be omitted. One or more components that may be omitted are those that a person skilled in the art will directly and clearly recognize, based on the technical problems identifiable from this disclosure, as not essential to the functionality of the technology disclosed. A person skilled in the art will recognize that replacing or removing such omitted components does not require modifying other components or features of another alternative example to compensate for the change. Therefore, according to this technology, further exemplary embodiments may be included even if the selected combinations of features and / or components are not specifically described in this disclosure.

[0048] Two or more physically distinct components in any of the exemplary embodiments described in this disclosure may alternatively be integrated into a single component where possible, provided that the same functionality is performed by the single component thus formed. Conversely, where appropriate, a single component in any exemplary embodiment described in this disclosure may alternatively be implemented as two or more distinct components to achieve the same functionality.

[0049] The following discussion Figures 1 to 17 The various embodiments used to describe the principles of this disclosure in this patent document are for illustrative purposes only and should not be considered as limiting the scope of this disclosure in any way. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of this disclosure can be implemented in any suitably arranged system or apparatus.

[0050] The following documents and standards are hereby incorporated herein by reference as if fully set forth herein: 3GPP TS 36.211 v16.1.0, “E-UTRA, Physical Channel and Modulation”; 3GPP TS 36.212 v16.1.0, “E-UTRA, Multiplexing and Channel Coding”; 3GPP TS 36.213 v16.1.0, “E-UTRA, Physical Layer Procedures”; 3GPP TS 36.321 v16.1.0, “E-UTRA, Media Access Control (MAC) Protocol Specification”; 3GPP TS 36.331 v16.1.0, “E-UTRA, Radio Resource Control (RRC) Protocol Specification”; 3GPP TR 22.891 v14.2.0; 3GPP TS 38.211 v16.1.0, “E-UTRA, NR, Physical Channel and Modulation”; 3GPP TS 38.213 v16.1.0, “E-UTRA, NR, Physical layer procedures for control”; 3GPP TS 38.214 v16.1.0, “E-UTRA, NR, Physical layer procedures for data”; and 3GPP TS 38.212 v16.1.0, “E-UTRA, NR, multiplexing and channel coding”.

[0051] The aspects, features, and advantages of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following detailed description only by illustrating several specific embodiments and implementations, including the best mode contemplated for carrying out this disclosure. Other different embodiments may also be available for this disclosure, and modifications may be made to several details in various obvious aspects without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be considered illustrative in nature and not restrictive. This disclosure is illustrated in the accompanying figures by way of example rather than limitation.

[0052] In the following text, for the sake of brevity, both FDD and TDD will be regarded as duplexing methods for DL ​​and UL signaling.

[0053] Although the following exemplary description and embodiments assume orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA), this disclosure can be extended to other OFDM-based transmission waveforms or multiple access schemes, such as filtered OFDM (F-OFDM).

[0054] The following text Figure 1-4B Various embodiments of communication technologies implemented in wireless communication systems and using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) or orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) are described. Figures 1 to 3 The description herein does not imply any physical or architectural limitations on the ways in which different embodiments may be implemented. Different embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in any suitably arranged communication system. This disclosure covers multiple components that can be combined or used in combination with each other, or can operate as standalone solutions.

[0055] Figure 1 An example wireless network according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 1 The illustrated embodiment of the wireless network is for illustrative purposes only. Other embodiments of the wireless network 100 may be used without departing from the scope of this disclosure.

[0056] like Figure 1 As shown, the wireless network includes gNB 101, gNB 102, and gNB 103. gNB 101 communicates with gNB 102 and gNB 103. gNB 101 also communicates with at least one network 130, such as the Internet, a proprietary Internet Protocol (IP) network, or other data network.

[0057] gNB 102 provides wireless broadband access to network 130 to a first plurality of user equipments (UEs) within its coverage area 120. The first plurality of UEs includes UE 111, which may be located within a small business; UE 112, which may be located within an enterprise (E); UE 113, which may be located within a WiFi hotspot (HS); UE 114, which may be located in a first residence (R); UE 115, which may be located in a second residence (R); and UE 116, which may be a mobile device (M), such as a cellular phone, wireless laptop computer, wireless PDA, etc. gNB 103 provides wireless broadband access to network 130 to a second plurality of UEs within its coverage area 125. The second plurality of UEs includes UE 115 and UE 116. In some embodiments, one or more of gNBs 101-103 may communicate with each other and with UEs 111-116 using 5G, LTE, LTE-A, WiMAX, WiFi, or other wireless communication technologies.

[0058] Depending on the network type, the term "base station" or "BS" can refer to any component (or set of components) configured to provide wireless access to a network, such as a transmitting point (TP), a transmitting-receiving point (TRP), an enhanced base station (eNodeB or eNB), a 5G base station (gNB), a macrocell base station, a femtocell base station, a WiFi access point (AP), or other wireless-enabled equipment. A base station can provide wireless access according to one or more wireless communication protocols, such as 5G 3GPP New Radio Interface / Access (NR), Long Term Evolution (LTE), LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac, etc. For convenience, the terms "BS" and "TRP" are used interchangeably in this patent document to refer to network infrastructure components that provide wireless access to remote terminals. Furthermore, depending on the network type, the term "user equipment" or "UE" can refer to any component, such as a "mobile station," "subscriber station," "remote terminal," "wireless terminal," "receiving point," or "user equipment." For convenience, the terms “user equipment” and “UE” used in this patent document refer to a remote wireless device that wirelessly accesses a BS, whether the UE is a mobile device (such as a mobile phone or smartphone) or is generally considered a fixed device (such as a desktop computer or vending machine).

[0059] The dashed lines indicate the approximate extent of coverage areas 120 and 125, which are illustrated as nearly circular for illustrative and explanatory purposes only. It should be clearly understood that coverage areas associated with the gNB, such as coverage areas 120 and 125, may have other shapes, including irregular shapes, depending on the configuration of the gNB and variations in the radio environment related to natural and man-made obstacles.

[0060] As described in more detail below, one or more of UEs 111-116 include circuitry, programming, or a combination thereof for receiving an indication for multi-beam operation based on a joint TCI state for communication in a wireless communication system, and one or more of gNBs 101-103 include circuitry, programming, or a combination thereof for transmitting an indication for multi-beam operation communication based on a joint TCI state in a wireless communication system.

[0061] although Figure 1 An example of a wireless network is shown, but more can be found on... Figure 1Various modifications can be made. For example, the wireless network can include any number of gNBs and any number of UEs in any suitable arrangement. Furthermore, gNB 101 can communicate directly with any number of UEs and provide those UEs with wireless broadband access to network 130. Similarly, each gNB 102-103 can communicate directly with network 130 and provide UEs with direct wireless broadband access to network 130. Additionally, gNBs 101, 102, and / or 103 can provide access to other or additional external networks, such as external telephone networks or other types of data networks.

[0062] Figure 2 An example gNB 102 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 2 The embodiment of gNB 102 shown is for illustrative purposes only, and Figure 1 gNBs 101 and 103 can have the same or similar configurations. However, gNBs come in various configurations, and Figure 2 This disclosure is not intended to limit the scope to any particular implementation of gNB.

[0063] like Figure 2 As shown, gNB 102 includes multiple antennas 205a-205n, multiple RF transceivers 210a-210n, transmit (TX) processing circuitry 215, and receive (RX) processing circuitry 220. gNB 102 also includes a controller / processor 225, a memory 230, and a backhaul or network interface 235.

[0064] RF transceivers 210a-210n receive input RF signals from antennas 205a-205n, such as signals transmitted by a UE in network 100. RF transceivers 210a-210n down-convert the input RF signals to generate IF or baseband signals. The IF or baseband signals are sent to RX processing circuitry 220, which generates processed baseband signals by filtering, decoding, and / or digitizing the baseband or IF signals. RX processing circuitry 220 sends the processed baseband signals to controller / processor 225 for further processing.

[0065] The TX processing circuit 215 receives analog or digital data (such as voice data, network data, email, or interactive video game data) from the controller / processor 225. The TX processing circuit 215 encodes, multiplexes, and / or digitizes the output baseband data to generate a processed baseband or IF signal. The RF transceivers 210a-210n receive the processed baseband or IF signal from the TX processing circuit 215 and up-convert the baseband or IF signal into an RF signal transmitted via antennas 205a-205n.

[0066] The controller / processor 225 may include one or more processors or other processing devices that control the overall operation of the gNB 102. For example, the controller / processor 225 may control the RF transceivers 210a-210n, the RX processing circuit 220, and the TX processing circuit 215 to receive forward channel signals and transmit reverse channel signals, based on known principles. The controller / processor 225 may also support additional functions, such as more advanced wireless communication capabilities.

[0067] For example, the controller / processor 225 can support beamforming or directional routing operations, where the output signals from multiple antennas 205a-205n are weighted differently to effectively steer the output signals in the desired direction. The controller / processor 225 can also support any of a variety of other functions within the gNB 102.

[0068] The controller / processor 225 is also capable of executing programs and other processes, such as an operating system, residing in the memory 230. The controller / processor 225 can move data into or out of the memory 230 as needed by the executing process.

[0069] The controller / processor 225 is also coupled to a backhaul or network interface 235. The backhaul or network interface 235 allows the gNB 102 to communicate with other devices or systems via a backhaul connection or over a network. Interface 235 can support communication via any suitable wired or wireless connection(s). For example, when the gNB 102 is implemented as part of a cellular communication system (such as a system supporting 5G, LTE, or LTE-A), interface 235 can allow the gNB 102 to communicate with other gNBs via a wired or wireless backhaul connection. When the gNB 102 is implemented as an access point, interface 235 can allow the gNB 102 to communicate via a wired or wireless local area network or via a wired or wireless connection to a larger network (such as the Internet). Interface 235 includes any suitable infrastructure supporting communication via wired or wireless connections, such as Ethernet or RF transceivers.

[0070] Memory 230 is coupled to controller / processor 225. A portion of memory 230 may include RAM, and another portion of memory 230 may include flash memory or other ROM.

[0071] although Figure 2 An example of gNB 102 is shown, but it is possible to see more. Figure 2 Various modifications can be made. For example, gNB 102 can include any number of... Figure 2Each component shown. As a specific example, an access point may include multiple interfaces 235, and the controller / processor 225 may support routing functionality to route data between different network addresses. As another specific example, although illustrated as a single instance of TX processing circuitry 215 and a single instance of RX processing circuitry 220, the gNB102 may include multiple instances of each type of circuitry (e.g., one per RF transceiver). Furthermore, Figure 2 The various components can be combined, further subdivided, or omitted, and additional components can be added as needed.

[0072] Figure 3 An example UE 116 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 3 The embodiment of UE 116 shown is for illustrative purposes only, and Figure 1 UEs 111-115 can have the same or similar configurations. However, UEs have various configurations, and Figure 3 This disclosure is not intended to limit the scope to any particular implementation of the UE.

[0073] like Figure 3 As shown, UE 116 includes an antenna 305, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver 310, a TX processing circuit 315, a microphone 320, and an RX processing circuit 325. UE 116 also includes a speaker 330, a processor 340, an input / output (I / O) interface (IF) 345, a touchscreen 350, a display 355, and a memory 360. The memory 360 includes an operating system (OS) 361 and one or more applications 362.

[0074] RF transceiver 310 receives an input RF signal transmitted by a gNB of network 100 from antenna 305. RF transceiver 310 down-converts the input RF signal to generate an intermediate frequency (IF) or baseband signal. The IF or baseband signal is sent to RX processing circuitry 325, which generates a processed baseband signal by filtering, decoding, and / or digitizing the baseband or IF signal. RX processing circuitry 325 sends the processed baseband signal to speaker 330 (e.g., for voice data) or to processor 340 for further processing (e.g., for web browsing data).

[0075] The TX processing circuit 315 receives analog or digital voice data from the microphone 320 or other output baseband data (such as network data, email, or interactive video game data) from the processor 340. The TX processing circuit 315 encodes, multiplexes, and / or digitizes the output baseband data to generate a processed baseband or IF signal. The RF transceiver 310 receives the processed baseband or IF signal from the TX processing circuit 315 and up-converts the baseband or IF signal into an RF signal transmitted via the antenna 305.

[0076] Processor 340 may include one or more processors or other processing devices and execute OS 361 stored in memory 360 to control the overall operation of UE 116. For example, processor 340 may control the RF transceiver 310, RX processing circuit 325, and TX processing circuit 315 to receive forward channel signals and transmit reverse channel signals according to known principles. In some embodiments, processor 340 includes at least one microprocessor or microcontroller.

[0077] Processor 340 is also capable of executing other processes and programs residing in memory 360, such as processes for CSI-RS measurements and for CSI feedback on the uplink channel. Processor 340 can move data into or out of memory 360 as needed for the executed process. In some embodiments, processor 340 is configured to execute application 362 based on OS 361 or in response to signals received from gNB or operator. Processor 340 is also coupled to I / O interface 345, which provides UE 116 with the ability to connect to other devices such as laptop computers and handheld computers. I / O interface 345 is the communication path between these accessories and processor 340.

[0078] The processor 340 is also coupled to the touchscreen 350 and the display 355. The operator of the UE 116 can use the touchscreen 350 to input data into the UE 116. The display 355 may be a liquid crystal display, a light-emitting diode display, or other display capable of displaying text and / or at least limited graphics from a website.

[0079] The memory 360 is coupled to the processor 340. A portion of the memory 360 may include random access memory (RAM), and another portion of the memory 360 may include flash memory or other read-only memory (ROM).

[0080] although Figure 3 An example of UE 116 is shown, but it is possible to see more. Figure 3 Make various changes. For example, Figure 3The various components can be combined, further subdivided, or omitted, and additional components can be added as needed. As a specific example, processor 340 can be divided into multiple processors, such as one or more central processing units (CPUs) and one or more graphics processing units (GPUs). Furthermore, although... Figure 3 The illustration shows a UE 116 configured as a mobile phone or smartphone, but the UE can be configured to operate as other types of mobile or fixed devices.

[0081] Figure 4A This is a high-level schematic diagram of the transmit path circuit. For example, the transmit path circuit can be used for Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) communication. Figure 4B This is a high-level schematic diagram of the receive path circuit. For example, the receive path circuit can be used in Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiple Access (OFDMA) communication. Figure 4A and 4B In the context of downlink communication, the transmitting path circuitry can be implemented in the base station (gNB) 102 or a relay station, while the receiving path circuitry can be implemented in the user equipment (e.g., Figure 1 User equipment 116). In other examples, for uplink communication, the receive path circuit 450 can be implemented at the base station (e.g., Figure 1 In the gNB 102) or relay station, and the transmission path circuit can be implemented in the user equipment (e.g., Figure 1 In user equipment 116).

[0082] The transmit path circuitry includes a channel coding and modulation block 405, a serial-to-parallel (S-to-P) block 410, a big-N inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT) block 415, a parallel-to-serial (P-to-S) block 420, a cyclic prefix addition block 425, and an up-converter (UC) 430. The receive path circuitry includes a down-converter (DC) 455, a cyclic prefix removal block 460, a serial-to-parallel (S-to-P) block 465, a big-N fast Fourier transform (FFT) block 470, a parallel-to-serial (P-to-S) block 475, and a channel decoding and demodulation block 480.

[0083] Figure 4A At least some of the components in 400 and 4B 450 can be implemented in software, while other components can be implemented through configurable hardware or a combination of software and configurable hardware. Specifically, it should be noted that the FFT and IFFT blocks described in this disclosure can be implemented as configurable software algorithms, wherein the value of size N can be modified according to the appropriate implementation.

[0084] Furthermore, although this disclosure pertains to embodiments implementing the Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) and Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT), this is merely illustrative and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure. It should be understood that in alternative embodiments of this disclosure, the FFT and IFFT functions can be readily replaced by Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) and Inverse Discrete Fourier Transform (IDFT) functions, respectively. It is understood that for the DFT and IDFT functions, the value of the N variable can be any integer (i.e., 1, 4, 3, 4, etc.), while for the FFT and IFFT functions, the value of the N variable can be any integer a power of 2 (i.e., 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, etc.).

[0085] In the transmit path circuit 400, the channel coding and modulation block 405 receives a set of information bits, applies coding (e.g., LDPC coding), and modulates (e.g., Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) or Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM)) the input bits to produce a series of frequency-domain modulated symbols. The serial-to-parallel block 410 converts (i.e., demultiplexes) the serial modulated symbols into parallel data to produce N parallel symbol streams, where N is the IFFT / FFT size used in BS 102 and UE 116. The size N IFFT block 415 then performs an IFFT operation on the N parallel symbol streams to produce a time-domain output signal. The parallel-to-serial block 420 converts (i.e., multiplexes) the parallel time-domain output symbols from the size N IFFT block 415 to produce a serial time-domain signal. The cyclic prefix addition block 425 then inserts a cyclic prefix into the time-domain signal. Finally, the upconverter 430 modulates (i.e. upconverts) the output of the cyclic prefix addition block 425 to an RF frequency for transmission via the wireless channel. The signal can also be filtered in baseband before being converted to RF frequency.

[0086] The transmitted RF signal reaches UE 116 after passing through the wireless channel and performs the opposite operation to that at gNB 102. Downconverter 455 downconverts the received signal to the baseband frequency, and cyclic prefix removal block 460 removes the cyclic prefix to generate a serial time-domain baseband signal. Serial-to-parallel block 465 converts the time-domain baseband signal into a parallel time-domain signal. Size-N FFT block 470 then performs an FFT algorithm to generate N parallel frequency-domain signals. Parallel-to-serial block 475 converts the parallel frequency-domain signals into a sequence of modulated data symbols. Channel decoding and demodulation block 480 demodulates the modulated symbols and then decodes them to recover the original input data stream.

[0087] Each of gNBs 101-103 can implement a transmission path similar to that used for transmission to user equipments 111-116 in the downlink, and can implement a reception path similar to that used for reception from user equipments 111-116 in the uplink. Similarly, each of user equipments 111-116 can implement a transmission path corresponding to the architecture used for transmission to gNBs 101-103 in the uplink, and can implement a reception path corresponding to the architecture used for reception from gNBs 101-103 in the downlink.

[0088] Use cases for 5G communication systems have been identified and described. These use cases can be roughly divided into three distinct groups. In one example, enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB) was identified to meet high bit / second requirements with relatively less stringent latency and reliability requirements. In another example, ultra-reliable low latency (URLL) was identified with relatively less stringent bit / second requirements. In yet another example, massive machine-type communication (mMTC) was identified where the number of devices per square kilometer can reach 100,000 to 1 million, but with relatively less stringent reliability / throughput / latency requirements. This situation may also involve power efficiency requirements, as battery consumption can be minimized as much as possible.

[0089] A communication system includes a downlink (DL) that transmits signals from a transmitting point such as a base station (BS) or NodeB to a user equipment (UE), and an uplink (UL) that transmits signals from the UE to a receiving point such as a NodeB. A UE, often also called a terminal or mobile station, can be fixed or mobile and can be a cellular phone, personal computer device, or automated device. An eNodeB, typically a fixed station, can also be called an access point or other equivalent terms. In LTE systems, a NodeB is typically referred to as an eNodeB.

[0090] In communication systems such as LTE, DL signals can include data signals that convey information content, control signals that convey DL control information (DCI), and reference signals (RS), also known as pilot signals. The eNodeB transmits data information via the Physical DL Shared Channel (PDSCH). The eNodeB transmits DCI via the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH) or the Enhanced PDCCH (EPDCCH).

[0091] The eNodeB sends acknowledgment information in response to data transmission blocks (TBs) from the UE in the Physical Hybrid ARQ Indicator Channel (PHICH). The eNodeB transmits one or more types of RS, including UE Common RS (CRS), Channel State Information RS (CSI-RS), or Demodulated RS (DMRS). CRS is transmitted over the DL system bandwidth (BW) and can be used by the UE to obtain channel estimates for demodulating data or control information or performing measurements. To reduce CRS overhead, the eNodeB can transmit CSI-RS at a lower density in the time and / or frequency domains than CRS. DMRS can only be transmitted in the BW of the corresponding PDSCH or EPDCCH, and the UE can use DMRS in either the PDSCH or EPDCCH to demodulate data or control information, respectively. The transmission time interval of the DL channel is called a subframe and can have a duration of, for example, 1 millisecond.

[0092] The DL signal also includes the transmission of logical channels carrying system control information. The BCCH is mapped to a transport channel called the Broadcast Channel (BCH) when the DL signal transmits the Main Information Block (MIB), or to the Shared Channel (DL-SCH) when the DL signal transmits the System Information Block (SIB). Most system information is included in the different SIBs transmitted using the DL-SCH. The presence of system information on the DL-SCH in a subframe can be indicated by the transmission of the corresponding PDCCH with a codeword containing Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC), scrambled with system information RNTI (SI-RNTI). Alternatively, scheduling information for SIB transmission can be provided in an earlier SIB, and scheduling information for the first SIB (SIB-1) can be provided by the MIB.

[0093] DL resource allocation is performed on a subframe basis and in sets of Physical Resource Blocks (PRBs). A transmission bandwidth (BW) consists of frequency resource elements called resource blocks (RBs). Each RB includes... Each subcarrier or resource element (RE) can have 12 REs. A unit of one RB on a subframe is called a PRB. The UE can be assigned M based on the BW transmitted for the PDSCH. PDSCH RB, total One RE.

[0094] UL signals can include data signals for transmitting data information, control signals for transmitting UL control information (UCI), and UL RS. UL RS can include DMRS and SNR (Sounding RS). The UE only transmits DMRS in the BW of the corresponding PUSCH or PUCCH. The eNodeB can use DMRS to demodulate data signals or UCI signals. The UE transmits SRS to provide UL CSI to the eNodeB. The UE transmits data information or UCI through the corresponding Physical UL Shared Channel (PUSCH) or Physical UL Control Channel (PUCCH). If the UE needs to transmit data information and UCI in the same UL subframe, the UE can multiplex both in the PUSCH. UCI includes Hybrid Automatic Repeat Request Acknowledgment (HARQ-ACK) information, indicating the absence of a correct (ACK) or incorrect (NACK) detection or a PDCCH detection (DTX) for data TB in the PDSCH; a scheduling request (SR), indicating whether the UE has data in the UE buffer; a rank indicator (RI); and channel state information (CSI), which enables the eNodeB to perform link adaptation for PDSCH transmissions directed to the UE. HARQ-ACK information is also sent by the UE in response to the detection of a PDCCH / EPDCCH indicating the release of a semi-persistent scheduling PDSCH.

[0095] A UL subframe consists of two time slots. Each time slot includes a space for transmitting data information, UCI, DMRS, or SRS. The frequency resource unit (RB) of the UL system BW is a symbol. The UE is allocated N for transmission BW. RB RB, total One RE. For PUCCH, N RB =1. The last subframe symbol can be used to multiplex SRS transmissions from one or more UEs. The number of subframe symbols available for data / UCI / DMRS transmission is If the last subframe symbol is used to transmit SRS, then N SRS =1, otherwise N SRS =0.

[0096] Figure 5 A block diagram 500 of a PDSCH transmitter in a subframe according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 5 The embodiment of the transmitter block diagram 500 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 5 One or more components shown may be implemented in a dedicated circuit configured to perform the function, or one or more components may be implemented by one or more processors that execute instructions to perform the function. Figure 5 This disclosure is not intended to limit the scope of any particular implementation of the transmitter block diagram 500.

[0097] like Figure 5 As shown, information bits 510 are encoded by encoder 520, such as a turbo encoder, and modulated by modulator 530, for example, using quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) modulation. A serial-to-parallel (S / P) converter 540 generates M modulation symbols, which are then provided to mapper 550 to map to REs selected by transmission BW selection unit 555 for the assigned PDSCH transmission BW. Unit 560 applies inverse fast Fourier transform (IFFT), and the output is then serialized by parallel-to-serial (P / S) converter 570 to create a time-domain signal, filtered by filter 580, and transmitted as signal 590. Additional functions, such as data scrambling, cyclic prefix insertion, time windowing, interleaving, etc., are well known in the art and are not shown for simplicity.

[0098] Figure 6 A receiver block diagram 600 of a PDSCH in a subframe according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 6 The embodiment of diagram 600 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 6 One or more components shown may be implemented in a dedicated circuit configured to perform the function, or one or more components may be implemented by one or more processors that execute instructions to perform the function. Figure 6 This disclosure is not intended to limit the scope of any particular embodiment of Figure 600.

[0099] like Figure 6 As shown, the received signal 610 is filtered by filter 620, the RE 630 for the assigned receive BW is selected by BW selector 635, unit 640 applies Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), and the output is serialized by parallel to serializer 650. Subsequently, demodulator 660 coherently demodulates data symbols by applying a channel estimate obtained from DMRS or CRS (not shown), and decoder 670, such as a turbo decoder, decodes the demodulated data to provide an estimate of information data bits 680. For simplicity, additional functions such as time windowing, cyclic prefix removal, descrambling, channel estimation, and deinterleaving are not shown.

[0100] Figure 7 A block diagram 700 of a PUSCH transmitter in a subframe according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 7 The embodiment of block diagram 700 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 5 One or more components shown may be implemented in a dedicated circuit configured to perform the function, or one or more components may be implemented by one or more processors that execute instructions to perform the function. Figure 7This disclosure is not intended to limit the scope of any particular implementation of block diagram 700.

[0101] like Figure 7 As shown, information bits 710 are encoded by encoder 720, such as a turbo encoder, and modulated by modulator 730. Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) unit 740 applies DFT to the modulated data bits, transmission BW selection unit 755 selects RE 750 corresponding to the assigned PUSCH transmission BW, unit 760 applies IFFT, and after cyclic prefix insertion (not shown), filtering is applied by filter 770, and transmission signal 780 is transmitted.

[0102] Figure 8 A receiver block diagram 800 of a PUSCH in a subframe according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 8 The embodiment of block diagram 800 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 8 One or more components shown may be implemented in a dedicated circuit configured to perform the function, or one or more components may be implemented by one or more processors that execute instructions to perform the function. Figure 8 This disclosure is not intended to limit the scope of any particular implementation of block diagram 800.

[0103] like Figure 8 As shown, the received signal 810 is filtered by filter 820. Subsequently, after removing the cyclic prefix (not shown), unit 830 applies FFT, receive BW selector 845 selects RE 840 corresponding to the assigned PUSCH receive BW, unit 850 applies inverse DFT (IDFT), demodulator 860 coherently demodulates data symbols by applying channel estimation obtained from DMRS (not shown), and decoder 870, such as a turbo decoder, decodes the demodulated data to provide an estimate of information data bits 880.

[0104] Figure 9 An example antenna block 900 according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 9 The embodiment of the antenna block 900 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 9 This disclosure is not intended to limit the scope of any particular implementation of the antenna block 900.

[0105] 3GPP LTE and NR specifications support up to 32 CSI-RS antenna ports, enabling eNBs to be equipped with a large number of antenna elements (such as 64 or 128). In this case, multiple antenna elements are mapped to a single CSI-RS port. For next-generation cellular systems such as 5G, the maximum number of CSI-RS ports can remain the same or increase. For millimeter-wave bands, although the number of antenna elements may be greater for a given form factor, the number of CSI-RS ports (which can correspond to the number of digital precoding ports) is often limited by hardware constraints (such as the feasibility of installing a large number of ADCs / DACs at millimeter-wave frequencies). Figure 9 As shown. In this case, a CSI-RS port is mapped to a large number of antenna elements that can be controlled by a set of analog phase shifters 901. Then, a CSI-RS port can correspond to a subarray that generates a narrow analog beam through analog beamforming 905. This analog beam can be configured to sweep a wider angular range 920 by changing the set of phase shifters across symbols or subframes. The number of subarrays (equal to the number of RF chains) is related to the number of CSI-RS ports N. CSI-PORT Same. Digital beamforming unit 910 spans N CSI-PORT The analog beams are linearly combined to further increase the precoding gain. Although the analog beams are wideband (and therefore not frequency-selective), the digital precoding can vary across frequency subbands or resource blocks. Receiver operation can be envisioned similarly.

[0106] Because the aforementioned system utilizes multiple analog beams for transmission and reception (where one or a few analog beams are selected from a large number of analog beams, for example, after a training period, so as to be performed from time to time), the term "multi-beam operation" is used to refer to this aspect of the entire system. For illustrative purposes, this includes indicating the assigned DL or UL transmit (TX) beam (also referred to as "beam indication"), measuring at least one reference signal for calculating and performing beam reporting (also referred to as "beam measurement" and "beam reporting," respectively), and receiving the DL or UL transmission via selecting the appropriate receive (RX) beam.

[0107] In 5G NR systems, multi-beam operation is primarily designed for single transmit-receive point (TRP) and single antenna panel. Therefore, this specification supports beam indication for a single TX beam, where the TX beam is associated with a reference RS. For DL ​​beam indication and measurement, the reference RS can be an NZP (non-zero power) CSI-RS and / or an SSB (synchronization signal block, including primary synchronization signal, secondary synchronization signal, and PBCH). Here, DL beam indication is accomplished via the Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) field in the DL-associated DCI, which includes an index to one (and only one) assigned reference RS. For UL beam indication and measurement, the reference RS can be an NZP CSI-RS, an SSB, and / or an SRS. Here, UL beam indication is accomplished via the SRS Resource Indicator (SRI) field in the UL-associated DCI, which is linked to one (and only one) reference RS. This link is configured via higher-layer signaling using the SpatialRelationInfo RRC parameter. Essentially, only one TX beam is indicated to the UE.

[0108] For UL multi-beam operation of a UE equipped with multiple panels (each capable of transmitting via an analog beam), using the same UL TX beam for all panels is suboptimal for at least two reasons. First, it can only support a maximum variety of transmission types, as using the same TX beam for multiple panels is likely to result in low-rank (especially rank 1) channels. Second, the nature of millimeter-wave propagation channels (also known as frequency range 2 or FR2 in 3GPP) allows different panels to have different blocking profiles. Since blocking results in zero propagation, any transmission from a "blocked" panel is wasted. Therefore, UL beam indication with multiple TX beams is advantageous for UEs with multiple panels.

[0109] Furthermore, it is desirable to minimize the need for frequent RRC (L3) reconfiguration in multi-beam operations. This is because multi-beam operations are designed to circumvent higher-level (L3) procedures, such as mobility. Generally, processes that result in lower latency and preferably lower overhead will be beneficial.

[0110] Therefore, there is a need for UL beam pointing methods that can extract potential benefits from UEs with multiple antenna panels. There is also a need to reduce the latency and / or overhead of such methods.

[0111] In this disclosure, the term "activation" describes the following operation: The UE receives and decodes a signal indicating a start time point from the network (or gNB). The start point can be a current or future time slot / subframe or symbol, i.e., an implicitly or explicitly indicated, or otherwise fixed, or a precise location configured at a higher layer. Upon successful decoding of the signal, the UE responds accordingly. The term "deactivation" describes the following operation: The UE receives and decodes a signal indicating a stop time point from the network (or gNB). The stop point can be a current or future time slot / subframe or symbol, i.e., an implicitly or explicitly indicated, or otherwise fixed, or a precise location configured at a higher layer. Upon successful decoding of the signal, the UE responds accordingly.

[0112] Terms such as TCI, TCI status, SpatialRelationInfo, target RS, reference RS, and others are for descriptive purposes and are therefore not normative. Other terms referring to the same function may also be used.

[0113] A “reference RS” corresponds to a set of characteristics of a UL TX beam or DL ​​RX beam, such as orientation, precoding / beamforming, number of ports, etc. For example, for UL, when the UE receives a reference RS index / ID in UL authorization, the UE applies the known characteristics of the reference RS to the authorized UL transmission. The UE can receive and measure the reference RS (in this case, the reference RS is a downlink signal, such as NZP CSI-RS and / or SSB), and the measurement results are used to calculate a beam report. As the NW / gNB receives the beam report, the NW can better equip information to assign a specific UL TX beam or DL ​​RX beam to the UE. Optionally, the reference RS can be transmitted by the UE (in this case, the reference RS is a downlink signal, such as SRS or DMRS). When the NW / gNB receives the reference RS, the NW / gNB can measure and calculate the necessary information to assign a specific UL TX beam or DL ​​RX beam to the UE.

[0114] Reference RS can be dynamically triggered by NW / gNB (e.g., via DCI in the case of aperiodic RS), pre-configured with specific time-domain behaviors (such as periodicity and offset in the case of periodic RS), or a combination of such pre-configuration and activation / deactivation (in the case of semi-persistent RS).

[0115] For millimeter wave (or FR2) networks, which are particularly relevant to multi-beam operation, the transmit / receive process involves the receiver selecting a receive (RX) beam for a given TX beam. For DL ​​multi-beam operation, the UE selects a DL RX beam for each DL TX beam (corresponding to a reference RS). Therefore, when a DL RS (such as a CSI-RS and / or SSB) is used as a reference RS, the NW / gNB transmits the DL RS to the UE (which is associated with the selection of the DL TX beam). In response, the UE measures the DL RS (and selects the DL RX beam in the process) and reports beam metrics associated with the quality of the DL RS. In this case, the UE determines the TX-RX beam pair for each configured (DL) reference RS. Therefore, although this knowledge is unavailable to the NW / gNB, the UE can select the DL RX beam from the knowledge about all TX-RX beam pairs after receiving the DL RS (and therefore the DL TX beam) indication from the NW / gNB. On the other hand, when a ULRS (such as an SRS and / or DMRS) is used as a reference RS (related to DL-UL beam correspondence or reciprocity), the NW / gNB triggers or configures the UE to transmit a UL RS (for DL, this corresponds to the DL RX beam via reciprocity). After receiving and measuring the UL RS, the gNB selects the DL TX beam. As a result, the TX-RX beam pair is derived. The NW / gNB can do this for all configured UL RSs (according to each reference RS or "beam scan") and determine all TX-RX beam pairs associated with all UL RSs configured for the UE.

[0116] The following two embodiments (A-1 and A-2) are examples of DL multi-beam operation utilizing DL beam indication based on DL-TCI. In the first exemplary embodiment (A-1), an aperiodic CSI-RS is transmitted by the NW and measured by the UE. This embodiment can be used regardless of whether UL-DL beam correspondence is established. In the second exemplary embodiment (A-2), an aperiodic SRS is triggered by the NW and transmitted by the UE so that the NW (or gNB) can measure UL channel quality for the purpose of allocating DL RX beams. This embodiment can be used when UL-DL beam correspondence is established. Although aperiodic RS is used in these two examples, periodic or semi-persistent RS can also be used.

[0117] exist Figure 10 In one example shown in Example A-1, DL multi-beam operation 1000 is illustrated. Figure 10 The embodiment of DL multi-beam operation 1000 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 10 This disclosure is not intended to limit the scope of any particular implementation of the DL multi-beam operation 1000.

[0118] DL multi-beam operation 1000 begins with the gNB / NW sending an aperiodic CSI-RS (AP-CSI-RS) trigger or indication to the UE signal (step 1001). This trigger or indication may include signal transmission in the DCI (associated with UL or DL, individually or jointly with an aperiodic CSI request / trigger) and indicate the transmission of AP-CSI-RS in the same (zero time offset) or later time slot / subframe (>0 time offset). Upon receiving the AP-CSI-RS transmitted by the gNB / NW (step 1002), the UE measures the AP-CSI-RS and, in turn, calculates and reports a “beam metric” (indicating the quality of a specific TX beam assumption) (step 1003). An example of this beam report is a CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI) or SSB resource indicator (SSB-RI) coupled to its associated L1-RSRP / L1-RSRQ / L1-SINR / CQI.

[0119] After receiving the beam report from the UE, the gNB / NW can use the beam report to select a DL RX beam for the UE and indicate the DL RX beam selection using the DL-TCI field in the DL-related DCI (carrying the DL authorization, such as DCI format 1_1 in NR) (step 1004). In this case, the DL-TCI indicates the reference RS (in this case, AP-CSI-RS) representing the DL TX beam selected (by the gNB / NW). Furthermore, the DL-TCI can also indicate the “target” RS (e.g., CSI-RS) linked to the reference RS (in this case, AP-CSI-RS). After successfully decoding the DL-related DCI using the DL-TCI, the UE selects the DL RX beam and performs DL reception (such as data reception via PDSCH) using the DL RX beam associated with the reference CSI-RS (step 1005).

[0120] For this embodiment (A-1), as described above, the UE selects the DL RX beam from the reference RS (in this case, AP-CSI-RS) index transmitted via the DL-TCI field signal. In this case, the CSI-RS resource configured for the UE as a reference RS resource (or, generally, DL RS resources including CSI-RS, SSB, or a combination of both) can be linked to (associated with) a "beammetric" report, such as CRI / L1-RSRP or L1-SINR.

[0121] exist Figure 11 In another example shown in Example A-2, DL multi-beam operation 1100 is illustrated. Figure 11 The embodiment of DL multi-beam operation 1100 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 11This disclosure is not intended to limit the scope of any particular implementation of the DL multi-beam operation 1100.

[0122] The DL multi-beam operation 1100 begins with the gNB / NW sending an aperiodic SRS (AP-SRS) trigger or request to the UE signal (step 1101). This trigger may be included in the DCI (related to UL or DL). After receiving and decoding the AP-SRS trigger (step 1102), the UE sends the AP-SRS to the gNB / NW (step 1103) so that the NW (or gNB) can measure the UL propagation channel and select the DL RX beam for the DL UE (assuming beam correspondence is valid).

[0123] The gNB / NW can then use the DL-TCI field in the DL-related DCI (carrying the DL license, such as DCI format 1_1 in NR) to indicate the DL RX beam selection (step 1104). In this case, the DL-TCI indicates the reference RS (in this case, AP-SRS) representing the selected DL RX beam. Additionally, the DL-TCI can also indicate the “target” RS (e.g., CSI-RS) linked to the reference RS (in this case, AP-SRS). After successfully decoding the DL-related DCI using the DL-TCI, the UE performs DL reception (ZHURU data reception via PDSCH) using the DL RX beam indicated by the DL-TCI (step 1105).

[0124] For this embodiment (A-2), as described above, the UE selects the DL RX beam based on the UL TX beam associated with the reference RS (AP-SRS) index transmitted via the DL-TCI field signal.

[0125] Similarly, for UL multi-beam operation, the gNB selects a UL RX beam for each UL TX beam (corresponding to a reference RS). Therefore, when a UL RS (such as an SRS and / or DMRS) is used as a reference RS, the NW / gNB triggers or configures the UE to transmit the UL RS (which is associated with the selection of the UL TX beam). After receiving and measuring the UL RS, the gNB selects the UL RX beam. As a result, the TX-RX beam pair is derived. The NW / gNB can do this for all configured reference RSs (per reference RS or "beam scan") and determine all TX-RX beam pairs associated with all reference RSs configured for the UE. On the other hand, when a DL RS (such as a CSI-RS and / or SSB) is used as a reference RS (in relation to DL-UL beam correspondence or reciprocity), the NW / gNB transmits the RS to the UE (for UL, this corresponds to the UL RX beam via reciprocity). In response, the UE measures the reference RS (and selects the UL TX beam in the process) and reports the beam metric associated with the quality of the reference RS. In this scenario, the UE determines the TX-RX beam pair for each configured (DL) reference RS. Therefore, although this knowledge is unavailable for the NW / gNB, the UE can select the UL TX beam from the knowledge about all TX-RX beam pairs after receiving the reference RS (and thus the UL RX beam) indication from the NW / gNB.

[0126] The following two embodiments (B-1 and B-2) are examples of UL multi-beam operation utilizing UL beam indication based on UL-TCI after the network (NW) has received some transmissions from the UE. In the first exemplary embodiment (B-1), an aperiodic CSI-RS is transmitted by the NW and measured by the UE. This embodiment can be used, for example, when reciprocity between the UL and DL beampup link (BPL) is met. This condition is referred to as "UL-DL beam correspondence". In the second exemplary embodiment (B-2), an aperiodic SRS is triggered by the NW and transmitted by the UE so that the NW (or gNB) can measure the UL channel quality for the purpose of allocating the UL TX beam. This embodiment can be used regardless of whether UL-DL beam correspondence is met. Although aperiodic RS is used in these two examples, periodic or semi-persistent RS can also be used.

[0127] exist Figure 12 In another example shown in Example B-1, a UL multi-beam operation 1200 is illustrated. Figure 12 The embodiment of the UL multi-beam operation 1200 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 12 This disclosure is not intended to limit the scope of any particular implementation of the DL multi-beam operation 1200.

[0128] UL multi-beam operation 1200 begins with the gNB / NW sending an aperiodic CSI-RS (AP-CSI-RS) trigger or indication to the UE signal (step 1201). This trigger or indication may include signal transmission in the DCI (associated with UL or DL, individually or jointly with an aperiodic CSI request / trigger) and indicate the transmission of AP-CSI-RS in the same (zero time offset) or later time slot / subframe (>0 time offset). Upon receiving the AP-CSI-RS transmitted by the gNB / NW (step 1202), the UE measures the AP-CSI-RS and then, in turn, calculates and reports a “beam metric” (indicating the quality of a specific TX beam assumption) (step 1203). An example of this beam report is a CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI) or SSB resource indicator (SSB-RI) coupled to its associated L1-RSRP / L1-RSRQ / L1-SINR / CQI.

[0129] After receiving the beam report from the UE, the gNB / NW can use the beam report to select a UL TX beam for the UE and indicate the UL TX beam selection using the UL-TCI field in the UL-related DCI (carrying UL authorization, e.g., DCI format 0_1 ​​in NR) (step 1204). In this case, the UL-TCI indicates the reference RS (in this case, AP-CSI-RS) representing the UL RX beam selected (by the gNB / NW). Additionally, the UL-TCI can also indicate the “target” RS (e.g., SRS) linked to the reference RS (in this case, AP-CSI-RS). After successfully decoding the UL-related DCI using the UL-TCI, the UE selects the UL TX beam and performs UL transmissions (such as data transmission on the PUSCH) using the UL TX beam associated with the reference CSI-RS (step 1205).

[0130] For this embodiment (B-1), as described above, the UE selects the UL TX beam based on the obtained DL RX beam associated with the reference RS index transmitted via the UL-TCI field signal. In this case, the CSI-RS resource configured for the UE as a reference RS resource (or, in general, DL RS resources including CSI-RS, SSB, or a combination of both) can be linked to (associated with) a "beammetric" report, such as CRI / L1-RSRP or L1-SINR.

[0131] exist Figure 13 In another example shown in Example B-2, a UL multi-beam operation 1300 is illustrated. Figure 13 The embodiment of the UL multi-beam operation 1300 shown is for illustrative purposes only. Figure 13This disclosure is not intended to limit the scope of any particular implementation of the UL Multibeam Operation 1300.

[0132] UL multi-beam operation 1300 begins with the gNB / NW sending an aperiodic SRS (AP-SRS) trigger or request to the UE signal (step 1301). This trigger may be included in the DCI (UL-related or DL-related). After receiving and decoding the AP-SRS trigger (step 1302), the UE sends the AP-SRS to the gNB / NW (step 1303) so that the NW (or gNB) can measure the UL propagation channel and select the UL TX beam for the UE.

[0133] The gNB / NW can then use the UL-TCI field in the UL-related DCI (carrying UL authorization, e.g., DCI format 0_1 ​​in the NR) to indicate UL TX beam selection (step 1304). In this case, the UL-TCI indicates the reference RS (in this case, AP-SRS) representing the selected UL TX beam. Additionally, the UL-TCI can also indicate the “target” RS (e.g., SRS) linked to the reference RS (in this case, AP-SRS). After successfully decoding the UL-related DCI using the UL-TCI, the UE performs UL transmission (such as data transmission on the PUSCH) using the UL TX beam indicated by the UL-TCI (step 1305).

[0134] For this embodiment (B-2), as described above, the UE selects the UL TX beam from the reference RS (in this case, SRS) index transmitted via the UL-TCI field signal.

[0135] In the exemplary embodiments described above, the DL and UL beam indicators are separate (decoupled), i.e., the DL beam indicator is based on the DL-TCI indicator and the UL beam indicator is based on the UL-TCI. This disclosure proposes a joint TCI that couples the DL and UL beam indicators (partially or fully). An example use case for the proposed joint TCI indicator could be a reciprocal system where the UL-DL beam correspondence holds.

[0136] This disclosure includes the following components. The first component includes the structure of the joint TCI.

[0137] In one embodiment 1, the UE is configured / indicated with a joint TCI, denoted as J-TCI, with both a status indicator UL and a DL beam indicator, wherein each J-TCI includes / contains up to three components (A, B, C), wherein:

[0138] • A: Includes / contains common components, such as RS and / or parameters for both UL and DL.

[0139] • B: Includes / contains DL-specific components, such as RS and / or parameters used in DL, and

[0140] •C: Includes / contains UL-specific components, such as RS and / or parameters used by UL.

[0141] Therefore, at most two components (A, B) are used to indicate / configure the DL-TCI, and at most two components (A, C) are used to indicate / configure the UL-TCI, i.e., DL-TCI = (A, B) and UL-TCI = (A, C). Furthermore, any one of components A, B, and C can be empty (i.e., it does not exist and is therefore not included in the J-TCI).

[0142] The gNB or network (NW) can use at least one of the following sub-examples (to indicate / configure J-TCI).

[0143] In one sub-example 1A, component A is empty (i.e., it does not exist or is not included in J-TCI), and J-TCI includes two components (B, C). Therefore, UL and DL beam indications are separated via DL-TCI=B and UL-TCI=C because there is no common component (A) indicated / configured to the UE.

[0144] In one sub-example 1B, components B and C are empty (i.e., they are absent or not included in J-TCI), and J-TCI includes only one component A. Therefore, UL and DL beam indications are combined via DL-TCI = UL-TCI = J-TCI = A, since no DL-specific component (B) or UL-specific component (C) is indicated / configured to the UE.

[0145] In one sub-example 1C, component B is empty (i.e., it does not exist or is not included in J-TCI), and J-TCI includes two components (A, C). Therefore, DL beam indication is via DL-TCI = A, while UL beam indication is via UL-TCI = J-TCI = (A, C). Some components of UL-TCI are shared (identical) with DL-TCI = A, and the remaining component (C) is additionally indicated / configured.

[0146] In an example 1C-1, for the case where there are N>1 antenna panels at the UE, the residual component (C) indicates K=1 panel selection (single panel selection, SPS) for UL transmission.

[0147] In an example 1C-2, for the case where there are N>1 antenna panels at the UE, the residual component (C) indicates the K=1 panel selection (SPS) or K>1 panel selection (Multiple Panel Selection, MPS) for UL transmission.

[0148] In an example 1C-3, for the case where there are N>1 antenna panels at the UE, the residual component (C) indicates the parameters of each panel.

[0149] In an example 1C-4, for the case where there are N>1 antenna panels at the UE, the residual component (C) indicates the K=1 panel selection (single panel selection, SPS) for UL transmission and the parameters for each panel.

[0150] In an example 1C-5, for the case where there are N>1 antenna panels at the UE, the residual component (C) indicates the K=1 panel selection (SPS) or K>1 panel selection (multiple panel selection, MPS) for UL transmission and the parameters for each panel.

[0151] In the example above, the selection of K panels (SPS or MPS) is indicated via an SRI indication included in component C, where the SRI indicates (or is associated with) the selection of K panels from N antenna panels. Alternatively, the selection of K panels is indicated via a panel ID indication included in component C, where the panel ID indicates (or is associated with) the selection of K panels from N antenna panels. Furthermore, some examples of each panel parameter include timing parameters (e.g., timing advance or TA), panel ID, and RS ID (e.g., SRI).

[0152] In one sub-example 1D, component C is empty (i.e., it does not exist or is not included in J-TCI), and J-TCI includes two components (A, B). Therefore, DL beam indication is via DL-TCI = J-TCI = (A, B), while UL beam indication is via UL-TCI = A. Some components of DL-TCI are shared (identical) with UL-TCI = A, and the remaining component (B) is separately indicated / configured.

[0153] In one sub-example 1E, components A, B, and C are not empty, and J-TCI includes all three components (A, B, C). Therefore, DL beam indication is via DL-TCI = (A, B), while UL beam indication is via UL-TCI = (A, C).

[0154] In one sub-example 1F, when there are N=1 antenna panels at the UE, the beam indication is in accordance with sub-example 1B, and when there are N>1 antenna panels at the UE, the beam indication is in accordance with sub-example 1C.

[0155] In one example, only one of the above sub-implementations (1A to 1E) is used / supported to indicate / configure J-TCI. In another example, multiple sub-implementations are supported, and one of the supported sub-implementations is indicated / configured to the UE via a higher layer (e.g., RRC) and / or a more dynamic MAC CE and / or DCI-based signaling.

[0156] In one embodiment 1.1, the UE is configured / indicated with a generalized joint TCI, denoted as J-TCI, which indicates the beam indication of two entities (E1, E2), wherein each J-TCI includes / contains up to three components (A0, A1, A2), wherein:

[0157] A0: A universal component that includes / contains beam indication of two entities.

[0158] A1: Includes / contains a specific component of entity E1, and

[0159] A2: Includes / contains a specific component of entity E2.

[0160] Therefore, at most two components (A0, A1) are used to indicate / configure the TCI state (beam) TCI1 of entity E1, and at most two components (A0, A2) are used to indicate / configure the TCI state (beam) TCI2 of entity E2, i.e., TCI1 = (A0, A1) and TCI2 = (A0, A2). Furthermore, any one of components A0, A1, and A2 can be empty (i.e., non-existent and therefore not included in J-TCI).

[0161] The gNB or network (NW) can use at least one of the following sub-examples (to indicate / configure J-TCI).

[0162] In one sub-example 1.1A, component A0 is empty (i.e., it does not exist or is not included in J-TCI), and J-TCI includes two components (A1, A2). Therefore, the two beam indications are separated via TCI1 = A1 and TCI2 = A2 because there is no common component (A0) indicated / configured to the UE.

[0163] In one sub-example 1.1B, components A1 and A2 are empty (i.e., they do not exist or are not included in J-TCI), and J-TCI contains only one component A0. Therefore, the two beam indicators are combined via TCI1 = TCI2 = J-TCI = A0.

[0164] In one sub-example 1.1C, component A1 is empty (i.e., it does not exist or is not included in J-TCI), and J-TCI includes two components (A0, A2). Therefore, one beam indication is via TCI1 = A, and the other beam indication is via TCI2 = J-TCI = (A0, A2).

[0165] In one sub-example 1.1D, component A2 is empty (i.e., it does not exist or is not included in J-TCI), and J-TCI includes two components (A0, A1). Therefore, one beam indication is via TCI1 = J-TCI = (A0, A1), and the other beam indication is via TCI2 = A0.

[0166] In a sub-example 1.1E, components A0, A1, and A2 are not empty.

[0167] At least one of the following examples can be used.

[0168] In Example 1.1.1, two entities (E1, E2) = (all DL channels, all UL channels).

[0169] In Example 1.1.2, two entities (E1, E2) = (PDCCH, PDSCH).

[0170] In Example 1.1.3, two entities (E1, E2) = (PUCCH, PUSCH).

[0171] In an example 1.1.4, two entities (E1, E2) = (PDCCH and PUCCH, PDSCH and PUSCH).

[0172] In an example 1.1.5, two entities (E1, E2) = (one of a plurality of DL channels, one of a plurality of UL channels), wherein one of the plurality of DL channels corresponds to PDCCH and / or PDSCH, and one or more UL channels correspond to PUCCH and / or PUSCH and / or PRACH.

[0173] In Example 1.1.6, two entities (E1, E2) = (DL RS, UL RS).

[0174] In an example 1.1.7, two entities (E1, E2) = ((multiple) DL RS and / or (multiple) DL channels, (multiple) UL RS and / or (multiple) UL channels).

[0175] In Example 1.1.8, two entities (E1, E2) = (TRP1, TRP2), where TRP1 and TRP2 are two transmit / receive points (TRPs) from which the UE receives DL RS (PDCCH and / or PDSCH) and / or transmits UL RS (PUCCH and / or PUSCH and / or PRACH). Optionally, two beam indicators can also be configured to receive(multiple) DL RS and / or transmit(multiple) UL RS, wherein(multiple) DL RS are transmitted and(multiple) UL RS are received by one or both TRPs.

[0176] In Example 1.1.9, two entities (E1, E2) = (CC1, CC2), where CC1 and CC2 are two component carriers (CCs) from which the UE receives DL (PDCCH and / or PDSCH) and / or transmits UL (PUCCH and / or PUSCH and / or PRACH). Optionally, these two beam indicators can also be configured to receive(multiple) DL RS and / or transmit(multiple) UL RS, where(multiple) DL RS and(multiple) UL RS are associated with one or two TRPs.

[0177] In Example 1.1.10, two entities (E1, E2) = (panel1, panel2), where panel1 and panel2 are two antenna panels (at gNB) from which the UE receives DL RS (PDCCH and / or PDSCH) and / or transmits UL RS (PUCCH and / or PUSCH and / or PRACH). Optionally, two beam indicators can also be configured to receive(multiple) DL RS and / or transmit(multiple) UL RS, wherein one or both panels transmit(multiple) DL RS and receive(multiple) UL RS.

[0178] In Example 1.1.11, two entities (E1, E2) = (panel1, panel2), where panel1 and panel2 are two antenna panels (at the UE) used by the UE to receive DL RS (PDCCH and / or PDSCH) and / or transmit UL RS (PUCCH and / or PUSCH and / or PRACH). Optionally, two beam indicators can also be configured to receive(multiple) DLRS and / or transmit(multiple) UL RS, wherein one or both panels receive(multiple) DL RS and transmit(multiple) UL RS.

[0179] In one embodiment 1.2, the UE is configured / indicated with a generalized joint TCI, denoted as J-TCI, and the state indicates N>1 entities (E1, E2, ... E N The beam indicator, wherein each J-TCI includes / contains up to N+1 components (A0, A1, A2, ..., A...). N ),in:

[0180] A0: A universal component that includes / contains beam indication of two entities, and

[0181] A n Includes / contains entity E n Specific components of (n = 1, 2, ..., N).

[0182] Therefore, there are at most two components (A0, A...) n Used to instruct / configure entity E n TCI status (beam) TCI n TCI n = (A0, An). Furthermore, components A0, A1, A2, ..., A N Any one of them can be empty (i.e., does not exist, and therefore is not included in Gen-J-TCI).

[0183] The gNB or network (NW) can use at least one of the following sub-examples (to indicate / configure J-TCI).

[0184] In one sub-example 1.2A, component A0 is empty (i.e., it does not exist or is not included in J-TCI), and J-TCI contains two components (A1, A2, ..., A...). N Therefore, N beam indicators are transmitted via TCI. n =A n (n = 1, 2, ..., N) are separated because there is no general component (A0) indicated / configured to the UE.

[0185] In a sub-example 1.2B, components A1, A2, ..., A N It is empty (i.e., it does not exist or is not included in J-TCI), and J-TCI contains only one component A0. Therefore, N beam indicators are transmitted via TCI. n =J-TCI=A0 union.

[0186] In a sub-example 1.2C, components A1, A2, ..., A N A subset of is empty (i.e., does not exist or is not included in J-TCI), and J-TCI comprises K+1 components. Where K < N is the number of non-empty components, and i1, i2, ... i K ∈{1, 2, ..., N} is its index. Therefore, for the empty component, the beam indication is via TCI. n =A0, where n≠{i1, i2, ... i K Furthermore, for non-empty components, beam indication is via TCI. n =J-TCI=(A0, A n ), where n∈{i1, i2, ... i K}

[0187] In a sub-example 1.2D, A1, A2, ..., A N None of its components are empty.

[0188] At least one of the following examples can be used.

[0189] In Example 1.2.1, the entity (E1, E2, ... E N ) = (channel 1, channel 2, ... channel N), where channel 1, ... channel N belong to the set of all DL and UL channels {PDCCH, PDSCH, PUCCH, PUSCH, PRACH}.

[0190] In Example 1.2.2, the entity (E1, E2, ... E N = (channel 1, channel 2, ..., channel N), where channel 1, ..., channel N belong to the set of all DL channels {PDCCH, PDSCH,}.

[0191] In Example 1.2.3, the entity (E1, E2, ... E N = (channel 1, channel 2, ..., channel N), where channel 1, ..., channel N belong to the set of all UL channels {PUCCH, PUSCH, PRACH}.

[0192] In Example 1.2.4, the entity (E1, E2, ... E N = (channel 1, channel 2, ... channel N), where channel 1, ... channel N belong to the set of all DL and UL control channels {PDCCH, PUCCH}.

[0193] In Example 1.2.5, the entity (E1, E2, ... E N = (channel 1, channel 2, ... channel N), where channel 1, ... channel N belong to the set of all DL and UL data / RACH channels {PDSCH, PUSCH, PRACH}.

[0194] In Example 1.2.6, the entity (E1, E2, ... E N ) = (RS 1, RS 2, ... RS N), where RS 1, ... RS N belong to all DL and UL RS sets {CSI-RS, SSB, SRS, DL DMRS, UL DMRS}.

[0195] In Example 1.2.7, the entity (E1, E2, ... E N= (channel 1 and / or RS 1, channel 2 and / or RS2, ... channel N and / or RS N)), where channel 1, ... channel N belong to the set of all DL and UL channels {PDCCH, PDSCH, PUCCH, PUSCH, PRACH}, and RS 1, ... RS N belong to the set of all DL and UL RS {CSI-RS, SSB, SRS, DLDMRS, UL DMRS}.

[0196] In Example 1.2.8, the entity (E1, E2, ... E N = (TRP1, TRP2, ... TRPN), where TRP1...TRPN are N transmit / receive points (TRPs) from which the UE receives DL RS (PDCCH and / or PDSCH) and / or transmits UL RS (PUCCH and / or PUSCH and / or PRACH). Optionally, N beam indicators can also be configured to receive(multiple) DL RS and / or transmit(multiple) UL RS, wherein one or more of the N TRPs transmit(multiple) DL RS and receive(multiple) UL RS.

[0197] In Example 1.2.9, the entity (E1, E2, ... E N = (CC1, CC2, ... CCN), where CC1...CCN are N component carriers (CCs) that the UE receives from its DL (PDCCH and / or PDSCH) and / or transmits to its UL (PUCCH and / or PUSCH and / or PRACH). Optionally, N beam indicators can also be configured for receiving(multiple) DL RSs and / or transmitting(multiple) UL RSs, wherein(multiple) DL RSs and(multiple) UL RSs are associated with one or more of the N TRPs.

[0198] In Example 1.2.10, the entity (E1, E2, ... E N = (panel1, panel2, ..., panelN), where panel1...panelN are N antenna panels (at gNB) from which the UE receives DL RS (PDCCH and / or PDSCH) and / or transmits UL RS (PUCCH and / or PUSCH and / or PRACH). Optionally, N beam indicators can also be configured to receive(multiple) DL RS and / or transmit(multiple) UL RS, wherein(multiple) DL RS are transmitted and(multiple) UL RS are received by one or more of the N TRPs.

[0199] In Example 1.2.11, the entity (E1, E2, ... E N= (panel1, panel2, ..., panelN), where panel1...panelN are N antenna panels (at the UE) used by the UE to receive DL RS (PDCCH and / or PDSCH) and / or transmit UL RS (PUCCH and / or PUSCH and / or PRACH). Optionally, N beam indicators can also be configured to receive(multiple) DL RS and / or transmit(multiple) UL RS, wherein one or more of the N TRPs receive(multiple) DL RS and transmit(multiple) UL RS.

[0200] In the remainder of this disclosure, J-TCI = (A, B, C) (see Example 1) is for illustrative purposes only. Those skilled in the art will readily apply the following embodiments to other types of combined TCIs, including the generalized combined TCIs in Examples 1.1 and 1.2.

[0201] In one embodiment 2, component A includes a reference RS, component B includes a target DL RS, and component C includes a target UL RS.

[0202] In one sub-example 2A, the reference RS is a DL RS. In one example, the reference DL RS is an NZP CSI-RS. In one example, the reference DL RS is an SSB / PBCH. In one example, the reference DL RS is a DL DMRS. In one example, the reference DL RS is a combination of NZP CSI-RS and SSB / PBCH. In one example, the reference DL RS is another combination, such as (NZP CSI-RS, DL DMRS) or (DL DMRS, SSB / PBCH) or (NZP CSI-RS, SSB / PBCH, DL DMRS).

[0203] The UE can be configured with a single set of K RSs for all reference DL RSs, target DL RSs, and target UL RSs. Alternatively, the UE can be configured with a first set of K1 RSs for reference DL RSs and target DL RSs, and a second set of K2 RSs for target UL RSs. Alternatively, the UE can be configured with a first set of K1 RSs for reference DL RSs, a second set of K2 RSs for target DL RSs, and a third set of K3 RSs for target UL RSs. This configuration can be performed via higher-layer signaling, such as RRC.

[0204] In one sub-example 2B, the reference RS is a UL RS. In one example, the reference UL RS is an SRS. In one example, the reference UL RS is a UL DMRS. In one example, the reference UL RS is a combination of an SRS and a UL DMRS.

[0205] The UE can be configured with a single set of K RSs for all reference DL RSs, target DL RSs, and target UL RSs. The UE can be configured with a first set of K1 RSs for the target DL RSs and a second set of K2 RSs for both reference UL RSs and target UL RSs. The UE can also be configured with a first set of K1 RSs for reference DL RSs, a second set of K2 RSs for the target DL RSs, and a third set of K3 RSs for the target UL RSs. This configuration can be performed via higher-layer signaling, such as RRC.

[0206] The target DL RS (including component B) is based on at least one of the following examples. In one example, the target DL RS is DL DMRS. In one example, the target DL RS is NZP CSI-RS. In one example, the target DL RS is SSB / PBCH. In one example, the target DL RS is a combination of NZP CSI-RS and SSB / PBCH. In one example, the target DL RS is another combination, such as (NZP CSI-RS, DL DMRS) or (DL DMRS, SSB / PBCH) or (NZP CSI-RS, SSB / PBCH, DLDMRS).

[0207] The target UL RS (including component C) is based on at least one of the following examples. In one example, the target UL RS is an SRS. In one example, the target UL RS is a UL DMRS. In one example, the target UL RS is a combination of an SRS and a UL DMRS.

[0208] Examples of J-TCI status according to sub-example 2A are shown in Table 1. Examples of J-TCI status according to sub-example 2B are shown in Table 2. These tables show the types and indices (shown in parentheses) of DL and / or UL RSs according to the configured RS(s) sets. In Tables 1 and 2, x0 and x1 are indices of NZP CSI-RS resources in the RS(s) sets configured by the higher-level (RRC). Similarly, v0 and v1 are SSB / PBCH resource indices, y1 is a DL DMRS index, z1 is a UL DMRS index, and u0 and u1 are SRS resource indices.

[0209] Table 1: J-TCI Examples

[0210]

[0211] Table 2: J-TCI Examples

[0212]

[0213]

[0214] In one embodiment 2.1, component A includes a reference RS, component B is empty, and component C is empty. In one example, the reference RS is a DL RS (similar to embodiment 2A). Examples of J-TCI states are shown in Table 3. In one example, the reference RS is a UL RS (similar to embodiment 2B). Examples of J-TCI states according to sub-embodiment 2B are shown in Table 4.

[0215] Table 3: J-TCI Examples

[0216]

[0217] Table 4: J-TCI Examples

[0218]

[0219] In one embodiment 2.2, component A includes a reference RS, component B includes a target DL channel, and component C includes a target UL channel. In one example, the reference RS is a DL RS (similar to embodiment 2A). In another example, the reference RS is a UL RS (similar to embodiment 2B).

[0220] In one example, the target DL channel is PDCCH. In another example, the target DL channel is PDSCH. In yet another example, the target DL channel includes both PDCCH and PDSCH. In one example, the target UL channel is PUCCH. In one example, the target UL channel is PUSCH. In one example, the target UL channel includes both PUCCH and PUSCH. In one example, the target UL channel is PRACH. In one example, the target UL channel includes both PUCCH and PRACH. In yet another example, the target UL channel includes PUCCH, PDSCH, and PRACH.

[0221] In one embodiment 2.3, component A includes a reference RS, component B includes a target DL channel and / or a DL RS, and component C includes a target UL channel and / or a UL RS. In one example, the reference RS is a DL RS (similar to embodiment 2A). In one example, the reference RS is a UL RS (similar to embodiment 2B). The target DL channel and the target UL channel are based on at least one example from embodiment 2.2. The target DL RS and the target UL RS are based on at least one example from embodiments 2 and 2.1.

[0222] Assume that k1, k2, and k3 are the number of TCI states of types J-TCI, DL-TCI, and UL-TCI, respectively, where J-TCI = (A, B, C), where A is not empty, and J-TCI is according to some embodiments of this disclosure (e.g., 1 or 2), and DL-TCI and UL-TCI correspond to separate beam indicators for DL ​​and UL, respectively (e.g., similar to TCI-based DL beam indicators).

[0223] In one embodiment 3, the UE is configured with k > 1 TCI states, wherein the set of k TCI states is based on at least one of the following alternatives.

[0224] In an alternative Alt 3-1: all k TCI states are of the same type (J-TCI, DL-TCI, or UL-TCI), i.e. (k = k1, k2 = k3 = 0) or (k = k2, k1 = k3 = 0) or (k = k3, k1 = k2 = 0).

[0225] In an alternative Alt 3-2: k1TCI state is J-TCI, and k2 = k-k1 TCI states are DL-TCI, where k1, k2 > 0 and k3 = 0.

[0226] In an alternative Alt 3-3: k1TCI state is J-TCI, and k3 = k-k1 TCI states are UL-TCI, where k1, k3 > 0 and k2 = 0.

[0227] In an alternative Alt 3-4: k1TCI states are J-TCI, k2 TCI states are DL-TCI, and k3 = k - k1 - k2 TCI states are UL-TCI, where k1, k2, k3 > 0.

[0228] In one example, only one of the above alternatives (3-1 to 3-4) is used / supports TCI indication. In another example, multiple alternatives are supported, and one of the supported alternatives is indicated / configured to the UE via a higher layer (e.g., RRC) or a more dynamic MAC CE or DCI-based signaling.

[0229] Examples of k TCI states are shown in Table 5.

[0230] Table 5: Examples of N TCI states

[0231]

[0232] The k TCI states can be configured via higher-layer (RRC / L3) signaling. Alternatively, they can be dynamically configured via L2 control signaling (such as MAC control elements or MAC CE), L1 control signaling (via DCI, UL-related and / or DL-related), or a combination of L2 and L1 control signaling. When using L1 control signaling, different RNTIs can be used to distinguish this signaling from DL assignment and UL authorization. Optionally, UE group DCI (instead of UE-specific DCI) can be used, as this mapping can be common across multiple UEs.

[0233] In sub-example 3A, with a set of k TCI states configured (according to Example 3), the TCI field can be used in the DL-related DCI to indicate UL TX and / or DL ​​RX beam selection to the UE. The assumed number of TCI fields is k, therefore... Bits. In this case, TCI is a separate DCI field. Alternatively, k TCIs are assumed to be jointly signaled and / or encoded in another DCI field. In this sub-example, regardless of the TCI type (J-TCI, DL-TCI, or UL-TCI), the DCI associated with DL is used for TCI indication.

[0234] In sub-example 3B, with a set of k TCI states configured (according to example 3), the TCI field can be used in the UL-related DCI to indicate UL TX and / or DL ​​RX beam selection to the UE. The assumed number of TCI fields is k, therefore... In this case, TCI is a separate DCI field. Alternatively, k TCIs may be jointly signaled and / or encoded in another DCI field. In this sub-example, regardless of the TCI type (J-TCI, DL-TCI, or UL-TCI), the UL-related DCI is used for TCI indication.

[0235] In a sub-example 3C, when a set of k TCI states is configured (according to example 3), the TCI indication is as follows (depending on the TCI type).

[0236] When the TCI type is J-TCI, use at least one of the following alternatives.

[0237] In an alternative Alt 3C-1, the TCI indication is via the TCI field in the DCI associated with the DL.

[0238] In an alternative Alt 3C-2, the TCI indication is via the TCI field in the UL-related DCI.

[0239] In an alternative Alt 3C-3, TCI indication is via both the DCI associated with the DL and the DCI associated with the UL. For example, components (A, B) are indicated via the TCI field in the DCI associated with the DL, and component C is indicated via the TCI field in the DCI associated with the UL.

[0240] In an alternative, Alt 3C-4, the TCI indication is via both the DCI associated with the DL and the DCI associated with the UL. For example, component B is indicated via the TCI field in the DCI associated with the DL, and components (A, C) are indicated via the TCI field in the DCI associated with the UL.

[0241] When the TCI type is DL-TCI, the TCI field can be used in the DCI associated with DL to indicate DL RX beam selection to the UE.

[0242] When the TCI type is UL-TCI, the TCI field can be used in the UL-related DCI to indicate the UL TX beam selection to the UE.

[0243] In one example, the DCI associated with DL can be a dedicated DCI for DL-TCI status indication or a DCI for scheduling DL assignments (e.g., PDSCH). In another example, the DCI associated with UL can be a dedicated DCI for UL-TCI status indication or a DCI for scheduling UL authorizations (e.g., PUSCH).

[0244] In one embodiment 3.1, the UE is configured with k > 1 TCI states, wherein the set of k TCI states is based on at least one of the following alternatives 3-1 to 3-4. The k1 TCI states correspond to TCI types J-TCI = (A i B i C i ), k2 TCI states correspond to TCI type DL-TCI=B i And k3 TCI states correspond to TCI type UL-TCI=C i Examples of k TCI states and their types are shown in Table 6.

[0245] Table 6: Examples of k TCI states

[0246]

[0247] In one embodiment 3.2, the UE is configured with a TCI type for DL ​​and UL beam indication, wherein the TCI type can be combined (J-TCI) or separate (DL-TCI and / or UL-TCI). Depending on the configured TCI type, the UE uses one of the following beam indication mechanisms: (a) combined DL / UL beam indication via J-TCI or (b) DL beam indication and UL beam indication via DL-TCI and UL-TCI respectively. In one example, this configuration of the TCI type can be via higher-layer (RRC) signaling of parameters, such as tci-Type.

[0248] The following two embodiments (C-1 and C-2) are examples of DL and / or DL ​​multi-beam operation utilizing J-TCI-based DL and / or UL beam indication. In the first exemplary embodiment (C-1), an aperiodic CSI-RS is transmitted by the NW and measured by the UE. This embodiment can be used, for example, when reciprocity between the UL and DL beampair links (BPLs) is met. This condition is referred to as "UL-DL beam correspondence". In the second exemplary embodiment (C-2), an aperiodic SRS is triggered by the NW and transmitted by the UE so that the NW (or gNB) can measure the UL channel quality for the purpose of allocating UL TX or DL ​​RX beams. This embodiment can be used regardless of whether UL-DL beam correspondence is met. Although aperiodic RS is used in these two examples, periodic or semi-persistent RS can also be used.

[0249] exist Figure 14 In one example shown in (Example C-1), DL and / or UL multi-beam operation 1400 is illustrated. Figure 14 The embodiments of DL and / or UL multi-beam operation 1400 shown are for illustrative purposes only. Figure 14 This disclosure is not intended to limit the scope of any particular implementation of the DL and / or UL multi-beam operation 1400.

[0250] DL and / or UL multi-beam operation 1400 begins with the gNB / NW signaling an aperiodic CSI-RS (AP-CSI-RS) trigger or indication to the UE (step 1401). This trigger or indication may include, in the DCI (associated with UL or with DL or both, signaled separately or in conjunction with an aperiodic CSI request / trigger), indicating the transmission of AP-CSI-RS in the same (zero time offset) or later time slot / subframe (>0 time offset). Upon receiving the AP-CSI-RS transmitted by the gNB / NW (step 1402), the UE measures the AP-CSI-RS and, in turn, calculates and reports a “beam metric” (indicating the quality of a particular TX beam assumption) (step 1403). An example of this beam report is a CSI-RS resource indicator (CRI) or SSB resource indicator (SSB-RI) coupled to its associated L1-RSRP / L1-RSRQ / L1-SINR / CQI.

[0251] After receiving the beam report from the UE, the gNB / NW can use the beam report to select UL TX and / or DL ​​RX beams for the UE, and use the J-TCI field in the UL-related DCI (carrying UL authorization, such as DCI format 0_1 ​​in NR) or the DL-related DCI (carrying DL allocation, such as DCI format 1_1 in NR) or both to indicate the UL TX and / or DL ​​RX beam selection (step 1404). In this case, the J-TCI indicates the reference RS (in this case, AP-CSI-RS) representing the UL RX and / or DL ​​TX beams selected (by the gNB / NW). After successfully decoding the DCI using the J-TCI (in step 1405),

[0252] For UL, the UE selects the UL TX beam and uses the UL TX beam associated with the reference CSI-RS to perform UL transmissions (such as data transmissions on the PUSCH), and

[0253] • For DL, the UE selects the DL RX beam and uses the DL RX beam associated with the reference CSI-RS to perform DL reception (such as data reception via PDSCH).

[0254] For this embodiment (C-1), as described above, the UE selects the UL TX and / or DL ​​RX beams based on the obtained DL RX beams associated with the reference RS index transmitted via the J-TCI field signal. In this case, the CSI-RS resources configured for the UE as reference RS resources (or, in general, DL RS resources including CSI-RS, SSB, or a combination of both) can be linked to (associated with) beammetric reports such as CRI / L1-RSRP or L1-SINR.

[0255] exist Figure 15 In one example shown in (Example C-2), DL and / or UL multi-beam operation 1500 is illustrated. Figure 15 The embodiments of DL and / or UL multi-beam operation 1500 shown are for illustrative purposes only. Figure 15 This disclosure is not intended to limit the scope of any particular implementation of the DL and / or UL multi-beam operation 1500.

[0256] The DL and / or UL multi-beam operation 1500 begins with the gNB / NW sending an aperiodic SRS (AP-SRS) trigger or request to the UE signal (step 1501). This trigger may be included in the DCI (related to UL, DL, or both). After receiving and decoding the AP-SRS trigger (step 1502), the UE sends the AP-SRS to the gNB / NW (step 1503) so that the NW (or gNB) can measure the UL propagation channel and select the UL TX and / or DL ​​RX beams for the UE.

[0257] The gNB / NW can then use a UL-related DCI (carrying UL authorization, such as DCI format 0_1 ​​in NR) or a DL-related DCI (carrying DL allocation, such as DCI format 1_1 in NR) or the J-TCI field in both to indicate the UL TX and / or DL ​​RX beam selection (step 1504). In this case, the J-TCI indicates the reference RS (in this case, AP-SRS) representing the selected UL TX and / or DL ​​RX beam. After successfully decoding the DCI using the J-TCI (in step 1505),

[0258] • For UL, the UE uses the UL TX beam indicated by J-TCI to perform UL transmissions (such as data transmissions on the PUSCH), and

[0259] • For DL, the UE uses the DL RX beam indicated by J-TCI to perform DL reception (such as data reception via PDSCH).

[0260] For this embodiment (C-2), as described above, the UE selects the UL TX and / or DL ​​RX beams from the reference RS (in this case, SRS) index transmitted via the J-TCI field signal.

[0261] For any embodiment or sub-embodiment, the terms TCI, J-TCI, DL-TCI, and UL-TCI fields are used for illustrative purposes. Other terms and / or other DCI fields with the same function (i.e., referring to at least one pre-configured TCI, J-TCI, DL-TCI, or UL-TCI state) may be used and are therefore covered within the scope of this disclosure. For example, the functionality of the UL-TCI field can also be implemented by reusing the existing SRI field in DCI format 0_1 ​​in the NR. However, in this case, the SRI field is not interpreted according to the SpatialRelationInfo in the NR, but according to the UL TCI state definition described above (including the list of reference RS resource IDs). The SRI field can also be extended using one or more configured SRS resources as described above to accommodate more UL TCI assumptions.

[0262] Figure 16 A flowchart is shown of a method 1600 for operating a user equipment (UE) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, which can be performed by a UE such as UE 116. Figure 16 The embodiments of method 1600 shown are for illustrative purposes only. Figure 16 This disclosure is not intended to limit the scope to any particular implementation. According to one embodiment of this disclosure, some steps related to the operation of the terminal may be omitted.

[0263] like Figure 16 As shown, method 1600 begins with step 1602. In step 1602, the UE (e.g., as...) Figure 1 As shown in 111-116), the receiver receives configuration information including the status of the Multiple Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI).

[0264] In step 1604, the UE receives a beam indication indicating the TCI state from multiple TCI states. The TCI state indicates N entities (E1, E2, ... E...). N The beam of each of the TCI states. The TCI state includes the TCI state ID and at most N+1 components (A0, A1, A2, ..., A...). N ), where A0 includes the common components of all entities, and for each n∈{1,2,...,N}, A n Including entity E n Specific components, and component A0 and component A n Together, indicate entity E n The beam.

[0265] In step 1606, the UE is N entities (E1, E2, ... E) indicated by the TCI state. N Each of the elements in the equation determines the beam.

[0266] In step 1608, the UE is based on N entities (E1, E2, ... E N Each of the beams transmits uplink (UL) transmissions or receives downlink (DL) transmissions.

[0267] In one embodiment, the beam indication indicating the TCI status is via downlink control information (DCI).

[0268] In one embodiment, the data from (A0, A1, A2, ..., A...) N Each component in the signal includes at least one reference signal from the Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), Downlink Demodulation Reference Signal (DL DMRS), Probe Reference Signal (SRS), or Uplink Demodulation Reference Signal (UL DMRS).

[0269] In one embodiment, the TCI state does not include components (A0, A1, A2, ..., A...). N One or more of the following. When A0 is not included, then for each n∈{1,...,N}, component A n Represents entity E n The beam. When A is not included. n When (n∈{1,...,N}), component A0 indicates entity E. n The beam.

[0270] In one embodiment, N = 2.

[0271] In one embodiment, entity E1 includes at least one of the DL channel, physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), or physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and entity E2 includes at least one of the UL channel, physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), or physical random access channel (PRACH).

[0272] In one embodiment, entity E1 includes a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), and entity E2 includes a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0273] Figure 17 A flowchart illustrating another method 1700 performed by a base station (BS), such as BS 102, according to an embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 17The embodiments of method 1700 shown are for illustrative purposes only. Figure 17 This disclosure is not intended to limit the scope to any particular implementation. According to one embodiment of this disclosure, some steps related to the operation of the base station may be omitted.

[0274] like Figure 17 As shown, method 1700 begins with step 1702. In step 1702, BS (e.g., as...) Figure 1 As shown in 101-103), configuration information including the status of the Multiple Transport Configuration Indicator (TCI) is generated.

[0275] In step 1704, BS generates a beam indication that indicates the TCI state from multiple TCI states.

[0276] In step 1706, the BS sends configuration information including multiple TCI states.

[0277] In step 1708, the BS transmits a beam indication indicating the TCI state from among the multiple TCI states.

[0278] TCI status indicates N entities (E1, E2, ... E N The beam of each of the components, where the TCI state includes the TCI state ID and at most N+1 components (A0, A1, A2, ..., A...). N ), where A0 includes the common components of all entities, and for each n∈{1,2,...,N}, A n Including entity E n Specific components, and components A0 and A n Together, indicate entity E n The beam, and where BS is configured based on N entities (E1, E2, ... E N Each of the beams receives uplink (UL) transmissions or sends downlink (DL) transmissions.

[0279] In one embodiment, the beam indication indicating the TCI status is via downlink control information (DCI).

[0280] In one embodiment, the data from (A0, A1, A2, ..., A...) N Each component in the signal includes at least one reference signal from the Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), Downlink Demodulation Reference Signal (DL DMRS), Probe Reference Signal (SRS), or Uplink Demodulation Reference Signal (UL DMRS).

[0281] In one embodiment, the TCI state does not include components (A0, A1, A2, ..., A...).N One or more of the following. When A0 is not included, then for each n∈{1,...,N}, component A n Indicator Entity E n The beam. When A is not included. n When (n∈{1,...,N}), component A0 indicates entity E. n The beam.

[0282] In one embodiment, N = 2.

[0283] In one embodiment, entity E1 includes at least one of the DL channel, physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), or physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and entity E2 includes at least one of the UL channel, physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), or physical random access channel (PRACH).

[0284] In one embodiment, entity E1 includes a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), and entity E2 includes a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0285] In one embodiment, the beam indication indicating the TCI status is via downlink control information (DCI).

[0286] In one embodiment, the data from (A0, A1, A2, ..., A...) N Each component in the signal includes at least one reference signal from the Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS), Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), Downlink Demodulation Reference Signal (DL DMRS), Probe Reference Signal (SRS), or Uplink Demodulation Reference Signal (UL DMRS).

[0287] In one embodiment, the TCI state does not include components (A0, A1, A2, ..., A...). N One or more of the following. When A0 is not included, then for each n∈{1,...,N}, component A n Represents entity E n The beam. When A is not included. n When (n∈{1,...,N}), component A0 indicates entity E. n The beam.

[0288] In one embodiment, N = 2.

[0289] In one embodiment, entity E1 includes at least one of the DL channel, physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), or physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and entity E2 includes at least one of the UL channel, physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), or physical random access channel (PRACH).

[0290] In one embodiment, entity E1 includes a physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), and entity E2 includes a physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH).

[0291] In one embodiment, a user equipment (UE) is provided in a wireless communication system, the UE comprising: at least one transceiver; at least one processor operatively coupled to the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: receive configuration information including a plurality of Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) states; receive a beam indication indicating a TCI state from the plurality of TCI states; identify a beam based on the beam indication; and transmit uplink (UL) data via the identified beam.

[0292] In one embodiment, the TCI state indicates the beam of each of a plurality of entities. The TCI state includes a TCI state ID and a plurality of components. A first component included in the plurality of components includes a common component of the plurality of entities. A second component included in the plurality of components includes a component of the entity among the plurality of entities. The first and second components represent the beam of that entity.

[0293] In one embodiment, the beam indication indicating the TCI status is transmitted via downlink control information (DCI).

[0294] In one embodiment, the components among the plurality of components include at least one reference signal from the channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), synchronization signal block (SSB), downlink demodulation reference signal (DL DMRS), probe reference signal (SRS), or uplink demodulation reference signal (UL DMRS).

[0295] In one embodiment, when the first component is not included in the TCI state, the second component indicates the beam of the entity; and when the second component is not included in the TCI state, the first component indicates the beam of the entity.

[0296] In one embodiment, the first entity included among the plurality of entities includes at least one of the DL channel, the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), or the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and the second entity included among the plurality of entities includes at least one of the UL channel, the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), or the physical random access channel (PRACH).

[0297] In one embodiment, the first entity includes the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), and the second entity includes the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH).

[0298] In one embodiment, a base station (BS) in a wireless communication system is provided, the BS including: at least one transceiver and at least one processor operatively coupled to the at least one transceiver, wherein the at least one processor is configured to: send configuration information including multiple transmission configuration indicator (TCI) states to a UE; send beam indications to the UE indicating TCI states from a plurality of TCI states; and receive uplink (UL) data from the UE based on beams of a plurality of entities indicated by the TCI states.

[0299] In one embodiment, the TCI state includes a TCI state ID and multiple components, wherein a first component includes a common component of the multiple entities, a second component includes a component of the entity among the multiple entities, and the first and second components indicate the beam of the entity.

[0300] In one embodiment, the beam indication indicating the TCI status is transmitted via downlink control information (DCI).

[0301] In one embodiment, the components among the plurality of components include at least one reference signal from the channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), synchronization signal block (SSB), downlink demodulation reference signal (DL DMRS), probe reference signal (SRS), or uplink demodulation reference signal (UL DMRS).

[0302] In one embodiment, when the first component is not included in the TCI state, the second component indicates the beam of the entity; and when the second component is not included in the TCI state, the first component indicates the beam of the entity.

[0303] In one embodiment, the first entity included among the plurality of entities includes at least one of the DL channel, the physical downlink control channel (PDCCH), or the physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), and the second entity included among the plurality of entities includes at least one of the UL channel, the physical uplink control channel (PUCCH), the physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH), or the physical random access channel (PRACH).

[0304] In one embodiment, the first entity includes the Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), and the second entity includes the Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH).

[0305] In one embodiment, a method is provided for implementing one of the UEs disclosed in the above-described apparatus.

[0306] In one embodiment, a method is provided for implementing one of the base stations disclosed in the above-described apparatus.

[0307] Although this disclosure has been described using exemplary embodiments, various changes and modifications can be made by those skilled in the art. This disclosure is intended to include changes and modifications that fall within the scope of the appended claims. Nothing described in this application should be construed as implying that any particular element, step, or function is an essential element that must be included within the scope of the claims. The scope of this patent subject matter is defined only by the claims.

Claims

1. A user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, the UE comprising: transceiver; and At least one processor, coupled to the transceiver and configured to: The system receives first configuration information from the base station (BS) via higher-layer signaling, indicating whether the Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state type is singular or combined, and second configuration information including information about at least one combined TCI state. When the TCI state type is singular, a downlink DL signal is received from the BS based on the at least one joint TCI state, and a UL signal is sent to the BS based on at least one uplink ULTCI state, wherein third configuration information, including information about the at least one UL TCI state, is received via the higher-layer signaling. When the TCI state type is combined, the DL signal is received from the BS based on the at least one combined TCI state, and the UL signal is sent to the BS based on the at least one combined TCI state.

2. The UE according to claim 1, wherein, For receiving the DL signal from the BS based on the at least one joint TCI state, and sending the UL signal to the BS based on the at least one UL TCI state, the at least one processor is further configured to: Based on the at least one joint TCI state, the BS receives at least one of the following: Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), or Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS). Based on the at least one UL TCI state, send at least one of the following to the BS: Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), or Sound Reference Signal (SRS).

3. The UE according to claim 2, wherein, For receiving the DL signal from the BS based on the at least one joint TCI state, and sending the UL signal to the BS based on the at least one joint TCI state, the at least one processor is further configured to: Based on the at least one joint TCI state, receive at least one of the PDCCH, the PDSCH, or the CSI-RS from the BS. Based on the at least one joint TCI state, send at least one of the PUCCH, the PUSCH, or the SRS to the BS.

4. The UE according to claim 1, wherein the TCI state includes a TCI state ID and at least one reference signal RS.

5. The UE according to claim 4, wherein the at least one RS includes at least one of CSI-RS, Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), or SRS.

6. A base station (BS) in a wireless communication system, the BS comprising: transceiver; and At least one processor, coupled to the transceiver, is configured to: The system sends first configuration information to the user equipment (UE) via higher-layer signaling, indicating whether the Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state type is singular or combined, and second configuration information including information about at least one combined TCI state. When the TCI state type is singular, a downlink DL signal is sent to the UE based on at least one joint TCI state, and a UL signal is received from the UE based on at least one uplink UL TCI state, wherein third configuration information, including information about the at least one UL TCI state, is sent via the higher-layer signaling. When the TCI state type is joint, the DL signal is sent to the UE based on the at least one joint TCI state, and the UL signal is received from the UE based on the at least one joint TCI state.

7. The BS according to claim 6, wherein, For transmitting the DL signal to the UE based on the at least one joint TCI state, and receiving the UL signal from the UE based on the at least one UL TCI state, the at least one processor is further configured to: Based on the at least one joint TCI state, send at least one of the following to the UE: Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), or Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS). Based on the at least one UL TCI state, the UE receives at least one of the following: Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), or Sound Reference Signal (SRS).

8. The BS according to claim 7, wherein, For transmitting the DL signal to the UE based on the at least one joint TCI state, and receiving the UL signal from the UE based on the at least one joint TCI state, the at least one processor is further configured to: Based on the at least one joint TCI state, send at least one of the PDCCH, the PDSCH, or the CSI-RS to the UE. Based on the at least one joint TCI state, the UE receives at least one of the PUCCH, the PUSCH, or the SRS.

9. The BS according to claim 6, wherein each TCI state includes a TCI state ID and at least one reference signal RS.

10. The BS according to claim 9, wherein the at least one RS includes at least one of CSI-RS, Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), or SRS.

11. A method for operating a user equipment (UE) in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: The system receives first configuration information from the base station (BS) via higher-layer signaling, indicating whether the Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state type is singular or combined, and second configuration information including information about at least one combined TCI state. When the TCI state type is singular, a downlink DL signal is received from the BS based on at least one joint TCI state, and a UL signal is sent to the BS based on at least one uplink UL TCI state, wherein third configuration information, including information about the at least one UL TCI state, is received via the higher-layer signaling. When the TCI state type is combined, the DL signal is received from the BS based on the at least one combined TCI state, and the UL signal is sent to the BS based on the at least one combined TCI state.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein, For receiving the DL signal from the BS based on at least one joint TCI state, and sending the UL signal to the BS based on at least one UL TCI state, the method further includes: Based on the at least one joint TCI state, the BS receives at least one of the following: Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), or Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS). Based on the at least one UL TCI state, send at least one of the following to the BS: Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), or Sound Reference Signal (SRS).

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein, For receiving the DL signal from the BS based on at least one joint TCI state, and sending the UL signal to the BS based on at least one joint TCI state, the method further includes: Based on the at least one joint TCI state, receive at least one of the PDCCH, the PDSCH, or the CSI-RS from the BS. Based on the at least one joint TCI state, send at least one of the PUCCH, the PUSCH, or the SRS to the BS.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein each TCI state includes a TCI state ID and at least one reference signal RS.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one RS comprises at least one of CSI-RS, Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), or SRS.

16. A method for operating a base station (BS) in a wireless communication system, the method comprising: The system sends first configuration information to the user equipment (UE) via higher-layer signaling, indicating whether the Transmission Configuration Indicator (TCI) state type is singular or combined, and second configuration information including information about at least one combined TCI state. When the TCI state type is singular, a downlink DL signal is sent to the UE based on at least one joint TCI state, and a UL signal is received from the UE based on at least one uplink UL TCI state, wherein third configuration information, including information about the at least one UL TCI state, is sent via the higher-layer signaling. When the TCI state type is joint, the DL signal is sent to the UE based on the at least one joint TCI state, and the UL signal is received from the UE based on the at least one joint TCI state.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein, The method further includes, for sending the DL signal to the UE based on at least one joint TCI state and receiving the UL signal from the UE based on at least one UL TCI state: Based on the at least one joint TCI state, send at least one of the following to the UE: Physical Downlink Control Channel (PDCCH), Physical Downlink Shared Channel (PDSCH), or Channel State Information Reference Signal (CSI-RS). Based on the at least one UL TCI state, the UE receives at least one of the following: Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), Physical Uplink Shared Channel (PUSCH), or Sound Reference Signal (SRS).

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein, The method further includes, for sending the DL signal to the UE based on the at least one joint TCI state and receiving the UL signal from the UE based on the at least one joint TCI state: Based on the at least one joint TCI state, send at least one of the PDCCH, the PDSCH, or the CSI-RS to the UE. Based on the at least one joint TCI state, the UE receives at least one of the PUCCH, the PUSCH, or the SRS.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein each TCI state includes a TCI state ID and at least one reference signal RS.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one RS comprises at least one of CSI-RS, Synchronization Signal Block (SSB), or SRS.

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